Save Darfur!

            The role of an everyday Christian to stop the genocide in Darfur is to do everything in their power to stop this atrocity.  This might be giving money to organizations like Save Darfur, going to Darfur to help deliver supplies on a mission trip, or it might just be in prayer towards God. To help end the suffering in the world today everyone should do whatever they can to help end genocide and suffering in Darfur and across the world. I think another issue that should be addressed in the world is world hunger in places were there is little food or the government is unwilling to help those who are hungry.  I think that as a Christian, we should all be working together to stop the genocide in Darfur and other problems across the globe.

            I played both a little boy and a little girl in the Darfur is Dying game online. I was captured while I was playing as a little girl and a message popped up that said the girl would mostly likely be raped and then killed. This definitely changes my opinion on how genocide should be addressed because there are many little girls and women in Darfur. I think that this should really be addressed because I think no little girl, or other person for that matter, should have to live in a place where they’re worried about being sexually assaulted or killed.  I think that the rest of the world should address the genocide in Darfur because it’s atrocious that this is even being allowed in the world today.

http://poietes.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/save-darfur-logo.jpg

Death Penalty Sources

      The most compelling arguments that these organizations outline for their stance on the subject differ greatly. The organizations that are pro-death penalty believe that there should be retribution for a murder by killing these people. The organizations that are anti-death penalty believe that murder is never okay and that killing a person for revenge is an equally evil and morally wrong act. Prodeathpenalty.com is the most outrageous site with quotes such as, "If we execute murderers and there is in fact no deterrent effect, we have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call” from John McAdams, a professor at Marquette University. Antideathpenalty.com made me think that the death penalty should be abolished because it’s less expensive to keep them in prison and then there’s no moral problems about it.

Sources:

http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/
     This website provides correct statistics and information that is unbiased and realistic. However, the quotes that are provided on this website show that they are very pro-death penalty and believe that this should never be taken away. This website is very pro-death penalty as shown by their web address and thoughts on the death penalty.


http://deathpenalty.procon.org/
     This website is unbiased on the death penalty situation. There are resources that show both the pros and cons of the death penalty. These resources have reliable statistics that display the differences between the two groups of people who are for and against the death penalty. This website is a good resource for information on the death penalty since it’s unbiased and informational.


http://library.thinkquest.org/23685/data/pro.html
     This website is for the death penalty and believes that it would be less costly just to kill a murder instead of keeping them in jail for life. This site also provides statistics on the death penalty and how it helps families to recover form the loss of a loved one by a murder. This website seems very biased towards keeping the death penalty and provides skewed statistics about it.


http://www.antideathpenalty.org/
     This website gives information about how the court system works and how the death penalty is unconstitutional. This site also states that although many people think it’d be cheaper to kill someone then keep them in jail, it’s not. This site really convinced me that the death penalty should be illegalized.


http://davecoop.net/adp.htm
     This website shows that many other countries have abolished the death penalty and that the death penalty should be abolished. It also states that the death penalty does not prove that criminals will be less likely to kill people. I think that all these things combined show that the death penalty should be abolished in the United States.


http://www.discoverhumanrights.org/uploads/Death_Penalty_Logo_ol_4.png

The Death Penalty

            The Church’s official stance to capital punishment is that it is unacceptable and morally wrong. This fits into the category of murder, which includes abortion, euthanasia, and stem-cell research as a thing that is “inherently evil”. The Vatican states that all human lives are sacred and the fifth commandment says that “You shall not kill”, which should apply to all situations.  Pope John Paul II also said, “The cases where it is absolutely necessary to do way with the offender are now very rare, even non-existent practically”.  In the United States, bishops and other people from the Church also believe that the death penalty is wrong and counter-productive.

            In the United States the Church maintains a strong position on being anti-death penalty.  This goes along with the Vatican’s opinion on opposing the death penalty strongly and showing it as a useless ability of government. A Catholic Bishop from Illinois stated, “To take a human life, even that of someone who is not innocent, is awesome and tragic. It seems to us and others that, in our culture today, there are not sufficient reasons to justify the state continuing to exercise its right in this manner”. From these two sources I do agree that the death penalty is wrong, and I think a solution for this would be to ensure that anyone who has killed someone maliciously should have be in solitary confinement in jail until they pass away. I think that this is a fair compromise between death and being let out of jail after a long period of time. I think if this was established, then the government and churches might be on better terms without the fight over death row.

http://www.usccb.org/deathpenalty/dpstatements.shtml
http://www.usccb.org/deathpenalty/dpvatican.shtml

Abortion and the Church

            

          On the abortion debate, I believe that abortion should only be considered in extreme cases, such as rape, incest, or risk to the mother’s life.  Although, I think the last point can be greatly influenced, such as when a women’s chance of survival is above 90 percent for example. In this case I think a woman should not be allowed to have an abortion, because with skilled enough doctors, the woman would probably be able to survive alongside the baby. I feel that the Church teaches the way it does because they believe that everyone has the right to survive, even the smallest of babies. My opinion agrees with the Church because I don’t believe in abortions except in extreme cases. 

            From a Catholic perspective, rape and incest and not things that the Church makes a specific exception for. When a disabled child will be born, the Church says that all human beings have the same value.  The Church believes that women feel remorse and loss after abortion, so the Church believes that abortion doesn’t end with the baby.  In medical necessity the Church says that the woman needs to try every option before killing her child, in other words she must try to deliver early or other means to attempt to save both the child and mother. I feel that the Church is correct in these special circumstances except for rape and incest. In cases of rape and incest I believe that a mother should be allowed to abort the child so that she wouldn’t have to go through the emotional pain and stress.

http://www.fredcrystal.com/clipart.htm

The Story of the Sniper

            

            In O’Flaherty’s story entitled “The Sniper”, a young sniper is laying on a roof lighting a cigarette when shots are fired at him. He then shots a woman and a soldier when he is struck in the arm.  He is unable to move his right arm, but somehow he manages to shoot at a sniper across the street so he can escape. After he begins to leave the street, he comes back curious of what man he shot.  He flips the man over the discovers that he has shot and killed his brother. I think the author’s message about murder in society is that every person that is killed during a war is someone’s family and that killing people might have a just cause, but it generally has a bad effect.  The fallen nature of man is shown in this since this man ended up killing his own brother, which is the most evil thing that can really be done by man.  I think that killing is never justified unless you are forced to kill someone in self-defense. I think killing is never justified when you do it without any reason whatsoever. I think an example of this is when the government kills people through use of the death penalty.  Through O’Flaherty’s story, “The Sniper”, war, violence, and murder are thrown in a different light and show that in no situation are these acts morally right.

http://www.bhop73.com/artwork/sniper.jpg

Positive Songs

Stuck Like Glue, Sugarland

“You do that thing that makes me laugh, and just like that there you go making my heart beat again, heart beat again, heart beat again, there you go making me feel like a kid, won’t you do it, do it one time?”

    I think the main message of this song is that love is something that should make you happy and feel closer to God through both peoples’ happiness.

Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Elton John

“Can you feel the love tonight? How it’s laid to rest, it’s enough to make kings and vagabonds believe the very best.”

    I think the main message of this song is that love is something that makes the world a better place because it’s a main theme for everyone in the world, and can connect people in positive ways.

Take My Breath Away, Giorgio Moroder

“Take my breath away. Watching I keep waiting, still anticipating love, never hesitating to become the fated ones.”

    I think the main message of this song is that love should be something that occurs between two married people and that links these people and makes their two souls into one.

http://www.moe.gov.tt/cyberfair/websites/Secondary/NGHS/images/music_notes.jpg

The Evils of Society

          

         I think that some parts of society are trying to promote a message about respect for the body, but overall I think that most aspects of society promote disrespect.  I think society is failing to promote respect because many TV shows and movies portray the body as an object for other people to use.  I think that the biggest problem that has to do with the body is people not eating because they want to look celebrity skinny.  I think that celebrities contribute to the misuse of bodies because most people feel that they have to act like those people to be liked or have a perfect life. I think that all people should love the body that God has given them and treat it with total respect. 

http://www.generave.com/food/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/sad-face.jpg