Matters of Grace

Listening to a 19 year old playing video games, I was shocked to hear frequent use of the word "rape." "He raped me," "I'm gonna rape that (blank),"I'm raping you" ... Since when did it become acceptable to joke about rape? This boy, apparently, has plenty of company. Psychologists from Middlesex University and the University of Surrey conduced a study that discovered, when presented with descriptions of women taken from men’s magazines, and comments about women made by convicted rapists, most people could not distinguish the source of the quotes. The apparent normalization of violent sexism is pretty upsetting. Researching into the affects of music and video games amplifies our concern. So what can be done? We can't change the whole of society. But we can influence our 'circle' beginning with our kids. Talk to your kids. In an informal setting, such as while tossing a ball around or doing a chore together, invite conversa

I am an active member in a Lutheran church. But I must confess that I no longer subscribe to the creeds we recite. For years I happily parroted the various creeds I had to memorize as a child without a second thought. But, as I got older, the whole notion started to bother me. I say I believe, yet I don't really believe... am I misrepresenting myself? If I do not believe in these particular creeds, what sort of creed would I feel comfortable with? Typing out loud for a moment, maybe the 'perfect creed' would look something like this: I believe it's always good to face the facts. Whatever God happens to be, I am not Him/Her/Them/It. I will seek the best for others as for myself. Not only does it make good evolutionary sense, I'll feel better too. Looks good to me. But Creeds are a tricky thing. While they are usually designed to facilitate peace and unity, historically creeds seem to bring about controversy and division. (The split between the Roman and Eas

It's interesting how much of 'me' comes from 'me' and how much comes from something else. I'm not making the confession that I lack a spine inasmuch as I confess that I am, like anybody else, a creation of the place and time in which I live. Consider: political systems, ideas about education, concepts of right and wrong; these are all dictated by where I live and when I live. Even how we live our religion out is dictated by here and now (which makes me thankful I was not born 'there' or 'then.') Here is my question: can we transcend this? Can one really become more than just a collection of the opinions/beliefs of others? Or are we nothing more than a creation of the place in time in which we live? The world may never know.