Talking about the "things that matter most" on Aug. 9
4:00 - Kresta Commentary – The Tragedy of the Prop 8 Decision
4:20 – Revealing Revelation
No other New Testament book matches Revelation for its symbolism and richness of imagery. And yet perhaps no other New Testament book has fostered so much confusion, fascination, and artistic expression. Until now, reading Revelation and meditating on its message has been daunting and mystifying. This need not be the case. It is God's hope-filled message in the face of fear and uncertainty. It is a beautiful book essential to Christian worship and theology. Fr. Bertrand Buby is here to unlock the mystery of Revelation.
5:00 – 1 Federal Judge vs 7 Million Voters – Prop 8 Overturned
As most of you are probably aware, last week a U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of California ruled that there is a fundamental U.S. federal Constitutional right to marriage that extends to same-sex couples under the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the 14th Amendment. The 138-page ruling is astounding and deserves a critical analysis. Professor and Attorney Kenneth Ware of Franciscan University of Steubenville is here to do just that.
5:20 – Bloody Sunday News Package – Garreth Peoples
Bloody Sunday was an incident on January 30, 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry. Northern Ireland, in which twenty-six unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders were shot by members of the British Army. Thirteen men, seven of whom were teenagers, died immediately or soon after, while the death of another man four and a half months later has been attributed to the injuries he received on that day. Five of those wounded were shot in the back. Following a twelve-year inquiry, a report was made public on June 15 of this year 2010, and contained findings of fault that could re-open the controversy, and potentially lead to criminal investigations for some soldiers involved in the killings. Irish journalist and Ave Maria Radio Correspondent Garreth Peoples has a report.
5:40 – Feast of St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein) The Four Teresas
On this feast of Teresa Benedicta, we tale an out-of-the-box look at four of the greatest women of the Church, and what their example can mean for you. Therese of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, and Mother Teresa. Who wouldn t want these women as friends and guides? Lively, determined, devout but never passive, they were all straight-shooters with an abundance of common sense. They were also deeply in love with God, clinging to him with a tenacity that freed them to do the impossible. We look at the 4 Teresas with Gina Loehr.
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Re: Proposition 8
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that the definitions in the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary usually correspond almost exactly with the definitions in my old 1976 Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary. For example, the definitions of "Catholic" and "cathedral" (both adjective and noun) are exactly the same. The definitions of heaven and hell are almost exactly the same. (M-W updated the entry regarding the Christian Science notion of heaven.)
However, that is not the case for the definition of "marriage." The 1976 Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines marriage as follows:
1 a : the state of being married b : the mutual relation of husband and wife : WEDLOCK c : the institution whereby men and women are joined in a special kind of social and legal dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family 2 : an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected; esp : the wedding ceremony and attendant festivities or formalities
3 : an intimate or close union .
Compare that to the Merriam-Webster Online definition of marriage:
1 a (1) : the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2) : the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage b : the mutual relation of married persons : wedlock c : the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage
2 : an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected; especially : the wedding ceremony and attendant festivities or formalities
3 : an intimate or close union .
Definitions 2 and 3 are exactly the same. But definition 1 is has changed dramatically. Today's online definition explicitly includes same-sex marriage.
I'm with Al on Proposition 8. I think Judge Vaughn Walker went too far, although Ted Olson did an effective job defending Walker's decision on Fox News Sunday. I'm ambivalent on same-sex marriage. It may be repugnant (even repulsive), but it will not affect my marriage, Al's marriage, or the marriages of Al's kids.
Al brought up a very interesting situation which I hadn't thought of -- the case of a bisexual person. How can a bisexual give full expression to his or her orientation if marriage is defined as a relationship between two people? (I don't think there are enough hermaphrodites to go around.)
However, I disagree with Al on one thing. Al asserts that Prop 8 doesn't ban same-sex marriage because it doesn't directly address same-sex issues. Why does Al say this? Why does he want to hide the obvious intent of Prop 8?
Here's the wording of Prop 8: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." By declaring what is allowed, you also determine what is not allowed (i.e., what is prohibited or banned). Prop 8 is a compact and elegant way of banning many things: same-sex marriage, polygamy and who knows what else. Proponents of traditional marriage aren't stupid. A negative sounding proposition targeting homosexuals, such as "California does not validate or recognize marriage between two people of the same sex," might have turned people off. Let's not kid ourselves. That's the true intent and purpose of Prop 8.