The new third reich?

Here's an interesting little article out of bbc.com:

Germany is racist.

Ok, after reading it, you know they aren't really. They're just becoming more nationalist and want people to actually become German. So they want people to have an idea of being a citizen of a country. Wait just a second. Nationalism in Germany? Where have I seen this before? 1930s, anyone?

Ok, that was probably a big leap. I mean, just be cause German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants people to learn German doesn't me they are going to renew the reading of Mein Kanpf. But here's my bigger problem. Germany will get a free pass from being called racist or Nazis because they're in Europe. As we all know, people in Europe are far superior than here in the United States. They're more tolerant. They are better at being open-minded. They have better beer. Ok, I agree with the beer.

Yet, when the US tries to have talk of immigration reform, here's what we see:



Yes, the US is a group of Nazis because they want the same thing as Europe. People on the left we'll always say we need to be more progressive, like Europe. So I guess that means we get to finally have an official language, close our borders, and have real reform? No, probably not. But it does mean we can prove the hypocrisy.

Does anyone care to vote?

The glennbeck.com(a website) picture of the day had this posted. A little research shows this isn't exactly true. Federal Elections Commission (a government commission) shows the turnout for the 2008 election was 56.8%. But in 2006, the report says only 37.1%. Either way, it's not good. I have to wonder what the percentage of people watching American Idol or Dancing with the Stars votes. They might actually vote multiple times, but the percentage of their turn out would be ridiculous.

Probably like 300%.

Even the Iraq number is skewed. According to a Washington Post story in 2005, the turnout was really 63%.

So the sign is skewed in both directions, it seems.

But let's take the real numbers given and factor in some real life facts. In the United States, voters had to deal with the weather. They needed to go to some random building close to their neighborhood. They maybe even had to talk to a sweet woman older than my grandma handing out flyers. No wonder we haven't got at least 60% turnout since 1968! Probably too many people worried about their facebook status!

Iraqis had to go through security which makes our airports look unsafe, armed guards, and had to stick their fingers in ink so they couldn't vote twice.

It's obvious now what the US needs: cooler ways to vote. We need more guns at the polls. We need to feel like we might not make it. Give granny a Glock!

Maybe not.

At any rate, It's still dumb the "democracy" the world looks to as a beacon of freedom is actually only being ruled by less than 40% on non-presidential election years and under 60%. How can we be a democracy, when really we are only ruled by few?

Evangelism: meant to be awkward

Sharing the Gospel was supposed to be tough. Well, that's what I thought. But to me, it's often amazing how people react to the idea of religion. In the past three weeks, I have had the chance to ask people if they needed prayer and prayed with them on the street. I have debated a student who said a loving God would not think of us as superior to any other animal, and there is an afterlife for animals. There was also the hour-long conversation with a gay man about Jesus and Christianity. These were all situations which are supposed to be out of my element and what the world does not want.

But isn't it the Bible which tells us the opposite? Doesn't Christ bring the words of everlasting life? I have seen words pierce like a sword the hearts of children Jesus wants to call to meet him here on earth and join him one day in heaven. This is something powerful. This is something real.

So what is it that causes us to not want to evangelize, especially to complete strangers? I can see why we wouldn't want to talk to our family and friends. We don't want to make Thanksgiving awkward. We don't want them to think we hate them and shoving something down their throat. There's more at risk when bringing it up with people you'll see again. But I'd gladly take two hours of debate on the morals of voting than small chit chat about the Steelers or how bad construction is in the city. Please, give me something better.

In the end, someone's feelings might get hurt. There might need to be an apology. But so be it. Reconciliation brings people together. And Christ's message is worth the awkwardness which may linger at some point while your eating pumpkin pie.

Conflicted during church

Today at church, the Gospel reading was Luke 12:13-21. It's the classic parable about the rich man who is given so much abundance from his crops he decides to tear down his barns and build bigger ones so he can store it all. But he dies the next day. The point is not to spend so much time on earthy things but rather the things of the Lord, which is built on eternity.

The priest reminded us about ho much we possess and asked how much do we really need in our life. I thought it was a fine homily, and it is a good reminder to us, especially in the United States, that we can really do without certain earthly things and to live a simplistic lifestyle. I'm all for this. I still don't own a bed. Simplicity to me is a valuable trait which Christians should be willing to exercise as often as possible. Too much stuff distracts us from the Lord and relying on Him and his provision.

So we move into the creed and then to intercessions. Here's where it was a problem.

"Let's pray that wealth can be distributed evenly..."

I did not reply "Lord, hear our prayer."

I was not sure what to do at that point. My political convictions of conservative principles and small government told me this prayer was misguided and wrong. Governments should not redistribute the wealth. Ever. Charity should be based on the individual, not on someone telling you to do something. It ceases to be charity at that point. You should tithe your money and give even more out of your wealth. You should make the choice. It should be done because you are convicted to help, not because if you do not pay you get convicted for tax evasion.

But the Catholic side of me said the Church knows what it should be doing. They should be the agent of change. They should be on the front lines of helping the poor and living up to the teachings of Christ. But I would also say the church has to be aware the places where the Gospel is growing the most are places where there are many who are poor. Europe, with the exception of Poland, is becoming more and more godless as time progresses. It will only be a matter of time before Islam will be their top religion, with atheism probably somewhere in the top three (and yes, I know atheism is not a religion; it's just to illustrate the point). In Central and South America; Asia, especially China and South Korea; and Africa show the largest growth of Christianity. These are places where wealth is minimal.

Maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way. Maybe the goal is to make everyone poor so the proud will be humbled and the Gospel will flourish once again. But prayer requests for the redistribution of wealth should be left out of church. Prayers for an increase in charity and an emphasis on actually tithing ten percent of your income should be what is being preached.

A Servants of the Word Tribute

I've departed from the ranks of the Servants of the Word, and I wanted to give a fitting farewell speech at the last event I attended. But it never materialized. So, I've written my thoughts and thanks down and decided they would make a good post.

• Thank you, Don DeSmith. You taught me how to water ski. I’m sure I taught you some patients in the process (let’s face it, I started pretty bad) but I thank you for teaching me to persevere and not give up at something, even when I’m bad at it.

• Thank you Brian Laba, for teaching me the finer points of life: ultimate Frisbee, flora and fauna, and how to lead in UCO. The most beneficial experience was seeing you lead by example.

• Thank you Stu Ferguson, for teaching me even though I’m Catholic, I’ll still get to heaven, even if it’s just barely, and being a Christian doesn’t mean being a candy ass.

• Thank you Gary Sacharski, for being brutally honest with me during men’s group, and basically every other time we talked.

• Thank you Steve Clark, for telling me to leave Pittsburgh in the first place. I would have missed out on something special if I didn’t leave.

• To my lounge brothers: Toufic, Luis, and Michi. Thank you! You were real inspirations for me and you always could make me laugh. May the Lord continue to bless you as you move forward in your calls.

• Thank you Dan Keating and Ted Kennedy for showing me the blessings of living life as a man of prayer and order. I have grown a lot in these areas (especially order) because of the example you’ve given me.

• Thank you Joseph Mathias, for being a great roommate. We prayed together, drank together, and were rebuked together. What more could you ask for in a brother in the Lord?

• Finally, thank you Nico Angleys. You’ve been a great mentor and friend over the past years. You were my main influence for my decision to become an affiliate. May the Lord bless you as much as you have been a blessing to me.

It was a special time for me. I'll never forget it!

Getting Distracted?

I think it's really easy to blog about the news. It's always changing, there's always something happening, and there's always the next big thing. Think about this: did you wake up and say, "wow the oil in the gulf has stopped!" Maybe. It was more likely than, "the United States is at war right now." No one really remembers until an article comes out and a general doesn't speak too well of the Commander-in-Chief. (How may people knew General McCrystal was in charge of Afghanistan? Tell the truth!) Or did you wake up and say, "Mel Gibson wanted to burn his girlfriend's house down." Mr. Gibson's meltdown is like watching an episode of America's Wildest Police Chases, but in the long term, that's not going to matter. Afghanistan still should matter, until Lindsey Lohan goes or gets out of jail. Then we'll be moving on yet again.

But what would be a really tough blog. Ferrets. There's this movie PBS created devoted to the topic. But how could people actually live like that?

I stand corrected.


People have the desire in today's day and age to want to distract and remove all hardship and pain. But I've found the times where I learned the most were the times when I got through a hardship. I'd imagine it's the same for you. So let's not get distracted by things like Mel Gibson, Justin Beiber, ferrets, and LeBron James leaving to go to Miami. Let's remember there's still real things happening which require our attention.

It's easy to pick on the Christians

Have you ever noticed Christians are usually the easiest targets to attack? Think about it. You have nothing to lose when going after a Christian. Sure they could do physical harm to you if provoked, but then they would be hypocrites of their faith. The provoker would simply throw Scripture right back at the Christian. "What happened to 'do unto others' or 'turn the other cheek?'" Oh yeah, I could hear it now.

But the same people who would attack Christians are usually the first ones to say, "We need tolerance for the Muslim faith. It's our fault they attack us." What? Why? Christians often get provoked, but you don't see it as a terrorist cell or an ideology which wants to wipe Islam off the map.

Why won't the people attacking Christianity attack Islam? Is it because you might get a suicide bomber at your front door? Is it because people fear what happened to Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard when he is attacked for drawing a picture of Muhammad? Is it because Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh is killed for creating a film on Islam?

Christians though have been standing up to Islam, and getting martyred for it. Instead of fearing them, they try to live peacefully. When they are martyred, they make the ultimate sacrifice for their faith and for the Kingdom of the Lord. They are not hiding behind anything. They are standing up more than anyone. So go ahead and mock and ridicule Christians. It's the easy way out. But dying for your beliefs and standing in times of trial is something most people aren't willing to stomach anymore. Here's to the Christian martyrs, who are some of the most courageous people on the planet.