Eye on Faith: July 2016

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Stand by Your Woman

(Public Domain)

In the spring of 1971, Bill Clinton “met a girl.” Turned out she was already a woman. Hillary Rodham 1.0 had “big glasses, wore no makeup… and had a sense of strength and self-possession” that Bill “found magnetic.”

In Bill’s own words: We’ve been walking and talking and laughing together ever since. And they’ve done this “in good times and bad, through joy and heartbreak,” sometimes self-imposed.

Nevertheless, isn’t that what “for better or for worse” is all about? Although Tammy Wynette was accused of being horribly old-fashioned, some things are always in style. Like dedication. Like perseverance. Like loyalty that goes beyond a simplistic “unto cheating do we part.”

So if Bill Clinton remains standing by his woman, and if Hillary Clinton remains standing by her man, then perhaps the rest of us should give credence to that. And if while doing so, they’ve managed to use their God-given talents for the betterment of others, then kudos to them.

Resources

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/27/politics/bill-clinton-speech-transcript/index.html

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Captain Humayun Kahn: Those ten steps

Arlington National Cemetery (Photo by lpsingh)

While serving in Iraq, Captain Humayan Kahn took ten steps toward a suspicious vehicle in order to spare his infantry unit.

When the car exploded, Captain Kahn was killed. What made this son of Muslim immigrants take those ten steps, knowing full well what the danger was? During a recent interview, Kahn’s father Khizr had explained: All the values… all the things he learned in this country kicked in, it was those values that made him take those ten steps…

At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Khizr Kahn continued: As patriotic American Muslims with undivided loyalty to the country like many immigrants, we came to this country empty handed, we believed in America democracy that with hard work and goodness… we could share in and contribute to its blessings…

There is no greater contribution that the voluntary sacrifice of life for one’s fellow citizens. This is what the Kahn family has given, an act of the brave that could never occur had Muslims been banned from the land of the free.

Banning any religious group from America goes against the very heart and soul of the Constitution. That is why Khizr Kahn issued this urgent reminder: Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery? To look at the graves of brave patriots defending the United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities…

Resources

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4615876/khizr-khan-father-veteran

Friday, July 29, 2016

Dear Abby: At odds with O'Reilly

Abigail Adams (Public Domain)

Abigail Adams has the distinction of being the first Second Lady (wife of then-Vice President John Adams) and the second First Lady (wife of then-President John Adams) of the fledgling United States.

A naturally curious and open-minded person, Abigail had avidly read the great literature within her family’s large collections. Her father was a progressive Congregational minister who “emphasized the importance of reason and morality.” She herself “became one of the most erudite women ever to serve as First Lady.”

Abigail became a dear friend to those whom society often shunned. Adamantly against slavery, she defied convention by placing a “free black youth” in a local school. When criticized for doing so, she replied: …merely because his Face is Black, is he to be denied instruction?

While living in the White House, Abigail noted the abject conditions under which slaves there were living. From a window, she watched “12 negroes… employd with four small Horse Carts to remove some dirt in front of the house.” These enslaved landscapers were described as “half fed, and destitute of clothing.”

This is in direct contrast to Bill O’Reilly's recent assertion that White House slaves were “well fed.” Faithful readers of this "Dear Abby's" meticulous correspondence will likely side with her.

Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_Adams

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/how-abigail-adams-proves-bill-oreilly-wrong-about-slavery/ar-BBuXEud?li=BBnb7Kz