Bill Kassel's Blog

Occasional reflections on religion, culture, politics, and anything else that comes into my mind...

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Where the Action Is — Part II

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ANOTHER TAKE ON THE MORALITY
OF DECEPTION IN SAVINGS LIVES

Apropos my May 11 post on controversy surrounding the pro-life group, Live Action — Catholic Answers Senior Apologist Jimmy Akin makes an interesting contribution to the dialogue on when (or whether) it is morally acceptable to lie or deceive in the cause of saving lives.

Pope - His Life & Words
He examines some reflections by Pope Francis on participating in activities to save individuals who were in danger of persecution by the Argentine government during the years of military rule. Some of the acts in which then-Cardinal Bergoglio engaged could be viewed as comparable (morally) to the clandestine videos of abortion clinic personnel shot by Lila Rose and her cohorts. He quotes the pope’s recollections from the book, Pope Francis: His Life in His Own Words, recently made available in English.

[Read more…] about Where the Action Is — Part II

I Believe

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This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost — the birthday of the Church — a day that’s foundational to our faith.  In honor, here’s another of my lyrics without music, a song about faith called “I believe.”  No, no, not the one that goes, “I believe for every drop of rain that falls…”  That’s a whole other song, written in 1952 — I was just a little kid then.  When you read my lines try to think in three-quarter time.

I Believe

By Bill Kassel

Because I’ve known all the emptiness life can be
because I’ve seen all that faith can achieve
because I’ve viewed from afar what believers see
I believe

In spite of hope long abandoned and dreams outgrown
despite my words that deny and deceive
in spite of all the confusion and doubt I’ve known
I believe

What a new life to begin, how great a gift to receive
Because I’ve found there are things worth believing in
I believe

Because it answers my longing and sets me free
because it opens my mind to perceive
because I finally know that it’s good for me
I believe

What a new life to begin, how great a gift to receive
Because I’ve found there are things worth believing in
I believe.

 Copyright © 1981 Bill Kassel

 If you’d like to see the other lyrics I’ve posted so far, go to CATEGORIES in the left column, and click on Song Lyrics.

Shocked, Shocked!

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Claude Rains

JOKES AND ANALOGIES
START TO FLY

I was only slightly ahead of the curve yesterday in noting an echo of O.J. Simpson in President Obama’s promise to ferret out malefactors in the IRS.  Today the conservative Washington Examiner draws a parallel with Claude Rains’ characterization of the immortal Captain Renault in “Casablanca” who was “shocked, shocked” to discover gambling going on at Rick’s Café.

“Your winnings, sir.”

“Thank you.”

The analogies will be coming — to play on the name of another scandal — fast and furious now.

[Read more…] about Shocked, Shocked!

What’s In a Name?

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PRESSURE IS STARTING TO MOUNT FOR
OPENNESS ON BENGHAZI AND THE IRS

O.J. Simpson is back in the news, seeking a new trial in his attempt to overturn a 2008 Las Vegas robbery conviction.  It’s most infelicitous that “The Juice” reemerges on the day President Obama has issued a vigorous demand that all those at the IRS responsible for targeting conservative groups must be held accountable for this malfeasance.

Brings to mind O.J.’s tireless effort to find Nicole’s killer.

[Read more…] about What’s In a Name?

La Belle France

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DEMONSTRATIONS IN FRANCE REFLECT
RELIGIOUS CONSERVATISM EMERGING

As people like to say, “The French have a word for it.”

And indeed, when it comes to capturing the subtleties of human motivation, feeling or behavior, they generally do.

LibertyThe strengths of the English language are precision and variety (among other qualities).  But French — ah, French — that’s the language of suggestion, implication, attitude.

Joi de vivre.  Je ne sais quoi.  Comme ci comme ça.  Name it — whatever flavor of human character and outlook you wish to convey, French has it covered.

Language is both a determinant and an expression of culture, so it should be no surprise that the land of linguistic nuance has been the seedbed of philosophies, ideologies and movements throughout history.  It’s also generally regarded as the tolerance capital of the world.  You think things are loose in San Francisco?  Hah!  There you can be an individualist only as long as you agree with everybody else.  But hey, we’ll always have Paris.

So it’s been quite shocking to discover that the word shouted loudest in France recently was “Non!” — as in “Non ‘Marriage’ Homosexuel!”  Who would have expected the French to get so worked up over “Marriage Equality,” especially since they’ve had a form of civil union (the Civil Solidarity Pact) since 1999? [Read more…] about La Belle France

Where the Action Is

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PRO-LIFERS DIVERGE OVER THE MORALITY
OF DOING UNDER-COVER VIDEO EXPOSÉS

The Gosnell case has brought stomach-churning details about surgical abortion to public attention — probably for the first time, on this scale of coverage — though it took grassroots action via blogging and social media to shame major news outlets into paying attention to that horror in Philadelphia.

Lila RoseThis reportage is all to the good, and there should be much more of it (it’s still rather retrained; compare the wall-to-wall Jason Collins coverage).  People should know what the practice of abortion really is.

Well, put it another way: they should face what it is.  They’ve always known it, somewhere in the hidden recesses of awareness.  They just didn’t want to think about it.

What this grizzly story has done to open up the back rooms of abortion clinics, Lila Rose has been doing to demonstrate what goes on out front at the reception desks.

Lila Rose, of course, is that 25-year-old UCLA grad who founded the pro-life activist group, Live Action, known for its gutsy undercover video sting operations.  Through the work of this girl-next-door-lovely young woman and her troupe of merry pranksters we’ve been privileged to watch clinic intake ladies cheerfully arranging abortions for teenagers, prostitutes, trafficked sex slaves, all manner of exploited women.

[Read more…] about Where the Action Is

Belief and Non-Belief

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TWO DEEP THINKERS DEMONSTRATE
A NUANCED UNDERSTANDING OF FAITH

People who have doubts about the existence of God (or who reject Him completely) generally go out of their way to avoid speaking about religion with believers.

Such reticence is most often based on the intention of avoiding awkward social moments and giving offense — at least that’s the point for non-believers of good will who aren’t spoiling for a fight.  But, since those who lack firm religious convictions tend to see belief as a very flimsy thing, it sometimes reflects an even more noble desire to not confront others with ideas that might shake their faith.

Admirable, but problematic.  This is one of the factors that complicate addressing religion- and morality-related topics such as abortion and homosexuality. [Read more…] about Belief and Non-Belief

Kathy

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A LITTLE “EULOGY” TO MY WIFE WHILE
SHE’S STILL AROUND TO ENJOY IT

My wife’s favorite scripture reading is the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).  Kathy always says that the experiences in her life make her able to identify with all three characters in the story — the son, the father, the brother — and she wants the passage read at her funeral.

KathyI’ve promised her that, should she precede me in death, I’ll make sure her wish is fulfilled.  But I’ve also insisted that I’ll read the famous Woman of Valor passage from Proverbs 31.*

“When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls.”  (In some translations it’s “rubies,” but why split scriptural hairs?)

One of the good things about funerals is that people’s virtues get spoken of in public.  But then, that’s also one of the bad things; how unfortunate that we don’t often give voice to those virtues while the person we’re honoring is alive and on hand to hear our reflections.  Everyone could use a little praise now and then. [Read more…] about Kathy

Isn’t that Special! — Part II

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FURTHER THOUGHTS ON THE
POLITICS OF “COMING OUT”

An old friend took me to task over yesterday’s post about the announcement that NBA star Jason Collins is gay (below).

“I read your bit about the basketball player,” he wrote.  “It’s a big world.  We could do with a little more tolerance and compassion and a lot less judgment and condemnation.”

My friend is a man of great sensitivity, though he generally hides it behind a mask of cultivated cynicism. Occasionally, his heart does peek through, however, and when it does, he’s someone to be listened to.  I cannot deny the tone of sarcasm that so put him off…

“In truth, this was just another of those ‘Saturday Night Live’ Church Lady-type moments to which we’ve become so numbingly accustomed,” I wrote.  “You could hear Dana Carvey delivering his signature line: ‘Well…isn’t that special!’  Comical in a way — in a sad sort of way.”

[Read more…] about Isn’t that Special! — Part II

Isn’t that Special!

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WHEN IT COMES TO SEXUALITY AND GENDER
THESE DAYS LOOK FOR THE POLITICS

What a truly momentous occasion when Diane Sawyer announced breathlessly that Washington Wizards center Jason Collins has — wait for it — come out.

A world-shattering revelation:  “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center.  I’m black.  And I’m gay.”

Such a “huge weight has been lifted” from his shoulders, Collins told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos.  He had already “been out to my family and my friends, but just to, you know, sort of rip the Band-Aid off and come out on my own terms.”

Ah, if only he’d done it years ago.  If only other secretly gay athletes would stand beside him in the healing, invigorating sunlight of truth.

“I hope that every player makes a decision that leads to their own happiness….  I know that I, right now, am the happiest that I’ve ever been in my life.”

Let us set aside, for the time being, all moral, social and public-health aspects of homosexuality as we ponder Jason Collins’ confession, first reported in Sports Illustrated.

“He was living a life of misery watching his twin brother and close friends start their own families.  Collins knew he was unhappy and not living ‘an honest, genuine life.’”

Indeed, he had endured “sleepless nights and years of silence” as he bore his secret alone.

But what’s next?  Is he sure his status as an NBA veteran and his camaraderie with other players won’t be compromised? [Read more…] about Isn’t that Special!

Letting Your Light Shine

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A CLEVER LITTLE HOMILY PROMPTS THOUGHTS
ABOUT THE PLACE OF EGO IN COMMUNICATION

In his homily at a recent daily Mass, my pastor drew a comparison between a flashlight and a Tiffany lamp.

Tiffany LampFlashlights are practical objects, generally designed to draw very little attention to themselves but rather to illuminate the surfaces on which their beams are focused.  A Tiffany lamp, on the other hand, is an objet d’art that illumines little more than its own aesthetic features.

You could quibble that, in our gadget-obsessed age, when everybody loves poring through the Hammacher Schlemmer catalogue for the latest fascinating gizmo, flashlights can indeed be attention-getters.  But Father’s analogy was clear enough to serve his point.

Which was that our goal as Christians is not to proclaim our own holiness, but rather to let Christ’s light shine through us illuminating the truth of the Gospel and the love of Jesus.

Pope Francis recently made a similar point in a Mass for employees of Vatican Radio and the Vatican Press Office in which he decried “social climbers” in the Church who try to promote themselves instead of seeking to glorify Christ.  The Holy Father spoke very harshly of those he called  “thieves and robbers” who use their prominence to “steal the glory from Jesus” and, like those Pharisees whom the Lord criticized severely, “‘seek for each other’s approval.’”

This was a hard message for people whose work in religious communication is frequently bound up very closely with the force of personality.  I know.  I’ve been in exactly that situation. [Read more…] about Letting Your Light Shine

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