Marriage Equality

Source: https://twitter.com/MEUSA

     I've been reading the Bible a lot lately and when I say a lot I mean it. As a Christian that is important to me just like it is to most Christians. There is something else that is important to me as a Christian and that is marriage.

     When my wife and I got married, almost 3 years ago, we had the ceremony outside and her Grandfather, who is a Pentecostal pastor, presided over it. We both believe that God is an important foundation to a marriage and we can stay strong as long as we keep him first. Even though it is a constant struggle to keep God first we are doing are best to make it happen.

     As an American and as a Christian I also hold the belief that the founding of this nation was built upon Christian principles inspired by God with through the Bible. There are other things though that the founding fathers did when drafting the Constitution/Bill of Rights to establish what kind of country we could have. After walking out of the last meeting a woman asked Benjamin Franklin what all those men in the meeting hall gave her, he was quoted to say "A Republic ma'am, if you can keep it." Contrary to popular belief the USA was founded as a Republic and not a Democracy like so many people shout these days. They are almost the same, but they are different in a big way.
    
     Let's look at the definition of a republic: That form of government in which the powers of sovereignty are vested in the people and are exercised by the people, either directly, or through representatives chosen by the people, to whom those powers are specially delegated. [NOTE: The word "people" may be either plural or singular. In a republic the group only has advisory powers; the sovereign individual is free to reject the majority group-think. USA/exception: if 100% of a jury convicts, then the individual loses sovereignty and is subject to group-think as in a democracy.]
    
     Now let's look at the definition of a democracy: That form of government in which the sovereign power resides in and is exercised by the whole body of free citizens directly or indirectly through a system of representation, as distinguished from a monarchy, aristocracy, or oligarchy. [NOTE: In a pure democracy, 51% beats 49%. In other words, the minority has no rights. The minority only has those privileges granted by the dictatorship of the majority.](Sourced 1*)
        
      The founding fathers set up a republic to protect the rights of the minority along with the majority. If this were a true democracy than we wouldn't have very much freedom at all because we would base all decisions on mob rule. Thankfully we don't have that and thankfully we have a system of checks and balances, unless you're the media. Unfortunately it seems we haven't as a country come to terms with what we are. The LGBT community is protected by the laws our founding fathers set up whether those laws are inspired by God, or not.         

     This is difficult for some Christians to deal with because we have a Holy book that guides our morals, hearts and minds. To be frank there are some parts of the Bible that aren't kind to homosexuality, particularly in the Old Testament, but there are a few in the New Testament as well. The good thing about the New Testament is that God sent his only son Jesus to die for our sins. During the life of Jesus he taught us a lot of things, mostly about how to love one another and how to bring the Kingdom of God to the Earth. He also had some harsh things to say about judging others like this: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. ..." Matthew 7:1-6         
    
      There are still lots of Christians that still go around and do this anyway, we are not perfect, but we need to understand that not everyone is Christian in the United States and even if most of us are we still have laws that protect the minority even if it's protecting them from our beliefs. We get so concerned with running around and telling people how to live their lives that we forget that maybe we should show people how to live their lives. Actions speak louder than words after all. If you are worried about someones soul than by God pray for them and remember this: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16     

      If you come across someone who doesn't believe the same thing as you and you start to feel all judge-y than remember this "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment," Hebrews 9:27.  It's not our true job to judge, but to spread the kingdom of God to others. I'm not not saying I agree or disagree with gay marriage, in fact I think that physical acts of love in homosexuality are icky, but that's their problem not mine. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you believe it is wrong, than that's fine, but if you think that you can go out and condemn and try to support your belief based on your religion, in a legal manner, than you're going to have a bad time. That is because of our Republic and how it protects minority groups from mob rule. And as of late, no matter how important we Christians want to protect our way of marriage, we have been acting a lot like a mob. Especially when it comes to our anger or lack of understanding getting the better of us.

     This was difficult for me to write. You can't just pick and choose what you want to believe in the Bible, it's not a menu. I'm not coming out in support for anything or legally denying anything. I don't want to shove my beliefs down anyones throat, nor would I want someone to do the same to me. I know straight, gay, and bi-sexual and sometimes I don't agree with any of them on their lifestyles or choices. In the end it is between them and God and my duty is to offer them love, prayer, and the word of God if in private or when they ask. I'll continue to pray for God's will on this issue and our country, we cannot begin to know what it is, but we have to be accepting of it when His will is upon us.


Source 1: http://www.1215.org/lawnotes/lawnotes/repvsdem.htm




 

Why Archaeology is Relevent for Today.




 

Otto Román, a Guatemalan archaeologist, excavating the cache of
 polished axes that were found in 2009. This ritual deposit marked
the beginning of occupation at Ceibal around 1,000 B.C.

     Most of us have seen the movies of the swash-buckling archaeologist Indiana Jones. It offers up a romantic version of what digging up or hunting down ancient artifacts is like. This past semester in my "Principles of Archaeology" class I learned that portrayal is highly inaccurate, but to be fair, those films are a big reason why I want to study Archaeology.

     When the average person thinks of Archaeology they may think of digging up skeletons, artifacts, or restoring ancient ruins. They may also think that it is a way to see how bye-gone cultures and societies worked, and to a large extent that's part of it. We might not realize how Archaeology is so important for world today though, and how it has helped our current civilizations become what they are now.

   
The last question of my final exam asked me to write any essay giving three examples of, Social, Political, and Economic reasons why archaeology is important for today's society, here and abroad. I'd like to share what I answered and possibly expand all three of those points.

Machu Picchu

Social/Cultural Identity
      Peru has practically built their whole county's Identity around the Inca to show that they have something to offer the rest of the world. One of their most famous sites is Machu Picchu, which is pictured to the right. It's just one of the great historical treasures the country has to offer, they are also famous for mummies. Peru, however is not the only country that has done this. More obvious places like Greece with their fantastic ruins, pottery, sculptures and other artifacts have also built up a culture around their history through the use of Archaeology. Italy has followed suit with their wealth of Roman antiquities that spans most of Europe to show that they have much more to offer than pizza and pasta.
Of course, we can't forget Egypt, which has some of the most recognized archaeological artifacts and sites out there still.

Political Relevance
     This maybe one of the most overlooked uses of archaeology that the general public is aware of, but for a lot of indigenous peoples across the world it has played a vital role their individual cultures. For example, after Australia was colonized by Europe the Aborigines had struggled for basic human rights and freedoms to claim their ancestral lands (Sutton, Yohe II 376). Due to laws passed in the 1960s and 70s, archaeologists sense of responibility to involve native peoples, as well as Aboriginal activist groups, the Aborigines were able to provide strong evidence through archaeological finds to win arguments over land ownership.

     Here in the U.S. the Native Americans lost skeletal remains along with important ceremonial objects from their lands, which were excavated without permission or just plain looted, sometimes by archaeologists. Though, In 1990, NAGPRA which stands for Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act was passed in congress, this allowed Native American groups to reclaim those possesions from various museums and universites(Sutton, Yohe II 365). NAGPRA states that if you are excavating on federal land, or if you are using federal funds and you uncover any Native American artifacts, you must stop everything and contact the proper tribal authorites. It is then up to the Native American group to let you keep excavating or not (Sutton, Yohe II 365).

The Elgin Marbles


    Artifacts can also effect diplomatic relations between counties as well. Take for example The Elgin Marbles which were taken out of Greece from the Acropolis of Athens in the early 19th century and brought to England (Williams). To this day Greece and England are fighting over who legally owns them. Greece is also trying to retrieve more of these artifacts from 8 other countries too (Williams).


Dr. Alexei Vranich with his crew that are
Imara Indians in Bolivia

Economic

     Last month a few fellow students and I got a chance to meet and greet Dr. Alexei Vranich. He worked mainly in Bolivia on a pre-Incan site called Tiwanaku. One of the things he talked about was how the funds to excavate the site helped to employ the local Imara indians who basically live in poverty. He also said how the funds that the site generated from tourists, as well as the annual festivals at the site, help the Bolivian economy. Bolivia, like Peru, is also trying to create a cultural Identity from the past and they are wanting to show the world they have something to offer too. The downside Dr. Vranich said, is that he dare not go there when he doesn't have the funds because the local people would be heartbroken if he were to show up without being able to offer them a job. It maybe be like this in other parts of the world to where tourism of archaeological sites, or the funds to excavate them, is a part of a countires economy.

So archaeology isn't just raiding tombs or taking back religious artifacts from Nazis, but it is larger part of the world than you may have once thought. And also....

 

Sources:  
Sutton, Mark Q., and Robert M. Yohe. "Cultural Rescource Management." Archaeology: the Science of the Human past. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2008. 351-81. Print.

Williams, Sean. "The Elgin Marbles." Web log post. The Elgin Marbles. Heritage Key, 28 May 2009. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. .