Battling the bottle, stone-throwing

Where is the passion for compassion?
Mel has apologized and I believe him. Listen to how his apology differs from so many other celebrities when those people, instead of claiming responsibility, blame the recipient of their actions.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006
by Jonathan Flora


There is this scene in a movie you may have heard of. In it, a man stoops down and places his finger in the dirt to write. As he does, the dust from the ground explodes with the power of the words being drawn. We then see several defeated men toss their stones to the ground and walk away.

Why is it certainly no surprise that many of these same men (and women) are back and hurling their stones at another man with all their might? Shame on any of us, if we do not step in front of this man to deflect the rocks that are thrown with no other intent other than to cause pain and destroy his life.

There is no excuse for Mel Gibson’s actions this past weekend. But, where is the compassion to understand how this man got to the place in his battle with the ugly disease of alcoholism that a situation like this can occur? Where did we lose the knowledge that ALL men are not without sin, even those prideful and self declared "sinless" stone-throwers that have so quickly stepped out from the dark shadows to once again attack. As angry as they make me, their colors have been known and known for years.

One of the first to throw a stone that has been in his arsenal bag locked and loaded since The Passion of the Christ is Abraham Foxman, the head of the Anti-Defamation League. Foxman claims, "His tirade finally reveals his true self and shows that his protestations during the debate over his film The Passion of the Christ, that he is such a tolerant, loving person, were a sham." What happened to the ADL’s claim a few years earlier that they, "do not know what is in his [Mel’s] heart?"

At the same time, the ADL announced they are launching a website to monitor "hate" groups, of which they include pro-life organizations. This is the same ADL that in a 2000 press release cheered the Nebraska judicial decision barring the partial-birth abortion ban signed by the President of the United States. This of course proves they can hurl rocks with both hands.

The stones are coming from all directions. In today’s USA Today, it was written that the View’s Barbara Walters told viewers she would not see another Gibson film and agent Ari Emanuel posted the public call for studios to boycott Gibson.

As Catholic League President Bill Donahue points out, "Mel’s enemies will never cut him a break. Their real goal is to discredit The Passion of the Christ. How ironic it is to note that the core message of his film – forgiveness – is sorely lacking in his critics." Yet, "In 2003, Roman Polanski, the convicted child rapist, received a standing ovation when he won an Oscar for The Pianist."


Full commentary at Spero News

Hhhrmmp

How I felt at around 4:50 pm today

Modest contributions

Found the following news feature -- from the archives of The Arizona Daily Star -- via Modestly Yours. Excerpts from that Modestly Yours blog entry which contains a link to the first feature, comes next.

Local teens score one for modesty
By Scott Simonson
arizona daily star

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.18.2004

Unable to find stores where girls' clothes weren't too tight, too short or too trashy, a group of Tucson-area teenagers decided to do something about it. The youths challenged retail giants to change their ways. And, in one case, they won. The students collected more than 4,000 signatures on petitions asking stores to carry more clothes for girls who didn't want short skirts or shorter shorts, low-rise jeans, low-cut tops or bare-midriff T-shirts.

As a result, Dillard's is holding a fashion show in Tucson today to spotlight more modest styles, and said it can adjust its inventory here to carry some more conservative clothing. In the battle between barely-there styles of big-box juniors departments and teens who want to flaunt less flesh, score one for the underdogs.

"I'm really proud of what we managed to accomplish," said Wallis Rothlisberger, a 15-year-old sophomore at Sahuaro High School who helped with the petition drive. "I'm really grateful that there are stores out there who listen to what we have to say. I'm really surprised."

Full story here

** Photo from LifeSite

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Whatever happened to "dressing your Sunday best"? Although many Black churchgoers still dress in their best for Sunday services, most White churchgoers have dispensed with that. "Sunday best" has been replaced with "Sunday casual." It's a controversial topic at many churches. Some believe that God doesn't care what you wear to church, and other (myself included) are disturbed by the skimpy clothes people are wearing to God's house. (I saw tube tops last week at Church, and the organist was wearing a halter top. Sigh.) Last week, a Catholic bishop from Amarillo, Texas issued a letter to his diocese about modesty in dress. In his letter, entitled "Modesty starts with purification of the heart," Bishop Yanta spoke frankly about why it's important to dress modestly, especially at church.

“When the community of believers comes together for the Eucharist (Mass) let no one be a distraction from Jesus or provide temptation (an occasion of sin) to another because of our manner of dress.....How many Catholics this Summer will attend Sunday Mass in tank tops, shorts, flip flops... in dress unbecoming of the Holy Sacrifice… Anyone who dresses like this at Sunday Mass does not know where they are..."

He also quotes from the Catholic Catechism, which addresses modesty several times:

“Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden (CCC 2521)."

“Teaching modesty to children and adolescents means awakening in them respect for the human person (CCC 2524). "

Full post at Modestly Yours

The way we wear

A few months ago, Mexico was the site of the International Congress on the Emotional and Sexual Education of Adolescents. Among the participants was Maria del Carmen Bernal, a professor of Education at the Panamerican University in Mexico, who was also interviewed by MercatorNet about the need for teenagers to get to know themselves and to find their own authentic style. An excerpt:

MercatorNet: Fashion itself reflects broader cultural trends. How would you describe this wider environment today?

Dr Bernal: We are living in an environment that entices us all the time with external things. It stops people getting in touch with their own feelings and thinking about things deeply. People are looking for a playful approach to life, to make fun and pleasure a way of life.

MercatorNet: How does this show up in the world of fashion?

Dr Bernal: The constant search for new sensations leads to an unrealistic look. The way people appear has less and less to do with their personal identity, and this is a very worrying issue. Anxiety among young people to achieve the "right look" while suppressing their natural inclinations leads to loss of self-esteem, dissatisfaction and permanent frustration.

At the same time as they are losing touch with their inner selves, they develop an obsession with the physical self -- with their health, diet and exercise, which is all part of this obsession with appearance as a medium to connect with others and feel part of the group.

MercatorNet: How can you get teenagers to see through the manipulation?

Dr Bernal: We have to educate children in aesthetics, or taste. This means facilitating contact with nature and the arts. Developing their powers of observation and the capacity for amazement. Feeding the imagination and memory by means of literature and good movies. Encouraging self-knowledge. And helping young people to be original, not letting them fall into the uniformity that exists today.

Along with this we have to show children how to achieve self-control, so that they are not carried along by a situation but are able to assert their personality and their values. Self-control is the art of conquering and governing yourself -- not forgetting the fact that we are vulnerable to crashes and will probably need to bounce back countless times.

Full interview at MercatorNet

Has it Dawned on you?

You've probably come across The Dawn Patrol by now if you've been roaming the blogosphere for quite a while. Dawn Eden is one blog queen to visit regularly, and now she's got a book worth checking out. She's no neophyte to the publishing world, though, having been a rock journalist for years even before "surfing" began to refer to the Web. Now she's an editor at a New York daily.

Her book, The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding fullfillment while keeping your clothes on, will be released in a few months. From its editorial review:

Among inspirational books for single women, The Thrill of the Chaste is a pair of hip Ray-Bans in a field of rose-colored glasses. This isn't a book for dainty damsels in lacy white dresses patiently awaiting their handsome prince. This is for real women who need strong, motivational, and deeply moral messages to counter the ones they receive from a superficial, sex-obsessed world.