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June 2008
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Ramblings
Karma Chameleon.
06.07.08 | Permalink | 6 Comments | 100Thank you, God, for the things you do for me - in spite of me. I used to believe in some sort of Holy Karma type of thing - that the more good I did, the better God would be to me. At some point I realized that this was a losing proposition. There is no way that I could “earn” God’s blessings. That’s not to say that I shouldn’t try. But it really doesn’t seem to work that way. If it did, I would be in bad shape.
It took me a long time to understand and accept the concept of God’s grace. The church organization (not church) that I grew up in, and still am a part of, places less of an emphasis on grace than I think they should. I was always led to believe that much of God’s favor on me depended on my behavior (and the way I looked). As a kid, you wonder if you may have upset the balance and lost your salvation because of that one lie you told. It is a recipe for disaster through guilt and regret. Many of you reading this now may still have similar beliefs. You may also be thinking that I have softened my views on what it takes to travel down the “straight and narrow.” That’s simply not the case.
Look, I am not suggesting that once you become a Christian, you are good to go. “Once saved, always saved” is the scornful label given to those who put too much emphasis on God’s grace. What I am suggesting, however, is that if you are a Christian and do not seek to do good, then maybe you haven’t really given your life to God after all. Your behavior and good works should be a reflection of your comfort in knowing that God will never give up on you. You have given your life to him, and have become one of His own. If you don’t make an effort to follow His teachings, then why are you calling yourself a Christian in the first place?
The karma-based concept leads to a lot of negative side effects. I knew many people growing up who would stumble, then feel that they had “tipped the scales,” lost their salvation, and felt like they had to start all over. Entire lives are led this way. Be super holy for a week, make a mistake, then give up and have a big falling out, then grovel before God, come back, rinse and repeat. It is a miserable way to live, and I think it is at odds with the salvation plan of the new testament.
Be the best Christian you can be; not because if you don’t you will lose your salvation and go to Hell, but rather because you love God and want to please him. The net result may be the same in your mind, but it’s the difference between an immature, negatively-reinforced relationship, and a positive one.
And give up trying to earn God’s love. You’ve already got it.
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Ramblings
A Simpler Time.
06.04.08 | Permalink | 2 Comments | 84I started watching the first season of a show called Mad Men last night. I had been hearing good things about it, but hadn’t made much of an effort to find it. It’s on AMC, so it wasn’t like I was going to stumble across it. The show follows a group of ad men at a Madison Avenue ad agency in the early 60s. The writing is excellent (executive producer and writer of “The Sopranos” Matthew Weiner), and the characters are very interesting. Several semi-recognizable actors fill out the cast, and I think the show has a real future.
Boy. Things sure have changed since the late 50s and early 60s. Back then, it was all about the importance of family. Think “Donna Reed” and “Leave it to Beaver.” Men and women knew their roles. We had prayer in school. Mom made apple pie, and everyone walked to school (uphill, I think). Men were clean-cut and women wore dresses. Children sat around and listened to swell radio broadcasts AFTER they had done their homework.
Those were the days.
Traditional church goers often see this as a time in American history when our country was pure and God-fearing. If only things could be like they were back then. While I do think that it was generally a more innocent time, I think part of that was simply an issue of people being more sheltered and uninformed than they are today. Maybe that was a good thing - I don’t know. On the outside, things certainly seemed simpler. We didn’t have to worry about all of this political correctness nonsense, we weren’t worried about being accused of sexual harrassment, and most women kept their opinions to themselves.
Sounds great, doesn’t it.
There are some hilarious scenes in Mad Men that emphasize how things have changed. I realize that certain things are played up for TV, but if even a fraction of it is true, it’s amazing. One scene has a mom driving through town with her two kids constantly climbing between the front seat and the back. She ends up having a minor accident, and the kids are found crammed down (but okay and smiling) into the floor of the backseat - a tangle of arms and legs. Another scene has a small girl walking into the kitchen with a dry-cleaning bag over her head; her mom quickly warns her that she “better not have dumped out the dry cleaning on the floor.” Then there’s the smoking. Everyone is smoking. They’re smoking in bed, at breakfast, in the elevator, in meetings, at dinner, during sex, after sex, and probably while they’re sleeping.
The portrayal of the culture at the ad agency is particularly alarming. If you were a woman, you were a secretary. And if you were a secretary, you’d better be prepared to serve the important role of showing off (at least) your assets and stroking the considerable male egos if you were to have any hope of keeping your position. As a woman, you were expected to accept the comments, the pinches, the leers and the personal afronts that were clearly part of your job role. If you were white, male and management, - the world was your oyster.
I know it’s Hollywood, and I realize that nostalgia plays a role in how people view that time in our history. But, I’m glad I didn’t come along until later.
I appreciate the progress we have made since then - and, hey, I’m a white guy…
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Opinion
God’s Creatures.
06.02.08 | Permalink | 2 Comments | 64At the urging of my wife, I have decided to take a short side-trip off topic. Honestly, this topic is (probably disproportionately) upsetting to me because I am a dog lover, and I can hardly even visit the sites that I plan to link to at the end of my post. Let me first say that I am not a militant animal rights activist, and I admit that my opinions here are somewhat hypocritical considering my regular consumption of beef, pork and chicken provided by facilities that keep these animals in horrible living conditions. Whenever possible, I choose to buy meat from facilities that don’t treat animals this way, but there’s really no guarantee.
I love dogs. I truly think they are one of God’s greatest illustrations of unconditional love. They are a pure reflection of how they are treated, and they exhibit high levels of intelligence (except when they drink from the toilet) and emotion. My dogs are part of my family, and the thought of them being mistreated breaks my heart. When I think of a dog (or any animal) in a situation where they are mistreated, it’s particularly disturbing to me because they don’t understand.
So, where does one go when they want to buy a pet? Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer.
As with so many things, you have extremes. Either you spend weeks or months contacting reputable breeders who often don’t want to place dogs in homes that don’t plan to show the dogs. Or you meet Bubba in the alley with his trenchcoat full of Pugs looking to make a quick buck. There isn’t really a reputable middle ground. The unavoidable problem is that breeding is a business, and business is all about efficiency. How many puppies can this female crank out in a year. We don’t have space to let her run around, so we’ll keep her in a cage (her entire life). Since she can’t leave her cage, her legs will become deformed and she won’t be able to walk right, but that’s not really a big deal cuz we ain’t paying her to walk. It’s a business. And business can be ugly.
Pet stores are the worst. They are the distributors for the puppy mills. Most of them have been shut down now, but there are still some chains out there. Do a Google search if you dare.
Open market fairs and flea markets are another common way to get a puppy. While I do think that some semi-responsible “backyard breeders” may showcase their puppies here (most reputable breeders would disagree), by and large, this is a nightmare. I have visited a few , and the conditions of the animals on-site is depressing. I can’t even imagine how they are treated when they aren’t prettied up for display.
So what is the right answer?
I have bought pets from these places at one point or another in my life. I think everyone has. I didn’t know better, and I don’t think most people really understand this industry.
Here are some options:
Rescue is a fantastic solution, but many people are not educated about it, and some people have reservations about that mistreated pitbull mix with a checkered past they are thinking about bringing home for their 5-year-old. That is understandable, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Please consider rescue next time you decide to get a pet. These are fantastic, sweet, friendly dogs that are kept in people’s homes while they go through detox, rehab, skin treatment, heartworm treatment, etc. until they are ready to have another shot at a happy life. I think the underlying concern most people have is that rescue dogs are unpredictable. But by the time they are released by their capable “foster parents”, they have been closely evaluated and are often much easier to predict then a mistreated puppy that you get from a pet store. Not to mention, many of these dogs are house-trained. Puppies sure are cute, but they are very high maintenance.
Here is a link to a great Boxer rescue organization.
Shelters are another possible solution. Some of them are certainly better than others, and sometimes its hard to know what you are getting. It is amazing how many people buy puppies, get tired of them when they grow up, and deliver them to shelters. Research the shelter, and make sure you are able to get a sense for a dog’s temperment before you bring one home to small children. Due to the sheer volume of animals in the shelters, there is no possible way they can get the personal attention that a rescue organization can provide. Rescues often troll the shelters to pick up animals for rehabilitation - which often cost hundreds of dollars. So, if you have the time and energy to care of an animal like this, a shelter can be a good solution.
Casual breeders running a small business from their homes can be a decent option. Again, these people are not really held to any kind of standard legally, so it can be a crap shoot. The best thing to do is ask the right questions, visit the facility, and just feel out the situation. Definitely meet the puppy’s parents, ask for vaccination records and medical history (in writing) from their vet, and see if you can get a sense for their living conditions. Sometimes these breeders sell puppies from the back of trucks or in some other off-site location. Be very careful unless you can get the information you need. If the breeder won’t let you visit, is hesitant to show you medical records, or doesn’t have one or both of the parents, that’s your cue to move on.
Reputable breeders that breed show dogs are one of the best options, but, quite frankly, this can be a frustrating option. They have litters very rarely, and the ones they do have are primarly intended to go to “show homes.” Typically, though, they have puppies in each litter that don’t meet the standards for show (lucky them), and are placed into “pet homes.” If you happen to time this right, consider yourself lucky.
It would be nice if there were better options for the common pet lover to get a puppy. Hopefully one day there will be a solution that can make pets available without putting them through hell first. Below are a few links to more information. Some are not for the faint of heart, but they are worth reading.
Here is a good link to a site with puppy buying tips.
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