by Heather Plett | Mar 9, 2007 | global warming, morality
Recently, I read the letter that you and others sent to the National Association of Evangelicals, urging them to step away from the issue of global warming, and to stop shifting “the emphasis away from the great moral issues of our time, notably the sanctity of human life, the integrity of marriage and the teaching of sexual abstinence and morality to our children.” I also read some of the rebuttals you received from people like Jim Wallis and Brian McLaren.
Dr. Dobson, this whole thing makes me heart-sick. It troubles me that a man of your influence cannot see that the “great moral issues” might also include the fact that over 800 million people in this world are still living with hunger. What about the fact millions of people are dying of HIV/AIDS? And what about the fact that, because of the greed and excessive consumerism in “developed” countries, global warming is having the most profoundly damaging effect on the poor and vulnerable?
I have read through the gospels several times, Dr. Dobson, and every time I do, I am reminded that one of the things that Jesus talks about the most is that we should care for the poor. Where does that fit into your “great moral issues”? If someone does not even have enough food to eat and has to put their child to bed hungry every night, how can you have the audacity to tell them that the only thing Christians should be concerned about are morality, abortion, and the evils of same-sex marriage?
Your letter goes on to say that population control is a dangerous issue that Christians should not concern themselves with because the only way population control can be achieved is “by promoting abortion, the distribution of condoms to the young, and, even by infanticide in China and elsewhere.” So, in other words you’re suggesting that your definition of morality should always trump the other issues in this world, like over-population in developing countries and the spread of HIV/AIDS? Might I suggest to you that if we first addressed the heavy burden of poverty, we might THEN be able to address the morality issues you’re concerned about? Take for example the situation where the men in the village need to leave the village to find work to feed their families. While in a foreign place, living with intense loneliness, they take up with prostitutes who infect them with HIV. They then return home and infect their innocent wives and children. Yes, you’re right of course, their immorality is wrong, but perhaps the whole problem might have been averted if the root of the problem – poverty – had been addressed in the first place. Preaching to them about the evils of immorality will not save their wives and children from death at the hands of AIDS or hunger-related illness.
Let’s go back to global warming. Not long ago, I visited a nomadic tribe in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Historically, this region faced drought every twelve years or so. Because they had sufficient rains in the years in between, they could usually survive the barren years and still maintain their nomadic lifestyles, following their cattle to drinking holes and grazing lands. But now, due to global warming, they face drought every 5 to 7 years, and their lifestyles are no longer viable. They can’t count on the in-between years to sustain them through the barren years, and most of them are living with extreme hunger. Add to that challenge the freak weather patterns that come along with global warming – like the flood that wiped out many of their roads and bridges last year – and you have millions of people left scrounging for food in desperate situations.
I saw the faces of the children, Dr. Dobson. I held their hands. I tell you that there is no way I could have preached to them about morality if I didn’t first offer them food and the promise that I would strive to play a smaller part in the global warming that is destroying them.
Dr. Dobson, I am neither a scientist nor a theologian, so I cannot “prove” global warming nor can I present a great theological argument about what I believe is our responsibility to respond. I can, however, tell you what I have seen and what is on my heart.
It is my prayer that the Christian church can someday set aside the divisions and together address what I believe are the great moral issues that you should at least consider adding to your list. If nothing else, Dr. Dobson, I wish you would at least consider Jim Wallis’ invitation to join him in a healthy debate on these issues. We all need to keep an open mind – myself included.
by Heather Plett | Mar 7, 2007 | Home
The water’s boiling for my tea, the house is quiet with the family all away at piano lessons, and I am curled up on my couch – home again. Another flight. Another magical lift-off moment. Another night spent in another hotel room. Another day spent in meetings and presentations (doesn’t it just SUCK when your presentation falls into the 2:00 in the afternoon slot when everyone in the room is beginning to drift off to sleep?) Another taxi ride (no Ethiopian cab driver this time). It’s good to go, but it’s always good to return.
In my job, I often end up in meetings and conferences full of a variety of church leaders from a variety of denominations. As is still the case in WAY too many of them, today I was once again a tiny minority in a room full of men. The only other woman in the room was there with her husband – she worked as his administrative assistant. It makes me sad that so many churches are still missing half the wisdom, half the giftings, half the blessings, and half the opportunities to learn by not allowing or encouraging women to lead. If you’d asked most of the men in the room today, I’m sure they would have said “oh, of course we let women lead” and yet the room full of men tells a different story. It makes me weary.
But that’s not a problem I’ll solve today. The water boiled. It’s time for tea.
by Heather Plett | Mar 5, 2007 | random, Regina
That’s right – I’m in Regina. Just an overnighter this time. I have to make a presentation at an all-day conference tomorrow, and then I fly home in the evening. The kids will barely notice I’m gone. A few thoughts on this mini-journey…
No matter how many times I fly, I never get tired of that moment of exhilaration and amazement when the plane lifts off the tarmac. Give me any scientific explanation you want – it still feels like magic that a big hunk ‘o metal can get off the ground.
My cab driver this morning was from Ethiopia. I’m not usually very chatty in taxis, especially at 6:30 in the morning, but I had a feeling he was from Ethiopa (his feature’s told the tale), so I asked. It was frightfully cold in Winnipeg this morning. I wonder if his heart doesn’t ache for the Ethiopian sunshine.
I’ve ordered room service twice since I’ve been here (late breakfast and late lunch) and BOTH times, they forgot something I ordered. Not a very good track record so far. (Note: I hardly ever order room service, as I normally love to wander around whatever city I’ve landed in and discover some lovely local restaurant, but the weather here is as miserable as it was at home and I’m stuck in one of those boring business hotels in a nondescript section of the city. I’d have to walk pretty far to find anything interesting.)
The second time the room service guy came to my room, Oprah was on TV and one of her guests was talking about diaphrams and masturbation (it was a show on women aging. Hmmm… what google searches will THAT bring to my blog?). The poor room service guy shuffled rather uncomfortably while I signed the check. He could hardly exit fast enough.
It’s been extremely rare that I’ve watched any daytime TV since I’ve worked full time days all of my adult life, other than a few years in university and my maternity leaves. Oprah’s program was mildly interesting, since I’ve tipped over the 40 line, but then Dr. Phil came on and I had to turn the TV off. Is it just me, or do you find Dr. Phil at least mildly annoying? I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s something smarmy and just a tad arrogant about him. (Forgive me if he’s your personal hero or spiritual guru.)
Lately, it seems, my favourite book choices have been memoirs. I’ve enjoyed the last two that I’ve read (Eat, Pray, Love and The Year of Magical Thinking), but I really think I need to look for some by people who lead less privileged lives and can’t afford to jet all over the world on a whim. It’s getting a little depressing. Any suggestions? Maybe something by and ordinary woman trying to juggle career, family, relationships, etc. Course, the publishing companies probably don’t publish many of those, ’cause they’re just not glamourous enough. (I just realized that the one before that was Left to Tell, by a woman who survived the Rwandan genocide – a decidedly less privileged life.)
That being said, both women (Elizabeth Gilbert and Joan Didion) said some brilliant things that will stick with me for awhile. I quoted Gilbert in a recent post, and I may quote Didion one of these days too. Her thoughts on grief have refreshed my memories of losing dad, and gave me more than just one epiphany.
Speaking of Joan Didion, her novel Democracy was one of my favourite reads in university. There was something delightfully refreshing about her writing style. I also remember the lovely little thrill I got when she introduced a country I’d never known existed (Kuala Lumpur). It had this great affect on my wanderlusting heart that there were places in the world that I hadn’t learned about in high school geography classes that I could possibly some day explore.
I just saw a short report about two small kids (I think they’re 2 and 4) who were being taught by their relatives to smoke pot. They have video clips of the grown-ups holding the joints in the kids’ mouths. Seriously – were some people born WITHOUT BRAINS? Who DOES that? And do those kids have any hope of growing up reasonably well-balanced?
Who is Tara Grant and why has she taken over all the news programs? With so many millions of stories happening all over the world, and lots of them involving equal amounts of the mystery, tragedy and pathos, sometimes it baffles me which ones get picked for the media (and consequently the public) to obsess about.
by Heather Plett | Mar 4, 2007 | Maddie
Conversation #1 – after we’d made a hat out of magic noodles
Maddie: I just made wonderful stuff and I feel WONDERFUL!
Conversation #2 – when she was climbing into the bathtub
Me: Stop – there’s a piece of toilet paper stuck to your toe.
Her: What!? How did that get there? (a grin breaks out on her face) Oh, I know – the little man in my toe was trying to wipe his bum!
Conversation #3 – in the bathtub
Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Her: (again with the grin) A dog.
Me: How are you going to turn into a dog?
Her: Well, I’ll go to the dog store and see if they have a dog-turner-into and I’ll use it. (throws her head back and laughs)
by Heather Plett | Mar 3, 2007 | Uncategorized
You know how sometimes you visit your doctor with a list of symptoms, she suggests a diagnosis and describes EXACTLY what you’ve been feeling and you say “YES! That’s IT!” That’s kind of how I feel about this paragraph in “Eat, Pray, Love”:
Like most humanoids, I am burdened with what the Buddhists call the ‘monkey mind’ – the thoughts that swing from limb to limb, stopping only to scratch themselves, spit and howl. From the distant past to the unknowable future, my mind swings wildly through time, touching on dozens of ideas a minute, unharnessed and undisciplined. This in itself is not necessarily a problem; the problem is the emotional attachment that goes along with the thinking. Happy thoughts make me happy, but – whoop! – how quickly I swing again into obsessive worry, blowing the mood; and then it’s the remembrance of an angry moment and I start to get hot and pissed off all over again; and then my mind decides it might be a good time to start feeling sorry for itself, and loneliness follows promptly. You are, after all, what you think. Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions.
Exactly. Those pesky monkeys have me as their slave.
Along with giving up meat, I’ve been trying to spend more time in meditation and prayer this lenten season, but my monkey mind keeps getting in the way. I’ve been trying a few new things to help keep my focus, like prayer beads and centering prayer, but, alas, the monkeys in my mind tease me as they hop from limb to limb. “Just try and stop us!” they taunt.
Perhaps if I could afford the luxury of three months at an ashram in India, like Elizabeth Gilbert, I’d learn how to quiet those monkeys. But there’s laundry to do, lunch to be made, children to play with, floors to sweep, groceries to shop for… you get the picture. Guess I’ll just have to live with the monkeys for now.
