dianaschnuth

From the Associated Press, via USA Today:

Lutherans move toward more open view on gays

Delegates to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s nationwide assembly in Minneapolis on Wednesday approved a “social statement on human sexuality.” The vote was a prelude to a bigger debate Friday, when delegates will tackle a proposal that would allow individual ELCA congregations to hire people in committed same-sex relationships as clergy.

I was pleasantly surprised by the dialog and open-mindedness that the Lutheran church is welcoming. However, one dissenting opinion in particular caught my attention:

Opponents of the social statement said it ignores clear scriptural direction that homosexuality is a sin. “We are asked to affirm a description of sexuality based on a reality that’s shaped not by Scripture but by today’s culture,” said Curtis Sorbo of Adams, North Dakota, a convention delegate from the ELCA’s Eastern North Dakota Synod.

What a different statement that would be if we replaced one word: “We are asked to affirm a description of slavery based on a reality that’s shaped not by Scripture but by today’s culture.”

Today’s culture does indeed shape the reality of slavery, as opposed to what was shaped by scripture.

There are so many potential examples of how Mr. Sorbo’s statement is indeed true, but not in the way I think he intended. What else could we plug into that sentence? Racism. Apostasy. Diet.

What right have Christians to interpret their most holy scripture like Swiss cheese?

This story came up on my radar a few months ago, and I’m only now getting to blogging about it. From the Telegraph:

Australian educators are being urged to correct homework in less aggressive colours like green and blue, in an attempt to improve mental health in the classroom.

The plans are part of a package of measures dismissed as “kooky, loony, loopy lefty” by opposition politicians.

Other tips in the Good Mental Health Rocks kit, which was distributed this month to about 30 schools in Queensland state, including apologising to students when necessary and asking pupils to conduct a “personal skills audit” where they focus on their individual strengths rather than their weaknesses.

On the issue of marking, it advises: “Don’t mark in red pen (which can be seen as aggressive) – use a different color.”

Stephen Robertson, the Queensland health minister, defended the guidelines which were devised by his department, saying that youth suicide was a serious issue.

“If mental health professionals determine that as one of a number of strategies teachers should consider, then I’ll support them every day of the week,” he said. “This is not a matter for ridicule, this is serious.”

Suicide? From too much red pen? I find that hard to swallow. Peer rejection, sure. Bad grades in general, OK. But actual psychological damage from the usage of red pen?

I had teachers who liked to grade with those thick two-toned pencils — orange on one side, green on the other, so it made neat swirly-colored marks on the page. The color didn’t change the fact that I missed an answer on my quiz, and only got a 93%. (Yes, I was one of those.)

Granted, I’m not a psychologist, nor do I play one on TV, but this seems a little extreme.

Red marks excessively aggressive? To hell with the color of pen; just make sure you can give me a reasonable explanation as to why you marked my essay off by three points on page two, other than that vague damn question mark you put in the margin.