Pope's illness prompts cure-all questions

Published February 25, 2005 - Glendale News-Press IN THEORY Pope's illness prompts cure-all questions Vatican officials are touting the Pope's recent suffering as an example of a willingness to suffer in the face of health problems and a modern society that believes medicine must cure all. Monsignor Elio Sgreccia, the Vatican's chief bioethicist, reportedly said recently that medicine has become unmanageable because it can't fulfill the desires of consumers for perfect health. Do you think we've gotten carried away with a so-called "religion of health" -- too carried away with an idea that modern medicine must cure all? A: The "religion of health" is no different from any other religion. Its goal is to cheat death. And yes, there are those who are obsessed with it, to the point that they have unrealistic expectations of healthcare. But then again, there are those who fanatically follow traditional religion with expectations of avoiding an awful end. As people, we innately avoid suffering. After all, it is painful and ugly. One of the marks of an affluent society is the power money has to alleviate pain. That society conditions its members to believe in an illusion that with enough resources, the impossible becomes possible, namely that suffering can and should be avoided at all costs. Unfortunately, our priorities become skewed at that point. Our affluence fosters this illusion. As long as there's a profit to be made, things will not get better. Health will be marketed to the highest bidder. That's where I believe a healthy attitude toward religion and faith is our only hope. All major traditions speak of suffering as part of life; it is not to be avoided, rather it should be accepted as part of spiritual growth and enlightenment. With the failing health of his holiness Pope John Paul II, we remember him in our prayers, asking that God grant him the courage and strength to endure the sufferings he does. Even more, through our prayers we connect ourselves to the human equation, where suffering and pain are marginalized by our tremendous capacity to dream, hope and love. FATHER VAZKEN MOVSESIAN St. Peter Armenian Church & Youth Ministries' Center

Published February 18, 2005 - Glendale News-Press IN THEORY Ten tenets command law debate In March, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the constitutionality of displaying the Ten Commandments in courthouses in Kentucky and at the Texas State Capitol. Do you think copies of the Ten Commandments on such properties should be protected, or is displaying the Ten Commandments an unconstitutional state endorsement of religion? They can't go after the Ten Commandments, because then they'd have go after television, movies and free speech in general. After all, aren't we already being fed a steady diet of the top 10 anti-commandments? And the venue is much more intrusive than the lobby of a courthouse; it's being pumped right into our homes right over government-regulated/ sanctioned airwaves. After a couple of hours in front of prime-time network TV, does anyone really buy the idea that it's wrong to steal, to commit adultery, to covet a neighbor's wife or even to kill? And if anyone misses an episode on television, the message comes through loud and clear in news reports of the war, by radio signals picked up in our cars and the movie theater marquees where an R-rating guarantees box-office revenues and DVD sales for years to come. To me, the displaying of the Ten Commandments is just another way of saying, "equal time" to all that is being thrown at us. I'm not a fan of any mandatory teaching of religion, nor do I want the state to tell us which religion is preferable or correct. Especially as an Armenian priest, I'm sensitive to it; my history is filled with religious coercion by intolerant people and tribes. But in this case, we're talking about displaying a plaque. These have become the bases for our civil codes and laws. That these words appear in the Bible is inconsequential to the debate. A reading of the Declaration of Independence is in order for this discussion. We are a country founded on a revolt for free religious expression; however, there's no doubt that the higher principles, as idealistic as they may be, are there to inspire our imagination and to maximize the human potential. "We hold these truths to be self-evident," writes Jefferson, "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." FATHER VAZKEN MOVSESIAN

Christian Faith in the Workplace

Published February 11, 2005 - Glendale News-Press

IN THEORY

Christian Faith in the Workplace

A move is underway to promote the practice of the Christian faith in the workplace. Drew Crandall, director of the Connecticut-based Northeast Christians at Work, and other such consultants, advise Christians on how to practice their faith at work and at their cubicles. As corporate America embraces cultural diversity, religious practice at work should be part of that diversity, Crandall says. Should there be a place for religious practice at work?

The work environments are fine the way they are. Faith and expressions of Christ's message are not like a shirt we put on or take off. To reflect the love and joy that Christ offers is not limited to a few minutes nor a few hours a day. The Christian is called to breathe, live and act his/her faith.

When we look at our society riddled with its excesses and are blinded by the reflective glitter, we know that there has to be something more to life. In fact, religion is the search for those deeper elements of life. Religion and faith are not outside of life, but directly part and parcel of it. To set up an extra spot for Christian practice is to fall into the trap of pigeon-holing religion. The greatest testimony to one's faith is to become a living example of love, harmony, compassion and trust. This is not accomplished in cubicles, but in the large work environment known as life.

Scripturally, Jesus warns against the outright practice of piety in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). In no uncertain terms he calls for a person's reconciliation with God, through private practices of prayer, fasting and compassion. He further warns against the hypocrisy that accounts for most of our expressions.

I'm afraid that by setting up these areas of practice, we're missing the point that faith is not an extra curricular activity, but part of the main course. The so called church experience cannot be separate from life experience. It always puzzles me when I hear expressions like, "Oh, I better watch my mouth, I'm in church." Why? Are we worried about God hearing something we think He can't hear in our cars or in our homes? Or is it that we're practicing a type of hypocrisy, hiding in the safety of our churches, rather than confronting the real issues of respect and harmony.

Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us that America is most segregated Sunday mornings at 11AM. That is, it is meaningless to hear a message of love and then practice the opposite once we leave the safety of the church pew. Rather than setting up these areas in the workplace, I believe Christ's message can be better served by improving work environments, caring for the laborer and offering opportunities for family recreation and wellbeing.

There is a place in every Christian's work environment where his/her faith can be practiced, it’s called the heart. It is unique to each of us and yet a common expression that encourages diversity and growth for all flows from it. It is supported by tearing down walls, not building them up.

Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Armenian Church Youth Ministries