Published November 24, 2007 IN THEORY The Gravitational Poll Q: U.S. Catholic bishops this week reportedly approved new moral guidelines for Catholic voters warning that their political choices could impact a person’s salvation. Bishops reportedly stress that the guidelines are not a voter guide, but rather they represent a moral framework for believers. Still, some bishops disagree that voting choices can affect someone’s salvation. The church reportedly believes it is a “formal cooperation in evil” to vote for a candidate for the sole reason that he or she supports “intrinsic evils” such as abortion or racism. Bishops also believe Catholics should avoid becoming one-issue voters. What do you think? Should your political choices affect your salvation? A: How refreshing to hear that the bishops, these men of faith, are standing up for what they believe. Whether you agree with the policies they are supporting, you have to appreciate that these bishops are taking their faith seriously enough to attach permanent consequences to the decision-making process. Basically, they are saying, what we believe is not something that comes alive only on Sundays and in sanctuaries, but has applications and ramifications in all of life. By taking a very extreme and absurd example, this can be better understood. Imagine a candidate who supports a program of systematic annihilation of a group of people, such as in the case of genocide. Everyone who votes for this candidate knowing of his or her agenda for extermination is responsible and accountable for those actions. Therefore, wouldn’t we all agree that those voters would be guilty of the same crime? This may seem severe, but that is the seriousness of our vote. Sometimes in discussing a person’s “right to vote” we fail to speak of the “responsibility of the vote.” Every right carries a responsibility. The bishops are merely saying that if a person adheres to a set of principles and standards, there is a responsibility to live according to those tenets of faith. In my particular belief system, the standard to love, as expressed through Jesus Christ, is so high that my voting decisions must reflect that standard. The way I see it, expressing love in everything we do is the responsibility of those who have the right to be called Christian. FATHER VAZKEN MOVSESIAN Armenian Church Youth Ministries In His Shoes Mission

Picket Fences Built Hatefully

Published November 10, 2007 - Glendale News Press - Los Angeles Time IN THEORY Picket Fences Built Hatefully Q: Despite a $10.9-million jury award against him this week for picketing at a funeral of a soldier who died in Iraq, Pastor Fred Phelps and his church in Kansas will reportedly not be deterred from picketing military funerals with anti-gay slogans — claiming that deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan are God’s punishment for homosexuality. They hold up signs that say things like “God hates fags,” which Phelps says is a way to continue his struggle against what he and his followers say is an immoral lifestyle. Others say Phelps is practicing a “hateful ideology.” What do you think? And what kind of message do you think Phelps’ actions sends to the faith community? A: This is a no-brainer. The message Phelps and his gang is spewing is despicable and obscene. It shows absolutely no respect for the sanctity of life and therefore can’t possibly be considered coming from a “church.” And as we know, a religion based on fear can only motivate and attract people for all the wrong reasons. Nevertheless, his message is protected by the Constitution, the same Constitution that allows us to preach and proclaim the truths we expound in the name of religion. We’ve seen this tested over and over. I remember in the late 1970s when American Nazis tried to march through Skokie, Ill., primarily because of the large Jewish population and Holocaust survivors living there. It was the American Civil Liberties Union that went to bat for the Nazis. All in the name of this freedom, which continues to be used and abused by the U.S. population. This last month, I personally felt the hate speech that was spewed out against the Armenians by challenges to the reality of genocide (in reference to H.R. 106). I heard the obscenities spoken against my faith, by the likes of Kathy Griffin in her infamous Emmy acceptance speech. These examples are completely in line with Phelps and his followers. As upset and disgusted as I get, I know the answer is not to ban this speech. This freedom is the foundation of our society, and that freedom is sacred. It is sad and sickening that people abuse freedom. What the faith community must do in these instances is to focus on the greater ideals that we serve. If we are convinced that goodness always triumphs over evil, we need to combat hatred, as difficult as it may be, with acts and words of love. FATHER VAZKEN MOVSESIAN Armenian Church Youth Ministries