Shayla: What is your view of the Manhattan Declaration?

Meforshim:

Our increasingly secular and humanistic society is choosing to look at the ethical implications of the Faith with a jaundiced eye.

· Standing for the preservation of prenatal life is considered to run counter to a woman’s right to terminate an inconvenient pregnancy.

· Standing against euthanasia is seen as a violation of one’s “right to die”

· Followers of Christ entering into open and public debate is viewed as violating the rights of those who hold contrary beliefs.

· Choosing to hold to the traditional view of marriage and family as involving heterosexuality is decried as discriminatory homophobia.

What I find ironic is that none of these charges seem to apply if they are pointed in the other direction. Somehow the suppression of Christian thought and values does not rise to the definition of discrimination.

The Manhattan Declaration is not merely a “shot across the bow” of American secular humanism it is also a public statement of good citizenship. Close to 2,000 years ago, during the reign of a pluralistic, polytheistic empire, Christian beliefs were also considered superstitious and running counter to the common good. It became increasingly difficult to exclusively worship Jesus the Messiah as God. A lot of ignorant slander was spread about Christians: that they were cannibalistic (based on “take and eat, this is my body”); that they were incestuous or sexually vulgar (based on greet brothers and sisters with a holy kiss); or worse yet – that they were fanatical because they chose martyrdom over betrayal of their consciences.

Today, along with Polycarp we say “we are taught to give all due honor (which entails no injury upon ourselves) to the powers and authorities.” With Justin Martyr we remind America that we pay our taxes, obey all just laws, serve in the military, and pray for our leaders. We are “moral, upright, and law-abiding citizens” and the nation’s “best allies in securing order.” With Tertullian we profess to “offer prayer for the safety of our princes to the eternal.”

As far as I know, the right to hold to one’s beliefs has not yet been removed from American law. Last I heard the government and the laws are to reflect the will of the majority of the people in a democratic society. I find it amazing that in a nation where approximately 85% of the people profess to be adherents of Christianity, the culture of death (abortion and euthanasia) and vulgarity (homosexuality and extramarital promiscuity) dominates the media so strongly.

In my opinion, the Manhattan Declaration (which deals with the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife, and the rights of conscience and religious liberty) would be a clarion call as to some very fundamental beliefs of nearly 85% of Americans. Politicians and policy makers of all stripes should sit up and take notice.

Two different studies were done to determine the number of homosexuals in our society. The first, a government study which came up with a figure of 1.534%, was flawed in that it had a very small sampling, only questioned men, did not promise confidentiality and was done in two small towns with anti-sodomy laws. The second, the Kinsey study which came up with 10%, had a much larger sampling in all 50 states. However, one of the research assistants was gay and there is some question as to whether or not that person may have gone into heavily gay areas, thus throwing the statistics somewhat. The truth lies somewhere between the two; let’s say 5%. According to the CIA World Factbook, as of July 2008 the U.S.’ population was 303,824,640. That would mean that there are somewhere around 15,200,000 gays in the U.S. Isn’t it interesting that 15 million people are telling 288 million people how to define their culture?