Dani

drowned

[danialleo]

@jellohasatumbler-blog 

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[danialleo]

@jellohasatumbler-blog 

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[danialleo]

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[juliamaquinto-blog]

Madam and Eve, Adam and Steve: Same-sex Relationships in the Philippines

The Philippines ranks as the most gay-friendly country in Asia, and the 10th among 39 countries covered by a global survey. However, despite high numbers, the country still frowns upon same-sex relationships, more so, same-sex marriage. Despite the protests, the country stands firm on its grounds and there might be little to no hope that same-sex marriage will be legalized in the Philippines due to its religious background. As a Catholic, the mainstream answer would be to support the church. I, however, hope that the country would change its views and support the LGBT community. 

The Roman Catholic religion is not the only religion in the world. There are roughly 4,200 religions out there. The idea that homosexuality is a sin is only believed upon by the number of those religions. We are taught as a child to respect the beliefs of other people. For example, Iglesia ni Cristo believers are not allowed to eat dinuguan and we never judged them for that. Muslims don’t eat pork, and we even cater to their needs. So why can’t we accept the fact that some religions allow homosexual relationships without frowning upon them?

Majority of our countrymen might be Catholic, but that does not mean that everyone in the country is, added to that, not every Catholic believes that same-sex marriage should not be legalized. This is why there is a law about the separation of church and state. The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines states: The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable. (Article II, Section 6). Furthermore, no law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. So why is the government not allowing same-sex marriage?

Our God is a God filled with love, mercy and compassion. Our God promotes love. When did loving someone become such a bad thing? If their happiness does not step on yours, why step on theirs? All they ever did was to love each other, and here we are, mere humans, destroying the love that they have. If our God knows how to forgive and accept sinners, why can’t we? Let God be the judge of their love. Even Pope Francis supports the community. Pope Francis said that he is aware that many cultures and religions find expressions of homosexuality “offensive,” but having a “different mentality” should not be a justification for harm or ill will toward the LGBT community. “I repeat what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: that they must not be discriminated against, that they must be respected and accompanied pastorally,” he added. The observations echoed a now-famous remark he made while returning from a week-long trip to Brazil in 2013, when he said “Who am I to judge?” in relation to homosexuals. “If a person is gay and seeks to God and has good will, who am I to judge?” he said, after his first foreign trip as pontiff. Many have hailed the religious leader’s statements as “a groundbreaking moment” for LGBT people. If the head of the church supports it, shouldn’t the followers do so as well?

One can argue that the country loves gay people, but this is not how I see it. The way I see it, our country only tolerates the LGBT community. The statement “I’ll beat my son up if he comes out gay to turn him into a man.” still prevails among fathers in the country. When Charice Pempengco came out as Jake Zyrus, there were criticisms everywhere and people all over social networking sites began to mock him. Is this the same country that ranked first as the most gay-friendly country in Asia? 

There’s no hope that the church would accept same-sex marriage and I know that. What I’m asking is for the government to start being unbiased and legalize marriage. There are three kinds of marriages in the Philippines namely: Religious weddings, Civil weddings and Military weddings. If religions cannot grant these couples the right to marry each other, the government should allow them to marry under the law. They are human beings—people of this nation—and the government shouldn’t restrict them these rights just because of gender and religion. However, this doesn’t mean that I would tolerate immoral acts.

[chxsannell]

I am no one’s property

Do you even have any sense of humanity in you? There are many social issues being discussed right now and yet here we are being ignorant of the real and bigger problem. Human Trafficking, is a modern-day slavery and every year millions of men, women and children all around the world becomes a victim of human trafficking.  I’ve seen news all over social media about how people are being forced to slavery and I stand against it because it goes against every moral values and beliefs I know as a Catholic.  

It was stated in Deuteronomy 24:7, ““If a man is found stealing one of his brothers of the people of Israel, and if he treats him as a slave or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.” The victims of Human Trafficking have often been accused of prostitution or underage sex, in the first place did they ask to be taken away from their families and become sex slaves? No they did not ask such a horrible experience to happen in their lives, they simply we’re forced and threatened so why accuse them of something that they didn’t even want to happen to their selves? They already have been through enough. I read a story about how a woman was walking back to her house after shopping at a mall and how two men took her and sold her as a prostitute wherein she was in the business for 9 years all because the men who kidnapped her thought she would make a perfect prostitute because she showed a little skin. Woman are being depict at wanting “it” when we show a little skin which is raises another problem because of some people’s ill opinions about how a woman should not dress that way. We should never judge someone just because of the clothes they wear.

We have no right to own or forced a human being into something they do not want. God gave us all free will and said that we are all equal, one is not less than the other and one is not greater than the other we are all equal. That’s why human trafficking is something that goes against God. No one should think to that they are above others, that’s plain idiotic. No one can take away your freedom which is why we should all be aware of the dangers of human trafficking and help each other prevent this horrendous crime from blighting our world even further.

Nobody owns you and you don’t own anybody, people in power often think that just because they have the power they think the people below them are now their property. Let me tell you this, there isn’t anyone in this world powerful enough to own someone except God for we are his children. As God’s children we are equal and one is never above the other.

People argue that the victims of human trafficking were careless and therefore deserve what happened to them as they were not careful enough which is why they were taken and forced into a life they did not want. Human trafficking or any crime for the matter can happen unexpectedly one minute you’re just having fun with friends the next you’re being taken away from your family possibly never seeing them ever again. We should all realize no one deserves this kind of crime to happen to them. No one deserves to be miserable and forced into slavery this is not the medieval age, it is estimated that human traffickers earn 100 billion profit and here is the other cause of human trafficking which is greed.. Stop human trafficking, stop modern-day slavery, stop child labour, stop prostitution. We all deserve to be free.

Human Trafficking is still alive and continues today in every country in the world. Women forced into prostitution. Girls married off to older men. Children being taken away from their families and are being forced into labor.  Modern day slavery should be stopped because there is more to it than some people may think, human trafficking is connected to rape, abuse and gender inequality. There are organizations that help stop and prevent human trafficking from being more destructive than it already is, let’s all help and join in the cause of helping and stopping human trafficking. Don’t do it for yourself, do it for the future of our generations.

[thoughtsbybea-blog]

Colors and the Church

 Your color does not define you. Across the world, people are being denied of their privileges because their skin tone is a shade other than white. People become victims of police brutality because they are Black. People are accused of being a terrorist because they wear a hijab. Imagine being ostracized and ridiculed by society just because of your race and your culture. Discrimination against culture and color needs to be stopped, and it needs to be stopped soon. For centuries, people of color have been oppressed, majority of which are by white people. This goes down deep in history.

Racism, in general, is the belief that one race is superior or inferior to the other. Racial discrimination is experienced and witnessed through different degrees. As simple as mocking a person because of their race to white-washing a character of color, a glimpse of racism can already be seen. In 2015, a 14-year-old boy named Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for bringing a “hoax-bomb”. Mohamed brought a reassembled digital clock in an 8-inch pencil container to show his teachers. His English teacher, however, thought and assumed the clock was a bomb, confiscated and reported it to the police right away. This is an example of how prejudice against races happen. If he were a white boy instead of a Muslim, things would have turned out differently.

One of the most frequent cases of racism is racial stereotyping. How many times have you avoided someone wearing a hijab because, admit it, you were scared? Or assumed someone was intelligent because they were Asian? According to Dr. David Williams, a professor of African and African American studies at Harvard University, when people hold a negative stereotype about a group and meet someone from that group, they often treat that person differently and don’t even realize it. This is called unconscious discrimination. There are some instances when we unconsciously entertain racism, and we don’t even know it.  

Difference may be a terrifying thought, especially when you are not used to change or when something is strange to you. When you are exposed to a culture you’re not familiar with, is it wrong to be scared? Sometimes, people fear what they don’t know. As a person of color myself, the thought of going to a foreign environment terrifies me, especially not knowing what the norm is. However, we should not let our prejudices get in the way of our treatment towards someone.

We are all the same in the eyes of God. The Almighty made each and every one of us uniquely. Some He made darker, some lighter. Some He made petite, some He made towering. We all have our unique traits, and not one of us have the same features, not even identical twins. But no matter how contrasting our features are, no matter how different our customs are, we are all the same in the eyes of God. He does not choose who He loves. You could steal a thousand times, and still He will love you unconditionally. If our God loves us despite of our disparity, why can’t we do the same to each other? Why do we take our differences against each other, instead of accepting each other for who we are and what we believe in?

Despite our differences in ethnicity and beliefs, we are unified as one under the Church. Yet, one race discriminates the other. One religion is favored than the other. As a Catholic, I give the same treatment to my Muslim friends as I do to my fellow Catholics. I am the same person with my fellow Filipino friends as I am with my foreign friends. Because I know and I understand that differences does not mean to set apart. It does not mean that they should be excluded nor treated any less. We are made up of different parts and different functions, and yet, when unified, become one great body that is the Church. To quote the Bible, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them” (Romans 12:4-6).

Even though we all have our distinct traits, and are special in our own way, God still created us all equally. In that sense, although we have our differences, may it be in traits or in our lifestyle, still those differences should be set aside with respect. Because we are all made equal, not one race is made superior, not one race is made inferior. We are all made equal, and equal is how we should treat each other.

Discrimination against culture and color needs to be stopped. There are countless races in the world, and yet we are only under one Church, under one Creator, and under one God. We should not strip away a person’s privilege because of their skin color. We should not wrongfully accuse a person because they are Black. We should not mock a person whose first language is not English. We should not let stereotypes get in the way of our judgement and treatment. We are more than just our color.

[xrosemaryc]

Weapons for Toys

     The world is now at its lowest point because what valid reason is there to put kids in war? Child soldiery is the act of recruiting children below the age of 18 into the military. Over the past twelve years, there have been armed conflicts involving child soldiers in at least thirty-six countries around the world. One of the countries who used child soldiers is Germany. Due to a lot of casualties they recruited children from the ages 16-17 but eventually by the end of the war, they recruited children aged 12. It was once a norm in the society to draft child soldiers but now that the tides have changed, intellectual people have taken their stands on this issue, there is no longer a need for children to be put in that kind of position where they think that the only choice they have is between life or death, there is no longer a need for children to be put in the place of an adult when they should be happy living with their family where their needs are sufficient. Now that this issue has gained popularity, religious groups have given their stand on this issue summarized with this saying, “Every child has a basic right to live a healthy, happy, life along with every other human being,” as is outlined by the first Catholic social teaching. So no, there isn’t any reason to put a child in war. There will never be a valid reason for putting a child in a place of suffering and death, whether it be for patriotism or for any other purpose.

     Every life is special, and with that, any amount wouldn’t suffice for a life of a human. Children also have rights. There are laws made to ensure that they get their basic needs and that they live a peaceful life. Recruiting children into the battlefield is a way of taking away their rights as a child, forcing them, however, is taking away their rights as a human. Several laws have been made to ensure that the rights of these children are met. International laws are as such; United Nations’ “Children in armed conflict”, International Humanitarian Law “Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts”, International Labor Law “Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation”, and United Nations’ “War crimes”. We are all children of God, and as such we should respect our life and the lives of others because that’s what we deserve.

     Solidarity, harmony, a united group of people with a common interest, or a mutual support group, however you call it, it will still be the same. The world is still supposed to be a place of solidarity. Every one of us is a part of a family. We are all one big family, imagine having your son or daughter taken away and being sent to the military. What kind of injustice was brought to your family is what you’ll think and that’s true. This is why we shouldn’t let any child get conscribed. The Philippines has become one of the countries committed to ending the use of child soldiers. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front together with UNICEF have pledged to safeguard and protect the lives of the children by implementing an action plan dedicated to denying these children access to the military fronts and armed conflicts. They have thought of a better way of using these children, they put them in school, which is the actual purpose of a child, instead of letting them fight in combats. God made us all and he expected us to stick to the term “one”. We are all created as one and to stay as one means no one is left to choose a life wherein there is doubt if he is still alive especially giving that responsibility to a child.

     The family is the foundation of a society and is essential for a healthy psychological growth of a human being. The issue of child soldiery is due to the fact that children are being taken away from their families, which destroy the sacredness of the family environment. The emotional state of the child is damaged due to the trauma of being snatched from their family. There are certain conflict groups like the Sudan’s People Liberation Army, the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, the Afghan Taliban leadership Quetta Shura, and the New People’s Army in the Philippines, whose goal is to completely eliminate the child’s past life in order to establish a new life wherein their mind is completely committed to war. One child who was interviewed by Peter W. Singer, an Australian moral philosopher, said “that sight of blood and crying of people in pain, triggered something inside me that I didn’t understand, but it made me past the point of compassion for other. I lost my sense of self.” This is how much these children of God have been forced to suffer.

     These children have been recruited from families due to the parent’s lack of decent work. These poor families just became poorer. Now, they aren’t just poor due to the lack of money but because their child has been taken from them. A way to solve this issue is to have an availability of decent work for those families living in extremely poor locations. Having a variety of work wherein the workers can receive the basic rights and would be acknowledged and respected would improve the society. God didn’t place these into this world to be slaves of conflict groups just because of poverty. Finding a solution to the amount of decent work would give a solution to the issue of child military enlistment.

     The issue on poverty causes so much more problems than the government can deal with and one of these is that most of the child soldiers come from the poorest and most vulnerable families. Conflict groups take these children from poor families because they think that it is a sign of weakness which makes it easier for them to kidnap and utilize the children for combat purposes. One of the victims of child recruitment is Tarik, not his real name, he, together with his five brothers were recruited into the military at an early age on their own terms but placed into the position due to the fact that they live in Aleppo, Syria where there is no steady access to water and electricity and is one of the most war-ravaged cities in Syria. He had this to say, “I used to be a very loving person, but the war changed my feelings,” he said. “I thought that only with fighting could I get back what I lost.”

     We are called by God to help take care of the environment and the recruitment of child soldiers isn’t helping. Just the topic of war isn’t helping the environment. As children, we are taught to take care of the beauty of the ecosystem which God designed specifically for us. The child soldiers aren’t given the kind of education we’ve received about taking care of the environment. It’s sad to think that just the act of taking care of their surroundings wasn’t taught to them because they didn’t receive the proper basic education that everyone should receive once in their life. Other than that, the families of the child soldiers are most likely relying on agriculture to sustain themselves, the conflict groups choose to target these kinds of families to cause chaos and fear. This is an act of wasting what God has given us, it is a discourteous act wherein they expect to achieve an easy route onto the manipulation of the kids.

     The human rights of these children are taken away by the act of snatching them from their families because of the lack of decent work in a place of poverty and lack of solitude. They are forced into a place of war wherein they destroy all of God’s creations. Our world will be able to rise eventually but that won’t be because of war. Don’t children have better purposes and that is to be the future of our world? There are more a lot more ways to solve an issue and yet this world still chooses to use war as a solution, and not only that but by using children as soldiers, why don’t we stop recruiting these children into the army and start looking for better options? 

[juliannech]

An Eye for an Eye

  “Real eyes realize real lies.” Cliché? Of course. You hear it everywhere. Others say all you have to do is look into the eyes and you will realize. But then, what do you realize?

  William Shakespeare once said, “The eyes are the window to the soul.” Now look into the eyes and tell me what you see. Do you see a goon in a man full of tattoos? Or a hooker in a lady sitting with a bunch of men? Is seeing enough for believing? If that’s the case, how can you see the good in someone if he, himself, doesn’t even know he has it? I want you to take another look. More closely, more precisely, do you see the fire burning in their eyes as emotions yearn to transpire? Because here, I ask of you, you need to see beyond a façade.

  Hiding the tears that fall like the rain and the marks made by a blade. How did he get here? Let’s start from the very beginning. While major depressive disorder’s exact cause remains unknown; sexual and emotional abuse, medical conditions, combination of genes, and stress can increase the risk of developing the condition. In fact, citing a report of the National Poison Management and Control Center (NPMCC) of the Philippine General Hospital, Filipino kids as young as 10 years old have committed suicide due to depression. It tends to become a big reason in doubting God and His ways of strengthening our faith in Him. People with depression tend to think that there is always something missing. They feel lost as they are waiting for someone who can fully understand their situation without having to look at them with judging eyes. It appears that these people seem to be always hiding. Yes, hiding their emotions to  the world and its censorious eyes. The thing here is, the emotions they keep suppressing are also the emotions that make them humans. I want you to understand that depression affects not only the person’s outlook in life, but also the people’s stance toward him. The question here shouldn’t only be how his soul can overcome the despair written in his eyes but also how the people would look underneath the illusion and see the Church in him.

  Rather than assessing the credibility of a person, why not open an opportunity for him to uncover the potentials he is hiding? Here is a passage from Romans 14:1 - “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.” It states here that he, who is not well acquainted with the principles of the Church, should be welcomed. Not to be judged by the thoughts that differ from him, but to bear with his weakness.  This tells us not to see others over non-essentials things. Instead, we must accept them and see the good in them for we are all created in the image and likeness of God.

  The Church here stands as a structure. Not a building but a structure. It is a structure that is planted within us. May it be in a dark place or in a place where the sun never stops rising. Still, it is the Church. Whether in a problematic person or a person with the most positive outlook in life, the Church will remain being the Church that dwells in us.

  I assume you all know the game ‘hide and seek’. You hide and I will seek. No. Because starting today, we will change the game. WE will seek. They do not need to hide to the world because we will seek with them to find what is missing. We will seek to know the feelings that they are hiding inside. We will seek to see the true form of the Holy Spirit that lives within each and every one of us. Today is not a day to use your eyes to see, today is the day you start using your heart to really see, feel and understand.

  I want you to stay in front of a mirror while reading the title once again. This time I want you to see that the eyes aren’t just mere windows, but a connection of the mundane world to the core of humanity. A soul seeing another soul, an eye reflecting the center of a human’s core. Now, look closely at the mirror. Observe. Slowly, carefully, I want you to fathom that it takes more than what meets the eye to view your heart’s desire. Now tell me, do you still see the color of your eyes or a reflection that lies within your eyes?   

[gaylevillaester-blog]

Untitled.

    Have you ever felt so disgusted in yourself? Have you ever screamed for help? Have you ever felt that you’re tied up, and not able to speak out what you feel? I may not have encountered personally the sufferings of these women, child, and any other people who experienced nothing but these endless pain of sexual harassment, but surely I can hear their screams, feel their fear, and see their innocence.

    Based on my gathered facts, over 8,000 women and children are being raped for the last years. Who would have thought that we will get a massive number of rape victims by the end of the year. Imagine all of those women and children being sexualized by our own countrymen. Yet, we are still unsure if that is the exact number of people who are being sexualized. These immoral acts, can be caused by the lack of education, morals, and respect.

    I remember the day of our church’s conference, a lady standing in front of a big crowd sharing her faith and how she get through her own experience of sexual harassment. I remember clapping my hands and cheering my heart out on how brave she was to share her experience. She was sexualized by her own father. Her other sisters had the exact misery. The lost of hope, and faith is all over her. She was so scared to scream for help thinking that her own father will murder her and will do the exact thing to her siblings. Since she can’t do anything about it, she wrote letters thinking that these letters will help her cast out from her miserable life that feels like death. Without any hesitation, she placed all of these letters in their own roof. The thought of reading the letters by a stranger did not pop in her head. And that day came, the authority read her letter. Luckily she was saved by a foundation and they introduced God to her.

    I myself encountered this kind of violence. It may not be as bad as her experience but it is still an act of harassment. Just walking through the streets with decent clothes, you’ll hear all kinds of hiss from different people. Or the so called “cat-calling”, and I am certain to say this that every girl that I know also had this kind of experience. Catcalling is not compliment it is an act of violence. We should not feel obligated to satisfy their needs whether, physically, emotionally, or what ever pleasures they need for us.

   But on the other side, I am glad to tell you that we are slowly rising up from this controversy. One city in our country, particularly Quezon City, approved the law of “Anti-Catcalling Ordinance”. I hope that we can keep passing this kind of law. Not just for our country, but for the whole world. Because, everyone deserves to be respected just as we want to be respected by the others here is a passage that I want to share to you. In the letters of Paul to Thessalonians saying: ”6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:6-9

    We believe that our own church is not about just knowing God, sharing His words, and not just singing all the songs with our hearts. It’s more of encouragement, hope, and knowing their hearts personally. It’s not just reading the bible It’s more of studying it and implying it to our own lives. And if ever I’d encounter someone with the same grief, I will not hesitate to invite that person to our church, and I’ll talk to her personally about this matter. Cause this is a serious issue. We should not just let this “slip” away. We will get to know this person more, invite her to our services, give her a bible, and we will invite her to study it. First of, inviting them to our church can improve their, confidence through fellowship. Second, attending Sunday services and mid-week devotional services, can revive themselves to repent and pray again. Lastly, giving the bible and studying it can be the start of their new lives and the growth of their spiritual state.

    No. I am not. I am not just a girl. I am not just someone who wears dresses, make-up and do all these “girly things” and yes, I can do what you and all these men around can. No. I am not just a sex object. I am not just a past time. My mouth is not only meant to scream “yes, please, fast”. My breasts aren’t only for your dreams. My clunge aren’t for your pleasures, and my whole body is mine. And this is my choice. I stand for the ones who cannot get up, I speak for the ones who are silent. Yes it is me. A female that stands for Sexual Harassment.

[sblmm-blog]

Why Divorce Shouldn't Be Legalized In The Philippines

Divorce in the Philippines remains a pressing issue to date. It is a matter in question not only to the political agenda, but also to the Church. Being a Catholic country, the Philippines ought to fully support its practices. This means that, divorce - the legal dissolution of marriage through court is strongly discouraged. I firmly agree that divorce shouldn’t be legalized in the Philippines, for it degrades our religion and our culture, and most of all, it is not what He wants.

One of the Sacraments of the Church is the sacrament of Matrimony. It is the union of a man and a woman for the purpose of procreation, mutual support, and love. This sacrament had been made holy by Christ Himself through his appearance at the Wedding at Cana. Like all sacraments, matrimony comes with a sacramental grace which aids in achieving the sacrament’s consequences: 1) to sanctify the love of husband and wife; 2) To give them grace to bear with each other’s weaknesses: and 3) to enable them to bring up their children in the fear and love of God. From this information, the word “divorce” is nowhere to be found. It’s because the church is a firm believer of matrimony’s holiness. Oftentimes, divorced couples say that downfalls cause their relationship to erode.Still, they fail to see the downfall of divorce itself. Not only did the vows became weak, but also the children whom they are bound to raise with Christian values. As mentioned earlier, there is a need for them to achieve having God- fearing and God-loving children. Once God has established the perfect union between a man and a woman, no hammer can break it into pieces.

From my personal experience, I believe that the church is in the right path. Divorce was never the answer for relationship mishaps. Imagine the children being left behind with parents separated. They will be the ones who are going to be greatly affected by this situation. Based from thedisciplers.com, children who live with a single parent are five times as likely to experience poverty, than those who live with an intact family, ‘Children from disrupted marriages experience greater risk of injury, asthma, headaches, and speech defects than children from intact families, and ‘suicide rates for children of divorce are measurably higher than for children from intact families’. It might bring mental, emotional, and even physical harm to them, for it is hard to accept such happening.

Divorce is not the solution for growing violence against family members. Domestic violence may be the cause of a married person to file a divorce, to let go and be free from his/her abusive spouse. But I do not really see this as an excuse to the problem. Why? Because this only gives the abusive husband/ wife to look for another and repeat the same thing all over again.

In our time today, it is no news that divorce is rampant. We may say that more and more marriages are getting successful by the day, but one cannot simply force himself into a dying relationship. The voice of people getting and wanting divorce speaks of how it is seen as an unholy act. There are different reasons as to why people chose to be divorced. They may be battered, mistreated or doubted by their spouse, and their only way out of these is by divorce. The church actually supports candidates who have given his/her enough reason, but his/her stand on divorce stand still. In addition, politicians are starting to establish their own rules that originally concerns the Church. This means that both parties have an opposite say on the matter.

A man and a woman are bound to be together in life once they have been blessed with the Sacrament of Matrimony. There is no harm in divorce, but as a Catholic, couples should keep their faith in God who built their relationship. For the reason that divorce is immoral. It is against God’s law and is a sin. In addition, divorce is a selfish act. You only think of your own happiness. A second chance to love again. It just gives people more opportunities to separate easily just because of a failed relationship. In every misunderstanding, there must be a solution, to save marriages.

[danialleo]

WE ARE ALL ENTITLED TO LIVE FREE AND EQUAL

For many years, Gender discrimination has been a universal problem. Over a century and a half of fighting for gender equality and we have yet to say that we have achieved this. I am writing this because I want discrimination in genders to stop. In fact, these years have amounted to nothing with we cannot stop the horrors occurring in the world around us that you probably don’t even know.

In Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to drive, despite numerous protests. They have to rely to their fathers or partners to get them from place to place. In countries like Egypt and Bahrain, husbands have the right to stop their wives to travel to a different country. Other countries requires a permission from the husband to leave the country. In most of the middle east, gender inequality is pervasive as men are typically viewed as superior. In most cases like divorce, men can file it with ease and can even just announce orally. While women on the other hand, suffer through many challenges before filing one. In Lebanon, abused women are not allowed to file for a divorce unless a witness is willing to testify. Thus, I am writing to promote gender equality.

First of all, what do we mean by gender equality? It is by definition a belief that all of us are equally the same despite our genders. These are human rights. Not of men, but of men and women together. All humans are born with equal rights and dignity. When a girl crying is considered normal while a guy crying is considered too weak and unmanly, when a guy who is effeminate is considered “gay”, when women are believed to supposedly be “in the kitchen” and men are the ones who need to work, when wages are higher to men than to women. This kind of mentality has to stop, in Christ’s teachings, he teaches us to love one another equally as we are all brothers and sisters. We are all brothers and sisters because we are all made by one creator and he created us out of his own image. Therefore, why do we depict discrimination? Why shouldn’t we all just be equal in all forms? We can change this, men should be able to express their emotions without being called “weak and unmanly”, women should be able to work feely without someone telling them that they should be the one taking care of house chores, men can be effeminate without them being gay. When a social experiment was conducted at London to see how the public would react to the issue about domestic violence. It showed that violence towards women was met with outrage and threats on calling the police while, violence towards men was met with public humiliation and amusement. It is sad to see that the world revolves like this.

It is time that we make a change, it is time that we, the next generation stand up to gender equality. As Hilary Clinton said “it is time that we move from good words to good works, from sound bites to sound solutions” we are all equal, neither of us is superior nor inferior. We need to make a solution. Because we are the next generation, we are the future and we are the change.