ALPHA & OMEGA MAGAZINE VOL. III # 3

Should Islamic Headscarves Be Allowed in Congress?

By Universal Life Church Ministries

Ilhan Omar is one of the first Muslim women elected to serve in Congress, and her religious head covering has become a source of controversy.

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We’re probably all familiar with the long-running debate over Muslim head coverings in France, Belgium, and other European countries. How do we balance religious freedom with safety, security, and the liberal Western values of a free society? It’s a question Europeans have been struggling with for decades.

Now, in the wake of the recent midterm elections, that conversation has begun anew in the United States. Earlier this month, voters elected the first two Muslim women to Congress in the nation’s history. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib will head to Washington in January when the 113^th Congress convenes for the first time. But this historic demographic inclusion has sparked debate over a 181-year-old (and some say archaic) rule that prevents members of Congress from covering their heads while in the chamber.

Initially implemented to lessen class divides (the rich often wore fancy hates), the rule, as written, states that a member cannot enter the House "with his head covered." This poses an obstacle for Muslim congresswomen who feel obligated to wear a hijab or some other type of headscarf.

Changing of the Guard

Although Tlaib does not wear an Islamic headscarf, Rep.-Elect Omar does. And she’s adamant that her right to freedom of religion will not be infringed by any congressional rules:

No one puts a scarf on my head but me. It’s my choice—one protected by the first amendment.

And this is not the last ban I’m going to work to lift. https://t.co/7U3ZLTaWur

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 17, 2018

Other Democratic members were quick to side with her, calling the rule outdated and unnecessary. They have introduced a proposal to amend the rule to include exemptions both on religious grounds and for health reasons.

Can the Rule Be Justified?

Despite this vocal support for changing House members’ dress requirements to accommodate religious attire, there remains some opposition to the idea. Opponents argue that the rule – while admittedly quite old – still serves two important purposes: 1) it ensures that all members are viewed equally in the chamber, and 2) it maintains a distinct separation between church and state.

And beyond those concerns, opponents insist changing the rule could have unintended consequences. If we allow hijabs to be worn in Congress today, they posit, what’s to say congressional burkas and niqabs won’t be commonplace at some point down the road? It’s not outside the realm of possibility, especially given that Islam is set to become the world’s largest religion by the year 2050.

But others say this is nonsensical fearmongering. The U.S. was founded on principles of religious liberty and free expressions of faith. If someone’s religion calls for a certain type of head covering, who are we to deny them that right? Plus, supporters argue, these concerns are primarily manufactured to target Islam. Think about it: when’s the last time anyone complained about a Jewish man wearing a yarmulke in public?

Where do you stand? Should the rule be changed to accommodate hijabs in Congress, or are there good reasons to regulate how political figures present themselves?

DECISIONES PRECIPITADAS

1 Samuel 14:24 "Los israelitas desfallecían de hambre, pues Saúl había puesto al ejército bajo este juramento: «¡Maldito el que coma algo antes del anochecer, antes de que pueda vengarme de mis enemigos!» Así que aquel día ninguno de los soldados había probado bocado." Jonatán desconocía el juramento que Saul había hecho a sus hombres, absteniéndose de comer hasta que derrotaran a sus enemigos. Cuando Jonatán se enteró, no estuvo de acuerdo porque limitaba la salud y la fuerza de las tropas, y estaba fuera de la guía de Dios. Sin embargo, Saúl estaba decidido a vengarse de sus enemigos, forzados por sus restricciones y juramentos. Esta batalla no fue sobre la gloria de Dios, fue sobre Saúl.  Siempre hay víctimas cuando hacemos la batalla sobre nosotros mismos. La miel era la provisión y la fuerza de Dios en la batalla, pero solo Jonatán la probó. El resultado del camino de Saúl fue la imprudente masacre y el consumo de carne con sangre por parte de todos los hombres. Esto fue una clara violación de la instrucción de Dios. Cuando los líderes se enfocan en ellos mismos, ponen a sus equipos en riesgo y roban a Dios su gloria. Señor Jesús, solo tú eres digno. Mantenerme alejado de afirmaciones precipitadas o decisiones impulsivas. Que tu gloria sea mi enfoque. Amén.

LA VERDADERA ARMADURA

1 Samuel 17:38-39
"Luego Saúl vistió a David con su uniforme de campaña. Le entregó también un casco de bronce y le puso una coraza.
David se ciñó la espada sobre la armadura e intentó caminar, pero no pudo porque no estaba acostumbrado.
—No puedo andar con todo esto —le dijo a Saúl—; no estoy entrenado para ello.
De modo que se quitó todo aquello"

Si bien David no tenía experiencia en la guerra de campo, fue valiente. El asesinato de un oso y un león para defender a las ovejas le había enseñado que ningún enemigo era demasiado grande para la unción del Espíritu y la fuerza que Dios le había dado. 

Cuando David rechazó la armadura de Saúl, evitó la trampa de copiar a otros líderes con miedo y confiar en métodos y estrategias, en lugar de en el Señor. David había encontrado su fuerza en el Señor. Dios le da estrategias de ministerio a cada uno de sus siervos, estrategias que se ajustan a nuestros dones y personalidad únicos. No necesitamos copiarnos unos a otros. Usar la armadura de otro hombre en lugar de la armadura del Señor es algo peligroso. 

Efesios 6 nos recuerda que debemos ser fuertes en el Señor y ponernos toda la armadura de Dios. David entendió y practicó este principio y aún hoy se habla de sus victorias.

Señor Jesús, guíame a tus batallas, con tus armas, a luchar en tu camino, para tu gloria. Amén.

Christian Missionary’s Last Words to Remote Tribe: “Jesus Loves You”

By Universal Life Church Ministries

Chau recounted in his diary that he told the tribespeople: “My name is John, I love you and Jesus loves you." It would be his final entry.

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A strange story exploded across the internet last week, provoking headlines that one might expect to find in a 1918 publication – but not one from 2018.

“Christian Missionary Killed by Uncontacted Indigenous Tribe” 

It all started when a man named John Chau, inspired by his faith, decided to make contact with an isolated indigenous tribe on a small island in the Indian Ocean. Chau was convinced it was his duty to preach the Gospel to these people. In doing so, Chau knowingly violated India’s laws against traveling there. Unfortunately, he paid the ultimate price for embarking on this treacherous trip.

A Dark History

According to experts, the Sentinelese people have lived on North Sentinel Island for at least 50,000 years. But after centuries of independent, self-sufficient living, they were eventually contacted by the outside world – with devastating results. Having zero immunity to foreign pathogens, many died from diseases their bodies were unequipped to ward off. A small portion of the tribe survived, isolating themselves completely from the outside would to avoid coming in contact with further disease.

Jesus’ Love Not Enough

Given this history, when Chau arrived on the island he was immediately viewed as a threat. He reportedly made several attempts to approach the tribe, but each time was driven off by their arrows. Chau’s diary, discovered following his death, describes these harrowing encounters. Chau explains how he attempted to offer the tribespeople fish as a gift, and yelled out to them “My name is John, I love you and Jesus loves you." It was the last entry he would write.

His final attempt to contact the tribe proved to be fatal, as Chau was killed in a hail of Sentinelese arrows.

Little is known about the Sentinelese people, as all attempts to make contact with them have been met with intense hostility.

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Recovering the Body a “Futile” Task

Authorities are now struggling with how to recover Chau’s body from the island. They reportedly have an idea where it might be located on the island, but aren’t sure how to go about retrieving the remains. With the Sentinelese people still on high alert, any such efforts could provoke further violence.

Meanwhile, some critics argue that authorities are overstepping their bounds and that Chau’s body should simply be left where it lies. The risks of spreading disease to the locals are too great, they insist. Why risk more lives when Chau clearly understood the perils of exploring this remote area of the world?

Should the Tribe Face Charges?

Chau’s body is not the only ongoing concern. While the majority of the public appears to have sided with the native tribe in this encounter, some faith groups believe that the Sentinelese people should face murder charges.

The calls for justice have been led by International Christian Concern (ICC), a group that focuses on fighting Christian persecution around the world. Following Chau’s death, ICC published a statement calling it a “murder,” noting the incident “comes at a time when Indian Christians report ever escalating levels of persecution across the country” and calling on the Indian government to take action. “A full investigation must be launched in this murder and those responsible must be brought to justice,” the group said in its statement.

But critics say that is nonsense. How can you realistically prosecute people who have no contact with the developed world and no understanding of its laws? Plus, the tribe’s defenders point out, religious persecution had nothing to do with Chau’s death. The Sentinelese people don’t speak English - and in all likelihood, don’t even know who Jesus is. They were just protecting their land from outsiders whose diseases pose a threat to their existence.

APRENDE A DISCERNIR LOS ACONTECIMIENTOS ACTUALES

por Jose Alfredo Lievano

Al examinar CADA UNA de las profecias biblicas, nos damos cuenta que su contenido es EXACTO, ESPEFICICO y DETALLADO...
No solamente nos han asegurado  QUE es lo que va acontecer, sino COMO sucedera, de tal manera que no quede ninguna AMBIGUEDAD al respecto…

Por ejemplo...
Sabias tu que la todas las profecias antiguas que se hicieron con respecto a Cristo y a su obra, se cumplieron al pie de la letra, alrededor de 700 años despues que se anunciaron?...

Sabias tambien que las profecias que se hicieron para los TIEMPOS ACTUALES se estan ahora cumpliendo de manera asombrosa en Israel y en el mundo en general, y que a la vez estan sirviendo de plataforma para dar paso a las que AUN no se han cumplido?

Realmente es ASOMBROSO, pues cuando todas estas profecias se hicieron EN ESE MOMENTO, humanamente hablando era totalmente imposible que se cumplieran por las condiciones externas dadas...
Asi  que  si alguien no lo sabia, ASI ES…

Es decir que las profecias cuando se anunciaron y escribieron, fueron dadas en CONTRA DE TODO PRONOSTICO...
Esta es UNA de las varias razones de la veracidad absoluta de la Sagrada Escritura...

Es por eso que TODA TU ATENCION ha de estar enfocada en laPalabra de Dios, la PALABRA PROFETICA mas segura...
Actualmente estamos viviendo TIEMPOS OSCUROS en los que FALSAS LUCES pretenden darnos la solucion a los problemas actuales...

Es necesario que aprendas a DISCERNIR los acontecimientos actuales a la LUZ de la Biblia, la REVELACION GARANTIZADA que Dios ha dejado en tus manos...

Sera asi como te ubicaras en el contexto REAL de la historia humana que YA ESTA ESCRITA desde antes que aconteciera, que por cierto esta proxima a dar un GIRO RADICAL por las señales que ya se estan evidenciando en Israel, en la Iglesia y en el mundo entero....

Aprende a discernir los acontecimientos actuales, NO ESPECULANDO,  ni haciendo conjeturas personales; hazlo de acuerdo a la Palabra de Dios...

 

TENEMOS TAMBIEN LA PALABRA PROFETICA MAS SEGURA, A LA CUAL HACEIS BIEN EN ESTAR ATENTOS COMO UNA ANTORCHA QUE ALUMBRA EN LUGAR OSCURO, HASTA QUE EL DIA ESCLAREZCA Y EL LUCERO DE LA MAÑANA SALGA EN VUESTROS CORAZONES.  2 Pedro 1:19

Análisis de Lucas 1

Preparado por la Iglesia Universal de la Vida por el Reverendo  Armando García ULCM. 

Puntos interesantes del primer capítulo son:

DIRIGIDA A: Teófilo, “Amante de Dios”, se piensa que era el antiguo dueño de Lucas quien libertó al doctor de sus labores después de que los dos se convirtieron, para que viajara con Pablo y lo atendiera en sus muchas enfermedades. Todos los amantes de Dios.

LUGAR Y FECHA DE PROCEDENCIA: Se cree, y no hay duda de que es verdad, que Lucas entrevistó a los testigos oculares.

PROPÓSITO DE LA CARTA: Instruir a Teófilo y a todos los Gentiles en el Evangelio de Jesucristo. Para confirmarlo y hacerle saber con seguridad las cosas que pasaron.

TEMA: El Evangelio de Jesús, con énfasis en la humanidad de Jesús, el Hijo del Hombre.

La característica más sobresaliente de Lucas es que es un evangelio universal, donde desaparecen todas las barreras, y Jesucristo es para todo el mundo, sin distinción. Lucas nos muestra a Jesús hablando con aprecio de los gentiles, a los que un judío habría considerado impuros.

Como se ha dicho anteriormente, el Evangelio tiene una dedicatoria a Teófilo, que parece es alguien destacado en la sociedad, tal vez un gobernante, diciéndole que él ha investigado con diligencia todos los hechos de la vida de Jesús, tal como lo enseñaron los testigos presénciales  Lucas entrevistó a gente que habían sido testigos oculares de la vida de Cristo. Todo eso se explica en los versículos 1 al 4.

En los siguientes versículos del 5 al 25 se narra el anuncio del nacimiento de Juan el Bautista cuyos padres son Zacarias y su mujer, ya entrada en años y estéril llamada Elizabet.  Juan significa “Dios es gracioso”.

Versículo 13. Zacarías probablemente había estado orando por un hijo por muchos años. Dios responde nuestras oraciones en Su tiempo y para Sus propósitos. Versículos 14-19. La incredulidad nos roba del gozo que deberíamos experimentar en las buenas nuevas.

A partir del versículo 26 al 38 se anuncia el nacimiento de Jesús. En el versículo 36, se dice que Elizabet y Maria son parientes. El análisis bien pudiera interpretarse que eran primas. Y al nacer Jesus, Elizabeth seria la tia de Jesus y Juan el Bautista, su primo.

Ambas mujeres saben de su embarazo de boca del Angel Gabriel, quien primero le dijo a Zacarias que eel y su mujer iban a tener un hijo al que llamarían Juan. Y a Maria, el mismo Angel le decía que seria embarazada por el Espiritu Santo y que a su bebee lo llamaría Jesus.

Ambas historias, son ampliamente conocidas y muy celebradas en el mes diciembre, que el mundo cristIano celebra el nacimiento de  Jesucristo.

Versículo 26. En el sexto mes del embarazo de Elizabeth, Gabriel fue enviado a María para darle la noticia de que ella daría a luz al Mesías.

Versículo 27. El año previo a la ceremonia era un tiempo de compromiso para las parejas. Si decidían terminar en ése entonces, tenían que obtener el divorcio.

Versículo 31. Jesús es una palabra Griega para el nombre Hebreo Josué.

Versículo 33. Ver Isaías 9:6-7

⁶Porque un niño nos ha nacido,
hijo nos ha sido dado,
y el principado sobre su hombro.
Se llamará su nombre
«Admirable consejero», «Dios fuerte»,
«Padre eterno», «Príncipe de paz».

⁷ Lo dilatado de su imperio
y la paz no tendrán límite
sobre el trono de David
y sobre su reino,
disponiéndolo y confirmándolo
en juicio y en justicia
desde ahora y para siempre.

Versículo 34. María no cuestionó la Palabra de Dios, solo cuestionó el método que Dios usaría para cumplir Su Palabra.

Versículos 42-45. Elizabeth fue ungida por el Espíritu para profetizarle a María.

Versículo 52. “Asientos” se refiere a tronos.

Versículos 67-69. Ésta profecía habla del Mesías y su relación con la nación de Israel durante el tiempo de su Segunda Venida.

Ver Romanos 11:25-26,

²⁵ No quiero, hermanos, que ignoréis este misterio, para que no seáis arrogantes en cuanto a vosotros mismos: el endurecimiento de una parte de Israel durará hasta que haya entrado la plenitud de los gentiles.²⁶ Luego todo Israel será salvo, como está escrito:

«Vendrá de Sión el Libertador,
que apartará de Jacob la impiedad.

  La elección de Lucas por parte del Espíritu Santo para escribir el tercer Evangelio revela que en la Biblia no hay accidentes, sino que hubo una selección sobrenatural que recayó en Lucas. El y el apóstol Pablo se encontraban en un alto nivel intelectual, así como en un alto nivel espiritual. Esto explica parcialmente por qué viajaron juntos, convirtiéndose rápidamente en amigos. Recordemos que Lucas escribió el libro de Los Hechos, donde nos enteramos de que él fue un compañero del apóstol Pablo

Jesús es el segundo Adán, pero el último Adán. El apóstol Pablo dijo en 1 Corintios 15:45-47,

⁴⁵ Así también está escrito: «Fue hecho el primer hombre, Adán, alma viviente»; el postrer Adán, espíritu que da vida. ⁴⁶ Pero lo espiritual no es primero, sino lo animal; luego lo espiritual. ⁴⁷ El primer hombre es de la tierra, terrenal; el segundo hombre, que es el Señor, es del cielo.

Dios estaba creando hombres como Jesús. Dijo el apóstol Juan en su primera carta 3:2,

Amados, ahora somos hijos de Dios y aún no se ha manifestado lo que hemos de ser; pero sabemos que cuando él se manifieste, seremos semejantes a él, porque lo veremos tal como él es.

En consecuencia, Jesucristo es el llamado segundo hombre, porque habrá un tercero, un cuarto y un millonésimo. Sin embargo, Él es el último Adán. No habrá otra cabeza de la raza humana. Jesús fue hecho "igual en todo a sus hermanos", como dice Hebreos 2:17,

¹⁷ Por lo cual debía ser en todo semejante a sus hermanos, para venir a ser misericordioso y fiel sumo sacerdote en lo que a Dios se refiere, para expiar los pecados del pueblo.

Mateo presentó al Señor Jesús como el Mesías, Rey y Redentor.

Marcos presentó a Cristo como el poderoso Conquistador y Gobernante del mundo, y como el Siervo perfecto.

Juan presentó a Cristo como el Hijo de Dios.

Lucas presentó al Hijo de Dios perfecto y divino, como nuestro Gran Sumo Sacerdote, que se compadece de nuestras debilidades, capaz de extendernos su ayuda, misericordia y amor.

ALPHA & OMEGA MAGAZINE VOLUMEN 3 # 2

ALPHA & OMEGA ULC OFRECE CLASES BIBLICAS

Thousand Oaks Parent: “No More Thoughts and Prayers” By Universal Life Church Ministries

People gather at a vigil for Thousand Oaks shooting victims. (Photo: Apu Gomes, AFP/Getty Images)

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After the most recent mass shooting at a bar in Thousand Oaks, California that left 12 people dead, our society is once again left wondering what can be done to prevent such horrific acts of violence from occurring time and time again.

As the details of the tragedy became known to the public, a number of parents and loved ones of the victims gave heart-wrenching on-camera interviews which quickly went viral. Many struggled to hold back tears as they called for politicians to take action on gun control.

One particularly poignant video featured Susan Orfanos, whose son survived the mass shooting in Las Vegas last year, only to be gunned down in Thousand Oaks. She tells the camera: “I don’t want prayers. I don’t want thoughts. I want gun control, and I hope to God no one sends me anymore prayers.”

“I hope to God no one sends me anymore prayers. I want gun control. No more guns!” - mother of shooting victim Telemachus Orfanos. She says he survived the #LasVegasShooting but did not survive the #ThousandOaksMassacre. @ABC7 @ABCNewsLive pic.twitter.com/UMqTY1RATK

— Veronica Miracle (@ABC7Veronica) November 8, 2018

Thoughts and Prayers

The widely-shared video goes to the heart of a debate that’s getting increasingly heated as mass shootings become the new normal in America: is it enough to simply pray for the victims, to pray these horrific acts of violence eventually subsist? Or must we actually pass new laws and policies in order to effect change?

The phrase “thoughts and prayers” – once a universally positive sentiment – has morphed into a sarcastic phrase employed by gun control advocates to mock those 2^nd Amendment backers who are unable to offer anything more concrete.

Perhaps there is a role for prayers in all of this, but as the video above indicates, the more mass shootings we see, the more people will become disaffected with - and indeed angered by - “prayers” as a solution to the killing.

Where do you stand
?

How Can Christians Be Pro-Life but Support the Death Penalty? By Universal Life Church Ministries

Are capital punishment and pro-life views inherently at odds? Yes, argues a guest writer to the ULC blog.

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The following guest sermon was submitted by ULC minister Daniel Oyama. All ULC members are invited to contribute their own sermons for consideration/publication. To submit a sermon, please email it to sermons@themonastery.org.

A Bloody Business

In the moments before Kelly Gissendaner was executed in Georgia back in 2015, the convicted murderer sang “Amazing Grace” as she awaited her early demise. At the final hour, a plea came in from Pope Francis to the state’s Christian governor asking to spare her life. It fell on deaf ears.

The deeply religious state of Arkansas made national headlines last year after it put four inmates to death in the span of eight days – although that proved to be fewer than the eight executions that ambitious state officials had wanted to carry out following the Easter holiday. The great state of Texas - the proverbial buckle of the Bible belt - has executed 555 people since 1982, including just over half of the 19 executions that have taken place in 2018.

Pro-Life Hypocrisy

But here’s a curious thought: these same Christian politicians and legislators who adamantly support capital punishment keep winning election after election virtue-signalling about their so-called “pro-life” views. How does that work? How can someone retain any shred of moral consistency when they condemn abortion in one breath, then turn around and cheer the death penalty in the next? How have so many Christians come to rationalize capital punishment as compatible with a religious message that says all lives have inherent value?

By continuing to support the death penalty, these folks allow their own country to reside in the uncomfortable company of authoritarian states like China, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia – all of whom readily executed their own citizens. Missing from that list? Nearly every other developed Western country.

Do All Lives Matter?

Perhaps it is easier to defend the innocent. And there is nothing as innocent as an unborn child. Defending murderers, sociopaths and serial rapists is a tougher spiritual sell.

And yet it's one all Christian leaders must make. For all the Catholic Church's own faults, Pope Francis has become a moral beacon for Christians worldwide by calling for an end to the death penalty - just as Mother Teresa and Sister Helen Prejean did before him.

True pro-life Christians of all stripes need to take a good hard look in the mirror and figure out why it's so difficult from them to forgive death row inmates who, in a decent majority of cases, have confessed to their crimes, reformed and spent years healing the wounds they have caused. Many have done so by bringing the Lord into their lives.

Have We No Compassion?

It's easier to keep a safe distance. Bars, cells, prisons...all have a way of dehumanizing the individuals behind and inside them. Maybe Christians should do what Jesus would do were he still around and actually visit these sinners. Hear them out. Pray with them.

This is what being pro-life should really be all about; allowing the weakest amongst us to be given a good reason to believe in their own.

In the same New Testament so many of our nation's devout hold sacred, Jesus leads by lofty example. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy,” he preached, right up until the final moments of his own unjust execution.

Mercy, sadly, seems to be a precious commodity in the Bible belt right now, where too many of the same fervent defenders of life continue to sanction the death penalty as a “necessary and just” punishment that shouldn’t be theirs to dish out.

LA JUSTICIA DE DIOS

 

"Los patriarcas, movidos por envidia, vendieron a Jose para Egipto; pero Dios estaba con el, y le libro de todas sus tribulaciones, y le dio gracia y sabiduria delante de Faraon rey de Egipto, el cual lo puso por gobernador sobre Egipto y sobre toda su casa" Hechos 7:9-10

 

Aunque te sientas traicionado por personas muy cercanas a ti, recuerda que Dios esta contigo y nunca te abandonara y dejara. Tu sigue siendo fiel a Dios y en su momento El te hara justicia.

 

Uno de mis relatos favoritos en la Biblia es la historia de Jose conocido como el soñador. Dice la Escritura: "Pero ellos, por envidia (sus hermanos), vendieron a Jose, y el fue llevado a Egipto. Pero Dios estaba con el" Hechos 7:9. No fue facil la vida para Jose, pero Dios

 Le  hizo justicia y lo promovio. “Asi que (Dios) lo libro de todos sus sufrimientos y le dio sabiduria para congraciarse ante el faraon, rey de Egipto, quien lo nombro gobernador

de su pais  y de su casa" Hechos 7:10.

 

Si tu has sido defraudado, calumniado, mantente fiel a Dios como Jose. Como a Jose Dios te dara sabiduria y ayudara a crecer y madurar y convertirte en instrumento para su gloria.

 

Animo! Tu historia aun no ha concluido. Dios ya sabe el final de victoria y tu formas parte de ella.  Lo que no tiene sentido ahora lo tendra en su momento.

Should Clergy Be Exempt from Reporting Sexual Abuse? By Universal Life Church Ministries

Clergy-penitent privilege exists in dozens of states. But does that law protect abusers?

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The non-profit behind the controversial MormonLeaks website is fighting a longstanding Utah exemption that would make it easier for clergy to avoid reporting child sexual abuse.

The Truth and Transparency Foundation has launched a petition demanding Utah legislators drop the so-called “clergy exemption” from current laws governing the mandatory reporting of child abuse. This exemption currently frees religious leaders from having to disclose abuse gleamed from perpetrators during confession; something the group has characterized as “an affront to the safety and well-being of abuse survivors that "provides an environment where predators are enabled.”

Is Confession Sacred?

Detailed grand jury allegations of abuse by some 300 Catholic priests and church workers involving 1,000 minors over a 70-year period have rocked Pennsylvania. The state’s attorney general called it a “systematic cover-up" that ran right up to the Vatican itself.

Closer to home for petition supporters, the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City has recently admitted receiving “credible allegations” of sexual abuse involving 16 priests in the last three decades, two of which surfaced this year. And MormonLeaks itself revealed similar accusations against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Utah’s predominant faith. One of those documents revealed a reluctance to notify police about a missionary who confessed to touching and kissing a 15-year-old girl. “It seems to show that the Church’s main concern is its image and the aftereffects of this abuse, as opposed to the focus being on the victims,” explained MormonLeaks founder Ryan McKnight.

While every state in the country has similar mandatory reporting laws, the Child Welfare Information Gateway points out that 38 of these currently exempt clergy. The Truth and Transparency Foundation insist clergy "typically and intentionally avoid reporting abuse to law enforcement except in states where they are required to do so.”

Whether or not Utah's 300,000-plus Catholics believe removing the clergy exemption will solve the problem is harder to answer.

While Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City spokeswoman Jean Hill would rather not comment on any hypothetical legislation, she insists her church "would be very concerned if lawmakers attempted to legislate the relationship between priest and penitent and to debate the merits of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.”

In other words, maintaining sanctity seems to trump protecting children.

Protecting the Innocent

There seems to be no middle ground. Remember, all the scandals mentioned above reveal just how difficult it is to have church leaders dole out justice, let alone police themselves.

While there is something to be said about respecting the sanctity of Catholic or Mormon confession, the fact remains that allowing current exemptions will only encourage guilty perpetrators to confess their crimes without fear of reprisal and allow priests the latitude to preserve the secrets of churchgoers who deserve no such thing.

Any church leader who is serious about stemming child abuse must get behind the petition in question. In a secular nation of laws, there is nothing more sanctimonious than giving a feeble wink and nod to the protection of society's voiceless.

Making a Priority of Faith

When we talk about what pleases God, I think we must put faith at the top of the list. Very simply, faith pleases God.

Hebrews 11, often called the faith chapter, makes it very clear how vital faith is to pleasing God. In fact, Hebrews 11:6 tells us: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him".

Notice it doesn’t say, “Without faith it is very difficult to please Him.” No, it is impossible to please God without faith. You and I must learn to trust God if we are to bring a smile to the face of God.

Some people say, “Well, there is just too much teaching on faith.” I disagree. Why? Because it takes faith to please God. Without it, we have no chance at all of pleasing Him. In fact, Hebrews 10:38 states: "Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him".

That is pretty black and white, isn’t it? If you desire to please God, it starts with faith, trusting God completely.

I challenge you today to ask yourself, “Do I really trust God with every part of my life? Do I place my faith in Him moment by moment? Or do I refuse to trust Him as I should?”

If this is an area of struggle for you, determine today to spend time in the Word of God. For the Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Ask God to speak to you through His Word. Your faith and trust in Him will grow. Our great God is worthy of your trust.

"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26