The President, a University, and Lessons Lost

I believe there are some issues which you cannot achieve middle ground on because one is right the other is wrong You may understand the sincerity and zeal of those who stand in opposition to what you know to be right but you cannot and should not concede your ground Slavery was one of those issues I am sure there were some abolitionists who had sympathy for those Southern plantation owners who treated their slaves with kindness but it did not and should not have changed their resolve to make slave holding illegal because we know that it is wrong for one member of the human family to be treated as a mere possession of another. Abortion is the same. It is not an issue that can be resolved by consensus and there is no room for choice. Every abortion is a death sentence-the baby gets no cjoice in its fate.Forget the circumstances and remember that you, I and every person reading or posting on this site were once a small collection of cells in a womb-we were allowed to live. Nor can we wash our hands like Pontius Pilate of this issue by saying I personally don't agree with abortion but I won't interfere with another's right to have one-if you do not oppose abortion and you vote in pro choice politicians you are supporting abortion by your indifference.You cannot serve two masters You should not remain lukewarm-there are many ways you can support pro life activities.Slavery was once legal Abortion is now legal if enough good people pray, write to their political leaders, vote for pro life representatives the tide can be turned .Contact Helpers of God's Precious Infants/the Family First Alliance/Priests for Life or Rebecca's Vineyard if you want to be part of peaceful positive efforts to right this wrong.

Listen and U might learn something! and do remember that CHANGE is the only constant.

Mankind has freedom to choose his own destiny. However, man can and does choose a direction which is not compatible with Biblical truths. It is without debate from knowledgeable and understanding people that abortion is against God's law. If you educate college age young people with an ability to be open minded and do not teach them to have the ability to make choices that reflect on God's truths that are clearly reflected in Biblical truths, then they will within reasonable expectation, should expect them to choose to do the world's bidding instead of Gods.

Ms. Smith believes that the presidents appearance at Notre Dame is a positive thing because of the fact that it is something that will be good for growth and learning. If a dialog on abortion that will teach students to "think" only in terms of worldly ways is not a good thing. What good is it to be open minded if we choose wrongly. God gave us free will to choose our own way. However, He is continually seeking for us to choose Him and His way.

Dialog and the ability of constructive thought does not necessarily lead to wisdom and good choices. If done without an emphasis on Biblical truth and morality then it would not and for the most part, cannot lead to good choices. While free will is God's gift to humanity the necessity to choose to do God's will is something this world cannot do without. Growth and learning without morality is death.

Mankind has freedom to choose his own destiny. However, man can and does choose a direction which is not compatible with Biblical truths. It is without debate from knowledgeable and understanding people that abortion is against God's law. If you educate college age young people with an ability to be open minded and do not teach them to have the ability to make choices that reflect on God's truths that are clearly reflected in Biblical truths, then they will within reasonable expectation, should expect them to choose to do the world's bidding instead of Gods.

Ms. Smith believes that the presidents appearance at Notre Dame is a positive thing because of the fact that it is something that will be good for growth and learning. If a dialog on abortion that will teach students to "think" only in terms of worldly ways is not a good thing. What good is it to be open minded if we choose wrongly. God gave us free will to choose our own way. However, He is continually seeking for us to choose Him and His way.

Dialog and the ability of constructive thought does not necessarily lead to wisdom and good choices. If done without an emphasis on Biblical truth and morality then it would not and for the most part, cannot lead to good choices. While free will is God's gift to humanity the necessity to choose to do God's will is something this world cannot do without. Growth and learning without morality is death.

Open and honest debate is a lost art in the "techno" world of text messages, twitter, facebook, and the list goes on.

My grandma would always say you have two ears and one mouth for a reason, God wants you to listen twice and much as you speak.

We could all use that formula, especially when we find ourselves on opposite ends of a heated debate.

I'm glad that Notre Dame did not decide to rescind their invitation to President Obama. I believe his speech symbolized a big step for the leadership of our country in the right direction. Although the abortion debate is a heated one, and he was on the opposing side of Notre Dame and its principles, he still showed great respect for the the opposing view. More importantly, he demonstrated the need for other politicians and officials to put aside their self-righteous attitudes and be able to come together in the name of growth.

The problem with these debates is not which side is right, but that each side believes that their position is the absolute truth, with no room for doubt, and that the other side is dead wrong. But the reality is, neither side is always right, no matter how strong their arguments. People like to put up self-righteous fronts, especially on issues where religion plays a key role. People like to use God to justify human hatred. But God does not and will not justify hatred in His name. God loves, God forgives, God accepts everyone who accepts him, regardless of their beliefs. So, if God does it, why can't we do it?

People said that the protest against Obama giving the graduation speech was that his principles go against basic religions traditions and principles of Catholicism. But isn't a university an institution of varying shapes, sizes, races, and opinions? Aren't students being educated at these universities to become critical thinkers and be educated on and open to debate on critical issues? That is how we learn and grow. Despite the controversy, I applaud Notre Dame for giving Obama the honorary degree if for no other reason but out of respect for our president. I hope that this move by Obama can spread less of the "I'm right and you're wrong" attitude and more compliance with and respect for those whose opinions differ from ours.

Yes, he eloquently gave them a lesson that they needed. I do wonder, though, what are the limits of tolerance and understanding?

We might find some things to agree on, but...

Might there be things that we cannot compromise on for example, that make us extreme and unable to come to the middle? I'm trying to be moderate, but there are some things that I will continue to fight for. Nonetheless, I took Obama's point that we must not assasinate the character of someone who makes a choice we wouldn't. Always feels good to call someone you think a fool "a fool," though. Only a fool would think herself so smart to call another that name.

I believe that is the problem with most conversations. No one is willing to listen openly and honestly to the other side. I may never agree with what you say but I value your right to say it and believe it. Maybe if we listen we can come to a middle ground of understanding instead of hating each other because we aren't each other.