Sunday, March 31, 2013

Love thy Gay Neighbor?


How fitting it is that the largest controversy of the week leading up to Easter would be one that so frequently quotes the Bible. This past week, homosexuality hit the Supreme Court, where Proposition 8, an attempt to limit same sex marriage was the topic of the debate.

As if it weren’t already a contentious issue, this week saw hundreds of thousands of individuals change their Facebook profile picture to represent their views in favor of marriage equality. It saw biblical quotes thrown back and forth, calling homosexuality a sin, an abomination. It saw both sides grow fangs, fighting harder than ever to defend the right to marriage, and who should be qualified for that right.

Homosexuality is an issue that is far too often oversimplified. From the perspective of individuals who are in favor of granting marriage rights to any and all individuals, it seems to make sense. Shouldn’t everyone have the right to love as they please? But to many people, being gay is an “other” that is incredibly unsettling. Homosexuality is to the Christian right as a woman wearing shorts to conservative Islam. It is something that defies the norm of a culture, and must be dealt with in a way that doesn’t demonize those who are struggling to come to terms with something that makes them uncomfortable. Instead of making those who are uncomfortable out to be the bad guy, it is the obligation of the modernizing world to encourage education and exposure to that which causes the discomfort.

The most difficult part of this debate, though, is when religion is used as a defense for opposing gay marriage. Far too often, it is so easy to say that someone who opposes gay rights is hateful, or heartless. In truth, all humans look for some way to guide us through the moral challenges of life. Many people, myself included, use religion as that moral compass. That being said, it requires an incredible maturity to be able to take the religious views of your particular ideology and change it to reflect your own feelings on a particular subject.

It is wrong to demonize religion, simply because it has a particular view on a certain situation. If someone can eloquently and comfortable depict their views in conjunction with faith, based on what they read in the Bible, it is not anyone’s right to tell them that they are wrong for believing it. That being said, if the bible is the reason to oppose gay marriage, it is their right to do so. But someone who uses those texts as their defense for their viewpoint also better be willing to defend it more clearly than “because I read it in the Good Book.”

There are plenty of places where the bible speaks out against homosexuality. The holiness code, found in Leviticus, and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah are the two most significant examples in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, while the New Testament’s Romans continues the trend.

There are multitudes of ways to combat these passages, but most significant of them is getting to the root of the issue, a fitting one for the Sunday of Easter. Anyone who uses the bible as a Christian defense for opposing gay marriage must get to the fact that Jesus preached one thing above all else: love and compassion. In all of his teachings, Jesus spoke about the importance of keeping love in your heart, about loving your neighbor and your enemy, and about extending compassion to others. The Westboro Baptist Church is defaming the name of their god by being hateful. Any time a picket sign includes the words “God hates,” it is the antithesis of organized Christian religion.

As long as Jesus is the defense for eliminating an individual’s rights, the longer the biblical defense for “the defense of marriage” will become unrepresentative of the situation. Yet those who stand for marriage equality have the obligation to share their own ideologies, as well as to listen, so that all can grow together to create a solution that will both empower the rights of all Americans, while also maintaining the opportunity for religious individuals to feel a connection between their faith and the world in which they live.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Food of the Free, Bread of the Brave?


My family uses a Haggadah, a prayer book, for Passover titled “Passover Haggadah for American Families.” We have used it since I was born and long before that, and I had never, until this year, taken the time to look at the front cover. Now, it will come as no surprise that I know by heart that page 19 is the part where it says “let’s eat.” Most young Jews know that page pretty intimately.

Having said that, I spent most of my seder contemplating why it was that an American family would have its very own book. What makes this book different from all other books? (Are you picking up what I’m laying down here?)

The story of Passover, though, is unavoidably an American story. Or maybe America is based upon the Pesach ideal. We were once slaves to another ruling body, one that did not appreciate us and limited our rights. We were delivered by the might of our wills, the faith of our hearts, and the good graces of God. When we fled, or, in the case of America, declared our independence, we were not let go without a fight. Yet, when the smoke cleared, it was both the Jews and the Americans who stood victorious.

It is a challenge for anyone to define themselves. Am I a Jew American, or an American Jew? Where do family ties come into play?

We fight so hard for our freedom, and my family’s haggadah further emphasizes the importance of Passover. Every year, we are commanded to sit around the table and appreciate just what it means to be free. We as Americans are blessed with this freedom on a daily basis, and we can so easily take it for granted. As American Jews, who have twice as many opportunities to lose that freedom, we must be ever so much more grateful for it, so that it never goes to waste.

I was very much debating whether or not it was worth it to me to keep kosher for Passover this year. It isn’t easy to be in college and make a consciously Jewish eating decision. Even with the accommodations at Hillel, it can be hard. But sitting around the table with my family, I thought about the fact that one day my own son or daughter is going to go to college and be faced with the same choice. And if we let the chain of appreciation and dedication to our faith stop at any one generation, we are selling our children short on the opportunity to be able to soak in the glory of liberty, the blessing of freedom, and the hardship of learning what it costs to be free.

While a week without bread isn’t exactly the bitterness of slavery, it is an act of making the mundane holy, the meaningless spiritual, and the benign inspirational. And it is a way to appreciate just what it means to be an American and to be Jewish, which is a special duality that I cherish.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

March 17: Screen Adaptation of THE Book


From Charlton Heston (The Ten Commandments) to Jim Caviezel (Passion of the Christ), Gregory Peck (David and Bathsheba) to Val Kilmer (Prince of Egypt voice), the Bible has appeared famously and frequently in a multitude of dramatic settings. This month, the History Channel took on a whole new task: creating a cinematic narrative of the Bible, from Adam and Eve all the way to Jesus and beyond.

So far, two episodes have aired, three and a half total hours. The story has traversed the Torah or Five Books of Moses, the Book of Joshua, the Judges, Samuel I and half of II. What is most significant about the production, though, is what has been included and what has been omitted.

With any movie based on a book, it would be impossible to include all of the details of the story. That is especially true when the book is the most significant piece of printed material of all time. Whenever an adaptation occurs, it is up to the creator to add their own interpretations, adding significance where they see fit. It is truly impossible to give a totally “accurate” view without making some stretches from the text.

One notable omission was the story of Joseph, which is a very familiar story even to the least Biblically educated, because of the popularity of the Broadway musical. In the context of the text of the Bible, though, this is not necessarily a story that must be shared, because in many ways the story is just a transition: it is a description of the way that the early Israelites made their way from the land of Canaan to Egypt.

On the other side of the spectrum, the prevalence of the story of Samson and Delilah is an interesting choice, especially when evaluated from the perspective of Jewish viewers. Samson is a story found within the book of Judges, and takes up only four chapters of the book. The story is one that is far more prevalent in the Christian tradition than the Jewish one, predominantly because of the concept of Martyrdom, which is a key element to the story. For Christians, who believe that Martyrdom is a passionate demonstration of faith, whereas Jews see any form of death, especially a suicide such as Samson’s, as a destruction of God’s greatest gift: life.  The decision to give this story a significant chunk of time during the TV series was an interesting one, and one that gave clear insight into the religious background of the production team.

One error that occurred in the production of the film came during the story of the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac. As Abraham is about to sacrifice his son, he is visited by an angel who tells him to stop and gives him a substitute animal to sacrifice. In the movie, this animal is a lamb, which does not jive with the Biblical account that says that it was a ram. While this may seem like a subtle difference, it does, in fact, give a great change to the context of the incident, especially in the symbolism of the animal. The ram has its horn stuck in a thicket of thorns, which later down the road is interpreted as a parallel to Jesus and his crown of thorns, and thus the sacrificing of Jesus as an offering for the sins of humanity. Lambs don’t have horns (I’m not a zoologist so I’m no expert), thus clouding the symbolism of the incident. Although there may have simply been a shortage of rams on filming day.

As I stated earlier, it is impossible to tell a Biblical story in this style without adding some sort of interpretive clothing. This is especially true in the depiction of women throughout the story. In the story of Samson, both Delilah and Samson’s mother are given significance that exceed that of the text itself. Most significantly, though, this is seen in the story of David and Bathsheba. Bathsheba has no speaking role in the Bible. She is, for all intents and purposes, an object of David’s fascination and pleasure. In the cinematic production, however, she is given a sense of honor, respect, and loyalty. This step toward feminism is not surprising in today’s social climate, but it is an interpretive decision that was made by the production team, and must be evaluated as such.

For much of the public, the Bible is a staple in society, but often without any real value to the individual's life. Therefore, a great many people are uneducated about what is actually contained within the Biblical text. This project by the History Channel is an entertaining and informative insight, and offers any and all people to get to interact with this often abstract book in a new and meaningful way never before experienced.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

March 3: Tri Your Best


Two different events this past week happened to fall within the same time-frame. First, the Indiana University Recreational Sports Center hosted an EveryBODY week, in which attendees of the gym found sayings written on mirrors and on posters that emphasized good body image, positive thinking, and lifestyle decisions that can make happier people. There were free t-shirts available and participation opportunities for people to say what it is about themselves that they found most beautiful. Even stickers and flyers were posted on the elliptical machines to try to remind people of their inner beauty.

The second event at the SRSC was the Swimming Club’s third annual triathlon. Two different options were offered, with the longer of the two including a 600 meter swim in the pool, an 8 mile bike ride (stationary bike), and 3 miles running on the indoor track.

I participated for the second year in a row in the triathlon. Last time, I had just started the long and difficult process of getting myself in shape, and of working to reach whatever goals I set for myself. Over the course of the event, I realized just how far I had to go. I wasn’t happy with my finish, and decided that I was determined to do better next year. Well, next year arrived this morning, and better I did. I shaved almost 10 minutes off of my finish time, and finished the event in just under an hour. My swimming was just about the same as it was last year (as swimming has not been part of my routine), but my biking and running were far better. I finished the event with two feelings: satisfaction at having pursued a year-long goal and conquering it, as well as excitement for the next goal that I can set, whatever that may be, so that I can find another task to better myself.

The reason I mention these two events in tandem is that I think the first would have had a negative impact on me if I had let it. There is, unfortunately, a very fine line between self-appreciation and complacency. There is a very thin border between being satisfied and being lazy. There is no right answer for any single individual either. What may inspire one person to stop their self-abuse through anorexia may very well lead another to continue to ignore their personal health. What is particularly important is the way that those ideas of body image play in line with both the mental, and the physical behavior of an individual.

Mentally, EveryBODY week is great. I frequently struggle with obsessing over my weight, the way I feel, pushing myself to try to be better every step of the way. For someone like me, it is incredibly valuable to be told, at least sometimes, that things are ok. That I don’t need to push myself to the point of damage. Yet, on the other side of the spectrum, going to the gym should come with some form of motivation. There needs to be some kick in the pants that tells someone “let’s go. Let’s get busy. Let’s get healthy.” If, a year ago, I had taken the writing on the wall (literally, the dry erase markers on the mirrors) to heart, I would never have had the motivation to get myself to the place I am physically now, as well as the emotional high I’ve experienced through my success.

As I took the turn on the 16th lap, finishing my second mile on the track, there is a point. That point came a lot earlier last year, and next year, if I participate it could come later. But the point is when the thought flashes into your mind where you say “I could walk. I could take a break. I could let up just a little.” That voice could be really good, a way of keeping yourself from getting injured. Or it could be a way of holding you back from reaching out and beating a personal best. So listen to the voice, but don’t necessarily respond right away. Make small bench marks. “Just a little longer. Just two more laps, or four more, or eight more.” Then, when you finish, you can say you truly did your best, not that you did what you decided was enough.

So let’s go. Let’s get healthy. But let’s do it in a healthy way. Appreciating the people we are is truly wonderful, as long as it comes with the understanding that there are always ways to improve, to get stronger, and to get better. Isn’t that really our goal?