As some of you may know I am the president of a United Methodist Student Organization. As a result, I get lots of e-mails about things going on around campus, some directed to all the presidents and some directed specifically to Christian/religious groups. Today, for the first time, I received an e-mail that I was truly offended by. The following e-mail came from a pro-life organization on campus:
Subject: Come support Jesus and babies!
Message:
Hello friends,
You are receiving this e-mail because you are listed on the RSO website as the contact person for a Christian group on campus. , founder and president of a pro-life organization on campus, alerted us to an event on campus that is startling and insulting to Christianity. Here is the text of his e-mail:
"Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the US, recently hired a national chaplain, Rev. Dr. Ignacio Castuera, to try to gain Christian support. This week, the planned parenthood of GradSchoolTown is having their annual "Gala," a dinner that costs $75, on campus and they're inviting this national 'chaplain' to be the keynote speaker.
We're organizing a peaceful protest outside a campus building where the gala will take place. Several other groups will be involved since Christian groups are upset that there is a 'chaplain' supporting abortion.
People will start showing up for this at 6pm so we want to be there by 5:50 and stay until about 7 when people will probably stop showing up. If you are interested, there will be a group of people meeting on the quad side of the union at 5:45 to walk over there. You can come and go as you need to. Please make signs and come to peacefully show our disagreement and let them know that GradSchool is a pro-life campus.
Please stop by if you have the chance, because this is the NATIONAL chaplain, not just local one. He deserves a national protest. It would be great to have you all there!"
Again, this will be a peaceful protest. Please pass this information on to your organization. We'd love to see as many people as possible out there praying and speaking up for the little ones who can't yet speak for themselves.
Thank you so much!
For Life,
I'm offended by this e-mail on multiple levels. The immediate thing that bothers me is the implication that just because I'm the president of a Christian organization (or a member of a Christian organization for that matter) means that you are pro-life. I am pro-choice and I have been for a very long. This belief doesn't make me any less Christian than if I were pro-life. I would struggle a lot if I was every in the unfortunate situation to need/desire an abortion. In fact, I highly doubt I would get one. That being said, I think the government has no right to tell people whether someone can get an abortion. Anyway, that's only the first thing that offends me about this letter.
The second thing I'm offended by about this letter is the fact that the word Chaplin is quotation marks. Why is this? Apparently planned parenthood isn't allowed to have a Chaplin? Or worst yet, because he doesn't count as a Chaplin because its for an organization like planned parenthood. Its almost as if God would support such an appointment so giving him a religious title is apparently an insult to this particular pro-life organization.
All that being said, I will admit that I sit in the minority of Christians in my pro-choice stance. Additionally, Jesus called us to protect the innocent, so I certainly understand why one's religious convictions would lead them to attend such a protest.
I sort of wish I could afford a $75 plate at this event, and I don't think that makes me any less Christian then those who choose to stand on the picket line.
