Update on Yesterday's Post

It is beginning to appear that the Yale art project referred to in yesterday's post is a hoax.  Because that makes it so much better.

From the Yale Office of Public Affairs:

Statement by Helaine S. Klasky — Yale University, Spokesperson
New Haven, Conn. — April 17, 2008
Ms. Shvarts is engaged in performance art. Her art project includes visual representations, a press release and other narrative materials. She stated to three senior Yale University officials today, including two deans, that she did not impregnate herself and that she did not induce any miscarriages. The entire project is an art piece, a creative fiction designed to draw attention to the ambiguity surrounding form and function of a woman’s body.
She is an artist and has the right to express herself through performance art.
Had these acts been real, they would have violated basic ethical standards and raised serious mental and physical health concerns.

Even this is disturbing.  What, exactly, does "draw[ing] attention to the ambiguity surrounding form and function of a woman’s body" even mean?  Maybe that's why it's ambiguous, and that's why we need to bring it to discussion in this manner?  Is it really that ambiguous?

Yale has said that the piece is "a creative fiction."  In an H. G. Wells-like fashion?  This seems grossly inappropriate, even within the context of a "creative fiction."  For Ms. Shvarts has not operated with the realm of fiction, choosing instead to intentionally blur the lines between fact and fiction, between truth and falsehood.  And she continues to do so.  Her foolishness, apparently, knows no bounds.

We have built ourselves a culture that only responds to the shock factor. We have become numb and incapable of discussing "the ambiguity surrounding form and function of a woman’s body" in a healthy, adult manner. Ms. Shvarts is merely a product of our times and our culture.  That does not absolve her of responsibility, but it should help us remember that we will only see more of the same in the future.

Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool. Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest. A whip for the horse, a halter for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools! Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. Like cutting off one's feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool. Like a lame man's legs that hang limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool. Like a thornbush in a drunkard's hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. Like an archer who wounds at random is he who hires a fool or any passer-by. As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

-Proverbs 26:1-12

What is, perhaps, more interesting is the ongoing conversation about this event and its coverage in the media.  Check out the comments in this NY Times article.  Repeatedly, the comment is made that this is actually boring and uninteresting.  Thus showeth the heartbeat of our culture.

Horrendous Destruction of Life

My dad likes to send me stuff throughout the day to keep me from working.  He knows I am way too focused on my work and need to take a break every now and then, so he helps me procrastinate.  Thanks, Dad!

The email he sent today, though, isn't a fun one.  It's a link to an article about an art student at Yale who inseminated herself (read: got herself pregnant repeatedly) with the specific intent of destroying those lives for the sake of an art project.  She would induce a miscarriage every time, and video tape it.  She saved the blood as well.  Both of which will be used in the display of the project.

There is much to comment on about this, but this student made a particular comment that stands out to me:

Shvarts emphasized that she is not ashamed of her exhibition, and she has become increasingly comfortable discussing her miscarriage experiences with her peers.

That is what sin does to us.  If you read through the second half of Romans 1, Paul tells us that we all have a root problem, Sin.  That root problem is that we have rejected what we know to be true: 

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Go ahead and replace "they" with "we," for this is a problem we all have.  The rest of the chapter outlines the sins that have flowed out of that root problem of Sin.  It outlines what, in many respects, is a progression of sinfulness, that is ever-increasing in it's severity (note, interestingly, that sexual sins are the middle and disobeying your parents is as the end.  Hmm).  What's really key is the last verse of the chapter:

Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

See, every time we sin - no matter how big or how small - I think a piece of our soul is chipped off.  The Bible refers to it as the hardening of our hearts.  The bigger the sin (and yes, there are "big" and "little" sins, although they all have the same ultimate penalty - death), the bigger the piece of your soul.  Ultimately, we become so hardened that our natural sense of right and wrong is obliterated, and we not only continue to do wrong, but we rejoice, celebrate and encourage others to do the same.

I am passionately pro-life.  I can't imagine what killing your own child must do to your soul.  It is this aspect of the abortion debate that I think is overlooked too often, and we don't want to think about it.  Oh, by the way, I think it chips away at the father's soul, not just the mother's.  

So, what potentially eternal damage has this student done to her soul?  That is what, after the lives destroyed for such a pitiful excuse, bothers me most about this story.  And what is her life going to be like from here?

You know, it's become popular to portray abortion as a "necessary evil" these days.  Here's the problem:  The more you engage in a "necessary evil," the more necessary it becomes and the less evil.  I would need to check my history books, but I'm pretty sure the Holocaust was initially portrayed as a 'necessary evil' in Germany, but it certainly didn't take long to lose it's perception as being evil.

This is simply the natural consequences of a pro-"choice" stance on abortion.  It is the end of the slippery slope.

She destroyed countless lives for the sake of her artwork, not realizing that she was decimating the most beautiful art that could ever be created.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
- Psalm 139:13-16

Miley Cyrus

My niece loves Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana), and I think that's a good thing.  There are few characters on TV for 'tween' girls to look up to, and few actresses that strive to live a life of character.  Miley Cyrus seems to be a diamond in the rough, and I hope it stays that way.

According to FoxNews Pop Tarts (see my friend Amy's blog about what's wrong with the idea of "Pop Tarts"), Miley's ability to remain grounded in the midst of her fame and fortune is due to her faith. 

"I think it’s my faith that keeps me grounded, especially because I’m a Christ follower for sure," Cyrus told us. "Live like Christ and he’ll live in you, and that’s what I want to do."

This is a really good thing, and I hope she maintains this foundation as she moves forward.  But I do worry.  I worry that the marketing machine will end up being stronger than Miley's faith.  And the marketing machine loves statements like hers... right now.  But there comes a time when it doesn't want a "good girl" to market any longer.  The "good girl" needs to become a "bad girl."  I referenced a blog post by Walt Mueller a little while ago that talked about how Britney Spears got where she is.  I wonder how much of the moral failure of Britney, Lindsay Lohan and countless others is the result of marketing versus their inherent depravity.  Heartbreaking.

And, of course, countering this, we have Paris Hilton, who today said she is "a good role model for young girls."  

Hilton, 27, boosted her fame in 2003 after a sex video of her and an ex-boyfriend hit the Internet, and she spent three weeks in a Los Angeles jail last year in a drunken driving case.

Hilton said 90 percent of stories about her in the media are "complete lies," and she blamed Internet bloggers for spreading rumors.

"I don't pay attention to lies because I am a good person, I work very hard and I've built this empire on my own. I think this is an inspiration for a lot of girls out there," she told Reuters.

Way to go, Paris. Don't let reality ruin your self-perception.

Personally, I hope my daughter emulates Miley, not Paris.

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
- 1 Timothy 4:12

Unsportsmanlike Conduct

I went to my first St. Louis Blues hockey game tonight.  It was a pretty good game with the Blues scoring early, falling behind in the 2nd period, and then rallying to win 3-2 at the end.  Way to go, Blues!

Here's what I found interesting:  at 16:08 in the 2nd period, Blues player David Backes is given a 2 minute roughing penalty, and Red Wings player Mikael Samuelsson is given a 2 minute 'unsportsmanlike conduct' penalty.  What precipitated the penalties isn't the interesting part.  It's the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  And for a couple of reasons.

First, it's hockey.  When has hockey ever been about sportsmanlike conduct?  In fact, one could argue that the reason hockey is as popular as it is has more to do with the fights than it does the skill of the game.  Here's when the crowd was on it's feet: when the Blues scored, and any time a fight broke out or seemed like it was going to break out.  It's like car racing - so many people watch car racing for the accidents.  However, having been to several races, I can attest that a majority of the crowd is standing for the majority of the race.  Even when wrecks aren't pending.  Anyway, back to the point.  I think, for many, 'unsportsmanlike conduct' and 'hockey' are synonymous.

Second, why do we continue to operate under the delusion that professional sports has anything to do with the players conducting themselves in a sportsmanlike manner?  We don't want to see the players play fair and abide by the rules.  We want to see them flaunt the rules (but not too much, granted), we want to see teams continuously push the boundaries.  We complain about athletes using steroids, but wonder how boring sports would be without the drugs.  We no longer desire our athletes to be role models (although we say we do), we just want them to entertain us.  They truly have become the gladiators of the modern age.

The more they flaunt the rules, live immorally, flash the wealth we give them in our faces, the more we reward their behavior.  What message does this send our children?  What message does this send our adolescent athlete heroes (that's right - many of our professional athletes are still adolescents - and making more than most of us reading this blog will ever see in our entire life)?  A buddy of mine from seminary, and still one of my best friends, has been the chaplain for the Orlando Magic for the past several years and talked with me often about how we have these 20 year olds making millions with girls throwing themselves at their feet.  Even if they did have a frame of reference for how to handle that kind of wealth and debauchery, how long could one hold out?

No, we lost the 'sportsmanlike conduct' aspect of sports a long time ago.  Sports as a tool for teaching children and adolescents how to work with others; to develop skills, abilities and self-confidence; to learn how to handle both success and defeat has been lost.  It's now about the entertainment, it's about the wins and the trophies, it's about the money and the glory.

And it makes me sad.  What are we doing to ourselves?

"Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?"

- Maximus, Gladiator

Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. 

- 2 Timothy 2:5