SuperBowl Sunday

As SuperBowl Sunday approached, all aspects of media seemed to focus on select stories that really had no influence on the game of football. As a viewer of this media, I often found myself asking where these stories were prior to the team(s) making the SuperBowl. This got me thinking, do these stories encompass the purpose in which they are used to serve or are they bulked up to provide "more views" from the public in hopes that a certain source would gain more attention?



I want to point out that these stories continue weeks after the SuperBowl as well. While scrolling through Facebook this morning I began seeing a trend that bothered me. It focused on Cam Newton's emotions after the game finished. The cruel posts were seemingly endless as viewers tore Cam Newton apart as a selfish baby. While I am a fan of Cam Newton I have absolutely NO ties to either team so I was viewing this as an impartial third party. I did very minimal research and came across an article about Peyton Manning when he played with the Colts.



I was interested to find out that he to showed the same exact emotion as Newton when he lost as well. Yet Manning received very little criticism. So why is Newton getting reemed about his reaction? I take a look around our society and see similar examples yet all I hear is how there needs to be more "equality in society". I don't really know why these stories are so one sided but I do know that media controls more than what we see and hear. They choose EVERY piece of information we recieve.

Why can't women be ordained priests?

Recently, a new uprising of sexism has become apparent, involving women with religious ties. Women have never been able to become ordained as priests. Now, even the discussion of women priesthood is banned from the Vatican. Women rights in the church have been few and futile. Even the Bible describes women roles as unapparent and non-established. So what does the future for the Church hold for women priests?


It is very apparent that the Church holds religious practices sacred. They (the Church) tends to favor tradition, regardless of how much the present progresses. Women's rights has become a very hot topic in todays society. But almost no one has touched on women's rights in the Churches. It seems as though this is all about to change.


Even mentioning the discussion of women's roles throughout the church can get you ex-communicated from the Church. Ex-communication is the worst punishment the Church can give you. It entails the removal from all Church affiliations and cuts off all potential communication to the church. Several priests, of male gender, have been ex-communicated for expressing their belief in that women should have rights to be ordained as priests.


Personally, I believe that steps need to be taken to allow women to become priests in our society today. I understand that the Church holds traditions dear to its core but with our communities today shifting into a more even based gender role progression, it's detrimental to the Church to adapt as well, especially if they hope to gain new followers to their beliefs. It not only looks bad on the Church for not allowing women to preach as ordained priests, but it also characterizes the Bible in a negative way, saying that it too does not believe in a progression of gender roles in society,


My overall point behind this is not to question the Church's values or morals, but rather question the Church in their plan on moving forward with the rest of the world. Cutting off all discussion of matters that are considered important to the people of both religious and non-religious descent makes me question whether the Church is looking for publicity or if the Church does not actually base its core upon the love that God has for all of us. Its teachings, or at least as I know it, clearly state the love that God shares for all of his creation. And if I remember right, God created all men equal, this proving that he does not have any intentions of excluding people based upon characteristics of their being.


In conclusion, if women feel the calling of becoming an ordained priest they should have the freedom to do so, fully supported by the Vatican itself. They should be encouraged to preach the fundamentals of the Church in hopes to reach out to everyone, instead of worrying about the image that the Church takes. It would only benefit the Church to allow this movement, and I hope the Church decides to agree to new ideas and let go of old practices.

I have never actually reflected on my past as a child. Not until recently. During the first two weeks of religion class I have understood the real reasons why I have gone through what I have. And in conclusion I have determined that we as people go through circumstances to find out who they truly are.

What I mean by "find themselves" is simply the art of what makes an individual unique. What sets someone apart from the billions of people in the world? What makes a human different than other species? All these questions are addressed directly and indirectly through the readings of these past few weeks. I must say, the "Let Your Life Speak" reading hit home with me.

Starting with masking our insecurities with faces that aren't ours. Growing up I have always tried to be someone I am not. I have always disliked my personality and image but masked my disproof with quiet insecurities. It wasn't until my first quarter in college that I decided to learn to love myself for who I am.

I think many people make the mistake of trying to change themselves into someone they idol, instead of changing themselves into something that makes them unique. One thing I enjoyed in the spiritual readings (The Misunderstood Jew) was the fact that instead of falling into the same conundrum of interpreting the Bible from a historical, atheist or Christian standpoint, Amy-Jill Levine made herself unique by interpreting it from a Jewish standpoint.

Its people like that that impact our society the most. The people that we all aspire to be made the decision to stand apart from the crowd and lead by example. They learned to love themselves for who they were. Masking insecurities just leads to disappointment and a lack of confidence. I have determined I want to be someone that other people aspire to be. I have become proud of who I am and began perfecting my life from the inside-out.

Gaining confidence then leads to a more fulfilled life. This means questioning your beliefs, starting with what you have been told your whole life. This includes forming beliefs and then standing behind them, no matter what people think. This is what leaders establish, a belief or passion. And then they chase it.

This means no stopping, no giving up, no questioning. People like Nelson Mandela, Michael Jordan, and Todd Beamer fought for what their dream. They did not hide behind the masks of what they wish they could be. The fueled their motivation with people's words who disagreed with their statements. Overall, what I learned from the reading was to find myself, and make myself unique by establishing what I believe and sticking to it.