Manya Brachear wrote an inspiring and well evidenced article about the opening of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. She began by quoting Rev. Scott Matheney, chaplain at Elmhurst College. Matheney was one of about 100 clergy members who toured the Museum one Friday afternoon soon after the museum’s opening. The Reverend leads the reader to adopt a spiritual perspective about the historical museum. This perspective is continued by the museum’s executive director Rick Hirschhaut who said that the goal of the exhibit is to take visitors on a journey of self-evaluation in light of the events of the past, highlighting the acts of heroism amidst acts of terror and celebrating the possibilities of human who act with integrity.
Brachear then turns the focus from the past and present towards the future, by highlighting events that will occur as a response to the opening of the museum. Youth United for Darfur, one of 40 Chicago student groups raising money for young Sudanese victims of violence, predicted at a rally at the celebration of the opening of the museum, that together they will be able to raise $15,000.
With all of these components, the article commemorates the past with a present event while asking readers to look to the future. The single weakness of the sobering article is that, despite opening with a quote from Rev. Matheney, there is not much of a religious focus so much as a focus on social justice. Brachear does end however with a quote from Eboo Patel, the executive director of Interfaith Youth Core. Speaking of the Holocaust Museum, Eboo quotes Martin Luther King Jr. in saying, “Because of this institution, there will be a generation of righteous people.” This quote again draws on the past by reminding readers of a movement of great social change while inspiring them to continue this tradition of promoting justice in the future.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Lincoln's Death a Mark of the Divine?
Manya Brachear challenges Chicago Tribune readers to observe the “religious overtones” in current national politics. Although this is an interesting thought provoker, it does not serve as a solid basis for a news article without some concrete facts. The single news peg and focus of the article (“Lincoln’s Death Had Sacred Significance”) is a suggestion made by Harold Holzer, co-chair of the U.S. Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, that because Lincoln’s death occurred on Good Friday it was his fate to be "sacrificed on the altar of freedom and died for the nation’s sins” like Jesus died for the sins of his followers. This colossal claim is not backed by any additional evidence or endorsed, at least not in the article, by any other sources. The specifics of how Lincoln was paying for the sins of the nation are not addressed any further and leaves a great deal up to the imagination as to how this actually makes logical sense.
Holzer is a credible source, but the only one that is used for this article. There have been plenty of other, usually light-hearted, articles which present an interesting, far out claim, but there are almost never the focus of an article, but used as an entertaining quote or thought provoking ending. And though Lincoln is regarded by many Americans as a man of integrity and held in great esteem, it may be a bit too much of a stretch to imply that he had a divine nature. Also, though the fact that the article was posted during Easter weekend, the focus of the article is on an event that occurred in 1865 with one mention of Barak Obama’s “messianic qualities” (again, a bit of a stretch) in an attempt to make the story relevant.
Holzer is a credible source, but the only one that is used for this article. There have been plenty of other, usually light-hearted, articles which present an interesting, far out claim, but there are almost never the focus of an article, but used as an entertaining quote or thought provoking ending. And though Lincoln is regarded by many Americans as a man of integrity and held in great esteem, it may be a bit too much of a stretch to imply that he had a divine nature. Also, though the fact that the article was posted during Easter weekend, the focus of the article is on an event that occurred in 1865 with one mention of Barak Obama’s “messianic qualities” (again, a bit of a stretch) in an attempt to make the story relevant.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Reader Contributes What Journalist Does Not
The Chicago Tribune printed an article entitled “How Should Catholic Hospitals Balance Faith and Family?” in which Manya Brachear addressed the decision of hospitals affiliated with the Catholic Church to decline requests for in-vitro fertilization, commonly abbreviated IVF. IVF throughout the U.S. offer this non-surgical procedure, which has been largely simplified and increased in efficiency since it was first completed successfully in 1978. The process consists of retrieving oocytes (unfertilized eggs) from the female’s ovary, which are fertilized with the male’s sperm and some of which form pre-embryos. One of the pre-embryos is then placed in the woman’s uterus where it will hopefully develop into a newborn.
This procedure requires to surgery or even anesthesia and has helped many infertile couples become pregnant. However, the controversial question that one must ask is what is done with the extra fertilized pre-embryos? According to the Georgia Reproductive Specialists, IVF centers leave that decision up to the parents. They have the option to freeze the fertilized embryo for later use, or simply to “dispose” of them. This question is one of the defining factors in the Catholic Church’s stance against IVF. It is strange then, that this question is not even addressed in the Tribune article.
Instead, the Brachear attributes the negative view of this procedure by Catholic Hospitals to the experimental nature of the procedure, and then quickly cuts down that argument saying, “the process is hardly experimental anymore”. The viewpoints of several physicians at Loyola University are given addressing how patients inquiring about IVF are responded, but the reason for their refusal to perform the procedure is not mentioned whatsoever. This personally offended one Tribune reader who commented on the mishandling and misrepresentation of facts on the Tribune’s religion blog, The Seeker. She explained her understanding of the Catholic Church’s stance on the procedure and the reasoning behind it, something that should have been made known in the article.
This procedure requires to surgery or even anesthesia and has helped many infertile couples become pregnant. However, the controversial question that one must ask is what is done with the extra fertilized pre-embryos? According to the Georgia Reproductive Specialists, IVF centers leave that decision up to the parents. They have the option to freeze the fertilized embryo for later use, or simply to “dispose” of them. This question is one of the defining factors in the Catholic Church’s stance against IVF. It is strange then, that this question is not even addressed in the Tribune article.
Instead, the Brachear attributes the negative view of this procedure by Catholic Hospitals to the experimental nature of the procedure, and then quickly cuts down that argument saying, “the process is hardly experimental anymore”. The viewpoints of several physicians at Loyola University are given addressing how patients inquiring about IVF are responded, but the reason for their refusal to perform the procedure is not mentioned whatsoever. This personally offended one Tribune reader who commented on the mishandling and misrepresentation of facts on the Tribune’s religion blog, The Seeker. She explained her understanding of the Catholic Church’s stance on the procedure and the reasoning behind it, something that should have been made known in the article.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Catholic Underground
College students across the nation are gathering in church basements to release pent up energy through rock and hip-hop music, the Chicago Tribune reported. In 2006 New York Franciscan Friars of the Renewal started Catholic Underground, a faith and worship based showcase if musicians, actors, dancers and other rising artists. Since the overnight popularity of the Bronx location, parishes in eight cities across the U.S. and two in Europe have installed Catholic Underground locations, each with their own flavor.
Chicago Tribune reporter Margaret Ramirez visited the Chicago location, which has the feel of a worship-based night club, featuring local rap artists. Catholc Underground was started in Chicago by UIC’s chaplain, Rev. Pat Marshall, who enlisted Rob Kaczmark, director for Spirit Juice Studios, to combine spiritual and social life with an edge. Kaczmark expressed that he observed hesitation among church leaders to implementing contemporary music and advanced multimedia technology in the Catholic Church. The article seems to present the Catholic Church, at least its older and more conservative members, as viewing rap and rock music with a stigma. And while it cannot be argued that the Catholic Church in general in the U.S. has been slower to implement more contemporary styles of worship than many Evangelical traditions, there is no supporting evidence of this negative attitude expect that given by Kaczmark.
The official websites for Catholic Underground in both NY and Chicago are run by leaders of the Church and a simple Google search reveals many articles of Catholic leaders eager to open new locations and continue to grow those already in existence. The Tribune article feeds the widespread connotation with the Catholic Church as being highly conservative and close-minded to popular music, without giving any evidence of this view being actively voiced.
Chicago Tribune reporter Margaret Ramirez visited the Chicago location, which has the feel of a worship-based night club, featuring local rap artists. Catholc Underground was started in Chicago by UIC’s chaplain, Rev. Pat Marshall, who enlisted Rob Kaczmark, director for Spirit Juice Studios, to combine spiritual and social life with an edge. Kaczmark expressed that he observed hesitation among church leaders to implementing contemporary music and advanced multimedia technology in the Catholic Church. The article seems to present the Catholic Church, at least its older and more conservative members, as viewing rap and rock music with a stigma. And while it cannot be argued that the Catholic Church in general in the U.S. has been slower to implement more contemporary styles of worship than many Evangelical traditions, there is no supporting evidence of this negative attitude expect that given by Kaczmark.
The official websites for Catholic Underground in both NY and Chicago are run by leaders of the Church and a simple Google search reveals many articles of Catholic leaders eager to open new locations and continue to grow those already in existence. The Tribune article feeds the widespread connotation with the Catholic Church as being highly conservative and close-minded to popular music, without giving any evidence of this view being actively voiced.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The Church and AIDS
The Chicago Tribune devotes a section of its publication to spreading awareness of the religious occurrences of local faith communities in the Chicago area and across the nation, especially where they intersect with other areas of life including politics and social activism. Manya Brachear, one of the Tribune’s religion reporters, heads up articles for The Seeker, a professional blog supplement to the paper with articles pertaining to spiritual life.
Brachear refers to The Seeker “a personal and professional quest for truth”. It strays from the detached, third person journalistic style of writing, Brachear often speaking directly to readers in first person. Readers are encouraged to post comments about the articles, though they are reviewed by Tribune staff before becoming visible on the site. This and the fact that all of The Seeker articles are written by one reporter may invite biases into the writing, and the comments that are chosen to be posted for public viewing can be selected to create a sense of a general trend in reader reactions. However, the posted comments thus far appear diverse in their perspectives both politically and religiously.
In an article released on Friday, Brachear opened the dialogue about the association of the Church with the AIDS pandemic in America, if an association does exist. (Go to http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2009/03/should-churches-make-aids-a-priority.html to read the full story.) Rather than explain the role of the Church in addressing the AIDS problem, Brachear seeks only to raise the question and inspire readers to seek out the answer for themselves. She does, however, give the opinion of key sources who feel strongly about this topic.
Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are getting tested for HIV to show their congregations that it is necessary to address the existence of AIDS. ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson explains that he hopes to raise awareness among members of ELCA of the reality of AIDS in our society, as opposed to a far-off pandemic, and to make people feel comfortable discussing the topic of HIV so that those who need treatment will not hide from it.
The information presented in the article leaves me with several questions. For those in a church community trying to rid the Church of the negative stigma surrounding AIDS, what other actions should and will be taken to address the issue in addition to being tested to help those who are HIV positive? Should the Church leave treatment completely in the hands of doctors, or should they reach out and offer assistance to those dealing with aids through counseling and/or financial support for treatment?
The perspectives of members of Lutheran and other large Christian denominations were well-represented in the articles, but I wonder if the views of other minority religions in the U.S. differ in any way. The question is raised as to who “the Church” consists of in the twenty-first century United States. The focus of publicized discussions of religion in the U.S., particularly religion and politics, is largely on the Evangelical Christian denominations. Christian language and references are infused the founding documents of our nation, and continue to be heard in political speeches today. However, with the increasing religious diversity in our nation, it is imperative that we inform ourselves of the many religious atmospheres and perspectives around us.
Brachear refers to The Seeker “a personal and professional quest for truth”. It strays from the detached, third person journalistic style of writing, Brachear often speaking directly to readers in first person. Readers are encouraged to post comments about the articles, though they are reviewed by Tribune staff before becoming visible on the site. This and the fact that all of The Seeker articles are written by one reporter may invite biases into the writing, and the comments that are chosen to be posted for public viewing can be selected to create a sense of a general trend in reader reactions. However, the posted comments thus far appear diverse in their perspectives both politically and religiously.
In an article released on Friday, Brachear opened the dialogue about the association of the Church with the AIDS pandemic in America, if an association does exist. (Go to http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2009/03/should-churches-make-aids-a-priority.html to read the full story.) Rather than explain the role of the Church in addressing the AIDS problem, Brachear seeks only to raise the question and inspire readers to seek out the answer for themselves. She does, however, give the opinion of key sources who feel strongly about this topic.
Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are getting tested for HIV to show their congregations that it is necessary to address the existence of AIDS. ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson explains that he hopes to raise awareness among members of ELCA of the reality of AIDS in our society, as opposed to a far-off pandemic, and to make people feel comfortable discussing the topic of HIV so that those who need treatment will not hide from it.
The information presented in the article leaves me with several questions. For those in a church community trying to rid the Church of the negative stigma surrounding AIDS, what other actions should and will be taken to address the issue in addition to being tested to help those who are HIV positive? Should the Church leave treatment completely in the hands of doctors, or should they reach out and offer assistance to those dealing with aids through counseling and/or financial support for treatment?
The perspectives of members of Lutheran and other large Christian denominations were well-represented in the articles, but I wonder if the views of other minority religions in the U.S. differ in any way. The question is raised as to who “the Church” consists of in the twenty-first century United States. The focus of publicized discussions of religion in the U.S., particularly religion and politics, is largely on the Evangelical Christian denominations. Christian language and references are infused the founding documents of our nation, and continue to be heard in political speeches today. However, with the increasing religious diversity in our nation, it is imperative that we inform ourselves of the many religious atmospheres and perspectives around us.
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