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Finding Peace

Deacon Pedro

Thursday, October 16, 2008

htc-logo-changing.JPGI don’t know about you, but I am one of those people who believes that, in many cases, it’s best to leave religion out of the ProLife arguments. I’ve been in too many situations with non-believers for whom “life is sacred” means nothing. When they challenge you with “why is life sacred?” you can’t just say that God created us. If they don’t believe in God, how persuasive is that argument?
In other cases, I’ve been with non-believers who believe that life is sacred. But they don’t know why. They don’t accept the God argument, but something in them tells them that life is full of meaning and that each human being has value. Many of these people, don’t believe that the unborn are “persons” (or are confused about it) and therefore their ideas of life having meaning are not extended to the unborn.
And so, while I think it’s incredibly important to witness to Christ and to make it clear that we are ProLife because we are Christian, sometimes that gets in the way of explaining the ProLife message. If they are not listening to you, then you are not really witnessing anyway. Especially when the abortion issue is not a religious issue: it is a social issue. God created everything and since Faith and Reason go hand in hand, we should be able to explain philosophically, logically and scientifically why life is sacred, why every human being is valuable and has meaning and why all human beings are persons from the moment of conception.
Which is what I found with the Life Principles.
Basically, the Life Principles, developed by Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., and based on Aristotles’ four stages of happiness, is a way to philosophically explain the sacredness and dignity of all human life. I am grateful to Natalie Hudson for first introducing me to the Life Principles and for introducing me to Camille De Blasi Pauley.
Beginning tonight, October 16th, at 9:00pm ET, for the following 7 Thursdays, Salt + Light Television is proud to present Finding Peace: A Guide to Happiness, Freedom, and Wholeness, a series based on the Life Principles hosted by Camille De Blasi Pauley.
teachingclipsdv.JPGThe series takes viewers on a journey to discover the incredible dignity, meaning, and sacredness of human life. It offers a philosophical exploration that answers basic questions about human happiness, sexuality, love, quality of life, freedom, ethics, rights, and suffering. By encouraging viewers to contemplate on deeper interpretations of human meaning and purpose, the series seeks to move people to embrace the sacredness and dignity of all human life, and to accept social responsibility for those who are unborn, elderly, weak, dying, underprivileged, or otherwise vulnerable to oppression, persecution, and abuse.
Finding Peace comes to us from the Healing the Culture Institute and is hosted by Camille De Blasi Pauley, using the "Life Principles" curriculum of Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D, President of Gonzaga University. The series was taped in front of a live audience of individuals who are young and old, Christian and non-Christian, from various ethnic and ideological backgrounds.
The episodes cover the following topics:
1- Identify four different levels of happiness.
2- Build habits for living on the highest levels - faith and contribution to others.
3- Discover the sacredness of sexuality.
4- Distinguish between worldly success and true success, understand that freedom requires commitment to what is actually good, and make ethical choices based on "Golden Rule - Silver Rule" ethics.
5- Embrace the intrinsic dignity and inalienable rights of every person.
6- Learn why an all-loving God allows suffering in the world, and find opportunities for faith, hope, and love in the midst of suffering.
7- Apply these higher ideals to the life issues.
I loved this series. In many ways it changed my whole approach, not just to life issues, but to life in general. I hope that you enjoy it too. Remember you can watch it streaming live at www.saltandlighttv.org 
If you enjoy the series, perhaps you would like to consider attending the 2008 Healing the Culture Conference in Seattle, this coming November 6th, 2008. Join Father Robert Spitzer, Camille De Blasi Pauley, and other nationally acclaimed speakers and guest celebrities for what is considered to be the ProLife Conference of the year.
For more information visit: http://www.healingtheculture.com/conference2008.php
Write to let us know your thoughts on Finding Peace, on the Life Principles or on Life issues in general.
We love to hear from you.
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