The Fifth Commandment "You Shall Not Kill"

The Fifth Commandment reflects the exalted dignity of human life from conception to natural death. Man is a unique being that carries within himself a spark of divine life.The admonition "You shall not kill" is synonymous with "murder" or the deliberate and immoral taking of "human" life. The main trust of the Fifth Commandment is the absolute duty to respect, defend, and protect human life. The commandment "You shall not kill" essentially means that killing an innocent person is a flagrant violation of natural law and, therefore, a most grievous sin.

 Because of the innate sacredness of every human person, violations against human dignity go far beyond murder and violence resulting in physical injury inflicted upon another anger, hatred, omissions in service, racism, and failures to treat an enemy or oppressor with love.
The rich teachings contained in the 25th chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel and in particular the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats amply illustrates the sin of failing to serve others. Those persons who were sent to eternal punishment had sinned not by commission, but by omission. They had failed to help the people that need their assistance. They did not feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the imprisoned, free the captive, or instruct the ignorant. Therefore, omissions in service is a kind of killing. Since the Fifth Commandment said "You shall not kill," omissions in service violates the Fifth Commandment. To provide these basic necessities to fellow human persons who do not have them is to recognize Christ in the faces of the poor; conversely, failure to provide these basic necessities is a failure to serve Christ.

The unborn child developing in his or her mother's womb is the most innocent and defenseless of all human persons. It is at the very moment of conception that a new human person, made in the image and likeness of God, comes into existence. There is no basis in truth, scientifically or morally, to claim that the embryo or fetus is not a person for the same reason that he or she has not yet reached full development. From a strictly biological perspective, the fertilized egg in the womb is a completely new organism with its unique genetic code, the blueprint of a fully developed person. Therefore, abortion is the way of killing others. All of us must to realize that which had conceived in women's womb can never be considered as a "something," but a "someone." The Magisterium of the Church has consistently proclaimed the grievously sinful nature of abortion throughout its history. The Fathers of the Church condemned this frequent practice in the ancient Greco-Roman world. One such condemnation is found in the Didache, a first-century Christian text which told Christians:"You shall not procure abortion. You shall not destroy a newborn child." For this reason, abortion violates the Fifth Commandment "You shall not kill."

The dignity of the human person and therefore the right to life remains, as the saying goes, from "womb to tomb." The value of our lives as human beings is determined not by our fame, skills, wealth, or accomplishments, but by the simple fact that we are children of God who were created in his image. Euthanasia involves the decision by doctors, family members, or public officials to end the life of a person who has been given little or no chance of recovery and is thought to have a poor quality of life. The word euthanasia itself comes from the Greek euthanatos, which means “a good or sweet death.” Even though euthanasia is called "mercy killing," euthanasia is also a kind of killing. The Fifth Commandment said "You shall not kill." Euthanasia is opposite to the Fifth Commandment.

Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old black teenager was shot by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old Florida man. Zimmerman was carrying a 9 millimeter handgun, Martin was carrying a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. Marin weighed 140 pounds, Zimmerman weighs 250 pounds. Zimmerman was in his car, Martin was walking on the street. After the shooting, he told police he shot the ten in self-defense, and police say they have no evidence to refute his story. 

Over the past 14 months, Zimmerman repeatedly called 911, and in several instances warned of “suspicious persons” who, like Trayvon Martin, happened to be black. The six newly released 911 calls, none of which relate to the Martin shooting, show Zimmerman worried more than once about unknown persons walking through the neighborhood.

It is a tragedy. I cannot imagine why Zimmerman shot Martin. Not only a kid that is much thinner than him, but also Zimmerman was in his car while Martin was walking and carrying a bag, and then, the person in the car shot the kid.

When Zimmerman pursued Martin against the explicit instructions of the police dispatcher, the dispatcher had told him they did not need Zimmerman to follow Martin.

In some degree, I think Zimmerman should be in charged.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/obama-makes-first-comments-on-trayvon-martin-shooting

http://www.newsmax.com/US/Zimmerman-Trayvon-Sanford-Baxley/2012/03/23/id/433671

Ending the R-word

In my opinion, the R-word is considered the way of racial slurs by most people nowadays. It seriously hurts people that  have intellectual disability. Though every one of us knows it is a demeaning word. On this point, intellectual disability still carries a subconscious cultural taboo which attaches to the word used to describe it. Obviously, the R-word is different from other words about disability.

"It starts with thinking about a word, but I want it to translate into the way people treat others with disabilities," Seidman said.
I agree with her. I think even if we translate this word into another word, the most important thing is to change the view to intellectual disability by us.

The bill changed the terms "mental retardation" to "intellectual disability" and "mentally retarded individual" to "individual with an intellectual disability." This shift made the terms more consistent with language already used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United Nations, and the White House. Currently, 43 states have passed similar legislation or have similar bills pending, according to the Special Olympics.
But policy is just one part of the strategy. The much larger goal targets social stigma and negative perceptions surrounding people with intellectual disabilities.

If the R-word is banned, it is still a English word, primarily, we should change the way that we use it and think of it.

My teacher won't let me swear on the Internet

Whenever you swear on others, it is a bad thing. There are a lot of people swearing to try to humiliate or embarrass others. If children are around you, they will copy the word that even they do not know the meanings of them, and use them in bad situations. Most swear words relate to things that they are not "socially acceptable" to discuss in public.



Most people swear because of their anger, surprise and outrage,even sometimes they think it is a form of expressing their feelings.The swearing escapes their lips without thinking. They can not control their mouth. There are some people swearing on the Internet. Do they think about if their parents, teachers, employers see that and what the result is?

To some degree, we can distinguish the ability of people through their words and actions.
Swearing gives others a bad impression
Swearing reduces respect people have for you.
Swearing shows you can not control yourself,and discloses a lack of character.
Swearing is immature.
Swearing reflects ignorance

Keep in mind, how you speak often will reflect on the character of your person. The choices are yours,and the only yours to make.

Modern Day Slavery

Nowadays, slavery still exists. The number of slaves today is higher than  at any point in history.

U.S. President Barack Obama has declared January 2012 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. He said," Around the world, we are monitoring the progress of governments in combating trafficking while supporting programs aimed at its eradication. From forced labor and debt bondage to forced commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary domestic servitude, human trafficking leaves no country untouched.”

Slavery occurs when one person completely controls another person, using violence or the threat of violence to maintain that control, exploits them economically, pays them nothing and they cannot walk away.

Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation.

Chattel slavery, so named because people are treated as the personal property, chattels, of an owner and are bought and sold as commodities, is the original form of slavery. When taking these chattels across national borders it is referred to as Human Trafficking especially when these slaves provide sexual services.

The chocolate bar you snack on likely starts at a plant in a West African cocoa plantation, and often the people who harvest it are children. Many are slaves to a system that produces something almost all of us consume and enjoy. Human trafficking network and farmers using child labor for an industry offering low prices and little more than broken promises. There are child slaves harvesting cocoa, even though some have never even tasted chocolate and some don't even know what the word "chocolate" means.

Slavery: forced to work without pay under threat of violence and unable to walk away.

Slavery is not legal anywhere but happens everywhere.

Slaves work in fields, brothels, homes, mines, restaurants- anywhere slaves owners can feed their greed.

I think they are the three most important facts. Slaves are low prices and they have not any rights. Slaves owners find this advantage, then wring every ounce of sweat and blood out of them. Human-Trafficking saw this situation, and sell the slaves to everywhere widely.

We can be volunteers in the Free the Slaves, we can spread it to the world…There are a lot of things that we can do.

Everyone should do something to end slavery.

What is the true meaning of Christmas?

Charlie Brown was disappointed by the materialism of Christmas.He tried to find a deep meaning of Christmas,but all of his friends laughed at him.He attempted to restore a little Christmas tree that was forlorn,but he failed.
Then Linus Van Pelt said:
"There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."



At last,all of Charlie Brown's friends helped him to decorate the little Christmas tree,and sang together.

I think that is the meaning of Christmas.

Invisible Children

Because of the LRA rebel , lots of children in Uganda are faced with deaths .

The LRA rebel movement can be traced back to a woman named Alice Lakwena. In the 1980s, Lakwena believed the Holy Spirit spoke to her and ordered her to overthrow the Ugandan government for being unjust to the Acholi. Lakwena and her followers, known as the Holy Spirit Movement, gained momentum as resentment toward the government increased. When Lakwena was exiled and no clear leader of the movement was left, Joseph Kony, who claimed to be Lakwena’s cousin, took control and transformed Lakwena’s rebel army into the LRA.
Kony's LRA did not receive the same support as the Holy Spirit Movement from the Acholi people. With dwindling approval for their cause and heightened government offensives, the rebels resorted to abducting children and indoctrinating them into their ranks. It is estimated that more than 90% of the LRA’s troops were abducted as children.
In 1996, as a response to the LRA attacks in the villages, the Ugandan government forcibly evicted thousands from their homes, relocating them into overcrowded camps in hopes of providing protection. But over a decade later, roughly one million individuals still live in these camps and struggle to survive among the effects of abject poverty, rampant disease, and near-certain starvation.

The children take the guns , fight with the enemy instead of going to school . They have danger every minute ,and they are forced to fight . If they don't do it , they will be killed by the people on their side.

In recent years,more and more international attention has been focused on this thing . There are some people try to help these invisible children.
Pressure from the international community combined with a strong desire to secure peace has brought the Government of Uganda and the LRA to the negotiating table on numerous occasions, though they have yet to find a peaceful resolution. The most recent talks commenced in Juba, Sudan in July 2006, and a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement was signed the following month.
But at this point in time, the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement has expired and Joseph Kony has failed to sign the Final Peace Agreement for a fourth time, proving his promises to be futile and ultimately disabling the peace talks.

Later , on December 24th, 2008, the LRA launched a retaliatory attack against the people of DR Congo. In apparent desperation and a renewed will to spread terror to DR Congo, the LRA murdered over six hundred and abducted more than one hundred and sixty children to fight amongst its ranks. More than 104,000 Congolese have been displaced since Christmas in attempts to escape the LRA forces.

I think it is really sad , the society encourages peace , but the crisis can not be stopped even now.We should help those invisible children as much as we can.