We can’t legislate morality.  But there is a purpose in legislating laws, and there is a purpose to develop a means to define morality by way of public service campaigns.  Three things that underscore this are the: Civil Rights Act of 1866; Sesame Street; and a murder trial. 

The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was passed, according to Senator Trumbull, who introduced the bill on January 5, 1866, with the intent to “break down all discrimination between black men and white men.” (Foundations of Justice, Prof. Organ and Prof. Vischer, pp186-187, Spring 2012)  However, for decades, our American history has been tarnished with gross violations of this Act in which the white perpetrators received little consequences; if any.  Absolutely, in cases of murder, as discussed in Criminal Law, there needs to be laws for the purposes of deterrence, punishment, and a forum for victim’s resolution.  However, as our history books have documented, the intent of the Act did little affect to deter racial discrimination between blacks and whites. 

However, our history books have also told stories of whites and blacks committed to ending racial discrimination and the atrocities it created.  One such forum was a public service campaign developed in 1966 by way of a children’s educational TV show called Sesame Street; exactly 100 years after the Civil Rights Act of 1866 went into legislative law!!!  This is where American children were exposed to ‘children different then themselves’.  I remember skits where there were children with different hair types, skin colors, etc.  These children were wearing clothes like me and my friends, smiled and laughed at the same things we laughed at, and ate the same foods we ate.  In a very subtle way, black children were identified as Americans; just like me and my friends.  So within years of Hubert Humphrey rebuking the ‘adults’ for their red-ling and perpetrating racial discrimination in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the white children of Rosemount, Minnesota were developing ideas that blacks can be our friends too. 

No doubt there’s more work to be done to reduce racial discrimination.  As much as laws and public service campaigns where created by the greatest of all, our Father the Lord, the Church is made up of people who have their own agendas, fears, and desires.  Praise God there are religious and secular organizations that understand how to combine legislative laws and public service campaigns to reduce racial discrimination!  <><  One such secular organization is WATCH of MN.  WATCH of MN has shown me how to live out my life according to the image of God through the consistent actions of the staff, volunteers, and supporters.  Each person is dedicated to having compassion for the defendant while holding him/her accountable for his/her actions, all the while maintaining the safety of the victim with the utmost importance.  One such incident that I recall was a murder trial perpetrated by a white supremacist against a fellow band member.  This hate crime underscored the need to address Minnesota’s existing Firearms statutes in the courtrooms, and the need for advocates and police officers to develop public service campaigns to reduce incidents of murder. 

The teamwork between the police community, WATCH of MN, other advocates, and judges, such as my mentor, Hon. Mary Madden, is addressing racial discrimination affects on familial homicide.  This is being done by: addressing existing murder laws; escalating racial motivated murder to a hate crime; expanding hate and gang crimes into the domestic abuse realm; and developing campaigns to aid police, victims, and their families to recognize signs of escalating violence towards a victim.  For example, Minnesota has developed a campaign, Blueprint for Safety, which is intended to foresee fatal threats with higher accuracy, efficiency, and police-work accountability.  As a result of this duality of using existing laws and recent public service campaigns, Hennepin county has one of the highest conviction rates in America and has drastically reduced familial homicide in half within a mere decade!!  <><

So, we can’t legislate morality.  But there is a purpose in legislating laws, and there is a purpose to develop a means to define morality by way of public service campaigns that is reducing racial discrimination.  Hence, we now see how the intentions of Senator Trumbull, creators of Sesame Street, and the legal system and advocates of Minnesota are being realized by way of public service campaigns to reduce racial discrimination.  Thank you, Mardell Presler

Daily Discipleship

Christian Legal Society kicked off the new Daily Discipleship time this week. The idea started because our new president, Lucas, wanted to provide a daily opportunity to spend time in community with other Christians. In the past, a Bible study met once a week and the fellowship that was experienced through it left those of us participating wanting more opportunities like it.

The Daily Discipleship is available for anyone who is seeking an opportunity to spend more time with other Christians or wanting to learn more about being a Christian. The Bible reminds Christians repeatedly of the importance of meeting together to seek Him and hold each other accountable.

Hebrews 10:24-25: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

As Christians, we are called to provide encouragement and strength to each other. What better time to do that than in the middle of such a trying time as law school? The friendships made and established during this period will be invaluable to us as we go into the “real world”. Repeatedly, we hear about the importance of networking, but it is actually more than networking to find a job, isn’t it?

The importance of networking goes beyond the job market and should be considered in reference to networking to find a true group of friends. A group of friends committed to strengthening each other and holding each other accountable. No one has yet to tell me that the legal world is easy. Rather, we hear that you must have something to stand on, a base on which to hold your views and not be molded into the stereotype that society gives lawyers.

The Daily Discipleship presents an opportunity to build these friendships and meet others ready to encourage, strengthen, build-up and hold each other accountable. It is our hope that this daily opportunity will establish a foundation to carry us and our fellow classmates far beyond St. Thomas’s walls to make an impact on the legal profession.

Christian Worship Opportunities at St. Thomas

I wanted to share this post I wrote that was featured this week on St. Thomas' Admissions blog, marketed to prospective students (see the original post here):

"I have had a wonderful experience here at St. Thomas, especially with opportunities to deepen my faith and stay connected with God’s calling. I’m delighted to share with you!
I’m a 3rd year (3L) here at St. Thomas, so I’m almost done with law school, which seems crazy! I was excited coming here after learning about the daily Reflection Period, from 12:00-12:30, where time is set aside for worship, prayer, meditation, even yoga. There are no student group meetings and no professors or staff hold office hours; it is a time set completely aside. Daily Mass is offered in the chapel, and there are also several other opportunities to use that time for centering yourself.
When I first started at St. Thomas, I attended a gathering called Weekly Manna during orientation week, and have stuck with it ever since. The group gathers each Wednesday during the law school’s designated Reflection Period. I always compare it to an adult forum or adult Sunday school. We have lunch, then usually open with a reading, feature a speaker reflection (often a member of the faculty), and close with communal prayer. It’s a great chance to connect with other Christians and get free lunch!
As a 1L, I wanted to have more frequent opportunities for Christian worship, so I worked with a few other students and faculty to set aside a room for quiet prayer and reflection each day, as well as start a weekly Bible study, and a weekly Christian worship. Earlier this year, two 1L students wanted to start a prayer group. I helped them get organized, and they now meet every Thursday morning from 8:15-8:45 for breakfast and communal prayer for our community and the world. It has been wonderful to have the administration and faculty be so supportive of students who want to start new activities for spiritual nourishment.
The Bible study has since grown, and Christian Legal Society is working on launching a daily Discipleship group that would gather every day during the Reflection Period for scripture, prayer and fellowship. So, coming soon, there will be not just a quiet space, but actual activities each weekday during the Reflection Period for Christian faith enrichment.
And there’s even more: Prof. Susan Stabile leads several series throughout each semester called “Retreats in Daily Living” that gather weekly, and provide prayer material for each day of the week during the 4-8 week sessions. There are also several Mid-Day Reflections. While she comes from a Catholic perspective, I find it easy as a Protestant to connect with the material. It’s another great community to plug into. She and other faculty also lead Vocation Retreats at the beginning of every semester that help students to focus on God’s calling in their vocation as law students and future lawyers. I have benefited greatly from both the Vocation Retreats (I’ve attended 4) and the Retreats in Daily Living. Her blog contains most of the info on these, http://susanjoan.wordpress.com/, including podcasts of recent sessions.
As I said, St. Thomas has been more than a wonderful place to attend law school; it’s been a nurturing environment for my faith and focus on God’s calling for me."

In Christ,
Kelli

Father Erich Rutten Provides Food for Thought

"If we already have the Truth, why dialogue?"

Kelli: Father Rutten asked this question during his talk yesterday, and I think it bears reflection. There are perceived dangers in dialoguing with a person who does not share your same concept of the Truth, that he might dillute, or pollute, the Truth, or that you might compromise your understanding of the Truth in the interest of being polite. The first thought that jumped into my mind when Father Rutten asked this question was that by engaging in discussion with someone with whom (we believe) we share no common ground, we may very well discover that we have common enemies. By this I mean that in discussing the barriers between us, we may well discover issues we both face in serving our missions. Here's an example: Nationwide, there are ballot issues popping up to require voters to present government issued identification in order to vote. I'm opposed to it because it jeopardizes a person's civil right to vote if they are part of a population for whom it is difficult to obtain a valid, current ID. Those who support it propose it to protect the integrity of the voting system to protect against voter fraud. Now I could say "They just don't want certain populations to vote," or they could say "They just want to allow voter fraud." I don't think we could accurately support either of those assertions just based on the fact that we oppose each other. I used to work at a food bank, and our marketing director used to say "No one is pro-hunger. It's not about convincing them to support your cause; it's about showing them how their involvement makes a difference." Similarly, I don't think anyone is pro-voter fraud, and I don't personally know anyone who is pro-civil rights violations. The common ground that we are having a hard time seeing is that we both want to protect democracy. If we discussed the hurdles we are facing in doing that, we might find that some of the barriers we face are the same, like low voter turnout. Maybe we can't both get everything we want, but we might be able to find common ground after all and appreciate the other side by working together on that common struggle.

The other insight I really took to heart from Father Rutten's talk was the suggestion that we begin dialogue by befriending the "other." I can demonize someone I don't know, but that becomes harder to do when we attend the same church, or have lunch together,or live on the same block. If we get close enough to see them as people, we're more open to sharing about those common struggles and looking for the "unity in diversity" that Father Rutten suggested.

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Dialogue not Debate

Stephanie: During our law school education we tend to default to contentious debates where there are only two outcomes - one side wins, the other side loses. However, Father Erich Rutten offers a different and more productive perspective - a dialogue. The term dialogue comes from the Greek dia - logos which implies an exchange of both listening and talking. Dialogue necessitates an openness to learning and understanding the others participating in the dialogue. Where a debate lacks common ground, a dialogue starts with the basis of a common goal towards the truth. A dialogue maintains the importance of both sides, where a debate seeks to prove one side is better than the other.

A dialogue doesn't need to be a compromise of recognizing the importance of both sides and "agreeing to disagree." No one learns from this conversation. It is a too easy cop-out. Instead, why not enter into a dialogue to learn more about another's perspective? With this understanding, a dialogue serves to aid us in deepening our understanding in both our own perspective and learn from others.

Dialogue use in many different areas becomes increasingly important. Be it religious environments, political, or law life the ability to interaction with others in a meaningful and respectful way raises the communication to a new level. Dialogue permits a multi-dimensional perspective, taking into account many different perspectives that a debate cannot. Perspectives in a dialogue do not neatly fit into the "right" and "wrong" categories. Rather, the perspectives serve to provide a more full picture of the topic.

Dialogue can help inter-religious communities find a common solution to neighborhood crime. Dialogue can help political opponents and adversaries find a solution to our economic crisis. And lastly, dialogue can help parties find a mutually beneficiary solution to problems be it a contract breach or marital disputes. The mission of UST Law includes the search for truth. Dialogue and not debate serves as an effective vehicle for this search for truth.

Mid-Day Dialogue of Faith - Dialogue with Mark Osler on the subject of Intercession

Professors Susan Stabile and Mark Osler invite faculty, staff, and students to take part in “Mid-Day Dialogue on Faith: Intercession” on Wednesday, November 16 at 12:30 p.m. in room 238 at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.
In light of the positive response to the mid-day dialogue between Professors Osler and Stabile on the subject of creeds last spring, this is the first of two Dialogues on Faith that will be offered this academic year. The goal of each Dialogue will be to focus on one particular area on which there is disagreement between Catholics and Protestants (or among Protestants) and engage in a dialogue that will help deepen everyone’s understanding of the views of those outside of their own faith tradition.
This Mid-Day Dialogue between Professors Osler and Stabile will focus on Intercession including questions of “What do Catholics understand to be the intercessory role of Mary and/or the saints? Why do they think intercession is important or valuable? Why are Protestants uncomfortable with the idea of intercession?” These and other questions will be explored during this dialogue, which will also invite the participation of those attending.
As lunch will be served, please RVSP to Bethany Fletcher at moel1755@stthomas.edu.

May I have your attention?

St. Thomas has been a truly wonderful environment for me to grow and deepen my faith, while enduring the most difficult study and stressful times. I can't imagine going through the challenges of law school in any other way. I lead a weekly worship, attend Weekly Manna, and attend a weekly Bible study, all here at the law school. In addition to being involved in several communal faith practices, I am engaged in dialogue with God on a daily basis, most often tucked in the middle of a busy day at school. I pray every day for peace of mind with the stresses de jour, and for my fellow members of the law school community to find the same. For that reason, one might think I have a great sense of peace about exams, papers, and finding a job after law school. Alas, like nearly everyone else, I struggle to place my trust in God that all these things will transpire according to God's will. It seems like no sooner do I turn a care over to God than another pops up; another paper, another prayer request from a friend, another unforeseen obstacle in my path.

Nonetheless, this is the first time in my life I've been so engaged in both a communal faith life and a regular prayer life. Have you ever wondered if the reason we have a lot to pray about, a lot of concerns to give over to God, is so that God has our attention to tell us something?

I'll share an example that has grabbed my attention lately. I attended Susan Stabile's Mid-Day Reflection on the meaning of the saints to our lives last week, here at the law school. (for more on that, see this). When I was thinking about people who've been saints to my life, the life of Dorothy Day came to mind (a short bio can be found here.) I shared with the group that I have been often inspired by her fearless devotion to her faith and her work in God's name. She founded the Catholic Worker, the visible face of which is a regular social justice publication and houses of hospitality throughout the U.S. and Canada, and the world. The houses of hospitality are communal homes for people devoted to work in social justice, often working for little or nothing. Still, Day never worried about how a rent bill would be paid, even though most of the household members of the Catholic Worker houses of hospitality are what we would call indigent. Her faith in God was so strong that she was able to place her trust in God that food would be on the table, lights would be on and rent would be paid because the workers in the house were answering God's call. That trust and faith is an inspiration to me, and my reflection on this lingered long after the lunch gathering.
Just a few days later, I was researching something really quite unrelated when I came across an article that by no means should have been turned up in my search. The article was about the message Dorothy Day's work and words have for the way we think about Work in the modern day. I made a note of the strange coincidence, printed the article, and went on about my work.
Then, a few days later, a guest speaker at Weekly Manna read from a book by Jim Wallis, a social justice activist, writer and theologian. (his bio can be found here). Jim Wallis is another person, though living, who I consider a saint in my life. At least as far as I can tell, every aspect of his life is devoted to living out the social Gospel in real, tangible ways.
You might be wondering how I went from Dorothy Day to Jim Wallis. In 2004, I received a scholarship to attend a two-week pilgrimage to learn about work and social justice. It was then that I learned about Dorothy Day, visited the very first Catholic Worker house in New York City, and saw how the Catholic Worker Newspaper is produced. Two days later, when my clan of pilgrims ventured to Washington, D.C., we stayed in a Catholic Worker house in Georgetown, and visited the Sojourner office, where Jim Wallis, CEO of Sojourner Magazine, presided over a weekly worship that is attended by members of the publication staff, their families, friends and neighbors. The worship was followed by a community meal.
I met Jim Wallis and learned about Dorothy Day in the same week. Those moments were part of a pilgrimage that changed my life. I came to law school, motivated in large part by my desire to provide justice for workers.
I haven't figured out exactly what I'm supposed to get from this, but I certainly no longer believe that these moments are coincidences. I will continue to pray about it, and return to the memories and musings from that pilgrimage, to look for the answer. The bottom line is: God has my attention, and I'm listening now.
So we come full circle. I am in constant dialogue with God because I have so many cares on my heart, so many concerns for my life, friends, family, community and world. If I hadn't been so engaged, if I didn't have so many worries, would I have been listening for what God was trying to tell me?

Interfaith Dialogue

Prof. Susan Stabile shared remarks about yesterday's Weekly Manna reflection on her blog, found here:
We hosted a guest who is now a familiar face at St. Thomas, Neil Willard, rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Edina. I was delighted to hear him talk about interfaith gatherings with such candor. As Prof. Stabile writes, "Too often, he suggested, interactions between people of different faiths involve suppressing differences and watering down individuals’ expressions of their faith. He described experiencing some interfaith prayer services that seemed dull to him because of the participants’ fear of offending each other, leading to a blandness on what was left to say after everything else was excluded."
Neil went on to tell stories of interfaith dialogues, like a Jewish woman who cut his hair at the barber shop, that were more engaging and deepening than most conversations he had with persons of his own faith. Stabile writes, "He talked about how that for interfaith discussions to be meaningful, we need to be authentically ourselves, to bring our whole selves to the conversation. We cannot have meaningful interfaith dialogue unless we bring our differences to the table rather than pretend they don’t exist. As Neil put it, we need to act with faith, and then talk about it."
If you'd like to hear from other speakers, Weekly Manna gathers each week on Wednesdays from Noon to 12:30 p.m. in MSL 334, with lunch provided.
To read more about Neil Willard's reflection, visit Prof. Susan Stabile's blog.