Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 11 August 2011 — Page 20

Page 20 • The Muncie Times • August 11, 2011

Witness For Justice

Forgive us

Mari Castellanos I grew up reciting the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish. In the Spanish translation of the original text we ask God to, “forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors.” When I came to the States as a youngster, we still prayed in school every morning. So, I was confused by

our debts... the King James language: “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Why would we ask God to forgive us for stepping on somebody else’s property? Trespassing is most commonly used as a legal term for an unauthorized entry upon the land of another. Google will tell you it means “intrude”, “infringe”, or “encroach”; not everyday offenses. Most folks don’t go into their neighbor’s home uninvited. Why then should we be constantly asking God to forgive us our trespasses? The answer is that the term comes from the language used in the British Court 400 years ago, when it was used in a much broader sense. Modem Bible scholarship tells us that the terms used by Matthew were “debts” and

“debtor,” while Luke asks God to “forgive our sins as we forgive those who are indebted to us.” We Americans are serious debtors. Many of us carry large personal debts like mortgages, car loans and credit cards, and our nation owes trillions of dollars. The weight of this debt has a serious impact on our economy, as more and more of our revenue needs to go to pay for what we owe. Congress and the President are at odds about the federal budget. Republicans and Democrats have different ideas about where to make the cuts in the budget and opposite views on raising taxes. Those who hold our national debt don’t necessarily see eye to eye with God on payment plans and debt forgiveness. It is unlikely that any of the nations and institutions to whom we owe all those trillions of dollars will tear up the

chit. Why would anyone forgive the debts of the wealthiest nation? Therefore, we need to cut our spending. This seems reasonable enough. The question is where to make those cuts? Many members of Congress are determined to cut Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and many programs that protect the most vulnerable of our citizens to bring down the debt. An alternative would be to take away some tax breaks from the wealthiest of all Americans in order to preserve the social safety net. But the same members of Congress who want to cut social programs are adamantly opposed to anything that remotely resembles a tax hike, even on the tiniest percentage of Americans: those at the very top of the economic ladder. You can make a difference by telling your member of Congress that it was not the poor who

brought us to this economic crisis. The poor should not bear the burden of solving it. Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 to be connected with your Representative’s office and demand that s/he defends those social programs that protect the most vulnerable Americans.

The United Church of Christ has more than 5,300 churches throughout the United States. Rooted in the Christian traditions of congregational governance and covenantal relationships, each UCC setting speaks only for itself and not on behalf of every UCC congregation. UCC members and churches are free to differ on important social issues, even as the UCC remains principally committed to unity in the midst of our diversity.

United States Senate Youth Program to Select Two Hoosier Delegates

Senators Dick Lugar and Dan Coats announce that the U.S. Senate Youth Program (USSYP) beganits statewide process to select two exemplary Indiana high school students for the 50thAnnual Washington Week program. Two Hoosier students will join 102 other student delegates March 3-10, 2012 in the nation’s capital for a week filled with visiting national landmarks such as Capitol Hill, the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, and the Supreme Court. The USSYP Washington Week is a unique government education program that gives two students from each state, the District of

Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity an extraordinary opportunity to learn about the history and procedures of the Senate, meet the highest level elected officials in the federal government and explorea career in public service. Each of the 104 student delegates will receive a $5,000 undergraduate college scholarship to the college or university of their choice, in addition to the all-expenses paid trip to the nation's capital. Names of students selected will be formally announced mid-December. The Indiana selection deadline is October 1, 2011.

Interested students should contact their high school principal or the state-level selection administrator indicated below: Mr. Andrew Homan Director of Civic Education Indiana Department of Education 230 East Ohio Street, Suite 400 Indianapolis, IN 46204 Ph. (317)269-2415 [email protected] The USSYP was established in 1962 by Senate Resolution 324 and fully funded by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. Since its founding, nearly 5,000 students have participated in this

unique leadership program. Among the many distinguished former program delegates are Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the first program delegate elected to the Senate; Judge Robert Henry, U.S. Court of Appeals; former Ambassador to West Germany Richard Burt; former Presidential Advisor Karl Rove and former Presidential Advisor Thomas "Mack" McLarty. The delegate selection is administered by each state's chief school officer in cooperation with high school principals. Delegates must be junior or senior elected student officers for the 2011-2012 academic year and reside in

Indiana. Eligibility considerations may also be made for student representatives elected or selected (by a panel, commission or board) to regional or state-level civic or educational organizations. Each student must be a permanent resident of the United States and currently enrolled in a public or private secondary school located in the state (including for these purposes the District of Columbia) in which either one of his or her parents or guardians legally resides. Exceptions to the residency rule are made for the Department of Defense Education Activity and for states with schools under Interstate Compacts.

For more information on detailed rules, the selection process and to view the 2011 annual yearbook, visit www.ussenateyouth.org. Lugar contact: Wayne Stanley 202-224-8370 Coats contact: Matt Lahr 202-224- 5623