If there is a God, existing in another realm of thought, time and space – I imagine he’s playing chess and watching reruns of Seinfeld on his giant, widescreen plasma TV. I honestly don’t think God sits looking down on the vastness of the planet Earth naming off things that he feels spite him – in one way or another.

On Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI stated that divorce and abortion are “offences in the sight of God” – although Catholics should be “…merciful to those who had experienced such events…”

As a collective, human beings are bound to do things that get dirty looks from the Catholic Church. Divorce happens. People fall out of love. If everyone stayed together for the sake of looking good in God’s eyes we’d probably be killing each other. Now, which do you think God would prefer? A separated couple, verses a dead spouse. People divorce, kids sometimes just stuck in the middle, but y’know, we work through it. As human who have evolved in form and thought, changes like these make us assess the situation and realize what adjustments and sacrifices we have to make in order to survive.

And the Pope’s statement that abortion is an offense to God – please! Abortion may be a choice but it has nothing to do with God. It has to do with a woman’s decision whether or not she wants to have a kid. I honestly don’t understand how one person’s choice became something that everyone (even those without a reproductive system) felt the need to share their opinions on. Earlier this year when the Republican Presidential candidates were stating what that they would overturn Roe V. Wade. If you don’t have the means to give life, then whatever you say on the subject is sounds like background static.

I understand why the Pope said what he said. He’s coming from a long time of beliefs that are very set in their ways. But the women who are having abortions are not having abortions in order to spite God. If anything, God is probably further down the list of people these women are thinking about as they come to this decision – family maybe, their ability to raise a kid and so forth – but God? Unless their ubber religious – I really doubt it.
—Eming Piansay