Good Evening, Everyone:

May all of you have a most blessed week.

Within the last few years, many very high profile celebrities have had children born out of wedlock.  This weekend a very prominent actor/director had his eighth child with his mistress which, in effect, ended his marriage of almost three decades.  Unfortunately, this person’s rather archaic and conservative religious beliefs have placed his recent libertine personal conduct under extreme scrutiny.  This person and his mistress have been the subject of some of the worst Internet comments of the century. Granted due to his rather sanctimonious viewpoints, he had it coming; however, trashing his new born baby is just going too far.  The child is an innocent who had no control over her parentage and should not be penalized by the public’s negative perception of them.

Frankly, I know quite a few people who were born into very similar circumstances and they are some of the nicest people I know. I also have some relatives who were born out of wedlock and I would not trade them for anything in the world. Truthfully, if allowed, time will heal some of the most traumatic emotional experiences.  I know several families who have dealt with these issues and continued to love one another including the offspring who were by-products of extra marital affairs.

One of my dearest cousins was married to a consummate womanizer who conceived several children with other women outside of their marriage in addition to the eight children they had together.  She did not approve of her husband’s promiscuity but had very little control over it.  Being a very spiritually inclined person, she persevered and eventually after 20 years of marriage, her husband died from cancer.  From time to time, driven by curiosity and an innate yearning to know one's roots, one of her husband’s “outside children” will drop in to visit.  My beloved cousin could be mean, spiteful and simply slam her door shut and no one would blame her for doing so.  Fortunately, my wonderful cousin is a “woman of substance” with the spiritual fortitude to forgive as well as “live and let live” which is lacking in so many “so-called” Christians.  She opens her heart and mind to these outsiders and treats them as if she’s known them all their lives.  She makes it a point to introduce them to her children and it is not unusual for these outside children to celebrate holidays and family related events with her family. If this is not caring and compassion at its’ highest, you tell me?

Everyone is not born into the best of circumstances for whatever reasons and stigmatizing people because of them is just plain “inhumane”.  We don’t have any control over where we start in life but how we live it is much more important.  We no longer live in “the Dark Ages” in which religious fanaticism trumped understanding and compassion.  A civilized society knows better and the Christian GOD I believe in and serve expects better.

May Peace Be With All of You,