Opinion: In Defense of Valentine's Day

There are two types of people on Feb. 14 — those who think Valentine’s Day is an overrated pit of commercialism and those who consider it a treasured holiday.  So let me make it clear. I love Valentine’s Day.

Nowadays, you see anti-Valentine’s parties, people that believe Valentine’s Day is overrated and too mushy or individuals that only love it when they’re in a relationship.  For me, it’s different.

Now that I’m 19, it’s considered weird to look at the back of card boxes and laugh at the one that says, “Here comes the smolder.” But, as far as I see it, the only  downside to Valentine’s Day is that Rapunzel Valentines didn’t hit the shelves until 2011.

Good thing being weird doesn’t bother me.

Let me take you on a journey back to Valentine’s Day in elementary school, where my love for the holiday began.

Your teacher probably gave you homework to decorate a box, bag or other Valentine-holding device. For me, the annual process was more than just an assignment. I remember decorating my shoebox with wrapping paper, sticker hearts and some drawings from my little artistic hand.

Shopping for your perfect Valentine’s cards is the next step. You get to choose from cute distorted animals, your favorite animated characters and funny puns, all of which come with matching stickers, tattoos or possibly some lollipop hearts.

The icing on the pink cupcake with heart sprinkles was always that moment when you walked into the classroom after recess and saw how the “class moms” decorated the room for the Valentine’s party. Between the brightly-colored plastic decorations and the table of sweets the teachers would soon regret offering, it was the best day of school that semester where I got to walk around, cookie in hand, giving Valentines to my fellow students.

It’s unfortunate that some people think it’s just a day to remind them of how forever alone they are.

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t love Valentine’s Day just because I currently have a boyfriend. Ever since elementary school, I have been a fan. I love getting to be creative, I love chocolate, I love puns and I am a hopeless romantic. I blame Disney movies and books for that one.

While I have been lucky enough to celebrate this holiday twice with a Valentine, this holiday rooted in my childhood isn’t just about a “significant other.” My parents always make my brother and me a little Valentine’s gift basket. Even now that I’m in college I still look forward to the small present.

To me Valentine’s Day isn’t the one day in the year you show your love. It’s a fun holiday that gives you an excuse to do something special for someone you care about.

Also, having access to an endless amount of chocolate is pretty great too

Duck Dynasty: Controversial Christians?

In short, my opinion on this Phil Robertson vs. A&E controversy is that a lot of people, both “Christians” and “non-Christians” alike, have gotten overly defensive trying to stand up for “their side” of the issue. You can stop reading here if you want, but I’m guessing you’re here because you want to know my thoughts so let me break it down.

First off, if you haven’t read the GQ article and the extent of your knowledge on this subject is a few Facebook statuses, please do not form an opinion until you’ve researched it a little. I decided to read the GQ article and a few blog posts. I realize that I’m still not totally knowledgeable on the subject, but just hear me out. One Phil Robertson quote stood out to me from the original article.

 “We never, ever judge someone on who’s going to heaven, hell. That’s the Almighty’s job. We just love ’em, give ’em the good news about Jesus—whether they’re homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort ’em out later, you see what I’m saying?”

For some reason I haven’t seen this quote shared very much. Is it because it was just overlooked? Maybe it’s because people are so quick to judge that they want to ignore the fact that Phil is not trying to judge them. Maybe I’m completely wrong, but again, these are just my thoughts.

Some of the more popular [and more controversial] quotes I will admit are worded a little crudely.

“It seems like, to me, a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”

Honestly that comment grosses me out a little. I don’t want to read anything like that because it makes me uncomfortable. It is very easy to take this quote out of context and think of it as “hate” or, on the other side, take a stand to support Phil because he believes exactly what you believe. This is him stating his opinion on what he believes to be truth. That’s it. I’m not supporting what he said because he can’t speak for individuals that practice this, I can’t either because I don’t understand it. However, I am not against this comment either, (SPOILER ALERT I’m about to share my personal beliefs) I do believe that homosexuality is a sin. From a biological standpoint it is obvious that men and women are meant to be together. That’s how we reproduce so there’s that. Also the Bible states many times that relationships were designed to be between a man and a women. While there aren’t a whole lot of passages that actually address relationships between two men or two women, Leviticus 18 is all about unlawful sexual relations and verse 22 addresses this issue. In this passage God is speaking to Moses and he says “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.” You don’t have to agree with me, but I believe that the word of God is truth. I have a lot of friends who associate themselves with the term “gay,” “bisexual” or whatever term is politically correct these days. Do I believe their lifestyle is sinful? Yes, but guess what! Everyone sins! So do I believe that everyone is sinful? Yes I do. Personally I am really lazy, ever heard the phrase “idleness is the devil’s workshop?” How you sin is up to you, but theres no escaping it. Humans are sinful creatures.

I read a blog post by a friend on this same issue. He decided to talk about mercy and I thought it was very well thought out. He brought up the bible story of the woman caught in adultery. She was sentenced to death by stoning, but in John 8:7 Jesus says to the men standing before her, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” After each man had walked away Jesus asked, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Don’t be so quick to judge those who are different than you. Spreading hate can only end up in isolation. (Personal belief spoiler alert) Studies show that about 95% of the U.S. population partakes in sexual relations before marriage. I believe that is sinful based on God’s word. Imagine if I decided to be hatful and not associate with 95% of the population. I like my alone time, but not that much.

I hope you don’t read this and automatically put me on Phil’s “side.” While I agree he speaks lot of truth, he doesn’t necessarily say it in a way that is considerate towards everyone. I don’t agree with A&E either because they do not have the right to punish someone for their opinion just because it’s not popular. I hope my fellow Christians realize that while “its about time someone speaks some truth,” Phil Robertson isn’t the only one who can do it. And to anyone “hating” on him because you don’t agree, or if you’re “hating” on those individuals because you’re on “Phil’s side,” don’t be hypocritical. If you hate someone because of their supposed “hatefulness” towards you or your beliefs then how are you any better? Just some food for thought, how would A&E and the rest of the media react if a gay person said they didn’t agree with the heterosexual lifestyle? Phil paraphrased 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 in the GQ article so here is the actual passage.

"Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers — none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." 

I’m not the best writer, I’m sure there are tons of mistakes throughout this post. I don’t know everything, Google helped me out a lot while writing this. I don’t want to pretend like I have it all figured out because that is definitely not true. I just wanted to speak my mind on this particular topic because I think it’s an important issue in today’s society and I wanted to share some of what I believe in. If you have a problem with anything I said please tell me, but know that I’m not trying to create conflict in any way. Thank you for reading.