By Judie Brown
Brian K. Sims is a Pennsylvania state representative. In 2012, he “became the first-ever openly gay candidate to be elected to the state house.” He recently joined his fellow legislators in the unveiling of anti-discrimination legislation.
But apparently his anti-discrimination beliefs don’t expand to everyone, as this is the same Brian Sims who hounded a pro-life sidewalk counselor while she prayed the rosary. He then tweeted:
This is the same Brian Sims who recorded himself calling the prayerful pro-life woman “an old white lady” and verbally harassing her, accusing her of the very things he himself was doing and continues to do.
This makes Sims a man who apparently has rejected God, the moral law, and the very sense of decency.
Sims discriminates against pro-life Americans because he believes that pro-lifers have no right to protest against the killing that occurs in Planned Parenthood facilities. He ranted on his video:
“Who would’ve thought that an old white lady would be out in front of a Planned Parenthood, telling people what’s right for their bodies? . . . Shame on you.”
Yet this pro-life sidewalk counselor whom he denigrated shows us what it means to emulate the love and mercy of God. She told Dr. Monique Ruberu, a fellow sidewalk counselor:
“I have forgiven him and am praying for him.” But there is no doubt that Sims never heard that—or even cared—because he was too preoccupied with his hatred of truth.
In response to Sims’ disgusting behavior, pro-life activists gathered in Philadelphia last Friday to make their voices heard, and we are immensely grateful for that. But one protest will not curtail what is happening in our nation today. We must do more, and we must do more each and every day. Those who detest the very practice of faith in action continue to demonize our faith, define us as racist, and accuse us of all manner of intolerance, and they are doing all they can to bully Christians out of the public square. But we will not be deterred.
Philadelphia archbishop, Charles Chaput, applauded last week’s protest. According to the Catholic World Report, he said there is
“‘much bitter irony’ in Sims’ claim to be a champion for the rights of all women while he ‘trampled on the rights of others and disgracefully shamed them in public.’”
What Sims represents to those of us who have witnessed this problem for years is the sort of cultural bullying that is an appropriation of the very idea of tolerance to mean the opposite of what it should. David Warren understands this perfectly, writing that tolerance in today’s politically correct world means “compelling people to publicly approve and support what they believe in good conscience to be moral aberrations.”
And that, my friends, is the problem. God’s moral law is rejected in far too many instances today. We no longer live in a civil society.
If we did, we would not kill babies at every stage of their biological development, and even at birth.
If we did, we would not approve of taking the lives of the ailing, the elderly, and the disabled.
If we did, we would not witness crude and radical elected officials like Sims and so many others who have lost the ability to speak civilly and who have resorted to angry tirades and scream fests instead.
We are living in a morality-free zone, but that should inspire each of us to imitate the wonderful lady who prayed her rosary even in the face of childish screaming and verbal abuse.
As we ponder this, let us recall these words of Christ:
“Though the light has come into the world people have preferred darkness to the light because their deeds were evil. And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it.”
We pray for those who reject the light of His truth. We pray for Brian Sims because he needs to find the Lord. And we need pray for the grace to persist in teaching truth no matter what the cost.