Even Mother's Day Has Become Politicized!

     Have you ever wondered why every important (and sometimes trivial or insignificant) topic in our national discourse becomes a matter for political debate?  How is it that our society has suddenly become obsessed with politicizing everything?  For the sake of our discussion, can we agree that by "politicizing" something we mean that we either attack or cast doubt on inappropriate facts ... or assign invalid evidence ... in order to achieve the targeted outcome for a specific agenda?
     A little less complicated way of saying it is that instead of discussing an issue independent of political opinions, or based on its own merit, we tend to tie that issue's significance to an ideological viewpoint.  And in order to win people to our side of the issue, it has become a kind of game of total warfare in which the other side must be obliterated.  Take something as benign as Mother's Day, for instance.
     You might be interested to know that History.com reports that celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced all the way back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele.  But the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.” Once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent and was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home—for a special service.
     As you can see, that tradition has evolved into a more secular observance here in America where children present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation for the sacrifices they made to care for those children.  Mother's Day became an official national holiday in America in 1914.  So how could this seemingly harmless holiday become politicized, you might ask.  After all, we all have mother's, right?  And how can we disagree over a day set aside to celebrate someone as identifiable as, well ... mothers?!
     Over 100 years ago,  Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 8, 1914 (38 Stat. 770), and designated the second Sunday in May each year as "Mother's Day".  Congress also requested the President to call for its appropriate observance.  Every year since then, each President has made an official "declaration" of the day.  If you want to see politicization in action, simply note the gradual change of tone and substance in the last few Presidential proclamations on Mother's Day, as noted in a World Net Daily article: 

     2014:  "For over a century, Americans have come together to celebrate our first friends and mentors, our inspirations and constant sources of strength. Our mothers are breadwinners, community leaders, and pillars of family. They pioneer scientific discoveries, serve with valor in our Armed Forces, and represent our Nation in the loftiest halls of Government. Whether biological, adoptive, or foster, they play a singular role in our lives. Because they so often put everything above themselves, on Mother's Day, we put our moms first...".
     2015:  "Each May, Americans dedicate a day to honor the remarkable women who strive and sacrifice all year to ensure ours is a Nation where all things are possible. Whether married or single, LGBT or straight, biological, adoptive, or foster, mothers are the bedrocks of our lives and the foundation of our society...".
     2016:  "On Mother’s Day, we celebrate those who are first to welcome us into the world.  Performing the most important work there is, mothers – biological, foster, or adoptive – are our first role models and earliest motivators. They balance enormous responsibilities and shape who we become as adults, their lessons guiding us through life... Regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status, mothers have always moved our nation forward and remained steadfast in their pursuit of a better and brighter future for their children...".
     Whoa, wait a minute!  I can definitely see the move towards our cultural acceptance of LGBT families in 2015, but did you catch the reference to gender identity in 2016?  Rather, did you catch the implication that regardless of gender identity, anyone can be identified as a mother?  Even the liberal-leaning dictionary app on my Mac computer identifies "mother" as "a woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has given birth."  And I even have to disagree with that definition.  I do not believe that you have to give birth to a child to be that child's mother.  To be a mother is a function of the God-given character traits of a woman; a genetically-determined characteristic to nurture and train a child.  I'm sorry, but because a man wishes to "identify" as a woman, does not make him a mother.  I know that may sound like a ridiculous proposition to you, but I promise you that it is a very real consideration to those who subscribe to the transgender movement.  And if you re-read the politicized Presidential proclamation you will find that as outlandish as my statement might sound, that is exactly what is being asserted ... that a man may self-identify as a mother.
     As you can see, those who have cultural or political agendas they wish to force on the populace will take every opportunity to make an argument personal, and present the opposite side as cold-hearted and unbending.  "By any means necessary" is the motto of those who wish to push everything from alternative sexual lifestyles to climate change to redistribution of wealth.  All's fair in love and war, after all -- and politics isn't about love.  Politics is a game, and you must play to win, and not give a damn how you achieve the victory.  Attack your opponent, and make it personal; cast doubt on the opposition's belief system; and connect the dots to your agenda and the desired outcome.  That's politicization in a nutshell, and Mother's Day just became the latest victim.

Titus 1:7-9   "For an overseer, as God’s administrator, must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not addicted to wine, not a bully, not greedy for money, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it."