Santorum Features Miracle Daughter Bella in New Campaign Ad | LifeNews.com: Former Senator Rick Santorum released a web video today focusing on the heart and soul of the Santorum family – his 3-year-old daughter Bella, a special-needs child like so many who are targeted in abortions.
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Monday, October 31, 2011
How 10 Billion Will Live
How 10 Billion Will Live - Print View - The Daily Beast: While population growth poses a challenge, it is more a problem of politics than biology.
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Sharpton attacks pregnancy centers
Care Net | BREAKING: Another Pregnancy Center Attack: "On October 26, 2011, on his MSNBC program “Politics Nation,” Reverend Sharpton referred to pregnancy centers as “the most immoral and should be illegal thing in the country” (sic). Sharpton’s outrageous claim occurred during a five minute segment which attempted to indoctrinate the MSNBC audience with false and baseless accusations against pregnancy centers. The segment featured a NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina representative, but failed to include any pregnancy center representative to respond to the allegations."
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Hidden Persuaders
Perhaps the mainstream media are simply incapable of covering more than one social issue at a time. For the moment, the conflict over gay marriage and gays in the military is monopolizing media coverage, TV and print alike. Abortion is barely an afterthought.
There’s an upside to this for the pro-life movement, a benefit of benign neglect. Foes of gay rights are now seen by the press as fighting the bad war, roughly analogous to Vietnam. Pro-lifers are waging the good war, like World War II. “You get much less grief fighting against abortion than you do fighting to preserve traditional marriage,” says Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List.
If only the media knew. They have missed the most important breakthrough in the struggle over abortion in years: the resurgence of the pro-life crusade. Weekly Standard
Friday, October 28, 2011
The Abortionist's Wife
The Abortionists Wife « Stand True Christ Centered Pro-life: She explained that her husband grew up in a home that had no use for religion — the concept is totally foreign to him. The volunteer promised to pray that he would be able to grasp — and eventually embrace — faith. Her teenage child blurted out, “Please do!”
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It's a small world after all
While global population has tripled since the U.N.'s creation in 1945, global fertility rates over the past 100 years have steadily declined, from a high of 6 children per family at the dawn of the 20th century, to about 5 in 1950, to 2.5 today. . . . The United Nations has produced a range of scenarios showing population growing to nearly 10 billion over the next century -- or even as high as nearly 27 billion, if the current rate of population growth continues through the next century. . . . More likely, according to U.N. statisticians, is that population will gradually rise to 8 billion in 2025, 9 billion in 2043, hit 10.1 billion by century's end, and then stabilize.
. . . Demographers have missed some of the most important demographic shifts of the past century. . . . For example, the precipitous drop in Iran's fertility rate, from 6.9 in 1960 to 1.6 today, caught the world by surprise, particularly since most of the decline took place after the Islamic Revolution.
The United States has largely avoided the fate of many other developing countries on the back of its large population of immigrants. Despite its demographic benefits, immigration has come under increasing political attack in the United States, which announced it had deported more than 400,000 foreigners during the past year, more than at any time in U.S. history. But is this really something Washington should be trumpeting? . . . Detroit, which has seen population drop by 25 percent over the past decade, has been brought to its knees. New York City, which has seen an increase of 400,000 people over the same period, has prospered. It's growth driven largely by immigration. Foreign Policy
. . . Demographers have missed some of the most important demographic shifts of the past century. . . . For example, the precipitous drop in Iran's fertility rate, from 6.9 in 1960 to 1.6 today, caught the world by surprise, particularly since most of the decline took place after the Islamic Revolution.
The United States has largely avoided the fate of many other developing countries on the back of its large population of immigrants. Despite its demographic benefits, immigration has come under increasing political attack in the United States, which announced it had deported more than 400,000 foreigners during the past year, more than at any time in U.S. history. But is this really something Washington should be trumpeting? . . . Detroit, which has seen population drop by 25 percent over the past decade, has been brought to its knees. New York City, which has seen an increase of 400,000 people over the same period, has prospered. It's growth driven largely by immigration. Foreign Policy
Blame the Sexual Revolution, Not Men
Mona Charen: Blame the Sexual Revolution, Not Men: Men's capacity to insist upon promiscuity rests completely on female cooperation. And women have been foolishly compliant for decades.
They've conspired in their own disempowerment, not because they love their sexual freedom (though a few may), but because people like Gloria Steinem . . . convinced them that the old sexual mores, along with marriage and children, were oppressive to women.
The resulting decline of marriage has been a disaster for children, a deep disappointment to reluctantly single women and unhealthy for single men, who are less happy, shorter-lived and less wealthy than married men. The sexual revolution has left a trail of destruction in its wake, even when its victims don't recognize the perpetrator.
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They've conspired in their own disempowerment, not because they love their sexual freedom (though a few may), but because people like Gloria Steinem . . . convinced them that the old sexual mores, along with marriage and children, were oppressive to women.
The resulting decline of marriage has been a disaster for children, a deep disappointment to reluctantly single women and unhealthy for single men, who are less happy, shorter-lived and less wealthy than married men. The sexual revolution has left a trail of destruction in its wake, even when its victims don't recognize the perpetrator.
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Alcorn: What’s Encouraging and Concerning about the Evangelical Church in America Today
I’m concerned that there are many young people growing up—and particularly many young men—who, because they are not readers, will not be readers of God’s Word. One day they will be leading our churches, and many of them will not know the Scriptures.
There are still people who are studying and hungering for God’s word. That’s encouraging and good. But there are also a lot of people who are not studying and reading. That is certainly discouraging.
Any suggestions as to how we can improve Biblical literacy in our churches? I think it must be deliberate. For instance, a great idea would be for a church to have a theology conference and say to its body, “Look. Here are some good books—let’s read them.” I would encourage churches to have reading groups. EPM
There are still people who are studying and hungering for God’s word. That’s encouraging and good. But there are also a lot of people who are not studying and reading. That is certainly discouraging.
Any suggestions as to how we can improve Biblical literacy in our churches? I think it must be deliberate. For instance, a great idea would be for a church to have a theology conference and say to its body, “Look. Here are some good books—let’s read them.” I would encourage churches to have reading groups. EPM
Pro-life ad piggybacks on successful atheist campaign
Obama Ignores Promise for Common Ground on Abortion
Group: Obama Ignores Promise for Common Ground on Abortion | LifeNews.com: Today, Catholic Advocate launched a nationwide campaign calling on people of faith to join together to protect our religious liberties. The campaign includes the web video entitled “Common Ground” and a petition calling on President Obama to live up to his promises made at the University of Notre Dame.
There, in a speech that was universally condemned by pro-life advocates and that had the Catholic university facing massive negative press, Obama promised he would respect the conscience rights of those who don’t want to participate in or refer for abortions.
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There, in a speech that was universally condemned by pro-life advocates and that had the Catholic university facing massive negative press, Obama promised he would respect the conscience rights of those who don’t want to participate in or refer for abortions.
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China's one-child policy means many benefits for parents – if they follow the rules
China's one-child policy means many benefits for parents – if they follow the rules | Environment | The Guardian: Rule-abiding parents get preferential hospital treatment and extra land allowances – but the rich can afford to flout the rules.
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Thursday, October 27, 2011
Activists bemoan low priority given to religious freedom
“What a parade of horrors,” said Georgetown University professor Thomas Farr, shaking his head at the statistics and anecdotes reeled off by other panelists: Coptic Christians massacred in Egypt, dissidents jailed in China, a pastor burned to death in Nigeria. Congress in 1998 passed the International Religious Freedom Act, which aimed to boost U.S. efforts to help religious freedom bloom abroad.“The situation has grown so much worse in the past 13 years,” said Tina Ramirez, director of international and government relations at the Washington-based Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. And though forum organizers came down particularly hard on the Obama administration for failing to prioritize religious freedom, panelists also found fault with his two predecessors, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Pew Forum
Saving personhood
FORSYTHE: Saving personhood - Washington Times: The Alabama Supreme Court’s unanimous decision last month in a case called Mack v. Carmack might surprise some Americans. The court held that an unborn child at any time of pregnancy is a person protected by Alabama’s wrongful-death laws. Wrongful-death statutes - which virtually every state has - allow family members to sue for money damages for the death of a “person.”
. . . State protection of the unborn child as a person is no longer a novel thing. It grows year by year, state by state, and the public supports it.Far from being newly minted in Mississippi, recognition of the personhood of the unborn child is a movement as old as English common law, with a long tradition of acknowledging the value that such children hold for their expectant parents and family.
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Study: Men’s Experience of Elective Abortion
New study, “Men’s Experience of Elective Abortion,” an important contribution | NRL News Today: An important study that investigates the meaning of abortion for men —an under-researched subject, if ever there was one—has been published in The Journal of Pastoral Counseling. The authors of “Men’s Experience of Elective Abortion: A Mixed Methods Study of Loss” are Catherine Coyle and Vincent Rue.
Population Graphs Completely Erroneous
No demographer that I know of believes that our numbers will ever double again. In fact, not even the demographers at the UNFPA’s sister agency, the U.N. Population Division, believe it. Their favored graph looks like this:
UN Population Division Medium Variant Projection
This projection shows the world’s population peaking at 10 billion by the last decades of the 21st century, not steadily climbing to 13 billion and beyond. LifeNews
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
FRC Action Congressional Scorecard
FRC Action: How did your member of Congress vote on issues affecting life and families? This scorecard looks at ten votes in the House and eight votes in the Senate for the First Session of the 112th Congress.
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Land: God calls some into public service
Land: God calls some into public service: God calls some Christians to public service in order to uphold justice, Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land told law and government students at Regent University. Land cited Romans 13 in saying God ordained civil government, which “exists to curtail evil and to reward the good.” Since government is “divinely ordained,” Land said, he thinks God “does call some of us to be involved in government, because you cannot write laws that will protect you from bad application by evil people.”
“Laws can only do so much to bring about justice,” said the president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. “If you are really going to have justice in a society, then you are going to have to have people who are seeking justice within the system who are working in the system …”
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“Laws can only do so much to bring about justice,” said the president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. “If you are really going to have justice in a society, then you are going to have to have people who are seeking justice within the system who are working in the system …”
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Flushing live goldfish down loos banned
Flushing live goldfish down loos banned | News.com.au: Swiss owners who have been flushing them down the toilet - still alive - must now find other methods since strict, new animal protection laws took effect today. Instead, a fish must be first knocked out and then killed before its body can be disposed of, the law stipulates.
A Better Way to Fight Abortion
RELEVANT Magazine - A Better Way to Fight Abortion: Bryan Chapell writes, "[M]y intention when answering what the Church should do about abortion is to call the Church to what the Church does best. I want to challenge you to consider the unique contribution that the Church can make, to recognize that some of our tensions and frustrations with each other may result from trying to force the Church into patterns and practices that are outside her divine design. As a result, in our churchly attempts to influence popular culture, we may have been too quick to seek alternatives to the spiritual forces that are the true and greater powers influencing the direction of any society (Ephesians 6:12). And it is these spiritual forces that must be the chief preoccupation of the Church."
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Personhood Amendment Wrong for Wisconsin
A Personhood Amendment is Wrong for Wisconsin - Wisconsin Right to Life - wrtl.org/pa: There are very important reasons why a personhood amendment strategy is not necessary, risky -- and just plain wrong for Wisconsin.
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Worldwide Abortion Statistics
Facts About Abortion: Worldwide Abortion Statistics: Facts and figures relating to the incidence of abortion worldwide.
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Environmentally Considerate: Having Compassion for the Whole Earth
Environmentally Considerate: Having Compassion for the Whole Earth. - YouTube: Environmentalism is considered by many to be compassionate. It also can be extremely misguided. The poor need compassion, yet environmentalist laws and regulations restrict access to resources, extenuating the ability of the poor to use them to either subsist or elevate their position. This extreme regressive tax has negative moral implications for the environmentalist movement. True compassion seeks to empower the poor without hurting others, not hurt everyone especially the poor.
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La Nina throwing cold water on global warming
ICECAP: "Predictions of a permanent El Nino have failed as has the relationship between increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the air and global temperature. The powerful interest groups behind man made global warming will ignore what nature is doing and continue to preach rapid warming. They will pound their fists on the table of public opinion, insisting this will cause melting ice, rising seas levels, drowning polar bears and blame every severe storm, cold wave, heat wave, snowstorm, drought, flood, hurricane and tornado on climate change and our use of fossil fuels. In the real world the new era of colder water in the Pacific Ocean will generate colder and longer lasting La Nina’s and continue to throw cold water on global warming. I wonder when reality will begin to sink in for those invested in man made climate change? The answer for many will be never."
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The Abortion Stalemate: Can 'I Don't Know' Break It?
When does a fetus become a human being? I don't know. Do you?
A lot of people think they do. We have heard a great deal from them since 1973 and Roe v. Wade. In the process, the two sides have fought pitched battles on a host of issues. They have made little if any progress toward dialogue with each other. Perhaps we should start the discussion over. Perhaps "I don't know" is the place to start.
. . . St. Augustine, in his Enchiridion, suggested that this question "may be most carefully discussed by the most learned men, and still I do not know that any man can answer it." (For more on the variety of approaches to the question, see Justice Harry Blackmun's opinion in Roe v. Wade.)
True, Augustine didn't have access to ultrasound. One might argue that today's medical technology has proven what the ancients could only guess at. But while it has informed the debate to a great degree, it cannot provide a definitive answer, because "becoming human" is not a scientific question but a spiritual or philosophical one. And who can answer any such question definitively? Huffington Post
A lot of people think they do. We have heard a great deal from them since 1973 and Roe v. Wade. In the process, the two sides have fought pitched battles on a host of issues. They have made little if any progress toward dialogue with each other. Perhaps we should start the discussion over. Perhaps "I don't know" is the place to start.
. . . St. Augustine, in his Enchiridion, suggested that this question "may be most carefully discussed by the most learned men, and still I do not know that any man can answer it." (For more on the variety of approaches to the question, see Justice Harry Blackmun's opinion in Roe v. Wade.)
True, Augustine didn't have access to ultrasound. One might argue that today's medical technology has proven what the ancients could only guess at. But while it has informed the debate to a great degree, it cannot provide a definitive answer, because "becoming human" is not a scientific question but a spiritual or philosophical one. And who can answer any such question definitively? Huffington Post
Abortion, divorce and ‘same-sex marriage’: no blood, no foul?
Abortion, divorce and ‘same-sex marriage’: no blood, no foul? | LifeSiteNews.com: "We have been personally harmed by the regimes of abortion and easy divorce. We might not realize it; we might have survived it; we might choose to ignore it; we might even have recovered. But we have all been harmed."
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Bioethical company studying possible aborted fetal cell vaccine/autism link
Bioethical company studying possible aborted fetal cell vaccine/autism link | LifeSiteNews.com: People would be shocked if they knew the extent to which fresh aborted fetal tissue and aborted fetal cell lines are used in biomedical research. Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute, of Seattle, says it is the only non-profit biomedical research institute that refuses to use any morally objectionable research method at any step in the process.
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‘Baby trafficking’ scandal just the tip of the IVF/surrogacy iceberg
CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Sandra Endo this week reported on the surrogacy business of Hilary Neiman and Theresa Erickson, two of the most prestigious reproductive law attorneys in the world, who impregnated surrogates before adoptive parents were found. If the baby survived to the second trimester, the attorneys auctioned him or her off to the highest bidder, up to $180,000 per baby.
The line between legal and illegal surrogacy is not always clear: the CNN story notes that the attorneys offered “designer babies in race and gender,” an option advertised by several U.S. IVF clinics legally. The business’s only legal foul was its non-compliance with California law requiring adoptive parents to sign up before the baby - already created in a laboratory - was implanted in a surrogate, instead of after.
But Jennifer Lahl, the founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, said the chilling aspects of Neiman and Erickson’s “baby trafficking” don’t only belong to illegal fertility operations. “Ms. Erickson and her co-conspirators violated a legal distinction without a difference,” said Lahl. “Erickson broke the law by having the surrogate impregnated before the contracts were signed. But commercial surrogacy, whether done legally or Erickson’s way, is still selling babies. Just because something is legal doesn’t make it ethical.” LifeSiteNews
The line between legal and illegal surrogacy is not always clear: the CNN story notes that the attorneys offered “designer babies in race and gender,” an option advertised by several U.S. IVF clinics legally. The business’s only legal foul was its non-compliance with California law requiring adoptive parents to sign up before the baby - already created in a laboratory - was implanted in a surrogate, instead of after.
But Jennifer Lahl, the founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, said the chilling aspects of Neiman and Erickson’s “baby trafficking” don’t only belong to illegal fertility operations. “Ms. Erickson and her co-conspirators violated a legal distinction without a difference,” said Lahl. “Erickson broke the law by having the surrogate impregnated before the contracts were signed. But commercial surrogacy, whether done legally or Erickson’s way, is still selling babies. Just because something is legal doesn’t make it ethical.” LifeSiteNews
Bachmann Calls Abortion a State Issue, Then Denies Saying It
Bachmann Calls Abortion a State Issue, Then Denies Saying It [VIDEO] - International Business Times: At a recent press conference, Michele Bachmann called regulating late-term abortions "a state issue." The video of her remarks is online, but she now says she never made them. She claims she's always been unequivocal about abortion being an issue for the federal government.
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CAL THOMAS: Pictures will change minds on abortion
CAL THOMAS: Pictures will change minds on abortion - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee: "Mandating sonograms creates for "pro-choicers" an impossible intellectual, not to mention moral dilemma. If they oppose women receiving information, they are censors. Pro-lifers are aligning themselves with truth in labeling and truth in lending laws requiring that information be provided to women (and men) in order to help make decisions presumed to be in their best interests.
"When pro-choicers stand in the way of women receiving information about such a critical decision, they place themselves where they say conservatives reside, in the land of intolerance and ignorance."
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"When pro-choicers stand in the way of women receiving information about such a critical decision, they place themselves where they say conservatives reside, in the land of intolerance and ignorance."
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Let’s get real about Down syndrome
Let’s get real about Down syndrome: Prenatal decisions about Down syndrome present profound and deeply personal challenges to expectant parents. But for the first time, data about real families is available and can be considered by couples when they receive the diagnosis.
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Theological Newspeak: Why Some Folks Call Me, Ken Ham and Other Biblical Creationists “Radical Liberals”
Theological Newspeak: Why Some Folks Call Me, Ken Ham and Other Biblical Creationists “Radical Liberals” | DefendingGenesis.org: ExtraBiblical creationists are those who give lipservice to the Biblical doctrine of Creaton but actually hold extraBiblical sources as their ultimate authority where it concerns Genesis and related passages dealing with Creation, the Fall and the Flood.
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011
China cuts access to lawyer who fought one-child policy
China cuts access to lawyer who fought one-child policy - World Wires - MiamiHerald.com: An aggressive security cordon is maintained for just one reason: to keep a blind man from speaking to the world. Since he left prison last September, Chen Guangcheng has been held under extrajudicial house arrest that's said to include floodlights installed around his home and escorts for his 6-year-old daughter to and from school. Until the Communist Party of China decides otherwise, the 39-year-old Chen, instantly recognizable by his dark glasses and mustache, will remain tucked away in a lawless limbo.
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Bible-Based Subterfuge in U.S.-China (Religious) Relations
Articles: Bible-Based Subterfuge in U.S.-China (Religious) Relations: The Chinese Communist Party, one of the worst religious freedom violators in the world, is currently conducting a propaganda campaign sponsored by and directed at American Christians. The exhibition, titled "Thy Word is Truth (John 17:17)," is a display of Chinese Bibles ranging from Silk Road origins to the current growth of Protestant Christianity in China. This Bible-centric approach suggests that the exhibition is specifically designed to appeal to American evangelicals.
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Why wont Dawkins show?
Paul Vallely: God knows why Dawkins won't show - Commentators, Opinion - The Independent: The evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins has declined an invitation to debate William Lane Craig. In response, the promoters of the event have placed adverts on the city's coaches which sarcastically echo those splashed on London buses a couple of years back announcing: "There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." The new version says: "There is probably no Dawkins. Now stop worrying and enjoy Oct 25th at the Sheldonian Theatre."
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Repairing Damaged Heart Muscle With Stem Cells From Umbilical Cord Blood
Repairing Damaged Heart Muscle With Stem Cells From Umbilical Cord Blood: The study found that it is possible to expand up to seven-fold, in vitro, rare stem cells from human cord blood and then grow them into cardiac muscle cells. The findings could have major implications on future treatment following a heart attack given that cells obtained from adults following a heart attack may be less functional due to ageing and risk factors.
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Total Capitulation: The Evangelical Surrender of Truth
AlbertMohler.com – Total Capitulation: The Evangelical Surrender of Truth: Following a line of argument popular among secular observers of conservative Protestantism, [Gilberson and Stephens] explain that fundamentalism “appeals to evangelicals who have become convinced that their country has been overrun by a vast secular conspiracy.” In other words, they explain evangelical conviction in terms of psychology, not theology. Evangelicals, they argue, “have been scarred by the elimination of prayer in schools; the removal of nativity scenes from public places; the increasing legitimacy of abortion and homosexuality; the persistence of pornography and drug abuse; and acceptance of other religions and of atheism.”
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David Frum’s Abortion Fantasy
David Frum’s Abortion Fantasy: Alcohol prohibition banned the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol. But the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol, on its own, was not a violation of the human rights of another human being. Alcohol prohibition, therefore, was solely a moral issue. In contrast, abortion is a direct violation of all the human rights of another human being, including the fundamental right to life.
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Monday, October 24, 2011
Boomers face STI increase
Boomers face STI increase - Local News - News - Health - The Advertiser: STI screening and sexual health promotion has been targeted at the under-29s. Among the research on baby boomer sexuality was a study on an online dating site that found over-60s participants were likely to engage in sex the first time they met face to face. Despite rates of chlamydia doubling in the past four years and a huge campaign to test young people, most older people would not be tested.
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How abortion became a political litmus test
How abortion became a political litmus test - The Washington Post: "[A]s recently as the 1970s, views on abortion didn’t break down along party lines. As a number of academic studies have pointed out, abortion has been transformed from an incidental political issue to a core litmus test over the past 30 years."
Editor: Of course, it wasn't until the 70s that abortion was legalized, so it wouldn't have been on the political radar. Duh!
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‘We never stopped trusting'
‘We never stopped trusting’: expecting triplets, couple was advised to make a horrifying choice | LifeSiteNews.com: At twelve weeks, when it became clear that Jennifer was expecting triplets, her obstetrician referred her to a specialist. The ultrasound showed that the babies were all doing well. So the parents were shocked when the doctor began to paint a frightening picture.
She recited statistics about the special dangers of pregnancy and fetal development with triplets, the potential birth defects and complications that could attend multiple births. “The glass was always half-empty,” Erin recalled, “never half full.”
“Is there anything wrong with the children?” the parents wanted to know. “Not at this point,” the doctor said. “But triplets are dangerous. And you know, if they all survive to term, it takes parents more than 24 hours a day to care properly for three infants.” After listing all the things that could go wrong, the doctor proposed a solution: “Selective reduction.”
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She recited statistics about the special dangers of pregnancy and fetal development with triplets, the potential birth defects and complications that could attend multiple births. “The glass was always half-empty,” Erin recalled, “never half full.”
“Is there anything wrong with the children?” the parents wanted to know. “Not at this point,” the doctor said. “But triplets are dangerous. And you know, if they all survive to term, it takes parents more than 24 hours a day to care properly for three infants.” After listing all the things that could go wrong, the doctor proposed a solution: “Selective reduction.”
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7 Billion People: What Population Control Advocates Don't Say
7 Billion People: What Population Control Advocates Don't Say | LifeNews.com: Over the weekend, some version of the Associated Press article “World Population Nearing 7 Billion” ended up in most major newspapers. Here’s the gist of the article: Women and their families living in poverty, not enough food, water, or access to education – all because they have too many children. The intended message? The world is going to collapse under the weight of its burgeoning population unless something is done. United Families International offers a rebuttal to this claim.
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‘Snowmen’ a moral tale for a younger generation
From producer of ‘The Passion’, ‘Snowmen’ a moral tale for a younger generation | LifeSiteNews.com: New movie Snowmen, featuring Christopher Lloyd, tells a tale of fame and friendship in the story of three boys on a quest to make a name for themselves - and a record number of snowmen - who wind up instead discovering what really matters in life.
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Russian parliament votes to restrict abortion
After years of demographic decline, Russian parliament votes to restrict abortion | LifeSiteNews.com: Russia’s national parliament has voted to restrict abortion for the first time in decades, in the face of a demographic decline that has reduced the population by 2.9% since 1992. The new law, which is expected to be signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, prohibits abortions beyond the 12th week of pregnancy, and imposes a mandatory waiting period of between two and seven days. Exceptions are permitted for economic hardship, which allows abortions up to the point 22 weeks of gestation.
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The Bible's Teaching on Marriage and Family
The Bible's Teaching on Marriage and Family: Incredible as it may seem, we can no longer assume that people in our culture understand what the proper definition of "marriage" and "the family" is. Not only is this a sad commentary on the impact of same-sex marriage activists on our society, it also shows how the culture's memory of the biblical tradition on which it is largely based is fading fast. What is marriage, biblically defined? And what is the biblical definition of a family?
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The sacredness of human life
Rhetorical use of “sacredness of life” language in the last 40 years of culture wars has been highly damaging. The term has become a cudgel in the fight over abortion, and sometimes stem cells, biotechnology, and end-of-life health care issues.
It is often deployed by politicians with little sensitivity to other issues. Because of its heavy use by conservative Christians, progressive Christians have tended to recoil whenever the term is used. This has ironically kept them from accessing the extraordinary power of this conviction for causes that merit it.
Any coherent use of the concept that “human life is sacred” must mean that each and every human being has elevated status or rank and must be treated in accord with their status. When Christians say that human life is sacred, most of the time what they are really saying is that each and every human being, without exception, has been designated by God as a creature of incalculable worth.
This divine designation has moral implications for us, demanding that we adopt a posture of respect and even reverence toward human beings, and that we act to protect human life from wanton destruction or desecration. It should also include a tenderhearted desire to see human beings flourish, not just survive. ABP
It is often deployed by politicians with little sensitivity to other issues. Because of its heavy use by conservative Christians, progressive Christians have tended to recoil whenever the term is used. This has ironically kept them from accessing the extraordinary power of this conviction for causes that merit it.
Any coherent use of the concept that “human life is sacred” must mean that each and every human being has elevated status or rank and must be treated in accord with their status. When Christians say that human life is sacred, most of the time what they are really saying is that each and every human being, without exception, has been designated by God as a creature of incalculable worth.
This divine designation has moral implications for us, demanding that we adopt a posture of respect and even reverence toward human beings, and that we act to protect human life from wanton destruction or desecration. It should also include a tenderhearted desire to see human beings flourish, not just survive. ABP
Don't Adopt!
Don't Adopt!, Christian News: If you want your “dream baby,” do not adopt or foster a child: buy a cat and make-believe. Adopting an orphan isn’t ordering a consumer item or buying a pet. Such a mindset hurts the child, and countless other children and families. Adoption is about taking on risk as cross-bearing love.
Russell D. Moore: "For years, I’ve called Christian churches and families to our James 1:27 mandate to care for widows and orphans in their distress, to live out the adoption we’ve received in the gospel by adopting and fostering children. At the same time, I’ve maintained that, while every Christian is called to care for orphans and widows, not every Christian is called to adopt or foster. As a matter of fact, there are many who, and I say this emphatically, should not."
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Russell D. Moore: "For years, I’ve called Christian churches and families to our James 1:27 mandate to care for widows and orphans in their distress, to live out the adoption we’ve received in the gospel by adopting and fostering children. At the same time, I’ve maintained that, while every Christian is called to care for orphans and widows, not every Christian is called to adopt or foster. As a matter of fact, there are many who, and I say this emphatically, should not."
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“Downward Mobility” and the Need for More People
FRC Blog » “Downward Mobility” and the Need for More People: In a characteristically perceptive op-ed titled “Downward Mobility,” Washington Post economics writer Robert Samuelson notes that “for young Americans, the future could be dimmer.”
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The 'Big Love' strategy
TLC used to be called "The Learning Channel," which prompts the question: What are Americans learning from sympathetic portrayals of polygamy in popular culture? . . . [P]olygamy violates the equality and personal dignity of men and women. It contradicts the uniqueness and exclusivity of the marital bond. This is why the Christian church has always regarded it as a violation of God's moral law. Christianity Today
My Take: The church can end extreme poverty
My Take: The church can end extreme poverty – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs: "Governments have their role. Charitable organizations have theirs. But no entity has the reach, the placement and the backbone to meet the needs of the poor, as do the churches located in the world’s poorest communities."
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Debate: Is social justice an essential part of the mission of the Church?
Henry Center :: Trinity Debates: North American Evangelicals have recently experienced a revival of interest in issues of social justice. The growing sentiment among many today is that Jesus preached “good news to the poor,” and was indeed among the poor and marginalized. These Christians believe that the implications of these facts should renew the church’s understanding of the gospel and its mission. Rightly or wrongly, this interest in social justice is transforming the blueprint and vision of ecclesial ministry.
For others, this blueprint conjures up concerns about 20th century liberal Protestantism and a watering down of the gospel’s message of salvation. The debate can be viewed live October 27, 2011 at 7:00 pm from the Henry Center website.
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For others, this blueprint conjures up concerns about 20th century liberal Protestantism and a watering down of the gospel’s message of salvation. The debate can be viewed live October 27, 2011 at 7:00 pm from the Henry Center website.
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Sojourners accepts $ from Soros
WORLD Magazine | There he goes again | Marvin Olasky | Oct 22, 11: In addition to another gift of $150,000 from George Soros' Open Society Foundation, Sojourners has paid its bills through contributions from co-religionists but also with $250,000 from The Tides Foundation, $200,000 from the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations, and additional sums from Barbra Streisand and others.
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285 Indian girls shed 'unwanted' names
The 285 girls — wearing their best outfits with barrettes, braids and bows in their hair — lined up to receive certificates with their new names along with small flower bouquets from Satara district officials in Maharashtra state. In shedding names like "Nakusa" or "Nakushi," which mean "unwanted" in Hindi, some girls chose to name themselves after Bollywood stars such as "Aishwarya" or Hindu goddesses like "Savitri." AP
If the Other 90% Had Lived
God knew exactly what He was doing. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13 NIV
Each time I hear that 90% of all Down Syndrome babies are aborted, I feel my heart breaking; and I wonder, What conflicts might have been avoided if only those other 90% had been allowed to live? Adventures with Laura
Friday, October 21, 2011
Cain Releases Clarifying Statement
Cain Releases Clarifying Statement: I'm Pro-Life on Abortion | LifeNews.com: "As to my political policy view on abortion, I am 100% pro-life. End of story. I will appoint judges who understand the original intent of the Constitution. Judges who are committed to the rule of law know that the Constitution contains no right to take the life of unborn children. I will oppose government funding of abortion. I will veto any legislation that contains funds for Planned Parenthood. I will do everything that a President can do, consistent with his constitutional role, to advance the culture of life."
Related: Right to Life vouches for Cain
Editor: So why didn't he say this when Piers Morgan was questioning him? Why didn't he answer Morgan's question?
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Related: Right to Life vouches for Cain
Editor: So why didn't he say this when Piers Morgan was questioning him? Why didn't he answer Morgan's question?
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Obama Religious Outreach Can't Hide Abortion Record
Pro-Lifers: Obama Religious Outreach Can't Hide Abortion Record | LifeNews.com: The Democratic National Committee announced today a new director of religious outreach who will undoubtedly attempt to help Obama get votes from social conservatives, whom he has turned off with his extensive pro-abortion record.
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Thursday, October 20, 2011
Michigan Senate passes bills to ensure humane disposition of fetal remains
Right to Life of Michigan's Blog: Michigan Senate passes bills to ensure humane disposition of fetal remains: Senate Bill 25 and Senate Bill 54 were approved by the Michigan Senate today by votes of 33-5, closing loopholes in Michigan law which currently allow the bodies of aborted babies to be legally thrown into common trash dumpsters if certain disposal procedures are first followed. The two bills change the law to require that the remains of unborn children be either buried or cremated.
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Aristotle, the poor pregnant mom, and true happiness
MCCL Blog: Aristotle, the poor pregnant mom, and true happiness: Aristotle, and even more fully Thomas Aquinas, showed that the way to true happiness consists in activity in accordance with virtue. There can be, therefore, no authentic happiness found in activity that is unjust.
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Chinese man sues wife over abortion 'without consent'
Chinese man sues wife over abortion 'without consent': Liu Gang, 34, divorced his wife and demanded 30,000 yuan (S$5,978) in psychological compensation after his partner Li Fenfen, 31, terminated her pregnancy in favour of a job promotion.
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Pray for the President? Yes thou shalt.
Pray for the President? Yes thou shalt. – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs: Conceived in November 2000 in an adult Sunday school class in Scottsdale, AZ, the Presidential Prayer Team takes its charge from the words of the Apostle Paul to his disciple in 1 Timothy 2:1-2.
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Apostles, prophets ... and Republicans? Obscure religious belief haunts presidential race
Apostles, prophets ... and Republicans? Obscure religious belief haunts presidential race - The Washington Post: Organizers of Rick Perry's Houston prayer event, such as Lou Engle, leader of The Call prayer marathons, and Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, had for several years been under the watch of mostly liberal writers alarmed by the preachers’ rhetoric.
The end of the world is an intense focus of many of the religious leaders involved in the rally. Engle has said that the tornado that leveled Joplin, MO, last May was evidence of God’s judgment on the country over abortion. Bickle views acceptance of same-sex marriage as a sign of the end times.
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The end of the world is an intense focus of many of the religious leaders involved in the rally. Engle has said that the tornado that leveled Joplin, MO, last May was evidence of God’s judgment on the country over abortion. Bickle views acceptance of same-sex marriage as a sign of the end times.
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Liberty University’s Johnnie Moore speaks the language of young evangelicals
Liberty University’s Johnnie Moore speaks the language of young evangelicals - The Washington Post: At a time when young white evangelicals are pushing back against the marriage of their faith with the GOP, Moore looks like he might be a key to the future, espousing a Christianity that is at once orthodox and social justice-minded.
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Massive petition campaign launched to Defund Planned Parenthood
Massive petition campaign launched to Defund Planned Parenthood | LifeSiteNews.com: An ambitious petition campaign demanding that Congress immediately pass legislation to defund the abortion giant Planned Parenthood was launched today.
Click here to sign the petition to Defund Planned Parenthood.
The petition has an initial goal of 100,000 signatures. Once that goal is reached, the signatures will be presented to all U.S. Congressmen and Senators.
Click here to sign the petition to Defund Planned Parenthood.
The petition has an initial goal of 100,000 signatures. Once that goal is reached, the signatures will be presented to all U.S. Congressmen and Senators.
The Myth of the Unwanted Child
The Myth of the Unwanted Child | Urban Faith: As a co-founder of the Radiance Foundation, Ryan Bomberger is one of the minds behind the controversial ‘Black Children Are an Endangered Species’ billboard campaign. Here’s why he thinks the black community should be at the forefront of the pro-life cause.
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011
As A Black Pro-Life Conservative, I'm an Uncle Tom for Life
As A Black Pro-Life Conservative, I'm an Uncle Tom for Life | LifeNews.com: Uncle Tom’s selflessness, Christian faith, and his death at the hands of his slave master served as a catalyst to set others free. Our culture of abortion, and the bondage it has created, is crying out for heroes like Uncle Tom. We need more that will bravely stand up to an unjust system that denies the humanity of God’s creation.
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The Evangelical Rejection of Reason
The Evangelical Rejection of Reason - NYTimes.com: "As one fundamentalist slogan puts it, 'The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it.' But evangelical Christianity need not be defined by the simplistic theology, cultural isolationism and stubborn anti-intellectualism that most of the Republican candidates have embraced.
"Like other evangelicals, we accept the centrality of faith in Jesus Christ and look to the Bible as our sacred book, though we find it hard to recognize our religious tradition in the mainstream evangelical conversation. Evangelicalism at its best seeks a biblically grounded expression of Christianity that is intellectually engaged, humble and forward-looking. In contrast, fundamentalism is literalistic, overconfident and reactionary."
Response: Two “Evangelicals’” Rejection of Reason, by Calvin Beisner
Related:
Environmentalism as religion
Evidence that the sun drives the oceans which control our weather and climate
"Like other evangelicals, we accept the centrality of faith in Jesus Christ and look to the Bible as our sacred book, though we find it hard to recognize our religious tradition in the mainstream evangelical conversation. Evangelicalism at its best seeks a biblically grounded expression of Christianity that is intellectually engaged, humble and forward-looking. In contrast, fundamentalism is literalistic, overconfident and reactionary."
Response: Two “Evangelicals’” Rejection of Reason, by Calvin Beisner
Related:
Environmentalism as religion
Evidence that the sun drives the oceans which control our weather and climate
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Death of IndyCar Driver Dan Wheldon Reflects the Sport’s Lack of Respect for Life
Death of IndyCar Driver Dan Wheldon Reflects the Sport’s Lack of Respect for Life :Operation Rescue: "As I followed race after race this year it became more than apparent that the safety of the drivers was not the first concern of IndyCar officials."
Editor: Yes, it is a shame that the love of money overcame respect for human life, but no one was forcing drivers 29-34 to race. They had a choice about whether to race or not. If they had misgivings and still raced, what does that say about their personal values?
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EU bans patents of stem cells if embryo destroyed
EU bans patents of stem cells if embryo destroyed - FRANCE 24: Europe's top court on Tuesday banned researchers from patenting any process to extract stem cells when it leads to the destruction of a human embryo. In a ruling that could affect medical research, the EU Court of Justice court said the use of human embryos "for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes which are applied to the human embryo and are useful to it is patentable. But their use for purposes of scientific research is not patentable." Secondhand Smoke commentary
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Answers for Women Conference—April 19–20, 2012
Answers for Women | Answers Outreach: Does God’s Word really have the answers to the questions I face every day? Hasn’t science shown the Bible isn’t true? If God is good, why is my life filled with so much pain and suffering? What does it mean to be a woman of God? Whether you’re a mother, wife, or single woman, if you have questions like these, this conference is for you!
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Cain consistent on abortion
Give Herman Cain credit for consistency. . . . On Sunday he outlined his position on abortion, though "outline" suggests a combination of elements, whereas Cain's points are one point: no abortion. . . .
The Romney position is illogical. If one believes that an embryo is the moral equivalent of a living human being, abortion is homicide even when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. (Abortion to save the life of the woman is allowed even in this scheme because the doctor can save only one life.)
Politicians embrace the Romney position because even some antiabortion types are squeamish about forcing a woman to raise a child conceived in painful circumstances. But extend that solicitude for the woman to other sorts of hardships and you end up supporting abortion in plenty of "ordinary" situations. Herman Cain seems to understand that. LA Times op-ed
The Romney position is illogical. If one believes that an embryo is the moral equivalent of a living human being, abortion is homicide even when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. (Abortion to save the life of the woman is allowed even in this scheme because the doctor can save only one life.)
Politicians embrace the Romney position because even some antiabortion types are squeamish about forcing a woman to raise a child conceived in painful circumstances. But extend that solicitude for the woman to other sorts of hardships and you end up supporting abortion in plenty of "ordinary" situations. Herman Cain seems to understand that. LA Times op-ed
Girls as young as ONE 'forced to have sex change operations in India'
Girls as young as one are being forced into sex change operations in India by parents desperate for a son. Surgeons in the city of Indore are reported to be 'converting' hundreds of girls a year, who are subsequently pumped full of hormone drugs. A report in the respected Hindustan Timesnewspaper said the 'shocking, unprecedented trend, catering to the fetish for a son, is unfolding at conservative Indore's well-known clinics and hospitals on children who are one to five years old. Daily Mail
Through crisis pregnancy centers: churches promote life, love
Baptist Press - Through crisis pregnancy centers: churches promote life, love - News with a Christian Perspective: Not until Lori Palmer became a director of the New Life Center in Phoenix did she understand just how much churches provide for pregnancy centers. The center is a ministry of Arizona Baptist Children's Services, but items like diapers, clothing and baby bottles come from church donations and drives.
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The Strange World of Assisted Reproductive Technology
The Strange World of Assisted Reproductive Technology | LifeNews.com: If you’re looking for something to follow that’s strange, weird, and fascinating, forget reality TV or any other fiction. Just look into the largely unregulated world of assisted reproductive technologies.
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Evangelicals ally with Catholics to affirm life in Chile
In their latest joint move, the religious groups have issued a Letter on the Fundamental Values of Life, Marriage, and Family directed to Chile’s President Sebastian Piñera, affirming that the aforementioned values are “the foundation of society” and that “it is the obligation of the government to promote them and avoid that which impedes their development.” The letter rejecting all forms of direct abortion as “taking the life of the most innocent of all” was signed by representatives of the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, the Evangelical Roundtable, the Methodist Pentecostal Church, the Apostolic Pentecostal Church, and the Anglican Church. LifeSiteNews
Pro-Life "Prayer-a-Day"
Join Metro Women's Center in Crystal, MN, in praying specifically this week for these issues:
1. For people of "faith" who are supportive of abortion to recognize that they are being deceived about their support of abortion and turn from their involvement.
2. For the staffs of pregnancy care centers in the USA to be encouraged in their life-affirming work and trust the Lord for every outcome.
3. For those experiencing the challenges of a pregnancy that involve a child with special needs, medical or otherwise, to have support to carry the child as long as the Lord allows.
4. For churches all over the world to be a safe haven for individuals experiencing pregnancy related crises and that those individuals would be welcomed with love and compassion.
5. For those who are seeking to build their families through adoption to have peace while they wait.
6. For women who are prone to choose abortion to be willing to carry the child to term and allow the child to live. For women who are considering the option of adoption to have discernment as they search out a family for their child.
1. For people of "faith" who are supportive of abortion to recognize that they are being deceived about their support of abortion and turn from their involvement.
2. For the staffs of pregnancy care centers in the USA to be encouraged in their life-affirming work and trust the Lord for every outcome.
3. For those experiencing the challenges of a pregnancy that involve a child with special needs, medical or otherwise, to have support to carry the child as long as the Lord allows.
4. For churches all over the world to be a safe haven for individuals experiencing pregnancy related crises and that those individuals would be welcomed with love and compassion.
5. For those who are seeking to build their families through adoption to have peace while they wait.
6. For women who are prone to choose abortion to be willing to carry the child to term and allow the child to live. For women who are considering the option of adoption to have discernment as they search out a family for their child.
To us, she was Emily
To us, she was Emily | Life and style | The Guardian: Nick Hinton and his partner chose termination after tests showed their baby had Down's syndrome. The decision would gradually tear their family apart.
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Monday, October 17, 2011
Mohler: Are evangelicals dangerous?
My Take: Are evangelicals dangerous? – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs: If evangelicals intend to engage public issues and cultural concerns, we have to be ready for the scrutiny and discomfort that comes with disagreement over matters of importance. We have to risk being misunderstood - and even misrepresented - if we intend to say anything worth hearing. . . . [E]vangelicals are dangerous to the secularist vision of this nation and its future precisely because we are committed to participatory democracy.
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Nevada doctor pleads not guilty of stem cell scam
BioNews - Nevada doctor pleads not guilty of stem cell scam: A US doctor accused of implanting stem cells into chronically ill patients pleaded not guilty. Dr Ralph Conti, of Henderson, NV, has been accused of transplanting stem cells harvested from placental tissue into patients, at the direction of Alfred Sapse, who was falsely claiming to be a doctor.
Sapse, the director of StemCell Pharma Inc., who has never held a medical license from any US state, allegedly told patients he was a retired foreign physician, officials said. The company advertised its business to investors and patients as a cure for diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and the degenerative eye disease retinitis pigmentosa.
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Sapse, the director of StemCell Pharma Inc., who has never held a medical license from any US state, allegedly told patients he was a retired foreign physician, officials said. The company advertised its business to investors and patients as a cure for diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and the degenerative eye disease retinitis pigmentosa.
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The Berenstain Bears Syndrome
True Woman | The Berenstain Bears Syndrome: Papa is a goofball who can’t manage himself, much less the affairs of his family; and Mama is the one who gets everything done, even if it does require her to be somewhat overbearing.
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When parents select baby's sex
When parents select baby's sex: Parents should be able to choose the sex of any babies after their first child to ''gender balance'' their family, says a leading Sydney obstetrician. The head of women's and children's health at the University of NSW, Professor Michael Chapman, says Australians are more concerned about achieving a desired ratio of girls to boys in their families than wanting first-born sons.
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How many parents is too few, too many, just right?
Not much study has gone into investigating what lawyers term "intentional parenting" - defining parents by whether they intend to be involved in a child's life rather than by the biological relationship. A controversial new study by family scholar Elizabeth Marquandt challenges the conventional view that "being wanted" is all that children need. In "One Parent or Five", she documents the growth of contemporary family structures with one, two, three, four, five or even more adults claiming to be parents. Her own attitude is far from optimistic: "intention alone hardly guarantees good child outcomes". The study build on an earlier one on the children of anonymous sperm donors.
Women as young as 18 turning to sperm donors
Scores of women in their early twenties are logging on to websites such as babydonor.com and co-parent-search.com to find fathers for their children. Many women, some of whom are as young as 18 or 19, say they are frustrated with relationships and have decided to face the challenge of parenthood alone. DailyMail
Sperm donors father huge 'families' in US, Canada
AFP: Sperm donors father huge 'families' in US, Canada: Unlike in some countries such as France and Britain, there are no laws in either Canada or the United States officially limiting the number of children who can be born from a single donor. An international norm places the ceiling at 20 pregnancies from the same donor. In Denmark, the limit on a single donor is 25 births. And most sperm banks set their own regulations.
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Betrayal Trauma (7 of 7)
Conflict Of Interest: According to Dr. William Brennan, a Professor of Social Work in the Saint Louis University School of Social Work and Loyola Press bestselling author of Dehumanizing the Vulnerable: When Word Games Take Lives: "The capacity of human beings to justify their behavior, no matter how unconscionable, appears to be limitless. When the behavior consists of harming other human beings, degrading words serve as an extraordinarily effective weapon."
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Outcry in China over hit-and-run toddler left in street
The footage showed the van hitting the little 2-year-old girl, pausing briefly while she was under the vehicle and then driving off, running over her legs. It then showed about a dozen passers-by, including cyclists, a motorcyclist and a woman and child, noticing the little girl lying injured in the street but walking on. After she was hit by the second vehicle, a rubbish collector spotted the little girl and moved her to the kerb, then began looking for her mother. The child, Yue Yue, was taken to hospital for emergency surgery but pronounced brain dead on Sunday.
The drivers of both vehicles have now been arrested, the newspaper said, but the incident has also triggered outcry among Chinese citizens. It provoked a storm of comment on microblogging site Weibo. "Even pigs and dogs are better than they are!" said one angry contributor about the passers-by. "In China, there's no bottom line for human ethics anymore! China is 'smashing' new records again and again!" commented another.
Others were more reflective. "Now people ignore everything other than money. This society is lacking people with a conscience badly." Some said they understood the dilemma for the passers-by - that if they helped out they might incur costs or be blamed for the accident. BBC
The drivers of both vehicles have now been arrested, the newspaper said, but the incident has also triggered outcry among Chinese citizens. It provoked a storm of comment on microblogging site Weibo. "Even pigs and dogs are better than they are!" said one angry contributor about the passers-by. "In China, there's no bottom line for human ethics anymore! China is 'smashing' new records again and again!" commented another.
Others were more reflective. "Now people ignore everything other than money. This society is lacking people with a conscience badly." Some said they understood the dilemma for the passers-by - that if they helped out they might incur costs or be blamed for the accident. BBC
Friday, October 14, 2011
Does reading the Bible really make you more liberal?
WORLDmag.com | Does reading the Bible really make you more liberal?: Baylor University researchers are tentatively reporting, according to Christianity Today, that frequent Bible reading makes one more politically left-wing. Researchers acknowledge that frequent Bible reading increases the likelihood a person will oppose—not support—abortion and same-sex marriage. So what, in reality, does this study show? Namely, that the good sociologists at Baylor might do well to take a political science course.
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What Does "Pro-Life" Mean?
What Does "Pro-Life" Mean? | Blog | Joni and Friends: "I applaud the stricter measures being taken to ensure that fraudulent claims aren't being paid -- this is saving hundreds of millions of dollars. However, I am concerned that some of those who are working on the language for the health care law will decide that waste-reduction measures include doing away with life-sustaining programs for individuals with profound disabilities. No one but God can determine whether or not keeping someone alive is "worth it."
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Cain to blacks: Divorce the Democrats
Larry Elder: "Why do blacks, in 2011, vote Democratic? Answer: because a) they falsely believe racism remains a serious threat and b) that Republicans are bad people who wish them ill. Neither of which, says Cain, is true. Blacks are more anti-abortion, more pro-traditional marriage and more pro-vouchers for inner-city parents than the typical non-black Democrat."
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Ron Paul recalls witnessing late-term abortion
Ron Paul describes witnessing late-term abortion in hard-hitting pro-life ad | LifeSiteNews.com: “I happened to walk into an operating room where they were doing an abortion on a late pregnancy,” Ron Paul says in his newest campaign ad. “They lifted out a small baby that was able to cry and breathe and they put it in a bucket and put it in the corner of the room and pretended it wasn’t there."
In another room, 10 doctors were doing everything possible to save the life of a pre-term, wanted baby. “Who are we to decide that we pick and throw one away and pick up and struggle to save the other ones?"
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Haiti Doesn't Need Your Yoga Mat
Haiti Doesn't Need Your Yoga Mat | Foreign Policy: A visual history of the West's misguided attempts to send its hand-me-downs to the developing world. Includes critiques of well-meaning but misguided Christian charities.
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China’s One-Child Policy Expected to Produce 40-Million ‘Surplus’ Males by 2020
“By 2020, the number of Chinese males of marriageable age may exceed the number of Chinese females of marriageable age by 30 to 40 million,” says the 2011 report from the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, a group headed by Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ). The report says the consequences of China’s one-child policy are vast and far-reaching. The scarcity of women will increase their “value” as well as their vulnerability, boosting demand for prostitution, for example, as well as an upsurge in the kidnapping and the trafficking of women and girls. CNS
Long-running marriages become rare but no less special
Long-running marriages become rare but no less special - USATODAY.com: "Just because they have the wish and desire to be good [at relationships], that doesn't always happen. In terms of relationships and marriage, I'd love to see people with the same type of focus that they put on getting their oil changed or their teeth cleaned. We'd probably see more people having 50th or 75th anniversaries. Instead, they wait until their problems are like a rubber-band ball, all intertwined, to seek help."
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Nancy Pelosi: Protect Life Act Would Let Pregnant Women 'Die On The Floor'
Nancy Pelosi: Protect Life Act Would Let Pregnant Women 'Die On The Floor' (VIDEO): House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called the Protect Life Act a "savage" attack on women's health. "When the Republicans vote for this bill today, they will be voting to say that women can die on the floor, and health care providers do not have to intervene."
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Images of Abortion
Images of Abortion: These photos of aborted babies are some of the most disturbing and poignant images of the abortion holocaust in America. Some are indeed the most spectacular photos of aborted babies ever taken that chronicle the truth of the violence and injustice of abortion. This website is dedicated to these victims. May their images reveal the truth and save other unborn children from similar, horrible rejection.
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Thursday, October 13, 2011
Politics and religion, version 2012
WORLDmag.com | Politics and religion 2012 version: The 2012 election, in fact every election, ought not to be about if, how, or what a candidate worships, but on his (or her) ability to do the job. If I am in need of surgery, it may be of some interest to me what religion, if any, the surgeon happens to believe in, but I am far more interested in how many of his former patients are still among the living.
America has a rich history of preachers from the left and right speaking from their church and public pulpits about a wide variety of social and moral issues, including slavery, war, civil rights, alcohol abuse, and poverty, among others. Some have even claimed to speak for God, while taking the opposite, un-Christian position on an issue.
It is when preachers start endorsing or opposing candidates based on their perception of who is God’s choice that serious problems arise. It suggests, especially to the nonbelievers in the world, that the Kingdom of God is part of an earthly kingdom. The result is a loss of power for that unseen Kingdom, which is the only one that can transform a life and, thus, a culture.
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America has a rich history of preachers from the left and right speaking from their church and public pulpits about a wide variety of social and moral issues, including slavery, war, civil rights, alcohol abuse, and poverty, among others. Some have even claimed to speak for God, while taking the opposite, un-Christian position on an issue.
It is when preachers start endorsing or opposing candidates based on their perception of who is God’s choice that serious problems arise. It suggests, especially to the nonbelievers in the world, that the Kingdom of God is part of an earthly kingdom. The result is a loss of power for that unseen Kingdom, which is the only one that can transform a life and, thus, a culture.
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UK bishop ties England’s riots to 5 million abortions over last 40 years
UK bishop ties England’s riots to 5 million abortions over last 40 years | LifeSiteNews.com: For 41 years, Britain has lived with “a state-sponsored culture of death that has killed 5 million children” said Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue in a homily at a pilgrimage for the unborn in Norfolk last week. “We’re now surprised that some of the surviving children have turned out violent with no regard for the sanctity of life? Yes, abortion, contraception, euthanasia, and assisted suicide destroy life, and they also destroy the sanctity of home. This is why there are so many broken homes in our country.”
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Beaten but Not Defeated
Beaten but Not Defeated | Dr. Georgia Purdom's Blog: "The burden of dealing face to face with the compromise in the church and the world has left me feeling very discouraged lately."
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Pastor who endorsed Perry accused of breaking tax rule
Pastor who endorsed Perry accused of breaking tax rule - ECFA.org: Americans United for the Separation of Church and State has sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service accusing Pastor Robert Jeffress of violating the law when he posted his endorsement of presidential hopeful Rick Perry on the First Baptist Church of Dallas website. IRS rules
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Army general: ‘where were the churches’ in fight against Don’t Ask repeal?
Army general flares: ‘where were the churches’ in fight against Don’t Ask repeal? | LifeSiteNews.com: Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin addressed the Values Voter Summit:
“Today, the church has lost its moral authority. The church has ceded its authority to the ACLU, and CODEPINK and MoveOn.org. They’re the ones with the real influence today,” he said. The veteran pointed to Europe as a good example of what will happen if America continues to lose sight of its identity as “founded on Judaeo-Christian principles.”'via Blog this'
“Europe is hopelessly lost,” he said. “Folks, this could happen in America if we continue to be asleep, if the church does not rise up. The church has to get back to the fundamentals ... of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
“We have to stop compromising on the gospel of Christ because ... we’re afraid somebody’s gonna be offended. Let me tell you something: when the Gospel of Jesus Christ offends people, that’s exactly when they need to hear it.”
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Less than Two Days Away from House Vote on Protect Life Act; Contact your Representative
Less than Two Days Away from House Vote on Protect Life Act; be sure to Contact your Member of the House of Representatives | NRL News Today: What the National Right to Life-backed “Protect Life Act” would do is as simple as it is important: remove the abortion-expanding components of ObamaCare.
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Obama OKs More Embryonic Funding
Obama OKs More Embryonic Funding, Ignores Adult Stem Cells | LifeNews.com: NIH Director Francis Collins has approved another human embryonic stem cell line for federal taxpayer funding. The line, HUES PGD 14, was added to the NIH registry today, bringing the total number of approved hESC lines to 136. It was created by Harvard University from a female embryo, and according to the information provided on the NIH website: “The embryo from which this hESC line was derived was determined through preimplantation genetic diagnosis to be affected with Spinal Muscular Atrophy.”
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Keeping the Gospel Clear in the Face of Green Twists
Keeping the Gospel Clear in the Face of Green Twists — Wanliss dot Com: Matthew Sleeth’s The Gospel According to the Earth teems with practical advice tethering spiritual profit with green ethics, offering religious insights skillfully woven with intimate stories.
This reviewer is grateful for Sleeth’s recognition that: alone among the creatures humans are created in God’s image; Christians should excel at hospitality; we should not make idols of material things; the prosperity gospel is a counterfeit; technology is not “inherently evil”; we should observe the Sabbath. Hugely to his credit, Sleeth makes extensive scriptural references.
Yet defense of vital truths compels one to address faults.
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This reviewer is grateful for Sleeth’s recognition that: alone among the creatures humans are created in God’s image; Christians should excel at hospitality; we should not make idols of material things; the prosperity gospel is a counterfeit; technology is not “inherently evil”; we should observe the Sabbath. Hugely to his credit, Sleeth makes extensive scriptural references.
Yet defense of vital truths compels one to address faults.
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The phony ‘consensus’ on climate change
The phony ‘consensus’ on climate change: The end is near ... that is, for the myth that scientists have reached "consensus" on global warming and climate change caused by humans. More than 31,000 scientists have signed a petition denying that human activity is responsible for major climate change.
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Undercover Calls Reveal Medicaid Pays For $9,000 Late-term Abortions With Our Tax Dollars
Undercover Calls Reveal Medicaid Pays For $9,000 Late-term Abortions With Our Tax Dollars :Operation Rescue: An investigation conducted by Operation Rescue and Project Defending Life shows millions of tax dollars are already paying for abortions each year. Operation Rescue has released a short video containing excerpts from an undercover recording showing that Medicaid pays not only for abortions, but completely covers third-trimester abortions for no medical reason whatsoever.
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The Six Days of Creation - FREE Audio Download
The Six Days of Creation - Audio Download - Answers Bookstore: Why do so many Christian leaders reject the clear teaching of Genesis 1 about ordinary days? The church’s general compromise with evolution’s long ages is undermining the biblical worldview!
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'via Blog this'
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
"Breakthrough" in stem cell research is really just cloning
BioNews - Breakthrough in stem cell research - world's first reprogrammed adult cell: US scientists have for the first time created 'personalised' human embryonic stem cell (hESCs) using a form of cloning. The result is a significant milestone on the route to using stem cell-based therapies but the researchers stress more work is to be done as genetic errors in the cells means they are not yet suitable for therapeutic use.
The researchers used a technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning) to create an egg that contains genetic material taken from the intended recipient of the resulting stem cells. The egg then reprograms the cell so that it begins to divide like a developing embryo to produce a blastocyst from which stem cells can be collected.
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The researchers used a technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning) to create an egg that contains genetic material taken from the intended recipient of the resulting stem cells. The egg then reprograms the cell so that it begins to divide like a developing embryo to produce a blastocyst from which stem cells can be collected.
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Have we become comfortable with genocide?
Have we become comfortable with genocide?: The 20th century was an era of mass murder. Tens of millions of innocent people were killed in the name of some version of state socialism. The worst perpetrators in terms of numbers killed - Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong - are long dead. The only major state-sanctioned genocide that began in the 20th century and continues to thrive in the 21st is abortion.
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And baby makes two: A profile in courage
And baby makes two: A profile in courage | ALL.org: “Mom, I’m pregnant.” With this announcement, my 20-year-old daughter, a junior at a Christian college, rocked my world and changed it forever. My daughter continued, “I’ve made one mistake and I don’t want to make more. I’m not going to marry the baby’s father—at least not now, and I’m not going to abort my child.”
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Abortion and Disabilities: 87% of Downs Die, 64% Spina Bifida
Abortion and Disabilities: 87% of Downs Die, 64% Spina Bifida | LifeNews.com: A study from Wayne State University found that 87% of unborn children diagnosed with Down Syndrome were aborted. A review of studies in several countries showed 92% of unborn children who were diagnosed with Down Syndrome were aborted. Download and print a new flyer from MI-RTL
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Betrayal Trauma (6 of 7): Is it too late?
Conflict Of Interest: So what now? Is Black leadership (i.e., the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP and the Black Church) a lost cause? Is it too "late in the day" to touch the heart of Black America and open her eyes to the death of her own children? If the cause is not lost and if there is still time, what must be done now to reach and reverse the horrific reality of Black leadership's support for abortion?
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Monday, October 10, 2011
Reports: blind Chinese pro-life activist Chen Guangcheng may be dead
Reports: famed blind Chinese pro-life activist Chen Guangcheng may be dead | LifeSiteNews.com: According Chinese human rights organizations there are ominous reports emerging from China about the fate of the blind lawyer, who has suffered years of imprisonment and persecution for his outspoken position against China’s brutal one-child policy.
According to Radio Free Asia, Chinese authorities detained a group of at least nine human rights activists trying to visit Chen Guangcheng. Voice of America cited villagers as saying, “Chen is dead already.”
'via Blog this'
According to Radio Free Asia, Chinese authorities detained a group of at least nine human rights activists trying to visit Chen Guangcheng. Voice of America cited villagers as saying, “Chen is dead already.”
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The pro-abortion legacy of Justice O'Connor
A review of [Reagan appointee] Sandra Day O’Connor’s career reveals why the judicial nominee process has become so heated and why new laws had to pass . . . ‘the O’Connor test.’
. . . In the early days of her tenure, O’Connor did vote to uphold restrictions on abortion and against an expansive view of Roe v. Wade - in City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health in 1983 and in Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 1986, with impressive dissents against invalidating common sense regulations. That started to change in 1989 in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services when she sided with the majority to uphold a Missouri statute that prohibited use of public facilities or personnel to perform abortions and required ultrasound tests to determine viability after 20 weeks, but refused to overturn Roe. The following year O’Connor solidified her role as the court’s abortion swing vote in Hodgson v. Minnesota where she decided to strike down Minnesota’s law that required two parent notification before a minor could get an abortion, but upheld it when there was a judicial bypass option in place.
But the real kicker was in 1992 when she and Justice David Souter heavily lobbied Justice Anthony Kennedy who had voted in 1989 to overturn Roe to change his vote. In his book The Nine, Jeffery Toobin chronicles the highly unusual effort by these two justices to convince Kennedy that the nation simply wasn’t ready to overturn Roe. Their efforts paid off and the Supreme Court mandate that abortion cannot be outlawed remained. Over 20 million more abortions have happened in the 19 years since.
O’Connor didn’t stop there. In 2000 she sided with the majority in Stenberg v. Carhart to approve a right to partial-birth abortion. LifeSiteNews
. . . In the early days of her tenure, O’Connor did vote to uphold restrictions on abortion and against an expansive view of Roe v. Wade - in City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health in 1983 and in Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 1986, with impressive dissents against invalidating common sense regulations. That started to change in 1989 in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services when she sided with the majority to uphold a Missouri statute that prohibited use of public facilities or personnel to perform abortions and required ultrasound tests to determine viability after 20 weeks, but refused to overturn Roe. The following year O’Connor solidified her role as the court’s abortion swing vote in Hodgson v. Minnesota where she decided to strike down Minnesota’s law that required two parent notification before a minor could get an abortion, but upheld it when there was a judicial bypass option in place.
But the real kicker was in 1992 when she and Justice David Souter heavily lobbied Justice Anthony Kennedy who had voted in 1989 to overturn Roe to change his vote. In his book The Nine, Jeffery Toobin chronicles the highly unusual effort by these two justices to convince Kennedy that the nation simply wasn’t ready to overturn Roe. Their efforts paid off and the Supreme Court mandate that abortion cannot be outlawed remained. Over 20 million more abortions have happened in the 19 years since.
O’Connor didn’t stop there. In 2000 she sided with the majority in Stenberg v. Carhart to approve a right to partial-birth abortion. LifeSiteNews
Pro-Life "Prayer-a-Day"
Join us in praying specifically this week for these issues:
1. For all women, newly pregnant, to fall in love with their babies.
2. For all the men who find out about a pregnancy to fall in love with their babies.
3. For the doctors involved in abortion to stop their involvement due to a heart change
4. That fear would not drive the choice to abort a pregnancy.
5. For the non-medical staff people and clinic escorts to stop their involvement.
6. For the families of those experiencing unplanned pregnancies to be supportive. For the nurses involved in abortion to stop their involvement.
1. For all women, newly pregnant, to fall in love with their babies.
2. For all the men who find out about a pregnancy to fall in love with their babies.
3. For the doctors involved in abortion to stop their involvement due to a heart change
4. That fear would not drive the choice to abort a pregnancy.
5. For the non-medical staff people and clinic escorts to stop their involvement.
6. For the families of those experiencing unplanned pregnancies to be supportive. For the nurses involved in abortion to stop their involvement.
from Colleen Tronson, director of Metro Women's Center in Crystal, MN
Pro-Life, Marriage Groups Release 2012 GOP Scorecard
Pro-Life, Marriage Groups Release 2012 GOP Scorecard | CNSnews.com: Pro-life group the Susan B. Anthony List and pro-marriage group National Organization for Marriage have released a joint candidate scorecard for most of the 2012 GOP presidential contenders, listing their positions on several social conservative issues.
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Don't blame Malthus for evolution!
In An Essay on the Principle of Population, English clergyman and economist Thomas Robert Malthus (1766–1834), challenged the so-called Enlightenment philosophy that man was essentially good, that he had proceeded upward from the savage, and would continue towards perfection as a law of nature. Malthus said that population numbers tend to go up much more rapidly than food supplies, resulting in misery, not perfection, for mankind. . . .
Throughout his Essay, Malthus constantly referred to God as the Creator, the Supreme Being or Providence. He even invoked the gospel in his final chapter: “But the doctrine of life and Mortality which was brought to light by the gospel, the doctrine that the end of righteousness is everlasting life, but that the wages of sin are death, is in every respect just and merciful, and worthy of the great Creator.”
Sadly, the essay was co-opted by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace who, independently of each other were inspired by Malthus' conclusions and conceived the supposition now known as the theory of evolution by means of natural selection.
Undoubtedly Malthus’s Essay triggered a line of thinking in the minds of both Darwin and Wallace that led both men independently to conjure up the concept of evolution by means of natural selection, in opposition to the Genesis account of creation. However, Malthus cannot be blamed for this, and many of his assumptions have in any case not stood the test of time. Creation Ministries International
Undoubtedly Malthus’s Essay triggered a line of thinking in the minds of both Darwin and Wallace that led both men independently to conjure up the concept of evolution by means of natural selection, in opposition to the Genesis account of creation. However, Malthus cannot be blamed for this, and many of his assumptions have in any case not stood the test of time. Creation Ministries International
Why young Christians aren't waiting anymore
Why young Christians aren't waiting anymore – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs: True love doesn’t wait after all. That’s the implication in the upcoming October issue of an evangelical magazine that claims that young, unmarried Christians are having premarital sex almost as much as their non-Christian peers.
The article in Relevant magazine, entitled “(Almost) Everyone’s Doing It,” cited several studies examining the sexual activity of single Christians. One of the biggest surprises was a December 2009 study, conducted by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, which included information on sexual activity.
While the study’s primary report did not explore religion, some additional analysis focusing on sexual activity and religious identification yielded this result: 80 percent of unmarried evangelical young adults (18 to 29) said that they have had sex - slightly less than 88 percent of unmarried adults, according to the teen pregnancy prevention organization.
'via Blog this'
The article in Relevant magazine, entitled “(Almost) Everyone’s Doing It,” cited several studies examining the sexual activity of single Christians. One of the biggest surprises was a December 2009 study, conducted by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, which included information on sexual activity.
While the study’s primary report did not explore religion, some additional analysis focusing on sexual activity and religious identification yielded this result: 80 percent of unmarried evangelical young adults (18 to 29) said that they have had sex - slightly less than 88 percent of unmarried adults, according to the teen pregnancy prevention organization.
'via Blog this'
Friday, October 7, 2011
Drawing squiggly lines
BFL recently published a new edition of Life Matters: Blurring the Lines, Shortening the Playing Field on efforts to redefine life and death. For your interest, here are some additional readings on the subject:
The first 14 days of human life Science has not solved every mystery of early human development. But human embryology has advanced sufficiently to enable us to dismiss certain fallacies about when a new human life comes to be.
On Marriage: Jane Eyre Contra Robertson Robertson would advise Rochester to divorce Bertha Mason and start over with Jane, but that would begin a new set of vows with an escape clause. It would cheapen love by refusing its absolute demands.
The fight over death in organ transplantation The United Network for Organ Sharing has proposed loosening certain standards and protocols for the retrieval of organs for transplantation. The group plans to get rid of the two-minute wait time for removing organs after a person’s heart stops beating, and the explicit ban on evaluating someone as a potential organ donor before his family has made the decision to stop efforts to save him. The two-minute rule used to be the “five-minute rule,” set by the National Academy of Sciences in 1997.
What is a gay Christian? For some people, this term will appear immediately to be an oxymoron. For others, it represents a view of Christian morality that has moved beyond the heterosexual norm of Scripture to embrace all manner of sexual expressions.
How should Christians respond to stem-cell research?
How should we as Christians respond to stem-cell research? | Christian Bible Studies: It is becoming progressively more difficult politically to argue that we should respect the human life of those bundles of cells that hold promise for potential cures of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Of course, such cures remain theoretical, the only proven therapies coming from adult stem cells.
Keep up with the latest advances in adult stem cell research here: David Prentice blog
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