#1454 (12/31) "Dishonesty and Rhetoric Won’t Fix What’s Wrong with America"

"DISHONESTY AND RHETORIC WON'T FIX WHAT'S WRONG WITH AMERICA" - Robert Knight | Dec 29, 2015;
http://townhall.com/columnists/robertknight/2015/12/29/dishonesty-and-rhetoric-wont-fix-whats-wrong-with-america-n2097740/page/full [AS I SEE IT: As this article points out, looking back on this past year, there is much to make us discouraged. And it's not just because bad things happened, but too many of those we counted on failed - again - to do their jobs. But as I can't say often enough, giving into cynicism and pessimism does nothing to change things for the better, even a little. As Christians, we are responsible to be good citizens, to do all we can to stand up for God's truth on issue after issue and then leave the results to Him. Electing good leaders can make a difference; let's pray that the majority of Americans have the wisdom to elect such people next fall. Remember, with God, all things are possible. - Stan]
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“Low Prices Fail to Spark Growth,” a recent headline in the Wall Street Journal said. Economists are scratching their heads wondering why the windfall of low gasoline prices has not spurred consumer spending. After all, many people are saving $100 a month when they fill up their tanks at $2 a gallon instead of the $3.50 they shelled out in August 2014. “Many economists predicted the savings would act as a giant tax cut by jolting long-weary consumers into stronger spending and pushing up sluggish economic growth,” wrote Journal columnist Eric Morath. “Instead, the economy remains mired in the slow-growth trajectory that has marked the economic expansion over the past 6-1/2 years.”

Well, let’s see. What happened six and a half years ago? Ah, yes. Just after the stock market hit bottom, the Democrats jammed Obamacare through Congress without a single Republican vote. They also rammed through the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill, under which hundreds of small banks are collapsing all over the country.

As more of Obamacare kicks into gear, more jobs are being destroyed and middle-income consumers are being saddled with higher costs and less coverage. In many cases, people who formerly had good policies are paying another $200 to $300 more per month for “catastrophic” plans with high deductibles. Consumers are losing more money because of Obamacare than they’re saving at the pump. That doesn’t translate into carefree spending sprees.

But it’s more complicated than that. The current, cautious mood also reflects a loss of confidence that anyone in Washington can set things right or even tell the truth. American voters turned over the House in 2010 to Republicans, who then took the Senate in 2014 with the explicit promise that they would stop Obama’s socialism express train. It didn’t happen. Year after year, the Democrats prevailed. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court tied the Constitution into knots to ensure Obamacare’s survival, unleash the Environmental Protection Agency and other rogue bureaucrats, and redefine natural marriage as a scrap of disposable bigotry.

Overall federal spending soared, leading to a national debt today of more than $18 trillion. Congress even managed to give a pass to Obama’s dangerous nuclear treaty with Iran, avoiding the constitutional requirement for a two-thirds vote by the Senate to approve all treaties. They watched passively as Obama has turned the military into a social petri dish, including pushing women into combat roles.

Even after a House revolt led to Speaker John Boehner being replaced by Paul Ryan, the Grand Old Party could not bring itself to use its power of the purse to challenge President Obama’s radical agenda. Instead, Mr. Ryan, working with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, just enacted a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill through 2016 that preserves Obamacare, pays for Obama’s illegal amnesty scheme, keeps funds flowing to sanctuary cities and Planned Parenthood, and increases the national debt by billions of dollars.

Republican leaders have vowed that 2016 will be different. Yes, the same people who caved every time to Obama are going to talk tough again during this coming election year. Well, that’s a relief. I was afraid they would speak softly to go along with the wet noodle they carry as their “stick.” The big game in 2016, Rep. Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell say, is to draw distinctions between the two parties... If the Republicans were a football team, they would be calling penalties on themselves just short of the goal line.

Meanwhile, looking ahead to 2016, White House spokesmen say that Obama is planning executive orders on climate change and gun control. And why not? This is how he has governed for nearly seven years. Neither Congress nor most of the courts have found the backbone to overturn his executive overreaches. But, not to worry. As Phil Gramm and Michael Solon recently wrote, “A Republican president could overturn every Obama executive action the moment after taking the oath of office.” Yes, a newly elected president who respects the rule and the constitutional separation of powers could do that if he or she were so inclined.

Instead of walking away in disgust, we all need to do our homework before deciding on a presidential candidate. And we should support local, state and national lawmakers who will take tangible steps to preserve our liberties. The stakes are enormous.
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[bold and italics emphasis mine]

Robert Knight is an author, senior fellow for the American Civil Rights Union and a frequent contributor to Townhall. 
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"Remembering 2015" - Thomas Sowell | Dec 29, 2015;
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2015/12/29/remembering-2015-n2097785

#1453 (12/30) "...Christianity and the Rise of the West"

"The Victory of Reason - CHRISTIANITY AND THE RISE OF THE WEST" - By: Chuck Colson| Breakpoint.org: Dec. 29, 2015; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/28621

It never ceases to amaze me how modern western secularists are doing all in their power to purge Christianity from public life. As Chuck Colson told me once, “They’re sawing off the branch they’re sitting on.” Today on BreakPoint, we re-air a broadcast from June 29, 2006 in which Chuck explains the fact that the freedoms and scientific progress we enjoy in the West are due to the West’s embrace of Christianity. 

Although Western cultural elites deny it, non-Westerners know full well that the key to the West's success over the centuries is Christianity. When you hear the word “globalization,” you probably think of Chinese factories or customer service centers in India. What you probably don’t think about is Christianity. Yet globalization and Christianity are linked in ways you may never have imagined.

Globalization is about more than markets and technology. It’s also about the spread across national boundaries of ideas and values—in other words, culture. While the spread and exchange of culture flows in many different directions, the ideas and values most associated with globalization are those of the West.

And this is where Christianity comes in. In his marvelous book, "The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success," Rodney Stark writes that “Christianity created Western Civilization.” Without Christianity’s commitment to “reason, progress, and moral equality, today the entire world would be about where non-European societies were in, say, 1800.”

This would be a world “with many astrologers and alchemists but no scientists. A world of despots, lacking universities, banks, factories, eyeglasses, chimneys, and pianos.” The “modern world,” to which globalization aspires, “arose only in Christian societies. Not in Islam. Not in Asia. Not in a ‘secular’ society—there having been none.”

Needless to say, Stark’s conclusions aren’t popular with academics and other intellectuals and have been savaged by liberal reviewers. These folks are all too happy to blame Christianity for some of the darker episodes in Western history, but they’re not about to give the faith credit for Western success.

No matter. Non-westerners see the connection. For example, Chinese scholars were asked to “look into what accounted for the success, in fact, the pre-eminence of the West all over the world.” After considering possible military, economic, political and cultural explanations, they concluded that the answer lay in what the Chinese scholars saw as the “heart” of the West’s pre-eminent culture: Christianity. These non-Christian and non-western scholars had “no doubt” that “the Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and the successful transition to democratic politics.”

Apparently, many of their countrymen agree. Whereas there were approximately 2 million Christians in China when Mao came to power in 1949, today there are upwards of 100 million. What’s more, Christianity is especially popular among the “best-educated” and most modern Chinese.

Why? Because like people everywhere, except, ironically, in the West, they see Christianity as “intrinsic to becoming modern.” For them, Christianity is an alternative to a way of life that bred misery and oppression. They understand Christianity’s role in the rise of the West, even as Western elites deny the connection.

Of course, this isn’t the primary reason that Christianity is “becoming globalized far more rapidly than is democracy, capitalism or modernity.” That is due to the proclamation of the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Still, it’s a powerful reminder of how Christianity transforms not only individual lives but entire societies as well.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

RESOURCES - Get a copy of Rodney Stark's book to find out more about how Christianity contributed to the rise of western civilization.
The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success
- Rodney Stark | Random House Trade | October 2006

#1452 (12/29) "The Gift of Religious Freedom"

"THE GIFT OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM" - Matt Barber | Dec 27, 2015; http://townhall.com/columnists/mattbarber/2015/12/27/the-gift-of-religious-freedom-n2097252/page/full

Last Tuesday, Kentucky’s new governor, Matt Bevin, issued an executive order that eliminates the names of all county clerks from marriage licenses and protects the unalienable constitutional rights and religious freedoms of Kim Davis and all other clerks in Kentucky. “This action is a fulfillment of a campaign promise by Gov. Bevin and is directly what our client Kim Davis has been requesting for months,” said Mat Staver, Davis’ attorney and founder of the Christian civil rights firm Liberty Counsel. “This promise will enable her and other clerks to do their jobs without compromising religious values and beliefs.”

The governor’s statement reads in part:
     “To ensure that the sincerely held religious beliefs of all Kentuckians are honored, Executive Order 2015-048 directs the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives to issue a revised marriage license form to the offices of all Kentucky County Clerks. The name of the County Clerk is no longer required to appear on the form.”

While the First Amendment alone should be enough to ensure these safeguards, the unconstitutional actions of five “progressive” lawyers on the U.S. Supreme Court, who, back in June, presumed to capriciously redefine the immutable meaning of marriage, has created legal and moral chaos from coast-to-coast, making fixes such as that issued by Gov. Bevin necessary. Furthermore, these extremist lawyers’ subjective and unprecedented opinion will require additional fixes in all other states to reaffirm Christians’ objective and constitutionally guaranteed rights. Although the fight to repair the perversion of marriage committed by the high court will continue, this is an important step in the right direction.

You may recall that Davis was arbitrarily imprisoned for five days earlier this year by federal Judge David Bunning for exercising her religious liberties and refusing to violate her conscience by signing her name to, and, thereby, giving her official approval of, counterfeit “gay marriage” licenses. These licenses, of course, violate both natural law and the manifold biblical proscriptions against the sin of unnatural same-sex deviancy. Bunning’s tyrannical move backfired tremendously, earning Davis’ the support of tens-of-millions of Christians worldwide, as well as both a private audience with, and the express support of, Pope Francis.

“This is a wonderful Christmas gift for Kim Davis,” continued Staver. “This executive order is a clear, simple accommodation on behalf of Kim Davis and all Kentucky clerks. Kim can celebrate Christmas with her family knowing she does not have to choose between her public office and her deeply held religious convictions. What former Gov. Beshear could have done but refused to do, Gov. Bevin did with this executive order. We are pleased that Gov. Bevin kept his campaign promise to accommodate the religious rights of Kim Davis. We will notify the courts of the executive order, and this order proves our point that a reasonable accommodation should have been done to avoid Kim having to spend time in jail.”

“Bah humbug!” cried the ACLU. “Governor Bevin’s executive action has added to the cloud of uncertainty that hangs over marriage licensing in Kentucky,” claimed ACLU of Kentucky Legal Director William Sharp. “The requirement that the county clerk’s name appear on marriage licenses is prescribed by Kentucky law and is not subject to unilateral change by the governor,” he demanded, proving that the anti-Christian left’s goal was never about so-called “marriage equality” but, rather, was to force Christians to deny marriage reality and personally affirm, under penalty of law, mock “gay marriages.”

The ACLU will soon have little more to say on the subject as lawmakers are poised to further codify and build upon Bevin’s executive order. “Next month, the Kentucky legislature is expected to update the state’s marriage laws and will consider a provision exempting county clerks from having to issue them,” reports ABC News. “Davis said Kentucky’s marriage laws have been ‘completely eviscerated’ by the Supreme Court’s ruling and said she would be willing to come to the state Capitol to testify about any changes.”

Other state legislatures, as well as the U.S. Congress, must soon follow suit if any progress is to be made into the impasse between secularist change agents hostile to religious freedom, and the faithful Christians who enjoy it as a matter of law.

“In an interview with the Associated Press about her year at the center of one of the biggest social changes in decades, Davis described it as ‘a very emotional and a very real situation to all people.’ But she said simply telling others about her faith was not ‘going to make anybody believe anything.’ And so she put her faith in action by refusing to issue the licenses,” added ABC. “‘No one would ever have remembered a county clerk that just said … ‘Even though I don’t agree with it, it’s OK. I’ll do it,’ Davis said. ‘If I could be remembered for one thing, it’s that I was not afraid to not compromise myself.’”

Kim Davis will certainly be remembered for her steadfast refusal to compromise herself. But she, along with Gov. Bevin, will also be remembered for helping, this Christmas season, to re-establish the gift of religious freedom for the people of Kentucky.  Even so, the war for our culture will continue into the New Year and well beyond.

[bold and italics emphasis mine]

Matt Barber is founder and editor-in chief of BarbWire.com. He is an author, columnist, cultural analyst and an attorney concentrating in constitutional law. Having retired as an undefeated heavyweight professional boxer, Matt has taken his fight from the ring to the culture war. (Follow Matt on Twitter: @jmattbarber).

#1451 (12/28) "Be Wise but Not Fearful This Holiday Season [and Afterwards]"

"BE WISE BUT NOT FEARFUL THIS HOLIDAY SEASON [AND AFTERWARDS]"- Steven Bucci / December 22, 2015 / http://dailysignal.com/2015/12/22/be-wise-but-not-fearful-this-holiday-season/

'Friends and relatives will ask you what’s going on and whether they should be afraid,' FBI Director James Comey wrote to all employees. 'They should not be afraid.' (Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Newscom)

America is already in the midst of one of our most iconic seasons. Holiday gatherings are happening all across the country, as is massive travel by road, rail, and air. While this is a joyful time for most Americans and most non-American residents of this great country, it is unfortunately also an opportunity for those who hate America to attempt to do harm.

The threat levels from groups like the Islamic State (ISIS), and their radical ilk, is up. The abhorrent fringe Islamist ideology they peddle has sadly been accepted by far too many people for the U.S. authorities to ignore. Americans must be vigilant, if we are to be safe.

Too often the public is whipsawed between those leaders who say, “There is nothing to worry about!” or “Oh, my gosh, the sky is falling.” Added to these false positions are those who reflexively try to make immediate political points for their favorite issues whenever something does happen. The president’s immediate calls for gun control regardless of the validity to the specific case are a prime example of this.

That is why it is so refreshing to see a high-ranking government official, in this case the top cop, FBI Director James Comey, say something so correct and sensible. On Dec. 16, the director sent out a personal message to his entire organization, the men and women who are the lead for protecting America against terrorism domestically. Everyone in America should read it. It is placed here ...

Subject: Message from Director Comey
    To all:

During a time of year that is usually filled with good cheer, the American people are feeling a significant amount of anxiety. Because I believe they rightly view the FBI as a competent and independent force in the life of our country, I have been doing more public speaking about our work than I might normally. My goal is to explain our work, and urge them not to let fear become disabling, but to instead channel it into something healthy – an awareness of our surroundings.

When I first became director, my children were each given a copy of the book, “The Gift of Fear,” which teaches the channeling of instinctual fear into awareness. My family learned there are four possible states of existence: Red (you are in a fight for your life); Orange (you are preparing to fight); Yellow (you are keenly aware of your surroundings); and White (you have your headphones on listening to music and are texting on a lonely subway platform late at night). It is impossible to live life in a prolonged state of Red or Orange because the stress level would destroy you. Most people instead live in White, moving through parking lots or restaurants unaware of what’s happening around them. Yellow is a life of balance – acknowledgement that there is evil around us, but with awareness, not disabling fear.

This holiday season you will have many opportunities to represent us to the American people, in all kinds of conversations. Friends and relatives will ask you what’s going on and whether they should be afraid. They should not be afraid. ISIL and other terrorist groups do not pose an existential threat to America; our great country is too big and too good. Instead, terrorists hope to kill, or inspire others to kill, in order to induce a crippling fear. These savages actually believe they can significantly damage our country and our economy through fear. They cannot and they will not.

The people of the FBI work every day to find and stop the killers. We have stopped many this year. Unfortunately, the nature of the threat is such that we simply can’t see it all, and so we can’t stop it all. Because the potential killers are hard to see, we depend upon people telling us when they see something concerning; we depend upon people living in Yellow, not White.

And part of enlisting that help is the trust we have earned – and must keep – with Americans of all backgrounds. I have long believed that the enduring power of this country lies in the talent and character of the people we attract. I am so lucky that my ancestors came here. A whole lot of folks back in the day weren’t too excited to have the Irish joining the American family but they made it, and in the process made America better, as have countless other groups. The FBI’s connection to all Americans is vital to our success. Thank you for maintaining it.... Merry Christmas. Jim Comey

Comey is dead on with his advice and attitude. America is resilient, it is big, and it is strong. The terrorists of ISIS and al-Qaeda will not defeat the spirit of the American people. It is what draws people here. The vast majority desperately wants to be a part of what continues to be the most successful experiment in governance in human history. A few want to destroy it.

Americans need to be vigilant this holiday season, but not afraid.
     Whenever you travel, or go to a religious event, or civic celebration, be wise, look around, and listen to your inner voice. If something does not feel right, or someone looks out of place, tell someone in authority. This is not paranoia; it is Comey’s “Yellow” state. Think about your surroundings, and what you would do in a sudden emergency. Many businesses and organizations are already doing this for their employees and members for work or school environments. You should do an on the spot version in all public situations.

Americans don’t retreat in fear; that is not our style. We get ready, and we commit to take back any part of our lives the terrorists “think” they have taken from us.

Do not give in to fear; be watchful and ready. And pray for those who are defending our freedoms at home and abroad, the men and women of our military, intelligence and law enforcement. Their sacrifices are beyond measure.

[bold and italics emphasis mine]

Steven P. Bucci, who served America for three decades as an Army Special Forces officer and top Pentagon official, is director of the Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation. 

#1450(12/27) SUNDAY SPECIAL: "...No Burying the Faith"

"Born in Bethlehem, Living in Our Hearts - NO BURYING THE FAITH" - By: Eric Metaxas|Breakpoint.org: December 14, 2015;
http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/28594

Tyrants ancient and modern have tried to erase any sign of Jesus. It didn’t work then, and it won’t work now.

If you ever find yourself in Bethlehem of Judea, there’s one attraction you shouldn’t miss. First, you’d need to stoop low enough to pass through the four-foot-high Door of Humility. From there, you’d make your way down a spiraling stone staircase to find a small grotto in the bedrock lined with marble and adorned with luxurious tapestries. In the center of that little cave, attached to the floor, is a 14-pointed silver star and an inscription in Latin which reads, “Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary.”

As you can imagine, the Church of the Nativity is a busy place these days. Over the course of a year, as many as 2 million visitors pass through this shrine to the birthplace of Jesus Christ. This wasn’t always the case, though. For over 200 years, from the 2nd to the 4th centuries, this grotto was intentionally obscured with the purpose of wiping it off the face of the earth. So how do we know that this now not-so-humble grotto is actually the birthplace of Christ? For that, we have a determined enemy of God to thank.

Beginning in 132 A.D., the Roman Emperor Hadrian quashed an insurrection from a would-be messiah, Bar-Kokhba. To prevent future revolts, Hadrian expelled all the Jews from Jerusalem and paganized Jewish and Christian holy sites in the area. He set up a temple to Venus on the site of the Holy Sepulcher and cleared out the grotto of the nativity in Bethlehem. And in its place, he built a shrine to Adonis.

But things didn’t turn out the way Hadrian intended. In his book, “In the Fullness of Time,” historian Paul L. Maier relates how the Church Father Origen visited the area in the early 200s and wrote, that “in Bethlehem the grotto was shown where Jesus was born….What was shown to me is familiar to everyone in the area. The heathen themselves tell anyone willing to listen that in the said grotto Jesus was born whom the Christians revere.” As Dr. Maier notes, “Hadrian tried to desecrate the Jewish and Christian holy places in Palestine, but ironically, thereby preserved their identity.”

It wasn’t until the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity that the area was fully redeemed from Hadrian’s sacrilege. Under the guidance of Constantine’s mother, Helena, the first Church of the Nativity was built in 339A.D. and restored again in 553. It stands as the oldest continuously operating church in the world.

I share this story because it’s worth remembering that all the would-be leaders who set themselves up against the living God find themselves, as we often hear today, on the wrong side of history. While our circumstances may indeed look grim at times, we can trust that God is working behind the scenes of present evil to bring forth even greater good and glory to Himself.

And I’ve got another reason for sharing this story. The same destructive impulses in Hadrian also threaten us today. The small “g” god used to “replace” Jesus in Bethlehem was Adonis, the youthful Greek god of beauty and desire. The parallel to modern Western culture seems ironic and obvious.
Sadly, we also see many working right now to destroy Christianity, be they secular materialists, radical Islamists, or others.That they believe they can destroy our faith only shows how they fundamentally misunderstand it.

God’s enemies seem to think that if they publicly ridicule us, deface a church,  or worse—as is happening in many places around the world—that we’ll simply walk away from all we’ve been given. But we do not worship places, events, or good fortune, but a person, the Son of God—the Word made flesh. Our faith continues not only because it’s true, but because the Lord of the Universe lives within us. And no one can separate us from Him and His love.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

RESOURCES
In the Fullness of Time: A Historian Looks at Christmas, Easter, and the Early Church - Paul L. Maier | Kregel Publications | February 1998

#1449 (12/26) PRO-LIFE SAT: "Disregard AP’s Poll ..."

"DISREGARD AP'S POLL Claiming Support for Abortion at Highest Level in Two Years, Here’s Why" -  Steven Ertelet, Dec. 22, 2015 |http://www.lifenews.com/2015/12/22/poll-claiming-support-for-abortion-at-highest-level-in-two-years-isnt-true-heres-why/
 
Have you seen one of the hundreds of copycat news stories out today claiming an Associated Press pol confirms support for abortion is at its highest level in two years? Feel free to disregard the headlines, because the poll is off the mark.

“Support for legal abortion in the U.S. has edged up to its highest level in the past two years, with an Associated Press-GfK poll showing an apparent increase in support among Democrats and Republicans alike over the last year,” one news story claimed. “Nearly six in 10 Americans — 58 percent — now think abortion should be legal in most or all cases, up from 51 percent who said so at the beginning of the year, according to the AP-GfK survey. It was conducted after three people were killed last month in a shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado.”

Despite the claim, the news stories fail to include any information about the poll’s wording.
The wording of the poll goes as follows: “Which comes closest to your opinion on abortion? Abortion should be..” and then respondents are asked if abortion should be legal in all or most cases or illegal in all or most cases. The problem with such a question is that it doesn’t define when or why abortions actually occur so the respondent is left to make an assumption as to when abortions take place and then value if those abortions are too frequent or not.

Many Americans wrongly assume a considerable number of abortions take place because of cases such as rape or incest — even though state and national abortion statistics routinely show that such abortions are done less than 2 percent of the time. Most abortions are done fort birth control reasons — something Americans have consistently opposed over the years.

Looking further, AP’s own abortion poll has more Americans saying abortion laws should be more strict than less — something most of the news stories about the new poll conveniently omitted.

The new AP poll is also significantly out of step with every other major poll conducted about abortion this year.

* A September CNN poll found 58 percent of Americans oppose all or almost all abortions.
CNN found that 18% said abortion should be illegal. Then it separated out those who believe abortion should be legal in “a few cases” [40%] versus those who said abortion should be legal in “most cases” [13%]. Putting together those who said abortion should be illegal with those who said legal in a few cases, CNN found that 58% believe abortion “should be illegal in most” circumstances. One other important point: The change from almost a month ago was the increase in the percentage that said abortion should be legal in only a few circumstances–from 37% to 40%–with a concomitant drop in those who said abortion should be legal in all circumstances–from 30% to 26%.

So while AP claims abortion support is on the rise, CNN shows it dropping.

* In May, a new Gallup poll found a majority of Americans oppose all or most abortions even though some Americans who technically take a pro-life position opposing abortion wrongly think they are “pro-choice” on abortion. Gallup confirms a majority of Americans oppose all or almost all abortions. When asked when abortion should be legal, 55 percent of Americans oppose all abortions or say abortion should only be legal in a “few circumstances,” typically defined as cases such as rape, incest or if the life of the mother is in danger. Since those cases constitute, at most, 1-2 percent of all abortion cases, Gallup’s numbers confirm 55 percent of Americans oppose 98 percent or more of the 1.1 million abortions that take place annually in the United States.

The poll makes it clear that even 27 percent of those who call themselves “pro-choice” actually take a pro-life position wanting all abortions illegal or abortion legal in only the very rarest cases. Just 9 percent of people who support unlimited abortion wrongly call themselves pro-life.

* An April CBS News poll found 59% of Americans did not want abortion to be permitted or wanted much stricter limits.

AP’s poll, designed to attempt to show abortion support increasing right after the horrific shooting at a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic — is inconsistently with most polling data showing a majority of Americans opposing all or almost all abortions.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

#1448 (12/25) MERRY CHRISTMAS!

CHRISTMAS DESANITIZED- By Gene Westveer

Decorations, red, green lights;

Top fir trees with stars so bright;

Jingle bells rock on silent night.

Here comes Santa in his sleigh.

Mistletoe and boughs of holly,

Red-nosed reindeer, elves so jolly,

But it seems a bit of folly

When it's only Veterans' Day.

As I watch the people flocking

To buy stuff to fill up stockings,

Comes a thought that's rather shocking:

What's it all for, anyway?

Fair young woman, great with child,

Trudges on, mile after mile.

Poor, but loving fiance

Encourages her on their way.

They come to their ancestral town,

Where there's no bed to lay her down,

And little sympathy awaits

The unwed couple. Shown the gate,

Seeking refuge from the chill

They find a cave up on a hill

That's used in wintertime for sheep.

It will do. They'll try to sleep.

They enter in. The odors choke:

Sheep manure, stale soot and smoke.

There amidst the stench and dung,

She gives birth to God's own Son,

Wraps Him up in strips of cloth,

Lays Him in a rocky trough.

If God was going to come to earth,

Why choose this foul place for birth?

Not a place of wealth and style,

Not a place fit for a child.

If He would come, His life to give,

Was there a worse place He could live?

A cruder place to get His start?

I know of one such place: my heart.

So dress in colorful apparel,

Trim a tree and sing a carol,

Ride the sleigh and hark the herald,

Make those presents look real nice.

As the weather outside freezes,

And the pressure of life squeezes,

Keep your hearts and minds on Jesus,

His tremendous sacrifice.

Born in filth and poverty,

To suffer pain and cruelty,

To be born again in such as me:

There's no Christmas without Christ.

------------Copyright 2011 Gene Westveer. Permission is granted to send this to others, with attribution, but not for commercial purposes. 

GRATEFUL FOR THESE GIFTS - By Heather, Alberta Canada
~ Early wake-ups = Children to love.
~ House to clean = Safe place to live.
~ Laundry = Clothes to wear.
~ Dishes to wash = Food to eat.
~ Grocery shopping = Money to provide for us.
~ Toilets to clean = Indoor plumbing.
~ Lots of noise = People in my life.
~ Sore & tired in bed = I'm alive.
~ Be kind to each other = Endless love for all of you.

today'sTHOT (c/o MikeysFunnies.com): Christmas is not a date. It is a state of mind & heart.

#1447 (12/24) "Let Your Presence Be Your Present This Season"

"LET YOUR PRESENCE BE YOUR PRESENT THIS SEASON" - Jackie Gingrich Cushman | Dec 03, 2015;
http://townhall.com/columnists/jackiegingrichcushman/2015/12/03/let-your-presence-be-your-present-this-season-n2088309/page/full

December is often the time of too many events, too many parties, too many obligations, too many gifts and too much family. There are quite a few Decembers in my recent memory where I did too much, slept too little and was worn out or sick by Christmas. The season can be -- if left unchecked -- exhausting rather than exhilarating.

Advent...is the season that marks the expectation, the waiting and the preparation for Christmas, the celebration of Christ's birth. It also marks the beginning of the church year, when the readings and the rituals observed throughout the year start anew. However, what I like most about this season is the repetition of things past. It's the repetition of family traditions, small and large, that provides the comfort, reminder and framework to enjoy the season. Spending time with those we love, celebrating the birth of Christ, who provided hope and life to a dark-filled world.

Today we, too, have many reasons to feel dark, to feel overwhelmed, to worry about tomorrow: terrorism, domestic shootings, a stagnant economy and rapidly changing international relations. We do not live in a stable world. It is in these fluid times that following traditions, routines and rituals can provide the most comfort. They allow us to remain centered and focused while the outside world is churning. They allow us to breathe, relax and appreciate those we love.

These past few years have been fluid, and featured events both joyful and sorrowful for our family. My husband's father passed away this year, joining my mother in heaven. We miss him, my mother and the infamous "Granny" (my husband's maternal grandfather) who passed away four years ago this summer. Our children have gained two cousins, who infect our lives with laughter and energy. Our children have grown in years and maturity, constantly and consistently amazing us.

These events have led to changes, but our family has gained strength. I worry less (well, I attempt to worry less) about the future, knowing that it is out of my control, and I try to slow down and appreciate the moments that I have, while I have them. While it's made me more aware of how little power I have, it has also made me more aware of the power and grace of God. It has made me more appreciative of God's grace and presence in the small daily events, finding a parking place near the front of a store, an appointment opening up when needed, a friend calling in my time of need. Little events that speak to my heart.

God's grace appears not so much in large events, but more in the small, powerful moments of my day. Last night, we hung the Christmas ornaments on the tree, displayed the manger scene and pulled the Christmas mugs out of the attic. As we worked, we listened to Christmas music. Our 14-year-old, Robert, is now large enough to carry the boxes up and down from the attic, and our 16-year-old, Maggie, decorated the majority of the tree by herself. It was much different from the days when their plastic ornaments only hung on the bottom third of the tree.

When I came across a small ceramic angel that had broken in half Maggie said, "Don't worry. We will find its pieces and fix it." And we did. Robert fixed the light-up "Merry Christmas" doormat, while my husband Jimmy changed lights. Stepping back after the last ornament was hung, Maggie declared it a "perfect tree." Noting that she likes the way we have various types of ornaments hung on the tree, she said, "I can remember almost all of them."

This small moment in a busy day was a picture of God's grace. Her smile and happy memories of Christmases past, her mention of loved ones missed and her leadership in decorating the tree, as well as her brother's amazing hauling skills, made me realize that life does continually change but what is important is being with those we love.

While it's always tempting to do more, to be involved more, especially this time of year, this is exactly the time we need to slow down, to do less, to be present more with those whom we love.

This Advent, remember that the season is not just about the event, but about the expectation, the waiting, the preparation, the everyday events where you can see God's grace shine. Slow down, and let your presence be your present this season.

[bold and italics emphasis mine]
 
Jackie Gingrich Cushman is a speaker, syndicated columnist, socialpreneur, and author of "The Essential American: 25 Documents and Speeches Every American Should Own," and co-author of “The 5 Principles for a Successful Life: From Our Family to Yours”.

# 1446 (12/23) "Making Sure Christ Is The Essence of Christmas"

"MAKING SURE CHRIST IS THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTMAS" - Ken Blackwell | Dec 08, 2015; http://townhall.com/columnists/kenblackwell/2015/12/08/making-sure-christ-is-the-essence-of-christmas-n2090551/page/full

”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” — Psalm 111:10

Every day until December 25, we will be besieged by commercials ticking down the shopping days left until Christmas. It’s a magical time of giving and getting gifts, but it should really be a celebration of the Lord’s greatest gift to us — sending His Son to die for our sins and be the light of the world.

For whatever His reason, God has especially blessed America. Our country was founded on a continent rich with natural resources and stunning beauty. God gave our Founding Fathers wisdom and insight about human nature, which enabled them to write a Constitution that made us the freest and wealthiest society on earth and has preserved our God-given rights for more than two centuries.

But instead of appreciating God’s blessings and striving to follow His principles, we are heading down the road to destruction followed by so many earlier civilizations. The virtuous, industrious culture bequeathed to us by the Pilgrims and Jamestown settlers is being corrupted by the same values that destroyed Rome and Greece: collectivism, selfishness and hedonism.

In the Bible, the Lord lays out the principles of liberty and prosperity: living by His laws, respecting private property, encouraging commerce, and expecting us to work to provide for ourselves, that we might also be able to help others in need.

But in America, God’s emphasis on personal responsibility and industry is being supplanted by the collectivist notion that government is responsible for our well-being. Rather than bestow personal charity, too many of us expect the government to take care of the needy. We’ve become selfish demanders rather than gracious givers.

Collectivism caused the fall of Rome. Shortsighted emperors and politicians sought the favor of the citizens by providing free wheat, oil and meat. Free food became a “right” of citizenship. Rome
inevitably ceased to be self-sufficient in food production, and became dependent on food imports from North Africa. The people became  dependent on the dole, public debt mounted, and the currency was debased.

Meanwhile, the people were seduced by evermore extravagant spectacles. Does any of this sound familiar? At the same time, Romans lost their willingness to place the welfare of the nation above their own. Men selfishly refused to join the legions, forcing Rome to fill the ranks with foreigners. Eventually, the military became too weak to hold the frontiers, and the empire that once withstood the onslaught of Hannibal’s mighty army was overrun by minor barbarian tribes.

Americans, too, have allowed our sense of what is morally right to be corrupted. Our society has fallen into what the great Harvard sociologist Pitirim Sorokin recognized as early as the 1940s as a turning toward a sensate culture that devalues marriage, family and the deferred gratification that makes both possible. When licentious Greece was conquered by a Roman army, the Romans noted that Greek men had become “effeminate.” Greece was done in by a generation of men not masculine enough to defend their homes and families. God warns us that we will suffer the consequences of our behavior.

It’s impossible for God to forget us, but He can and will withdraw his blessing from us if we refuse to obey Him. Our dysfunctional, irresponsible government has run up a debt so massive that it  threatens to swallow us whole. Our president is hollowing out our military and weakening our position in the world, while aggressively importing Middle Eastern immigrants in ever greater numbers.

God tells us He sets the rulers in their places, and Barack Obama appears to be God’s warning shot across our bow. If we continue to forget and disobey God, our nation will go the way of Rome and Greece.

We didn’t get to this place overnight, and getting back on track won’t happen overnight, either. The battle will need to be fought in one heart, one family, and one neighborhood at a time. We can begin now by placing God where He belongs — at the very center of our Christmas celebration.

[bold, italics, end colored emphasis mine]

Ken Blackwell, a contributing editor at Townhall.com, is a senior fellow at the Family Research Council and the American Civil Rights Union and is on the board of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. He is the co-author of the bestseller The Blueprint: Obama’s Plan to Subvert the Constitution and Build an Imperial Presidency, on sale in bookstores everywhere.. 

#1445 (12/22) "Ryan Leads Republicans to Defeat"

"RYAN LEADS REPUBLICANS TO DEFEAT" - Phyllis Schlafly | Dec 22, 2015; http://townhall.com/columnists/phyllisschlafly/2015/12/22/ryan-leads-republicans-to-defeat-n2096060/page/full [AS I SEE IT: I would amend the title to read " "Ryan Leads Americans of Good Sense to Defeat." Rather than surrender to cynicism, may we who believe in the power of prayer PRAY DAILY that in next year's elections, an American majority vote for leaders at ALL levels of government who will act with Godly wisdom and courage to do what is right for now and for future generations. Yes, government is not meant to solve our problems but let's ask God for leaders who don't add to those we already have. - Stan]
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When Paul Ryan ran for speaker of the House of Representatives, he said Republicans "need to move from being an opposition party to being a proposition party." After a record-breaking eight years as the top republican on the House Budget Committee followed by a stint on Ways & Means, Ryan seemed well prepared to lead a newly energized house Republican majority toward reclaiming the power of the purse, which the framers of our Constitution vested in them.

Well, the results are in, and they're not good. Ryan has proved no better than his hapless predecessor, John Boehner, in cutting wasteful spending, reforming the tax system, defunding liberal interest groups, or instituting good conservative policies.

The 2,009-page, $1.1 trillion Consolidated Omnibus spending bill, which the Republican Congress approved and President Obama signed a week before Christmas, violates every promise that Republicans made to the voters who rewarded them with landslide victories in the 2010 and 2014 midterm elections. It's no wonder that betrayed Republican voters have adopted a throw-the-bums-out attitude that supports the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Ben Carson.

Democrats lost no time gloating over what Chuck Schumer hailed as a "great victory for the principles Democrats stand for." As Senator Patty Murray explained, "We rolled back the automatic budget cuts ... and we kept out poison pill riders even after the Republicans spent months talking about defunding Planned Parenthood."

Besides Planned Parenthood, which was caught selling body parts from aborted fetuses, the Omnibus continues high levels of spending for such liberal priorities as the Legal Services Corporation, which sues states on behalf of illegal aliens, and Head Start, which the government's own studies prove has no lasting value. It increases the annual budget for the Internal Revenue Service, despite that agency's documented record of abusive misconduct toward tea party conservatives.

The new budget not only fails to stop Obama's executive amnesty, known as DACA and DAPA, which two federal courts have said is illegal, but it quadruples the controversial H-2B program, which imports low-skilled foreign workers for blue-collar jobs that millions of Americans can do. That provision violates Paul Ryan's recent pledge not to push for higher immigration levels, at least until the next president takes office.

"There is a reason that GOP voters are in open rebellion," Senator Jeff Sessions, R., Ala., said when he learned of the surreptitious increase in the number of low-wage guest workers. "They have come to believe that their party's elites are ... openly hostile to them."

Despite the recent massacres in Paris and San Bernardino, both of which were committed by Muslims loyal to ISIS who crossed national borders with impunity, the Omnibus continues full funding for the resettlement of Syrian refugees without additional screening. Despite the deaths of Kate Steinle and other Americans murdered by Mexicans who had previously been deported, there is still no limit on federal subsidies for sanctuary cities.

The recently concluded UN conference on climate change, where Obama committed the United States to reducing our energy use before China does, offered a great opportunity for congressional action. The Omnibus failed to block the EPA's Clean Power Plan and Waters of the United States rule, but it provided plenty of money, which Obama can reallocate to the UN's Green Climate Fund.

Ryan's surrender was so complete that it's no wonder Obama said "kudos to him" before boarding Air Force One for the First Family's annual vacation in Hawaii. As Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Steve Israel explained, "We ended up with a bill today that has all the good stuff in and most of the bad stuff out. That's the definition of victory."

The Democratic budget victory came despite Republicans winning the largest number of seats they've had in Congress since the 1920s, reinforced by winning a thousand seats in state legislatures across the country. The Republican leaders' failure to make use of their majority, to make good on their promises, supports Rush Limbaugh's theory that Republican leaders "are willing to throw away their current base for the new one they hope to get."

Although the current congressional leadership seems to have lost its will to fight for conservative policies, the 95 Representatives and 16 Senators who voted against the deal provide hope for building a more effective conservative majority next year. Our marvelous Constitution provides many ways for concerned citizens reduce the size of our government.

Meanwhile, some excellent candidates are lining up to challenge the Republican incumbents who forgot why the voters sent them to Congress. Find one of those candidates in your area and give him or her your full support.

[bold and italics emphasis mine]
  
Phyllis Schlafly is a national leader of the pro-family movement, a nationally syndicated columnist and author of "Feminist Fantasies." 

#1444 (12/21) "Christmas Message to Unbelievers: Just Take the Bet!"

"CHRISTMAS MESSAGE TO UNBELIEVERS: JUST TAKE THE BET!" - Joy Overbeck | Dec 21, 2015; http://townhall.com/columnists/joyoverbeck/

Once upon a time in a galaxy right here and now the Creator God who made it all decided that although his man children had become nasty pieces of work (consult your local headlines) He loved these fallen creatures enough to try and give them a last chance at the really good stuff called the afterlife (or heaven). So He sent His Son (who was also Him) down to Earth to give His life for them, and all they had to do was believe that the Father God loved them enough to do such an outrageous thing, and then they could spend eternity with Him.

Many took advantage of His generous offer and became happier than everybody else according to decades of Pew surveys. They were called Christians. But others scoffed and said they were far too brilliant to believe in some crazy god, even though they weren’t brilliant enough to figure out how the Universe came to be, or how the 36 chromosomes that define each unique human being replicate themselves in every single cell, or how their brains could make 100 trillion calculations per second. And they were called atheists, or agnostics, and they demanded proof.

And God puzzled, “How could these unbelievers demanding proof not notice that I put all this grass and the rain on the earth so the herbivores would have free food, and the carnivores would have free food in the form of the herbivores and that humans would have free food from both? Do these people think all that was an accident? And how about my creating the dinosaurs; granted, very entertaining for kids, but mainly so my humans would be able to fuel their civilization with oil and coal, making them prosperous and happy. How’s that for proof? Maybe they should use more than 5% of that big brain I gave them.”

But it came to pass that the atheists and agnostics just didn’t get it. And so while Christians are busy celebrating the miraculous birth of the Savior Jesus Christ and decorating trees and trying to find a large-person sweater for Aunt Agnes, the foolish atheists are putting up billboards scolding the rest of us for believing in God and the baby Jesus. This year the American Atheists’ grinchy tradition of God-debunking billboards continues with a smiling Santa and the advice to skip church. News flash atheists: you are advertising St. Nicholas, aka Santa Clause, who happens to be a Christian saint. 

But these God-bashers are so intellectually deficient that they don’t even realize that atheism itself violates the only commandment of their non-faith faith: “Thou shalt have no other gods but reason.” Since nobody can know for sure if there’s a God, to declare as a statement of fact that the deity is defunct is simply irrational. Not to mention preposterous.

But lo because the Lord knew that Man was a betting man since the Garden of Eden when he bet on an evil snake rather than his loving God, He created Blaise Pascal. Despite his stripper’s name, Pascal was a genius inventor, mathematician, philosopher, writer, and well-known 17th Century Jesus freak. Using only about 5% of his intellect, he invented Pascal’s Wager which goes something like this: “If you believe in God and Heaven but in fact it turns out there is no God or Heaven and when you die you become a worm buffet; no harm, no foul. However, if you don’t believe in God or Heaven and there is in fact a God and a Heaven, you are eternally screwed.” Pascal was trying to help you atheists and agnostics understand there is no downside to believing in God. But it’s really inaccurate to call it a bet since believing is a no-lose proposition.

Plus according to many surveys through the decades, if you are a Christian it’s likely you will be happier and healthier than the unbeliever and you will even live longer. There is also the sad fact, concluded by a number of studies and published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, that atheists are far more likely to commit suicide than believers.

Atheists themselves admit this. Under the headline, Atheism Has a Suicide Problem, a God-denying blogger writes: “This is something we don’t like to admit, but it is true. There is a problem within the atheist community of depression and suicide. I know we would all like to believe that atheists are happier people than religious believers and in many ways we are. But we also have to accept the reality that in some very important ways we are not.” 

Yeah, very important ways like the aforementioned health and happiness and not feeling empty and suicidal. But then the writer offers hope: in therapy. Yes. “Fortunately,” he says, “there are a lot of atheists who go into the field of psychology and psychiatry…don’t suffer quietly and alone.”

When not in therapy, atheists spend their days writing threatening letters to schools that include the merest whisper of Christ in their “holiday” pageants, urging the firing of Army chaplains who pray in the name of Jesus, suing for removal of memorial crosses honoring fallen heroes, and bringing court cases against football coaches who pray. They would have sued Thomas Jefferson for regularly attending church services held in the actual Congress building during his two terms as president; so much for separation of church and state. Deep down, atheists know that God exists or they wouldn’t spend so much time and effort hating Him. In fact the commander-in-chief of American Atheists has a new book out, called “Fighting God.” Militant atheist squares off against the God he claims not to believe in.

Of course the problem with Pascal’s Wager is that even though Christianity is the best bet ever, believing is not something you can will yourself to do. Instead, you must open yourself up to the richness of the new life He offers through His Son. Tens of thousands of fallen humans have found in a personal relationship with God saving grace from addictions like alcoholism and drugs, depression and despair and been converted to a new life in Jesus Christ. A transformed life is a powerful proof, fulfilling Jesus’ promise that, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10.)

Einstein said, “I want to know God’s thoughts – the rest are mere details.” God’s thoughts are beautifully expressed in his autobiography, the Bible. Delve into it. Relationship with God is like any other relationship: the more time and effort you invest in knowing Him, the more He will reveal himself to you. You’ll find he’s full of wonderful surprises.

Jesus also promises peace, the mind and soul peace for which unbelievers yearn. “My peace I give to you; not as the world gives…Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Take the bet. You can’t lose: greater health and happiness, and spiritual backup from the God who loves you and promises never to forsake you. Act now and He will throw in eternal life. And a Christmas that’s merry and bright.

[bold and italics emphasis mine]

Joy Overbeck is a Colorado journalist and author who writes at Townhall.com, The Washington Times, The Daily Caller, American Thinker, Breakpoint.org, and elsewhere. More columns: https://www.facebook.com/JoyOverbeckColumnist Follow her on Twitter @JoyOverbeck1.

# 1443 (12/20) SUNDAY SPECIAL: "... Public School Kids CAN Express Their Faith"

"Religious Freedom Day; PUBLIC SCHOOL KIDS CAN EXPRESS THEIR FAITH" - By: Eric Metaxas| Breakpoint.org: Dec.18,2015; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/28619

Next month [SUNDAY JAN. 16] we'll observe Religious Freedom Day. And I want to help you and your public school get ready.

Right up there with Christmas music on the radio and festive lights on people’s houses, it's become an annual tradition during the Christmas season for people to criticize schools for daring to display Christmas trees, sing Christmas carols, and acknowledge the birth of Jesus. And of course, a lot of schools avoid the controversy all together because they have long ago stripped Christmas of its meaning and even stopped children from talking about Jesus as the reason for the season.

As Eric Buehrer of Gateways to Better Education reminds us, when it comes to education, as the saying goes, “More is caught than taught.” The tone or atmosphere in a classroom can have a great impact on students. When a generation of young people is raised in public schools where they aren’t allowed to freely express their faith, is it any wonder they become adults who think that religious expression should only be a private affair in their homes or churches?

This generation of children and teens need to be taught that they have the freedom to express their faith at school. Faith isn’t just a private matter that can only be expressed in the evenings and on weekends. Americans are free to articulate their faith in their words and by their actions in all areas of their lives.

That's why it is important that we all draw attention to Religious Freedom Day, January 16th. Each year since 1993, the President declares January 16th to be “Religious Freedom Day” and calls upon Americans to “observe this day through appropriate events and activities in homes, schools, and places of worship.”

January 16th is the anniversary of the passage, in 1786, of the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom. Thomas Jefferson drafted the legislation and considered it one of his greatest achievements. The men who drafted the U.S. Constitution leaned heavily on Jefferson’s statute in establishing the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom.

Today, that protection is as important as ever--whether it involves Obamacare trying to make religious organizations pay for abortions or judges forcing bakers, florists, and photographers to participate in same-sex weddings.

When it comes to public schools, in too many instances, teachers tell students they cannot include their faith in their homework assignments or classroom discussions. These teachers are often simply unaware that the U.S. Department of Education has issued guidelines explaining students’ religious liberties. According to the guidelines:

* Students can pray, read their Bibles, and talk about their faith at school during school hours.
* They can organize prayer groups and Bible studies and announce their meetings.
* Students can express their faith in their class work and homework.
* They can express their faith at a school event such as a talent show or a graduation ceremony.
* And, teachers can organize prayer groups and Bible studies with their colleagues.

Our friends at Gateways to Better Education have put together all the resources you need to promote awareness of Religious Freedom Day in your church, your schools, and your community this January. Their mission is to create a better future for our children by keeping God in our schools. And that includes promoting students’ freedom of religious expression.

So, here’s the plan: On the Sundays before and after Religious Freedom Day I urge you to get information to the families in your church about their children’s religious freedom at school. Make sure all the educators in your church get it, too.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

RESOURCES
"Gateway to Better Education" - (website)http://www.gtbe.org/
"What You Can Do for Religious Freedom Day" - Gateway to Better Education - http://www.gtbe.org/www.gtbe.org/news/index.php/5/95.html
"Religious Freedom Sunday" - Gateways to Better Education - http://www.religiousfreedomsunday.com/ - A two-minute pulpit announcement can bring religious freedom to your local schools!; Go here to  to read what your church can do on Sunday, January 10th, in anticipation of the President's proclamation.

#1442 (12/19) PRO-LIFE SAT: "Bollywood Star Committed Suicide After Massive Guilt Following Abortion"

"BOLLYWOOD STAR COMMITTEDSUICIDE AFTER MASSIVE GUILT FOLLOWING ABORTION"- Steven Ertelt, 12/11/15; http://www.lifenews.com/2015/12/11/bollywood-star-committed-suicide-after-massive-guilt-following-abortion/

[For the story about this actress in India, go to the website noted above. The following excerpt focuses on studies pointing to the high suicide rate among women who've had abortions worldwide.]

... There have been numerous studies that found an association between abortion and suicide. Other studies have found a link between abortion and depression (which is a major risk factor for suicide). For example:

     A 1995 study by A.C. Gilchrist in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that in women with no history of psychiatric illness, the rate of deliberate self-harm was 70 percent higher after abortion than after childbirth.
     A 1996 study in Finland by pro-choice researcher Mika Gissler in the British Medical Journal found that the suicide rate was nearly six times greater among women who aborted than among women who gave birth.
     A 2002 record-linkage study of California Medicaid patients in the Southern Medical Journal, which controlled for prior mental illness, found that suicide risk was 154 percent higher among women who aborted than among those who delivered.
     A March 2004 report from the U.S. National Institutes of Health revealed that suicide is now the third leading cause of death among America’s young people. In fact, for teen girls and young women, the suicide rate has tripled over the past 25 years.
     One study published in August 2003 edition of the British Medical Journal found that women who had abortions were seven times more likely to commit suicide than women who gave birth.

Lead author Professor David Fergusson, who has described himself in interviews as a pro-choice atheist, also led the research team in a 2008 study that concluded that women who continued an unwanted or mistimed pregnancy did not experience a significant increase in mental health problems. Further, having an abortion did not reduce their mental health risks. “In general, there is no evidence in the literature on abortion and mental health that suggests that abortion reduces the mental health risks of unwanted or mistimed pregnancy,” the authors wrote. “Although some studies have concluded that abortion has neutral effects on mental health, no study has reported that exposure to abortion reduces mental health risks.”

... A 2011 study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that 10 percent of mental health problems among women, including 35 percent of suicidal behaviors, may be attributable to abortion. These findings were based on the combined results of all studies published between 1995 and 2009 that met strict inclusion criteria. The resulting analysis included 877,181 women from six countries. Women who aborted were 81 percent more likely to experience mental health problems compared to all other control groups, and 55 percent more likely to have problems compared to women who delivered an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy.

The increased risk of suicide following abortion has been recognized in Australia as well. The 2013 Queensland Maternal and Perinatal Quality Council report noted: "Suicide is the leading cause of death in women within 42 days after their pregnancy and between 43 days and 365 days after their pregnancy. There appears to be a significant worldwide risk of maternal suicide following termination of pregnancy and, in fact, a higher risk than that following term delivery."

The potential for depression and other mental health issues at this time needs to be better appreciated. Active follow-up of these women needs to happen. Practitioners referring women for termination of pregnancy or undertaking termination of pregnancy should ensure adequate follow-up for such women, especially if the procedure is undertaken for mental health concerns.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine] 

#1441 (12/18) "... Channeling Our Children's Desires"

"On Being the Father of Immortals - CHANNELING OUR CHILDREN’S DESIRES" - By: John Stonestreet| Breakpoint.org:Dec.16,2015; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/28609

Well, Christmas is around the corner, and my kids desire many things. But C.S. Lewis thought our desires could be redeemed. I agree.

You may have heard a new Star Wars movie is coming out soon. And so, during what is increasingly being called the “holiday shopping season,” instead of “Christmas,” there’s a ton of film-related merchandise being pushed. The International Business Times notes, “Whether it’s an exciting new broadsword-style light-saber, a figurine of his or her favorite character or a working BB-8 RC unit they can control with a smartphone, no one will be bored on Christmas morning with any of these gifts under the tree.”

Now lest anyone think I’m a grumpy Grinch or stingy Scrooge, let me say that I love to give—and receive—gifts during Christmas. But as the father of three beautiful but impressionable daughters, I worry about how all of this commercialism that’s invaded our culture’s celebration of Christ’s birth might warp their thinking and their souls. Let’s face it—our kids do a lot of wanting at Christmas, and truth be told, so do the rest of us. So is such desire good or bad? Can our desires be redeemed? These are really good questions.

For answers, I invite you to check out an essay on our website that I’ve written called, “On Being the Father of Immortals.” Actually, it’s a reprint of a chapter in a new book “C. S. Lewis and Women,” which is available at our online bookstore.

Immortals may sound like some new class of alien life, but they are, in reality, each and every human being. As C.S. Lewis once said, “There are no ordinary people. You’ve never talked to a mere mortal… it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.” And immortals, might I add, that we raise.

As “immortals,” my girls express a natural curiosity about God, the world, and their place in it. Yet as I write in the essay, “I also see how often their active imaginations are tempted to a small view of life for which too many Westerners settle. I fear they will begin to believe, as they absorb constant marketing pitches aiming for their affections and pocketbooks, that they are what they buy; that the hole in their being is stuff-shaped rather than God-shaped.”

So how do we help them not settle for this small view of life? We have to address our God-given longings with a God-given perspective. “Lewis understood,” I write, “that it is the direction our desires take and not the desires themselves that are the problem. Rightly ordered, human longings point us to answers about life and its meaning. Ultimately, they point us to God, the only source for knowing our true selves. Our capacity for desire is good.

“The mistake many make about desires, Lewis thought, is confusing means for ends. “We all know how pursuing desire as an end in and of itself results in a treadmill of personal disillusionment and relational carnage.” And isn’t that what so often happens when all the “holiday” merchandise has been unwrapped and all we’re left with are the bills, the pine needles on the living room carpet, and our unfulfilled longings? Lewis knew that as immortals, we’d been created for so much more.

“…it would seem,” Lewis once wrote, “that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased.” Amen!

So as we raise the immortals we’ve been trusted with, the point isn’t to squash their desire. It’s to point their desires to higher things. It’s about helping our children, and ourselves, raise our sights beyond the temporal to the eternal, and ultimately to the One whose Incarnation we celebrate. After all, He’s the One who gave us desires and the only One who can ultimately fulfill them....

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION ... read John's feature article, "On Being the Father of Immortals." And check out the book that led to his article, Women and C. S. Lewis, by Carolyn Curtis. It's available at Amazon.com.
"On Being the Father of Immortals: Lessons From 'The Weight Of Glory'" - John Stonestreet | BreakPoint.org | Dec. 3, 2015;http://www.breakpoint.org/features-columns/articles/entry/12/28555
"Percentage of Late-Nov. Media Mentions of 'Christmas Shopping Season' at a 10-Year Low " - Tom Blumer | newsbusters.org | Nov. 24, 2015;http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tom-blumer/2015/11/24/percentage-media-mentions-christmas-shopping-season-10-year-low
"'Star Wars' Christmas Gift Ideas 2015: A Holiday Shopping List For Fans Ahead Of 'The Force Awakens' Premiere" - Tyler McCarthy | ibtimes.com | Dec. 8, 2015;
http://www.ibtimes.com/star-wars-christmas-gift-ideas-2015-holiday-shopping-list-fans-ahead-force-awakens-2216551
Women and C.S. Lewis- Carolyn Curtis, Mary Pomroy Key | Lion Hudson | August 2015

#1440 (12/17) "Verses of Violence: Comparing The Bible and The Quran"

"VERSES OF VIOLENCE:COMPARING THE BIBLE AND THE QURAN" - Michael Brown | Dec 16, 2015 ;
http://townhall.com/columnists/michaelbrown/2015/12/16/verses-of-violence-comparing-the-bible-and-the-quran-n2094327/page/full

When Christians point to the violent verses in the Quran, Muslims reply, “But what about the violent verses in the Bible?” How should we respond to this fair challenge from Muslims?

1. The violent verses in the Bible were for a specific time and place; the violent verses in the Quran are spoken in general terms.
     In the Bible, God commanded Joshua to annihilate the Canaanites, meaning to kill men, women, and children, since the Canaanites were considered guilty sinners. Centuries later, during the time of King Saul, the prophet Samuel said that it was God’s will to annihilate the Amalekites because of the sins they had committed. While these commands seem monstrous to many readers today, they cannot possibly be applied to contemporary situations and they have never been considered normative for all times in either Judaism or Christianity.

In contrast, the Quranic injunctions to smite at the necks of unbelievers and to kill and punish them in various ways have been applied to contemporary situations since the days of Muhammad, right up until today.

(For Christian reflections on the command to kill the Canaanites, see Paul Copan and Matt Flanagan, Did God Really Command Genocide? Coming to Terms with the Justice of God, and David T. Lamb, God Behaving Badly: Is the God of the Bible Angry, Sexist, and Racist?)

2. For Christians, the Old Testament is the foundation on which the New Testament is built and so the New Testament contains the final revelation. Significantly, there are no verses in the New Testament in which believers are called on to kill their enemies. For Muslims, the Quran is the final revelation.
     In the Old Testament, the Israelites were commanded to drive out the Canaanites; in the New Testament, Christians are commanded to drive out demons (evil spiritual beings), not people. In the Old Testament, sins like adultery and idolatry were punishable with the death penalty under Israelite law; in the New Testament, professing Christians who practice those sins are to be excommunicated (meaning, put out of the fellowship of believers), not executed.

For Jews, the Old Testament is read in the light of Jewish tradition, which also removed the death penalties for certain sins over a period of time. Jewish tradition also claims that some Old Testament laws were never meant to be taken literally (such as eye for eye, tooth for tooth, or the law calling for a woman’s hand to be chopped off for grabbing a man’s genitals when he was fighting her husband). Instead, Jewish tradition tells us that these laws always referred to monetary payment.

In contrast, the Quran is the final authority for Muslims – there is nothing that supersedes it or can contradict it – and so, to repeat again, throughout Islamic history, the violent verses have often been applied literally by Muslims in their treatment of unbelievers and enemies.

3. The ultimate example for Christians is Jesus. For Muslims, Muhammad is the perfect man and the model to be followed.
     Jesus was crucified and ordered His followers not to defend Him from His fate. Muhammad, who began his mission as a preacher rather than a soldier, led pillaging raids (to get money for his followers), fought aggressive, offensive wars to subdue his enemies, and on one famous occasion, beheaded his Jewish captives. In stark contrast, the most “violent” thing Jesus did was overthrow the tables of the money changers in the Temple and drive out the animals.

How can anyone compare the two?
     Jesus is called the Lamb of God in numerous texts, speaking of His sacrificial death on the cross, and He is worshiped by Christians as the Lamb who was slain. Do Muslims commonly think of Muhammad in those terms?
     The issue here is not whether it’s appropriate for Christians to defend themselves against terrorist attacks or whether Christians should serve in the military. The issue is that the early Christians were killed for their faith rather than killing others for their faith. The early Muslims did, in fact, kill others for their faith, and many have continued to do so through the centuries.

So, when a Christian is killed by a radical Muslim for refusing to deny his faith, both the Christian and the Muslim can point to their leaders – Jesus and Muhammad – and say, “I am following the example of my leader,” one by being killed for his faith, the other by killing for his faith.

I’m quite aware of ugly aspects of Church history, including the violence of the Crusades (in particular, against European Jews who were not part of the military conflict between Christians and Muslims), but examples like this prove the larger point: they are horrific exceptions to the rule and they are without New Testament support.

In contrast, wars fought in the name of Allah have a rich Islamic history, tracing back directly to Muhammad and the Quran.

As for wars that America engages in, such as the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, while many Muslims view these as “Christian wars” (since America is perceived by the Muslim world to be a Christian nation), these wars have not been waged in the name of Christianity but rather in the name of national security. If America was an entirely secular nation it could have engaged in such wars just as easily.

I do appreciate the fact that millions of Muslims, including many respected leaders, believe that the violent verses of the Quran were for also for a specific time and season, and I applaud them for repudiating the theology, ideology, and actions of radical Muslims worldwide. At the same time, the close association between Muhammad, the Quranic verses of violence, and violent Islamic history cannot be denied.

This similar pattern cannot be found from New Testament times until today in practicing Christian circles. And where it can be found, it is aberrant.

Not surprisingly, while Muslims celebrate Muhammad’s bloody victory at Khaybar, Christians celebrate Jesus’ bloody death on the cross, followed by His glorious resurrection.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]
 
Michael Brown is the host of the nationally syndicated talk radio show The Line of Fire and is the president of FIRE School of Ministry. His newest book is Outlasting the Gay Revolution: Where Homosexual Activism Is Really Going and How to Turn the Tide. Connect with him on Facebook at AskDrBrown or on Twitter at drmichaellbrown