Morality, Religion & Philosophy: March 2009 Archives
"Earth Hour" and "Earth Day" are modern day pagan rituals performed in worship of the giant ball of dirt beneath our feet.
If we're "running out" of energy (or it's just more expensive than you'd like) then the solution is to create cheaper, cleaner energy sources, not to knock ourselves back into some watery-eyed idealized Stone Age.
As my wife pointed out on a Facebook note that I apparently can't link to, prostrating yourself before Gaia is an idiotic waste of time, especially considering all the hurting humans out there. Instead of flagellating ourselves over our prosperity, we should dedicate some time and energy to spreading our blessings to the less fortunate around the world.
Instead of turning off our lights for an hour, why not work towards providing 24-hour electricity to the majority of people in the world who don't have it? Or clean water? Or cell phone service?
It's pathetic how eager the Left is to erase millennia of progress and throw civilization back into the pagan dark ages. Let's worship the earth, the air, the rocks, the ocean, and the animals!
The Voice of the Martyrs just sent out a bulletin asking for prayer and petition signature for the release of Gao Zhisheng from Chinese torture.
Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng, has now been missing 50 days, and there is increasing concern for his life. He was last seen being hauled away from his home by more than a dozen police officers on February 4. Reports from inside China indicate he is undergoing brutal torture.The situation is critical, and with each day that passes, Gao Zhisheng's life hangs in the balance.
Because of Gao's work defending house church Christians and others persecuted in China, the Chinese government wants to silence his voice. ChinaAid president, Bob Fu calls Gao's torture "the most severe persecution in China's modern history." Gao's wife and two children, who have also been abused and tormented by the police, escaped to the U.S. less than two weeks ago. His family is afraid that authorities, furious at their escape, are taking revenge on Gao.
ChinaAid and The Voice of the Martyrs, together with Gao Zhisheng's wife and children, call on all Christians and those who value human dignity and justice to speak out on Gao Zhisheng's behalf by signing a petition to free Gao.
Sign the petition and send emails to the Chinese government. From what I've read, the Chinese government is very sensitive to its reputation among Westerners, and there's a good chance that Gao's release may be accomplished if we can draw enough attention to his situation.
In a strikingly cynical move Notre Dame, a Catholic university, has invited President Obama to be their 2009 commencement speaker despite the fact that Obama is the most pro-abortion president in history.
University President Fr. John Jenkins responded to criticism regarding the announcement of President Barack Obama as the 2009 Commencement speaker by clearly making a distinction between honoring the president and supporting his political views. ..."The invitation of President Obama to be our Commencement speaker should in no way be taken as condoning or endorsing his positions on specific issues regarding the protection of life, such as abortion and embryonic stem cell research," Jenkins said.
These "crucial differences" in positions on the protection of life are not being ignored in extending the invitation to the president, Jenkins said, but rather can be used as a catalyst for dialogue.
Spoken like someone who truly does not believe that killing unborn babies is akin to murder. Would Notre Dame invite anyone to speak on campus who believed that slavery was an acceptable public policy? Obviously not, and obviously not as an "honored" commencement speaker.
Shameful.
FerFAL discusses his experience after the 2001 economic collapse of Argentina, and it's required reading for any survivalists out there.
Also useful: ammo search engine and body armor
Michael Spencer at the Christian Science Monitor claims that the evangelical church structure is about to collapse.
We are on the verge – within 10 years – of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity. This breakdown will follow the deterioration of the mainline Protestant world and it will fundamentally alter the religious and cultural environment in the West.Within two generations, evangelicalism will be a house deserted of half its occupants. (Between 25 and 35 percent of Americans today are Evangelicals.) In the "Protestant" 20th century, Evangelicals flourished. But they will soon be living in a very secular and religiously antagonistic 21st century.
This collapse will herald the arrival of an anti-Christian chapter of the post-Christian West. Intolerance of Christianity will rise to levels many of us have not believed possible in our lifetimes, and public policy will become hostile toward evangelical Christianity, seeing it as the opponent of the common good.
Millions of Evangelicals will quit. Thousands of ministries will end. Christian media will be reduced, if not eliminated. Many Christian schools will go into rapid decline. I'm convinced the grace and mission of God will reach to the ends of the earth. But the end of evangelicalism as we know it is close.
He paints a bleak picture, but even if he's right it will not mean the end of Christianity. Perhaps the end of Christianity as a dominant world culture, but Christianity isn't primarily a culture, it's a faith. Historically Christianity thrives in persecution (and has an easier time staying doctrinally sound).
Christians are the world's most persecuted group. We American Christians need to be in prayer for our brothers around the world who are suffering to spread the gospel of Christ to unbelievers. Here's one example of Christians being persecuted in Uzbekistan.
UZBEKISTAN – Government Cracks Down on Religious Literature – Forum 18 NewsThe Uzbekistan government is continuing its persecution of Christians and Baptists, punishing them for distributing free literature. In one case Christians were questioned for seven hours without food or water, according to Forum 18 News. A Baptist believer was fired from his job as an electrician after the secret police confiscated his religious literature. Pray for believers living under intense pressure in Uzbekistan. Ask God to give them courage and endurance. Pray they will forgive their persecutors.
Follow the link for news from more countries.
