Category: In The News!
Articles analyzing current events.
In the News: John the Baptist’s Finger?
The cable news television station, CNN is running a series titled Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, Forgery. The programs are typical fare. Supposed scholars and researchers intersperse comments with a dramatic reenacting of Bible events, trying to “separate truth” from the gospel accounts and church legend. There is no respect for the inspiration of scripture. The resulting program, though claiming to be even handed, is a skewed, skeptical view of the life and ministry of our Lord.
One aspect of this series is the examination of “Christian” relics as an adjunct to the narrative. In this they attempt to establish the authenticity of such items as the Shroud of Turin, the ossuary of the “brother of Jesus”, and bones claimed to be from John the Baptist.
Of course, each time such a relic is shown to be inauthentic, it emboldens some to claim another victory against the “superstition” that is the Christian faith.
In the News: Non-Religious Ethics
In doing some internet research on the subject of ethics, I came across an article by Rohana R. Wasala, a practicing Buddhist. In his article, titled Ethics and the non religious essence of Buddhism (lankaweb.com), Wasala advocated Buddhism over other religions, noting that Buddhism is not a religion in the traditional sense, in that it has its origin not in a supernatural being, but rather in a philosophy of self.
Interestingly, the author bemoans the fact that Buddhism, as practiced popularly, is not the same as “Pristine Buddhism.” To contrast the two, he states that Pristine Buddhism is free from the element of worship and prayer. He then stated that in contrast, “Unfortunately, Buddhism in popular practice is a different thing. It is today displayed by most followers as a religion.”
In the News: A New Dialogue on Abortion?
Christians deal with moral issues so often that there is the danger of wearying of the fight. The daily bombardment of unrighteousness requires vigilance on our part, but I fear that some Christians simply tire of hearing about topics like abortion, homosexuality, racism, pornography, and other troubling societal problems. We must remember, however, that our enemy is relentless. He never ceases in furthering his agenda, and has been described by Peter as walking “about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Therefore, God’s people must be constantly on guard, constantly defending what is right (cf. Jude 3), and constantly applying Paul’s exhortation, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9).
In the News: Compassion and the Rule of Law
Everyone is aware of the burgeoning crisis that is playing out on the southern borders of the United States. A rapid and large number of illegal immigrant children are entering the U.S. every day.
This large number of Central and South American children (many of them unaccompanied by adults) is overwhelming the resources of border authorities, leading to health concerns both for the children and the communities where they are housed, and fueling a great political debate regarding how to manage the situation.
Continue reading “In the News: Compassion and the Rule of Law”
In the News: Robots With Morals?
The question of morality has always been an interesting one as it pertains to technology. In fact, it is a common theme of science fiction, as writers consider what will happen as robots and computers develop more autonomy. Way back in 1942, Isaac Asimov famously produced the Three Laws of Robotics, to govern the behavior of autonomous robots. They are:
- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
In the News: Are We A Persecuted People?
Are Christians a persecuted people?
The answer to this question is an obvious and unequivocal, “Yes.” It is the lot of every Christian to suffer persecution of one type or another as a consequence of the profession of faith. It happens, and it is not uncommon. Fortunately, in our country we have enjoyed a long history of religious tolerance. Such tolerance is, in fact, a bedrock of our nation. We have long escaped state sponsored persecution and oppression. The persecution we have witnessed and experienced as Christians in America has been rather mild. For this reason we hesitate to even categorize it as such, fearing that we will be perceived as less than valiant.
In the News: Can Science Explain the Heart of Man?
Today I was asked a question about how the Bible refers to the seat of emotions, intellect and will to be the heart of man. Passages such as, “I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore” (Psalm 86:12), use the metaphor. While we know the actual physical heart is a muscle that pumps blood, and that it is the brain that is the physical organ of thought and emotion, men have commonly referred to the heart in this poetic way.
I pointed out that using the word “brain” to refer to will, emotions and intellect of man is a metaphor as well. While it is true that the brain is the physical organ that regulates these things, it is a mistake to equate the brain with the mind. The truth is much more complex than that. To reduce such things as love, artistic expression, inspiration, genius and faith to the biological firing of synapses is to distort the essence of what it is to be a human being. Such reductionism is found in the efforts of some secular scientists who believe (as the term reductionism is defined) “that every complex phenomenon, especially in biology or psychology, can be explained by analyzing the simplest, most basic physical mechanisms that are in operation during the phenomenon.”
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The Emperor’s New Clothes – Redux
The picture to the left is not of the best quality. It is, however, striking. It is the picture of a young girl, perhaps 8 or 9 years old, who is hiding her eyes during the 2011 Toronto Pride Parade, an annual event celebrating the LBGT (Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender) agenda in Canada. While the picture was taken at the 2011 parade, it was published on the internet only this week. The picture (cropped from a much larger image) was taken by Steve Jalsevac of LifeSiteNews.com.
The parade included large numbers of completely naked men and women, wearing only shoes. Transvestites were also prevalent, along with profane and sexually explicit signs and banners. Even those clothed were often dressed in very immodest attire. Thousands lined the streets. Community leaders, including participants from various area law enforcement agencies, actively took part in the parade. Many children were present, including the one in the picture.
In the News: Guardians of Doctrine
On Thursday, the Catholic Pope released a text giving his view of who should be selected as Catholic bishops as the Catholic church goes forward in the 21st century. Of course, the Catholic church’s concepts of how bishops are to be selected, what their qualifications are, and the nature and extent of their rule are all contrary to what is revealed in the New Testament. In this short article, however, it is our intent to examine one aspect of the Pope’s message. Consider the following quote, taken from a report on the document:
In the News: Are You “Single”?
Friday was Valentine’s Day. Some like it, and some don’t. Some view it as an opportunity to express their love for their spouses or “significant others”, and some think it to be a “made up” holiday designed by card companies, florists and confectioners as an excuse to rake in some extra money. To each his own.
What I noticed this Valentine’s Day, (and have noticed off an on for several years now), is the common use of the term “single” with regard to relationships. With the advent of MySpace, Facebook, and the changing attitudes of our society, the definition of “single” as it refers to relationships, has itself undergone a fundamental and rather unfortunate change.
In the News: Desire the Word!
From time to time it is difficult for me to decide what to write for my frequent “In the News” articles. Sometimes there is so much to choose from in current events, that it is hard to decide what to write about. Other times I struggle to find anything that I feel would help those who read my articles.
In the News: 41 Years of Roe v Wade
This week I came across a powerful video on YouTube, titled, 41 Years of Roe v Wade. It was produced by the Texas Alliance for Life, and consisted of 41 different women, born from 1973 to 2014, each giving a statistic or fact about the fight for unborn lives since that time. The video can be found with a simple search using the title, or by typing in the following URL:
Here are a few of the points made in the video:
In the News: What are We Doing for Christmas?
I have answered the question many times — “What is your church (congregation) going to do to celebrate Christ’s birth on Christmas?” The answer never fails to surprise. “We are going to do nothing at all.” How can a group that claims allegiance to Jesus as Lord and Savior neglect to celebrate His birth on Christmas day?
The simple and concise answer as to why we do nothing special on Christmas day is because Jesus never indicated He wants us to! We are not so presumptuous to think that He desires it, unless He indicates such a desire in His will for us.
Continue reading “In the News: What are We Doing for Christmas?”
In the News: Attacks on Faith
Watching FOX News a few nights ago, I noted Bill O’Reilly’s editorial on what he calls the “War on Christmas.” He referred to one of a myriad objections being raised by segments of our society against the “Christian” aspect of Christmas observance. The attack against such religious observances is decades old. Whether it be a nativity scene on public land, or the large cross in San Diego, built 59 years ago at the Mt. Soledad Veteran’s memorial, which a federal judge ruled on Thursday must be taken down within 90 days. Many in America interpret the words of the first amendment “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” as precluding any religious observance in any public (governmental) circumstance. This interpretation would exclude prayer in school, a posting of the 10 commandments in a court of law, a nativity scene in a public park, or the national Christmas tree being displayed and lighted in front of the White House each year.
In the News: Pope Francis and Atheists
A recent online article from The Telegraph reported that the recently elevated Pope of the Catholic church has made efforts to reach out to agnostics and atheists. (for Telegraph article, click here .)
His words were given in response to some editorials that had appeared in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. The paper’s founder, Eugenio Scalfari (an agnostic), had asked whether, “the Christian God forgives those who do not believe and do not seek faith.”
