Luminous
A Catholic Woman and Her Thoughts on Life, the Universe, and Everything
Thursday, February 23, 2006
They Just Can't Bring Themselves to Use the Term "Pro-Life", Can They?
The New York Times does it again! In their report regarding South Dakota's drive to ban most abortions in their state, other than to physically protect the life of the mother, they simply can NOT use the term "pro-life" - it is always "advocates opposed to abortion rights" - as if there is a natural "right" to kill one's children, if those children are deemed somehow inconvenient.
The entire story drips with bias and prejudice against advocates for the lives of the unborn. The civil rights of the unborn are never even mentioned. The paper, of course, eagerly quotes several (shall we call them) anti-life advocates, who are strident in their claims that women's reproductive rights are being trampled on.
Calling the concept of abortion on demand as a "reproductive right" - now that's an oxymoron if I ever heard one... Has it ever occurred to anyone that "reproductive rights,” as enacted these days, tends to eliminate actual reproduction? Apparently they have in South Dakota. Read the whole story here: New York Times Story
The entire story drips with bias and prejudice against advocates for the lives of the unborn. The civil rights of the unborn are never even mentioned. The paper, of course, eagerly quotes several (shall we call them) anti-life advocates, who are strident in their claims that women's reproductive rights are being trampled on.
Calling the concept of abortion on demand as a "reproductive right" - now that's an oxymoron if I ever heard one... Has it ever occurred to anyone that "reproductive rights,” as enacted these days, tends to eliminate actual reproduction? Apparently they have in South Dakota. Read the whole story here: New York Times Story
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Thoughts on the Small
A Reading from the Gospel of St. Mark
Mk 9:30-37
http://www.drbo.org/chapter/48009.htm
30 And he taught his disciple, and said to them: The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise again the third day. 31 But they understood not the word, and they were afraid to ask him.
32 And they came to Capharnaum. And when they were in the house, he asked them: What did you treat of in the way? 33 But they held their peace, for in the way they had disputed among themselves, which of them should be the greatest.
34 And sitting down, he called the twelve, and saith to them: If any man desire to be first, he shall be the last of all, and the minister of all.
35 And taking a child, he set him in the midst of them. Whom when he had embraced, he saith to them: 36 Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in my name, receiveth me. And whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
=============================
Why would the apostles be afraid to ask Jesus what he meant? Were they frightened of his anger? Were they afraid to disappoint him? That very day they'd seen the Lord cast out demons from a child who'd been afflicted since birth. Were they awed by the power of the miracles they had witnessed? Whatever it was that they felt, it passed fairly quickly. Within a little while they were caught up in their own ideas of what the future was going to bring. Despite Christ's words to them, they still imagined that Jesus was going to take power as some sort of earthly ruler, and that as his followers they would also be great in the world. To make this as clear as possible, Jesus gives them what must have been a dramatic example. In that time, a child had no legal rights. He was not protected by law in anyway, and was literally considered to be "property" of his parents. Yet, Jesus takes a child, and embraces him, showing the apostles that they should cherish him, and then told them that when they honored even as weak and small and powerless a person as a child, they honored not only Christ himself, but the Father as well.
In our culture of death, millions of children have died through abortion. They are not even given the dignity of "personhood" under law, any more than a child in the 1st century was. They have no "civil rights". More children die every day through abuse and neglect, and our society wrings it's hands, but does very little. Our elderly are no longer respected for their fount of life's wisdom, but shut away in facilities to die. Our sick are sentenced to death, and depriving them of basic, normal care is considered "mercy", because their quality of life is judged by materialistic concerns, not by God's standards. Our mentally ill are treated as broken, "disturbed" and potentially dangerous people, rather than loved and cherished. We offer drugs and treatments, to them, when their hearts cry out for so much more. The lost, the lonely, and the poor sit in the shadows and watch us stride quickly by as we go about our important business of the day. We are so caught up in the here and now, that we "don't have time" to reach out to each other any more, and as a result we depend on agencies and charities to do what we used to do for each other - reach out. But as useful as fuel assistance or a welfare check might be - it's not what a person needs to survive. As St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
.... So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Mk 9:30-37
http://www.drbo.org/chapter/48009.htm
30 And he taught his disciple, and said to them: The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise again the third day. 31 But they understood not the word, and they were afraid to ask him.
32 And they came to Capharnaum. And when they were in the house, he asked them: What did you treat of in the way? 33 But they held their peace, for in the way they had disputed among themselves, which of them should be the greatest.
34 And sitting down, he called the twelve, and saith to them: If any man desire to be first, he shall be the last of all, and the minister of all.
35 And taking a child, he set him in the midst of them. Whom when he had embraced, he saith to them: 36 Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in my name, receiveth me. And whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
=============================
Why would the apostles be afraid to ask Jesus what he meant? Were they frightened of his anger? Were they afraid to disappoint him? That very day they'd seen the Lord cast out demons from a child who'd been afflicted since birth. Were they awed by the power of the miracles they had witnessed? Whatever it was that they felt, it passed fairly quickly. Within a little while they were caught up in their own ideas of what the future was going to bring. Despite Christ's words to them, they still imagined that Jesus was going to take power as some sort of earthly ruler, and that as his followers they would also be great in the world. To make this as clear as possible, Jesus gives them what must have been a dramatic example. In that time, a child had no legal rights. He was not protected by law in anyway, and was literally considered to be "property" of his parents. Yet, Jesus takes a child, and embraces him, showing the apostles that they should cherish him, and then told them that when they honored even as weak and small and powerless a person as a child, they honored not only Christ himself, but the Father as well.
In our culture of death, millions of children have died through abortion. They are not even given the dignity of "personhood" under law, any more than a child in the 1st century was. They have no "civil rights". More children die every day through abuse and neglect, and our society wrings it's hands, but does very little. Our elderly are no longer respected for their fount of life's wisdom, but shut away in facilities to die. Our sick are sentenced to death, and depriving them of basic, normal care is considered "mercy", because their quality of life is judged by materialistic concerns, not by God's standards. Our mentally ill are treated as broken, "disturbed" and potentially dangerous people, rather than loved and cherished. We offer drugs and treatments, to them, when their hearts cry out for so much more. The lost, the lonely, and the poor sit in the shadows and watch us stride quickly by as we go about our important business of the day. We are so caught up in the here and now, that we "don't have time" to reach out to each other any more, and as a result we depend on agencies and charities to do what we used to do for each other - reach out. But as useful as fuel assistance or a welfare check might be - it's not what a person needs to survive. As St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
.... So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Christ didn't scourge the apostles with cords, as he did the merchants in the Temple. He knew they were blind, seeing only the things of the world, that they hadn't yet experienced crucible of the Cross, the joy of the Resurrection, the awakening of Pentecost. He was gentle with them, and he didn't just teach them with words, he showed them by his actions.
We are the Body of Christ to the world. We need to show the world the face of Christ, so that they may know him. We do this not only by what we say, but by what we do. Mailing a check in the comfort of our homes once in a while, when the Spirit moves us, or putting an envelope in the basket each week is good. But every day, in everything we do, we need to show the world who we are. Like the words of that old song - maybe it's corny, but it's so true - "They will know we are Christians by our love..." It's not rhetoric. It's the way God wants us to live. To obtain the glory of Heaven, we need to be small. Be a servant, and minister to the least of us. We need to do more than just say we are followers of Christ. We need to do more than just go through the motions. We need to do what he tells us to do. His will, not ours.
Reconciliation and the Beauty of God, Part 3
Why Go to Confession? (Part 3)
CHIETI, Italy, FEB. 20, 2006 (www.Zenit.org).- Here is the third part of a pastoral letter, written by Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, a member of the International Theological Commission, on the theme "Reconciliation and the Beauty of God." Part 1 appeared Friday. Part 2 appeared Sunday.
* * *
.... In relation to God the Father, penance presents itself as a "return home" (this is in fact the meaning of the word "teshuva" which the Hebrew uses to say "conversion"). Through becoming aware of your faults, you realize you are in exile, far from the homeland of love: You feel ill at ease, sorrow, because you understand that sin is a rupture of the Covenant with the Lord, a rejection of his love, it is "unloved love," and because of this is also source of alienation, because sin uproots us from our true dwelling, the Father's heart.
It is then that we need to remember the house in which we are awaited: Without this memory of love we would never have the necessary confidence and the hope to make the decision to return to God. With the humility of the one who knows he is not worthy of being called "son," we can decide to call at the door of the Father's house. What a surprise to realize he is at the window scrutinizing the horizon because he has been waiting for a long time for our return!
[To be continued Tuesday. Translation by ZENIT]
CHIETI, Italy, FEB. 20, 2006 (www.Zenit.org).- Here is the third part of a pastoral letter, written by Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, a member of the International Theological Commission, on the theme "Reconciliation and the Beauty of God." Part 1 appeared Friday. Part 2 appeared Sunday.
* * *
.... In relation to God the Father, penance presents itself as a "return home" (this is in fact the meaning of the word "teshuva" which the Hebrew uses to say "conversion"). Through becoming aware of your faults, you realize you are in exile, far from the homeland of love: You feel ill at ease, sorrow, because you understand that sin is a rupture of the Covenant with the Lord, a rejection of his love, it is "unloved love," and because of this is also source of alienation, because sin uproots us from our true dwelling, the Father's heart.
It is then that we need to remember the house in which we are awaited: Without this memory of love we would never have the necessary confidence and the hope to make the decision to return to God. With the humility of the one who knows he is not worthy of being called "son," we can decide to call at the door of the Father's house. What a surprise to realize he is at the window scrutinizing the horizon because he has been waiting for a long time for our return!
[To be continued Tuesday. Translation by ZENIT]
The Cost of "Choice": Women Evaluate the Impact of Abortion.
A book review from New Oxford Review:
http://www.newoxfordreview.com/
Reviewed by: Lynn Campbell
The Cost of "Choice": Women Evaluate the Impact of Abortion.
Edited by Erika Bachiochi.
Encounter Books. 536 pages.
$17.95.
We know the impact of abortion on a baby in the womb -- a painful, violent death. The focus, though, of these essays by women is the destructive impact of abortion on women, physically, psychologically, and spiritually.
Consider the physical effects. Besides the risks of infection, tearing of the cervix, or perforation of the uterus, there is the long-term risk of breast cancer. Dr. Angela Lanfranchi has extensively researched the link between abortion and breast cancer. Breast cancer is the only major cancer that continues to rise, and it is estimated that some 10,000 cases a year result from abortion.
Attorney Denise Burke, writing on abortion clinic regulation, explains that abortion clinics usually operate under unsafe and substandard conditions. Regulations are lax and often similar to pre-Roe "back-alley" clinics.
Even if a woman is lucky enough not to be harmed physically, there's a good chance abortion will harm her psychologically. Three decades of abortion abuse support this. Dr. E. Joanne Angelo, psychiatrist and professor at Tufts Medical School, writes that "A tidal wave of sorrow and remorse is building in our time, but has not been recognized until recently." Guilt, depression, and suicidal thoughts are quite common in the aborting woman. Society expects her to "move on" after abortion; as a result, denial or emotional repression may continue for years. The harm can emerge in self-destructive habits, such as alcohol and drug abuse, bingeing and purging, anorexia, and promiscuity.
As a counselor at a pregnancy help center, I have observed that women who have had previous abortions act in one of two ways. If, first, they are in denial and have not mourned the loss of their baby, there is an emotional numbness about them. They are usually abortion-minded when facing another pregnancy. Or, second, if they've faced the horror of their abortion, allowing their emotions to surface, they regret their past "choice" and usually give birth to the baby.
Erika Bachiochi, born after Roe v. Wade, grew up in the culture of "choice." During her college years she came to the truth about abortion and became convinced that it was bad for women, especially poor women. "The thought that we, as a nation, would attempt to solve the problems of the poor by helping them rid themselves of their own children haunted me."
I've often noticed, as a counselor, that women who choose abortion have low self-respect and act out of a sense, it seems, of not being good enough to deserve help. Could this result from society's attitude of "getting rid" of problems rather than facing them honestly? Fortunately, pregnancy help centers also see women who welcome help. They speak of being received with love and being given options in their difficult situation.
Dorinda C. Bordlee, an attorney, writes about the "law of the gift" and gives examples of legislative initiatives that reach out to women in crisis pregnancies with concrete resources. How sharply this contrasts with Planned Parenthood, which in response to 9/11, offered a one-time free abortion to those carrying the unborn child of a victim of the terrorists.
Each of the 12 authors in this volume offers a helpful analysis of the harmful effects of abortion. Mary Ann Glendon, a professor at Harvard Law School, gives a historic overview of the abortion movement. Elizabeth Schiltz, law professor at St. Thomas Law School, gives her perspective as a mother of a child with Down Syndrome. She reveals the negative attitudes of the medical profession, and society in general, toward disabled children.
Although there is much work to do in the prolife movement, none of these women is daunted by it. They give us hope for the future. Reflecting on these essays, I know, has helped me in my own counseling work.
http://www.newoxfordreview.com/
Reviewed by: Lynn Campbell
The Cost of "Choice": Women Evaluate the Impact of Abortion.
Edited by Erika Bachiochi.
Encounter Books. 536 pages.
$17.95.
We know the impact of abortion on a baby in the womb -- a painful, violent death. The focus, though, of these essays by women is the destructive impact of abortion on women, physically, psychologically, and spiritually.
Consider the physical effects. Besides the risks of infection, tearing of the cervix, or perforation of the uterus, there is the long-term risk of breast cancer. Dr. Angela Lanfranchi has extensively researched the link between abortion and breast cancer. Breast cancer is the only major cancer that continues to rise, and it is estimated that some 10,000 cases a year result from abortion.
Attorney Denise Burke, writing on abortion clinic regulation, explains that abortion clinics usually operate under unsafe and substandard conditions. Regulations are lax and often similar to pre-Roe "back-alley" clinics.
Even if a woman is lucky enough not to be harmed physically, there's a good chance abortion will harm her psychologically. Three decades of abortion abuse support this. Dr. E. Joanne Angelo, psychiatrist and professor at Tufts Medical School, writes that "A tidal wave of sorrow and remorse is building in our time, but has not been recognized until recently." Guilt, depression, and suicidal thoughts are quite common in the aborting woman. Society expects her to "move on" after abortion; as a result, denial or emotional repression may continue for years. The harm can emerge in self-destructive habits, such as alcohol and drug abuse, bingeing and purging, anorexia, and promiscuity.
As a counselor at a pregnancy help center, I have observed that women who have had previous abortions act in one of two ways. If, first, they are in denial and have not mourned the loss of their baby, there is an emotional numbness about them. They are usually abortion-minded when facing another pregnancy. Or, second, if they've faced the horror of their abortion, allowing their emotions to surface, they regret their past "choice" and usually give birth to the baby.
Erika Bachiochi, born after Roe v. Wade, grew up in the culture of "choice." During her college years she came to the truth about abortion and became convinced that it was bad for women, especially poor women. "The thought that we, as a nation, would attempt to solve the problems of the poor by helping them rid themselves of their own children haunted me."
I've often noticed, as a counselor, that women who choose abortion have low self-respect and act out of a sense, it seems, of not being good enough to deserve help. Could this result from society's attitude of "getting rid" of problems rather than facing them honestly? Fortunately, pregnancy help centers also see women who welcome help. They speak of being received with love and being given options in their difficult situation.
Dorinda C. Bordlee, an attorney, writes about the "law of the gift" and gives examples of legislative initiatives that reach out to women in crisis pregnancies with concrete resources. How sharply this contrasts with Planned Parenthood, which in response to 9/11, offered a one-time free abortion to those carrying the unborn child of a victim of the terrorists.
Each of the 12 authors in this volume offers a helpful analysis of the harmful effects of abortion. Mary Ann Glendon, a professor at Harvard Law School, gives a historic overview of the abortion movement. Elizabeth Schiltz, law professor at St. Thomas Law School, gives her perspective as a mother of a child with Down Syndrome. She reveals the negative attitudes of the medical profession, and society in general, toward disabled children.
Although there is much work to do in the prolife movement, none of these women is daunted by it. They give us hope for the future. Reflecting on these essays, I know, has helped me in my own counseling work.
Purgatory over Iced Vanilla Latte: A curious conversation between Carl and Dave
I friend sent me this - I thought it was great!
=======================
Purgatory over Iced Vanilla Latte:
A curious conversation between Carl and Dave
Hi. This is a special edition of the CatholicDiscovery.
How can you share your faith in a coffee shop:
A curious conversation.
Dave: Hey, Carl, what did you get-iced latte?
Carl: Yeah, with vanilla. You?
Dave: Caramel frappucino.
Carl: Remember when the only choices were cream and sugar?
Dave: Here's to a more enlightened age.
Carl: Hey, man, thanks for inviting me. That was a nice funeral. Yourgrandma was great - I always loved her lemon meringue pie.
Dave: Thanks, Carl. I'm going to miss her.
Carl: I'll definitely keep her in my prayers.
Dave: Um.
Carl: Um?
Dave: Well. . . maybe it's because I'm not Catholic, but. . . um, whywould you pray for my grandma? She's dead. She doesn't need prayers.
Carl: Well, unless she was perfect when she died, she's probably in purgatory.
Dave: C'mon, you believe in purgatory? I thought the Catholic Churchgot rid of purgatory with Vatican II.
Carl: I've heard Catholics say the same thing. But contrary to popular belief, purgatory is Church doctrine. The Catechism of the CatholicChurch teaches that purgatory exists and that we can help the soulsthere by our prayers (cf. CCC 1030-2).
Dave: Sorry, man, I'm not Catholic, so the Catechism isn't exactly the final word for me. Of course there's an afterlife, but the Bible mentions only heaven and hell. You know I don't hate the Catholic Church. But, dude, purgatory is just a Catholic invention.
Carl: Let me ask you a question: If you die loving God perfectly,where will you go?
Dave: Heaven, of course.
Carl: If you die not loving God at all, where will you go?
Dave: Hell.
Carl: Great. Perfect love and you go to heaven. No love and you go tohell. But what if you are somewhere in between? Where do you go if you die sorta loving God?
Dave: What do you mean?
Carl: What if we love God but not wholeheartedly? What if our love ofGod is mixed with love of self? Where do you go if you're in the middle: loving God-sorta?
Dave: You still go to heaven. God just makes up for the lack.
Carl: If you mean God makes up for the lack by purifying us for a time in purgatory, then you agree with the Catholic Church. If you mean that God makes up for the lack by sneaking us - still foul with sins and self-love - into heaven under the mantle of Christ's righteousness, then you agree with Martin Luther.
Dave: Well, I guess I'm siding with Luther.
Carl (pulling out his Bible): But against Scripture. The Bible says of heaven, "Nothing unclean shall enter it" (Rev. 21:27). You see, God isperfect holiness (cf. Is. 6:3), and we're supposed to have that same holiness: "You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). " As he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy'" (1 Pet. 1:15-16).
Without perfect holiness, we cannot see God in heaven. Now, Dave, be honest: Do you have perfectlove and perfect holiness?
Dave: No - no, of course not. Most people are in the middle: loving God, sort of.
Carl: So the reasonable answer is purgatory.
Dave: For Catholics, maybe.
Carl: For reasonable people. To loosely quote Samuel Johnson, a non-Catholic: "Purgatory is a harmless doctrine. Catholics believethat most men are neither so wicked as to deserve hell, nor so good asto merit heaven, and therefore God graciously allows a middle state,where they may be purified by certain degrees of suffering. There isnothing unreasonable in this."
Dave: Never heard of him.
Carl: Surely you've heard of C. S. Lewis, another non-Catholic, who said: "Our souls demand purgatory, don't they? Would it not break theheart if God said to us, 'It is true, my son, that your breath smellsand your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here andno one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you.Enter into the joy'? Should we not reply, 'With submission, sir, andif there is no objection, I'd rather be cleansed first.' 'It mayhurt, you know.' 'Even so, sir.'"
** ** **
By Jim Burnham (www.catholic.com ThisRockMagazine)
Jim Burnham is the author of the Beginning Apologetics series,available through Catholic Answers, and is a member of the CatholicAnswers speakers bureau. He writes from New Mexico
** ** **
Generally speaking, you aren't going to convert your friend over a coffee - but you might be able to make them think! So, don't be afraid to use a teaching moment, when the Holy Spirit hands you one. Gently talk to your friends - don't preach, don't hammer on them! Just try and get them thinking. And then let the Holy Spirit touch their hearts.
=======================
Purgatory over Iced Vanilla Latte:
A curious conversation between Carl and Dave
Hi. This is a special edition of the CatholicDiscovery.
How can you share your faith in a coffee shop:
A curious conversation.
Dave: Hey, Carl, what did you get-iced latte?
Carl: Yeah, with vanilla. You?
Dave: Caramel frappucino.
Carl: Remember when the only choices were cream and sugar?
Dave: Here's to a more enlightened age.
Carl: Hey, man, thanks for inviting me. That was a nice funeral. Yourgrandma was great - I always loved her lemon meringue pie.
Dave: Thanks, Carl. I'm going to miss her.
Carl: I'll definitely keep her in my prayers.
Dave: Um.
Carl: Um?
Dave: Well. . . maybe it's because I'm not Catholic, but. . . um, whywould you pray for my grandma? She's dead. She doesn't need prayers.
Carl: Well, unless she was perfect when she died, she's probably in purgatory.
Dave: C'mon, you believe in purgatory? I thought the Catholic Churchgot rid of purgatory with Vatican II.
Carl: I've heard Catholics say the same thing. But contrary to popular belief, purgatory is Church doctrine. The Catechism of the CatholicChurch teaches that purgatory exists and that we can help the soulsthere by our prayers (cf. CCC 1030-2).
Dave: Sorry, man, I'm not Catholic, so the Catechism isn't exactly the final word for me. Of course there's an afterlife, but the Bible mentions only heaven and hell. You know I don't hate the Catholic Church. But, dude, purgatory is just a Catholic invention.
Carl: Let me ask you a question: If you die loving God perfectly,where will you go?
Dave: Heaven, of course.
Carl: If you die not loving God at all, where will you go?
Dave: Hell.
Carl: Great. Perfect love and you go to heaven. No love and you go tohell. But what if you are somewhere in between? Where do you go if you die sorta loving God?
Dave: What do you mean?
Carl: What if we love God but not wholeheartedly? What if our love ofGod is mixed with love of self? Where do you go if you're in the middle: loving God-sorta?
Dave: You still go to heaven. God just makes up for the lack.
Carl: If you mean God makes up for the lack by purifying us for a time in purgatory, then you agree with the Catholic Church. If you mean that God makes up for the lack by sneaking us - still foul with sins and self-love - into heaven under the mantle of Christ's righteousness, then you agree with Martin Luther.
Dave: Well, I guess I'm siding with Luther.
Carl (pulling out his Bible): But against Scripture. The Bible says of heaven, "Nothing unclean shall enter it" (Rev. 21:27). You see, God isperfect holiness (cf. Is. 6:3), and we're supposed to have that same holiness: "You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). " As he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy'" (1 Pet. 1:15-16).
Without perfect holiness, we cannot see God in heaven. Now, Dave, be honest: Do you have perfectlove and perfect holiness?
Dave: No - no, of course not. Most people are in the middle: loving God, sort of.
Carl: So the reasonable answer is purgatory.
Dave: For Catholics, maybe.
Carl: For reasonable people. To loosely quote Samuel Johnson, a non-Catholic: "Purgatory is a harmless doctrine. Catholics believethat most men are neither so wicked as to deserve hell, nor so good asto merit heaven, and therefore God graciously allows a middle state,where they may be purified by certain degrees of suffering. There isnothing unreasonable in this."
Dave: Never heard of him.
Carl: Surely you've heard of C. S. Lewis, another non-Catholic, who said: "Our souls demand purgatory, don't they? Would it not break theheart if God said to us, 'It is true, my son, that your breath smellsand your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here andno one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you.Enter into the joy'? Should we not reply, 'With submission, sir, andif there is no objection, I'd rather be cleansed first.' 'It mayhurt, you know.' 'Even so, sir.'"
** ** **
By Jim Burnham (www.catholic.com ThisRockMagazine)
Jim Burnham is the author of the Beginning Apologetics series,available through Catholic Answers, and is a member of the CatholicAnswers speakers bureau. He writes from New Mexico
** ** **
Generally speaking, you aren't going to convert your friend over a coffee - but you might be able to make them think! So, don't be afraid to use a teaching moment, when the Holy Spirit hands you one. Gently talk to your friends - don't preach, don't hammer on them! Just try and get them thinking. And then let the Holy Spirit touch their hearts.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Brown Has DaVinci Rolling in his Grave
With the movie coming out now, some of us are cringing that some of the "nicest" Hollywood people are having anything to do with it. Tom Hanks, & Ron Howard. Who would have thought either one of them would have anything to do with such a piece of trash. But hey... I guess it really does just all boil down to bucks.
"Contrary to earlier reports that Sony planned to soften the story's more controversial elements, Howard tells NEWSWEEK that there will be 'no placating. It would be ludicrous to take on this subject and then try to take the edges off. We're doing this movie because we like the book.'"(Director Ron Howard, when asked if any consideration was given to Christian sensibilities in the making of The Da Vinci Code (Newsweek)
He likes the book... So he likes a book that delierately trashes Christianity in general, and the Catholic Church specifically. Gee... Good thing he's trashing Catholics, not Mohammed, or Muslems, eh?
Well, Barbara Nicolosi has a few things to say
"I have, thus far, been campaigning for a kind of non-campaign as regards The Da Vinci Code. I was thinking that we should all just agree to ignore it, and put our efforts into praying for the people who hate Jesus and us, His disciples, so much that they would make this film. I was reluctant to throw any free p.r. at the project by speaking about it publically, as that is all that the studio wants here. The people promoting the movie want - with every fiber of their obscenely well-compensated beings - that we make this film an event."
And so do the authors of another piece of fiction, "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", whom Brown widely acknowledged as a large part of his source material. They are sueing Brown for stealing their ideas. Brown credited “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” in his book, but the authors are claiming infringement of their ideas. “I don’t begrudge Brown his success,” Richard Leigh, one of the plaintiffs, told London’s Daily Telegraph. “I have no particular grievance against him, except for the fact that he wrote a pretty bad novel.”
And now.... lets all pray for Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Dan Brown, Sony Pictures, and the poor deluded souls that are, at this moment, wandering Rome with novels clutched in their hands, completely confused. Lord have mercy!
"Contrary to earlier reports that Sony planned to soften the story's more controversial elements, Howard tells NEWSWEEK that there will be 'no placating. It would be ludicrous to take on this subject and then try to take the edges off. We're doing this movie because we like the book.'"(Director Ron Howard, when asked if any consideration was given to Christian sensibilities in the making of The Da Vinci Code (Newsweek)
He likes the book... So he likes a book that delierately trashes Christianity in general, and the Catholic Church specifically. Gee... Good thing he's trashing Catholics, not Mohammed, or Muslems, eh?
Well, Barbara Nicolosi has a few things to say
"I have, thus far, been campaigning for a kind of non-campaign as regards The Da Vinci Code. I was thinking that we should all just agree to ignore it, and put our efforts into praying for the people who hate Jesus and us, His disciples, so much that they would make this film. I was reluctant to throw any free p.r. at the project by speaking about it publically, as that is all that the studio wants here. The people promoting the movie want - with every fiber of their obscenely well-compensated beings - that we make this film an event."
And so do the authors of another piece of fiction, "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", whom Brown widely acknowledged as a large part of his source material. They are sueing Brown for stealing their ideas. Brown credited “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” in his book, but the authors are claiming infringement of their ideas. “I don’t begrudge Brown his success,” Richard Leigh, one of the plaintiffs, told London’s Daily Telegraph. “I have no particular grievance against him, except for the fact that he wrote a pretty bad novel.”
And now.... lets all pray for Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Dan Brown, Sony Pictures, and the poor deluded souls that are, at this moment, wandering Rome with novels clutched in their hands, completely confused. Lord have mercy!
Reconciliation and the Beauty of God, Part 2
Why Go to Confession? (Part 2)
CHIETI, Italy, FEB. 19, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is the second part of a pastoral letter written by Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, a member of the International Theological Commission, on the theme "Reconciliation and the Beauty of God." The first part of the letter appeared Friday. The third part appears Monday.
* * *
... the Church does not tire of proposing the grace of this sacrament to us during the whole journey of our lives: Through it Jesus, true heavenly physician, takes charge of our sins and accompanies us, continuing his work of healing and salvation. As happens in every love story, also the Covenant with the Lord must be tirelessly renewed: Faithfulness is the ever-new desire of the heart that gives itself and receives the love offered it, until the day that God will be all in all.
Read the entire article here - Zenit.org
CHIETI, Italy, FEB. 19, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is the second part of a pastoral letter written by Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, a member of the International Theological Commission, on the theme "Reconciliation and the Beauty of God." The first part of the letter appeared Friday. The third part appears Monday.
* * *
... the Church does not tire of proposing the grace of this sacrament to us during the whole journey of our lives: Through it Jesus, true heavenly physician, takes charge of our sins and accompanies us, continuing his work of healing and salvation. As happens in every love story, also the Covenant with the Lord must be tirelessly renewed: Faithfulness is the ever-new desire of the heart that gives itself and receives the love offered it, until the day that God will be all in all.
Read the entire article here - Zenit.org
Sunday, February 19, 2006
The Mentally Ill Patient: A Faithful Image of God
The Mentally Ill Patient: A Faithful Image of God
Here is an excerpt of an address Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragán, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, prepared for World Day of the Sick.
"In Christian thought it is said that these severe mental illnesses reduce man to sad conditions, like a deformed image of God, which is compared to the suffering servant of Isaiah (Isaiah 53:1-7). Yet, apart from that deformation, or rather due to it, the mentally ill person resembles our Lord on the cross; and since the cross is the only way to the resurrection, the mentally ill person, has so to say a superior level, is worthier and reaches such a level of excellence because of the magnitude of his love and the suffering he endures. "
Here is an excerpt of an address Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragán, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, prepared for World Day of the Sick.
"In Christian thought it is said that these severe mental illnesses reduce man to sad conditions, like a deformed image of God, which is compared to the suffering servant of Isaiah (Isaiah 53:1-7). Yet, apart from that deformation, or rather due to it, the mentally ill person resembles our Lord on the cross; and since the cross is the only way to the resurrection, the mentally ill person, has so to say a superior level, is worthier and reaches such a level of excellence because of the magnitude of his love and the suffering he endures. "
Read the entire address at Zenit.org
Reconciliation and the Beauty of God, Part 1
As we get ready to enter the season of Lent:
Why Go to Confession? (Part 1)
CHIETI, Italy, FEB. 17, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is the first part of the pastoral letter for 2005-2006 written by Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, a member of the International Theological Commission, on the theme "Reconciliation and the Beauty of God." The rest of the letter will be published by ZENIT over the next few days.
Why Go to Confession? (Part 1)
CHIETI, Italy, FEB. 17, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is the first part of the pastoral letter for 2005-2006 written by Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, a member of the International Theological Commission, on the theme "Reconciliation and the Beauty of God." The rest of the letter will be published by ZENIT over the next few days.
200 gather to see Mr. Heterosexual
WORCESTER, MA - The Rev. Thomas J. Crouse of the Holland Congregational Church, believed that he was putting on a show meant to be light-hearted and humorous. (Masslive.com) The prize a mere $100 and a trophy. The contests, ludicrous stereotypes, such as being able to name the most uses for duct tape or identifying snack foods while blindfolded. He described it as "meant to both glorify God and provide an answer to the politically correct times we live in." But while there was laughter inside the hall, protesters gathered in the freezing cold, the pastor received death threats, and protesters intimidated the original hotel into canceling the reservation for a meeting hall to hold the event in.
This is what the gay contingent calls "tolerance"? Or yet another sign of the mentality we saw at the March for Life where protesters carried signs such as "Keep your laws off my body & I'll keep my hands off your throat" and "Stop Breeding"?
This is what the gay contingent calls "tolerance"? Or yet another sign of the mentality we saw at the March for Life where protesters carried signs such as "Keep your laws off my body & I'll keep my hands off your throat" and "Stop Breeding"?
Pope's encyclical follows papacy of John Paul II
Pope Benedict XVI's recently released first encyclical, while not ground-breaking in church teaching, provides an insight in what is likely to come from the new pontiff, according to the Rev. Mark S. Stelzer, director of Elms College's Institute for Theology and Pastoral Studies. Springfield Union News
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Even My Kid Has More Sense Than This...
My teenaged son has seen the commercials for this product, and has been mystified. In the United States, pharmaceutical companies are required by law to reveal any side effects if they actually discuss what the medication is used for when they push their products on TV - so during the deliberately sexy presentation, with the half-dressed nubile young female discussing the wonders of the birth-control patch, we suddely hear the rapidly speaking announcer jabber that there is "some risk" of heart attack, stroke, and blood clots, especially if the woman smokes. My son, brilliant child that he is, watches this, then turns to me and asks, "If you loved someone, why would you want her to use something like that?" From the mouth of babes....
Clot Risk for Birth-Control Patch Is Found to Be Double That of Pill
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (AP) — A new study shows that women using the Ortho Evra birth-control patch have double the risk of developing blood clots compared with those who take the birth-control pill, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.
But the agency called the results preliminary and said they did not require immediate action other than advising women to discuss the risk with their doctors.
The finding comes from one of two studies comparing the patch and the pill, said Ortho Women's Health and Urology, maker of the once-a-week patch. The company, based in Raritan, N.J., is owned by Johnson & Johnson.
Last year an investigation by The Associated Press, citing federal death and injury reports, found higher rates of blood clots in women using the patch.
The first study found no increased risk of clots. But the interim results from the second study suggested a twofold increase in the risk of venous thromboembolic events, or clots in the legs and lungs, in women using the patch, Ortho said.
At a briefing on Friday, Dr. Daniel Shames, director of the division of reproductive and urological drug products at the F.D.A., said the risk of a nonfatal blood clot was about one per year in 10,000 women not using a contraceptive. For those using a hormonal contraceptive like the patch or pill, the risk rises to 3 to 5 per 10,000, Dr. Shames said.
He noted that in preapproval testing of the patch on about 3,000 women, there were two reports of blood clots, but that one involved a woman who had had surgery.
The continuing studies are also looking at the risk of heart attacks and strokes among users of the two types of contraception. Currently, there is no difference, but the numbers are small, and it will take 18 more months to see if a difference occurs, Dr. Shames said.
The company said the risk of clots remained rare and added that clots were a potential risk of all hormonal contraceptives.
Release of the interim results comes four months after the drug agency warned women that the increased levels of hormones released by the patch put them at higher risk of blood clots and other serious side effects. Ortho said it shared the results of the latest studies with the agency.
Additions to the patch label in November warned women that they would be exposed to about 60 percent more estrogen than those who used birth-control pills.
Since the patch went on sale in 2002, more than four million women have used it.
The investigation by The Associated Press found that patch users died and suffered blood clots at a rate three times as high as that for women taking the pill. About a dozen women died in 2004 from blood clots believed to be linked to the patch, The Associated Press reported.
Health officials warn that women who smoke should not use the patch, because smoking increases the risk of stroke and heart attack.
About the Pill - What the Drug Companies Don't Want You to Know
http://ccli.org/nfp/contraception/pill.php
Pope John Paul II's "Theology of the Body
An Overview by Christopher West
http://www.theologyofthebody.net/articles/tob_education.htm
CCC on Marriage, Sexuality, and Artificial Contraception
http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a6.htm
Clot Risk for Birth-Control Patch Is Found to Be Double That of Pill
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (AP) — A new study shows that women using the Ortho Evra birth-control patch have double the risk of developing blood clots compared with those who take the birth-control pill, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.
But the agency called the results preliminary and said they did not require immediate action other than advising women to discuss the risk with their doctors.
The finding comes from one of two studies comparing the patch and the pill, said Ortho Women's Health and Urology, maker of the once-a-week patch. The company, based in Raritan, N.J., is owned by Johnson & Johnson.
Last year an investigation by The Associated Press, citing federal death and injury reports, found higher rates of blood clots in women using the patch.
The first study found no increased risk of clots. But the interim results from the second study suggested a twofold increase in the risk of venous thromboembolic events, or clots in the legs and lungs, in women using the patch, Ortho said.
At a briefing on Friday, Dr. Daniel Shames, director of the division of reproductive and urological drug products at the F.D.A., said the risk of a nonfatal blood clot was about one per year in 10,000 women not using a contraceptive. For those using a hormonal contraceptive like the patch or pill, the risk rises to 3 to 5 per 10,000, Dr. Shames said.
He noted that in preapproval testing of the patch on about 3,000 women, there were two reports of blood clots, but that one involved a woman who had had surgery.
The continuing studies are also looking at the risk of heart attacks and strokes among users of the two types of contraception. Currently, there is no difference, but the numbers are small, and it will take 18 more months to see if a difference occurs, Dr. Shames said.
The company said the risk of clots remained rare and added that clots were a potential risk of all hormonal contraceptives.
Release of the interim results comes four months after the drug agency warned women that the increased levels of hormones released by the patch put them at higher risk of blood clots and other serious side effects. Ortho said it shared the results of the latest studies with the agency.
Additions to the patch label in November warned women that they would be exposed to about 60 percent more estrogen than those who used birth-control pills.
Since the patch went on sale in 2002, more than four million women have used it.
The investigation by The Associated Press found that patch users died and suffered blood clots at a rate three times as high as that for women taking the pill. About a dozen women died in 2004 from blood clots believed to be linked to the patch, The Associated Press reported.
Health officials warn that women who smoke should not use the patch, because smoking increases the risk of stroke and heart attack.
About the Pill - What the Drug Companies Don't Want You to Know
http://ccli.org/nfp/contraception/pill.php
Pope John Paul II's "Theology of the Body
An Overview by Christopher West
http://www.theologyofthebody.net/articles/tob_education.htm
CCC on Marriage, Sexuality, and Artificial Contraception
http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a6.htm
Italian Judges Rule Crucifix to Stay in Schools
Italian Judges Rule Crucifix to Stay in Schools
From Reuters: Thursday, 16 February, 2006, 01:10 PM
ROME: A leading Italian court ruled yesterday that schools should keep hanging crucifixes on classroom walls, rejecting appeals by secularists looking to sharpen the division between church and state.
The Council of State, the highest court for administrative affairs, said the crucifix was legal because it was not just a religious symbol but also denoted values at the heart of civil society in Italy, home of the Roman Catholic Church.
"It is a fitting symbol to express the high foundation of our civic values," the court said in its 19-page ruling.
"The decision ... to display the crucifix in classrooms does not therefore appear censurable," it said, rejecting any suggestion Italy had to conform to the same kind of secular society that existed in other countries.
The case was brought by a Finnish citizen, Soile Lauti, who had requested the crosses be removed from the school her children attended in the northern Italian city of Abano Terme.
"She did not bring this case as a member of any religion, Muslim or Jewish or otherwise, but as a citizen who believes in the principles of secularism of the state," said her lawyer Luigi Ficarra.
Laws passed under fascist dictator Benito Mussolini in the 1920s decree Italian schools and courts must display the cross.
Since Italy dropped Catholicism as the state religion under a new accord with the Vatican in 1984, the law has not always been strictly enforced but Italian judges and teachers still preside under crucifixes on their walls.
In one high-profile case that galvanised secularists, an Italian judge was suspended from service earlier this year for refusing to work in courtrooms adorned with a crucifix. Judge Luigi Tosti had said the symbol discriminated against non-Christian defendants.
The issue has been a rallying point for many of Italy's 1mn Muslims.
In 2003, a provincial court caused an uproar when it banned crucifixes in a school after a complaint by a parent, Adel Smith, a firebrand campaigner for Muslim rights. The ban was subsequently lifted.
Although Muslims in Italy almost unanimously say that they would prefer to see schools and courtrooms without Catholic symbols, many are willing to accept them as part of Italian society.
"Considering the history of Italy, and that most Italians are Catholics, there isn't any problem with the crucifixes, even if they are not our preference," said Mario Scialoja, Italy director of the World Muslim League.
– Reuters
From Reuters: Thursday, 16 February, 2006, 01:10 PM
ROME: A leading Italian court ruled yesterday that schools should keep hanging crucifixes on classroom walls, rejecting appeals by secularists looking to sharpen the division between church and state.
The Council of State, the highest court for administrative affairs, said the crucifix was legal because it was not just a religious symbol but also denoted values at the heart of civil society in Italy, home of the Roman Catholic Church.
"It is a fitting symbol to express the high foundation of our civic values," the court said in its 19-page ruling.
"The decision ... to display the crucifix in classrooms does not therefore appear censurable," it said, rejecting any suggestion Italy had to conform to the same kind of secular society that existed in other countries.
The case was brought by a Finnish citizen, Soile Lauti, who had requested the crosses be removed from the school her children attended in the northern Italian city of Abano Terme.
"She did not bring this case as a member of any religion, Muslim or Jewish or otherwise, but as a citizen who believes in the principles of secularism of the state," said her lawyer Luigi Ficarra.
Laws passed under fascist dictator Benito Mussolini in the 1920s decree Italian schools and courts must display the cross.
Since Italy dropped Catholicism as the state religion under a new accord with the Vatican in 1984, the law has not always been strictly enforced but Italian judges and teachers still preside under crucifixes on their walls.
In one high-profile case that galvanised secularists, an Italian judge was suspended from service earlier this year for refusing to work in courtrooms adorned with a crucifix. Judge Luigi Tosti had said the symbol discriminated against non-Christian defendants.
The issue has been a rallying point for many of Italy's 1mn Muslims.
In 2003, a provincial court caused an uproar when it banned crucifixes in a school after a complaint by a parent, Adel Smith, a firebrand campaigner for Muslim rights. The ban was subsequently lifted.
Although Muslims in Italy almost unanimously say that they would prefer to see schools and courtrooms without Catholic symbols, many are willing to accept them as part of Italian society.
"Considering the history of Italy, and that most Italians are Catholics, there isn't any problem with the crucifixes, even if they are not our preference," said Mario Scialoja, Italy director of the World Muslim League.
– Reuters
APA states "Evidence Doesn't Matter"
"Evidence Doesn't Matter" -- APA Spokesperson Says of Abortion Complications
http://www.afterabortion.info/news
Studies Showing Emotional Problems "Not Relevant"
to American Psychological Association's Pro-Choice Advocacy
Springfield, IL (Feb. 15, 2005) -- According to a spokesperson for the American Psychological Association, the APA's pro-choice position, first adopted in 1969, is based on a civil rights view, not on scientific proof of any mental health benefits arising from abortion.
The admission that ideology, not science, governs the APA's support for abortion came in response to a request by a Washington Times columnist for the organization's reaction to a new study linking abortion to mental illness. The study tracked 25 years of worth of data on women born in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The researchers had expected that their data, drawn from one of the largest and most comprehensive longitudinal studies in the world, would definitively refute a recent series of studies linking abortion to higher rates of mental health problems. The Christchurch team, led by a self-professed "pro-choice atheist," Prof. David M. Fergusson, expected to find that any mental health problems occurring after abortion would be fully explainable by prior mental health problems, which some believe are more common among women who have abortions. Instead, the New Zealand research team found the opposite. Even after the researchers controlled for this and numerous other alternative explanations, abortion was clearly linked to elevated rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal behavior.
The findings so surprised Fergusson's research team that they began reviewing the studies cited by the APA in its claims that abortion is beneficial, or at least non-harmful, to women's mental health. The researchers concluded (1) that the APA's publications defending abortion are based on a small number of studies that had major methodological shortcomings (a view that echoes former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop's complaint in 1987 that the research on abortion was too inadequate to draw any definitive conclusions), and (2) that the APA appeared to be consistently ignoring a body of studies published in the last seven years that have shown negative effects from abortion.
The Christchurch team's criticism of the APA's selective and strong assurances of the mental health benefits of abortion prompted Warren Throckmorton, a psychologist and newspaper columnist, to call the APA for comment on Fergusson's criticisms. He was referred to an APA expert and spokesperson on abortion and women's issues, Dr. Nancy Felipe Russo. Russo was among the leaders within the APA who, in 1969, led the organization to adopt an official position in favor of abortion as a civil right. She has subsequently been active in research and advocacy efforts opposing parental notification and mandatory informed consent statutes related to abortion.
APA Is Not Neutral On Abortion Science
When asked to comment on the New Zealand study and the pro-choice authors' criticisms of the APA, Russo told Throckmorton that the APA's position on abortion was established on the view that abortion is a civil right. As quoted in Throckmorton's Washington Times column, Russo explained that the Christchurch study would have no effect on the APA's position because "to pro-choice advocates, mental health effects are not relevant to the legal context of arguments to restrict access to abortion."
In the first draft of Throckmorton's column, which he sent for comment to another expert on abortion research, Dr. David Reardon of the Springfield, IL-based Elliot Institute, Russo was quoted more bluntly, saying, "it doesn't matter what the evidence says." Throckmorton and Russo subsequently agreed to the clarification of her statement as it appeared in the Washington Times.
According to Reardon, an author of several of the studies on abortion that have been ignored by the APA, Russo's statements "confirm the complaint of critics that the APA's briefs to the Supreme Court and state legislatures are really about promoting a view about civil rights, not science. Toward this end, the APA has set up task forces and divisions that include only psychologists who share the same bias in favor of abortion."
Reardon believes the APA's task forces on abortion have actually served to stifle rather than encourage research. "When researchers like Fergusson or myself publish data showing abortion is linked to mental health problems, members of the APA's abortion policy police rush forward to tell the public to ignore our findings because they are completely out of line with their own 'consensus' statements which are positioned as the APA's official interpretation of the meaningful research on abortion," he said.
When is Relief Not Relief?
Reardon is especially disturbed by what he decries as the "one note" optimism found in position papers by the APA, Planned Parenthood, and other organizations supporting abortion.
Among the studies most frequently cited by abortion supporters are those that have asked women to check off a list of feelings they have after their abortions, often within just a few hours, a week, or a month of the procedure. The list may include words like "relief," "regret," "guilt," and "happiness." These studies have found that the most commonly reported reaction after abortion is relief. Indeed, the phrase, "the most commonly reported reaction is relief," frequently shows up in information and consent forms for abortion.
"All the emphasis on women experiencing relief is misleading because most women reporting relief also report negative reactions," Reardon said. "Indeed, when you add up the number of women reporting negative reactions, it regularly exceeds the number of women reporting relief."
The problem, Reardon says, is that while statistics on "relief" may have value in marketing or lobbying for abortion, they have little or no value as a scientific measure.
"Women are simply presented with this single word," he said. "So women who feel relief that they survived an unpleasant surgery, relief that they will no longer face their boyfriend's badgering to have an abortion, relief that they are no longer having morning sickness, or relief from any number of other stresses, are all lumped into the same category, even though their experiences are different. Lumping all forms of relief together helps to makes it sound like most women are reporting that abortion has fundamentally improved their lives, but it's a sloppy and misleading data variable. In fact, when you really look at the data, most of the very same women who are reporting 'relief' are also reporting grief, shame, traumatic reactions, or other negative feelings."
"Thirty-five years ago, when the APA joined in the effort to legalize abortion, they were promising more than just 'relief,'" he added. "They were insisting that abortion would fundamentally improve women's mental and physical health by sparing them the burden of unwanted children. But 38 million abortions later, there is still not a single statistically-validated study that has shown that abortion has actually improved the lives of women who abort compared to those who carry to term.
"Instead, if you look at the data instead of consensus opinions, depression rates are up, not down, among women who have had abortions. Suicide and substance abuse are up, not down. Premature deliveries are up, not down. But instead of including this data in their statements on abortion, the APA's self-selected panels of abortion advocates continue to distract the media from the all hard evidence linking abortion to higher rates of suicide, substance abuse, depression and anxiety by promoting meaningless statistics about relief."
Reardon says he is thankful that Russo has finally helped to call attention to the fact that the APA's position on abortion is principally based on a commitment to defend abortion as a civil right.
But this admission, he says, "should be weighed in light of criticisms against the trend toward 'consensus science' as a means of influencing politics. As one critic, best-selling author Dr. Michael Crichton, creator of Jurassic Park and ER, has succinctly observed: 'The work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics.'"
******************************
CONSENSUS SCIENCE IS NOT SCIENCE
Sources:
David M. Fergusson, L. John Horwood, and Elizabeth M. Ridder,
"Abortion in young women and subsequent mental health,"
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 47(1): 16-24, 2006.
Warren Throckmorton,
"Abortion and mental health,"
Washington Times, January 21, 2005.
David, H.,
" Retrospectives" From APA Task Force to Division 34,"
Population & Environmental Psychology Bulletin 1999, 25(3):2-3.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The above news release, along with other news on recent studies related to abortion complications, is posted at: www.afterabortion.info/news
http://www.afterabortion.info/news
Studies Showing Emotional Problems "Not Relevant"
to American Psychological Association's Pro-Choice Advocacy
Springfield, IL (Feb. 15, 2005) -- According to a spokesperson for the American Psychological Association, the APA's pro-choice position, first adopted in 1969, is based on a civil rights view, not on scientific proof of any mental health benefits arising from abortion.
The admission that ideology, not science, governs the APA's support for abortion came in response to a request by a Washington Times columnist for the organization's reaction to a new study linking abortion to mental illness. The study tracked 25 years of worth of data on women born in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The researchers had expected that their data, drawn from one of the largest and most comprehensive longitudinal studies in the world, would definitively refute a recent series of studies linking abortion to higher rates of mental health problems. The Christchurch team, led by a self-professed "pro-choice atheist," Prof. David M. Fergusson, expected to find that any mental health problems occurring after abortion would be fully explainable by prior mental health problems, which some believe are more common among women who have abortions. Instead, the New Zealand research team found the opposite. Even after the researchers controlled for this and numerous other alternative explanations, abortion was clearly linked to elevated rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal behavior.
The findings so surprised Fergusson's research team that they began reviewing the studies cited by the APA in its claims that abortion is beneficial, or at least non-harmful, to women's mental health. The researchers concluded (1) that the APA's publications defending abortion are based on a small number of studies that had major methodological shortcomings (a view that echoes former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop's complaint in 1987 that the research on abortion was too inadequate to draw any definitive conclusions), and (2) that the APA appeared to be consistently ignoring a body of studies published in the last seven years that have shown negative effects from abortion.
The Christchurch team's criticism of the APA's selective and strong assurances of the mental health benefits of abortion prompted Warren Throckmorton, a psychologist and newspaper columnist, to call the APA for comment on Fergusson's criticisms. He was referred to an APA expert and spokesperson on abortion and women's issues, Dr. Nancy Felipe Russo. Russo was among the leaders within the APA who, in 1969, led the organization to adopt an official position in favor of abortion as a civil right. She has subsequently been active in research and advocacy efforts opposing parental notification and mandatory informed consent statutes related to abortion.
APA Is Not Neutral On Abortion Science
When asked to comment on the New Zealand study and the pro-choice authors' criticisms of the APA, Russo told Throckmorton that the APA's position on abortion was established on the view that abortion is a civil right. As quoted in Throckmorton's Washington Times column, Russo explained that the Christchurch study would have no effect on the APA's position because "to pro-choice advocates, mental health effects are not relevant to the legal context of arguments to restrict access to abortion."
In the first draft of Throckmorton's column, which he sent for comment to another expert on abortion research, Dr. David Reardon of the Springfield, IL-based Elliot Institute, Russo was quoted more bluntly, saying, "it doesn't matter what the evidence says." Throckmorton and Russo subsequently agreed to the clarification of her statement as it appeared in the Washington Times.
According to Reardon, an author of several of the studies on abortion that have been ignored by the APA, Russo's statements "confirm the complaint of critics that the APA's briefs to the Supreme Court and state legislatures are really about promoting a view about civil rights, not science. Toward this end, the APA has set up task forces and divisions that include only psychologists who share the same bias in favor of abortion."
Reardon believes the APA's task forces on abortion have actually served to stifle rather than encourage research. "When researchers like Fergusson or myself publish data showing abortion is linked to mental health problems, members of the APA's abortion policy police rush forward to tell the public to ignore our findings because they are completely out of line with their own 'consensus' statements which are positioned as the APA's official interpretation of the meaningful research on abortion," he said.
When is Relief Not Relief?
Reardon is especially disturbed by what he decries as the "one note" optimism found in position papers by the APA, Planned Parenthood, and other organizations supporting abortion.
Among the studies most frequently cited by abortion supporters are those that have asked women to check off a list of feelings they have after their abortions, often within just a few hours, a week, or a month of the procedure. The list may include words like "relief," "regret," "guilt," and "happiness." These studies have found that the most commonly reported reaction after abortion is relief. Indeed, the phrase, "the most commonly reported reaction is relief," frequently shows up in information and consent forms for abortion.
"All the emphasis on women experiencing relief is misleading because most women reporting relief also report negative reactions," Reardon said. "Indeed, when you add up the number of women reporting negative reactions, it regularly exceeds the number of women reporting relief."
The problem, Reardon says, is that while statistics on "relief" may have value in marketing or lobbying for abortion, they have little or no value as a scientific measure.
"Women are simply presented with this single word," he said. "So women who feel relief that they survived an unpleasant surgery, relief that they will no longer face their boyfriend's badgering to have an abortion, relief that they are no longer having morning sickness, or relief from any number of other stresses, are all lumped into the same category, even though their experiences are different. Lumping all forms of relief together helps to makes it sound like most women are reporting that abortion has fundamentally improved their lives, but it's a sloppy and misleading data variable. In fact, when you really look at the data, most of the very same women who are reporting 'relief' are also reporting grief, shame, traumatic reactions, or other negative feelings."
"Thirty-five years ago, when the APA joined in the effort to legalize abortion, they were promising more than just 'relief,'" he added. "They were insisting that abortion would fundamentally improve women's mental and physical health by sparing them the burden of unwanted children. But 38 million abortions later, there is still not a single statistically-validated study that has shown that abortion has actually improved the lives of women who abort compared to those who carry to term.
"Instead, if you look at the data instead of consensus opinions, depression rates are up, not down, among women who have had abortions. Suicide and substance abuse are up, not down. Premature deliveries are up, not down. But instead of including this data in their statements on abortion, the APA's self-selected panels of abortion advocates continue to distract the media from the all hard evidence linking abortion to higher rates of suicide, substance abuse, depression and anxiety by promoting meaningless statistics about relief."
Reardon says he is thankful that Russo has finally helped to call attention to the fact that the APA's position on abortion is principally based on a commitment to defend abortion as a civil right.
But this admission, he says, "should be weighed in light of criticisms against the trend toward 'consensus science' as a means of influencing politics. As one critic, best-selling author Dr. Michael Crichton, creator of Jurassic Park and ER, has succinctly observed: 'The work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics.'"
******************************
CONSENSUS SCIENCE IS NOT SCIENCE
Outside the context of the abortion debate, best selling author Michael Crichton, M.D., a 1969 graduate of the Harvard Medical School, described the disturbing trend of "consensus science" at a Caltech lecture in 2004, a brief portion of which is excerpted below:
I regard consensus science as an extremely pernicious development that ought to be stopped cold in its tracks. Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had.
Let's be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus.
There is no such thing as consensus science. If it's consensus, it isn't science. If it's science, it isn't consensus. Period.
Excerpted from Michael Crichton,"Aliens Cause Global Warming", Caltech Michelin Lecture, Jan. 17, 2003.(available online)
# # #
Sources:
David M. Fergusson, L. John Horwood, and Elizabeth M. Ridder,
"Abortion in young women and subsequent mental health,"
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 47(1): 16-24, 2006.
Warren Throckmorton,
"Abortion and mental health,"
Washington Times, January 21, 2005.
David, H.,
" Retrospectives" From APA Task Force to Division 34,"
Population & Environmental Psychology Bulletin 1999, 25(3):2-3.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The above news release, along with other news on recent studies related to abortion complications, is posted at: www.afterabortion.info/news
Update on the Gay Marriage wars in Massachusetts
From - MassLive.com: Metro West News
Comment: Massachusetts contemplates seceding from the Union, forming their own little kingdom! In what could be a landmark decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court contemplates forcing other independent states to follow the laws of Massachusetts, whether they like it or not...
http://newsletters.masslive.com/t?ctl=10F84FB:2B1C8C7
SJC misses date on gay marriages
BOSTON - Delaying a decision on a case watched around the country, the state's highest court has waived a self-imposed deadline for ruling on whether gays from other states can legally marry in Massachusetts.
Comment: Massachusetts contemplates seceding from the Union, forming their own little kingdom! In what could be a landmark decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court contemplates forcing other independent states to follow the laws of Massachusetts, whether they like it or not...
http://newsletters.masslive.com/t?ctl=10F84FB:2B1C8C7
SJC misses date on gay marriages
BOSTON - Delaying a decision on a case watched around the country, the state's highest court has waived a self-imposed deadline for ruling on whether gays from other states can legally marry in Massachusetts.
Thoughts on the Transfiguration
Anastasius of Sinai (700 AD), Monk -
Homily on the Transfiguration
The mystery of the crucifixion and the beauty of God's reign
The mountain of the Transfiguration is the place of mysteries, the place of ineffable realities, the rock of hidden secrets, the summit of the heavens. Here the symbols of the future kingdom were revealed: the mystery of the crucifixion, the beauty of God's reign, Christ's descent at his second coming in glory. On this mountain, the luminous cloud covered the splendor of the righteous; the future good was already realized. The cloud enveloping this mountain prefigures the carrying away of the righteous on the clouds; it shows us already today what we will look like in the future, our configuration with Christ.
While he walked with his disciples, Jesus told them about his reign and his second coming in glory. But perhaps because they were not sure enough about what he had told them concerning his reign, he wanted them to end up being very firmly convinced in the depth of their heart, and he wanted present events to help them to believe in the future events. That is why he let them see that marvelous divine manifestation on Mount Tabor as a prefigurative image of the kingdom of heaven.
It was as if he were telling them: "So that your gaze might not bring forth incredulity in you, soon, even now 'I assure you, among those standing here' and listening to me 'there are some who will not experience death before they see the Son of Man come in his kingship.'" (Mt 16:28) "Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. He was transfigured before their eyes." .
"How awesome is this place! This is nothing else but an abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven!" (Gen 28:17)
We must hasten to this gateway.
======
Today's Gospel reading - Mk 9:2-13 brings us up Mt. Tabor with the apostles, walking beside Christ, they don't know why he is bringing them to this place. They know that the Lord tends to go to quiet places away from the crowds to pray, and perhaps this is what they expected. Perhaps they even felt privileged to be chosen to come along with him on that day. It's probably the middle of the afternoon, on an average day. It's been a bit of a long hike, they're probably tired and thirsty. They may be wondering why Jesus has to hike up the whole mountain as they pass any number of nice quiet places to pray. They are like any of us, living in the moment, feeling their aches and pains, looking down at the ground as they climb up the mountainside, scrambling over the rocks, trying to keep the Lord in sight as he walks on ahead. Little do they realize what they are about to encounter!
Isn't that always the way with Christ? We think we know what we're doing? We figure we've seen it all before, we know what's going on, we know what to expect - and then WAM! Right between the eyes! Our whole grip on what we thought was real is shaken.
Maybe we thought that a particular job was exactly right for us - but the Lord has other plans. That job disappears - and we are devastated. And what happens? The Lord provides, and the new job is not only good, if you look at it without your own willfulness getting in the way, you suddenly realize that it's where God wants you to be.
Same can happen with relationships. We think we are so in love with someone, and then it doesn't work out. Down the road, what happens? We find that 20 years later we are on our knees giving thanks that we didn't marry that person we had a "crush" on, because when we lost that relationship, it opened up the possibility for others. Sometimes this means we married the person God meant us to be joined to, soul to soul, one body, one spirit in Christ. Or maybe we didn't get married, but through accepting a "vocation" to the single life, in Christ, we were able to more fully live God's will, and go where he needed us to go, and do what he needed us to do.
God's funny that way. They say that if you want to make God laugh, go ahead and make plans for yourself. I truly believe that. Every time I think I've finally gotten a clue - God surprises me. Every time I get down, and can't see how there will possibly be any "light on the horizon" - God surprises me.
So, I can understand Peter's astonishment, and his blundering attempt to do Jesus honor, when faced with the unexpected glory of the Transfiguration. God hits me that way too, sometimes. Usually it's only later on that I get some glimmer of understanding of what was really going on. I guess that's why Jesus told them not to talk about it right away. Right then, they were still pretty clueless - after the Crucifixion, and after Pentecost - their eyes were opened.
We are taught to walk by faith, not by sight. The world can't show us what we need to attain salvation. "We must hasten to this gateway", Anastasius writes. If all we can see are the "doors" of the world - the chances and opportunities of the world - then we are truly lost. We are wandering the mountainside, headed for a cliff. We need to keep our eyes on the Lord, not on the ground, and then we will be lifted up on high, we will be shown the gateway - probably when we least expect it.
Homily on the Transfiguration
The mystery of the crucifixion and the beauty of God's reign
The mountain of the Transfiguration is the place of mysteries, the place of ineffable realities, the rock of hidden secrets, the summit of the heavens. Here the symbols of the future kingdom were revealed: the mystery of the crucifixion, the beauty of God's reign, Christ's descent at his second coming in glory. On this mountain, the luminous cloud covered the splendor of the righteous; the future good was already realized. The cloud enveloping this mountain prefigures the carrying away of the righteous on the clouds; it shows us already today what we will look like in the future, our configuration with Christ.
While he walked with his disciples, Jesus told them about his reign and his second coming in glory. But perhaps because they were not sure enough about what he had told them concerning his reign, he wanted them to end up being very firmly convinced in the depth of their heart, and he wanted present events to help them to believe in the future events. That is why he let them see that marvelous divine manifestation on Mount Tabor as a prefigurative image of the kingdom of heaven.
It was as if he were telling them: "So that your gaze might not bring forth incredulity in you, soon, even now 'I assure you, among those standing here' and listening to me 'there are some who will not experience death before they see the Son of Man come in his kingship.'" (Mt 16:28) "Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. He was transfigured before their eyes." .
"How awesome is this place! This is nothing else but an abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven!" (Gen 28:17)
We must hasten to this gateway.
======
Today's Gospel reading - Mk 9:2-13 brings us up Mt. Tabor with the apostles, walking beside Christ, they don't know why he is bringing them to this place. They know that the Lord tends to go to quiet places away from the crowds to pray, and perhaps this is what they expected. Perhaps they even felt privileged to be chosen to come along with him on that day. It's probably the middle of the afternoon, on an average day. It's been a bit of a long hike, they're probably tired and thirsty. They may be wondering why Jesus has to hike up the whole mountain as they pass any number of nice quiet places to pray. They are like any of us, living in the moment, feeling their aches and pains, looking down at the ground as they climb up the mountainside, scrambling over the rocks, trying to keep the Lord in sight as he walks on ahead. Little do they realize what they are about to encounter!
Isn't that always the way with Christ? We think we know what we're doing? We figure we've seen it all before, we know what's going on, we know what to expect - and then WAM! Right between the eyes! Our whole grip on what we thought was real is shaken.
Maybe we thought that a particular job was exactly right for us - but the Lord has other plans. That job disappears - and we are devastated. And what happens? The Lord provides, and the new job is not only good, if you look at it without your own willfulness getting in the way, you suddenly realize that it's where God wants you to be.
Same can happen with relationships. We think we are so in love with someone, and then it doesn't work out. Down the road, what happens? We find that 20 years later we are on our knees giving thanks that we didn't marry that person we had a "crush" on, because when we lost that relationship, it opened up the possibility for others. Sometimes this means we married the person God meant us to be joined to, soul to soul, one body, one spirit in Christ. Or maybe we didn't get married, but through accepting a "vocation" to the single life, in Christ, we were able to more fully live God's will, and go where he needed us to go, and do what he needed us to do.
God's funny that way. They say that if you want to make God laugh, go ahead and make plans for yourself. I truly believe that. Every time I think I've finally gotten a clue - God surprises me. Every time I get down, and can't see how there will possibly be any "light on the horizon" - God surprises me.
So, I can understand Peter's astonishment, and his blundering attempt to do Jesus honor, when faced with the unexpected glory of the Transfiguration. God hits me that way too, sometimes. Usually it's only later on that I get some glimmer of understanding of what was really going on. I guess that's why Jesus told them not to talk about it right away. Right then, they were still pretty clueless - after the Crucifixion, and after Pentecost - their eyes were opened.
We are taught to walk by faith, not by sight. The world can't show us what we need to attain salvation. "We must hasten to this gateway", Anastasius writes. If all we can see are the "doors" of the world - the chances and opportunities of the world - then we are truly lost. We are wandering the mountainside, headed for a cliff. We need to keep our eyes on the Lord, not on the ground, and then we will be lifted up on high, we will be shown the gateway - probably when we least expect it.
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