Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

HUMAN INTEREST STORY OF 2011 - VIVIAN MAIER, STREET PHOTOGRAPHER

Actually, I guess the story broke a year ago, but it was today that a friend forwarded the story to me.  (HT: JoeF)  Enjoy.

 

IRAQI MILITARY OFFICER: AMERICAN MOVIES DON'T DEPICT AMERICA ACCURATELY

At the end of her Wall Street Journal article, "Jobs, Thatcher and the Force of Life,"  Peggy Noonan writes:

Final note. We are at a point in our culture when we actually have to pull for grown-up movies, when we must try to encourage them and laud them when they come by. . . . [Note:  She likes "The Iron Lady," the movie about Margaret Thatcher, starring Meryl Streep, opening Dec. 30 in the USA].  Our movie culture has descended into immaturity, deep and inhuman violence, a pervasive and flattened sexuality. It is an embarrassment.

In Iraq this year I asked an Iraqi military officer doing joint training at an American base what was the big thing he'd come to believe about Americans in the years they'd been there. He thought. "You are a better people than your movies say." He had judged us by our exports. He had seen the low slag heap of our culture and assumed it was a true expression of who we are.

And so he'd assumed we were disgusting.

On Meryl Streep's performance in "The Iron Lady," Peggy Noonan writes:

The masterpiece is Meryl Streep's portrayal of Mrs. Thatcher, which is not so much a portrayal as an inhabitation. It doesn't do justice to say Ms. Streep talks like her, looks like her, catches some of her spirit, though those things are true. It's something deeper than that, something better and more important. She tried to be Margaret Thatcher, and there's a real tribute in that.

Why Putin is Tottering

David Satter, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, penned a very helpful article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal titled "Why Putin is Tottering."  I hadn't realized the extent of corruption in Russia. 

After the chaos of the 1990s, during which many government institutions barely functioned, Mr. Putin succeeded in establishing the authority of the state. But criminality didn't decline—it merely migrated to the organs of the government.

It is normal in Russia to bribe bureaucrats for routine approvals. Within the system of state procurement, kickbacks account for as much as 50% of the cost of purchases. Russians pay bribes to register property, fix a traffic ticket, avoid the draft, and secure places for children in school. According to Transparency International, Russia ranks 154th out of 178 countries in corruption—on a level with Cambodia and the Central African Republic.

Russia faces many other problems also.

Russians are also plagued by a fear of terrorism. . . .    Russian insecurity also derives from the absence of the rule of law. . . .  

But Russia's unfair legal system touches ordinary citizens too. The acquittal rate in Russia is less than 1% (compared to 15% in U.S. federal courts and 15%-40% in state courts). Many convictions are obtained with the help of beatings, intimidation and blackmail. For this and other reasons, Russians file more complaints with the European Court of Human Rights than people from any other of the 46 countries in the Council of Europe. . . . 

FEDS ABOUT TO CREATE A NATIONWIDE STUDENT DATABASE

Bureaucrats want power.  They don't give a hoot about privacy.  No.  The unremitting goal is to to collect everything they can, about everybody they can, wherever they can, whenever they can, and privacy be damned.   Read Emmet McGroarty & Jane Robbins' article, "How the Fed are tracking your kid."  (HT: Drudge)

A FATHER'S GIFT TO HIS DAUGHTERS

Max Lucado writes in his book, A Love Worth Giving:

The whirlwind of adolescence was making regular runs through our house, bringing with it more than our share of doubts, pimples, and peer pressure.  I couldn't protect the girls from the winds, but I could give them an anchor to hold in the midst.  On Valentine's Day, 1997, I wrote the following and had it framed for each daughter:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I have a special gift for you.  My gift is warmth at night and sunlit afternoons, chuckles and giggles and happy Saturdays.

But how do I give this gift?  Is there a store which sells laughter?  A catalog that offers kisses?  No.  Such a treasure can't be bought.  But it can be given.  And here is how I give it to you.

Your Valentine's Day gift is a promise, a promise that I will always love your mother.  With God as my helper, I will never leave her.  You'll never come home to find me gone.  You'll never wake up and find that I have run away.  You'll always have two parents.  I will love your mother.  I will honor your mother.  I will cherish your mother.  That is my promise.  That is my gift.

                                                               Love, Dad

~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Me:  This struck me as worth posting.  Gifts need not be bought in a store.  Naturally I feel badly for those who, for one reason or another,  were unable (or in some cases unwilling), to give their wife and daughters the gift that Max Lucado gave.  May the Lord bring His comfort and restoring grace to all.

CHRISTMAS REMEMBRANCE: PRAYERS NEEDED FOR ASIA BIBI HELD PRISONER IN PAKISTAN

Paul Marshall reports: (my emphases)

In Pakistan, Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five [I think she is mother of two], still faces the death penalty for allegedly blaspheming Mohammed. Punjab governor Salman Taseer and Federal Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti were both killed this past year for defending her and opposing Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. The Fides news agency reports that she needs medical care to ward off mental illness. An international delegation from the Masihi Foundation, overseeing Bibby’s legal and material assistance, visited her on December 19 in the prison in Sheikpura, where she has been held for more than a year, and is currently in isolation. They report that she had not been allowed to bathe for more than two months, could not stand on her own, appeared confused, and was afraid to accept the water they offered her to drink. Nevertheless, she told them she has forgiven those who accused her of blasphemy and only wants to return to her family.

I have previously reported on Asia Bibi here,  here, and here.  This last link features a video with Asia's family:  10-year-old Isham and her 12-year-old sister Isha and their father, Ashiq Masih.

— Paul Marshall is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom and co-author, with Nina Shea, of the just released Silenced: How Apostasy and Blasphemy Codes are Choking Freedoms Worldwide (Oxford University Press, 2011).

GREAT SONG: "VAGABONDS" (STUART TOWNEND)

You've got to listen to this song!  Terrific.   It's a powerful song about the grace found in Christ and what the church should be all about.  See Matthew 22:9: "Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find."    (HT: Immanuel Church)

 

The song's composer, Stuart Townend, also wrote the lyrics to the amazing hymn, In Christ Alone.  He tells the story of "Vagabonds" below.

 

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON - THE DARK AGES HAVE HIT CALIFORNIA'S RURAL CITIZENS

National Review Online published VDH's account, "A Vandalized Valley." It is shocking, disheartening, angering. . . 

California has generally been seen as the harbinger of things to come for the entire nation.  Ii so, we face a bleak future indeed.  VDH writes:

I am starting to feel as if I am living in a Vandal state, perhaps on the frontier near Carthage around a.d. 530, or in a beleaguered Rome in 455. . . [VDH he cite brazen of stealing and pillage, even manhole covers! . . .]

In short, all the stuff of civilization — municipal buildings, education, religion, transportation, recreation — seems under assault in the last year by the contemporary forces of barbarism. . .

A couple now in their early 90s lives about three miles away from me on their small farm. I have known them for 50 years; he went to high school with my mother, and she was my Cub Scout leader. They now live alone and have recently been robbed nine, yes, nine, times. . . 

As in 5th-century North Africa, farmers feel that civilization is vanishing and they are on their own. The “authorities” of an insolvent state, like petty Roman bureaucrats, are too busy releasing criminals from overcrowded jails to want any more. The stories of cyclical releases are horrific:

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU SENDS CHRISTMAS GREETINGS TO THE WORLD

 

AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY SHOULD INTEGRATE A STRESS ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

I appreciate Nina Shea, the author with Paul Marshall, of Silenced: How Apostasy & Blasphemy Codes Are Choking Freedom Worldwide.  

[...]  In an interview with Kathryn Jean Lopez, Nina Shea offers a striking comparison between the state of religious freedom at home and abroad: “We don’t face death squads, torture or labor camps, as millions do elsewhere, so we should be careful in our rhetoric. At the same time, there are growing, dangerous restriction on religious freedom in the U.S., and more so in Europe, and we need to protest and fight them. We can do both, while not confusing their gravity.” . . .

Who is your nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, from among those profiled in Silenced?

Shahbaz Bhatti and Gov. Salman Taseer of Pakistan wouldn’t qualify since both have been murdered this year and posthumous nominations for the prize are not permitted. I would, therefore, nominate Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somalian-Dutch former member of parliament. For raising the issue of violence against women in the Netherlands’ Muslim communities, she endured and overcame death threats, a criminal hate speech investigation, a civil hate-speech trial , the stripping of her citizenship, eviction from her home, a constant need for bodyguards and social ostracism. She, however, has not been silenced.

How should the name Shahbaz Bhatti, the Pakistani politician who was assassinated this year, be known?

Shahbaz Bhatti was quite simply a Catholic martyr. He was murdered early this year because he opposed Pakistan’s blasphemy law, which is regularly used to persecute the Christian and Ahmadi minorities and Muslim liberals. Peacefully defending minorities persecuted for their religious beliefs in Pakistan was his life’s work both from his base as the head of a non-governmental organization and from his post as the only Christian in the government’s cabinet as minister of minority affairs. He put his life on the line every day.

What can American Catholics do?   [This goes for Protestants like me, also]

Catholics need to become more aware of the intense religious repression suffered by other Christians in Iraq, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, northern Sudan and elsewhere. They need to pray for them and reach out to them. They need to use their rights as citizens of the world’s leading democracy to insist that their president and members of Congress defend persecuted believers.

A good place to start would be with Asia Bibi, the 45-year-old Catholic mother of five who has been on death row in a Punjab prison awaiting appeal on blasphemy charges since November 2010. The Catholic media Asia News reports: “The bishop of Islamabad wants Pakistan’s highest authorities, including the justice minister, to intervene. However, so far, warnings by Western governments and Pope Benedict XVI’s appeal and words of solidarity for the Christian mother have fallen on deaf ears. … She had been arrested on blasphemy charges in June of 2009 stemming from a discussion she had had with Muslim women. At the time, she tried to defend her Christian faith and Jesus, who died on the cross for humanity’s sins, asking her co-workers what Muhammad had done for them. After verbally assaulting her, they accused her of “contaminating” a well by drawing water from it. … Local Muslims retaliated against her once the charges of blasphemy were made. They surrounded her home and tried to lynch her.”

While American Catholics—and all people who take their religion seriously—are understandably offended when their faith is mocked, hate-speech laws are not the solution.

Government-coerced speech codes would be applied in a broad fashion to curtail individual freedom and would also be used against them. The state regulation of Christian preaching has already happened in Western countries that have hate speech laws: clergy have been put on trial for preaching against gay marriage and for teaching the differences, in Christian theological terms, between Islam and Christianity. Following the example of Father John Courtney Murray in the last century, we must promote, including in Rome, the importance of the American First Amendment.

A lot of the nations you survey are allied with the U.S. in one way or another. What can we do to influence religious liberty abroad? Why is it any of our business?

We need to better integrate religious freedom into our foreign policy. We should now anticipate great persecution against Christians, a religious cleansing, for example, in Iraq, Egypt and Syria and make plans to forestall that though our diplomacy and aid. We should stop partnering with the Organization of the Islamic Conference on issues involving freedom of religion and speech; this validates its agenda of repression.

A SAD DAY - CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS IS DEAD (1949–2011)

Hitchens, the well-known atheist, has passed away.  It is indeed a sad day.  Vanity Fair reports: (HT: Drudge)

In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens,

By Gasper Tringale.

Christopher Hitchens—the incomparable critic, masterful rhetorician, fiery wit, and fearless bon vivant—died today at the age of 62. Hitchens was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the spring of 2010, just after the publication of his memoir, Hitch-22, and began chemotherapy soon after. His matchless prose has appeared in Vanity Fair since 1992, when he was named contributing editor.

“Cancer victimhood contains a permanent temptation to be self-centered and even solipsistic,” Hitchens wrote nearly a year ago in Vanity Fair, but his own final labors were anything but: in the last 12 months, he produced for this magazine a piece on U.S.-Pakistani relations in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death, a portrait of Joan Didion, an essay on the Private Eye retrospective at the Victoria and Albert Museum, a prediction about the future of democracy in Egypt, a meditation on the legacy of progressivism in Wisconsin, and a series of frank, graceful, and exquisitely written essays in which he chronicled the physical and spiritual effects of his disease. At the end, Hitchens was more engaged, relentless, hilarious, observant, and intelligent than just about everyone else—just as he had been for the last four decades.

“My chief consolation in this year of living dyingly has been the presence of friends,” he wrote in the June 2011 issue. He died in their presence, too, at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. May his 62 years of living, well, so livingly console the many of us who will miss him dearly.

 Doug Wilson, a Christian and debate partner, wrote his reflections.

1949–2011

THE LATEST "SOCIAL CONSERVATIVE REVIEW: THE INSIDER'S GUIDE TO PRO-FAMILY NEWS," DECEMBER 15, 2011

  These compilations from a variety of sources by the Family Research Council continue to offer interested people a gold mine.  A new edition appears every two weeks.  Readers will find in each a wealth of information not readily found elsewhere. For previous reviews I've posted, click here.   For a complete list of articles from this latest edition,  click "continue reading" below.

NATIONAL REVIEW EDITORIALIZES AGAINST NEWT GINGRICH

Ouch!  Hard hitting rejection.  Click here.  - http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/285787/winnowing-field-editors

FROZEN PLANET SCANDAL: SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH DEFENDS FAKE POLAR BEAR COVERAGE

This is very sad.  A lot of footage has been exposed as a sham.  (HT: Drudge)  So now we learn that documentaries, too, are manipulated and manufactured, while all the while we naively thought we were looking at the "real thing" in the wild.  No. 

The culture's "trust level" takes another dive. 

NEWT GINGRICH AND THE "INVENTED" PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

Daniel Pipes, an historian and expert on Islam and the Middle East, writes:

The former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and current Republican presidential candidate said yesterday that “there was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire. We have invented the Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs and are historically part of the Arab people, and they had the chance to go many places.”

Everyone from the PLO to a Mitt Romney spokesman jumped on Gingrich for this assertion, but he happens to be absolutely correct: No Arabic-speaking Muslims identified themselves as “Palestinian” until 1920, when, in rapid order this appellation and identity was adopted by the Muslim Arabs living in the British mandate of Palestine.

For details, see a long article of mine from 1989 on the topic or a short one from 2000.

Gingrich made the same assertion in the debate last night, as Marc Thiessen reports:

Romney tried to go after him by saying it was irresponsible and that Romney would be more cautious, declaring “I’m not a bomb thrower.” Newt deftly replied: “I’m a Reaganite,” citing Reagan’s declaration that the Soviet Union was an “evil empire.” The message GOP voters took away was: Newt is a bold conservative like Reagan, Romney is a cautious moderate. That’s a win for Newt.

"TEBOWING"

I hadn't realized what a world-wide phenomenon "Tebowing" has become until I read the excellent, must-read, Wall Street Journal article on Denver Broncos' quarterback, Tim Tebow.  His practice of offering a short prayer, putting one knee down following a game, has produced a worldwide "Tebowing" phenomenon. 

The website "http://tebowing.com" has new pictures posted every few minutes.   I especially liked this one:

                “Taken immediately after saving this patients life”

And I found this one incredibly sweet:

          “Tebowing for a cure…with his stuffed puppy affectionately named “Tebow”.

        **Nathan has mitochondrial disease. His stuffed puppy, “Tebow”, has been through thick and thin right along beside Nathan through his entire life. He takes his “Tebow” as comfort to help through all the hardships he endures.”

Remember that the Tebowing website posts additional photos many times a day.  And be sure to read the Wall Street Journal article.

- Update 12/11/11 - I see Tim Tebow heads the Tim Tebow Foundation doing good work around the world.  I love this video of him making a boy's dream come true (from 850 KOA News Radio):

Here's an article on other Christian NFL players.

 

OBAMA PUSHES "HOMOSEXUAL RIGHTS" AROUND THE WORLD

On December 1st, I reported that the Obama administration is imperialistically pushing its views on homosexuality on other countries.  Now the Family Research Council reports that on December 6th,

. . . the Obama administration put a bow on its efforts to radicalize other countries on the issue of homosexuality. In their observance of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made it clear where their "human rights" priorities lie. In keeping with the anniversary, the White House issued a "Presidential Memorandum" directing "all agencies engaged abroad" to promote the homosexual and transgender agenda. While the President was throwing his full weight (and America's reputation) behind gay rights, Mrs. Clinton was delivering an egregious speech to the U.N. On a day devoted to the defense of real human rights (like the sanctity of life and religious liberty), Clinton dedicated her remarks to shaming countries that opposed homosexuality. What makes her speech even more presumptuous is that the United Nations--much like the United States--is still sharply divided on the issue of sexual orientation.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop the former First Lady. Her comments about the "invisible minority" did more than decry violence (which we too strongly oppose) against people who engage in homosexual or transgender behavior. She made it clear there is no level of disapproval, no matter how peaceful, that would be acceptable. In fact, Clinton went so far as to directly compare the religious teachings against homosexuality to "honor killings, widow burning, female genital mutilation" and support for slavery. For other countries, many of whom rely on America for foreign aid, this represents a major clash of worldviews. And it comes, as we have witnessed since 2009, at the expense of religious freedom. The President is elevating homosexuality at the same time he is deemphasizing religious liberty (another legitimate human right). Now, rather than improving relations with our global neighbors, Obama is imposing an alien agenda on other nations.

While the rhetoric has been elevated, the policy isn't new. Our friend Austin Ruse of C-FAM has already reported on threats to withhold aid from the poor African country of Malawi unless they changed their laws on homosexuality, and the U.S. ambassador to El Salvador offended her hosts with a "Gay Pride Month" message back in June. If the President did the same on other issues, his own liberal allies would accuse him of "cultural imperialism." Unfortunately, the administration's bullying approach to diplomacy doesn't serve America's interests and runs the risk of making enemies of our friends.  [my emphases]

Me:  The Administration's hard-nosed, imperialistic, ham-fisted strategy to force countries around the world to treat homosexuality as "good and right sexuality" must be stopped and reversed.  Congress should make its objection known to the President and the State Department. 

DEFINITION OF AN "EVANGELICAL"

Readers of this blog probably already know the definition of an "evangelical Christian," but in case not, Justyn Terry, Dean and President of Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA, offers an excellent, clarifying understanding:

The word "evangelical" is used in many different ways these days, and there is much debate about its meaning. My preference is for J.I. Packer's six distinctives of evangelicalism, which are endorsed by John Stott and Alister McGrath, all three of whom are prominent evangelical Anglicans.

1. The supreme authority of Scripture for knowledge of God and as guide to Christian living.
2. The majesty of Jesus Christ as incarnate God and Lord, and the saviour of sinful humanity.
3. The lordship of the Holy Spirit.
4. The need for personal conversion.
5. The priority of evangelism for both individual Christians and for the Church as a whole.
6. The importance of Christian community for spiritual nourishment, fellowship and growth.

For an exposition of these points, see Alister E. McGrath, Evangelicalism and the Future of Christianity, Inter-Varsity Press, 1995, ch. 2, "Evangelical Distinctives").

RICK PERRY COMES ON STRONG

This ad is generating a lot of commentary:

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a Christian, but you don't need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.
As President, I'll end Obama's war on religion. And I'll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage.
Faith made America strong. It can make her strong again.
I'm Rick Perry and I approve this message.

The Family Research Council comments:

Rick Perry's latest ad was intended for Iowa, but thanks to the national media, it's airing on every network in America. A number of pundits are panning the spot for its bold social conservative themes, which they insist will hurt the Texas Governor's chances. . .  The ad is called "Strong," and that's the kind of message it sends on issues like religious freedom. "As President, I'll end Obama's war on religion. And I'll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage." True, Gov. Perry probably wouldn't win the media's vote with that kind of platform--but he does stand to benefit with everyday Americans who are tired of seeing their values in the line of fire under this administration.

PEGGY NOONAN ON NEWT

Noonan -  "Gingrich is Inspiring--and Disturbing."  Well worth reading.  Update: Mike Potemra thinks so too.  He writes:

I think this is one of the best attempts to understand Gingrich. (How might Gingrich himself phrase the same sentiment? “This is the most fantastically impressively written newspaper column since Gutenberg invented printing”?) What makes it so remarkable is that is scrupulously fair and even-handed — doing justice to both Gingrich’s immense talents and his (in my view) disqualifying weaknesses — without ever being mealy-mouthed.

Added 12/10/11 - Ross Douthart in "The Tempting of the Religious Right"warns religious conservatives not to throw their support to Newt:

[...] a religious right that rallied around Gingrich would be putting the worst possible face on its cause and at the worst possible time.

His candidacy isn’t a test of religious conservatives’ willingness to be good, forgiving Christians. It’s a test of their ability to see their cause through outsiders’ eyes, and to recognize what anointing a thrice-married adulterer as the champion of “family values” would say to the skeptical, the unconverted and above all to the young.  [more..]

DOWN SYNDROME DISCUSSION

From the Family Research Center:

Down Syndrome: Death Sentence or Divine Smile?
December 14, 2011
Time: 12:00 pm (ET) - 01:00 pm (ET)

Click here to register for our upcoming Family Policy Lecture.

An expecting mother visits her doctor, for a routine pregnancy check-up. In all the uncertainty, does she want to know if her baby has Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome?

In October 2011, a San Diego company, Sequenom, introduced a simple blood test called MaterniT21 that promises to be inexpensive and highly accurate in diagnosing Down syndrome.

But studies show that, in the United States, an estimated 92 percent of women choose to abort their child when they receive a Down syndrome diagnosis.

What if children with Down syndrome offer a special joy and blessing to their families and neighbors? And what if the genetic research is bringing us closer to treatment for the intellectual disabilities as well as the physical challenges facing children with this chromosomal abnormality?

Join us on December 14, as Leticia Velasquez and Mark Bradford offer their vivid personal stories and promising scientific research surrounding Down syndrome.

Leticia Velasquez is an English professor wife of twenty years, and homeschooling mother of three girls, Gabriela, Isabella, and her youngest daughter Christina who was born with Down syndrome. She is the co-founder of KIDS--Keep Infants with Down Syndrome, which advocates for the dignity of unborn children with Down syndrome in the media. Velasquez's work has been published in USA Today, Reuters, Chicago Sun-Times, and National Catholic Register. She has been a guest on both NPR and EWTN and blogs at Cause of Our Joy which details daily life in a family with a child with Down syndrome. Her recent book, A Special Mother is Born, is a compilation of vivid, personal stories from over thirty parents who have nurtured children with disabilities.

SYRIA: CHRISTIANS FEAR FOR THEIR FUTURE

Elizabeth Kendal writes a weekly "spotlight" on the plight of suffering and persecuted Christians in different parts of the world.  Today's summary deals with Syria, and I consider it MUST READING to really understand what is going on in that nation and how it affects Christians.  The bold emphases are my own.

---------------------------------------
SYRIA: CHRISTIANS FEAR FOR THEIR FUTURE
By Elizabeth Kendal

When democracy is decoupled from its Judeo-Christian foundations it is
diminished, becoming little more than majoritarianism. When
majoritarianism is inserted into highly tribal and sectarian cultures it
risks enabling and legitimising tyranny by the majority. When the cost of
losing power is enormous -- poverty, persecution and death -- tribes and
sects have little choice but to resist or to flee.

RICK SANTORUM HONORS HIS SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD, BELLA

 

(HT: Justin Taylor)

Rick Santorum and his wife offer a wonderful window into the reality of God-breathed love and life.  Very moving and inspiring.

BIBLE BAN AT WALTER REED MEDICAL CENTER?

This is unbelievable.  Even if the ban is rescinded, what does it say about an Administration that would allow such a ban to be put into an internal memo in the first place? From FRC:

The Walter Reed Medical Center is where our wounded soldiers go for their bodies to be healed, but are their souls left out in the cold? Last week, FRC obtained an internal memo in which Navy officials had announced that "no religious items (including Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit." The new orders are buried in a four-page document about patient care, which an Army officer forwarded to us in disbelief. Effective immediately, families, friends, and even pastors would have to check their beliefs at the door to visit one of the largest military hospitals in the United States.

We immediately brought this memo to the attention of Congress. After working with concerned leaders like Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) and talking with staff at Walter Reed, we were assured that the Navy was rescinding the policy. Todd Starnes at Fox News also contacted hospital officials and was offered similar assurances.

While we're glad that hospital officials are working on changing the policy, the change has yet to be implemented. Given the recent track record of the Obama Administration's disrespect for religious liberty in the military, nothing is certain. We need your help to show military leaders that the American people will not stand for Bible bans such as the one at Walter Reed. Our brave wounded warriors are worthy of the same religious freedom that they themselves fought for.

Sign our petition today to help ensure that Bibles and other religious materials are not banned from Walter Reed Medical Center.

Sincerely,

Tony Perkins
President

 

TIM KELLER TALKS TO GOOGLE ON THE MEANING OF MARRIAGE

On November 14, 2011, Tim Keller visited Google to talk about his book The Meaning of Marriage: (HT: Justin Taylor)

 

ANTHER CHRISTIAN MARTYRED IN PAKISTAN

Nina Shea reports:

Another Christian in Pakistan has been murdered, and the local Catholic Church is calling her a “martyr of the faith.”

The 18-year-old Amariah Masih (also reported as Mariah Manisha), a Catholic girl from the village of Tehsil Samundari, near Faisalabad, in Punjab province, was shot dead on November 27, after putting up resistance when a Muslim man abducted her with the intent to rape her. Fr. Khalid Rashid Asi, General Vicar of the Catholic diocese of Faisalabad told Fides, the Catholic news agency, that “cases like these occur daily in Punjab. It is very sad; Christians, often girls, are helpless victims.”

The girl’s mother, Razia Bibi, 50, told the Catholic media outlet AsiaNews that she and her daughter were riding on a motorbike on their way to pick up drinking water, which is not available in their village, when a man seized the motorbike, grabbed the young woman, and tried to drag her away at gunpoint. As she tried to pull away, the man opened fire, killing her instantly. According to AsiaNews, the 28-year-old Muslim Arif Gujjar, the son of a wealthy local landowner, is in police custody for questioning for the murder of Amariah.

Amariah’s funeral was presided over by Fr. Zafal Iqbal, who said to Fides: “She is a martyr. . . . The girl resisted, she did not want to convert to Islam and she did not marry the man, who killed her for this.” He explained to AsiaNews: “Wealthy and influential landowners often take aim at those who are marginalized and vulnerable, for their dirty interests.” In Pakistan, a rape victim is often imprisoned for unlawful sex and released on the condition that she marry her rapist. Because, under sharia, a Muslim cannot be married to a Christian, the women in such cases are also forced to convert to Islam. In its sharia courts, the testimony of a Christian is worth less than that of a Muslim, and a Christian woman’s is worth less yet. The whole system is rigged against the Christian woman.

More information on Amariah can be found on the website of the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations.

Meanwhile, Ruqqiya Bibi, a Christian woman, was sentenced in Pakistan in late October to a 25-year prison term for blasphemy on accusations that she defiled a Koran after handling it with unclean hands. Mrs. Bibi is not to be confused with Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five who was convicted of blasphemy following a dispute with other Muslim women with whom she had been working as a field hand, and who remains imprisoned after being sentenced to death a year ago.

Pakistan’s minister of minority affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, also a Catholic, was murdered earlier this year, as was Punjab governor Salman Taseer, a Muslim, for calling for the repeal of the nation’s blasphemy law. Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy law is notoriously vague and ever expanding to include new applications.

The BBC reported on November 17 that the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority has told mobile-phone companies to begin blocking text messages containing “obscene” and otherwise “offensive” words. The name “Jesus Christ” was listed among them.

The discriminatory blasphemy law, which protects only Islam, generally encourages targeted violence against Christians, as well as against Ahmadiyas, Hindus, non-Sunni Muslims, and Sunni Muslim dissidents.

— Nina Shea is director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom and co-author, with Paul Marshall, of Silenced: How Apostasy and Blasphemy Codes are Choking Freedoms Worldwide (Oxford University Press, November 2011).

NEWT GINGRICH PANNED BY INFLUENTIAL CONSERVATIVES

- (Original Post) George Will's "From Romney to Gingrich: From Bad to Worse," doesn't pull any punches.  Will is definitely not a fan of Newt.  For reasons given, I'm uneasy about Gingrich, too.  Victor Davis Hanson isn't enthusiastic either.  I wish voters would pay more attention to Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum, and look again at Rick Perry.

- Added 12/9/11 - Peggy Noonan's evaluation of Newt is well worth reading.  Update: Mike Potemra thinks so too.

- Added 12/10/11 - Ross Douthart in "The Tempting of the Religious Right"warns religious conservatives not to throw their support to New

HELP "VOICE OF THE MARTYRS" AID CHRISTIANS IN NORTH AFRICA

From a VOM email:

Christmas time is often a dangerous period for Christians who live in hostile areas. But thanks to your generosity, "The Voice of the Martyrs" can help persecuted Christians at Christmas time and throughout the year. As we prepare to celebrate our Savior's birth, let's also remember those around the world who are persecuted for their faith in him. Join us in praying for them and fellowshipping with them this holiday season.
One way you can encourage persecuted Christians this Christmas is by sponsoring a Christmas Care Pack or Village Outreach Pack through The Voice of the Martyrs.
Since the Arab Spring uprisings that began a year ago and spread throughout the Arab world, attacks on Christians and churches have increased across North Africa. You can help thousands of Christians across North Africa by supporting VOM's 2011 Christmas Care project.
For a gift of $25, you can sponsor a Christmas Care Pack for a North African child who lives in an area where Christians are persecuted. Each pack includes items such as clothing, toiletries and school supplies as well as a gospel storybook to help encourage children in their faith. You can also help North African evangelists spread the gospel throughout the region by sponsoring a Village Outreach Pack. Your gift of $75 will provide church leaders with a small library of gospel materials.
CLICK HERE to support this vital ministry effort.
I know that you will join me in praying for our persecuted family this Christmas. Pray for God's protection over them, and pray that they may know his love in deep and significant ways during this season.

TOUR THE SISTINE CHAPEL FROM YOUR ARM CHAIR

Click here.  Click, hold and move your mouse to view all around the room and ceiling.  When you want to get closer or farther away, go to the lower left corner and click on the plus or minus symbol or just Roll your Scroll wheel.  Turn on your sound for a more dramatic effect.  (With thanks to my friend John for the tip)

AMERICA'S "NEW IMPERIALISM" - PUSHING HOMOSEXUAL "RIGHTS" ON OTHER COUNTRIES

From FRC:

The Obama State Department has an interesting interpretation of "diplomacy." From Kenya to El Salvador, ambassadors are tasked--not with advancing America's interests--but the interests of the President's radical social agenda. In most cases, this aggressive strategy has made more enemies of nations than friends.

Mari Carmen Aponte is Exhibit A. As the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, Aponte has taken it upon herself to school an overwhelmingly Christian nation about the "virtues" of homosexuality. In a controversial op-ed, she lectured the Salvadorians about the need to embrace homosexuality. She also implied that the country's disapproval of the aberrant behavior was somehow rooted in ignorance. The column sparked such outrage that leaders of the country have called for her removal "as soon as possible so that El Salvador may enjoy the benefits of having a better person as a government representative..." "Ms. Aponte," they write, "in clear violation of the rules of diplomacy and international law... intend[s] to impose on Salvadorians... a new vision of foreign and bizarre values, completely alien to our moral fiber, intending to disguise this as 'human rights.'"

Whether Mari keeps her post will be up to the U.S. Senate. Because her nomination was so controversial (see Sen. Jim DeMint's column on her ties to Cuban spies), the President hired her by recess appointment. At the end of the year, Senators will decide if she's fit to continue serving a nation whose values she so openly scorns. Unfortunately, the State Department may be heightening tensions in more countries than one. According to reports, Aponte was just following orders. Back in June, Secretary Hillary Clinton ordered all embassies "to publish op-eds in support of LGBT awareness month."  [my emphasis]

 

THE LATEST "SOCIAL CONSERVATIVE REVIEW: THE INSIDER'S GUIDE TO PRO-FAMILY NEWS," DECEMBER 1, 2011

  These compilations from a variety of sources by the Family Research Council continue to offer interested people a gold mine.  A new edition appears every two weeks.  Readers will find in each a wealth of information not readily found elsewhere. For previous reviews I've posted, click here.   For a complete list of articles from this latest edition,  click "continue reading" below.