Exporting Torture

Amid much fanfare, President Obama signed an executive order Thursday, January 22, 2009, that ordered the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center and prohibited the use of torture in the questioning of military combatants.

In contrast, President Obama quietly signed another executive order the following day that actually funds and exports torture and killing of innocents. This executive order reversed the "Mexico City policy" which banned U.S. taxpayer funds from being given to international groups that perform abortions

This is undoubtedly the first of many steps that the new administration will take in its efforts to satisfy its pro-abortion agenda. Other promised and predicted steps include:

• Signing of the Freedom of Choice Act which will destroy about 500 local, state and federal laws designed to protect life according to Vision America. Included among the laws overturned would be the Partial Abortion Ban of 2003.
  
• Restoring of funding to the U.N. Population Fund, which was barred by the Bush administration because of its work in China which includes coercive abortion and involuntary sterilization.
• Lifting of restrictions on the use of taxpayer money to fund embryonic stem cell research.

Tod Preston, a spokesman for Population Action International, said, "Women's health has been severely impacted by the cutoff of assistance. President Obama's actions will help reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies, abortions and women dying from high-risk pregnancies because they don't have access to family planning."

Mr. Preston's ignorance on the issue is monumental. First of all, he fails to note or consider the impact abortions have on women's physical and psychological health. These are well documented in the book Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments by Randy Alcorn. Secondly, abortions do nothing to decrease the number of pregnancies; an increase in abortions leads only to an increase in murders. Although not documented, I would expect that the number of so called "unwanted pregnancies" actually increases in an environment where abortion is readily available and personal responsibility is not encouraged. Finally, the afore mentioned book by Randy Alcorn also documents the skewed statistics surrounding high risk pregnancies. The number of high-risk pregnancies is significantly less than is commonly reported in the pro-choice literature, and the reported risk to the mother is also exaggerated.

Mr. Preston, and pro-choice advocates in general, fail to realize that family planning, which is properly defined not only as birth control and the conscious efforts of couples to prevent pregnancy, but also as the efforts of couples to induce pregnancy. Family planning, correctly defined, would have minimal impact on high-risk pregnancies, or those where the risk of birth defects or complications is increased due to the health history of the mother or the child. Prenatal interventions and support would likely do more to lessen the risk.

Ironically, the pro-choice lobby would probably look at a child in a broken home, abandoned by his father, raised by his struggling single mother, and say, "It would have been better if she had access to family planning to prevent that pregnancy." The description of that child fits that of our new president, President Barack Obama.




Suggested Resource: Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments by Randy Alcorn

Want Another Great Deal?

Answers in Genesis produces some of the most faith affirming resources available to Christians. Our home library contains many of their videos, books, magazines, and children's books.

From now until December 31, 2008, you can receive a 15% discount if you simply enter the coupon code COUNTDOWN when you make a purchase through the following link.

Recently we adapted the "Amazon Expedition VBS Super Starter Pack" from AiG to use in a class we were teaching. All of the kids, from kindergarteners to fourth graders, couldn't wait to get to church to learn about the Seven C's of History:

• Creation
• Corruption
• Catastrophe
• Confusion
• Christ
• Cross
• Consummation

The material made the class fun, but more importantly, the kids and the adult helpers and teachers learned about history from the beginning of time from the "History Book of the Universe." We learned that the Bible is not just a collection of stories, but that it contains an accurate written historical record. I cannot recommend it enough!

Other resources from AiG that I reccomend:

• Answers Magazine--Great for the whole family.
• History Revealed Series by Diana Waring--World history made fun.
• Evolution Exposed--Reveals the evolutionary bias in textbooks
• Global Warming DVD & Book--A Christian perspective on this hot topic
• Pilgrim's Progress DVD--A modern adaption of Bunyan's work
• and many, many more

The next items I plan to purchase:

• Operation Space VBS Super Starter Kit
• History Revealed: What in the World Volume 3

Want a Good Deal?

From now until the end of the year, Creation Ministires International, publishers of Creation Magazine, are offering 15% off everything in their catalog. Simply follow the link below and enter Promo Code CRE113008 at check out.

Personally, I will be purchasing Dr. Jonathan Sarfai's latest work, By Design, which "presents case after case for amazing design in the living world, and demolishes theories of chemical evolution of the first life."

I have found Dr. Sarfati's abilities of reasoning to be second to none in the reading of his earlier works, Refuting Evolution, Refuting Evolution 2, and Refuting Compromise.

Creation Magazine is also a favorite around our house, and I highly recommend subscribing!

Headline: "Forget socks, adopt a kaola for Christmas"

Adoption has shaped my life and the lives of my family. Adoption, the voluntary acceptance of a child born to different biological parents as your own, is nothing short of a miracle. I doubt that this can be appreciated if you have not experienced it personally.

Because of the profound impact adoption has had upon me, I find it increasingly offensive when a fund raising program is referred to as "adoption." I know there are many who will say that I am being to sensitive, but I do not think so. Humanitarian organizations World Vision and Compassion do not offer programs where you can "adopt a child," where "adopt" means to send a contribution. However, they do offer opportunities for sponsoring a child. It is a small difference in wording but a huge difference in meaning.

If you are considering the sponsorship of a koala for a Christmas gift, I encourage a change of plans. There are many children who are in desperate need around the world, and a minimal donation can make a tremendous difference in their lives. Please visit the links below to sponsor a child today:

• Love Without Boundaries
  
• World Vision
• Compassion International
• Holt International
• Shaohannah's Hope
• CCAI Charity

Finally, I recommend you read the book Saving Levi: Left to Die...Destined to Live. It is an incredible and inspirational adoption story (they all are).


God bless,
JDD

Global Warming & Sunday School

Recently I was teaching a group of second and third graders during our congregation’s Sunday school. I call my class “Science and the Bible,” although it should probably be renamed to “Biblical Science” because the goal of the class is to teach the children to interpret the world around them in the light of scripture rather than superimposing worldly beliefs upon the scripture.

The Church, at least in my experience, does a good job of teaching its members to interpret social and moral issues in light of scriptures. We often hear of this referred to as a “Biblical Worldview.” Unfortunately, the Church has done a poor job of teaching and equipping its members to interpret science in the same light. The consequences of this deficiency became evident to me in the class I was teaching.

We were examining the planets of our solar system, highlighting the features that make Earth ideal for life and the features of the other planets that make them completely uninhabitable. During the discussion, one of the students commented that he knew what was going to bring about the end of the earth. I had not intended to discuss eschatology, but I thought this might lead to an opportunity to discuss sin, judgment and salvation. The bait was in front of me, and I took it! The student, sensing my excitement, exclaimed, “Global Warming!” I must have sounded like a balloon deflating!

The student had probably heard the prophetical words of Peter: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” It would be my hope that my students would read this passage that clearly refers to the coming judgment, and be reminded of the global judgment in Noah’s day. The Lord judged all of mankind, and destruction was complete. Our world bears the scars of that tragedy to this day. Peter’s words remind us that another judgment is coming. Unfortunately, this student was more familiar with the apocalyptic tale of “Global Warming” than he was with the “Global Judgment” that God’s Word warns us about.

It is my prayer that the church takes its responsibility to equip its members to answer the questions and challenges to their faith that they may face. These challenges will not always be in the form of moral or social issues, as they have predominantly been in the past. Christians will be challenged to answer questions dealing with many other topics such as science. If we learn to answer wisely and truthfully, the faith of all will be strengthened.

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” I Peter 3:15

Merry Tossmas

Retailers, in increasing numbers, have eliminated all references to Christmas in their store displays, flyers, and mail-outs. Well, Stuart Shepard celebrates "Tossmas" when he receives their catalogs that fail to mention the name of the holiday that occurs on December 25th...the catalogs are tossed in the recycle bin!

CitizenLink published this list of "Christmas Friendly Retailers." I encourage you to show you care about how retailers treat Christmas by frequenting these stores and by signing the "I Stand for Christmas Petition."

Omniscient Design

We recently purchased Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed on DVD, starring actor, comedian, and all-around-smart-guy Ben Stein. Mr. Stein does an excellent job highlighting the persecution that educators, scientists, and others have endured because of their stand for the issue of intelligent design (ID).

In my opinion, the documentary also makes a good case for the reality of ID. Richard Dawkins even states that life on this planet might be due to the actions of an alien race (that arose elsewhere by Darwinian evolution?!?), which sounds a lot like ID to me.

That reveals the fundamental problem that I have with the ID movement: once the case for ID has been made, who are we to believe that the intelligent designer is? God, Allah, Buddha, or an alien race are all candidates.

Time and again the trustworthiness of the Bible has been proven. Consider the reliability of scriptures that has been established by Manuscripts, Archaeology, Prophecy, and Statistics (for more information). Simply put, the Bible speaks the truth!

The Bible also speaks the truth about creation: the omniscient, which is intelligence to the extreme, God created time, space, and matter about 6000 years ago.

If you have seen the evidence of design in nature, I invite you to meet the Designer. Read the Bible!