Clueless Emma

10 Common Errors “Spell Check” Won’t Catch

While we can rely on a spell checker to catch glaring errors, a computer can’t pick up on all careless mistakes, especially if the word could be correct in a different context. Often word misuse is our mistake. The English language is full of homonyms, or words that have different meanings but sound and look similar, which makes it easy to confuse proper usage. For instance, verbally, you might not even notice the difference between “your” and “you’re.” But in print, the error can lead the reader to perceive you as less intelligent than you are. For this reason, it's important to spell check and proofread your documents, especially for the following common misuses, which are so easy to make, you might even have to check your document a couple times to catch them.

via shine.yahoo.com

Please~ read and follow!!

Happy Father's Day | statesmanjournal.com | Statesman Journal

Here's to all of the dads who understand that the key ingredient to being a great dad is showing up, no matter what.

via www.statesmanjournal.com

Leftist Logic

Michelle Malkin » Consequences: Stupak stripped of “Defender of Life” award

via michellemalkin.com

Amen!

In the News

 

I Highly Recommend Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover Live, Coming to PDX this fall. Make it a weekend out with your spouse and grow closer!

A recent study revealed that two of the top ten destructive issues for Christian families are financial pressures and divorce. The bottom line is that money problems are hurting our families!

This fall, Dave Ramsey will be traveling to Detroit, Indianapolis, Atlanta and Portland to address these issues in an inspirational, entertaining and Christ-centered way. Spouses will learn how to work together toward success, and how to laugh together at some of the mistakes they have already made with money.

Total Money Makeover LIVE is full of energy, fun and the tools your family needs to ultimately win with money. You will learn how to:
Did You Know?

• Spend without fear and guilt with an easy-to-follow plan.
• Achieve peace of mind by getting out of debt and staying out of debt.
• Stop fighting with your spouse about money by learning to communicate and develop a family plan for success.
• Become a cheerful, generous giver

See Dave Ramsey Live and Change Your Family Tree!

"My husband and I attended the live event last year, and it's amazing to see how far we've come! We paid off $90,000 in debt and now have a plan for our future. We've started planning for our children's college. This event has changed our family tree!" —2008 Live Event Attendee

I Love Word Play!

Here is the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.
 
     1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a  house, which renders the
   subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.

 

   2. Ignoranus : A person who's both stupid  and an asshole.

 

   3. Intaxicaton : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts
   until  you realize it was your money to start with.

 

   4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

 

   5. Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops
   bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately,
   shows  little sign of breaking down in the near future.

 

   6. Foreploy : Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose  of
   getting laid.

 

   7. Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

 

   8. Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the
   person who doesn't get it.

 

   9. Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

 

   10. Osteopornosis : A degenerate disease. (This one got extracredit.)

 

   11. Karmageddon : It's like, when everybody is sending off all these 
   really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's
   like, a serious bummer.

 

   12. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day
   consuming only things that are good for you.

 

   13. Glibido : All talk and no action.

 

   14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter  when
   they come at you rapidly.

 

   15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after
   you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

 

   16. Beelzebug (n.) : Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets   into
   your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

 

   17. Caterpallor ( n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm
   in the fruit you're eating.
 
   The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to
   its yearly contest, in which readers are asked  to supply alternate
   meanings for common words. And the winners are:
 
   1. Coffee , n. The person upon whom one coughs.

 

   2. Flabbergasted , adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one
   has gained.

 

   3. Abdicate , v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.

 

   4 esplanade , v. To attempt an explanation while drunk.

 

   5. Willy-nilly , adj. Impotent.

 

   6. Negligent , adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing
   only a nightgown.

 

   7. Lymph , v. To walk with a lisp.

 

    8. Gargoyle , n. Olive-flavored mouthwash.

Baby pics

This is what Turbo thinks of the new baby

 

Cautious First Meeting

Pretty Baby

My New Baby: Independence, Indy for short

 

Best way to go, if'n ya ask me

Factory Worker Dies After Falling Into Vat of Chocolate - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

Posted using ShareThis

True Love Can Last a Lifetime

Love's first blush fading? Lost that loving feeling? Love is not all around?
Scientists have used brain scans to study how long love lasts between couples.

Using brain scans, researchers at Stony Brook University in New York have discovered a small number of couples respond with as much passion after 20 years together as most people only do during the early throes of romance, Britain's Sunday Times newspaper reported.

The researchers scanned the brains of couples together for 20 years and compared them with results from new lovers, the Sunday Times said.

About 10 percent of the mature couples had the same chemical reactions when shown photographs of their loved ones as those just starting out.

Previous research has suggested that the first stages of romantic love fade within 15 months and after 10 years it has gone completely, the newspaper said.

"The findings go against the traditional view of romance -- that it drops off sharply in the first decade -- but we are sure it's real," said Arthur Aron, a psychologist at Stony Brook, told the Sunday Times.

[The Berean Call: "The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you" (Jeremiah 31:3). "Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old" (Psalm 25:6).]

49 million to Five

According to recent polling, a majority of Americans oppose abortion -- which is consistent with liberals' hysterical refusal to allow us to vote on the subject. In a country with approximately 150 million pro-lifers, five abortionists have been killed since Roe v. Wade.

In that same 36 years, more than 49 million babies have been killed by abortionists. Let's recap that halftime score, sports fans: 49 million to five.

Meanwhile, fewer than 2 million Muslims live in America and, while Muslims are less murderous than abortionists, I'm fairly certain they've killed more than five people in the United States in the last 36 years. For some reason, the number "3,000" keeps popping into my head.

So in a country that is more than 50 percent pro-life -- and 80 percent opposed to the late-term abortions of the sort performed by Tiller -- only five abortionists have been killed. And in a country that is less than 0.5 percent Muslim, several dozen Muslims have killed thousands of Americans.

...The official Web page of the ELCA instructs: "A developing life in the womb does not have an absolute right to be born." As long as we're deciding who does and doesn't have an "absolute right to be born," who's to say late-term abortionists have an "absolute right" to live?

I wouldn't kill an abortionist myself, but I wouldn't want to impose my moral values on others. No one is for shooting abortionists. But how will criminalizing men making difficult, often tragic, decisions be an effective means of achieving the goal of reducing the shootings of abortionists?

Following the moral precepts of liberals, I believe the correct position is: If you don't believe in shooting abortionists, then don't shoot one.

Read the rest at AnnCoulter.com

DESIGNED NATURE

An element of nature "designed"-a slip-up or a rare admission?

"Sea urchin digging teeth are designed to stay sharp," begins a news release from the Weizmann Institute of Science. Two of the Institute's scientists, in conjunction with researchers elsewhere, have spent more than a decade studying how urchins dig holes into the seabed floor. The mystery is, how can urchins dig into solid limestone again and again without their five specialized teeth becoming blunt?

The answer is a "combination of ingenious design strategies." First, the scientists discovered crystals of strong magnesium calcite at the grinding tip of each tooth, which are in turn surrounded by a matrix of regular calcite crystals. This softer supporting structure allows the magnesium calcite crystals to remain at the surface of the tooth for maximum grinding effectiveness.

Second, the researchers used X-rays and other imaging technology to determine that the crystals are carefully aligned in two different arrays. The two arrays are interlocked right at the tip of the tooth in a way that resembles a file, augmenting the grinding capabilities of the tooth. Not only that, but the feature keeps itself sharp; wear on the tooth causes the crystals to break off in such a way that the tooth remains uneven and sharp.

We may never know exactly what God's original purpose was in designing the urchin teeth. What is clear, however, is that the teeth are yet another marvelous design-a word the news release can't avoid-and that this discovery adds to the ever-growing burden of complexity that evolution can only explain with time and chance.

(Answers in Genesis, News to Note, 5/9/09)

THE EVOLUTION CONNECTION

The idea of extraterrestrial life stems largely from a belief in evolution. Recall that in the evolutionary view, the earth is "just another planet"-one where the conditions just happened to be right for life to form and evolve. If there are countless billions of other planets in our galaxy, then surely at least a handful of these worlds have also had the right conditions. Extraterrestrial life is almost inevitable in an evolutionary worldview.

However, the notion of alien life does not square well with Scripture. The earth is unique. God designed the earth for life (Isaiah 45:18). The other planets have an entirely different purpose than does the earth, and thus, they are designed differently. In Genesis 1 we read that God created plants on the earth on Day 3, birds to fly in the atmosphere and marine life to swim in the ocean on Day 5, and animals to inhabit the land on Day 6. Human beings were also made on Day 6 and were given dominion over the animals. But where does the Bible discuss the creation of life on the "lights in the expanse of the heavens"? There is no such description because the lights in the expanse were not designed to accommodate life. God gave care of the earth to man, but the heavens are the Lord's (Psalm 115:16). From a biblical perspective, extraterrestrial life does not seem reasonable

When we consider how the salvation plan might apply to any hypothetical extraterrestrial (but otherwise human-like) beings, we are presented with a problem. If there were Vulcans or Klingons out there, how would they be saved? They are not blood relatives of Jesus, and so Christ's shed blood cannot pay for their sin. One might at first suppose that Christ also visited their world, lived there, and died there as well, but this is antibiblical. Christ died once for all (1 Peter 3:18; Hebrews 9:27-28, Hebrews 10:10). Jesus is now and forever both God and man; but He is not an alien.

One might suppose that alien beings have never sinned, in which case they would not need to be redeemed. But then another problem emerges: they suffer the effects of sin, despite having never sinned. Adam's sin has affected all of creation- not just mankind. Romans 8:20-22 makes it clear that the entirety of creation suffers under the bondage of corruption. These kinds of issues highlight the problem of attempting to incorporate an antibiblical notion into the Christian worldview.

Extraterrestrial life is an evolutionary concept; it does not comport with the biblical teachings of the uniqueness of the earth and the distinct spiritual position of human beings. Of all the worlds in the universe, it was the earth that God Himself visited, taking on the additional nature of a human being, dying on a cross, and rising from the dead in order to redeem all who would trust in Him.

Poor baby

How will she ever transition to real civilization?

 

 

This is kinda goofy, but I gotta tell you, it touches my heart for some reason!

Happy Mother's Day 2009...and some people's kids...

In honor of Mother's Day

What makes a good mom?

Absolutely, unequivocally NOT THIS!

Umm...not even sure what to think about THIS!

Absolutely, unequivocally THIS!

Interesting statistics

I am thrilled this is not my son...or daughter...or whatever it is...

...This one makes me cry for some reason...

Thank you Tough Cookie and Eagle Eye, for making me a mom. I love you beyond words.
 

True Love Part II: Morals and Meaning

Dave Hunt

The atheistic understanding of love, the highest human virtue, is badly skewed. Sam Harris, in his book Letter to a Christian Nation, says that the fact that "love is more conducive to happiness than hate" is the key to "the moral order of our world."1 So morality depends upon what makes one happy? Any child whose parents have disciplined him at all knows that isn't true. The saddest thing is that not only Harris but the multitudes who have read and turned this book into a bestseller really imagine they have escaped from God with nonsense that would be laughed out of any elementary ethics class.

In another burst of absolutely dazzling profundity, Harris adds, "While feeling love for others is surely one of the greatest sources of our own happiness, it entails a very deep concern for the happiness and suffering of those we love."2 "Feeling love"? What does that mean? With deep feelings of love, a young man says to the young woman beside him in his car, "I love you with all my heart!" What he really means, although neither of them understands it, is "I love me, and I want you!"

If this is what his "selfish genes"3 (as Richard Dawkins would say) and the molecules in his brain are causing him to think, who can blame him? Clearly, the logic of atheism, evolution, and natural selection will inevitably bring us to the day when no one can be blamed for anything. Blame will have lost all meaning. The physical construction of our bodies will have to bear the responsibility. The universal excuse (and it will have to be accepted by every court of law) will no longer be "The devil made me do it" but "My selfish genes made me do it!" Who believes in the devil anyway? But surely we all believe that genes are selfish, don't we? No, we do not. We still have enough common sense to reject this amorality that now governs our ethics and morals.

Sex-selective abortions in China

Sex-selective abortions linked to China's "one-child" policy along with a traditional preference for boys have resulted in dramatically skewed male-female ratios in the world's most populous country that are likely to persist for decades.

A new study analyzing 2005 census data found that in that year alone, more than 1.1 million more boys than girls were born. In 2005, there were 32 million more males than females under the age of 20

Researchers in China and Britain recorded a national ratio in the one- to four-year-old age group of 124 boys to 100 girls. In some provinces, the ratio was even more unbalanced, exceeding 140:100.

The international norm is 103-107 boys for every 100 girls.

"Sex selective abortion accounts for almost all the excess males," said the study, which was published [4/10/09] in the British Medical Journal.

Introduced in the late 1970s, China's birth limitation policy generally restricts couples to having one child. Exceptions are made in certain cases, including one that allows ethnic minorities or couples living in rural areas to have a second child if their firstborn is a girl.

Chinese authorities say the population control policy is enforced by means of financial incentives and punitive fines ("social compensation fees"), but evidence of forced abortions and sterilizations carried out at the behest of population control program officials has frequently emerged over the years.

Dedication to Moose April 20, 2009

Taxes, equality, shmoozing with the enemy April 2009

Senate, Vote NO on Johnsen for Asst Attny General in OLC in DOJ

Dear Friends,

This week the Senate will vote on one of the most radical pro-abortion nominees that Obama has served up: Dawn Johnsen for the position of Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Dawn Johnsen has dedicated her life to the promotion of abortion without any restrictions. She opposes partial-birth abortion bans which outlaw the gruesome procedure by which a doctor crushes the skull of a baby to kill the child during childbirth.

Dawn Johnsen has a long history of putting abortion "rights" above all laws, including the Constitution. She actually argued in a brief to the Supreme Court that restrictions on abortion are tantamount to "involuntary servitude."

Dawn Johnsen serves as a board member for the American Constitution Society (ACS), which views the Constitution as a document that is subject to interpretation and change. Because of her subjective view of the Constitution, she will likely base her decisions on her personal agendas instead of on what the Constitution and the laws state.

Action: Please call your Senators today at 202-224-3121 and ask them to oppose Dawn Johnsen's nomination. She is a radical activist who puts her radical opinions above the law.

Thank you for your prayers and action,

Wendy Wright
President CWA

Maybe we should get out more

A majority of American adults (57%) have not lived outside of the state in which they were born, and 37% have never left their original hometown; at the opposite end of the spectrum, 15% have lived in four or more states. College graduates (40%) are far less likely to live in their birth state than those with a high school education or less (66%). Two-thirds of young adults, ages 18-29, have not lived outside their state of birth, but they also are the most likely to say that they probably will move within five years.

FOSSIL FACTS

Science journalist Richard Milton, who is not a Christian, sums up the evidence for ape-to-human evolution from the fossil record: "The position today is that all fossil remains which were previously assigned some intermediate status between apes and humans have later been definitely reassigned into the categories of either extinct ape or human, and this reassignment has been accepted by all but the most fanatical devotees of this or that fossil...the missing link is still missing." (Richard Milton, Shattering the Myths of Darwinism, Rochester, Virginia: Park Street Press, 1997, 207).

Your family tree does not trace back to apes. Rather you (and all humans) are the result of a special creation by God. You are made in the image of a good and all-powerful God who loves you deeply (Genesis 1:26-27). He has equipped you with the capacity to think, love, feel, and worship. That truth sets you above all other life forms. YOU are God's masterpiece (Psalm 139).

Awesome! Would there were more courts choosing to stand on moral ground!

The state of Michigan is giving a father a choice: pay the medical cost of his daughter's birth or marry the girl's mother.

Words of the Wise: Dave Ramsey

Hope is stolen when we misunderstand failure. Failure is natural, normal, and is going to happen. If we take all the lessons learned from failure and stack them, we can easily get the breathtaking view that hope gives.

Dave Ramsey

Change lite 2009

 

HAPPY POLITICALLY INCORRECT THANKSGIVING 2008!

From Jonathan Falwell

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared a National Day of Thanksgiving in hopes of bringing healing to a land that had suffered greatly in Civil War.

He set aside the last Thursday in November, declaring: "We often forget the Source from which the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies come. … No human wisdom hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God. … I therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States … to observe the last Thursday of November as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens." 

From Victor Davis Hanson--Politically incorrect reasons to be optimistic this Thanksgiving

About five times as many Chicagoans died violently in October than did US soldiers in combat in Iraq. Just as the hysteria peaked as gas was supposedly fated to hit $5 a gallon, but silence followed when it descended below $2, and just as we were warned that spiraling home prices had ensured an entire new generation of Americans were shut out of the American dream, and then even greater furor followed when prices fell suddenly and Americans were robbed of their equity, so too with Iraq, which we were to assume, would always be lost, but apparently never won. Like it or not, Gen. Petraeus will compare favorably with generals like Sherman, LeMay, and Ridgway who likewise somehow found victory when failure seemed certain. For all the tragedy and mayhem, the thought that Saddam Hussein is gone and just five years later there is a stable and successful constitutional government in the heart of the ancient caliphate seems as surreal as it is encouraging.

...Most who denigrate American medicine know nothing of the alternative. I have had the dubious distinction of having become ill in a lot of awful places during the last 35 years. I once spent 30 days in Greek hospitals first with E. coli food poisoning, and then with kidney problems that led to a partially-severed ureter and an impacted stone (that finally required 11th hour emergency surgery back in the US). The treatment in Athens was barbaric to say the least. One bought everything with cash, from toothpaste to food. The carelessness was astounding (from missing medications to unattended IVs to almost deliberate lack of simple antiseptic procedures.) Care was predicated entirely on money; suites on top, the inferno on the bottom—under a utopian socialist system. I once got what I was told by a local Egyptian doctor was merely a “light case” of malaria in southern Egypt while visiting the Valley of the Kings in 1974, and spent 7 days with a high fever in a dismal infirmary in Luxor. One was on their own there—not figuratively, but factually. I found hygiene nonexistant (cf. the old reusable steel needles). No need to go on about an emergency operation two years ago for a perforated appendix and peritonitis in Gaddafi’s utopian socialist and oil-rich Tripolis (mandatory AIDs test for all who enter the clinic; those with positive results are denied surgery and supposedly headed for quarantine—and so also apparently Paradise).

Our health care is flawed, but each day, by hook or crook, even if it be by emergency room, we try to treat the uninsured. (I confirm that by breaking an arm a few years ago, and spending a morning in the Selma emergency room, the only English speaker during some three hours among dozens of other patients, and the only one with private health insurance and the last to see a (skilled and compassionate) doctor; all there received humane, free care, interpreters, and left satisfied, and aware that there was nothing comparable in Oaxaca).

True, it is dangerous and scary to get sick in America—but far scarier and more dangerous to get sick in any other similarly-sized country. We should remember that in our hysterical demand for utopian perfection, and cheap slurs that we are an uncaring people with millions denied simple health care. For the most part our doctors, like our pilots, are better than those abroad, and, especially in the case of general practitioners and emergency room physicians, should be paid far more than they receive. One good abdominal surgeon or oncologist is worth ten investment managers at Bear-Stearns.

Baroness Warnock: Dementia Sufferers may Have a "Duty to Die"

Elderly people suffering from dementia should consider ending their lives because they are a burden on the NHS and their families, according to the influential medical ethics expert Baroness Warnock.
 
The veteran Government adviser said pensioners in mental decline are "wasting people's lives" because of the care they require and should be allowed to opt for euthanasia even if they are not in pain.

She insisted there was "nothing wrong" with people being helped to die for the sake of their loved ones or society.

The 84-year-old added that she hoped people will soon be "licensed to put others down" if they are unable to look after themselves.

Her comments in a magazine interview have been condemned as "immoral" and "barbaric", but also sparked fears that they may find wider support because of her influence on ethical matters.

Lady Warnock, a former headmistress who went on to become Britain's leading moral philosopher, chaired a landmark Government committee in the 1980s that established the law on fertility treatment and embryo research.

A prominent supporter of euthanasia, she has previously suggested that pensioners who do not want to become a burden on their carers should be helped to die.

Last year the Mental Capacity Act came into effect that gives legal force to "living wills", so patients can appoint an "attorney" to tell doctors when their hospital food and water should be removed.

But in her latest interview, given to the Church of Scotland's magazine Life and Work, Lady Warnock goes further by claiming that dementia sufferers should consider ending their lives through euthanasia because of the strain they put on their families and public services.

Alan Combes suggests Governor Sara Palin did not take care of herself, resulting in Trig's Down Syndrome

Speechless. Truly.

The cruelty. The ignorance. The stupidity.

Always shocking to see just how twisted is the liberal mentality/lack of morality. Better to kill "imperfect" babies. Freedom of choice is mandatory...unless a woman chooses life.

I feel sick.

Q & A: Berean Style

Question: I recently read an article on onenewsnow.com in which T.A. McMahon was quoted as being in opposition to what Rick Warren is doing to encourage Christians to help solve many of the problems that have plagued the world. I'm surprised that anyone who calls himself a Christian would object to his humanitarian efforts. Isn't Pastor Warren simply exhorting us to fulfill the numerous verses in the Bible that would have us demonstrate our Christianity by our good works?

Response: One of the main purposes of The Berean Call is to encourage believers to check out what they are being told or taught against what is presented in the Scriptures. That is not only what I encourage, it's what I try to do in my own life. The articles quoted me accurately as I challenged the biblical basis for what Rick Warren is promoting. No matter how sincere someone's "humanitarian efforts" may be, if they are not supported by the Word of God, they constitute "a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 14:12).

Warren has a goal of trying to solve the most pervasive ills of the world (poverty, disease, ignorance, the environment, etc.) through the involvement of "people of faith," i.e., those who follow the world's various religions. Initially (it seemed), his agenda was intended only for Christians and, supposedly, evangelical churches that would prioritize sharing the gospel in addition to doing good works. That later changed to allow the potential inclusion of the 2.3 billion people of every religious grouping that calls itself Christian (Catholics, Baptists, Orthodox, Mormons, Lutherans, Jehovah's Witnesses, Unitarians, etc.). Now it includes all religious people groups (amounting to five-sixths of the world's population) and their houses of worship as distribution centers for the goods and services required to meet the needs of the suffering world. This is Warren's 50-year global P.E.A.C.E plan.1

The practicality of what Warren hopes to do is rife with problems that I doubt many of Warren's supporters have considered. For example, what religious group is in charge of this global religious operation, and which one will manage it at a regional and local level? Doctrinal differences are no small matter. Catholics today are persecuting evangelicals and Pentecostals throughout South America. Sunnis are killing Shiites and vice versa. Hindus are attacking Christian missionaries. Muslims are murdering Jews and burning Christian churches. Beyond that, and should there be some successes, who is given the glory, and who is to be thanked? Allah? Buddha? Jehovah? The Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints? Ganesha, the Elephant God, or Shiva, the Destroyer?

Warren addressed an audience of diverse religions at the World Economic Forum recently and presented his P.E.A.C.E. plan. He brought up the motivation for doing good, i.e., relieving the suffering of humanity, and noted that his motivation was Jesus Christ. He acknowledged that this wasn't their motivation and then added that it mattered little to him what their motivation was as long as they "did good."2 "Good works" is the common denominator that Rick hopes will bring about the cooperative efforts necessary for his P.E.A.C.E. program to be successful. Successful according to whose standard? The world's or God's?

The critical question here is: Are Warren's humanitarian efforts true to the teachings of the Word of God or not? Good works aside for the moment, the fundamental issue is whether or not the Bible teaches an exclusive God and the one way of salvation. That is certainly its claim from Genesis to Revelation. Consider the following among hundreds of verses: "I am the LORD, and there is none else, and there is no God beside me." (Isaiah 45:5); "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour" (Isaiah 43:11); "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13); "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [Jesus Christ] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12); "I [Jesus Christ] am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).

If there is no other true God but the God revealed in the Bible, and if salvation comes only through Jesus Christ-as the Scriptures declare-then all other gods and other ways of salvation are false, with no hope for their followers. That's not a message that paves the way for collaboration among the world's religions. One of the panelists sitting next to Warren at the Davos World Economic Forum complained that those who claim that their faith is the only true faith, and who deny the legitimacy of other religions, breed hatred and obstruct the cooperation that is imperative among people of faith who are working for the common good. Warren made no comment.

Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that God's salvation is received only by grace through faith, and that it is "not of [good] works, lest any man should boast." This belief is contrary to that of all the religions of the world; salvation for their followers is earned, obtained, realized, accomplished, etc., by their good works. To encourage that delusion today is akin to patting the lost on the back for working for the "common good" while ushering them into an eternity separated from God and subject to His wrath and the everlasting torments of the Lake of Fire.

The Bible makes a clear and continual distinction between the saved and the lost, the lives of the regenerate and the unregenerate, and those who are born again spiritually and the spiritually dead. There is nothing "good" the lost can do to please God (Romans 3:10-18). "If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain" (Galatians 2:21). They can neither receive nor know the "the things of the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:14). They walk "in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness" (Ephesians 4:17-19). They are "dead in trespasses and sins," subject to "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:1,2). They are God's enemies (Romans 5:10).

It is for these reasons that the Apostle Paul tells us, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?" (2 Corinthians 6:14,15). The believer is exhorted to minister to unbelievers-but not with them.

Far from being a pride issue among Christians, every believer knows that he or she was once in the condition the verses above describe. Moreover, believers know full well that it is only by God's grace and mercy that anyone can be saved, and that salvation is freely available to whosoever will receive God's gift of eternal life
with Him.

Christians certainly can be-and have been-wonderfully involved in humanitarian efforts as witnesses of the love of Christ. Titus 2:14 indicates that those who are saved are to be "zealous of good works." Ephesians 2:10 tells us that Christians have been saved "unto good works." However, that witness can be quickly compromised as it accommodates man's way of accomplishing man's objectives rather than following the Scriptures. Furthermore, there is not a hint from the life of Christ or the acts of the apostles of any model or organized program for the church directed at eradicating poverty, disease, environmental abuse, ignorance, etc.-all symptoms of the sin condition of the world and the sin nature of mankind. The gospel is mankind's only hope. Therefore, anything that does not conform to the biblical gospel and to the truth of the Word of God in attempting to aid mankind, no matter how sincere, is a disservice of eternal proportions leading to dreadful consequences.

Jesus warned those who in His name believed they had "done many wonderful works" yet not according to "the will of my Father which is in heaven": "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:21-23).
 
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGytW4yh0C8.
2. Ibid.

The Berean Call

"The Shameful Social Gospel" by T. A. McMahon

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." Romans 1:16

For various reasons, Christians of different sorts have tinkered with "the gospel of Christ" as though it needed adjustments. Not major alterations, most will tell you, but just some minor tweaking here and there. The changes often begin by one's declaring that there is no real change involved, simply a shift in emphasis. Yet, no matter what the rationale may be, the end result is being "ashamed of the gospel of Christ."

To be "ashamed of the gospel" covers a number of attitudes from being totally embarrassed by it to thinking one can improve upon it a bit to make it more acceptable. One example of the former is the recent claim by an Emerging Church author that the teaching regarding Christ's paying the full penalty for the sins of mankind through His substitutionary death on the Cross is irrelevant and viewed as "a form of cosmic child abuse." More subtle examples include trying to make the gospel seem less exclusive, and the "softening" of the consequences from which the gospel saves mankind, such as the wrath of God and the Lake of Fire.

Prevalent among many religious leaders who profess to be evangelical Christians (i.e., Bible-believing Christians) is the promotion of a gospel that is acceptable to, and even admired by, people throughout the world. Today, the most popular form of this is the social gospel.

Although the social gospel is common to many new movements among evangelicals, it is not new to Christendom. It had its modern beginning in the late 1800s, when it developed as a way to address the various conditions in society that caused suffering among the populace. The belief was, and is, that Christianity will attract followers when it demonstrates its love for mankind. This could be best accomplished by helping to alleviate the suffering of humanity caused by poverty, disease, oppressive work conditions, society's injustices, civil rights abuses, etc. Those who fostered this movement also believed that relief from their conditions of misery would improve the moral nature of those so deprived.

Another driving force behind the introduction of the social gospel was the eschatological, or end times, views of those involved. Nearly all were amillennialists or post-millennialists. The former believed that they were living in a (symbolic thousand-year) time period in which Christ was ruling from heaven, Satan was bound, and they were God's workers appointed to bring about a kingdom on earth worthy of Christ. Post-millennialists also believed they were in the Millennium, and their goal was to restore the earth to its Eden-like state in order for Christ to return from Heaven to rule over His earthly kingdom.

The social gospel, in all of its assorted applications, helped to produce some achievements (child labor laws and women's suffrage) that have contributed to the welfare of society. It became the primary gospel of liberal theologians and mainline denominations throughout the 20th century. Although its popularity alternately rose and fell as it ran its course, it was often energized by the combination of religion and liberal politics, e.g., Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. Midway through the last century and later, the social gospel influenced developments such as the liberation theology of Roman Catholicism and the socialism of left-leaning evangelical Christians. It is in this present century, however, that the social gospel has gotten its most extensive promotion. Two men, both professing to be evangelicals, have led the way.

George W. Bush began his presidency by instituting the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. His objective was to provide government funding for local churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious ministries that were providing a social service to their community. Bush believed that programs run by "people of faith" could be at least as effective as secular organizations in helping the needy, and perhaps more so because of their moral commitment to "love and serve their neighbor." As he prepares to leave office, he has declared that he considers his Faith-Based program to be one of the foremost achievements in his tenure as president. Presidential candidate Barack Obama stated that, should he win the election, he will continue the Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

Rick Warren, the mega-selling author of The Purpose-Driven Church and The Purpose-Driven Life, has taken the social gospel to where it's never been before: not only worldwide but into the thinking and planning of world leaders. Warren credits business management genius Peter Drucker with the basic concept that he is executing. Drucker believed that the social problems of poverty, disease, hunger, and ignorance were beyond the capability of governments or multinational corporations to solve. To Drucker, the most hopeful solution would be found in the nonprofit sector of society, especially churches, with their hosts of volunteers dedicated to alleviating the social ills of those in their community.

Warren, acknowledging the late Drucker as his mentor for 20 years, certainly learned his lessons. His two Purpose-Driven books, translated into 57 languages and selling a combined 30 million copies, reveal the game plan for what Drucker had envisioned. Warren had local churches implement this vision from his books through his enormously popular 40 Days of Purpose and 40 Days of Community programs. To date, 500,000 churches in 162 nations have become part of his network. They form the basis for his Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan.

What is his P.E.A.C.E. plan? Warren's presentation of the plan to the church is found at www.thepeaceplan.com. On video, he identifies the "giants" of humanity's ills as spiritual emptiness, self-centered leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy, which he hopes to eradicate by (P)lanting churches, (E)quipping leaders, (A)ssisting the poor, (C)aring for the sick, and (E)ducating the next generation.

Warren uses the analogy of a three-legged stool to illustrate the best way to slay these giants. Two of the legs are governments and business, which have thus far been ineffective, and, just like a two-legged stool, cannot stand. The third very necessary leg is the church. "There are thousands of villages in the world that have no school, no clinic, no business, no government-but they have a church. What would happen if we could mobilize churches to address those five global giants?" Warren reasons that since there are 2.3 billion Christians worldwide, they could potentially form what President Bush has termed a vast "army of compassion" of "people of faith" such as the world has not yet experienced.

In addition to the Christian version, Warren has an expanded inclusive version of the P.E.A.C.E. plan that has drawn support and praise from political and religious leaders and celebrities worldwide. At the 2008 World Economic Forum, he declared, "The future of the world is not secularism, but religious pluralism...." Referring to the ills besetting the world, he declared, "We cannot solve these problems without involving people of faith and their religious institutions. It isn't going to happen any other way. On this planet there are about 20 million Jews, there are about 600 million Buddhists, there are about 800 million Hindus, there are over 1 billion Muslims, and there are 2.3 billion Christians. If you take people of faith out of the equation, you have ruled out five-sixths of the world. And if we only leave it up to secular people to solve these major problems, it isn't going to happen" (http://www.youtube.com).

To accommodate working with people of all faiths Warren has revised the "P" in his P.E.A.C.E. from "planting evangelical churches" to "(P)romoting reconciliation" and the "E" from "equipping [church] leaders" to "(E)quipping ethical leaders." Warren has elsewhere acknowledged his practical shift to pluralism: "Who's the man of peace in any village-or it might be a woman of peace-who has the most respect?...They don't have to be Christian. In fact, they could be Muslim, but they're open and they're influential, and you work with them to attack the five giants [to which he has added global warming]." He quotes a secular leader who affirms what he's doing: "I get it, Rick. Houses of worship are the distribution centers for all we need to do."

Warren has joined the advisory board of Faith Foundation, established by former British prime minister and recent Roman Catholic convert Tony Blair. The Foundation's goal is to further understanding and cooperation among the six leading faiths: Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jewish. How does the Cross fit into this ecumenical gathering? It doesn't. Critical to achieving that ecumenical goal is the elimination of the problem of exclusive religions, a concern articulated by one of the World Economic Forum panelists: "There are some religious leaders in different religious faiths who, in seeking to affirm their own faith and its authenticity and legitimacy...deny other people their faith with its legitimacy and authenticity. I don't think we can keep going like this without...spawning the kind of hatred we are all here to try and solve. I think it's up to us to hold the clergy's feet to the fire of whatever faith. That we insist that we affirm what is beautiful in our own traditions while at the same time refusing to denigrate other faith traditions by suggesting that they are illegitimate, or consigned to some kind of evil end."

The Bible declares all the religions of the world to be "illegitimate" and "consigned" not to "some kind of evil end" but to their just end. Only belief in the biblical gospel saves humanity: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [Jesus Christ] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved;...He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (Acts 4:12; John 3:36).

The history of the social gospel is, in nearly every case, a sincere attempt by Christians to do those things that they believe will honor God and benefit humanity. In every case, however, the practical working out of "benefiting humanity" has compromised biblical faith and dishonored God. Why is that? God's Word gives no commission to the church to fix the problems of the world. Those who attempt to do so are starting out under a false premise, "...a way which seemeth right unto a man," not God's way. So where can it go from there? "The end thereof are the ways of death," i.e., destruction (Proverbs 14:12). Furthermore, the problems of the world are all symptoms. The root cause is sin.

What percentage of the "people of faith," who comprise all religions and make up five-sixths of the world's population, understand and accept the gospel-the only cure for sin? Or how many of the 2.3 billion "Christians" in the world believe the biblical gospel? The numbers tumble down exponentially. "Yes, but...they are a massive volunteer force and distribution outlet of resources for slaying the giants of world suffering!" What does it profit the billions of "people of faith" who may alleviate some of the world's symptoms yet lose their very souls?

The social gospel is a deadly disease for "people of faith." It reinforces the belief that salvation can be attained by doing good works, putting aside differences for the common good, treating others the way we want to be treated, acting morally, ethically, and sacrificially-and that doing so will endear humans to God. No. These are self-deceptive strivings that spurn God's salvation, deny His perfect standard, and reject His perfect justice. Salvation is "not of works, lest any man should boast." In fact, it is "by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8,9). Jesus declared Himself to be condemned humanity's only hope for reconciliation with God: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). There is no other way, because God's perfect justice demanded that the penalty for sin for every human ("for all have sinned"-Romans 3:23) be paid. Only the perfect, sinless God-Man could and did pay that infinite penalty in full by His death upon the Cross. Only faith in Him reconciles a person with God.

The shameful social gospel today not only promotes "another gospel," it helps prepare a kingdom contrary to the teachings of Scripture. "For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20). He will return from heaven (John 14:3) to "rapture," or catch, those who believe in Him (His bride) up into the clouds and take them to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The kingdom that remains on the earth will be the kingdom of the Antichrist.
Consistent with its amillennial/postmillennial beginnings, the efforts of the social gospel are earthbound in their attempted restoration of the kingdom of God. Eugene Peterson has infiltrated that heresy into his Message Bible: "God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again" (a perversion of John 3:17).

Rob Bell, in his book Velvet Elvis, reflects the "fix the earth" eschatology of nearly all Emerging Church leaders: "Salvation is the entire universe being brought back into harmony with its maker. This has huge implications for how people present the message of Jesus. Yes, Jesus can come into our hearts. But we can join a movement that is as wide and as big as the universe itself. Rocks and trees and birds and swamps and ecosystems. God's desire is to restore all of it....The goal isn't escaping this world but making this world the kind of place God can come to. And God is remaking us into the kind of people who can do this kind of work."

For Emerging Church leader Brian McLaren, this is the future way of life for the Christian. In an interview July 28, 2008, on ChristianPost.com, he said: "I think our future will also require us to join humbly and charitably with people of other faiths-Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, secularists, and others-in pursuit of peace, environmental stewardship, and justice for all people, things that matter greatly to the heart of God." No, what matters to the "heart of God" is "that all should come to repentance" and believe the gospel.

Anyone who puts his hope in this social gospel, which employs "people of faith" to make "this world the kind of place God can come to," needs to heed the words of Jesus in Luke 18:8: "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" People of all faiths, yes, but certainly not "the faith," for which Jude exhorts true believers to earnestly contend. Lord, help us all not to be ashamed of Your gospel!  

The Berean Call

Keep him away from the babies

There’s a newly uncovered paper trail demonstrating Barack Obama’s abortion militancy you can believe in (hat tip - Jill Stanek):

Newly obtained documents prove that in 2003, Barack Obama, as chairman of an IL state Senate committee, voted down a bill to protect live-born survivors of abortion - even after the panel had amended the bill to contain verbatim language, copied from a federal bill passed by Congress without objection in 2002, explicitly foreclosing any impact on abortion. Obama’s legislative actions in 2003 - denying effective protection even to babies born alive during abortions - were contrary to the position taken on the same language by even the most liberal members of Congress. The bill Obama killed was virtually identical to the federal bill that even NARAL ultimately did not oppose.

The NRLC’s Obama paper trail index is here.

***
And here’s a related howler about the Party of Planned Parenthood:

ABC NEWS: Are Democrats Now Pro-Life? As Convention Draws Near, New Talk of a Pro-Life Presence

From Michelle Malkin

ARE YOU HAPPY NOW, DOUG?

Michelle Branch

Ramblings on break, laziness, heartbreak, nature, and love

So I sit here on summer break, feeling the crunch of what I call freedom anxiety, stuck in that time zone between "YAY, freedom!" and "hurry up and be a grown up while the kids are with their dad for 5 weeks and I don't have to work!"

So far, I've painted and distressed some of my used awful tables I've collected around the house, and I have to say I kinda like em! Antique white paint, lots of sanding, and waaay better character than the shiny wood stain that dated them in an ugly way. I'm the sort of dreamer who has ideas but rarely acts on them--this was a breakthrough for me, as I found discount materials at Big Lots and just went for it! Since I didn't have much invested, there wasn't much risk, and it doesn't matter if no one else likes them!

There's so much more to do around the house--cleaning out the kids' rooms while they can't complain...going through moving boxes that have been lugged around the country for years now and never opened...tagging items for a big garage sale, reorganizing the garage, working in the yard (though I must say, I'm quite happy with my front yard so far--LOVE the finches gathering on the thistle socks just outside my window!)...yet I can't find the motivation or the energy to complete much of it. I have no valid excuse, really.

I've started running daily again and am thinking of going twice a day. This week, I'm not sleeping or eating much, due to a minor broken heart. Well, why not--it's been 6 months since the last one, so I'm due. This was different, though. This was good from the beginning. Maybe too good.

Having checked out the 5 love languages in a book store once and having taken the quick, online test to see (however accurately) what my love languages are, I must say they're pretty spot on. There aren't a lot of questions on the quiz, but the results were surprisingly close to what I figured already.

My scores:

10 Words of Affirmation

8 Quality Time

6 Physical Touch

4 Acts of Service

2 Receiving of Gifts

This makes a lot of sense to me--I certainly do need communication and attention to feel appreciated, wanted and needed. So in order to figure out how to make a match feel appreciated, wanted and needed, it is helpful to see what his love languages are, too. I don't think we have to have the same scores, but we do have to recognize the differences and similarities and figure out how to balance what we want with what our partner wants.

Okay, so having figured this all out, it sounds pretty easy, right? But it only works if both parties are willing to participate. If he feels cornered, overwhelmed, over-needed by her need for communication, and she feels neglected because he needs more space than she does, it creates tension. Similarly, if she withholds affection or lives far enough away to make it difficult to give him the physical touch he equates with caring, resentment may build.

But when this resentment presents itself, it does help to recognize that even if she isn't physically there enough for him, she shows him she loves him with her natural love language--writing him long emails or setting aside special moments to spend with him. When he is lax in affirming her with words and gets too busy to spend time with her, he may still show her love with his natural love language--touching often when they are together and giving her personalized or thoughtful gifts.

But what if the guy or gal in your life isn't willing to notice these differences as blessings, rather than shortcomings? What if they, instead, chalk it up as your being too much work, too needy?

Siggghh....this is why I sit here, staring at the piles of garage sale items stacked around the house, early run finished, but stomach aching, unable to eat or sleep. If there is anything I enjoy about heartbreak, it's the inevitable weight loss...but it's a shallow, hollow attribute.

Forgiveness is a very big concept in the bible--the most important, arguably. Where would we be if we all threw away every friendship, relationship, family member, colleague at the first small slight against us? Without forgiveness we are no better than animals. Unless we measure carefully what really happened, based on the true heart and intent of the accused, recognizing ourselves as just as capable of committing a similar or worse offense, we deny not only Christ His obedience, and the offender her mercy, but also ourselves the forgiveness we will inevitably desire later.

I can see my flags flying in my garden, patriotic red, white, and blue in the breeze. Huge coneflowers, bee balm, butterfly bush, and a smattering of perennials and annuals grow bright, stretching towards the light, basking in the warmth, bees strafing, finches dining but aware of the cat under the feeder...a moment I wish I could share with the one that, I'm afraid, can't (or won't) fully appreciate the beauty of nature--raw, imperfect, and fallible.

Lessons from the dog park

Running along the winding bike paths out at Minto Brown park is cathartic. Oh, it’s also painful and wheezy, with my body out of shape and my allergies in full bloom--but the lazy landscape lush with new crops in rich dark brown dirt and thickets of berries and the birds’ joyous hymns cleanse my soul. Turbo is tireless, glancing impatiently at me when I run too slowly to suit his druthers.

 

Among the lighter elements of this catharsis—a few lessons I’ve learned--I have seen:

1) The silhouette of a family of Dad, Mom, Boy, Girl—trailing into the sunset, fishing poles over their shoulders.

 

Lesson learned: There are still whole, complete families out there. Maybe it is still an attainable dream.

 

2) A middle-aged woman in blue denim overalls, hair a mess, on a very quiet, out of the way trail, dabbing her eyes as she walked.

 

          Lesson learned: I’m not the only one crying.

 

3) Children running unchecked in the dog park—possibly through waste and mess and at the mercy of all unleashed dogs.

 

                                           Lesson learned: Some parents really do not get it.

 

4) Unfamiliar dogs approach each other—stand stiff, look to the side, sniff each other, wag tails, then nonchalantly continue down the trail.

 

Lesson learned: Be polite, even when out of your comfort zone—but be wary.

 

And just from my own experience: chewing gum while running requires sticking it way back behind your teeth when close to the creek. Gnats travel in big ol’ swarms, and believe me, when you have to take a breath in the middle of one, you really don’t want a wad of gum in the middle of your mouth!

 

Too Funny--how much could we make selling chances to dunk conservatives in the tree-hugging, granola-eatin', hippie lovin' state of Oregon?

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- Republicans will get a rare opportunity this weekend to show that the Democrats are all wet. All they need is $5 and a good throwing arm.

Four Democratic candidates for federal office have volunteered to get dunked in chilly water at the annual Jackalope Days festival in Douglas, about 115 miles north of Cheyenne.

When someone hits a target with a softball at the "Dunk a Democrat" booth, in will go House candidate Gary Trauner, or Senate hopefuls Chris Rothfuss, Nick Carter or Keith Goodenough. The money will go to the Converse County Democratic Party.

"It's a commitment. It's a sacrifice. It's one of those things that needs to be done if we're serious about this election," said Bill Luckett, executive director of the state Democratic Party.

Last year's event yielded $400. The party hopes to double that amount this year.

State Rep. Dave Edwards, a Republican, said he might watch, but not give it a shot. "That would be me contributing to their campaign," he said.

The county has about a 4-to-1 ratio of registered Republicans to registered Democrats.

OH, SISTER...GIVE IT UP.

Have you noticed something similar about those Barack Obama campaign surrogates and the media soothsayers who have started a drum-beat to force Hillary Clinton out of the Democratic presidential contest?

Hint: They tend to share a certain anatomical attribute.

I guess the boys are just being boys again.

OUR KIDS ARE FLOOZIES

(Miriam Grossman, Luce Institute Senior Fellow, Townhall.com) The response to the CDC’s report last week that 25% of teen girls carry a sexually transmitted infection suggests that this comes as a shock to many, including some in our sex education industry. The pandemic of STIs in this country is a logical consequence of the way we educate kids about sexuality. Until an “extreme makeover” of our methods takes place, young people – especially girls – will continue to pay an awful price. 

SEE WHAT THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS

Students for Life of America (SFLA) today released video exposing footage of abortionist Dr. George Tiller of Wichita, KS openly discussing children who “slip out” accidentally during an abortion and are “born alive” or with a “heartbeat” and condemned such medical mistakes during the Feminist Majority Foundation’s annual Women’s Leadership Conference, held at the National Education Association (NEA.) Dr. Tiller, who currently faces 19 criminal charges for illegal late-term abortions in the state of Kansas, stated “If the baby is born alive, that is sloppy medicine” after addressing the crowd of about 100 feminists during a plenary session titled “Standing with our Sisters” on March 9, 2008.

The video reveals Dr. Tiller showcasing graphic pictures of children with fetal abnormalities that he aborted to make the case for late-term abortions as necessary medical procedure. He also admitted to performing abortions on children the day before the mother’s due date. Yet when questioned in a personal interview, Dr. Tiller failed to recognize the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, a federal bill signed into law in 2002 that protects born children from murder and illegalizes infanticide.

When asked about the Act, Dr. Tiller also admitted, “Let’s say you have 15 or 16, you had one slip out with a heartbeat; that is not a viable fetus, but that is born alive or has a heartbeat. Then you have to take that non-viable fetus and rush it directly to the hospital against the woman’s wishes.”

The conference and personal interview with Dr. Tiller was videotaped by SFLA’s Executive Director Kristan Hawkins and Programs Coordinator Becky Banks.

“What is most disturbing about this video is the point when Dr. Tiller shows footage of children he has aborted,” stated Kristan Hawkins, the Executive Director of Students for Life of America. “One had an extra arm: could not that child had survived and received corrective surgery? Was violently killing the child the only way to go? Pro-lifers are regularly condemned for displaying pictures of aborted babies, but here the pro-abortion crowd and the NEA are more than happy to showcase these graphic images, and even gave Dr. Tiller’s presentation a standing ovation.”

Becky Banks, SFLA Programs Coordinator, said “I’m concerned that Dr. Tiller didn’t know what the federal ban on infanticide is about. A man who performs thousands of abortions a year should know of this legislation and realize that any time that ’something with a heartbeat slips out,’ the baby is then a protected person under the law. The question obviously caught him off guard, because he could not give a straight answer about live abortions and contradicted his own information in a matter of minutes, claiming it’s not ever necessary and then explaining when it is necessary to abort live infants.”

The NEA should consider the effect their sponsorship has on its more than 3 million members:

“As a pro-life teacher, I can say this illustrates why I am no longer a member of the NEA. The NEA should not be involved in this issue; here they are hosting this controversial abortionist and his slideshow of babies he has aborted. There is no way any of my money will ever be used to advance the radical pro-abortion agenda of Planned Parenthood and the NEA,” said Marla Mercer, a West Virginia teacher and former member of the National Education Association.

ACTION: Send your complaints to the National Education Association. Go to http://www.nea.org/aboutnea/contact.html for contact information.

FASCINATING WORDSMITH!

His mother suffered dark depressions and tried to dominate his life. His sister and daughter had severe mental problems, his father and wife died young and a beloved uncle committed suicide in his arms.

So what did Peter Mark Roget, the creator of Roget's Thesaurus, do to handle all the pain, grief, sorrow, affliction, woe, bitterness, unhappiness and misery in a life that lasted over 90 years?

He made lists.

The 19th century British scientist made lists of words, creating synonyms for all occasions that ultimately helped make life easier for term paper writers, crossword puzzle lovers and anyone looking for the answer to the age-old question: "What's another word for ..."

And according to a new biography, making his lists saved Roget's life and by keeping him from succumbing to the depression and misery of those around him.

"As a boy he stumbled upon a remarkable discovery -- that compiling lists of words could provide solace, no matter what misfortunes may befall him," says Joshua Kendall author of the just published "The Man Who Made Lists" (Putnam, $25.95), a study of Roget's life (1779 to 1869) based on diaries, letters and even an autobiography composed of lists.

Kendall, in a recent interview, said Roget cared more for words than people and that making lists on the scale that he did was obsessive-compulsive behavior that helped him fend off the demons that terrorized his distinguished British family.

MORE HERE

New Film Shows that Low Birth Rate Kills Economy and Society

An extended adolescence that celebrates self-gratification at the expense of marriage and family is one of the main causes of the world's self-effacing population decline, according to the new film, "Demographic Winter: The Decline of the Human Family."

"Demographic Winter" refers to the low birth rates, particularly in Western countries. "When there aren't enough young people to replace an aging population, we will experience economic collapse and social deterioration," the film contends.

Over the past few decades, it has become fashionable for young people, especially men, to put off marriage until later in life or to avoid it altogether, Kay Hymowitz, a scholar and noted author with the Manhattan Institute, explains in the film.

This is partly because women have become more career-minded and economically successful in recent years and are less inclined to have children as a result, she says. But there is also a certain unwillingness to enter adulthood and all its responsibilities that affects men disproportionately, Hymowitz argues.

"Men have a harder time growing up without women than women do growing up without men," she observes in the film.

No-fault divorce laws and a co-habitation mindset that sidestep the guarantees that come with marriage are identified in the film as major contributing factors behind the looming "demographic winter."

Statistics cited on the film's Web site, for instance, indicate that almost half of all marriages in the West are broken by divorce. Moreover, social scientists find that the children who grow up with divorced parents are less likely to marry and less likely to have children.

Young people who substitute co-habitation for marriage are also less inclined to have children. In parts of Europe co-habitation is becoming more the rule and less the exception. The number of co-habitation partners in Scandinavia, for example, nearly equals the number of married couples, census data show.

Longman sees hope for the future among those who hold religious worldviews and among young people especially.

"There is a self-correction side to this," Longman said.
"Secularism correlates so strongly with childlessness that there is almost by default a shoring-up of the family with traditional values.

World's Tallest Man Has Trouble Finding Shoes

In 2006, Stadnik was officially measured at 8 feet 5 inches tall, surpassing a 7-foot-9-inch Chinese man to claim the title of the world's tallest person.

While his size is intimidating, Stadnik charms visitors with a broad grin and childlike laugh. He seems at times like a lonely boy trapped in a giant's body, even keeping stuffed toys on his pillow.   

Stadnik's stature has brought attention, but he struggles to lead a normal life. All the doorways in his one-story brick house are too short for him to pass through without stooping. His 440 pounds cause constant knee pain and often force him to use crutches.

Stadnik loves animals, but had to quit his job as a veterinarian at a cattle farm after suffering frostbite when he walked to work in his socks in winter. He could not afford custom made shoes for his 17-inch feet.

FROM ME TO YOU

HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY!

RETRO ST PATRICK'S MC-D COMMERCIALS

BORROWED FROM LAIST.COM

Installing A Husband

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a 
distinct slow down in overall system performance -- particularly in the
 
flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under 
Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such
 
as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5 and then installed 
undesirable programs such as NFL 5.0, NBA 3.0, and Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes 
the system. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but 
to no avail. What can I do?

Signed, Desperate

-------------------------------------

Dear Desperate:


First keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while 
Husband 1.0 is an Operating System.

Please enter the command: 'I Thought You Loved Me.exe', try to download
 
Tears 6.2 and don't forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If that 
application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically 
run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5. But remember, overuse
 
of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy 
Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1. Beer 6.1 is a very bad program
that will download the Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT install Mother-in-law 1.0 It runs a virus in 
the background that will eventually seize control of all your system 
resources. Also, do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program.
 
These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited 
memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider 
buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We 
recommend Food 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7. 

Good Luck, 
Tech Support

 

 

                 

1 IN 4 TEENS HAS STD

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says that one in four teenagers has a sexually transmitted disease (STD). CWA President Wendy Wright comments on this shocking revelation and the policy decisions by government agencies, lawmakers and even some physicians that have led to this epidemic. She also shares some common sense responses for parents who want their children to make healthy decisions based on God's will and scientific fact. Listen | Download

DON'T FORGET TO SPRING FORWARD!

The official spelling is Daylight Saving Time, not Daylight Savings Time. Saving is used as a verbal adjective a participle. It modifies time and tells us more about its nature; namely, that it is characterized by the activity of saving daylight. It is a saving daylight kind of time. Because of this, it would be more accurate to refer to DST as daylight-saving time. Similar examples would be a mind-expanding book or a man-eating tiger. It usage is the same as in saving a ball game, rather than as in savings account. Nevertheless, many people feel the word savings with an "s" flows more mellifluously off the tongue. Daylight Savings Time is also in common usage, and can be found in dictionaries. Adding to the confusion is that the phrase Daylight Saving Time is inaccurate, since no daylight is actually saved. Daylight Shifting Time would be more accurate, but the phrase is not politically desirable.

Although some of the stuff here is interesting, the website offering this information seems politically Leftist--under the bubble "anecdotes" is a "haha funny" story about fighting Israelis, here called terrorists, who were confused about the time change and blew themselves up.