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Meditate to Imitate! 
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Campaign Life Coalition NS
January/February 2008 Newsletter
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Abortions in NS [FAQ's]
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1. A World Without Children – March 6, 2008
By Ian Hunter, National Post
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
In his alarming – but not, I think, alarmist – book America Alone (Regnery, 2006) Mark Steyn highlights the threat posed by falling birthrates worldwide, a phenomenon he calls "the demographic death spiral".
Steyn calls Japan "the most geriatric jurisdiction on the planet", and goes on: "[There] the rising sun has already passed into the next phase of its long sunset: net population loss. 2005 was the first year since records began in which the country had more deaths than births. Japan offers the chance to observe the demographic death spiral in its purest form. It's a country with no immigration, no significant minorities and no desire for any: just the Japanese, aging and dwindling."
One consequence of deaths exceeding births is that in Japan dolls have replaced children. A news story explained: "toy makers are designing new dolls designed not for the young but for the lonely and elderly – companions who can sleep next to them – The Yumel doll, which looks like a baby boy and has a vocabulary of 1,200 phrases sells at a price of 8,500 yen ($80). 'I feel so good, good night', the doll says, before falling asleep if the owner pats it gently on the chest."
Just think of it: 1,200 phrases; a vocabulary in excess of most of today's university graduates. And just one gentle pat and the bedmate drifts off to Neverland. A tired wife's dream.
The first recorded commandment God gave in the Garden of Eden was: "Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth" (Genesis 1:22). But we are moderns, hell-bent on the pursuit of happiness. We do not consider ourselves bound by ancient commandments. We decided collectively – and quite some time ago – that ancient wisdom has nothing to teach us.
The Japanese doll for the elderly calls to mind P. D. James's powerful novel The Children of Men (1993), recently made into a disappointing Hollywood movie that bears scant resemblance to the book. Baroness James sets her novel in the not-too-distant future, 26 years after the last known human birth on earth.
It is an unusual P. D. James novel; no who-done-it; no midnight chases; no Inspector Adam Dalgleish. In James's future world, women push carriages containing dolls down city streets. As an elderly population caused health care costs to soar, euthanasia became compulsory, and the government arranges for a periodic "Quietus," a mass suicide of the elderly who are put aboard barges and drifted out to sea, away from the general view.
Anxiety and despair mark the faces of those aware that in a world without children, they are the last, dying generation. P.D. James gives us a portrait of just what the late Pope John Paul II meant by his incisive phrase the "culture of death."
In P.D. James's world, the reason for the absence of children is never fully explained. Today we know the reason: worldwide birthrates that have fallen below replacement levels.
The Japanese birthrate (1.3 children per woman) is well below a replacement birthrate (about 2.1 children per woman). In some places in Europe, birthrates are even lower; these countries look to immigration – increasingly from the Muslim world – to bolster a shrinking workforce. But grief awaits anyone who warns that this might be sowing the seeds of our own destruction. Such Cassandras are denounced as "racists."
Moderns are more concerned about careers and possessions than about replenishing the Earth or continuing the species.
P.D. James is so much more perceptive than our politicians (admittedly, faint praise); just try to imagine any Canadian politician uttering this one luminous sentence from The Children of Men: "Without the hope of posterity, for our race if not for ourselves, without the assurance that we being dead yet live, all pleasures of the mind and senses sometimes seem no more than pathetic and crumbling defences shored up against our ruins."
In our dumbed-down age such a warning, on the rare occasions it is sounded, is dismissed as morbid misanthropy, something against which we shut our ears.
And yet it seems to me that James's single sentence not only explains why there are Yumel dolls instead of children in Japan, but also why it is impossible to arouse Canadians to action about anything – particularly any moral issue. We are inured to things being as they are because, consciously or unconsciously, we have given up on the future.
2. Assisted Suicide Study Shows Oregon Patients Receive Lethal Prescriptions – March 7, 2008
Assisted Suicide study shows that Oregon patients receive lethal prescriptions even if not suffering – March 7, 2008
An important study of family members of 83 Oregon patients who requested assisted suicide (PAD) shows that people who are being prescribed assisted suicide may not be experiencing significant symptoms of their disease.
A recent study by Linda Ganzini et al, published by the Journal of General Internal Medicine (J Gen Intern Med. 2008 Feb; 23(2): 154-7) surveyed family members of Oregon patients who made explicit requests and asked them why their loved ones requested Physician Assisted Suicide.
http://www.pallimed.org/2008/02/reasons-for-pas-prognosis-in-tbi-more.html
The study stated that:
"Family members reported that the most important reasons for PAD requests were: wanting control of the circumstances of death; loss of dignity; wanting to die at home and concerns about loss of independence, quality of life, ability to care for self in the future... No physical symptoms experienced at the time of the request were rated higher than 2 on the 1 - 5 scale. In most cases, future concerns about physical symptoms were rated as more important than physical symptoms present at the time of the request."
Ganzini et al conclude their study by stating:
"Our data suggests that when talking with a patient requesting PAD, clinicians should focus on eliciting and addressing worries and apprehensions about the future with the goal of reducing anxiety about the dying process. Some Oregon clinicians have expressed surprise at the paucity of suffering at the time of the request among these patients. Addressing patients’ concerns with concrete interventions that help maintain control, independence and self care, all in the home environment, may be an effective way to address requests for PAD and improve quality of remaining life."
It is interesting to note that as of 2005, Compassion and Choices the assisted suicide political activist group who are centered in Oregon facilitated 73% of all assisted suicide deaths in Oregon. Can it be that assisted suicide prescriptions in Oregon are more likely received when Compassion and Choices refers the person to a member physician, rather than based on the provisions in the law?
Once again the answer to the problem is not providing lethal prescriptions to people who are naturally concerned about their end-of-life care, but rather provide the necessary physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual and social care for the person.
This study also confirms that the social abandonment of people who are dying leads to a feeling of hopelessness that is best dealt with by support and social inclusion rather than lethal drugs.
Contact: Alex Schadenberg, chairperson
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition – International
Phone: 1-877-439-3348,
E-mail: euthanasiaprevention@on.aibn.com
3. Baby Born Healthy Defies Doctor's Abortion Advice – March 7, 2008
By Thaddeus M. Baklinski
Pembroke Dock, South Wales, UK, February 26, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Becky Weatherall and her partner Kriss Kramer where told by their doctors that their son would be born deaf and blind and would probably survive only for a couple of hours.
Little Brandon Kramer was diagnosed in utero with rhomboencephalosynapsis – a condition in which the brain fuses together rather than being in two halves – as well as hydrocephalus – water on the brain. Tests conducted twice a month indicated the condition was worsening and Becky was advised to abort her pregnancy up to just weeks before the birth.
The couple ignored the doctors' recommendation and Brandon was born healthy on October 1 last year.
A report in the Daily Mail said the Foetal Medicine Unit at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff was ordered to review the case to determine whether Brandon had the condition and recovered from it, or whether data from the numerous ultrasound scans had been misread by hospital staff.
The couple does not intend to sue the hospital for compensation but does want the situation to be made know as a warning to other parents.
"Perhaps doctors shouldn't put so much confidence in scans," Becky said in the Daily Mail report. "One of the older doctors we spoke to said a scan is like a fuzzy image of a snowstorm – it cannot be relied upon – and he turned out to be right."
"I feel incredibly guilty thinking that I could have killed him – and then I find myself wondering how many other babies are killed who would have turned out to be completely healthy."
"We had prepared to spend Christmas without him – we thought we'd be planning a funeral. Instead, it was the best Christmas present ever and now we're having a christening."
Brandon's father Kriss said, "We are not there to blame anyone but we want to thank them for the help and advice they gave us. They went over the MRI [scanner] results with us. They haven't given us any explanation."
"It was a mistake, but all that is put to the side now and we are trying to forget about it because Brandon is normal."
4. Dr. Chris Kempling Still Under Attack – March 8, 2008
Friends:
I regret to inform you that the BC College of Teachers has again cited me for conduct unbecoming a teacher, in a letter dated January 28, 2008. They have cited me for participating in a CBC radio interview where I quoted the Bible saying that homosexual behaviour is a barrier to salvation, for contributing an essay discussing the philosophical differences between social liberals and social conservatives (published in the Calgary Herald on December 29, 2003), for publishing a scholarly article in a German family journal on the topic of homosexuality, for offering orientation change therapy as part of my private counselling practice and mentioning this in a radio interview, and, incredibly, for "knowing" that an article written by Christian Heritage Party leader Ron Gray in support of me was posted on the party's website. They also cited me for being "the local representative of the Christian Heritage Party". This is certainly true as I was the candidate for the CHP, Canada's sixth largest registered political party, in the last federal election in the Cariboo-Prince George riding (I came 5th out of 8 candidates.) All of the items listed occurred between February, 2003 and April, 2005.
The last time I checked, we had freedom of speech and freedom of religion in Canada, and the right to join the political party of our choice. It appears to me that these rights are in jeopardy, as the BC College of Teachers has threatened to withdraw my license to teach, despite the fact that there were no complaints registered with the College as a result of any of the items they listed. I am currently working in the Quesnel school district, am abiding by my letter of direction, and have been told by my principal that he has no concerns about my conduct or my job performance, which includes working professionally with students of all orientations.
This is extremely distressing for me and my family, and I would welcome your prayers. It appears that I may have to ask those who care about freedom to help me defend myself again. The registered trust fund is called the:
Christian Public School Teachers' Legal Defence Fund, c/o Mr. Jim Sagert, Trustee, 798 Beaubien Avenue, Quesnel, BC V2J 1A6.
Letters of acknowledgement will be issued, but, as it is not a charity, there can be no tax receipts.
I am not afraid to face them but please do not leave me like Uriah to face the enemy alone. I take comfort in the words of our Lord: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven..."
I am happy, because I know my Christian brothers and sisters will stand with me as I face this trial yet again.
Dr. Chris Kempling Psy.D. R.C.C.
Quesnel, BC
5. HLA Weekly Wire, For ProLife Teens – March 8, 2008
This is a group that found us on the web and it seems like excellent material for teens. – Herm.
Check out their site at: http://www.humanlife.org/index.php
6. Homosexualism Does Not Correspond To Moral Principles Of Society – March 8, 2008
By Hilary White
KIEV, Ukraine, March 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A committee of the Ukrainian Parliament is calling for a halt to the popularization of homosexuality that has become such a prominent feature of life in western European and North American societies. The Committee on the Issues of Freedom of Speech says the state must oppose the increasing promotion of "homosexualism, lesbianism, other sexual perversions, which do not correspond to moral principles of the society".
The Committee's report said, "Propaganda and expansion of homosexuality in the country form a threat to national security, contradict national interests and undermine the authority of rights and freedoms of human beings and family".
The Ukraine is seeking membership in the European Union, the founding documents of which require the repeal of member country's anti-homosexuality legislation. The Treaty of Amsterdam requires anti-discrimination legislation to be enacted by its member states.
A possible hurdle for the country's entry into the EU is the fact that there is no positive law prohibiting "discrimination" against homosexuals, such as hate crimes laws, as there is in the UK, Germany and other EU nations where homosexual activists have been enormously successful in normalizing the "gay lifestyle".
Homosexual relations were decriminalized in the Ukraine in 1991 and the country, at the same time, equalized its age of consent law. The term "sexual orientation" is not used anywhere in Ukrainian law.
The homosexual lobby has made little inroads in its efforts to popularize homosexuality in some of the countries of the former Soviet Bloc. Ukraine remains a staunchly Christian country and a recent poll showed that public support for the "gay" movement stands at only 15 per cent.
In February 2008, a group of Ukrainian deputies sent letters to a Christian organization, True Love Is Against Homosexuality, saying, "Propagation of homosexuality harms the moral education of children and youth by developing a perverted idea of human sexual life and the natural orientation of men and women".
Yulia Timoshenko and Bloc deputy Ihor Yeresko, said in the letter that "it looks absurd when moral dissipation and sexual freedom are supported under the pretext of non-discrimination at the legislative level".
In late February the All-Ukrainian Association of Christian Journalists, Publishers and Linguists, Novomedia, issued a statement expressing indignation at the broadcast of the US homosexual propaganda film, Brokeback Mountain, on television. They chastised the TV station, saying that "the channel not only dared to broadcast a film popularizing perversion and immoral behaviour but also did it at prime time, when most families watch TV together".
Ukraine's deep commitment to Christianity may become a stumbling block for its relations with the aggressively secularist European Union. Unlike the EU that refused to acknowledge in its constitution the two millennia of Christian culture that defines Europe, Ukraine is deeply proud of its Christian heritage. Ukraine's President Victor Yushchenko met recently with Orthodox Patriarch Filaret Denysenko of Kyiv to discuss the coming celebration of the 1020th Anniversary Baptism of Kyivan Rus, the medieval state dominated by the city of Kiev.
E-mail to a Friend –
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/sendtofriend.html?articleid=08030703
View Story on LifeSiteNews.com –
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/viewonsite.html?articleid=08030703
7. Latimer’ Parole Sends Dangerous Message – March 5, 2008
Latimer’s parole sends “dangerous message”
Moms push for family-friendly checkouts
Age of sexual consent raised to 16
Latimer’s parole sends “dangerous message”
Today’s Family News – March 5, 2008
Disabled Canadians are fearful of what the decision to release convicted child murderer Robert Latimer from prison might mean for their safety, the Toronto Star reported.
In a surprise ruling, the National Parole Board’s Appeal Division last week granted Latimer day parole. At a hearing in December, he had been denied parole after still showing no remorse for gassing to death his 12-year-old, severely disabled daughter Tracy in October 1993 on his farm in Saskatchewan.
Latimer had been convicted of second-degree murder, which carries a mandatory prison sentence of 10 years before becoming eligible for parole. He had served seven years. But given that he was highly unlikely to re-offend, the appeal division decided that keeping Latimer incarcerated any longer would be “unfair.”
“We’re very disappointed,” Marie White, chair of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, told the Globe and Mail. “It sends a dangerous message that it’s okay, it’s different if you murder someone who has a disability.”
At Latimer’s request, he was released to a halfway house in Ottawa so he can better lobby the government to reopen his case, even though his family is still in Saskatchewan.
But advocates for the disabled contend the real issues at stake go far beyond Latimer.
“This isn’t about one man,” Anna MacQuarrie, a policy analyst at the Canadian Association for Community Living, told the Star. “Tracy had a serious disability, not a terminal illness. Robert Latimer did have alternatives. It’s time to focus on the bigger issue and that is attitudes to disabilities.”
While on parole, Latimer is barred from having any responsibility for, or making decisions for, anyone who is severely disabled. He must also take part in psychological counselling to assist him in his “reintegration into the community.”
Dr. Dick Sobsey, director of the J. P. Das Developmental Disabilities Centre at the University of Alberta, is not surprised by Latimer’s unwavering belief that he did nothing wrong in killing Tracy.
“Studies of parents who murder their children show that about 50 per cent actually believe that killing their child was for the child’s own good,” he said.
“[Latimer] is no better or worse than [those who] honestly believe that their children are better off dead than suffering through a family break-up, living a life outside the family’s cultural or religious tradition . . . or suffering through disgrace as a victim of rape.”
Sobsey added: “What breaks my heart is not Mr. Latimer’s delusion but that, as a nation, so many of us share in it.”
“Many might feel sympathy for Latimer’s situation,” an editorial in the Kingston Whig-Standard stated. “But it is Tracy’s plight, her ultimate fate – and the potential fate of others who are similarly vulnerable – that should strike deepest at our hearts.”
Moms push for family-friendly checkouts
Today’s Family News – March 5, 2008
Parents in Abbotsford, B.C., want their local grocery stores to set aside at least one checkout aisle that is free of sexually explicit magazine covers, The Province reported. The group hopes to protect their children from routine exposure to suggestive headlines while waiting in line.
“I had my seven-year-old son ask me what an orgasm was,” said Shelly Wielenga.
“I’ve had my child ask me, ‘Mommy, what’s naughty sex?’ ” Tricia Kolsto told CTV British Columbia. Kolsto also recalls her nine-year-old daughter trying to pronounce the words she saw on a magazine cover, not realizing their sexual connotations.
Kolsto and Wielenga, who lead a group they started called Abbotsford Families United, have launched a petition calling on stores to remove the magazines from at least one checkout aisle.
“If they have 10 or 11 tills open, why can’t they give us one?” Kolsto asked. “We just want a choice. Just like people have a choice to buy the magazines, we want to have a choice not to look at them.”
Initial reaction to the petition has been mixed. To Gagan Khera, a young adult, the two women are overreacting. “Everyone has a choice. It’s a free country,” she told The Province. “There’s a lot worse out there.” By contrast, grandparent Kooner Piar believes these sorts of magazines “should be banned. Get rid of it.”
But Wielenga insists they are not trying to act like censors. “[The magazines] have the right to free speech,” she said, “but we want to protect the rights of our kids.”
“I appreciate where these parents are coming from. I say good for them,” Pam Willis, executive director of the Women’s Resource Society of the Fraser Valley, told the Abbotsford Times.
“Women’s groups around the world are concerned about this – the language used, and the way women are portrayed.”
Overwaitea Food Group spokesperson Julie Dickson told The Province the company is “testing the notion of family-friendly checkouts” and is awaiting customer feedback before deciding whether to adopt such a policy.
Age of sexual consent raised to 16
Today’s Family News – March 5, 2008
Years of work by many Canadians, both inside and outside of government, to raise the age of sexual consent from 14 to 16 years have ended in victory.
On Thursday, as the Winnipeg Free Press reported, the federal government’s omnibus crime bill, Bill C-2, received royal assent one day after it passed the Senate. One of the provisions in the bill was a boost in the age of consent.
“Common sense has prevailed,” Roz Prober, co-founder of the Winnipeg-based children’s rights group Beyond Borders, told the Free Press. “People were stunned to see Canada was so far behind the eight ball on the age of consent.”
For most western nations, the age of consent varies between 16 and 18 years of age.
But although C-2 had received all-party support in the House of Commons in November, many senators had qualms about the bill. In the end, the bill passed only narrowly by a vote of 19-16, Canadian Press reported. In all, 31 senators abstained and 27 others were absent for the vote.
“The last time the age of consent was changed was in 1892, when it was raised from 12 to 14,” Free Press columnist Lindor Reynolds noted.
“Shame on us for spending several generations not doing enough to protect our kids and their innocence.”
Reynolds added: “Everyone who worked to raise the age of sexual consent deserves a round of applause. Clapping most enthusiastically should be the parents of young teenagers who will be safe from legal predators for a couple of more years.”
8. Lifeissues.Net Newsletter #363 – March 02, 2008
Greetings from LifeIssues.net (http://www.lifeissues.net/)
Dear Friends for Life,
For Catholics – Feeding Tubes Obligatory: In a major statement from the Vatican, the Catholic Church clarified its position that giving of food and water to people in so-called vegetative state is, with exceptions, morally obligatory. In retrospect, this statement clearly included as relevant, the prolonged starvation-dehydration of Terri Schiavo in Florida in 2005.
Homosexuals Die Younger: Paul and Kirk Cameron, at the Eastern Psychological Association Convention, detailed the above. Denmark has the longest history of homosexual marriage. For 1990-2000, its married heterosexual men died at a medium age of 74, whereas in the 561 homosexual male "marriages" the men died at an average age of 51. In Norway, married heterosexual men died at 77 years, homosexuals at 52. Further, "married" lesbians died 20 years earlier than married heterosexual women. Prior to this, reports of early deaths had come from obituaries in newspapers. These now come from official national statistics and conclusively prove this earlier death rate.
God Bless, Jerry Novotny, OMI
A Thought: "What I do you cannot do, but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful." – Mother Teresa
Lifeissues.Net Newsletter #363 – March 02, 2008
Table Of Contents:
1. World Congress Of Families Commends Bishops For Challenging EU On Family Policy
2. Oregon Man Kills Wife, Tests Assisted Suicide Law On Voluntary Euthanasia
3. Canada Family Wants Unborn Victims Law For Justice For Pregnant Mom
4. Turning Straight: 4 Of 5 Program Participants Report Reduction In Unwanted Homosexual Attractions
5. 'Terri's Day' Information Now Available
6. Transplant Creates Embryos With Three Parents
7. Pope Benedict: "It Is, In Fact, Everyone's Duty" To Protect Life Before Birth
8. Italian Doctors Issue Call To Treat Newborns That Survive
9. Pregnant Women 'Don't Know What To Eat'
10. South Africa Parliament Promotes Abortions, Allows Nurses To Do Them
Focus On Asia: "Taliban set for windfall from Afghan opium crop-UN" – Afghanistan, the world's biggest opium producer, is set for another bumper crop in 2008, providing a windfall for the Taliban who tax farmers to finance their fight against government and foreign forces, the UN said on Wednesday.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/T232903.htm
Item #1. World Congress Of Families Commends Bishops For Challenging EU On Family Policy
The Report ("Proposal for a Strategy of the European Union for the Support of Couples and Marriage') notes that "loving and stable couples are a social capital for all Europeans" as well as "founts of mutual trust in society" and "the preferable instance for bringing up children."
The bishops take issue with the assumption of the EU bureaucracy that the two-income family is "a new social norm" in Europe. They call for recognition of the fact that home care for children is "an important and welcome contribution to the well-being of all citizens of the European Union."
View full article at Christian Newswire:
http://christiannewswire.com/news/700665597.html
Item #2. Oregon Man Kills Wife, Tests Assisted Suicide Law On Voluntary Euthanasia
An Oregon man has killed his disabled wife in a test of the one-of-a-kind state law that allows assisted suicide there. John Roberts says his wife Virginia was afflicted with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease and he took her life to see if the state would allow him to get away with voluntary euthanasia, or so-called mercy killing.
View full article at LifeNews.com: http://www.lifenews.com/bio2327.html
Item #3. Canada Family Wants Unborn Victims Law For Justice For Pregnant Mom
The family of a pregnant Canadian teenager who was murdered along with her unborn child is calling on MPs in the Canadian Parliament to approve a bill that would allow prosecutors to hold criminals accountable for both deaths. Manjit Panghali is one of several pregnant women in Canada who have been killed in recent years.
View full text at LifeNews.com: http://www.lifenews.com/int612.html
Item #4. Turning Straight: 4 Out of 5 Program Participants Report Reduction in Unwanted Homosexual Attractions
Conventional wisdom that says homosexual attractions are always unchangeable was challenged again today by a study showing that four out of five men who participated in a personal-growth weekend called Journey Into Manhood reported a decrease in unwanted homosexual attractions when surveyed between six months and six years later. Nine out of 10 reported a decrease in distress, shame or self-condemnation.
View full article at Christian Newswire:
http://christiannewswire.com/news/133225608.html
Item #5. 'Terri's Day' Information Now Available
This past December, The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation and Priests for Life jointly announced the establishment of the "International Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Terri Schindler Schiavo, and All of Our Vulnerable Brothers and Sisters" ("Terri's Day") to be observed each year on March 31, the date of Terri's death.
The purpose of the day, the groups explained, is to foster education, prayer, and activism regarding discrimination against the disabled, and advocacy for people in situations similar to what Terri and her family faced.
To learn more see Christian Newswire:
http://christiannewswire.com/news/663475614.html
Item #6. Transplant Creates Embryos With Three Parents
Scientists in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, claim to have produced human embryos each containing DNA from two women and one man. The scientists say they will be able to eradicate a range of hereditary diseases involving mitochondrial DNA. The technique entails creating an embryo with mitochondrial disease and then transferring the nucleus to an egg cell from a different mother to create an embryo with different, disease-free mitochondria. Mitochondria contain DNA, but are not part of the nucleus. Professor Doug Turnbull, who leads the team at the city's university, hopes that Britain's first genetically modified babies might be born within three years.
See the full article at Telegraph.co.uk:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/02/05/sciparent105.xml
Item #7. Pope Benedict: "It Is, In Fact, Everyone's Duty" To Protect Life Before Birth
The Pope has said that everyone has a duty to protect human life, according to his or her situation. Benedict XVI spoke on the theme of "serving life" to thousands of pilgrims gathered for the noon Angelus on Sunday, which was being celebrated in Italy as a Day of Life.
Full article at LifeSiteNews.com:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2008/feb/08020402.html
Item #8. Italian Doctors Issue Call To Treat Newborns That Survive
Italian Gynaecologists at Rome's leading medical schools have issued a call for doctors to resuscitate very premature babies, including those who survive attempted abortions. The document was published by the medical faculties of Rome's La Sapienza and Tor Vergata universities and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart on the eve of the Day of Life organised by the Italian bishops' conference. Ms Livia Turco, the health minister, who opposes any restriction to Italy's abortion law, was said to be outraged at the proposal, saying that it was cruel to go against the will of the mother.
Full Article at LifeSiteNews.com:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2008/feb/08020412.html
Item #9. Pregnant Women 'Don't Know What To Eat'
It has been suggested that there is so much advice given about diet during pregnancy, that many women are being confused. Ms Janet Pollard, who leads a regional children's service in the UK national health service, says that pregnant women should seek advice from their midwives or obstetricians, rather than relying on reports in the media.
View entire text at netdoctor.co.uk:
http://news.netdoctor.co.uk/news_detail.php?id=18452484
Item #10. South Africa Parliament Promotes Abortions, Allows Nurses To Do Them
The parliament in South Africa has approved a bill that would tear down some of the very low limits on legal abortions and allow nurses and midwives to do them. The measure does away with any requirements that abortions be done in hospitals, paving the way for freestanding abortion businesses.
View entire text at LifeNews.com: http://www.lifenews.com/int613.html
You Can Change Society:
1. Be Informed: "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6. Visit Lifeissues.net Website for insights into current Life Issues http://www.lifeissues.net/.
2. Pray Daily: for the courage to be God's presence in society and to strongly support those who are deemed "unworthy of life". "If My people who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
3. Become Involved: "Journey for Life into the Heart of Asia" is a project, which appeals for donations to help finance plane travel for lectures and seminars to developing countries in Asia. Strong focus is placed on reaching Asian Catholic Major Seminaries, Universities, Parishes, Hospitals and Family/Pro Life related groups. The lectures place emphasis on "The Asian Family at Crossroads: Trends and Challenges". For inquires about no-cost Pro Life Talks to your group in Asia: contact Fr. Jerry at jerry@shirt.ocn.ne.jp . To become a supportive Missionary participant for this project in Asia, kindly send your donations directly to: Fr. Jerry Novotny, OMI; LifeIssues.net, Editor; Akebono-cho 1-15-9; Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072; (or transfer donation directly to ProLife bank account: Jerome Novotny, Shikoku Bank, Asakura Branch, No. 102-1-0080824)
Contact Editor: Jerry Novotny, OMI; Akebono-cho 1-15-9; Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072; Tel/Fax: 088-843-0406; E-Mail: jerry@lifeissues.net
Websites by Editor:
English LifeIssues Site:http://www.lifeissues.net/,
Japanese LifeIssues Site:http://www.japan-lifeissues.net/,
OMI Site:http://www.omijapankorea.net/index.html.
9. Lifeissues.Net Newsletter #364 – March 09, 2008
Greetings from LifeIssues.net (www.lifeissues.net)
Dear Friends for Life,
"Women Deliver" Conference fails to deliver. This global conference presumably was called to illustrate prevention and treatment of problems of pregnancy and childbirth, particularly in developing countries and to offer solutions. The agenda however was almost totally preoccupied with promoting the ideology and practice of abortion. So much so, that the genuine health care needs of women and children were virtually ignored. The committee heads manufactured a false consensus that reflected only the views of the pro-abortion attendees, while at the same time it sidelined or ignored the main issues actually relating to maternal mortality, vaccine, clean water, sanitation, etc. Too bad, this was a major opportunity missed.
Harvard gets no women's eggs. In 2005, the state of Massachusetts passed a law prohibiting scientists from paying women to donate their eggs to research. It also required that they be given information about its health risks. Since then, Harvard has spent over $100,000 on ads to recruit female donors, but has not yet had a single woman contribute her eggs. Risks to the women include blood clots, strokes and even death.
Spain population is going down the tube. Since it legalized abortion in 1985, abortionists in Spain have killed more than 1.1 million Spanish babies and the number is rising. In 2006, 97,000 abortions were reported.
God Bless, Jerry Novotny, OMI
Thought: "Pope John Paul took as an informal motto of his papacy the words of Scripture, 'Be not afraid! Through those 26 years he taught us in word and deed the meaning of this phrase - that all who whole-heartedly open their lives to Christ and belong to him have nothing to fear in this world or the next." – Bishop Skylstad
Lifeissues.Net Newsletter #364 – March 09, 2008
Table Of Contents:
1. Ministers Weigh Compulsory Teen Sex Education
2. "China-Lite": Two-Child Policy Bills Proposed In Philippines Include Criminal Sanctions
3. Families Caring For Dementia Relatives 'Abandoned' By NHS
4. Olympics: Homes Forcibly Destroyed, Prison For Those Who Request Compensation
5. Don't Treat The Old And Unhealthy, Say Doctors
6. Senators Behind US Cloning Ban Blast British Human-Animal Cloning Effort
7. Chinese Divorce Rate Rockets As Little Emperors Grow Up
8. Responsible Parenting Movement Gains Support
9. Breast Milk Contains Stem Cells
10. Abortion Issue Confronts Jamaica
11. New Victories For Adult Stem Cell Research Scientists Make Headway In Treating Damaged Hearts With Muscle, Fat And Bone Marrow Cells
Focus On Asia: "Bird flu spreads to urban Bangladesh, officials say" – Lack of awareness about the virus is still widespread in the country, officials and media reports said. On Wednesday, a Dhaka newspaper printed a photograph of a man collecting dead crows at the city's main Ramna Park with no mask and using his bare hands.
Touching or eating sick poultry can lead to infection by the H5N1 virus that has killed more than 220 people globally since late 2003.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DHA212138.htm
Item #1. Ministers Weigh Compulsory Teen Sex Education
Ms Beverley Hughes the UK minister for children, young people and families, has said that she is under pressure to force schools to extend compulsory sex education lessons. At present schools must teach the biological facts of sex to 11-14 year olds. She said the government was conducting a review of its sex education strategy as Britain still had the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Western Europe, despite spending £150 million since 1999 on it. She said there was no "magic bullet" for solving the problem.
View full article at Telegraph.co.uk:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/30/
nsex130.xml
Item #2. "China-Lite”: Two-Child Policy Bills Proposed In Philippines Include Criminal Sanctions
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is backing three bills currently in committee in the Filipino House of Representatives, which seek to implement a "two-child" policy in the Philippines. Mrs Eileen Macapanas Cosby, president and founder of the Filipino Family Fund which is campaigning against the bills noted that population replacement was essential to the future of the country. Though backers claim the programme would be voluntary, one of the bills contains criminal penalties including imprisonment for up to six months that would be imposed on those speaking out against population control measures.
View full article at LifeSiteNews.com:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2008/jan/08012906.html
Item #3. Families Caring For Dementia Relatives 'Abandoned' By NHS
A report from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has found that families caring for people with Alzheimer's disease feel abandoned by the healthcare system. The Daily Mail says such families are "saving the taxpayer £5 billion a year", many so-called informal carers do not receive help they are entitled to from the government. The UK is in the bottom third of EU countries for treatment of patients with anti-dementia drugs. The committee calls for dementia to be given the same priority as cancer and heart disease in the state health service.
View full text at Daily Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=510019&in_page_id=1774
Item #4. Olympics: Homes Forcibly Destroyed, Prison For Those Who Request Compensation
About 1.5 million people have been driven out of their homes for the sake of preparation for the Olympics, and many have not received another house or any compensation. A few ordinary stories of those who are in prison for having requested reimbursement, or who have been beaten to death for protesting.
View full article at AsiaNews.it:
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=11469&size=A
Item #5. Don't Treat The Old And Unhealthy, Say Doctors
The findings of a survey conducted by Doctor magazine sparked a fierce row last night, with the British Medical Association and campaign groups describing the recommendations from family and hospital doctors as "out-rageous" and "disgraceful". About one in 10 hospitals already deny some surgery to obese patients and smokers, with restrictions most common in hospitals battling debt.
To learn more see The Telegraph.co.uk:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/27/nhs127.xml - form
Item #6. Senators Behind US Cloning Ban Blast British Human-Animal Cloning Effort
The two leading senators who are behind a bill that would ban human cloning in the United States are condemning the British government's approval of research allowing the creation of human-animal hybrids. Sens. Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican, and Mary Landrieu, a Louisiana Democrat, say the UK cloning effort is unethical.
See the full article at LifeNews.com: http://www.lifenews.com/bio2317.html
Item #7. Chinese Divorce Rate Rockets As Little Emperors Grow Up
Sociologists believe that the 18.6% increase in China's divorce rate may be linked to the one-child policy. The lone children have grown accustomed to having their own way as only children, and find it difficult to sustain relationships. Divorces increased to 1.4 million in 2007. The rise is also attributed to widening of divorce four years ago, with couples now able to divorce in one day at a cost of ¥10 Yuan (70p)
Full article at Guardian Unlimited:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2246956,00.html
Item #8. Responsible Parenting Movement Gains Support
Included in the trainings are discussions on responsible parenting, family relationship, home management, fertility awareness and natural family planning. The presidential directive that encourages every Filipino family to observe three years birth spacing breastfeeding and natural family planning is also discussed in every class. Among the natural family planning methods are the billings ovulation, modified cervical mucus, sympto-thermal, standard days, and lactational amenorrhea.
Full Article at Philippine Information Agency:
http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p080208.htm&no=13
Item #9. Breast Milk Contains Stem Cells
The Perth scientist who made the world-first discovery that human breast milk contains stem cells is confident that within five years scientists will be harvesting them to research treatment for conditions as far-reaching as spinal injuries, diabetes and Parkinson's disease.
View entire text at ScienceAlert:
http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20081102-16879.html
Item #10. Abortion issue confronts Jamaica
The issue involves those who are "pro-choice", favouring the right of a woman to decide if she should have an abortion, and those who are regarded as "pro-life", maintain that once there is conception the emphasis must be on preserving the life of the foetus, with some supporters conceding that this stance should be changed only if the life of the woman is endangered by the pregnancy.
View entire text at NationNews.com:
http://www.nationnews.com/editorial/350068882430025.php
Item #11. New Victories For Adult Stem Cell Research Scientists Make Headway In Treating Damaged Hearts With Muscle, Fat And Bone Marrow Cells
The Adult Stem Cell Research Network announced that new clinical and pre-clinical data on adult stem cells was presented at the 4th Annual Meeting of Cell Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. Held at Columbia University, it attracted over 300 attendees from around the world.
View entire text at eMediaWire:
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2008/2/prweb684393.htm
You Can Change Society:
1. Be Informed: "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6. Visit Lifeissues.net Website for insights into current Life Issues http://www.lifeissues.net/.
2. Pray Daily: for the courage to be God's presence in society and to strongly support those who are deemed "unworthy of life". "If My people who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
3. Become Involved: "Journey for Life into the Heart of Asia" is a project, which appeals for donations to help finance plane travel for lectures and seminars to developing countries in Asia. Strong focus is placed on reaching Asian Catholic Major Seminaries, Universities, Parishes, Hospitals and Family/Pro Life related groups. The lectures place emphasis on "The Asian Family at Crossroads: Trends and Challenges". For inquires about no-cost Pro Life Talks to your group in Asia: contact Fr. Jerry at jerry@shirt.ocn.ne.jp . To become a supportive Missionary participant for this project in Asia, kindly send your donations directly to: Fr. Jerry Novotny, OMI; LifeIssues.net, Editor; Akebono-cho 1-15-9; Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072; (or transfer donation directly to ProLife bank account: Jerome Novotny, Shikoku Bank, Asakura Branch, No. 102-1-0080824)
Contact Editor: Jerry Novotny, OMI; Akebono-cho 1-15-9; Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072; Tel/Fax: 088-843-0406; E-Mail: jerry@lifeissues.net
Websites by Editor:
English LifeIssues Site:http://www.lifeissues.net/,
Japanese LifeIssues Site:http://www.japan-lifeissues.net/,
OMI Site:http://www.omijapankorea.net/index.html.
10. Ottawawatch, Four Pillars In The Cadman Case – March 8, 2008
http://www.canadianchristianity.com/nationalupdates/080305ottawa.html
11. Singing Starlings And Why Thousands Of Babies Who Should Have Been Boys Are Being Born As Girls – March 8, 2008
By Geoffrey Lean – Last updated at 23:46pm on 27th February 2008 – Next time you hear a starling sing, stop and listen hard. It may well be warning of a peril that endangers the whole world of nature - and the very future of the human race itself.
For scientists have found that gender-bender chemicals - increasingly contaminating the environment, our food, our water and our bodies - are having a bizarre effect on common birds, causing the males to give voice to longer and more complex songs.
This is only the latest in a long series of increasingly urgent alarms being sounded by wildlife against an insidious but devastating danger that threatens our children.
But so far our leaders have steadfastly and scandalously turned a deaf ear to them - and, even more shamefully, ignored the first signs that the peril is already affecting birth patterns, causing thousands of babies who should have been boys to be born as girls instead.
Starlings and their diverse, complicated and mimicking – though not beautiful – songs have long fascinated humanity. Mozart was entranced by a starling after it copied a tune that the great composer was whistling in a pet store.
Modern scientists have discovered that starlings' songs contain similar patterns to human speech.
But if we could, indeed, understand what they are communicating, we would be wise to take heed.
Scientists at Cardiff University have discovered that the brains of male starlings foraging for worms at a sewage treatment works in South-West England have been subtly changed by being contaminated by oestrogen from the contraceptive pill and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
The female hormones – present in women's urine, and passing through the sewage treatment unaffected – caused the part of the brain that controls their song to grow much bigger, causing them to sing at greater length and with even more virtuosity than usual.
The study confirms similar, if slightly differing, research on other birds, which scientists say is adding up to some of the first concrete proof of the effects of gender benders on the natural world.
Researchers at the University of California have found that feeding female finches with a hormone used in HRT has caused them to sing, something hitherto done only by their males.
And studies at the University of Alberta have found robins exposed to the pesticide DDT before birth suffered damage to the region of the brain that enables them to sing and protect their territory.
Dr David Crews of the University of Texas calls the research on birdsong "very significant", describing it as "the first step needed to demonstrate a causal link between specific pollutants and the effects on wildlife populations". Yet there have been strange warning signs for decades. Way back in the early 1970s, researchers found that female gulls had taken to nesting together all over the U.S., the males having apparently lost interest.
When the bashful males were caught and examined, they were found to have developed female egg-laying canals. In the 1980s, researchers in Florida found that alligators were failing to reproduce because their males had mysteriously tiny penises; further investigations revealed that they had developed female hormone patterns – and that turtles in the same waters had developed into hermaphrodites.
Most alarming of all, repeated studies by Britain's own Environment Agency have shown that about a third of the male roach in rivers and streams right across the country have begun producing eggs, after developing female sex organs.
Again, the problem was traced to oestrogen passing through sewage works – in some areas, near particularly heavy inflows of treated water, all the males were found to be between sexes.
The findings have inevitably raised concern that people may also be affected, since one-third of the country's drinking water comes from rivers, much of it beneath sewage outfalls.
And, whether or not this is the cause, male sperm counts have been dropping precipitously both here and across the world.
Fertile
Studies in more than 20 countries have shown that average amounts have fallen by well over half in the past 50 years, from an average of more than 150 million per millilitre to 66 million.
The result is that men are now less than half as fertile as hamsters.
The counts are continuing to plunge by two per cent a year, and no end to the decline is in sight. At this rate, the average man will be unable to father children within decades.
Increasingly the sperm crisis is being blamed on a whole host of chemicals, not just synthetic oestrogen, but a wide variety of substances that have become ubiquitous in daily life.
They include the common plastic PVC; dioxins, the notorious pollutants found almost everywhere; PCBs, one-and-a-half million tons of which have been used in countless products from paints to plastics; and phthalates, universally used to make plastics more flexible.
Recent tests by WWF (formerly the World Wildlife Fund) on 14 basic foodstuffs taken from supermarket shelves found that every single one contained PCBs, and most were contaminated by phthalates.
Both substances have been shown to have deeply worrying effects on babies and children.
Scientists at Rotterdam's Erasmus University have found that boys born to mothers exposed to PCBs grew up wanting to play with dolls and tea-sets.
And research at the University of Rochester in New York State has shown that the male children of women exposed to phthalates have smaller penises and other signs of feminisation of their genitals.
Communities exposed to high levels of these and other gender-bender chemicals, from the Great Lakes of North America to the Russian Arctic, have been found to give birth to twice as many girls as boys.
This may offer a clue to the cause of a mysterious shift in the sex of babies worldwide.
Conflict
Normally 106 boys are born for every 100 girls, in what is thought to be nature's way of compensating for the fact that males were more likely to be killed hunting or in conflict.
But increasingly this ratio is slipping – it is calculated that 250,000 babies who would have been boys have been born girls in the U.S. and Japan alone.
You would think that all this accumulating evidence would long since have sparked alarm in governments worldwide. Far from it. When the EU drew up its first comprehensive controls on chemicals two years ago, it largely exempted gender benders from them.
Britain, under Tony Blair's leadership, was largely responsible for this exemption, and confidential documents show that it obediently acted to water down the controls following direct representations from the Bush administration – almost unbelievably putting the interests of foreign firms above the health of British children.
Since then, as Dr Gwynne Lyons, director of the expert group, CHEM Trust puts it, there has been "regulatory inertia".
That needs to change, and fast. If ministers continue wilfully to refuse to heed the science, they should, at least, listen to the starlings.
PFLI PharmAid Center
pfli@pfli.org
PO Box 1281
Powell, OH 43065-1281 USA
800-227-8359
www.pfli.org
PFLI supports pharmacist rights of conscience NOT to be forced to dispense or counsel for chemicals, which violate their sincerely held religious, moral or ethical beliefs. For more info see:
http://www.pfli.org/main.php?pfli=conscienceclausefaq
PFLI is the only pharmacy association, which is exclusively pro-life. It represents thousands of pharmacists and many lay supporters in the USA, Canada and all around the globe. For membership info, key PFLI texts, PFLI archives, late-breaking news, abridged newsletter excerpts or general information, visit the PFLI web site at http://www.pfli.org. Or e-mail us at mailto:pfli@pfli.org.
12. Stopping Genocide, Planned Parenthood's Targeting Of Alaska Natives – March 3, 2008
Stopping Genocide: Planned Parenthood's Targeting Of Alaska Natives
By Steve Mosher And Colin Mason
Most pro-lifers know that Planned Parenthood is in the business of targeting minorities.
Four out of five Planned Parenthood clinics are located in minority neighbourhoods, with Blacks as the primary target. About one-third of all abortions are performed on blacks, even though they make up only 13 percent of the population. The organization, which receives over $300 million in government funding each year, even accepts contributions specifically designated for the elimination of black babies, as recently reported.
America's second minority, it's Hispanic population, is also the subject of undue attention. Planned Parenthood's deadly literature has been widely translated into Spanish, and traditional, conservative Hispanic communities have been leafleted. Spanish-speaking "outreach directors" have been hired to bring in Latinas, and in some cases are paid a bounty for each girl they bring in. They spend exorbitant sums of money spreading their message of death and lies to the Latino community.
What most people don't know is that even tiny ethnic groups, especially if they are Catholic, are targeted by Planned Parenthood.
Take Alaska Natives, for example, the people we historically call the Eskimos. Thanks to the heroic efforts of the Missionary Diocese of Northern Alaska, many of these people have become Catholic over the past century. At the same time, however, because of the relentless efforts of Planned Parenthood, they have one of the highest abortion rates in America.
Research on this subject is rare. An early set of numbers was provided by Karen Louis, the Executive Director of Alaska Right to Life. Entitled "Racial breakdown of state-funded abortions," this covered the period from 1988 to 1997. This showed that while Alaska Natives account for only 16 percent of the state's population, they account for 32 percent, or almost one-third, of state-funded abortions. There are 2.51 abortions per thousand Alaska Natives per year, compared with only 1.25 abortions per thousand whites.
After considerable effort we located statistics for 2003-4 produced by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. These numbers, which cover all abortions reported in the state, confirmed that the problem has not gotten better in recent years. In 2004, there were 1,934 induced abortions in Alaska, which is home to only 670,053 people. Of these, 1353 were performed on whites, while 387 were performed on Alaska natives.
What is important, however, are not the simple numbers, but the ratios. Alaska Natives form only a tiny 15.4% of Alaska's population; whites 70%. In the white population, these numbers translate to 2.9 abortions per thousand population; in the Eskimo population, 3.75.
Why are abortion numbers so high, in an ethnic group that barely numbers 100,000, and which is spread out over a vast landscape? We asked officials of the Diocese of Northern Alaska, who said that they were dismayed by these numbers and promised to look into the situation.
To us at PRI, this looks suspiciously like ethnic targeting, which is one of Planned Parenthood's specialties.
What is to be done? We are in the process of talking to Catholic leaders among the Alaska Native population who are opposed to these genocidal programs. We hope to convince them to come to our nation's capital where, supported by sympathetic congressmen, they will ask Planned Parenthood to stop the genocide of their people.
Moreover, through the leaders we will try to reach women who are willing to talk confidentially about how they were induced to have an abortion. True "freedom of choice" means freedom from the coercion, deception, and hype that surrounds abortion services.
We believe the media will be paying attention. After all, everyone knows of the hardships that these tiny groups face in the frozen north. Why should they additionally be denied children, which is the only guarantee that they will survive as a people into the future?
Steve Mosher is the President at PRI. Colin Mason is the Director for Media Production at PRI.
Media Contact: Colin Mason
E-mail: colin@pop.org
(540) 622-5240, ext. 209
(c) 2007 Population Research Institute. Permission to reprint granted. Redistribute widely. Credit required.
The pro-life Population Research Institute is dedicated to ending human rights abuses committed in the name of "family planning," and to ending counter-productive social and economic paradigms premised on the myth of "overpopulation." Find us at www.pop.org.
PRI, PO Box 1559, Front Royal, VA 22630 USA Phone: 540-622-5240
13. The World's "Most Dangerous" Spiritual Guru: Oprah Begins 10-Week Online New Age Class – March 7, 2008
By John Jalsevac
March 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – This past Monday Oprah Winfrey, considered by many to be the world's most influential woman, began a ten-week long online course on the best-selling book, "A New Earth," by New Age guru, Eckhart Tolle. "A New Earth" has already sold some 3.5 million copies worldwide, thanks largely to the publicity given to it by Oprah. According to Oprah, 500,000 people from across the world signed on to the first segment of the online course, to spend an hour and a half listening to Ekhart and Oprah talking about chapter 1 of the book, and taking calls from participants.
In recent years Oprah has been inviting an increasing number of representatives of new age spirituality onto her talk shows, including figures such as Marianne Williamson, Barbara DeAngelis, LaVar Burton, Richard Carlson, Betty Eadie, and many others. Oprah has strongly endorsed many of their works, and has included some of them in her "Book Club" list.
Since the beginning of this year Oprah has offered daily classes on her XM radio station on the book "A Course in Miracles." "A Course in Miracles" (or ACIM for short) was written by another major player in the New Age movement, Helen Schucman, who claims that the book was dictated to her by an interior voice, which she identifies with Jesus Christ. In that course, the listener is taught that there is no sin, is told not to make the "mistake" of "clinging to the old rugged cross," and that the name of "Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol."
Oprah, who is a self-labelled "Christian", was recently named the "most dangerous woman in the world" by Bill Keller, considered by some to be the world's leading Internet evangelist. He accused Oprah of peddling the equivalent of "spiritual crack." Keller has been warning the subscribers of his Daily Devotional for years about Oprah and how she uses her TV program to promote every New Age philosophy in the world, including the wildly popular book and DVD last year, "The Secret," which teaches readers or viewers that simply by desiring them strongly enough, one may obtain wealth, health and happiness.
However, rarely has Oprah shown more enthusiasm for a New Age guru than for the so-called Eckhart Tolle, who takes his first name from the well-known 13th century Catholic Rhineland mystic, Meister Eckhart. Tolle is the author of several books including "The Power of Now," and, most recently, "A New Earth."
Much like many other New Age systems, Eckhart's "spirituality" is a vague, ethereal blend of spiritual theories and ideas, gleaned from all of the world's major religions. Eckhart promises the attainment of "inner peace" and a higher state of consciousness by utilizing methods of meditation that plunge one into the "now." He also says that mankind is in a moment of crisis, in which the race must either achieve the next stage in its evolution by attaining "higher consciousness", or destroy itself and the planet.
The title of his newest book, "A New Earth," is taken from Chapter 21 from the Book of Revelations, in which the Biblical visionary says that he "saw a new heaven and a new earth." Throughout his newest book Eckhart sprinkles quotations from Scripture, and he frequently speaks about Christ and Scripture in his talks.
The core of Eckhart's teaching is a religious relativism, in which he eschews all rigid doctrine or exclusive claims to truth as dangerous and manifestations of "egoiic consciousness." "The moment you say 'only my belief' or 'our belief' is true, and you deny other people's beliefs, then you've adopted an ideology," Eckhart told the participants in Monday's online class. "And then religion becomes a closed door."
Eckhart explains away conscience and feelings of guilt as but the consequence of years of conditioning. He told one caller, who confessed that she still feels guilt when she decides against going to church on Sunday, that she must recognize that "the voice" which tells her to go to church is simply the result of social conditioning.
One caller into the show told Oprah that she was a Catholic, and was having trouble seeing how Eckhart's teachings could be reconciled with her Catholicism. Oprah responded that the caller must simply realize that Christianity is but one of many ways to achieve the "higher consciousness," and that the belief that one must follow a set of doctrines is a consequence of "egoiic consciousness." While Christianity is a valid way to achieve high states of spirituality, it must not be considered a unique way, or a "correct way".
"Jesus," said Oprah, "came to show us Christ-consciousness…Jesus came to show us the way of the heart…Jesus came to say, 'Look I'm going to live in the body, in the human body and I'm going to show you how it's done.' These are some principles and some laws that you can use to live by to know that way"
She concluded, "I don't believe that Jesus came to start Christianity."
"What Jesus said is much deeper than what you, how the church interprets it. There's a depth to it. And it reflects your own depth when you read it. So there's no conflict between this teaching, which is purely spiritual, and any religion."
Oprah also indicated that there are many names that one might give to that which she calls "God", including "energy," "consciousness" and "life."
Oprah also contrasted what she called the "old" spirituality vs. the "new" spirituality, as espoused by Eckhart. "The old way is the hierarchy has the authority. Church authorities tell you how to worship in church and how to behave outside of church. The new spirituality is that you are your own best authority as you work to know and love yourself, you discover how to live a more spiritual life."
Despite Oprah and Eckhart's reduction of Christianity to but one "way" amongst many other equally legitimate ways to God, and their calling Christ a "revolutionary" who has been misunderstood by the Church, and who simply came to manifest "Christ-consciousness", a quick search through the internet reveals that many Christians are following Oprah in attempting to fuse together the teachings of Eckhart, and the doctrines of the historical Christian church.
One writer on the message board on Oprah's website wrote a message with the subject line, "Scared I'm replacing my religion, which I love." "I just started the book" she wrote, "and I love the idea of the book but I guess the question I keep repeating in my head is will this be replacing my religion? How do the two work together. Can someone please help ease my mind that I'm not turning on the lord."
Many of the respondents to the questioner confessed that they too had similar misgivings about the book, but "upon reflection", realized that Tolle draws from numerous Christian sources, and that he and Oprah were giving them a "deeper understanding" of their faith.
However, Keller, and a number of other Christian pastors have begun to actively warn Christians that Oprah and Eckhart's teachings are by no means compatible with Christianity. "Oprah is now trying to be the spiritual guru to this nation," said Keller in an appearance on Fox. "Sadly, she is being used as a tool of Satan to lead millions of souls to hell with her false teachings."
Another pastor, James A. Smith Sr., writing in the Florida Baptist Witness, criticized Oprah's "spirituality" for its emphasis on the power of the individual to define truth and reality, and to totally control one's own life. "What this fails to acknowledge is that man dos not define reality; man does not determine what truth is," wrote Smith. "The source of truth for our decisions and power is the one true God of all reality and He has communicated plenary propositional truths to us in the Bible and remarkably, uniquely in His incarnation in Jesus Christ.
"Oprah, as with other New Agers, is not in pursuit and in communion with God."
WorldNetDaily columnist Chuck Norris, wrote about Oprah and The New Earth, "The reason Tolle's psychology and spirituality is marketed so easy is that it is an eclectic mix of conventional and unconventional wisdom, and Western and Eastern beliefs, presented in a tolerant, non-threatening, and non-sectarian way. In other words, it's 'Religion Light,' in which one can be spiritual with 'little down and no credit.'"
Norris recommended that his readers simply sit down and read a Bible, rather than "A New Earth." "One could easily save the purchase price of 'A New Earth' and subsequently avoid misleading remarks by reading a Bible, which gives a much more thorough and accurate picture of life's purpose and methods for overcoming its obstacles," said Norris.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Oprah Winfrey Endorses Homosexuality Again With Upcoming Show:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/printerfriendly.html?articleid=05101707
Oprah Promotes Homosexual Agenda Again Referring to Lesbians as "Married"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/printerfriendly.html?articleid=03110704
Oprah Winfrey Support For Abortion And Homosexuality
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/printerfriendly.html?articleid=00081101
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