Mark's Views, Perhaps — from behind my eyeballs
Tests show bagged greens in Oregon, elsewhere have bacteria
Obama used National Prayer Breakfast to attack anti-sodomy laws for Uganda
Al Qaeda poised to try major attack in United States within 3-6 months, intelligence chiefs warn
UN calls for treaty to prevent cyber war
Obama Administration Admits It Wrongly Tracked Abortion Groups in Wisconsin
US says it may kill Americans abroad
Religious attire mirrors tenets of faith
I came across this on the 23rd:
Many “pro-life” leaders are applauding the victory of Scott Brown Republican to the United States Senate in a special election held this past week in Massachusetts. In all honesty, his victory is at best, a hollow one for the preborn. Let’s take an objective, non-partisan look at Scott Brown’s record and rhetoric on prenatal child-killing as recorded at the website “OnTheIssues.org”:
Source: Scott Brown’s Election to US Senate: A Hollow Victory for the Preborn
Ahhh, politics!
Or do I mean, Uggghh, politics!
🙁
(If you’re one of those thrilled and relieved at his election in Massachusetts, do you know Senator-elect Brown’s stance on abortion?)
PS: This post isn’t a political statement. It’s a nudge at my fellow conservative Mennonites who are all thrilled at Mr. Brown’s election.)
Here’s a story I’ve been sitting on since December 22. I wonder what Christmas was like for the Johansson’s…and what’s happening with Dominic by now. I just did several Google searches and turned up nothing new.
An appeals-level court in Sweden has affirmed the “kidnapping” of a 7-year-old boy who was snatched by police from a jetliner as it prepared to take his family to their new home in India.
The days-old decision from the Administrative Court of Stockholm affirms the state custody of Dominic Johansson, who was taken by uniformed police officers on the orders of social workers even though there was no allegation of any crime on the part of the family, nor was there any warrant, according to the Home School Legal Defense Association.
The group, the premiere homeschool advocacy association in the world today, has been alarmed by the case that developed apparently because school and social services officials in Sweden objected to the homeschool program for the child.
[…]
“HSLDA is gravely concerned about this case as it represents what can happen to other families who might wish to homeschool their children,” Donnelly said. “Furthermore, in response to inquiries from HSLDA, Swedish authorities have cited the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child to explain and defend their actions.
[…]
In a posting at the Swedish newspaper Varlen Idag, Mats Tunehag, president of the Swedish Evangelical Alliance, worried about the injury being inflicted on the family.
“Annie is from a Christian family in India, and they had planned for some time to move there to live, work and to homeschool Dominic. Due to the harassment from Swedish authorities the trip was delayed. But finally in June this year they were on their way, sitting on the plane bound for India. Then the police came rushing into the plane – as if they were to apprehend dangerous terrorists – and snatched Dominic, saying he is to be taken into care. Can anyone imagine?” Tunehag wrote.
So…what happens here in the United States if the USA becomes a signatory of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child?
Is that chiming you hear a call to worship?
Or is it all in your head?
Like this, for instance: Bells toll to halt climate change.
Toll the bells; halt climate change.
Great. 🙄
Wow, who would have thought it could be so simple. And think of all the carbon and footprints expended getting to, around, and from Copenhagen for that CCC (climate change conference).
…a worldwide bell-ringing event initiated by the World Council of Churches for Sunday, Dec. 13. Churches have been asked to sound their bells or other instruments 350 times to symbolize the 350 parts per million considered the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Churches without bells are invited to use handbells or other noisemakers instead. Some congregations are choosing to toll their bells 35 times instead of 350.
Our church has no bells. But if anyone shows up with handbells or cow bells or dumb bells, I’ll try to remember to let you know via Twitter.
And about those congregations opting to tithe the bell ringing, what’s with that? Maybe they’re slackers. Maybe they don’t want to be fanatical. Maybe they think some anti-climate-change conspiracy has infiltrated the movement and succeeded in setting “the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide” 1000% too high.
Mark’s Special Request to the Bell Ringers: Please consider the consequences of halting climate change! Are you sure that’s really what you want?
Anyway, I thought you should know what all the bell ringing is about. (But won’t all that excessive ringing drive the bats out of the bellfry?)
Oh, and sorry this is so late. I meant to post it yesterday.
I learned a new expression day before yesterday: Bonnet Books. So I Googled it and learned another new one: Bonnet Rippers.
Great. Just great.
There’s a new kind of romance novel out there and its plot includes forbidden love, a mysterious outsider and a heroine who has to decide between new love and her old life.
But these are not sexy Harlequin-like romances nicknamed bodice-rippers.
These are bonnet rippers.
Amish love stories are occupying many of the top spots in religious fiction.
[…]
The books’ plots usually include a young Amish woman who falls in love with an outsider. The woman is young enough, however, that she has not yet officially entered the Amish church, so she still can make a decision to leave the community.
[…]
In most cases, the woman does leave with the community and the reader perceives a happy ending.
If she doesn’t turn her back on her faith, does the book qualify as a bonnet ripper? (Get it? In case you don’t…she keeps her faith and her bonnet, ripping neither.)
One more quote from the article:
The books are marketed at conservative Christian readers, often showing up in devotional sections of bookstores.
Those things qualify as devotional?! 🙄
I am again grateful for religious freedom here in the United States.
New anti-conversion legislation coupled with more “extreme” Hindu extremist cells rising up across India make the future of Christians throughout the country look much more challenging.
First, “To further its campaign against Christianity, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party BJP has demanded an amendment in the Indian constitution to check religious conversions,” according to Christian Today.
While seven states across India already have anti-conversion legislation, if this amendment passed, all of India would have to abide by its regulations and not just scattered states throughout the country.
[…]
In addition to anti-conversion legislation, accompanying the good news of BJP slowly losing ground and facing “a potentially uncertain and unstable future,” according to Christian Today, there is also more bad news for Christians.
As BJP loses popularity, new extremist groups who claim to breakaway factions of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Hindu extremist umbrella organization, are launching their campaign against Christians. These groups go by names such as the Abhinav Bharat (Pride of India), the Rashtriya Jagran Manch (National Revival Forum) and the Hindu Dharam Sena (Army for Hindu Religion).
These new organizations viewed RSS and BJP as “too mild,” according to Baptist Press, and they advocate increased violence against Christians. These beliefs have been supported in their actions with several attacks in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Jabalpur since 2006.
As persecution worsens in India, Christians need to step up and not be afraid to share their faith, Stavers said.
Also, though many actions are restricted, Christians can still do several things to reach the searching of India.
Source: Mission Network News: Political climate makes conditions even worse for Indian Christians.
Over the last weeks and months in particular, as I have less-than-studiously observed American politicians in operation, I have wondered if I operate the same way in helping make church decisions.
In what ways should the Church differ from the State in making weighty decisions?
The 220-215 vote cleared the way for the Senate to begin debate on the issue that has come to overshadow all others in Congress.
The fewest should not decide for everybody.
Boiled down to the bare reality, three people in Congress made a decision for hundreds of millions of Americans.
To make such decisions with the simplest of majorities seems a major breach of justice.
Let it not be so in my church…even if “my side” would win.
“It provides coverage for 96 percent of Americans.”
Do not use words to obscure and twist truth.
This is so easy for me to do!
In the run-up to a final vote, conservatives from the two political parties joined forces to impose tough new restrictions on abortion coverage in insurance policies to be sold to many individuals and small groups. They prevailed on a roll call of 240-194.
Ironically, that only solidified support for the legislation, clearing the way for conservative Democrats to vote for it.
If something is wrong in principle, don’t accept its premise by working to make “improvements” to it here and there.
Each so-called improvement serves to make the flawed whole more palatable to those most prone to compromise.
If something is wrong in principle…well, stand on that principle and don’t budge. (Just make sure you’re standing on Biblical principles and not on mere stubbornness!)
Nearly unanimous in their opposition, minority Republicans cataloged their objections across hours of debate on the 1,990-page, $1.2 trillion legislation.
United in opposition, minority Republicans cataloged their objections across hours of debate on the 1,990-page, $1.2 trillion legislation.
OK, my first point here isn’t about church. I just think it’s interesting how the writers and editors at AP forgot to remove one of those paragraphs. In this article apparently written pre-outcome, they apparently had sections saying things slightly differently to account for various potential outcomes. Then they could quickly strip out what didn’t apply and quickly run with a story. That makes sense. But requires extra vigilance against leaving more in the story than you meant to.
As one who writes a lot, that’s very instructive. 🙂
But to the lesson for the church….
Do not spend the congregation’s money lightly…or in advance of having it.
If I want a fellowship hall or a gym or a church bus, use existing funds. Don’t saddle others with future debt and other financial obligations.
Do not cram and cram and cram issues and provisions and language into a single motion.
Keep it all short and simple and clear. Especially clear. So that everyone can hear or read the entire motion in its entirety. And understand it. And vote sensibly. (Yes, recently I’ve had several congregational opportunities to put my practice where my keyboard is.)
If you don’t understand it or haven’t even read it, do not vote for it.
Can that possibly need any sort of explanation? 😯
But with little doubt about the outcome, the rhetoric lacked the fire of last summer’s town hall meetings….
Hey, AP! The “little doubt about the outcome” doesn’t really relate to the lack of fire. The fire at the town hall meetings didn’t come from the politicians…. But now I got sidetracked again. So to the lesson for the church….
When you’re in a position to make decisions that affect others, tune them in.
I think it’s very easy to forget that on church boards and committees. And I say that as one who serves on our congregation’s School Board and Mission Board.
Source: House narrowly passes landmark health care bill; my screen capture
