A Sign Of Our Failings?

Pregnant students in a Denver high school are asking for at least four weeks of maternity leave so they can heal, bond with their newborns and not be penalized with unexcused absences.
The request is unusual in Colorado's public schools, where districts tend to deal with pregnant students or new moms with specialized programs or individualized education plans.
Denver Public Schools has no districtwide policy, leaving it up to schools to work out plans for students to continue their education.

Denver has one of the highest teen-pregnancy rates in the state. Of every 1,000 girls ages 15 to 17, 54.5 will become pregnant in the city, compared with 24.3 throughout Colorado, according to state health statistics.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Do you think there is no districtwide policy b/c up until this time there has been no need for one?
-For 1 out of every 2 children per 1,000 that enter into the public school system in Denver, will become pregnant by the age of 17. What does that say about our parenting?
-Who is to blame for such promiscuity?
-How can this be changed?
-How should this issue be remedied?
-Should we just accept this trend or should we attempt to ebb the flow?

Iron My Shirt!

Hillary Clinton said in a speech while in Salem New Hampshire, "Everybody in this race is talking about change. But what does that mean?"

A man stood up from among the audience and yelled, "Iron my shirt!" while unfolding and displaying a sign that stated the same. He said it over and over again until the lights were ordered on and the man and another man standing with him were removed from the audience.

Clinton stated, "“Oh, the remnants of sexism are alive and well".

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-What does this say about how far we have come since woman's suffrage?
-Is America really ready to have a woman take control of the country?
-Could a woman bring something positive to the White House that a man could not?
-Would a woman be weaker as Commander-in-Chief?
-Does the Bible have any bearing on those who will vote in this election? Particularly concerning the woman being the weaker vessel? What about a woman being in a position of authority over a man? Should these things influence a Christian's vote or is that to stay within the confines of the church?

Need A Car? That Will Be $2,500 Please.

What will be revealed on January 10 will be a properly designed and built car which could have been done by any other car maker in the world but they shied away from this. Credit the team led by Ratan Tata for sticking doggedly to their task and beavering away for almost a decade to come up with what promises to be the most cost effective people's car in the history of the automobile. On this count itself India has shown the way forward and while many lived in outright skepticism of this, only know is there grudging recognition form the majority behind the viability of such a car. Of course strong praise has come forth from none other Renault's Carlos Ghosn, the man who knows all about value engineering and cost shredding. Ghosn has been the first within the international automotive world to have seconded Tata's concept and given it the ultimate accolade by announcing a rival to it!

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-According to the article, the car is well built and not a bare bones model. Would you be interested in one?
-Seeing how the car is made in India, what would it take to make these vehicles available over in the states?
-Could this be the beginning of the mindset of a disposable car? Would that be a good thing or a bad thing?
-What would be the negative aspect attached to a car at this pricepoint?
-Do you think that a vehicle at this price will lead people to care less about their driving and their vehicle?

Scientology: The Basis For A New Religion

Scientology describes itself as the "the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others and all of life," and "encompasses all aspects of life from the point of view of the spirit" — including "auditing" and training in morals, ethics, detoxification, education and management.

Prime among Scientology's beliefs is "that man is a spiritual being whose existence spans more than one life and who is endowed with abilities well beyond those which he normally considers he possesses." Scientology believes man to be basically good, that his experiences have led him into evil, that he errs because he seeks to solve his problems by considering only his own point of view, and that man can improve to the degree he preserves his spiritual integrity and remains honest and decent. According to the Church, the ultimate goal is: "a civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights."

More beliefs held by Scientologists are as follows:

• A person is an immortal spiritual being (termed a thetan) who possesses a mind and a body.
  The thetan has lived through many past lives and will continue to live beyond the death of the body.
• Through the Scientology process of "auditing," people can free themselves of traumatic incidents, ethical transgressions and bad decisions which are said to collectively restrict the person from reaching the state of "Clear" and "Operating Thetan." Each state is said to represent the recovery of native spiritual abilities and to confer mental and physical benefits.
• A person is basically good, but becomes "abberated" by moments of pain and unconsciousness.
• Psychiatry and psychology are destructive and abusive practices.

You can read more about Scientology here.
You can read more on Tom Cruises's unauthorized biography from the biographer of Princess Diana here.
You can read more about David Miscavige here.
You can read more about Scientology's founder, L. Ron Hubbard here.

Some questions:

-Have you ever had an ecounter with scientologists?
-Do you see their basic belief system as being threatening to your world view?
-What do you think about Tom Cruise's biography? Do you think he is a magnet for bringing others into their "new religion"?
-If you read any on Lafayette Ron Hubbard, what is your opinion of his beliefs and reasoning for starting the church of scientology?

Is A Literal Adam Needed For Christ To Be Relevant?

After Church on Sunday night a fellow church member and myself had dinner with our families and he and I discussed science as he is a Physicist. During the course of the conversation a blog came up from a professor at Calvin College who is an educated reformed Christian and an evolutionist. His name is Stephen Matheson and he is an associate professor of Biology at Calvin. This peaked my interest. He emailed me the blog and I have spent the last hour scouring it and reading over his thoughts on how he handles the issue of evolution in how it relates to Christianity. Here below I will quote for you a snippet from one of his posts.

If there is any problem at all between evolution and Christian belief, it arises in the context of the historical narrative of redemptive history. (The notion that evolutionary theory, as a natural explanation, is hostile to Christian belief is, in my opinion, preposterous. Hence my low regard for ID.) Specifically, the historical nature of the Fall, in which sin and death entered the world due to the actions of two particular people, is difficult to fit into the narrative of common ancestry.
In my view, the problem is simply historical (the stories don't seem to fit well together), but many Christians see a more serious conflict, because they believe that the existence of a single historical Adam is central in the redemption narrative. In fact, I'm sure that the vast majority of evangelicals would take this position. And Romans 5 would be a big reason why.

You can read more on this here.
You can read more on his views regarding theology here.

Edit: Another resource relating to the issues of this topic can be viewed here.

Some questions:
-Does evolution pose a threat to your faith if you are a Christian?
-What do you think about the professor's conclusion on the matter?
-Do you think he is right? If yes, why? If no, why not?
-Do you tend to regurgitate what you have been told concerning this topic or have you actually looked into it?
-Does removing the literal Adam pose a problem for the entrance of sin and the need for a savior?

White People Are Not Human

Your thoughts?

Do You Believe In Miracles?

Alcides Moreno, a window washer in NYC, was washing windows with his brother around a month or so ago when the scaffolding collapsed and he and his brother fell some 47 stories to what would seem an instant death below. His brother did not make it but he was carted off to the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center where they were so afraid that even the slightest move might kill him, they performed their first operation right there where he was at instead of in an operating room. Several broken bones, including wrists, spinal column, an arm, both legs, severe injuries to his internal organs and internal bleeding which led to blood transfusions that could have filled up his body twice was thought to be a sure sign of imminent death, but he lived on.

On Christmas he spoke his first words and he is recoving well. He is projected to walk again.

"If you are a believer in miracles, this would be one," said the hospital's chief of surgery, Dr. Philip Barie.

The death rate from even a three-story fall is about 50 percent, Barie said. People who fall more than 10 stories almost never survive. "Forty-seven floors is virtually beyond belief," Pardes said.
Science may never be able to explain what protected Moreno when the platform he and his brother were using atop an Upper East Side apartment tower broke free and fell to the ground.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Is this a miracle? If not, what other explanations can you offer?
-500 feet is a long ways to fall and live; if you could tell this man anything what would it be?
-Is science meant to explain everything?
-Do you think God had his hand in this?