Category: US

By micoots
25/08/2016 0

New study on church-going has surprises

Pew Research has released a new study on church-going, including why people leave, how they choose a new congregation, and why people don’t attend. Read the study here.
The reason lots of people have stopped going to church, it turns out, is not so much that they are rejecting religion in favor of scientific materialism. Rather, the logistics of getting up on Sunday and organizing themselves and the family for a trip to church is just too difficult.
The main reason people choose a new congregati..

By micoots
25/08/2016 0

Study challenges LGBT assumptions 

Public opinion, government policy, and Supreme Court rulings about LGBT issues has been predicated on the notion that same-sex attraction and having a gender identity different from one’s biological sex are innate, fixed conditions. In the words of the Lady Gaga song, “I was born this way.”
But a Johns Hopkins study has found otherwise.

From David French, Liberal Views on Sexuality Debunked | National Review:
First, regarding sexual orientation, the view that it is “an innate, biologically fixe..

By micoots
25/08/2016 0

Clinton Foundation pay for play

The Associated Press, no less, has been investigating the Clinton Foundation. It reports that over half of the people Hillary Clinton met with as Secretary of State outside of the government were donors to the foundation.
Meanwhile, as Clinton’s clandestine e-mails come out, more questionable details about the foundation are surfacing. For example, in 2013 its income was $140 million, but it gave out only $9 million for its stated philanthropic purposes. See also this.
From Many donors to Clinto..

By micoots
24/08/2016 0

What Judaism teaches about the afterlife

It is often said that Jews don’t believe in a life after death. In fact, Jews often say that. But, as Jeffrey Salkin says in a review of a new book on the subject, Judaism DOES believe in an afterlife and always has.
From Jeffrey Salkin, Woody Allen is wrong about the afterlife | Religion News Service:
In the biblical period, ancient Jews believed that people went to Sheol, a shadowy pit beneath the earth. Nothing much happens there (sort of like certain cities that you have visited, no doubt).

By micoots
24/08/2016 0

The case of the trans-gender funeral director

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) (1993) is still the law of the land and can be a potent weapon in cases involving the conflict between religious liberty and LBGT issues. This was demonstrated in a case involving a Michigan funeral home that fired a male funeral director for violating the company’s dress code by insisting on wearing female clothes.
The Obama administration swept in to defend him and punish the funeral home, but–in what comes as a surprise these days–the owners, invok..

By micoots
24/08/2016 0

Libertarian candidate opposes 2nd Amendment liberties

As we blogged about (here and here), Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson is dismissive of religious liberty, which he dismisses as a “black hole.” His running mate, Bill Weld, is weak on the 2nd Amendment liberty to own a firearm.
Weld said that an AR-15 is a “weapon of mass destruction.” Furthermore, he said, pistols are “even worse.” (Than weapons of mass destruction?) He called for restrictions on both kinds of firearms.
See this for Weld’s remarks and an answer to them.
Read thi..

By micoots
23/08/2016 0

Pastors, have you been asked to do a gay wedding?

There have been about 120,000 same-sex marriages since they were legalized nation-wide last year. The total number of marriages in 2014 was 2.1 million. So, assuming similar stats for the previous year, the percentage of gay weddings would be just over 5%.
How many pastors have been asked to perform gay weddings? According to a new study, 11%. Presbyterians were asked most often (26%), followed by Lutherans (19%), but I’m pretty sure these would be the liberal denominations in those traditions–t..

By micoots
23/08/2016 0

Court blocks Obama’s bathroom mandate

Just in time for the new school year, a federal court has granted an injunction blocking the Obama administration’s decree that public schools must allow children to use whichever bathroom corresponds to their self-chosen gender identity, rather than their biological sex. The injunction will hold until the issue is decided in the courts.
From White House Transgender Policy Blocked By Nationwide Injunction : The Two-Way : NPR:
Months after the Obama administration advised school districts that tr..

By micoots
23/08/2016 0

Did Rio cops distort the Lochte robbery story?

An investigation by USA Today says that there is more to the Ryan Lochte/US swim team robbery story than the Rio police have said. Reportedly, a uniformed security guard did point a gun and demand money. In his mind, he was telling the swimmers to pay for vandalism they committed. In Lochte’s mind, the swimmers were being robbed. That communication confusing came from neither side understanding each other’s language.
Read the USA Today story after the jump.
From USA TODAY Sports investigation ra..

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By micoots
23/08/2016 0

Chance for free books

Are you familiar with GoodReads, a popular site for following authors, seeing what your friends are reading, and getting ideas for books that you might like? The site has a giveaway feature, with which you can sign up for a “drawing” that can give you free books. For the month of August, my daughter’s book, Blessed: God’s Gift of Love, co-written with Christopher Mitchell, has three copies available as giveaways. (Go here for my review of that book.)
In September, our book, Family Vocations will..