In this third part of my five-part series—in which I look at abortion through the lens of each of the five books of the Pentateuch—my goal is to take a step back from the “pro-choice” versus “pro-life” abortion debate and consider one of the less talked about issues surrounding abortion.   A few years ago, when I shied away from taking a firm stand in the abortion debate, I would make this argument: the issue we should be talking about... Read more

Once again, Texas has made the news for producing stupid statements. And, once again, these moronic statements come from its governor. Recently, across our Union, a few thousand people gathered to throw "tea parties" and complain about the government stimulus, taxes, and whatever else burdens them. I, for one, am all for citizens voicing their opinion – that is until the opinion verges on violence or secession from the Union, which is exactly what Texas Governor Rick Perry partially advocated... Read more

In this second part of my five-part series-in which I look at abortion through the lens of each of the five books of the Pentateuch-I want to focus on the two well-known passages in Exodus that have to do with the killing of children.  (See the first essay in the series for some explanations of my intentions as well as some disclaimers.)   The first passage is found in Exodus 1.  The scene is being set for the Israelites’ divinely ordained and... Read more

I usually let sleeping dogs lie, but Congressman Mike Rogers’ recent crude and unbecoming comments about Speaker Nancy Pelosi earns a trip to the woodshed. Maybe, for me, it’s a Southern thing. One of my cousins tells a story about moving to South Korea with her soldier husband back in the 1970’s. There was a big going away party on our farm with all the families of my Mississippi community in attendance. She vividly recounts how my farmer-sheriff father, Big... Read more

Look, if the clowns feigning outrage over Obama’s appearance at a Catholic school really think that every instance of abortion is murder, fine, they should go ahead and protest. But they shouldn’t pretend that anything unusual is going on here . . . (more…) Read more

Abortion takes away the potential for life.  Is it possible, though, that abortion-alongside the grief, the uncertainty, the sheer impossibility that must attend it-can leave a spark of hope, or peace of mind, or at the very least relief?  Only those who have been through an abortion can speak to that.  But those of us who want abortion to be a black and white political issue simply cannot have it so. (more…) Read more

For too long, we have seen nothing but distain for opposing viewpoints within the debate over human life and dignity. The blatant obstructionism of many on the pro-choice side melded with the “all-or-nothing” mantra of many on the pro-life side to insure that millions of pregnant women have been left uninformed, impoverished, and fearful, facing a decision on the life of child with little assistance and even less hope. (more…) Read more

Most of societies ills are because of human weakness. Gluttony for religious and political power, pride, and selfishness… these are all human traits that create our world and wars and poverty. God let humans – to some extent – be gods in that He allowed us to have independent thought and decide what course of actions we take in life. Now, it is up to humanity to make the Creator proud of His creation. (more…) Read more

In this economy, more people in the United States and around the world are going hungry.  It’s not that the good people are winners and the bad people are losers.  Who is affected seems not to be a matter of skill or blessing, but of fate or chance.  Layoffs strike randomly and cuts in pay have a greater impact on those with lower incomes. (more…) Read more