Rational Catholic continues dismantling the shoddy science in Dr. Deisher’s vaccine/autism study

Last updated on: January 10, 2015 at 6:48 pm By Simcha Fisher

The indefatigable Rational Catholic, still undeterred by accusations of being an enormous meany-pants, has provided us with part two of what will be a three-part series explaining why there is no reason to accept Dr. Theresa Deisher’s study proposing a link between vaccines and autism. In part one, Rational Catholic teased out the problems with Deisher’s statistical methodology. In part two, Problems with Deisher’s Study: Biological Implausibility, Rational Catholic systematically dismantles Deisher’s actual hypothesis. Noteworthy: Part II was updated to include commentary from... Read more

In which I narrowly avoid Jesus Juking the heck out of you

Last updated on: January 10, 2015 at 6:49 pm By Simcha Fisher

Back in the spring, I said to myself, “This is the year! This is the year I’m going to plant one of those glorious sunflower bowers for the children.” PIC sunflower bower “This is so simple, even I can’t screw it up!” I thought. “They can pretend they are fairies living in a flower fairy home, and it will be a Nice Childhood Memory Guaranteed!” So, we chose some seeds that become hardy, mammoth flowers, we picked a sunny... Read more

Should Catholics read anti-Catholic materials?

Last updated on: September 23, 2014 at 12:09 pm By Simcha Fisher

Do you know what happens when you only read things that you already know you are going to agree with? Your brain becomes a marshmallow: soft, white, undifferentiated, and incapable of doing anything besides sitting there harmlessly until someone decides to take a bite of you. Read the rest at the Register, which includes a picture of a German Medieval sculpture which is either Mary or an ancient Babylonian deity, an extended comparison to a hot air balloon because... Read more

Tantrum Ergo Sacramentum

Last updated on: September 18, 2014 at 5:30 pm By Simcha Fisher

Which hymns would be appropriate for a Mass which culminates a celebration of all things pertaining to family life? Here are a few suggestions, from someone who’s spent the last 17 years drowning in rejoicing in Catholic family living: Recalling the importance of preparing oneself for the sacrifice of the Mass: “Seek Ye First Your Shoes and Socks, Then We’ll Deal with Your Hair” Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/simcha-fisher/tantrum-ergo-sacramentum#ixzz3DhzYnlnj Read the rest at the Register. Read more

Hey, who wants to talk about Dr. Deisher and vaccines and autism and fetal cells and statistics? Some more?

Last updated on: January 10, 2015 at 6:55 pm By Simcha Fisher

PIC man showing woman statistics chart Not me! But other folks do, and ain’t other folks what make the world go round? Here are a few good reads for vaccine/austism/fetal cell/Deisher/statistical analysis die hards, following an odd exchange I had with Stacy Trasancos in the comment box of my Monday post, But what if we’re not scientists? The folks at Rational Catholic have added an even more in-depth commentary on the statistical analysis in Dr. Deisher’s study with Looking... Read more

What are you doing for catechism this year?

Last updated on: September 16, 2014 at 10:15 am By Simcha Fisher

For the older kids, in 7th, 8th, 10th, and 11th grades, I give up. Wait, no, that’s not what I meant to say out loud. What I meant to say is that we haven’t found either EDGE or LifeTeen to be a good match for our family, and every time I try to read something aloud to the kids, or do a pre-packaged curriculum with them, something happens to capsize the whole endeavor. It’s some combination of the kids being... Read more

But what if we’re not scientists?

Last updated on: September 15, 2014 at 11:39 am By Simcha Fisher

When Catholics have a hard time understanding or accepting some point of doctrine, their path is not easy, but it is clear. John XXIII reportedly told a man, “Accept the teaching you can accept, and pray to accept the ones you can’t.” We do this because we understand that the magsterium, the teaching authority of the Church, speaks for Christ and deserves our obedience. We don’t always like it, and we don’t always manage it, but our job is at least to... Read more

Yes, your kids can pack their own lunches. BUT . . .

Last updated on: September 12, 2014 at 8:32 am By Simcha Fisher

You really do want to check them before they leave the house. Not that there is anything wrong with an actually quite balanced and hearty meal consisting of ham, carrots, apple sauce, an apple, yogurt, and … bread-and-butter balls. “It’s just something I invented,” the kindergartner mentions casually. And then we have this meal prepared by the third grader: who is willing to face the day knowing she has peanuts, two cold waffles, and a... Read more

Sam Rocha sings . . . Augustinian Soul? (an interview with Sam)

Last updated on: September 11, 2014 at 4:19 pm By Simcha Fisher

In contemporary Gospel music, people like Israel Houghton are making amazing music with the best studio and stage musicians around. Consider this: most popular artists in soul music honed their craft in the Black church. Perhaps the question, then, is why do Catholic churches not produce artists of this calibre in any popular medium? Read the rest of my interview with Sam Rocha at the Register. Read more

Dr. Deisher, vaccines and autism: three red flags

Last updated on: January 10, 2015 at 6:58 pm By Simcha Fisher

PIC vaccine Catholics and vaccines. Oh, this is hard. Can we live with letting our children profit through the deaths of aborted babies? I’ve had those awkward conversations with our pediatricians. At first, I explained why we were declining the MMR and chickenpox vaccines, because they use cells derived from cell lines from aborted fetuses. Later, we began accepting the vaccines, but registering our desire for ethically-derived alternatives. Why did we make the change? We turned to the Church... Read more