Abortion clearly needs to be stopped. There are many ways abortion is done. Some of them are obvious ways, some of them, such as the destruction of embryos which were conceived by IVF, are often ignored. Indeed, many people who are opposed to abortion seem rather unconcerned about IVF and the multitude of human persons who have been destroyed because of its practice. But here we are, and there is another March for Life. It’s a good idea, it’s an important thing to... Read more
Part I. Part II. Part III. Part IV. Part V. Part VI. While Christian authorities have consistently repudiated any Gnostic system they encountered, Gnosticism has held a continuous influence upon the development of Western civilization. Sometimes the influence has led people to become outright Gnostics, as can be seen with the Cathars. Usually its influence has been partial and often indirect. Thus aspects of Gnostic thought, especially its dualisms, will be used by theologians (such as the good/evil dualism found... Read more
Here are a few bits from Steve Chapman’s op-ed , “Drop in abortion rate shows society changing, not the law,” in today’s Chicago Tribune: The abortion debate has raged since 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court gave abortion constitutional protection, but the basic law of the land has proved immutable. Abortion is legal, and it’s going to remain legal for a long time. Laws often alter attitudes, inducing people to accept things—such as racial integration—they once rejected. But sometimes, attitudes... Read more
I just finished reading the novel Valis by Philip K. Dick, finding it more than a little confusing. Was he trying to claim that the events in it actually happened? It sure seemed like he was, especially since the Dick is a character in the story (actually, he is two characters – one, Horselover Fat, the name being a play on words based upon his real name, the other Philip K. Dick, science fiction author), and the book represents the... Read more
A question that inevitably will be raised, debated and, quite possibly, dismissed is: Who’s left in the presidential race who’s really pro-life? And by “pro-life,” I mean the minimalist view advocated by many self-styled “conservative” Catholics and not the fuller, more consistent “pro-life” of the Catholic tradition. The minimalist version of “pro-life” is that of the so-called “non-negotiables,” which posits abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research as the life issues. On this view, a candidate must be personally and... Read more
Does Mike Huckabee have anything left? I can’t help but notice the politeness and admiration with which Huckabee speaks of John McCain, and McCain has certainly been light in his criticism of Huckabee. Could a McCain-Huckabee ticket be in the making? Could such a ticket be the GOP’s only realistic hope of interdicting the Democratic progress toward the presidency? It’s early…but it’s getting late. Read more
CNN (among others) projects Mitt Romney as the winner of the Nevada GOP Caucuses. Read more
From Democracy Now!: The Canadian government has put the United States on a watch list of countries that could practice torture. The mention is made on a secret Canadian government document not intended for public release. The document cites the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay and lists U.S. interrogation techniques including “forced nudity, isolation, and sleep deprivation.” Other countries on the list include Israel, Syria, China, Iran and Afghanistan. Read more
I love this beautiful and funny vinette from Father Neuhaus, and simply had to share it with y’all: Let me stop with a story. One ordinarily does not repeat in public what the pope says in private conversation, but I asked and John Paul gave me permission to tell this one. When during the O’Connor years I had occasion to meet with the pope, he would always ask, “How is Cardinal O’Connor?” And I would always say that Cardinal O’Connor is... Read more
A propos of today’s discussion on McCain’s pro-life record, here is an article by Richard Stith arguing that embryonic stem cell research funding is actually worse than abortion: Legalizing abortion is not quite the same as desiring abortion. It is logically possible, even if unjust, for a legislature to be both anti-abortion and pro-choice, just as people could once be anti-apartheid and yet defer to the sovereignty of South Africa. By contrast, no one in favor of funding embryonic stem... Read more
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