Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 234
July 17, 2015
Terrorist kills four Marines in Tennessee
Yet another Islamic terrorist attack on American soil. Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeezhis shot up two military facilities in Chattanooga, killing four Marines. He also wounded two other soldiers and a police officer before he was shot and killed. The authorities are investigating any terrorist connections he might have. ISIS has called for “lone wolf” attacks during [Read More...]
July 16, 2015
“The lie kills nations”
Hermann Sasse was contending with Nazi Germany, but his words about how “the lie” kills nations–presenting cultural dissolution “as a glorious ascent,” in which “decline is viewed as an advance”–have an unsettling resonance for today. From Hermann Sasse, “The lie is the death of man, his temporal and his eternal death”, via Rev. Matthew Harrison, [Read More...]
“The next Darwin” says life is inevitable
A 33-year-old physicist at MIT, Jeremy England, is being hailed as “the new Darwin,” for his mathematical models that suggest life is inevitable. Though some are saying this will pose a problem for creationists and religious people, it looks to me like more evidence for Design. (The doctrine of creation teaches not just that God [Read More...]
Greeks accept austerity after all
The Greek government accepted the austerity it had opposed and the people had voted against, taking the terms of the European Union bailout. From Greece approves contentious austerity measures, smoothing way for bailout – The Washington Post: Hours after police and demonstrators clashed in central Athens, Greek lawmakers on Thursday approved austerity measures that were [Read More...]
July 15, 2015
What churches can expect from the world
As churches try to think through the implications of the gay marriage ruling, many Christians are realizing for the first time that the United States is not, if it ever has been, a Christian nation. Furthermore, that Christianity no longer exerts much moral influence on the culture as a whole. This may prove beneficial, at [Read More...]
Planned Parenthood trafficking in fetal organs?
A tape has emerged of the Senior Director of Planned Parenthood’s Medical Services Department talking about performing abortions to minimize organ damage so that the fetus’s liver, heart, and lungs can be sold. Trafficking in fetal tissue is a felony that can be punished by 10 years in prison and a half million dollar fine. [Read More...]
We’ve reached a nuclear deal with Iran
The Obama administration, along with 5 other countries, reached a deal with Iran, cutting sanctions in return for a ten-year moratorium on that country’s nuclear weapons program. So now, without sanctions, Iran can potentially sell its oil and grow rich and powerful, and possibly after a decade become a nuclear power. Israel is profoundly worried, [Read More...]
July 14, 2015
Christianity’s influence on marriage & the status of women
According to the “progressive narrative,” Christianity and its view of marriage have oppressed women. But as David Theroux points out, drawing on actual scholarship, the actual influence of Christianity is quite different. From David Theroux, Christianity’s Revolutionary Recognition of Women as Equals: Newsroom: The Independent Institute: Many academics view traditional marriage as a patriarchy to [Read More...]
Scott Walker is running for president
Wisconsin governor Scott Walker announced his candidacy for president. (You are excused if you thought that he had already done so, he’s been doing so much campaigning.) He made a name for himself as the scourge of labor unions, crippling the teachers’ union in Wisconsin and surviving their attempt to recall him. Republicans like that, [Read More...]
How a Nobel prize winner got fired
Timothy Richard Hunt is a biologist who won the Nobel Prize. A faculty member at University College London, a fellow of the Royal Society, and a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, he was knighted for his accomplishments. But he said this in a speech: “Let me tell you about my trouble with girls. [Read More...]
