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Boston Woman Suing Abortion Practitioner and Planned Parenthood for Failing to Kill Daughter
A case of a failed abortion requested by mother Jennifer Raper.
B.C. Doctor Ordered to Pay $325,000 for 'Wrongful Birth'
A case of a failed abortion for reasons of eugenics that ruined the plans of the parents.
What a sick world we live in. And what sort of self-esteem will those children have when they are older?
No Such Thing as "Right Not to be Born": Italian Court
Thank God that some still have some moral sense.
Wrongful birth, wrongful life
March 11, 2007, 11:16 amAdventist Lent
March 11, 2007, 10:55 am
A bit old, but since it's still Lent, it's quite appropriate.
On the Progressive Adventist blog, there is a post about Ash Wednesday and Lent.
A few snippets from the comments:
See also "Sacred Time" at Adventist Today, and on the same author's blog, "Ash Wednesday: Come Dancing" - she's an Adventist keeping Lent.
On the Progressive Adventist blog, there is a post about Ash Wednesday and Lent.
Could there be a way we Adventists can overcome the spectre of indiscriminate anti-Catholicism and embrace of the spirit of Ash Wednesday?
A few snippets from the comments:
I think it would be wonderful if Adventists incorporated the observance of not just Ash Wednesday but other days in the Christian liturgical calendar as well.
Lent is meaningless unless Pascha aquires some religious significance for them. For decades, Adventist evangelists have treated the day as a “pagan holiday,� which could not be further from the truth. The day is only recalculated celebration of the Jewish Passover, now contextualized within the story of Chrst’s resrrection.
I’m with the others who feel that we’re missing out on something by abstaining from observance. Whether it’s out of fear, or the need to feel peculiar, or whatever else might drive Adventist skepticism and repugnance for holidays of other faith traditions, I say, “too bad.� Not only would such reminders be beneficial for our congregations, but they would also foster a sense of commonality and solidarity.
I would love to see Adventism embrace more of the liturgical traditions. There’s a certain rhythm of the year that I think we miss out on when we skip these rituals.
In general, I feel Sabbathkeeping and observing a liturgical calendar are part of the same thing — living our lives by the pattern of sacred time rather than being driven by the secular demands of the calendar. I think as SDAs we have a precious and wonderful treasure in the Sabbath that other Christians could learn from — but there are also things we can learn from them, and for me personally observing the seasons of Lent and Advent is one of those things I have learned.
An honest study of Church History will demonstrate that “Roman and Persian paganism� had nothing to do with the establishment of Ash Wednesday or Lent. ... Many fundamentalists attempt to trace Lent to Babylonian fasts (�weeping for Tammuz� in the month of June). The fact that these cults had died out almost a thousand years before should suffice to prove that they could not have had any influence on the ancient Catholic Church. ... The earliest record of applying ashes at the commencement of Lent (mirroring the Old Testament practice of accompanying repentance and fasting with the imposition of ashes) dates to about the 10th century. That is six centuries too late for the practice to be traced to “Roman and Persian paganism.� Rather than fear Lent and Ash Wednesday, all Christians should embrace it as part of the heritage of the undivided Church. It is sad that Adventists so quickly dismiss as “pagan� any sincere Christian devotional practice they do not understand.
Lent is meaningless unless Pascha aquires some religious significance for them. For decades, Adventist evangelists have treated the day as a “pagan holiday,� which could not be further from the truth. The day is only recalculated celebration of the Jewish Passover, now contextualized within the story of Chrst’s resrrection.
I’m with the others who feel that we’re missing out on something by abstaining from observance. Whether it’s out of fear, or the need to feel peculiar, or whatever else might drive Adventist skepticism and repugnance for holidays of other faith traditions, I say, “too bad.� Not only would such reminders be beneficial for our congregations, but they would also foster a sense of commonality and solidarity.
I would love to see Adventism embrace more of the liturgical traditions. There’s a certain rhythm of the year that I think we miss out on when we skip these rituals.
In general, I feel Sabbathkeeping and observing a liturgical calendar are part of the same thing — living our lives by the pattern of sacred time rather than being driven by the secular demands of the calendar. I think as SDAs we have a precious and wonderful treasure in the Sabbath that other Christians could learn from — but there are also things we can learn from them, and for me personally observing the seasons of Lent and Advent is one of those things I have learned.
An honest study of Church History will demonstrate that “Roman and Persian paganism� had nothing to do with the establishment of Ash Wednesday or Lent. ... Many fundamentalists attempt to trace Lent to Babylonian fasts (�weeping for Tammuz� in the month of June). The fact that these cults had died out almost a thousand years before should suffice to prove that they could not have had any influence on the ancient Catholic Church. ... The earliest record of applying ashes at the commencement of Lent (mirroring the Old Testament practice of accompanying repentance and fasting with the imposition of ashes) dates to about the 10th century. That is six centuries too late for the practice to be traced to “Roman and Persian paganism.� Rather than fear Lent and Ash Wednesday, all Christians should embrace it as part of the heritage of the undivided Church. It is sad that Adventists so quickly dismiss as “pagan� any sincere Christian devotional practice they do not understand.
See also "Sacred Time" at Adventist Today, and on the same author's blog, "Ash Wednesday: Come Dancing" - she's an Adventist keeping Lent.
The Gregorian responds
March 9, 2007, 10:46 pm
In his latest newsletter, Samuele Bacchiocchi reports on the reply from the Gregorian University regarding the allegations concerning his credentials.
The Gregorian's rector, Fr Gianfranco Ghirlanda, states that Bacchiocchi received a summa cum laude for his Licentiate, which appears for form part of the process leading up to the doctorate.
The issue regarding the publication of one chapter vs the whole - I think that the XCG blog has done a good analysis of that, and Bacchiocchi's defence seems to fit in with that.
These issues partly confirm Bacchiocchi's claims.
Further statements from him have also confirmed that the Imprimatur he claims applies only to the abridged version of his thesis, not the book in which he prints it. The existence of the imprimatur alone, without the other declarations that go along with it, indicates that it was meant as permission to print, not a statement on the theological correctness of his conclusions. It never meant approval by the Vatican or the Catholic Church. It never meant that the promotors agreed with the theology, or even the historical conclusions. It was simply approval of it as proper research done by a scholar, granting permission to print.
As Bacchiocchi said in an e-mail to me:
The Gregorian Controversy is over. Bacchiocchi says:
On some issues, Bergami was wrong. On the rest, it seems that Bacchiocchi will let them go.
In light of this, I apologise to Samuele Bacchiocchi for the trouble my inquiries have caused him. My questions were justified, and brought greater clarity as to the relationship between his thesis, his promotors, and the Catholic Church. But I never wished for someone to provide misleading information the way Barbara Bergami did. What her motivations were, and how well she investigated the matter, are not known. How Gregorian will deal with her will probably never be known.
Bacchiocchi is now suffering from stage 4 colon carcinoma, metastasised to the liver. Survival of such advanced cancer is usually not long. We should pray for him, that he be healed, if that is God's will.
The Gregorian's rector, Fr Gianfranco Ghirlanda, states that Bacchiocchi received a summa cum laude for his Licentiate, which appears for form part of the process leading up to the doctorate.
The issue regarding the publication of one chapter vs the whole - I think that the XCG blog has done a good analysis of that, and Bacchiocchi's defence seems to fit in with that.
These issues partly confirm Bacchiocchi's claims.
Further statements from him have also confirmed that the Imprimatur he claims applies only to the abridged version of his thesis, not the book in which he prints it. The existence of the imprimatur alone, without the other declarations that go along with it, indicates that it was meant as permission to print, not a statement on the theological correctness of his conclusions. It never meant approval by the Vatican or the Catholic Church. It never meant that the promotors agreed with the theology, or even the historical conclusions. It was simply approval of it as proper research done by a scholar, granting permission to print.
As Bacchiocchi said in an e-mail to me:
Regarding the imprimatur, he [Ghirlanda] explains that the approval that I received from granted by the Gregorian University, not by the Catholic church at large.
The Gregorian Controversy is over. Bacchiocchi says:
I would like to express my gratitude to Rector Ghirlanda for taking time to examine my response and rectify some of the false allegations. Though some allegations still remain unresolved, in the spirit of Christian forgiveness I consider the case closed.
On some issues, Bergami was wrong. On the rest, it seems that Bacchiocchi will let them go.
In light of this, I apologise to Samuele Bacchiocchi for the trouble my inquiries have caused him. My questions were justified, and brought greater clarity as to the relationship between his thesis, his promotors, and the Catholic Church. But I never wished for someone to provide misleading information the way Barbara Bergami did. What her motivations were, and how well she investigated the matter, are not known. How Gregorian will deal with her will probably never be known.
Bacchiocchi is now suffering from stage 4 colon carcinoma, metastasised to the liver. Survival of such advanced cancer is usually not long. We should pray for him, that he be healed, if that is God's will.
What Jesus said about salvation
March 7, 2007, 8:01 pm
Christianity Today has an article entitled "Jesus and the Sinner’s Prayer" (subtitled "What Jesus says doesn’t match what we usually say.") by David P. Gushee.
A few quotes:
And:
Once saved, always saved? That's Calvin, not Jesus.
We save ourselves? That's Pelagius and others, not Jesus.
The bold section above is the teaching of Jesus and the Catholic Church.
A few quotes:
"The only thing required of us is to believe that Jesus' blood saves us. Nothing more. It's nothing but the blood of Jesus."
In my Baptist context, we've heard these thoughts a thousand times. The problem was that I had in my pocket a message in which Jesus himself had a very different answer to the question of salvation.
In reading through Luke, I had discovered that twice [10:25, 18:18] Jesus is asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"
In my Baptist context, we've heard these thoughts a thousand times. The problem was that I had in my pocket a message in which Jesus himself had a very different answer to the question of salvation.
In reading through Luke, I had discovered that twice [10:25, 18:18] Jesus is asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"
And:
In my Baptist tradition, especially, we direct people to "invite Jesus into your heart as your personal Savior," an act undertaken using a formula called the "sinner's prayer." Or we simply say, "Believe in Jesus, and you will be saved."
But Jesus never taught easy believism. Whether he was telling the rich young ruler to sell all and follow him or telling a miracle-hungry crowd near Capernaum that to do the work of God was, yes, to believe on him (John 6:28-29), he called people to abandon their own agenda and trust him radically. Radical trust calls for both belief and action.
I suggest that we tend to confuse the beginning of the faith journey with its entirety. Yes, believe in Jesus—that's the first step. Yes, invite Jesus into your heart as your personal Savior. Then, empowered by God's grace, embark on the journey of discipleship, in which you seek to love God with every fiber of your being, to love your neighbor as yourself, to live out God's moral will, and to follow Jesus where he leads you, whatever the cost.
If Jesus is to be believed, inheriting eternal life involves a comprehensive divine assessment at every step along our journey, not just at its inception.
But Jesus never taught easy believism. Whether he was telling the rich young ruler to sell all and follow him or telling a miracle-hungry crowd near Capernaum that to do the work of God was, yes, to believe on him (John 6:28-29), he called people to abandon their own agenda and trust him radically. Radical trust calls for both belief and action.
I suggest that we tend to confuse the beginning of the faith journey with its entirety. Yes, believe in Jesus—that's the first step. Yes, invite Jesus into your heart as your personal Savior. Then, empowered by God's grace, embark on the journey of discipleship, in which you seek to love God with every fiber of your being, to love your neighbor as yourself, to live out God's moral will, and to follow Jesus where he leads you, whatever the cost.
If Jesus is to be believed, inheriting eternal life involves a comprehensive divine assessment at every step along our journey, not just at its inception.
Once saved, always saved? That's Calvin, not Jesus.
We save ourselves? That's Pelagius and others, not Jesus.
If it comes down to a choice between our habitual, ingrained ways of talking about salvation and what Jesus himself said when asked the question, I know what I must choose.
The bold section above is the teaching of Jesus and the Catholic Church.
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