The religious right is right in this: Birth control is the source of seismic change. Family planning has led to a transformation of our society so rapid we've only recently had the occasion to take stock. For example, the past century has actually witnessed a steep decline in extramarital affairs as a result, it would seem, of the very changes that drive the pro-lifers wild: The more lengthy and thoughtful trying-out of marriage partners in combination with greater candor about sexual desires within marriage. Studies conducted in 1948 and 1953, found that 26 percent of women and a whopping 50 percent of men had an extramarital sexual experience. But today, in our sex- and sin-saturated culture, the number of married people who have had an extramarital affair has plummeted to 6 percent of women and 10 percent of men, according to (conservative) Ben Wattenberg in his book The First Measured Century.
So birth control is responsible for bolstering family values because it makes people more responsible. Instead of people marrying and begetting children at an early age, usually because they have to due to unwanted pregnancies, they are waiting until they are at least 28. More maturity, more security, more certainty? The highest divorce rates in the country are reported to be in the fortress of the christianist movement: the South. Most people marry quite young, often in late teens. They have had no chance to experience life, so to speak. Isnt't it time they broke the cycle? just asking...
At Axis of Episcopal Split, an Anti-Gay Nigerian
Archbishop Akinola, a man whose international reputation has largely been built on his tough stance against homosexuality, has become the spiritual head of 21 conservative churches in the United States. They opted to leave the Episcopal Church over its decision to consecrate an openly gay bishop and allow churches to bless same-sex unions. Among the eight Virginia churches to announce they had joined the archbishop’s fold last week are The Falls Church and Truro Church, two large, historic and wealthy parishes.
More bigotry in the name of Christianity. This man is fixated on one thing and one thing only when the vast majority of AIDS cases are found in Africa and where the poverty level is the highest. He upholds the literal view of the bible and he panders to the lowest form of christianism in the US. More Love thy neighbor...? The real fight between the mainstream American Espiscopal church and the schismatics is going to be in the courts. There is a major question of church properties being the domain of the national church. It's going to be interesting to see what happens. Though both sides have agreed to a 30-day cooling off period before legal actions could start, the fact looms heavy. If the schismatics would win, could Archbishop Akinola then become an owner of property in the once slave rich South? Ironic?
Vista vulnerable to malware from 2004
Microsoft's Vista may be vulnerable to at least three pieces of widespread malware, two of which date back to 2004 , according to security vendor Sophos.
At least three well-known internet worms — labelled Stratio-Zip, Netsky-D and MyDoom-O by Sophos — are able to execute on the OS, according Sophos.
and now another company has found additonal security flaws connected with Vista and the new Explorer 7. [Flaws Are Detected in Microsoft’s Vista] This continues to be a disaster for MS. How can one of, if not the richest companies in the world continuously and seriously make these mistakes even before the product is released for general use? To paraphrase Henry II when speaking of Beckett: "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome software?" just asking*...
Pope Offers Christmas Prayers for Peace
Pope Benedict XVI urged a solution to conflicts across the world, especially in the Middle East and Africa, in a Christmas Day address that included an appeal for the poor, the exploited, and all those who suffer.
"With deep apprehension I think, on this festive day, of the Middle East, marked by so many grave crises and conflicts, and I express my hope that the way will be opened to a just and lasting peace," Benedict said Monday.
"...an appeal for the poor, the exploited, and all those who suffer...." my ass!
As he sits on his golden throne, wearing red Prada shoes, and riding around in limousines he needs to look at the lives of true humans in the world. If he wants to bring peace to the world, to improve the lives of everyone, and to spread acceptance and love, he has to stop his exclusion of parts of the world because of their differences. [Please read the next part of the post and its link] again I harp - more Love thy neighbor...?
The Peaceful Crusader
Islamic society and Christian society have been generally bad neighbors now for nearly 14 centuries, eager to misunderstand each other, often borrowing culturally and intellectually from each other without ever bestowing proper credit. But as Sir Jonathan Sacks, chief rabbi of the British Commonwealth, has written, almost as if he was thinking of (Sultan) Kamil and (Saint) Francis, “Those who are confident of their faith are not threatened but enlarged by the different faiths of others. ... There are, surely, many ways of arriving at this generosity of spirit and each faith may need to find its own.” We stand in desperate need of contemporary figures like Kamil and Francis of Assisi to create an innovative dialogue. To build a future better than our past, we need, as Rabbi Sacks has put it, “the confidence to recognize the irreducible, glorious dignity of difference.”
May the Lord give you peace.
Spock: "The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity."
Dr. Jones: "And in the way our differences combine to create meaning and beauty."
Sources: TomPaine.com, New York Times, ZDNet, Chicago Tribune, New York Times
*buy a Mac...
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