David Warren on suicide and euthenasia. Referencing Masaryk's "Suicide and the Meaning of Civilization", written in 1881 but still profoundly relevant, he makes the case that suicide is a moral and religious issue.
Chesterton on suicide: " Not only is suicide a sin, it is the sin. It is the ultimate and absolute evil, the refusal to take an interest in existence; the refusal to take the oath of loyalty to life. The man who kills a man, kills a man. The man who kills himself, kills all men; as far as he is concerned he wipes out the world. His act is worse (symbolically considered) than any rape or dynamite outrage. For it destroys all buildings: it insults all women. The thief is satisfied with diamonds; but the suicide is not: that is his crime. He cannot be bribed, even by the blazing stones of the Celestial City. The thief compliments the things he steals, if not the owner of them. But the suicide insults everything on earth by not stealing it. He defiles every flower by refusing to live for its sake. There is not a tiny creature in the cosmos at whom his death is not a sneer. When a man hangs himself on a tree, the leaves might fall off in anger and the birds fly away in fury: for each has received a personal affront. Of course there may be pathetic emotional excuses for the act. There often are for rape, and there almost always are for dynamite. But if it comes to clear ideas and the intelligent meaning of things, then there is much more rational and philosophic truth in the burial at the cross-roads and the stake driven through the body, than in Mr. Archer's suicidal automatic machines."
The conventional wisdom of the day seems to lend itself towards later marriages. We don't want to mess up our degrees. We don't think that young people are mature enough for marriage (okay so some of them probably are, but have we considered how our permissive attitude towards delayed responsibility might contribute to this?). However this can have a devastating effect on young men and women.
“You wanna know why I got married? Here’s the deal: The wisest man in the Bible, the strongest man in the Bible, and the godliest man in the Bible all fell into sexual sin. For me to stay engaged to Bridget from the time I was a sophomore until I graduated from college was for me to expect myself to be wiser than Solomon, stronger than Samson, and more godly than David- and I was neither- so we got married.” Voddie Baucham Jr.
Mark Regnarus makes the case that while the Christian church has focused on abstinence education it has fallen prey to an unfavourable view of early marriage. Thus the church is simultaneously expecting virtue while discouraging the proper expression of desires. The reality is, it isn't working. The fact that 90% of Christian teens are having pre-marital sex despite the church's obsession with sex issues should tell us something. Regnarus also deals with five of the biggest pitfalls that plague early marriages and helps to show how people can get married early and have a long-lasting marriage.
The Apple Cidar Mama adds a list of qualifications for marriage, and a anecdote about the stigma attached to young marriages. I am sure that if I get married within the next few years that will be an issue for me, since I look a good bit younger than I am and I'm not that old to start with.
Binky the WebElf is on a long, long holiday. At least it feels very long for this deprived addict. However if I have any east coast readers they may be interested to know that he will be coming down from the North Pole or wherever it is that he lives to give a workshop at the ECP Live Free or.... Fight conference in Halifax. Free Speech junkies will also be glad to note that the Levant himself will be speaking at the conference. Now as I look at the map Ottawa is between Halifax and Calgary. Why couldn't Levant have a nice long stop-over with maybe a speech stuck in...
I hate going to conferences where they are going to be teaching you how to "get involved" and all they tell you is that you should write letters. News flash: That is not breaking news. However that aside, and since I don't pay to read Mercatornet so I'm not feeling ripped off right now, they have a good article on how to write good letters to the editors, and why you should.
I like to listen to music while I write. As I was writing this post a line in this song caught my attention and I decided to add the song to this blog.
Lyrics for Dual Wield
Rise and build,
Servants of Adonai
Bend your backs
For the Lord is worthy
(Sorry can't get this line anyone want to add it in the comments?)
We are called to serve Him
work with purpose
for we build the kingdom
Stack your bricks, clutch your sword x2
Enemies plot to come against us
They despise Him and despise His kingdom
Stand your ground blast the horn
We unite in the Lord x2
Father You alone
Are great and terrible
Hear us Mighty God
Be our shield this day
Fight for your brothers, daughters and sons
Fight for your wives, and fight for your homes
Father You alone
are great and terrible
Hear us Mighty God
Be our shield this day
Fight for your brothers, daughters and sons
Fight for your wives, and fight for your homes
Jesus, Jesus...Won`t you help make it through the night x4
Lyrics partially copied from http://www.scribd.com/doc/6435511/Dual-Wield
Ezra Levant on TV. Due to circumstances I haven't seen the last few minutes of the movie but I am sure that it is interesting. I agree that we should not be encouraging the HRC by taking complaints there. As Kathy Shaidle said "The pro-life establishment is always at their dumbest when they think they're being clever."
Related, the problem with free speech for me but not for you, is that you never know who the me and who the you will be in the future. As the B'nai Brith is finding out to their cost.
Jasmine Baucham on clothing, modesty, and style. "You Dress Like a Homeschooler" and "A Dress Code of Sorts". Style never really mattered to me when I was younger but in the last little while I am starting to appreciate modest and stylish/classic clothes. I do wear dresses only but I have discovered that there are more nice skirts/dresses available than one would guess.
On statistics. I love statistics. I think that they are fascinating and usually very instructive. However a few worthy cautions.
Christina Hoff Sommers identifies and debunks some statistics used by feminists to propagate their metanarrative of male oppression.
David Warren loathes statistics on the ground that they are dehumanizing and reduce people to things.
And Yes Prime Minister is characteristically witty, skeptical, and demonstrates statistic gathering techniques with squirm-inducing accuracy.
Howard Levitt in the Financial Post attacks Mayor Miller for his disastrous handling of the Toronto strike and Barbara Hall of the OHRC for what amounts to either legal illiteracy or almost lies. Freedom through Truth gives the background and bios to answer the question, who should we believe?
So... we overreacted. Well, we're big kids and can say we're sorry. Or if not sorry, we can at least admit that we weren't targeting the HRC for the right thing. This time.
Why I don't use drive-thru ATMs.
"The Dark Side of Single-Parent Adoption"
Pro-lifers are violent domestic terrorists because seven people have died at the hands of fringe adherents. So using this logic can we call Democrats nasty racists because some left-leaning people beat-up a man and use racial slurs? Sounds fair to me. And until every prominent left organization goes on record publically condemning the attack it will be more than fair.
Albert Mohler on hurt feelings laws.
Posts
What's the significance of that image of the woman looking off into the distance thinking? Which story does that go with?
ReplyDeleteThe Howard Levitt one, signifies deciding who to believe.
ReplyDeleteIn Dual Wield, the line you are missing is:
ReplyDelete"Brick by brick"
We are called to serve Him