Obsession for Contraception and Abortion at The United Nations Population Fund By Edwin Benson

Obsession for Contraception and Abortion at The United Nations Population Fund

By Edwin Benson

The United Nations Population Fund is mounting a worldwide campaign to promote abortion and contraception, and they want you to pay for it. Their 2019 Report asks for $264 billion. The United States pays twenty-two percent of the expenses of the U.N. Combine those two numbers, and the U.S. share is a shade over $58 billion. That money ultimately comes from your federal taxes.

The UNFPA

The U.N. established the Fund in 1969 as the United Nations Fund for Population Activities. Even though it adopted its current name in 1987, it still uses its previous acronym – UNFPA.

A quick look at the UNFPA web site quickly reveals the feminist orientation of the organization. The first line on the page is “Ensuring rights and choices for all.” Lavishly illustrated, few men appear on its pages. After all, the feminist ideology denies any decision-making role to would-be fathers.

To commemorate its fiftieth anniversary in 2019, UNFPA devoted part of its web activities to a page called “Icons & Activists: 50 Years of People Making Change.” The background is a picture of shouting women raising their fists in a revolutionary gesture. Scrolling down reveals the statement, “For 50 years, the world’s icons and activists have made changes touching the lives of millions of women and girls. Today, people are more likely than ever to enjoy reproductive rights and choices. It is an extraordinary achievement, an inspiration to us all.”

Two “icons” are Margaret Sanger and Cecile Richards – the founder and recent president, respectively, of abortion giant Planned Parenthood. Other familiar names include Melinda Gates, Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinem, Margaret Atwood, and Christiane Amanpour – all of them strongly pro-abortion.

The “Unmet Need”

Much of the money that UNFPA requests would go toward ending “the unmet need or family planning.” According to the report, “There are 232 million women in developing countries who want to prevent their pregnancies but are not using modern contraceptives.” The figure is not documented, and readers are apparently supposed to accept it blindly.

As expected, the report contains no language that refers to any moral dimension regarding human reproduction. The “do your own thing” mentality that prevailed at the time of UNFPA’s founding in 1969 still prevails.

The report does claim “substantial progress” in the use of “modern” methods. “The number of women using modern methods of contraception has almost doubled from 470 million in 1990 to 840 million in 2018.” UNFPA wants to extend contraception to all within ten years at a cost of $12.00 per recipient – or a total cost of $68.5 billion.

We are then glibly informed that “net savings are likely to be realized. With reduced requirements for maternal health care and delivery, child health care, education and other services, the savings will be many times larger than the expenditure on family planning.”

All of the analysis is economical as if having a child is a purely monetary consideration. Left unsaid are the methods that it will use to convince women of their “unmet need.” Children are still a blessing in many parts of the “developing world.”

Ending Maternal Deaths

UNPLA also has the laudable goal of ending “preventable maternal deaths.” Unfortunately, some paths to this goal have nothing to do with protecting babies.

Table 4 in the report lists twenty-nine interventions that UNFPA says should be universally available. Many items refer to better pre-natal medical and nutritional care. However, the second and third items are “safe abortion services” and “post-abortion case management.” Further down the list comes “removal of retained products of conception.” This removal means making sure that all parts of the child are removed after the ghastly procedure of abortion.

How Did We Get to This Point?

The UNFPA 2019 report dismisses any sense that the protection of life is a fundamental moral issue. Any Christian understanding of the sanctity of life has no friends at UNFPA’s headquarters at 605 Third Avenue in New York City or in the United Nations’ glass tower a few blocks away.

The pursuit of a Godless peace is futile and fruitless. Without God’s help, the plight of humanity will only worsen. Utopic schemes, like that proposed by the UNFPA, are typical of those of bureaucrats who ignore the moral issues that can provide solutions.

Drag Queens in Schools – Where Parents Have No Say By Edwin Benson

Drag Queens in Schools – Where Parents Have No Say

By Edwin Benson

Promoters of “Drag Queen Story Hours” criticize those who protest at tax-payer supported libraries. They claim that if parents are upset, they should not take their children to the events. No one is forcing them to go, they say. It is their freedom to go or not to go.

Such a claim is no longer valid. The “Drag Queen Story Hour” is moving from libraries into primary schools. Journalists Michael Foust and Shane Trejo report about one such event in a school in New York City. Sohrab Ahmari, the op-ed editor for the New York Post and a convert to Catholicism, broke the story.

It appears the school shows have been happening for some time. Only now have they appeared on the radar.  Mr. Ahmari used his Twitter account to duplicate a message sent to parents by the school. It reads, “In an effort to continue to strengthen and enhance diversity in our school, the first grade will be taking part in a “Drag Queen Story Hour!” …We had a Drag Queen Story Hour the past few years at PS118 and the 1^st graders LOVED IT!”

Mr. Trejo’s article quoted a school e-mail that provided details to the parents. “Drag Queen Story Hour is run by a drag queen who will visit our school on Monday, February 24. She will read to the students, all while teaching into ideas of inclusiveness, gender fluidity and gender roles, family structures, acceptance, empathy and individuality…. We are so excited to bring this to our classrooms. I know the children will learn a lot and enjoy it as much as they did last year.”

The School and its Ideology

There is nothing special about P.S. 118. Known as Maurice Sendak Community School, it is in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. It gets its name from a prolific author of children’s books who was born and grew up in Brooklyn. The school occupies a building that once was home to Saint Thomas Aquinas parish school, which closed in 2005.

P.S. 118 opened in 2013. On its principal’s page, Principal Elizabeth Garraway sounds like everything that progressive education prizes. “Ms. Garraway’s greatest strength may lie in her ability to productively engage with a wide range of ‘constituents’ …..As a strong advocate for the value of diversity, Ms. Garraway’s warmth, strong work ethic, and genuine desire to collaborate models best practices.”

Redefining Deviancy

The Drag Queen Story Hour consists of men garishly dressed as women reading homosexual-oriented and related literature to young children.

Not even ten years ago, the fact that someone might propose a drag queen story hour at primary schools would be considered absurd. Forcing “gender fluidity” upon first graders would be considered child abuse, not education.

However, modern society prides itself on redefining deviant sexual behavior. It all started with cohabitation between unmarried men and women as acceptable. Later, homosexuality was presented as a “lifestyle choice.” Such behaviors began to be celebrated in movies and media. The canons of “diversity” soon demanded acceptance as the equivalent of traditional moral conduct.

Today the cutting edge of the sexual revolution is found in the Drag Queen Story Hours. Suddenly, the self-appointed arbiters of acceptable behavior advocate the idea that children should be exposed to as many “choices” as possible. As one drag queen said at a public hearing in Lafayette, La., the shows are meant to “groom” future generations to come.

Schools as Protectors

Both public and parochial schools used to protect children from such deviancy. The standards of dress, speech and decorum for teachers was high. The school was to be a haven of order. The children’s innocence was regarded as vital to proper moral development. Children needed protection from situations that they could not possibly understand. Few elements of this attitude remain.

Today any sense that children deserve protection from sexual impurity invites ridicule. Teachers in “health” classes dispense detailed information about physical intimacy and methods of contraception. When President Obama’s position on “transgender” students had sufficiently “evolved,” he sent out a “Dear Colleague” letter demanding that schools allow biological males to enter and use girls’ restrooms and locker rooms. Is it any wonder that drag queens now appear at primary schools?

The fact is that Drag Queen Story Hours are now being forced upon children. The old argument those who disagree can opt out no longer holds. These events are being mainstreamed into the culture. They steamroll over protesting parents.

Remember, it’s not about libraries anymore. Drag queen shows promoting “gender fluidity” and other outrages will soon be coming to a school around you.

Asking a Bishop: How is Climate Change Deadlier Than Abortion? By John Horvat II

Abortion presents a problem for the Catholic left since it does not fit into its social justice agenda. It certainly involves social justice in the highest degree since it is a great injustice to deprive an innocent person of life. However, the left, by its nature, always seeks to change “oppressive” social structures that they deem unjust. Abortion does not fit squarely into this category. Indeed, some Catholic leftists will use the oppressive structures of poverty or patriarchy as a reason to justify abortion.

While the Catholic left prefers other issues like climate change, social revolution, and illegal immigration, it is hard to argue against the missing 60 million Americans. These issues pale in comparison to the magnitude of death caused by the sin of abortion. Thus, abortion has long occupied the preeminent place on the American Catholic political scene.

A bishop Speaks Out:

However, a key Catholic figure is directly disputing abortion’s preeminent place as a non-negotiable issue for faithful Catholic voters.

Speaking at the University of San Diego on February 6, Most Rev. Robert McElroy, Bishop of San Diego, cast doubt on abortion’s preeminent position, especially in light of the upcoming elections. He did not directly discourage opposition to abortion but put climate change on equal footing, declaring that “both abortion and the environment are core life issues in Catholic teaching.”

The two issues pose unequal threats, however. For the outspoken liberal bishop, “the long-term death toll from unchecked climate change is larger [than that from abortion] and threatens the very future of humanity.”

Three questions about Bishop McElroy’s controversial statements need to be answered.

To Bishop McElroy, the Politician

The first is addressed directly to Bishop McElroy, the politician: “Your Excellency, why are you raising this issue now?”

Bishops need to be involved in political battles, but that is not their chief function. They must uphold Church teaching even when it is not politically correct or opportune.

Thus, American Catholics must question why the bishop is raising this issue now. Pro-life Catholics have reached the height of their political power mobilizing millions nationwide. They have turned the tide to the point where nearly half of all Americans identify as pro-life. No one, not even the president, can ignore the influence of the pro-life movement.

This influence is starting to bear fruit in the appointment of pro-life judges. Some are even saying that the overturning of Roe v. Wade is possible. By denying abortion’s preeminence, the bishop is undermining decades of work in the trenches by countless Catholics and other Americans to end the intrinsically evil sin of procured abortion in America and the world.

 

In making this statement during an election year, Bishop McElroy intentionally muddles the issues in the hope of encouraging Catholics to vote for radical pro-abortion candidates who are eco- or illegal immigration-friendly.

To Bishop McElroy, the Scientist

The second question involves Bishop McElroy, the scientist: “Your Excellency, why are you speaking as a scientist?”

Bishop McElroy is not a scientist and thus speaks outside his competence when painting a picture based on alarmist scientific speculation devoid of solid facts. He cites “existing trajectories of pollutants” that are “unchecked.” Like so many before him, he makes catastrophic predictions of rising temperatures, famines, and even “perilous viruses.”

He is quick to blame a “trajectory of danger unleashed by fossil fuels” that makes action over the next 10 years imperative. His speech reads like a blessing of the Green New Deal. He even claims that “it is a far greater moral evil for our country to abandon the Paris Climate Accord than to provide contraceptives to federal health centers.”

Just as abortion is not settled law, catastrophic climate change is far from being settled science. Abortion kills tens of millions every year around the world. There are no recorded deaths specifically due to climate change. In striving to diminish the world’s population, those promoting the intrinsic evils of abortion and contraception work hand-in-hand with climate change activists.

To Bishop McElroy, the Bishop

The third question is the most tragic and important one: “Your Excellency, why aren’t you speaking as a bishop, which is your area of competence?”

Bishops speak about matters touching on God and His relationship with humanity. But Bishop McElroy’s speech projects a purely naturalistic worldview, a perspective from which God and the supernatural are absent.

Sin and vice distance humanity from God. They turn the world into a hell of disorder and conflict. The denouncing and condemning of sin, the defense of God, His Divine Law, and the Catholic faith – such are the bailiwick of a bishop. So also is the extolling of the practice of the virtue of purity as the true solution to contraception and abortion. Such are the messages the world expects from a bishop. But this is especially true for Catholics since he is their shepherd. How sad that today, instead of the bread they ask for, the Catholic faithful so often receive stones (see Luke 11:11).

To claim that climate change is deadlier than abortion is to deny the truth anyone can see. Moreover, when sin expands its dominion unchecked, the world it creates is necessarily an ecologically hostile one—as evidenced by China’s environmentally disastrous, pro-abortion regime.

People must work toward preserving the environment, a gift of God. However, their first duty will ever be to obey God and His Divine Law.

Unless America can get it right with God—putting an end to the nation’s sin in Roe v. Wade, which legalized the mass slaughter of innocent pre-born Americans—then all that can be expected are His chastisements.

And in chastising, as the Church teaches, God frequently uses secondary causes, and the forces of nature, which He created, are among them.

As seen on LifeSiteNews.

Persecution And Suffering!

 Persecution And Suffering!

JESUS said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

Paul said, “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the Love of GOD has been poured out in our hearts by The HOLY SPIRIT who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5

James said, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing…Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the LORD has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:2-4, 12

Peter said, “And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you are blessed. ‘And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.’…For it is better, if it is the Will of GOD, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” 1 Peter 3:13-14, 17

The writer of Hebrews says, “During JESUS’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions, crying aloud and shedding tears, to the One who had the power to deliver Him from death and He was heard for His Godliness. Even though He was The Son, He learned obedience through His sufferings. And after He had been brought to the goal, He became the source of eternal deliverance to all who obey Him.” Hebrews 5:7-9

JESUS not only told us that we would suffer when we served His Will, but He suffered as He served GOD The Father’s Will.

The HOLY SPIRIT Is LORD!

The HOLY SPIRIT is LORD!

I wrote this paper two nights ago (2/2/20), as I was laying in bed praying and thinking.

In my 45 years as a Christian I have heard a lot of teaching on The HOLY SPIRIT. Some was good, some was questionable and some was wrong. But, I do not ever remember hearing a teaching on The HOLY SPIRIT that said that He is LORD!

The Bible clearly teaches that He is GOD, He is the Power that raised CHRIST from death, His indwelling presence in us makes us living temples of GOD and He is the only part of the GOD Head that to blaspheme is an unforgivable sin.

Many Christians struggle with the concept of a Triune GOD; Father, Son and Spirit; one or three in one and how does that work? Well it does not matter; the Bible (The Word of GOD to humanity) tells us that there is One GOD and that He is Triune; that’s all we need to know. Faith is believing the Bible even if you do not understand it. GOD is truth and cannot tell a lie, He inspired men to write the Bible as a record of who He is and what He expects of humanity.

So what is the point of this paper? That we, the Church, Christians stop thinking of GOD’s SPIRIT; HOLY SPIRIT; as a gift giving being sent by GOD to teach and bless us so that we can go to Heaven when we die.

Remember, there is One GOD and He created everything that exists, redeemed humanity from the power of temptation, sin, death and hell so that we can do the work of His Kingdom on the earth as it is in Heaven. He reveals Himself as Our Father, JESUS CHRIST His Son (The Redeemer) and HOLY SPIRIT His indwelling presence in all who believe in JESUS (The Seal of our Salvation – The Mark of GOD on our life).

The Spirit of GOD is no less GOD than The Father or The Son! Therefore He is our LORD and He is to be reverenced and obeyed. When He speaks to us He is The Father and The Son, when He reminds us of what JESUS said He is The Father and The Son, when He gifts and calls us He is The Father and The Son. We have to stop thinking of Him as separate in person and deed.

There is One GOD, One Father, One Spirit and He reveals Himself through His many names and attributes.

If you are not familiar with the scriptures I am referencing than you need to do a word study of the whole Bible on HOLY SPIRIT, HOLY GHOST and Spirit of GOD. There is no reason that a Christian should not know that The One True GOD is Triune and that His SPIRIT is our LORD as much as CHRIST is!

This part came to me as I was laying in bed tonight (2/4/20).

So why do we argue with The HOLY SPIRIT? When He tells us to go speak to a homeless person, or pray for a person in a wheel chair, or to give $55 when that is all that is in our account? But we do, we bargain, we give excuses and sometimes we just do not do it when we know that it is The HOLY SPIRIT.

Why do we during times of worship or ministry invite The HOLY SPIRIT to come, or tell Him that He is welcome. The reality is that He is already here, He is everywhere at all times, He lives in all true Believers, He does not need our invitation or permission. He instructs us and uses us as He wills, when, where and how He pleases. He is the giver of gifts and the harvester of fruit.

The Father and JESUS are One and in CHRIST we are one with them. The Spirit is One with The Father and The Son and He is one with us. Elohim is One GOD and He makes us one with Himself through His Son and His Spirit.

When I look back over my life as a Christian I have done the things I listed above and more, in fact I would say that I  have probably only obeyed GOD ten percent of the time He has spoken to me. So I have tithed my obedience to GOD rather than fully surrender my life to Him.

We are born with the sin of rejecting GOD and being destined to hell thanks to Adam. But GOD had a plan from before the beginning and has redeemed us to Himself through JESUS CHRIST and sealed that redemption by His HOLY SPIRIT.

GOD; The Father, The Son and The Spirit is Holy because they are GOD! GOD calls us to be holy as He is Holy. How? Through obedient service! GOD is Holy because He is GOD, for us to be holy we must be set apart by GOD, to GOD, for GOD. We are told in the Old Testament and the New Testament how to be holy to GOD, but JESUS brings it down to this; “To keep His commands” which are, “To love the LORD our GOD with all our heart, soul and body and to love our neighbors as we love ourself.” “To love one another and to lay down our life for one another.” “To take up our cross daily and to follow Him.”

This is How Panera Found Out That Socialism Does Not Work By Edwin Benson

This is How Panera Found Out That Socialism Does Not Work

By Edwin Benson

A recent article by John Ellis brought the news that Panera has closed its last “Pay What You Want” restaurant. Located in Boston, the bold experiment ended on February 15, 2019.

Panera Cares

The “Panera Cares” chain once operated five restaurants – one each in Boston, Chicago, Dearborn (greater Detroit), Portland (Oregon), and St. Louis (Missouri). It was the brainchild of Panera founder, Ron Shaich. In a recorded talk, he explained that the concept arose after he and one of his children volunteered at a food bank. That evening, he decided to devise a far more efficient way to make quality food available to those suffering from “food insecurity.”

Mr. Shaich has a long record of success in food preparation. Before founding Panera Bread, he owned the bakery chain Au Bon Pain, which operates in 29 states, mostly in large cities and university towns. Au Bon Pain created an Americanized version of a French bakery. Mr. Shaich later sold that chain and founded Panera. Both of his companies operated on a similar premise that people wanted high quality baked goods, and were willing to pay a premium price for them. The two chains were so similar in concept that recently they merged and now offer similar menus.

The basic idea behind Panera Cares was simple. The restaurants would serve food similar to the fare at other Panera locations. However, patrons would only pay as much as they thought themselves able to pay. In this way, Panera would be able to provide food security on a small scale to the needy.

Socialism on a Small Scale

In 1875, Karl Marx penned his most famous line, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” The idea was not original, but his precise wording is seared into the consciousness of every socialist and pseudo-socialist in the world.

It sounds so good. It is so logical, and yet so altruistic. It goes well with other platitudes like, “the wealthiest nation in the world ought to be able to feed its people.” One can almost hear an elevator music version of John Lennon’s Imagine playing in the background.

Intentionally or not, Panera Cares tested Marx’s premise. Mr. Shaich believed that those who were able would happily pay something extra to provide food for those who could not afford to pay the full price. He also believed that those who could not afford the full price would pay what they could.

The Candle Burns Out

Unfortunately, Mr. Shaich’s faith in this premise proved overly optimistic. Eater Detroit describes Panera Cares’s short history. “[T]he restaurants weren’t financially viable… Panera Cares was reportedly only recouping between 60 and 70 percent of its total costs. The losses were attributed to students who “mobbed” the restaurant and ate without paying, as well as homeless patrons who visited the restaurant for every meal of the week.”

In 2017, Panera was sold to a conglomerate. Mr. Shaich left the company the following year. The new owners pulled the plug on Panera Cares. On February 15, the lights went out.

Socialism Always Fails

Socialism eats away at the vitals of once healthy economies, be they small or large. The same human and economic forces that ate away the altruism of Panera Cares has consumed Venezuela. The list of economies that have been devastated by socialism is long and growing. The list of successes is blank.

Modern progressives – long on emotion and short on analysis – try to place the nations of Scandinavia in the success column. They do not know that they are describing a time that now lies almost fifty years in the past. The “cradle to grave” welfare systems of the sixties and seventies failed as well. While those societies have not restored absolutely free markets, even liberal CNN has to admit that they have moved well to the right.

Every group of budding socialists believes that they will avoid the socialist disasters of the past. They are the bright, young, and altruistic people who can make Karl Marx’s goals into reality.

While not a Marxist, on some level Panera’s Ron Shaich thought so too. His was not the starry-eyed and empty-headed optimism of modern socialists.  The restauranteur was working in an area in which he had broad experience. He had control of all of the necessary resources. He was motivated by the best of intentions. He had the gift of optimism. The need that he was trying to address was real. His plan was limited in scope, but he had plans to grow gradually. If there was any way for such an enterprise to meet that need, Panera Cares should have succeeded.

Taking Away Responsibility

His failure shows the inherent flaw of socialism. This flaw is so fundamental that even a successful practitioner of the free market cannot overcome it. Socialism removes the element of personal responsibility from the recipient.

Socialists have a hard time with personal responsibility because it creates inequities. Any system will have those who exercise responsibility and those who do not. Those who are responsible will take whatever initiative that the system allows and prosper relative to those who are irresponsible. The result is inequity.

By accepting the fact that those who have “the right stuff” will prosper, the free market inspires people to acquire those characteristics – it breeds responsibility. Socialism spawns dependence. Dependent societies cannot thrive. As the Panera Cares experience shows, they will eventually fail.

Catching GOD's Thoughts

Catching GOD’s Thoughts

I just heard a TV preacher say he “caught a thought about GOD, just like he caught a cold last February.” The rest of his message was good, but that sentence, “I caught a thought about GOD like I caught a cold last February.” caught my attention and I started thinking about it. How is catching a thought about GOD like catching a cold? I mean you do not try to catch a cold so how is the process the same?

At first I thought it was a bad analogy, but then I realized that you catch a cold by being around people who have colds, cold germs are not just floating around in the air waiting for someone to walk by so they can catch them. That means to catch a thought about GOD you have to be hanging around people who are thinking and talking about GOD; you have to be reading His Word and thinking about what it means.

GOD is everywhere at all times, there is nowhere in existence where GOD is not present. GOD is Omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent! He speaks and it exists and happens! His thoughts are everywhere and they are looking for those who want them; they do not return to Him unaccomplished. It is not unheard of but rarely does someone who is resistant to GOD catch GOD’s thought that reveals Himself; it only happens if they have a pure heart.

We think of catching a cold as an accident, but to catch a thought about GOD you have to be purposeful. GOD uses all of His creation to reveal Himself to us, He has given us His Word (instruction) on how to find and hear Him, He wants us to catch His thoughts.

We call the cold common because of its prevalence in the world, but a thought about GOD should be even more common, daily. We are told that we should have the same mind that was in CHRIST, a mind of humility and service in obedience to The Father.