Fr. Hans

Louisiana Voters Approve Gay-Marriage Ban

By KEVIN McGILL

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Louisiana voters overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional amendment Saturday banning same-sex marriages and civil unions, one of up to 12 such measures on the ballot around the country this year.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, the amendment was winning approval with 78 percent of the vote, and support for it was evident statewide. Only in New Orleans, home to a politically strong gay community, was the race relatively close, and even there the amendment was winning passage. Turnout statewide appeared to be about 27 percent of Louisiana’s 2.8 million voters, somewhat low for a state election.

Read the entire article on the My Way website.

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The Evil at Beslan

For those who remain confused about whether the terror perpetrated at Beslan was evil…

They Knifed Babies, They Raped Girls

Nothing justifies or excuses this. No “cause” can explain or soften the brutality displayed. In Orthodox theology evil has no ontological reality, it does not exist as an entity unto itself. It cannot be rationalized or explained. It can only be named. Evil is moral chaos, represented in scripture as the swirling waters that drown life. (Now we may begin to understand what Christ entering the waters at baptism is really about.) Beslan is complete and utter moral chaos, a depravity drawn from the dark nights of Dachau, Lubyanka, or the killing fields of Cambodia.

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Pro-Life Group: Partial-Birth Abortion Decision Shows Need for Fetal Pain Bill

Unborn children feel pain during the abortion.
Steven Ertelt
September 2, 2004

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A leading pro-life organization says that the recent decision by a federal judge in New York calling the ban on partial-birth abortions unconstitutional points to the need for a bill to help women considering abortion understand the pain such abortions cause unborn children.

The National Right to Life Committee sent a letter to members of Congress on Wednesday urging them to support the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act (H.R. 4420).

“[E]very day in the United States unborn children are subjected to trauma that causes them excruciating pain, and that would be illegal if inflicted on animals in commerce or research,” the letter says.

When a woman is considering an abortion “20 weeks after fertilization,” abortion practitioners are required to provide women with information about the pain an unborn child experiences during an abortion.

The woman can then request that the unborn child be given pain medication prior to the abortion, the letter explains.

Read the entire article on LifeNews.com.

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Thoughts on Orthodox Stewardship

George Strickland, Ph.D.
http://directionstoorthodoxy.org

Orthodox Christian stewardship is the free and joyous activity of the child of God and God’s family, the Church, in managing all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.

SEPTEMBER is a time of year when churches resume many of the activities that may have been put on hold during the summer months. It’s a time when planning turns into implementation. That makes it a perfect time to tap into the rich resources that are found in the talents of members and provide them opportunities to put their time and talents to work in the Lord’s kingdom.

As God’s caretakers, Orthodox stewards should care about the government God has entrusted to them. The Scriptures encourage Christians to respect government authority, obey laws, pay taxes, and be influential for good in the context of responsible citizenship [Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:1; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13].
[Read more…]

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