The Baby Wasn’t “Brain Dead”

During her 24-week pregnancy scan, Sarah Hagan says medics told her the child would have “no hope of survival”.

The Sunderland mum went through the agony of taking tablets to abort her unborn son, only to be then told doctors were going to try and deliver her baby.

Sarah, 38, of Farringdon, said: “It breaks my heart every day when I look at my son and think how I almost got rid of him.”

From the Sunderland Echo.

They said her baby’s brain had not formed properly, that he was “brain dead,” and would be born with only one eye, and she must have an abortion.  She took the abortion tablets, but the baby survived, so they had to deliver him (very, very early).  I hope you click through and look at the picture of that cute little “one-eyed brain-dead” baby.

Abortion is a horrible thing, destroying a precious life, shedding innocent blood.  But our society sees it as simply removing unwanted tissue, so medical professionals recommend it casually, even when there is not enough evidence to prove their assertions.

These situations are very, very difficult.  Many babies do die in the womb.  But no one should be quick to believe a doctor who recommends an abortion.  Too many of them don’t place the value on that tiny life that they should.

Every child is a miracle, but wee Aaron is a double-miracle (and very, very cute!) — he survived doctors who were careless about life and recommended his death.

(Is anyone surprised that the BBC website hasn’t covered this?  They often ignore stories that might challenge people to think rightly on morality.  If a story can be used to portray abortion restrictions as bad, it gets banner headlines, but if it would challenge people to think twice about getting an abortion, it doesn’t see the light of day.)

HT:  News For Christians

Posted in Thoughts on the News | Tagged | 32 Comments

“God is Good”

Why do we only say “God is good” when things happen that make us happy or comfortable?  Is God not good when things happen that make us unhappy or uncomfortable?

Do we also say, “God is good!” when unpleasant things happen?  If not, do our words train us (and others) to view God’s goodness as measured by comfort and pleasure in this life?

Posted in Quick Thoughts | 2 Comments

Printing Note

A quick note on printing.  I didn’t add the WordPress “print” option, because it prints articles AND comments — you print an article, and get pages of comments you didn’t want to print.  (Of course, sometimes the comments are better than the article.)  Yesterday I learned I can add a button to use PrintFriendly.com.  At the bottom of each article, there is now a Print & PDF button, which you can use to print or create a PDF.

If you don’t want to print a picture, just click on it to delete.  It is also easy to cut text — click on a paragraph, zap it away.  So if you want to print an article as written, be careful!  My paragraphs may be of uneven quality, but most are intentional. 🙂

 

Posted in Blog Housekeeping | 4 Comments

“Absolutely Not!”

Ask me now if I would change the circumstances of my life and I will answer, “absolutely not!” Although the things that have happened were not part of my plan, God’s plan has taught me so much about Him and about His heart’s longing to have fellowship with me. Through failure, I have realized my total inability to do anything except sin apart from His grace. He is my dearest Friend, my Savior, and my Heavenly Father. I look forward to someday living with Him forever.

From My Plan or God’s Plan, in which Brenda Vaughn described the devastating fire that critically injured her and her daughter, and how the Lord worked through it.  Through years of blessed service, through the precious Hidden Treasure school the Vaughns founded, through her testimony of God’s faithfulness in trials, she touched many lives.

Yesterday, from resting in her husband’s arms she passed into the everlasting arms of the Saviour.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

“The Oldest and Best Manuscripts”? — Summary

This is a summary (for the sidebar menu) of a series of posts on a common phrase in modern Christian literature — “The oldest and best manuscripts say.”  (This wording is also in the margin or study notes of many Bibles published in recent times).

The “oldest and best manuscripts” phrase is based on modern New Testament Textual Criticism (NTTC).  This ongoing series (another article coming soon) addresses some assumptions of NTTC, and why I no longer accept its assumptions nor its conclusions.

Continue reading

Posted in Blog Housekeeping | Leave a comment

Thinking Well of Yourself

Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don’t mean to do harm — but the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves.
– T.S. Eliot

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.  For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
– Paul (I Corinthians 4:3-4)

Posted in Quick Thoughts | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Jesus is Jehovah — Summary

This is a summary (for the sidebar menu) of a series of posts (with an extra that wasn’t in the series) showing that even the New World “Translation” (NWT) the mis-translation of the “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” teaches that Jesus is Jehovah.

Is Jesus Jehovah?  Ask the New World “Translation”

Part One — This discusses the problem in speaking to “Jehovah’s Witnesses” of the Lord, due to their reliance on a dishonest translation, and the benefit of using their own version to show that Jesus is Jehovah.  It compares the NWT of John 10 and Psalm 23, and “Jehovah’s Witnesses” are asked, “Who is your Shepherd?”

Part Two — This compares the NWT in Psalm 110, verses one and five, and asks those who call themselves “Jehovah’s Witnesses” (but do not testify to the true Jehovah), “Who is at the right hand in Heaven?”

Part Three — This post uses the NWT in Matthew 28:19 to show that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit all share the same name — and the Scriptures tell us that the Father’s name is Jehovah, so that must also be the name of Jesus.  The questions:  “Were you baptised in one name, or in three names?  Why does your own translation say that the Name of the Father is also the Name of the Son and the Holy Spirit?”

Part Four — Comparing John 1 and other passages with Isaiah 44:24.  The questions:  “If Jesus created, if Jehovah told the truth that He is the only Creator, if He did it by Himself, why do your teachers tell you Jesus is not Jehovah? Will you believe Jehovah, or will you believe your teachers?”

The Sheep of His Hand Hear His Voice — This was not part of the “Ask the New World Translation” series, but it could have been.  It notes the clear reference to Psalm 95 which Jesus made in John 10:27-29.  Psalm 95 tells us Jehovah’s sheep are the sheep of His hand, and hear His voice.  Jesus said in John 10 that the sheep are in His hand and hear His voice.  A compelling claim to deity — and it is there in the NWT, too.

Posted in Blog Housekeeping | 2 Comments