From the LA Times

Canada's first sextuplets, born more than a week ago, are facing an additional complication to the usual premature baby's struggle for survival: Their parents' religion forbids blood transfusions, a typical part of a preemie's treatment.

The babies' condition remains a mystery, and the hospital refuses to confirm reports that one infant has died.

The six babies were born Jan. 5 and 6 in Vancouver, British Columbia, to parents who are Jehovah's Witnesses. Delivered at 25 weeks, more than halfway through the typical 40-week pregnancy, the four boys and two girls averaged 1.6 pounds and can rest in the palm of an average man's hand. The survival rate for such births is about 80%.

The parents have asked to remain anonymous, and the hospital has not provided information since shortly after the births, when a spokesman reported that the babies were in fair condition.

Continue reading "Premature Babies Require Blood Transfusions; Parents' Faith Prohibits Such Treatments" »

From USA Today via HuffPost

The federal government's "no sex without marriage" message isn't just for kids anymore. Now the government is targeting unmarried adults up to age 29 as part of its abstinence-only programs, which include millions of dollars in federal money that will be available to the states under revised federal grant guidelines for 2007.

The government says the change is a clarification. But critics say it's a clear signal of a more directed policy targeting the sexual behavior of adults. [...] But Wade Horn, assistant secretary for children and families at the Department of Health and Human Services, said the revision is aimed at 19- to 29-year-olds because more unmarried women in that age group are having children. [...]

"The message is 'It's better to wait until you're married to bear or father children,' " Horn said. "The only 100% effective way of getting there is abstinence.... "We wanted to remind states they could use these funds not only to target adolescents," Horn said. "It's a reminder."

Marvin Olask, who according to Wikipedia is "a professor of journalism at the University of Texas, a leading conservative columnist, and the editor-in-chief of World magazine," claims that journalists should adopt "biblical lenses" if they want to "see things as they really are." Further, Olasky claims "there is no obligation to weight both sides equally when the Bible gives one clear answer." If your child is a journalism major at UT, get your money back now.

[From FLA Baptist Witness via Gawker]

All journalists are shaped by their worldviews, and the only way to bring true objectivity to journalism is to be shaped by the worldview of the Bible, Marvin Olasky said at the Baptist Press Excellence in Journalism Banquet in Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 7.

“[T]he only true objectivity is biblical objectivity,” World magazine editor Marvin Olasky said at the Baptist Press Excellence in Journalism Banquet culminating a three-day conference for college journalism students.

The banquet-the culminating event of the sixth annual Baptist Press national Collegiate Journalism Conference-featured award presentations for students achieving excellence in the fields of print journalism, photojournalism, broadcasting, web design and yearbook.

Olasky is editor-in-chief of World magazine, a syndicated columnist and a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of 17 books, and his writing has appeared in such newspapers at The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA Today.

"Only when we take up these biblical lenses can we see things as they really are," Olasky said. "So here's my thesis: the only true objectivity is biblical objectivity."

Continue reading "Journalism Professor and Conservative Columnist Claims "The Only True Objectivity Is Biblical Objectivity"" »

The Washington Post has another article on evangelicals who are beginning to embrace what they call "creation care." Of course, we applaud evangelicals' attempts to add the environment to their list of important moral issues, but are mystified by the lack of criticism the movement's unoffical leader, Richard Cizik, has received. Just last week, Cizic went on NPR saying everybody should give Dennis Hastert a break in the Foley cover-up. And earlier this year, Cizik refused to sign the Evangelical Climate Initiative since he was unwilling to confirm the possibility of climate change. Cizic also refuses to partner with environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and the National Wildlife Federation, since they are secular. Still, reporters continue to sing his praise:

[From the Washington Post] Evangelical Christian leaders are tackling a growing list of domestic and international issues, such as genocide in Darfur and global warming, despite dissension in their ranks over whether this broader moral agenda will dilute their political power just before crucial elections.

Yesterday, two dozen prominent evangelicals issued a joint appeal for President Bush to take the lead in sending a multinational, U.N.-backed peacekeeping force into the Darfur region of Sudan. They included not just liberal religious leaders but also several notable conservatives, including the Rev. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals. READ IT ALL

click above to watch. [hat tip Theocracy Watch]

From the website:

A new holy war is growing within the conservative evangelical community, with implications for both the global environment and American politics. For years liberal Christians and others have made protection of the environment a moral commitment. Now a number of conservative evangelicals are joining the fight, arguing that man's stewardship of the planet is a biblical imperative and calling for action to stop global warming.

But they are being met head-on by opposition from their traditional evangelical brethren who adamantly support the Bush administration in downplaying the threat of global warming and other environmental perils. The political stakes are high: Three out of every four white evangelical voters chose George W. Bush in 2004. "Is God Green?" explores how a serious split among conservative evangelicals over the environment and global warming could reshape American politics.

In January, Richard Cizik, the vice president for governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, refused to sign the Evangelical Climate Initiative since he was unwilling to confirm the possibility of climate change. Instead, the NAE sent out a press release saying that there is a "lack of consensus among the evangelical community on this issue." Cizik also refuses to partner with environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and the National Wildlife Federation, since they are secular. Furthermore, Cizik obstinately calls his environmental activism "creation care" to differentiate himself from those other godless pagans working to fix the environment. Nevertheless, here's yet another glowing article about his environmental activism.

The great new site MotionBox is featuring an hilarious tour of a Christian Creation Museum. The museum insists that the world is only a few thousand years old and that dinosaurs and humans coexisted. You can watch this funny, if not terrifying, video tour here.

From NY Times

Evolutionary biology has vanished from the list of acceptable fields of study for recipients of a federal education grant for low-income college students.

The omission is inadvertent, said Katherine McLane, a spokeswoman for the Department of Education, which administers the grants. “There is no explanation for it being left off the list,” Ms. McLane said. “It has always been an eligible major.”

Another spokeswoman, Samara Yudof, said evolutionary biology would be restored to the list, but as of last night it was still missing.

Continue reading "Yet Another Attack On Science: Evolution Major Vanishes From Approved Federal List" »

From Daily Telegraph Hat tip Bartholomew

Powerful evangelical churches are pressing Kenya's national museum to sideline its world-famous collection of hominid bones pointing to man's evolution from ape to human.

Leaders of the country's six-million-strong Pentecostal congregation want Dr Richard Leakey's ground-breaking finds relegated to a back room instead of being given their usual prime billing.

The collection includes the most complete skeleton yet found of Homo erectus, the 1.7 million-year-old Turkana Boy unearthed by Dr Leakey's team in 1984 at Nariokotome, near Lake Turkana in northern Kenya.

Continue reading "Evangelicals Urge Museum To Ignore Science, Close Hominid Exhibit" »

On his website pastors.com, the Purpose Driven pastor, Rick Warren, is spreading lies about stem cells to further his far Right, "pro-family" agenda. Despite a consensus in the medical community that embryonic stem cells show much more promise than adult stem cells for curing disease, pastor Warren has posted an article by a "specialist" who erroneously claims the opposite to be true:

I and others with disabilities have been closely monitoring the debate between adult and embryonic cells, and we know there isn’t an embryonic cell treatment that heals even a rat [...] True, many adult stem cell therapies are not yet bona fide cures, but so far, they have proven substantially more successful than embryonic stem cell approaches. That is why I am grateful that President Bush continues to uphold the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

In the past, Warren has claimed that supporting stem cell research defies the teachings of Christ. He says opposing embryonic stem cell research is "non-negotiable" and "not even debatable" for people of values. Obviously, Warren is allowed his opinion, but like Karl Rove (who recently made false claims about the value of adult stem cells too) Warren needs to stop his disinformation campaign. In addition to being posted on his website, the article was sent by Warren to over 110,000 pastors who subscribe to his "Minister's Toolbox" newsletter. Last time we checked, lying was a "non-negotiable" sin in the eyes of the Lord.

It's too bad Tim Russert only asks follow-up questions when the majority opinion is on his side. That said, his grilling of Josh Bolton on Meet The Press yesterday is essential viewing.

[From The Sunday Times via Huffpost]

The Bishop of London has declared it sinful for people to contribute to climate change by flying on holiday, driving a “gas-guzzling” car or failing to use energy-saving measures in the home, writes Jonathan Leake.

Richard Chartres will encourage vicars to preach more green sermons and warn congregations that it is now a moral obligation for Christians to lead eco-friendly lifestyles. [read it all here.]

If you haven't seen this yet, it's essential viewing.

But evolution remains a theory in Kansas, just like gravity. From the AP

Finches on the Galapagos Islands that inspired Charles Darwin to develop the concept of evolution are now helping confirm it—by evolving.

A medium sized species of Darwin's finch has evolved a smaller beak to take advantage of different seeds just two decades after the arrival of a larger rival for its original food source.

The altered beak size shows that species competing for food can undergo evolutionary change, said Peter Grant of Princeton University, lead author of the report appearing in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

Grant has been studying Darwin's finches for decades and previously recorded changes responding to a drought that altered what foods were available.

Continue reading "Darwin's Finches Proven To Be Evolving" »

That's right, evidently some Christian archaeologists found an "object, nestled in the side of a hill... It looked similar to wood." That's some pretty convincing evidence. One major hurtle still exists though: "The Bible says the Ark was made of gopher wood but no one knows what it is." What is ABC News going to report next? Perhaps the discovery of Jacob's ladder to heaven? Or maybe the iconic talking snake from the Garden of Eden will be found in Detroit. Read the complete Noah's Ark "story" here.

From The American Prospect:

Even in an administration famous for its contempt for science, the President’s tortured case for abstinence stands out. He committed $1 billion to abstinence-only programs abroad without a shred of scientific evidence that they prevent disease. Casting about for justification, he and the virginity advocates who surround him latched on to one of the developing world’s rare AIDS success stories: Uganda. In their fertile imaginations, the East African nation was a fairy-tale place where Christian morality had turned the epidemic around.

But their castle in the sky came crashing down in May, on the eve of a United Nations meeting on AIDS, when Uganda’s AIDS commissioner announced that after years of decline, new HIV infections had almost doubled from 70,000 in 2003 to 130,000 in 2005. Devastating news. [read it all here... reg req'd]

Chris Mooney's book should be required reading. Listen to him here on NPR. [via TheocracyWatch]

Dr. Finger: Nutjob of the Month

Turns out, keeping the threat of cancer as a deterrent to premarital sex is more important than saving lives. This article is a must-read for all sane people: [From Counterbias]

Late last month a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel unanimously recommended approval of a vaccine for the human papilloma virus (HPV). The vaccine appears to be 100 percent effective at protecting against the most prevalent viruses that cause cervical cancer. While public health professionals view the vaccine as miraculous, many conservative organizations opposed it on the grounds that it might encourage promiscuity among adolescent girls. Now that it appears certain that the FDA will approve the vaccine, conservatives are attempting to discourage its use...

Despite the benefits of the vaccine, conservative organizations began to rally against it last year. One of the most vocal opponents was the Family Research Council. The council “promotes the Judeo-Christian worldview as the basis for a just, free, and stable society.” Last October the council’s president, Tony Perkins, spoke decidedly against the vaccine. Mr. Perkins proclaimed, “Our concern is that this vaccine will be marketed to a segment of the population that should be getting a message about abstinence. It sends the wrong message.” He even stated that he would not vaccinate his 13-year-old daughter.

Another organization that promotes abstinence is the Physicians Consortium. The head of the consortium, Dr. Hal Wallis, was also critical. In his opinion, “If you don’t want to suffer these diseases, you need to abstain, and when you find a partner, stick with that partner.” The founder of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse also opposed the vaccine. This organization was formed “to promote the appreciation for and practice of sexual abstinence (purity) until marriage.” Leslee Unruh, the organization’s founder, stated firmly, “I personally object to vaccinating children against a disease that is 100 percent preventable with proper sexual behavior...”

In 2003 President Bush appointed a medical doctor, Reginald Finger, to the ACIP. Until last fall, Dr. Finger was also the medical affairs analyst for Focus on the Family, the nation’s largest and most powerful evangelical Christian organization. In an effort to gain the support of this group, Merck has been forced to aggressively lobby Focus. Merck has admitted to holding numerous meetings with Dr. Finger at Focus’ headquarters. It’s troubling that a vaccine manufacturer has to be concerned with securing the backing of a conservative Christian organization. And Merck will likely have an uphill battle.

Although children are required to have various vaccinations before attending public schools, conservatives are against the ACIP recommending this for the HPV vaccine. The Christian Medical & Dental Associations is an organization that “exists to glorify God by advancing Biblical principles in bioethics and health to the Church and society.” The group’s executive director, Dr. Gene Rudd, has stated, “While accepting HPV vaccine is morally acceptable, it should not be mandatory.”

And the Family Research Council has gone even farther. While testifying before an ACIP conference the council’s spokesman informed the ACIP that, “Because parents have an inherent right to be the primary educator and decision maker regarding their children’s health, we would oppose any measures to legally require vaccination. There is no justification for any vaccination mandate as a condition of public school attendance.” And Focus on the Family issued a formal statement declaring that it “supports widespread (universal) availability of HPV vaccines but opposes mandatory HPV vaccinations for entry to public school.”

Let Bill Frist know you're tired of the Evangelical Right's assault on medical research. [via talk2action]