sanctity of life - 2/9 - AOI Observer

Fr. Hans Jacobse: When God Speaks and We Obey, Good Things Happen

July 10, 2011 10:34 PM

Yesterday (Saturday) was a good day. I got a call late Friday evening that one of my parishioners was in the hospital. I decided to visit him Saturday morning and after arriving at the hospital discovered his surgery was moved up and I missed him. I left him a note and decide to visit him later. Later that day the Lord spoke. "Go back to the hospital." There's always a little give and take when that happens (I had things planned) but the Lord said again, "Go back to the hospital." I drove to the next exit, turned around, and headed back. You never really know the reason for the command until you start doing what the Lord tells you to do. After obeying a few times however, you are confident enough to know that it is indeed God directing you and that something critical needs to be done. I got to the hospital, and just outside the door I saw Linda. I didn't know her name then but she was sobbing. I looked at her and said, "Tell me what's wrong." "It's my son," she … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: Orthodox Church, sanctity of life

Pat. Kyrill Endorses Moscow Demographic Summit, June 29-30, 2011

June 6, 2011 2:52 PM

Finally we have a Patriarch addresses the threat of demographic implosion in the West, supports the strengthening of families, and is pro-life. The Catholic Church, to their credit, have been very consistent on these issues for years. We have Orthodox leaders who hold and support these important values, but when an Orthodox Patriarch is a clear at Pat. Kyrill is in his letter below, we can take heart that leadership is increasing. Secondly, it is important that international efforts such as the World Congress of Families takes place to counter the work of the United Nations and other agencies that have unfortunately inculcated a utilitarian ethic towards human life. The UN promotes many good things, but they also promote abortion and other means of "family planning" that run against not only the moral tradition of Western Civilization, but also the local traditions of the countries they ostensibly help. Download the Moscow Demographic Summit brochure. Visit the Moscow … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: Orthodox Church, Pat Kyrill, sanctity of life, World Congress of Families

Wesley J. Smith: A Dark Mirror on Society

June 4, 2011 2:29 PM

Source: The Corner The death of Jack Kevorkian by natural causes has a certain irony, but it is not surprising. His driving motive was always obsession with death. Indeed, as he described in his book Prescription Medicide, Kevorkian’s overriding purpose in his assisted-suicide campaign was pure quackery, e.g., to obtain a societal license to engage in what he called “obitiatry,” that is, the right to experiment on the brains and spinal cords of “living human bodies” being euthanized to “pinpoint the exact onset of extinction of an unknown cognitive mechanism that energizes life.” So, now that he is gone, what is Kevorkian’s legacy? He assisted the suicides of 130 or so people and lethally injected at least two by his own admission (his first and his last); as a consequence of the latter, he served nearly ten years in prison for murder. But I think his more important place in contemporary history was as a dark mirror that reflected … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: Culture, euthanasia, Jack Kervorkian, sanctity of life, Wesley J. Smith

Wesley J. Smith: Of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Politics, and the Rule of Law

May 19, 2011 5:16 PM

Source: First Things The Center for Bioethics and Culture asked me to expand upon comments I have made here noting that the politics of ESCR seem to have the power to supersede the rule of law. Not being the shy and retiring type, I immediately agreed. The result is now out. From “Embryonic Stem Cell Research Versus the Rule of Law:” First, let’s consider an ongoing case in the USA, in which two adult stem cell researchers sued to enjoin federal funding of human ESCR because, they claim, doing so violates the Dickey-Wicker Amendment. Dickey-Wicker, a government rider to the budgetary process, has been passed by every Congress and signed by every president since 1996. Its terms explicitly preclude the Feds from paying to create embryos for use in experiments, or for research that destroys embryos. Thus, the outcome of the researchers’ lawsuit should be decided based on the facts of how embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) is performed … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: embryonic stem cell, sanctity of life, Wesley J. Smith

Russian Orthodox Church to provide financial aid for women deciding against abortion

April 6, 2011 8:02 AM

Source: Православие.Ru The Russian Orthodox Church will provide financial aide to women who had decided to abort their infants due to material need. The chairman of the Synodal information department of the Moscow Patriarchate, Vladimir Legoida, announced this intention on the program “A Holy Place” over “Komsomolskaya Pravda Radio.” “Based upon its experienced—and this has all been worked out in sweat and blood—the Church is prepared to pay money so that they [women in serious financial straits] would not kill their children. We will find the money,” Legoida said. Vladimir Legoida reminded his listeners that Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia directed proposals to the government in January of this year to improve the national politics in the sphere of family and childhood care, one of which would forbid government funding of abortion. The Document also proposes that “doctors’ initiatives” to terminate pregnancy be outlawed. The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: Orthodox Church, sanctity of life

The Left’s sloppy thinking concerning the defense of human life

March 27, 2011 2:59 PM

Source: Wintery Knight Secular leftists (as well as many religious leftists) hold the views they do not because the views are internally coherent, but because they they fear being ostracized by their peers for holding conservative opinions. Moral posturing -- holding politically correct viewpoints -- is more important than clear thinking in the secularist canon. This explains why the moral and cultural conservative is so often greeted with pejoratives rather than any reasoned rebuttal of his opinions. It is also why the defender of abortion loathes direct questioning. He knows his views are weak (applause is more important than any search for truth), and an informed moral and cultural conservative can dispense with them without too much effort. In the video below Stephanie Gray, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform debates Dr. Mark Mercer, head of the Philosophy Department of Saint Mary's University held at Dalhousie University on March 8, 2011. Gray … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: abortion, bioethics, Culture, Dalhousie University, Dr. Mark Mercer, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Orthodox Church, sanctity of life, Stephanie Gray

Fr. Gerald Murray: Homily at the Funeral of Bernard N. Nathanson, M.D.

March 5, 2011 5:10 PM

I first heard Dr. Bernard Nathanson speak over 25 years ago. I was very young and had just read his book "Aborting America." There were probably not more than twenty people crowded into a room to hear this man who was one of the three founding members of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) describe the massive public relations campaign they undertook, successfully as it turned out, to overturn the cultural attitudes against abortion. All the shibboleths of the pro-choice cause, from the count of women who died from illegal abortions (the number was pulled out of thin air, Nathanson wrote), to the argument that the opposition to abortion is a "religious" issue came out of their early meetings. Nathason wrote that he had performed over 75,000 abortions when doubts began to surface about whether or not the fetus (Latin: little one) was indeed an inert clump of cells. Neo-natal medicine was advancing at the time and Nathanson, when taking a hard look at life in the womb, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: abortion, Bernard Nathanson, Metropolitan Hilarion, Metropolitan Jonah, Patriarch Kyrill, Robert P. George, sanctity of life, Uncategorized

Wesley J. Smith: Immigrant Family Forced to Watch Mother Dehydrated to Death

March 4, 2011 11:49 PM

Read this and remember that under Obamacare what happened to the immigrant family could happen to your family as especially since government control of health care will diminish the resources available for care. Source: Second Hand Smoke | Wesley J. Smith Since when is keeping the desire to keep one’s mother nourished grounds for removing them from a say in her medical decision making? When an immigrant family wants their mother to receive a feeding tube and the hospital no longer wants to be on the financial hook for providing it. From the story: On Feb. 19, Ms. Nyirahabiyambere’s feeding tube was removed on the order of her court-appointed guardian. Her six adult children — including two United States citizens — vehemently opposed that decision. But they were helpless to block it when Georgetown University Medical Center, frustrated in its efforts to discharge Ms. Nyirahabiyambere after she had spent eight costly months there without insurance, sought … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: sanctity of life

Fr. Rosselli. To men confused about abortion: Consider becoming a man [VIDEO]

February 5, 2011 1:59 PM

Recently Planned Parenthood was exposed (again!) of the coverup of abuse of young girls. Two investigators posing as a pimp and his aid wanted abortions for underage illegals who got pregnant in human trafficking. Watch the video below. In correspondence on the blog of the organization exposing Planned Parenthood's crime, Orthodox priest Fr. Jim Rosselli responds to a defender of Planned Parenthood with words that need to be heard by men (including some of our own bishops and priests) who are morally confused about abortion. Fr. Jim writes: What I am about to say may seem insulting. It is not meant as an insult, but as real advice that I hope you will think about: Please consider becoming a man. Allow yourself to mature away from infantilism and selfishness, and sophistic talk that's only meant to dominate conversations, and consider becoming a champion of the weak and a protector and upbuilder of women -- as women, not as fake men. Your life will change, my friend, into a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: abortion, Fr. Jim Roselli, Planned Parenthood, sanctity of life

Benjamin Peck: The Gift of “No”

February 5, 2011 7:41 AM

Benjamin Peck is the son of Fr. John Peck, contributer to the AOI Observer and editor of Preachers Institute and Journey to Orthodoxy. Fr. John is the priest at St. George Greek Orthodox Church of Prescott, Arizona. Ben participated in a conference called the Festival of Young Preachers where he gave the sermon below. It's good, very good in fact. Both son and father should be proud. Source: Preachers Institute | Sermon by Benjamin T. Peck given at the 2011 Festival of Young Preachers In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Glory to Jesus Christ! For He is the one who has given us a gift that cannot be matched by anyone on this Earth, or anything in Heaven. Through His death and resurrection, Christ has given us the power to say the word “no”. We have all been called here today to speak on behalf of our Lord and Savior, about His commandments to us. Speaking specifically of the 10 Commandments. But what we must ask ourselves today is “why?” … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: Orthodox Church, sanctity of life

WAPO: Eastern Orthodox believers hit the streets

January 25, 2011 6:08 PM

Source: Washington Post | Julia Duin | HT: Byzantine, TX To be on the Mall around noon Monday was to be confronted with a vast crowd of what appeared to be mostly Catholics assembled for the annual Right to Life March. There were students wearing hats and scarves bearing the name of seemingly every Catholic academy on the Eastern seaboard; crowds of nuns clad in all manner of habits and scores of dark-suited priests and seminarians waving banners and signs. Closer to the stage one could spot several Orthodox Jews and several who appeared to be evangelical Protestants. Then the crowd parted and up on the stage marched a phalanx of black-cassocked Eastern Orthodox clergy led by Metropolitan Jonah, leader of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). Carrying a bejeweled walking stick and wearing a white crown-shaped miter, the metropolitan and the five bishops lined up beside him provided quite a contrast to the informally dressed crowd. Talking with these Orthodox afterward, I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: March for Life, sanctity of life

On Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Obama Corrupts Political Language

January 25, 2011 5:56 PM

Source: Contentions | Peter Wehner On the 38th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s pro-choice decision in Roe v. Wade, President Obama said in a statement that Roe “affirms a fundamental principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters.” To which one might ask: since when is lethal violence used on the defenseless and the most vulnerable members of our society considered an intrusion on “private family matters”? This line of argument is absurd. Would the president argue that our laws should be silent on matters of spousal and child abuse? After all, based on the Obama Criterion, those, too, might qualify as “private family matters.” The president’s statement that abortion on demand affirms a “fundamental principle” is evidence of a man who is willing to corrupt the English language in order to advance an ideological agenda — and in this instance, a particularly vicious and brutal agenda. In his 1946 essay “Politics … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Observer Tagged With: sanctity of life