Bible Cross Reference Infographic

Chris Harrison has created a series of info graphics on the Bible.  Here is my favorite:

"The bar graph that runs along the bottom represents all of the chapters in the Bible. Books alternate in color between white and light gray. The length of each bar denotes the number of verses in the chapter. Each of the 63,779 cross references found in the Bible is depicted by a single arc - the color corresponds to the distance between the two chapters, creating a rainbow-like effect." ~ Harrison

Isn't that gorgeous?!  But you know what is also pretty neat?  This only maps a fraction of the cross references in the Bible.  There are literally hundreds of thousands more!  What an amazing work the Word of God is!

Keep Pursuing,

The Gospel Spectrum Infographic

The Gospel Spectrum hosted by Thirteen Squares presents a unique view of every single verse in the Gospels in an interactive chart shown below.

• Each of the bars (almost 250) represents a major event in life of Christ.  
• The length of each segment indicates the number of verses dedicated to that life event.  
• The color of each segment represents which Gospel the verses being counted came from.

That by itself would be cool.  But then it has tools to splice the data at the bottom!

• The four colored boxes on the left let you toggle which Gospels are being displayed.  
• The thirteen gray boxes in the middle group the near 250 life events into general categories.
• The four blue boxes on the right show how many Gospel's versions are in harmony.

A summary of the creator's thoughts can be found in this PDF.  And an introduction to the tool can be found at this link.

Keep pursuing

Why Yes, Rape is a Big Deal

The Situation

A judge in Montana recently gave a man a 30 day jail sentence for raping a 14 year old girl.  The Blaze reports:

"A former high school teacher in Montana will only serve 30 days in jail, despite being convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl who later committed suicide. 

The sentence was handed down on Monday by Judge G. Todd Baugh to Stacey Dean Rambold, 54, who admitted to having sexual relations with Cherice Morales, a then 14-year-old student. 

Baugh reportedly sentenced Rambold to 15 years in prison for nonconsensual sexual intercourse, but suspended all except 31 days. The judge then gave the former teacher credit for one day served, reducing his total jail sentence to just 30 days." ...Full Article Here

The Reaction

Every person who hears the story is outraged by the judge's decision.  How on earth is it possible for a judge to treat a raping, adultering pedophile who caused suicide so flippantly?!?!

I agree with everyone.  I find this situation repulsive and the decision heinous.

However, I also have to admit that I am surprised that everyone shares my outrage.  Given our society's norms, isn't this expected to happen?  Given our culture's values, shouldn't we expect people behave this way in the future?


The Question

We live in a "modern" culture that champions casual sex.  "Sex is no big deal."

From the time we are in kindergarten we are taught we can't control ourselves when it comes to sex.  Television is flooded with casual sex between strangers.   And ads use sex to sell.  Sex is everywhere.  Sex is no big deal.

Taking this position, I am forced to ask the following question:

If sex is no big deal, then why is rape a big deal?

Logically, if sex is no big deal, then rape is just forcing something that is no big deal.  Where's the problem?

And while some may find this reasoning outlandish, many proponents of the secular progressive movement are already advocating exactly this position!

Earlier this year CNN reporters sympathized for the poor rapists who gang-banged an unconscious girl at a high school party and then bragged about it online.  Just this past week, Richard Dawkins suggested that mild pedophilia is not that bad.  And even this story we are discussing, this mockery of justice, this 30 day sentence for rape, is not being picked up by mainstream media.

So can you really fault these "leaders" for taking the hookup culture to its logical end?  Rape is more akin to a prank than a crime, right?


The Answer

Wrong.

Far from being "no big deal", sex is, in fact, holy.  Sex is not solely a physical act, it is spiritual, touching the innermost being of a person. (CCC 2361) It is a is gift given to man by God Himself. (CCC 2362)

Further human life has inherent value (CCC 2258) and human dignity is sacred (CCC 1929). Each one of us is loved infinitely by an infinite God.  And any act that treats a human being as a means, rather than an ends, is contrary to the will of God.  Thus rape, using a human as a means to your own pleasure, is evil.

So yes, rape is a big deal because sex is a big deal. 

Rape is a horrendous sin because sex is a holy gift.

Rape is a terrible evil because human dignity is sacred. 

Keep Pursuing

Additional Materials

Here is a horrifying story of a second person traumatized by pedophilia and her opinion on this case:

http://www.xojane.com/issues/stacey-rambold-cherice-morales

The Saint Patrick's Breastplate Prayer

This is how you say Saint Patrick's Breastplate Prayer:

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
+
I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.
+
I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.
+
I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.
+
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.
+
Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.
+
Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.
+
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
+
I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

What a warrior's prayer!  Saint Patrick said this prayer every day when he went out to convert the druid tribes of Ireland to Catholicism.  Saint Patrick succeeded in this endeavor and lived on to found the monasteries of Ireland.

Keep Pursuing

The $1 Abortion Premium

As of August 1, 2013, the HHS Mandate requires insurance providers to pay a premium of $1 per month per person covered if certain conditions are met.  These premiums go into a fund that is solely to be used to finance abortions.

Not sure what to do?  This post covers everything you need to know.


Is $1 a month being paid for me?

If you are enrolled in an insurance plan that covers elective abortions then, yes, your insurance provider is paying a premium of at least $1 per month into an abortion fund because of you.  (Sec 1303 (b)(1 & 2))

To be clear, an elective abortion is different than abortion for medical reasons.  Almost all insurance plans provide insurance for abortions due to medical risk, this coverage does not qualify you for the abortion premium.

It does not matter whether or not you ever have an abortion or plan to have an abortion, if elective abortion is covered in your plan, your insurer is required to pay in your name.

Can't I just ask my insurance provider?

No.  Unfortunately, you can't just ask your insurance provider if they are paying the $1 abortion premium for your account.  

The HHS Mandate states that your insurer can only tell you about this premium at the time of enrollment and cannot tell you about the individual payment made.  (No, I am not joking.  Look it up in Sec 1301 (b)(3)(A & B). This is now infamously known as the "secrecy clause.")

Now, you can ask your insurance provider if elective abortion is covered in your insurance plan.  They are still allowed to tell you that.  Alternatively, you can look up your insurance benefits yourself.

What if my policy covers elective abortion?

There is good news here.  You have options to get out of the abortion premium being paid in your name.  The law requires that every state offer at least one insurance plan that does not cover abortion.

1.) Your first option might be to switch insurance plans with your existing insurance provider.

• Ask your insurance provider to see what other plans are available.
• (This is only an option if your insurance provider offers a plan that doesn't cover elective abortion.)

2.) Your second option is to switch insurance providers.

• Ask your employers if other providers are available.  (Share your values with your employer.)
• For people at companies with only one insurance provider, this means you might have to become self-insured, which can be expensive.

3.) Your last resort is to cancel your insurance and be uninsured.

• To be clear, I cannot think of a scenario where this last resort is needed.  Being self-insured should always cost less and take less effort than being uninsured.
• Not having insurance will increase your cost of health care.
• Further this will also subject you to fines of 2.5% of your annual salary each year. (Sec 5000A (c)(1 & 2))

Personal Thoughts

Catholicism teaches that knowingly supporting an intrinsic evil, like abortion, is a grave sin.  As with so many other parts of the HHS Mandate, Catholics cannot, in good faith, support such policies.

For my wife and I the decision was simple.  As soon as we learned about this premium, we decided we would do whatever it took to make sure we didn't contribute to the death of a single unborn child. 

What about you?


Keep Pursuing

Additional Resources

As always, I urge you to think for yourself and reference source documents!  Here is a direct link to the text of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare):

http://housedocs.house.gov/energycommerce/ppacacon.pdf

If the legal text is too thick for you, here is the best summary I have found of the facts surrounding the abortion premium:

http://www.alliancedefendingfreedom.org/content/docs/facts/ObamaCare-and-its-Mandates.pdf

An interesting read striking down some of the myths surrounding the abortion premium:

http://www.aul.org/2012/04/why-huffington-post-is-wrong-on-abortion-in-the-affordable-care-act/

Lastly I urge you to take action if this offends you.  In addition to making sure you are not paying for abortions, call your elected representatives at the State and the Federal level and let them know you don't like this and you want it repealed.

Catholicism Affirms Life Begins at Conception

Intro

In the abortion debate today, one of two claims is made in favor of abortion.  Either the unborn child is not a human life or it is a less important life not worth protecting.

I want to point out that these arguments are not modern.  In fact the Church has been combating them for 2000 years.  And in this post I will explore what the Church has said about the sacredness of human life since it was founded by Jesus Christ.


The Teaching of the Church

Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say about it:

"Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life." ~ CCC 2270

And here is a sampling of the verses in the Bible that testify to life beginning at conception:

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you." ~ Jeremiah 1:5

"Your hands have formed me and fashioned me; will you then turn and destroy me?Oh, remember that you fashioned me from clay! Will you then bring me down to dust again?Did you not pour me out as milk, and thicken me like cheese? With skin and flesh you clothed me, with bones and sinews knit me together.Grace and favor you granted me, and your providence has preserved my spirit." ~ Job 10:8-12

"You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb.I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth." ~ Psalms 139:13-15

"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." ~ Luke 1:41:42

"...He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother's womb,..." ~ Luke 1:15

Conclusions

The Catholic Church has always believed that life was sacred, even when it was in the womb.  This belief is reinforced by the Bible, 2000 years of Tradition, and observation of natural law.

This means we now have the law, the Church, and science all agreeing that abortion ends a human life.  Raise these facts!

Do not allow people to get away with calling the precious gift of new human life that is an unborn baby anything else.

It is not "just a fetus".  It is not "the flesh".  It is a baby.  It is a human being.  It is a precious gift.  It has been so since conception.  It deserves to be protected.  And it deserves to be loved.


Keep Pursuing

Additional Materials

This post is part of a mini-series on when life begins.

Science Proves Life Begins at Conception

This post is part of a mini-series on when life begins.

Intro

Science has always been quite clear on the fact that human life begins at conception.

It is only when you muddy the water with politics that you see bizarre claims that human development begins at implantation, or in the second trimester, or at birth, or at any other arbitrary point people have made up to support their agenda.

So to make things plain, in this post we will look at the issue from a strictly biological point of view.


Biological Description

• A woman ovulates once a month 
• During ovulation, the ovaries release one egg (or more) 
• The egg leaves the ovary and begins it's journey down the fallopian tube to the uterus 
• The egg only lasts for 12-24 hours (after ovulation) before dying 

• On the other side of this equation you have the sperm 
• Sperm are released from the penis into the vagina during ejaculation 
• From there, sperm must travel through the uterus into the fallopian tube 
• This journey can be accomplished in as little as 5 hours, but can take up to 5 days 

• Conception occurs upon the sperm reaching the egg and penetrating the outer lining of the egg 
• At the moment the sperm enters the egg, the two cells become one new cell called a zygote 
• This entry sets off a chemical reaction that pushes away all other sperm
• In the zygote the 23 individual chromosomes from the sperm match with the 23 individual chromosomes from the egg to become a full genome, genetically complete, genetically unique, fully human 
• The zygote begins dividing into new cells immediately 
• The collection of cells, that the zygote divides into, is called a blastocyst 
• The blastocyst takes about 4 days to travel down the fallopian tube to the uterus 
• Upon reaching the uterus, the blastocyst will typically float for about 2 days before implanting in the uterine wall 
• It is at this implantation (6 days after fertilization) that pregnancy (as it is currently defined) begins for the mother 

• At 22 days the baby has a heart beat
• At 6 weeks the baby's brain waves can be detected
• At 8 weeks the baby has arms, legs, hands, and feet
• At 12 weeks the baby has a sex
• At 13 weeks the baby's taste buds are working
• At 14 weeks the baby has all organs it will have
• At 20 weeks the baby can feel pain
• At 21 weeks the baby can now viably live outside the womb
• At 23 weeks babies have demonstrated REM indicating dreams
• At 40 weeks the mother gives birth to the baby

Conclusion

At the point of conception, the sperm and the egg combine to create new life. That resulting new cell is both:

• genetically complete - representing a full human being
• genetically unique - different from any person who has ever or will ever exist 

Upon creation, that cell is immediately dividing, growing, and multiplying.  Is that cell growing into an animal, a plant, or "just flesh"?  Of course not.  It is ridiculous to say that baby will grow into anything but the human being it is designed to be.

So we now have the law, the Church, and science all agreeing that abortion ends a human life.  Raise these facts!

Do not allow people to get away with calling the precious gift of new human life that is an unborn baby anything else.  It is not "the flesh".  It is not "just a fetus".  It is a baby.  It is a human being.  It is a precious gift.  It has been so since conception.  It deserves to be protected.  And it deserves to be loved.


Keep Pursuing

Additional Materials

EHD has live footage of a developing child from conception to birth:
http://www.ehd.org

Here is a beautiful blog post discussing how science states life begins at conception:
http://catholicdefense.blogspot.com/2013/01/science-v-religion-on-when-life-begins.html

Additional information on development:
http://prolifeaction.org/faq/unborn.php

This post is part of a mini-series on when life begins.