He is Risen!

Matthew 28:1-7
"In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, come Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended form heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow;
And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said to the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here; for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you."

I think it was Campbell Morgan who said that the resurrection is the most stupendous, supernatural miracle that the world has ever known. It supercedes everything else - because if He is not risen from the dead then everything else collapses!

Think of this as a great pyramid the apostle built through the writing of his fourteen epistles, including Hebrews: then he turns that great pyramid over and he balances the fine point on one thing! It is this awesome verse in the 15th chapter of first Corinthians. He says, "if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."

There are many philosophies about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but the Scripture is the first, the foremost, and the final word. There are those who say that Jesus never died. All He did was faint, because He had been up all night, and pushed around, and He had lost some blood. They put Him into a tomb and then He revived in the cool tomb and He came out again. Well, the apostles, of course, shatter all that argument absolutely.

Remember that this is the thing that got the apostles into trouble! If Jesus wasn't risen from the dead, I think they could have gone back to the temple and said, "Look, He was a good man, we saw miracles, and He was a marvelous man, but He didn't come through on the last thing. He said, 'I'm going to rise from the dead under My own power.' - we're sorry He didn't make it. And we feel that we have something that we should share with you..." You know, I think in the temple they could have started a new school, and a new sect of Jesus followers, and had no trouble. But the thing right out in the open was that these men who had trembled and run away, who forsook Him and fled, become as bold as lions.

Why? Because they knew that Jesus had risen from the dead, that's why! It says in the Acts of the Apostles concerning Jesus, first chapter and verse three, "To whom also He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." Now look, if it was a fallacy, as the world says, why do this bunch of men stand up and live in danger of their lives. Can these men have had hallucination for forty days in succession? "He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs." I can't find one modern version of scripture that includes the word infallible. Man hates that word infallible. He showed himself alive. To who? Oh, to a whole bunch of people; as many as five hundred in broad daylight. Can you see visions in broad daylight? Suffer hallucinations? He showed Himself alive, by many infallible proofs!

What were the infallible proofs? The infallible proofs were,
"we have touched Him, we have seen Him."    Peter testifies to that later in his first epistle, doesn't he? He says, "We don't follow cunningly devised fables, we have seen Him, we handled Him, we heard Him." For forty days He confirmed their faith.
Oh, that's wonderful.

Yes, it's wonderful! But to me it's also terrible, you see, because the world hadn't believed Him for three years, for the next forty days He said, "Get out of it, world, I am not appearing to you."
He could have won the world in a day! All He had to do was go to Pontius Pilate at one o'clock in the morning and tap him and say, "Hey, what are you going to do now?"Then go down the road to Caiaphas house, stand by his bed and only say, "Well? Well?" Oh, he'd have shuddered in his bed and had to say, "Oh, My God, have mercy on me." Or go to the village cemetery and shout over the wall, "I am the resurrection and the Life."

THE RESURRECTION IS NOT PART OF MY THEOLOGY, THE RESURRECTION IS A PERSON.
"I AM THE RESURRECTION."
HE IS AS MUCH MY RESURRECTION AS HE IS MY SAVIOR, AND MY LORD AND MY KING!   Now it says in the Emmaus walk that He appeared unto them in another form. That's right and they didn't understand. How many forms did He appear in?

He appeared as a little baby. GOD appeared as a babe.

He appeared as a great teacher. Their ears must have burned when He preached the Sermon on the Mount. They said, "This is the most marvelous thing man has ever uttered. Is this possible?" He appeared as their teacher, as He had appeared as a babe.

He appeared as a servant, to their embarrassment. One day He put a towel around His waist, and took some water, and He knelt, and washed their feet.

He appeared one day on a cross, as the atoning Lamb to take away the sin of the world.

And now He appears in another form. They are walking down that road, just seven miles from Jerusalem on the Emmaus road and He overtook them. Their feet were heavy, but their hearts were heavier still.

You know what? I think the resurrection morning was the most disappointing morning in the life of the Son of God.
You know why? Because if one of them had believed Him they would have been lined up outside of the tomb waiting for Him, but not one of them turned up.

He'll appear to you in different forms... the way you need Him.

Sometimes He comes in tenderness and compassion when you have a wounded heart and a wounded spirit, and He binds up the brokenhearted.

Sometimes He will come and pierce the heart. Because He loves us, He will come and pierce us.
Sometimes He will come in overwhelming majesty, you have to bow at His feet in adoration.
He doesn't have to come in one form or another, He appears as He wants to appear.

He showed Himself alive unto His disciples with many infallible proofs. Oh, I think they enjoyed it when He broke bread, you know, when He called one morning and they were tired after fishing, "Hi boys!" Actually the Greek says, "lads, come here." And they went, and as the hymn says, "they met their heart's desire, bread and fish upon the fire." That was the greatest breakfast ever cooked.

I think He took some rocks and put them down and said, "Become bread."
Then He said to the devil, "I'll do it when I want, not when you want."
Because the devil once said to Him, "If you are the Son of God,
turn those rocks into bread." Well, you can never do the wrong thing
at the right time, but you can do the right thing at the wrong time, and He said, "No."
I guess He collected fish the same way Peter did under His instruction when they needed to pay taxes. So, He made breakfast for His disciples.

Do you think they ever forgot that breakfast?
Did Peter ever forget when Jesus looked on him in compassion?
Did Thomas ever forget when He said, "Put your hands in..."
Those were wonderful appearances.
But I'll tell you the thing that was most wonderful of all: you know why they were strong enough to do what God told them? He BREATHED on them.

He BREATHED on a piece of clay. Oh, Adam was very beautiful when he was first made. As beautiful as a corpse, because he had no life in him. Beautiful eyes, fingernails were perfect, body perfect, and then finally, God BREATHED in him, and he became a living soul.
Remember, He took a man called Abram A B R A M, and He BREATHED into Abram and Abram became AbraHam. Changed his whole life.

He breathed on them in the upper room, BEFORE Pentecost, and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." And they received the Holy Ghost! Because if a man has not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His. But they received an enduement of power, a Baptism, in that upper room.
Many infallible proofs of His Resurrection!

Again, this is the key to the apostolic church.
This is the key to the apostolic church of Jesus Christ today.
All the warranties of the future are in Jesus Christ and the resurrection.

from a sermon by Leonard Ravenhill
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If you want to know more about Jesus please email me at sophiesperspective@gmail.com or post a comment here.

Abortion --> Mental Illness?

From The Sunday Times

March 16, 2008

Royal college warns abortions can lead to mental illness

Sarah-Kate Templeton, Health Editor
Women may be at risk of mental health breakdowns if they have abortions, a medical royal college has warned. The Royal College of Psychiatrists says women should not be allowed to have an abortion until they are counselled on the possible risk to their mental health.

This overturns the consensus that has stood for decades that the risk to mental health of continuing with an unwanted pregnancy outweighs the risks of living with the possible regrets of having an abortion.

MPs will shortly vote on a proposal to reduce the upper time limit for abortions “for social reasons” from 24 weeks to 20 weeks, a move not backed by the government. A Sunday Times poll today shows 59% of women would support such a reduction, with only 28% backing the status quo. Taken together, just under half (48%) of men and women want a reduction to 20 weeks, while 35% want to retain 24 weeks.

Some MPs also want women to have a “cooling off” period in which they would be made aware of the possible consequences of the abortion, including the impact on their mental health, before they could go ahead.


More than 90% of the 200,000 terminations in Britain every year are believed to be carried out because doctors believe that continuing with the pregnancy would cause greater mental strain.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends updating abortion information leaflets to include details of the risks of depression. “Consent cannot be informed without the provision of adequate and appropriate information,” it says.

Several studies, including research published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry in 2006, concluded that abortion in young women might be associated with risks of mental health problems.

The controversy intensified earlier this year when an inquest in Cornwall heard that a talented artist hanged herself because she was overcome with grief after aborting her twins. Emma Beck, 30, left a note saying: “Living is hell for me. I should never have had an abortion. I see now I would have been a good mum. I want to be with my babies; they need me, no one else does.”

The college’s revised stance was welcomed by Nadine Dorries, a Conservative MP campaigning for a statutory cooling-off period: “For doctors to process a woman’s request for an abortion without providing the support, information and help women need at this time of crisis I regard almost as a form of abuse,” she said.

Dawn Primarolo, the health minister, will this week appeal to MPs to ignore attempts to reduce the time limit on abortion when new laws on fertility treatment and embryo research come before parliament.

Dr Peter Saunders, general secretary of the Christian Medical Fellowship, said: “How can a doctor now justify an abortion [on mental health grounds] if psychiatrists are questioning whether there is any clear evidence that continuing with the pregnancy leads to mental health problems.”

Royal College of Psychiatrists statement on abortion and mental health, 2008
The college's stance on the psychiatric factors in abortion, 1994

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Test Gave Inaccurate Results

Stories such as the one following are not uncommon at all. I personally know quite a few people with no problems who would not be alive if their parents had aborted thinking they would be defective. Weigh carefully your decision: a human live is in the balance.

Baby born healthy after doctors advise aborting him

Rusty Pugh - OneNewsNow - 3/4/2008 1:00:00 PM

A leading women's pro-life group says a recent case in Wales, in which a perfectly healthy baby boy was born after a doctor had advised the couple to abort the child, is a good example of why parents should always choose life.

A baby that doctors said would be deaf, blind, and survive only a few hours is now healthy and attempting to talk. However, doctors previously urged Becky and Kriss Kramer to abort their baby. They claimed the child would be born with a rare condition that affects fewer than one-out-of-a-million people worldwide.

But the couple defied the doctors' advice, and their son Brandon was born in October. The new parents say he is now teething and attempting to talk.

Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, advocates that all parents should give their children a chance at life.

"This story that comes out of Wales is a good example for why parents ought to take medical diagnoses with a grain of salt, and should follow their natural instincts to love and nurture and care for and protect their child," she insists. "Even if the child had been born disabled, that is not a reason to kill the baby. We would never dream of killing a two-year-old that had significant disabilities."

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service, which bills itself as the U.K.'s "leading sexual healthcare provider," reports that it performs about 55,000 abortions a year. BPAS has facilities in England, Wales, and Scotland.

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Cheers!

So there's a lot of hype about the benefits of alcohol consumption in moderation of late. However, it is important to remember that alcohol is a toxin (poison) and as such is harmful to your body.

"What does alcohol do?

Alcohol is the most widely used mind-altering drug in New Zealand. It is legal, it is readily available and it is generally socially acceptable.
Alcohol has stimulating, depressing and mood-altering functions that leave practically no circuit or system of the brain untouched. This range of effects is what sets alcohol apart from many other drugs.
It acts as a stimulant when it directly stimulates those brain cells, which lead to feelings of pleasure and euphoria. It is a depressant when it slows the brain down and reduces tensions and worries. It can affect our judgement and make us do things we would not usually do when sober. Alcohol acts as an anaesthetic when it slows down our reflexes and our coordination. It can put us to sleep, it can induce a coma and it can kill.
Alcohol's effects are dose related - the more alcohol you drink, the greater the effects that may occur. The effect alcohol has on you can also be related to your mood and your expectations. If we get the dose of alcohol right, it can be a pleasant and sometimes useful drug. If the dose is wrong, then alcohol can cause a wide range of harmful effects. Some of these are discussed below.

Defining alcohol problems

A number of different terms are used to describe alcohol problems. Sometimes the terms can be confusing.

• Hazardous drinking means drinking at levels or in situations that are likely to cause harmful consequences.
• Alcohol abuse refers to the idea that alcohol causes harmful consequences for a person, and the person continues to drink alcohol despite these consequences.
• Alcohol dependence is a more technical term indicating that either the body or the mind has become hooked or addicted to alcohol.
• Psychological dependence occurs when the mind seems to take over the control of a person's drinking. The person feels they have to drink to feel good or normal. Psychologically dependent people start to act in ways to ensure their addiction is satisfied - they think a lot about alcohol, they always ensure they have enough alcohol to drink and they plan their activities around alcohol.
• Physical dependence occurs when the body adapts to the high use of alcohol and requires this level of use to feel right or maintain its balance. There are two main signs of physical dependence.
  - Tolerance, which means a person has to progressively drink more alcohol to achieve the same effect that was previously achieved with smaller amounts.
  - Withdrawal, which is a state people can experience if they go without alcohol. Here the body reacts against the absence of alcohol by going through a period of shaking and sweating. If this progresses to a more severe stage, delirium tremens (DTs) may occur, with people becoming confused and experiencing hallucinations (seeing things or hearing things when there is nothing to be seen or heard).

Alcoholism or alcoholic are descriptions that mean different things to different people. Usually alcoholism relates to a state of alcohol dependence, but many people can have severe alcohol-related problems without having signs and symptoms of dependence.
Alcohol use is very common. Estimates are that over 90 per cent of New Zealanders drink alcohol. Studies suggest over 20 per cent of the population drinks excessively and that, at any one time, seven to 10 per cent of us have a problem with dependence on alcohol.
It is further estimated that about 30 per cent of people who are admitted to a general medical hospital have an alcohol-related health problem. Around 40 per cent of people in contact with the mental health services drink in a hazardous way.
...People who continually drink heavily can expect to have a disruptive life with more social problems than moderate and non-drinkers. They can expect more (em) health problems and they can expect to die earlier."
source
"There's a lot going on whenever alcohol's going through the body, so we'll limit ourselves here to main systems only:

• Liver. Since alcohol is so toxic, clearing it out of the system is a priority. And when the liver gets busy getting rid of alcohol, it gets behind in other functions, like maintaining stable blood-glucose levels to the brain. It takes a pounding in the process, too. Cirrhosis is a common result of long-term drinking, and one of the main killers of older drinkers.
• Stomach. Alcohol irritates the stomach lining, and vomiting is a particularly visible result. Heavy drinking can lead to stomach problems and ulcers.
• Central Nervous System. Alcohol depresses almost every brain function, from balance to breathing. And even though effects lessen as booze leaves the body, regular drinking raises tolerance, so that heavier drinkers can drink more without getting drunk. They do, that is, until liver damage reverses the process, which speeds up damage to the brain and the rest of the body."

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So I know that some of you, my readers, probably drink, and while I do not think it wise of you to do so I'm just asking for you to look at the effects of alcohol on your body (and on others around you!) and ask yourself: is it really worth it? I don't want you to be ignorant of what you are doing to yourself and others. There may be some health benefits, but I think the negative side effects outweigh the plus' by far.

To end, a funny song by Tim Hawkins...




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Jane Eyre

Unlike Wuthering Heights, I greatly enjoyed this novel by a Bronte sister. I almost let my disgust of the previous novel stop me from reading Jane Eyre. I am so glad I listened to some friends and did not let that happen. It is a very different story and oddly captivating as a result. I heartily recommend the book to all young adults (being teenagers) and older. Now, of course I would not recommend and do not agree with everything that happens in the book, but when does that ever happen, no?

The A&E movie based off of this book is good, but entirely too rushed. It would have been a very good idea, in my opinion, it have at least put captions letting you know how many years passed between particular scenes. With it not being this way you miss much of the power of her story. However, no screen adaption is ever perfect, and given that decades of Jane's life are covered in an hour and a half (thus the benefit of captions) the movie adaption is about as faithful as you can do. I do recommend this movie as well. I have not seen any other screen adaption, so cannot speak on the quality of those.

2 out 5 stars.

As always, please feel free to express your opinion on these matters below.

This post does contain affiliate links. This means that, with no additional cost to you, I may receive a small commission for referring business. Thank you for your support!

45 Million+, Dead

Note: This is a lengthy letter, but worth the read. I hope it encourages you to think and to take action.

God bless,
Sophie

Dear Friends:

Another new year is upon us, and, here again, we find ourselves celebrating the sanctity of human life while mourning the anniversary of the fateful Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions, which legalized abortion across the United States. These rulings are now 35 years old, and in their wake are the lives of more than 45 million innocent babies, with another 2,740 being killed every day. Clearly, this is a time for somber reflection on our “culture of death,” as well as for earnest prayer that the scourge of abortion will soon be relegated to the sad annals of history.

As we look forward to the day when abortion-on-demand is no longer tolerated by our society, it is beneficial to consider how we got here in the first place. How much do you really know about the original Roe v. Wade decision as it was handed down in 1973, or about the closely related Doe v. Bolton ruling? I doubt whether most Americans realize just how sweeping and ominous those decisions were in terms of dismantling our nation’s embrace of the sanctity of human life, or the effect that legalized abortion has had on other life issues such as euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research and even violent crime.

Our staff recently joined with our great friends at the Alliance Defense Fund and Concerned Women for America to create a unique survey called the “Roe IQ Test,” which gauges each respondent’s knowledge and attitudes concerning these infamous 1973 Supreme Court decisions. It includes 12 questions, and I assure you that the answers to several of the questions are surprising. To be honest, when I first saw the test I wasn’t sure I would be able to answer each question correctly myself. I have included the full survey below, and I encourage you to take a few minutes to look it over and consider the questions. I’m convinced that if Americans could answer each of these questions accurately, support for legalized abortion would erode even faster than it already has.

The answers to the following questions are included in a separate key at the end of this letter. Please don’t look ahead — see how many of these questions you are able to answer off the top of your head, without doing any outside research.

Now, to the test:
Note: The U.S. Supreme Court’s control over abortion laws is significantly influenced by two 1973 decisions: Roe v. Wade (Roe) and Doe v. Bolton (Doe). To keep things simple, this I.Q test considers both rulings but refers to the better known of the two cases, Roe. So, Roe represents both Roe and Doe in the questions.

1) Which most accurately describes when a woman may have an abortion under Roe?
A. Anytime during the first three months (first trimester) of her pregnancy
B. Anytime during the first six months (second trimester) of her pregnancy
C. Anytime during her entire pregnancy
D. Anytime during the first three months, but can have an abortion later if the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest

2) Which best describes the limitations Roe places on why a woman may have an abortion?
A. No limitations
B. Only in case of rape, incest, or when the woman’s life is in danger
C. No limitations during the first three months of pregnancy, but only medically necessary abortions after that

3) True or False. Roe allowed late-term abortions.
A. True
B. False

4) True or False. If Roe were overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, abortion would immediately become illegal in the United States.
A. True
B. False

5) According to the Centers for Disease Control, about how many abortions have been performed in the United States since the Roe decision in 1973?
A. Less than 10 million
B. 10-19 million
C. 20-29 million
D. 30-39 million
E. 40-49 million
F. 50-59 million
G. More than 60 million

6) At what age does Roe require minor girls to have parental notification before an abortion?
A. Parental notification is not required
B. Girls 18 and younger
C. Girls 16 and younger
D. Girls 13 and younger

7) True or False. Roe allowed sex-selection abortions — abortions performed because of the sex of the baby (For example: parents wanting a boy instead of a girl — and vice-versa).
A. True
B. False

8) What percentage of abortions are performed because of rape or incest?
A. More than 16 percent
B. 11-15 percent
C. 6-10 percent
D. 2-5 percent
E. Fewer than 1 percent

9) Which of our nation’s founding documents contains the phrase “right to an abortion”?
A. Declaration of Independence
B. U.S. Constitution
C. Bill of Rights
D. None of the Above
E. All of the Above

10) Which Supreme Court Justice said the following about Roe: “Roe v. Wade . . . ventured too far in the change it ordered and presented an inadequate justification for its action.”
A. Justice Samuel Alito
B. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
C. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
D. Justice Antonin Scalia
E. Justice Clarence Thomas

11) Which country’s laws make it easiest to have an abortion?
A. Finland
B. Great Britain
C. Ireland
D. United States
E. Mexico

12) Under Roe, which of these are allowed to perform abortions?
A. Licensed physician
B. Nurse practitioner
C. Resident assistant
D. Registered nurse
E. All of the above

Are you confident in your answers to the preceding questions? Now take a look at the key included with this letter to find out how you scored. I missed one question when I first took the survey, giving me a score of 92 percent. Which answer did I get wrong? Question #10 tripped me up, as I did not even consider the possibility that an ultra-liberal justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, could have said anything negative about the Roe decision. But there you have it.

If your schedule permits, we would appreciate you logging onto our online version of the exam and transferring your original answers for official tabulation. This can be found at www.roeiqtest.com. Please note that the online survey includes an additional eight questions that don’t involve “right” or “wrong” answers, but are rather designed to identify certain demographical characteristics of each respondent. By answering Questions 13-20 on our Internet survey, you will help our research staff gain a clearer picture of the beliefs and backgrounds of the survey respondents. Rest assured that you will remain completely anonymous.

You don’t have to be a constitutional scholar to know that reading a so-called “right to abortion” into any of our nation’s founding documents is a gross deviation from the intent of our Founding Fathers. An honest and accurate reading of our Constitution simply does not allow for it. Yet pro-abortion forces, from 1973 straight through to today, have always argued that legalized abortion somehow results in better lives for women. But the facts tell a very different story. What many have touted as the ultimate expression of “women’s rights” has actually victimized women to an unprecedented degree.

The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) conducted an in-depth study in July 2007 titled “Long-Term Complications Associated with Induced Abortion.” It contains a wealth of extensive research demonstrating the devastating physical and emotional effects of abortion on women. Although there is solid research to verify their conclusions, not surprisingly, these findings have been almost completely ignored by the mainstream media and by left-leaning elements of the medical profession. In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has stated: “Long term risks sometimes attributed to surgical abortion include potential effects on reproductive function, cancer incidence, and psychological sequelae. However, the medical literature, when carefully evaluated, clearly indicates no significant negative impact on any of these factors with surgical abortion.”

AAPLOG’s research demonstrates how faulty this conclusion is. Their study opens with this telling statement: “We are aware of no studies that demonstrate a better mental or physical health outcome for aborted women, compared to those who choose to deliver. On the contrary, there is ample evidence that induced abortion in many cases is associated with significant degradation of emotional health, physical health and reproductive health.”

Specifically, AAPLOG’s study cites links between abortion and depression, substance abuse, suicide, placenta previa (a dangerous medical condition), breast cancer, premature birth, and low birth weight among post-abortion women.

Consider these examples from the report:

• A study in New Zealand found that at age 25, 42 percent of women in the study group who had had an abortion also experienced major depression at some stage during the past four years. This was nearly double the rate of those who had never been pregnant and 35 percent higher than those who had chosen to continue a pregnancy.
• Data from California shows that compared with women who had previously given birth, women who aborted were 929 percent more likely to use marijuana, 460 percent more likely to use other illicit drugs, and 122 percent more likely to use alcohol during their next pregnancy.
• A University of Minnesota study on teen suicide found that the rate of attempted suicide in the six months prior to the study increased tenfold for teens who had aborted during those previous six months.
• Researchers at South Glomorgan Health Authority in Great Britain found that after abortions, there were 8.9 suicide attempts per 1,000, compared with 1.9 suicide attempts per 1,000 among those who gave birth.
• Studies also show a link between abortion and placentia previa (a condition in which the placenta is implanted abnormally low in the uterine cavity) during subsequent pregnancies.
• Although controversial, research continues to suggest a link between abortion and the subsequent risk of developing breast cancer. More than 41 studies worldwide (including 16 conducted in America) have reported data on the risk of breast cancer among women with a history of induced abortion. A full 29 (70 percent) of these studies reported an increased risk, with 13 (or 81 percent) of the American studies reporting an increased risk.
• More than 50 studies have demonstrated a statistically significant increase in premature birth or low birth weight risk in women with prior induced abortions. Consider, for example, that in Ireland, where induced abortion is illegal, the prematurity rate in 2003 was 5.48 percent, less than half the U.S. rate of 12.3 percent.

These bullet points do not even begin to scratch the surface of the wide body of research demonstrating the links between abortion and physical and emotional difficulties for post-abortion women. Again, this information is widely ignored or discounted by liberal politicians, activists, and medical organizations. You would think that shocking statistics of this nature would make the front page of The New York Times and that groups such as the National Organization for Women (NOW) would be screaming in protest about the indignities and abuses that have been heaped upon women at the hands of the abortion industry. Instead, the facts are buried or ignored and we are told that the right to an abortion is the hallmark of female empowerment.

For the past 35 years the pro-life community has been emphasizing the fact that every abortion leaves “one dead and one wounded.” At the same time, pro-abortion forces have been proclaiming that “everybody wins” in the era of legalized abortion. Nothing could be further from the truth.

But, as I mentioned at the beginning of this letter, we have many reasons for hope as we observe this tragic anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Public opinion polls continue to show that the American people are increasingly embracing a pro-life perspective. The use of ultrasound technology in medical Pregnancy Resource Centers nationwide has led to a dramatic increase in the number of women who choose to deliver their babies (once you’ve seen a live image of your living, moving baby inside the womb, the lie that it’s “just a blob of tissue” goes out the window). That’s what Focus on the Family’s Option Ultrasound initiative is all about. Meanwhile, numerous pieces of legislation have been enacted at the state and national levels to help curb the number of overall abortions and to reign in, slowly but surely, some of the most troubling aspects of the original Roe v. Wade decision.

Please join me in praying that the abortion-on-demand era will soon come to an end. Legally, the power to bring this shameful period in American history to its conclusion lies with the same body that gave us legalized abortion in the first place: the United States Supreme Court. This is one reason why the upcoming presidential election is so important to those of us who believe in the sanctity of all human life. I’m thankful that President Bush nominated two excellent, conservative, “strict-constructionist” judges to the Court in Samuel Alito and John Roberts. Nevertheless, five liberal justices remain on the Court, and it is almost certain that one or perhaps all five of them will retire during the next two presidential terms. The judges nominated to the Supreme Court by our next leader could set the direction of the court for the next 30 years. We must be praying now about the upcoming election and its impact on the powerful judiciary.

Many thanks to those of you who, through your prayers and finances, continue to support Focus on the Family in our efforts to defend the sanctity of human life. And thanks to those of you who, through your churches, local Pregnancy Resource Centers, and personal relationships, are working to proclaim the value of life to those around you and, ultimately, point them toward the Giver of life. Keep fighting the good fight!
Sincerely,
James C. Dobson, Ph.D.
Founder and Chairman

P.S. To illustrate the relevance of the upcoming presidential election to the makeup of the Supreme Court, consider the current ages of liberal members now serving:

Justice David Souter	Age 69
Justice Stephen Breyer	Age 70
Justice Anthony Kennedy	Age 71
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg	Age 74
Justice John Paul Stevens	Age 87

The next president could have the opportunity to nominate successors to all five! I urge you to be prayer, be informed, and be prepared to vote in both your state’s primary and in the general election!
ANSWERS: 1 [C] 2 [A] 3 [A] 4 [B] 5 [E] 6 [A] 7 [A] 8 [E] 9 [D] 10 [B] 11 [D] 12 [E]

This letter may be reproduced without change and in its entirety for noncommercial and nonpolitical purposes without prior permission from Focus on the Family.

Children are a Heritage from the Lord
by Dr. James C. Dobson
January 2008

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Thr3e {A Book Review}

Thr3E. I cannot say much about this book. It is too good to say much about for fear of saying something that might give part of the story away. So this I do say: It absolutely has got to be one of the best books I have read. I really enjoyed it. I would think that anyone 10 yrs or older, if they are mature, could read and enjoy it. Please go do so. It's a page turner to the extent that you do not want to put the book down until you know what the ending is. Dekker did an amazing job. BUT once you know the story, it won't hold the same appeal for a re-read. Basically, it's good for one really good read...unless you know the story already. Then it's like reading The Picture of Dorian Gray. Unimpressive.

(I haven't seen the movie, many have enjoyed it. Dekker did work on it which makes me feel better about it than I do most film renditions of books, but I cannot recommend or not recommend the movie yet.)

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