Theomorph presents an interesting view on sacred versus profane Christmas debates. Unlike a lot of secularists, he’s not hostile toward religious expression. Perhaps it’s because he was once Christian. Then again, maybe he’s just a nice guy. 😉
On a somewhat related note, here’s an article about the growing popularity of Festivus.
For one segment of society, the
live birth of a baby at 26 weeks is cause for celebration. For another, abortion
after 26 weeks is exercising the “right to choose”. When and how will
our society resolve this conflict?
World’s smallest baby ready to go home
CHICAGO (AP) — A baby who weighed less than a can of soda when she was born by Caesarean section three months ago is nearly ready to be released from the hospital. She is believed to be the smallest baby in the world ever to survive.
How to stop the attack on abortion rights
THE BUSH administration thinks it has political “capital.†And it plans on spending some to destroy women’s right to choose abortion.
Tucked away in the omnibus spending bill approved by Congress last month was a provision that would allow physicians, hospitals, HMOs and insurance plans to opt out of giving abortion referrals, as they currently are required to. This provision will especially affect poor women, who rely on federally funded health care.
Natural functions and marriage
Over at MarriageDebate.com Maggie Gallagher has been dealing with one of the standard arguments for "gay marriage", that there can't be an essential connection between marriage and procreation because after all 70-year-old women are allowed to marry even though they can't have babies. Miss Gallagher handles the question very well, but there's a lurking point worth bringing out.
This was a hot topic in a previous debate in my comments. Jim Kalb at Turnabout answers this common argument.
” The attempts to de-Christianize Christmas are as absurd as they are relentless. The United States today is the most tolerant and diverse society in history. It celebrates all faiths with an open heart and open-mindedness that, compared to even the most advanced countries in Europe, are unique.”
“Yet more than 80 percent of Americans are Christian, and probably 95 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas. Christmas Day is an official federal holiday, the only day of the entire year when, for example, the Smithsonian museums are closed. Are we to pretend that Christmas is nothing but an orgy of commerce in celebration of . . . what? The winter solstice? ” – Charles Krauthammer, “Just Leave Christmas Alone“
(Thanks, Dappled Things)
A.C.L.U.’s Search for Data on Donors Stirs Privacy Fears
The American Civil Liberties Union is using sophisticated technology to collect a wide variety of information about its members and donors in a fund-raising effort that has ignited a bitter debate over its leaders’ commitment to privacy rights.
Some board members say the extensive data collection makes a mockery of the organization’s frequent criticism of banks, corporations and government agencies for their practice of accumulating data on people for marketing and other purposes.
Does anyone else see an inconsistency in this? Doesn’t the ACLU list privacy as a
civil right?