Mother Teresa, known for her work with the poor,
Source Mother Teresa best © copyright 2010,
Author Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com
(CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)
“Socioeconomic status is the most powerful predictor of disease, disorder, injury and mortality we have.”
– Tom Boyce, MD, Chief of Division of Developmental Medicine, Dept. of Pediatrics, UCSF
Epidemiologists term poverty the “cause of causes” because it underlies so many illnesses.
The life expectancy of an adult living at or below the federal poverty level ($11,770 per one-person household) in the Rust Belt or rural South is 7-8 years less than that of an individual making the average American income of $55,775 [1][9].
Race, Poverty, and Chronic Illness
Race further widens the gap. Chronic illnesses (responsible for 70% of the deaths in this country) show earlier onset and greater frequency in minority populations living in poverty [2].
According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, Americans living in poverty suffer from depression at twice the rate of those not in poverty. Asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and heart attack rates are, also, higher among the poor [3].
And the United States is second to last among 29 developed countries ranked by child poverty rates – scoring worse than Poland, Latvia, Hungary, and Lithuania [4][5].
A Complex Relationship
The available data barely scratches the surface of the relationship between poverty and illness.
The relationship between poverty and depression is, we know, complex. Depression can both cause and be caused by poverty [6].
Other health problems may be influenced by the limited healthcare available to the poor, and the environmental conditions under which they live. Lead pipes, for example, are common in America’s inner cities [7]. Read more…
Tattered American Flag, Author Tony Webster of San Francisco, CA https://www.flickr.com/people/87296837@N00 (CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)
“‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…(Ex. 19: 5-6)’“
In his masterwork “Democracy in America”, Alexis de Tocqueville, remarked on the close relationship between religion and liberty in our country [1].
“We evangelicals tend to make Exodus personal and spiritual. It’s a symbol of our Salvation. Yes, it is: God’s liberating power. But it was a political solution. It was a social way of doing things…It jumped to the Reformation in the 16th Century, in the 17th Century to New England, and in the 18th Century it became the Constitution. And your [the American] Constitution…is a secularized, nationalized form of covenant…The Jewish covenant is a covenant with God. The American Constitution is a covenantal system not with God, under God.”
-Os Guinness [2]
The author and social critic, Os Guinness, repeatedly makes the point in his own work that America is a covenant nation whose very Constitution is based upon biblical principles [3]. He argues that the farther we stray from God, the farther we stray from our core values…much to our peril. Read more…
Gilbert Stewart portrait of George Washington (1803), Clark Art Institute (Accession No. 1955.16), (PD)
The first Jewish congregation in Georgia — Mickve Israel — was established in Savannah around 1735 [1A]. After the American Revolution, the leadership of Mickve Israel wrote to congratulate George Washington on his election as the nation’s first president.
Below is an excerpt of his response. It demonstrates that the historical revisionists who today seek to label Washington a mere “deist” do him an injustice. And that anti-Semitism is un-American.
“To the Savannah, Ga., Hebrew Congregation
Gentlemen,
I thank you with great sincerity for your congratulations on my appointment to the office…
I rejoice that a spirit of liberality and philanthropy is much more prevalent than it formerly was among the enlightened nations of the earth; and that your brethren will benefit thereby in proportion as it shall become still more extensive. Happily the people of the United States of America have, in many instances, exhibited examples worthy of imitation — The salutary influence of which will doubtless extend much farther, if gratefully enjoying those blessings of peace which (under favor of Heaven) have been obtained by fortitude in war, they shall conduct themselves with reverence to the Deity, and charity towards their fellow-creatures.” Read more…
Hartheim Euthanasia Centre (Alkoven Schloss Hartheim) where 30,000 people deemed unfit by the state were put to death at direction of the Third Reich’s Committee for the Scientific Registration of Serious and Congenitally Based Illnesses, Author Dralon, (CC BY-SA 2.5 Generic) [1].
In total, some 200,000 mentally and physically handicapped individuals were killed by the Nazis [2A].
The Dutch are at the forefront of a growing trend in favor of euthanasia. They have made it legal for physicians to end the lives of any of the following, prematurely:
- competent, consenting, terminally ill or disabled patients;
- incompetent patients like those with Alzheimer’s Disease, unable to consent;
- otherwise healthy patients with depression who are “rationally” suicidal (whatever that means); and
- children under the age of 12 terminally ill or suffering intolerably in the opinion of a physician (without respect to available pain management) [3A].
Disabled Infants
Disabled infants in the Netherlands (even those not dependent on intensive care for survival) have long been euthanized [4A]. Approximately 21% of such infant deaths occurs without the request or consent of parents [3B].
In 1992 the Dutch Royal Society of Medicine actually published guidelines on when to kill an infant [4B]. These include whether the child would ever be able to live independently; experience “self realization”, i.e. hear, read, write, or engage in profitable work; and have meaningful interpersonal relations [4C].
One cannot help but be reminded of Nazi atrocities against the disabled [2B][14A]. Read more…
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://www.avoicereclaimed.com
“…And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS…” (Rev. 17: 3-5).
Richard “Rick” Pearson, founder of Richard Pearson Ministries, in his book The Hour that Changes Everything explores America’s place in Bible prophecy [1].
Claiming a personal revelation and citing extensively from Scripture, Pearson argues compellingly that America is actually Babylon the Great a/k/a Mystery Babylon or the Whore of Babylon [2].
For those unfamiliar with end times prophecy, Babylon is a symbolic female figure in the Bible traditionally interpreted as referring to a commercial center from which the Antichrist reigns during the last days and/or the religious system under him [3][4][5].
Pearson does not disagree that Babylon refers to a false religious system. However, he believes there is a further meaning, and makes the case using 53 specific Bible verses about Babylon.
Pearson contends that it is America, greatly blessed by God (Deut. 28: 1-14), which is holding back the New World Order (Rev. 17: 12, 16-17). However, at the appointed hour, the saints approved by God will be raptured (1 Thess. 4: 16-17) and the nation destroyed for its sins (Deut. 28: 15-45).
I highly recommend The Hour that Changes Everything, both to believers and non-believers. The Hour is available from Amazon and other booksellers.
—
[1] Prophecy USA, “Hi, I’m Rick Pearson”, https://prophecyusa.org/hi-im-rick-pearson/.
[2] Wikipedia, “Whore of Babylon”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whore_of_Babylon.
[3] Gospel Coalition, “Who is the Whore of Babylon? (And Why Does It Matter?)” by Paul Carter, 6/14/18, https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/ad-fontes/who-is-the-whore-of-babylon-and-why-does-it-matter/.
[4] Got Questions, “What is the whore of Babylon/mystery Babylon?”, https://www.gotquestions.org/whore-Babylon-mystery.html.
[5] Got Questions, “What is the significance of Babylon in the Bible?”, https://www.gotquestions.org/Babylon-in-the-Bible.html.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://www.avoicereclaimed.com
Homeless camp in Oakland, CA, Author NeoBatfreak (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)
The following is excerpted from an article in Newsweek titled “I Was a California Cop, Words Can’t Describe the Horrors I Saw” by Rick Campbell. The full article, dated 6/9/23, can be found at: https://www.newsweek.com/california-cop-homeless-crime-drugs-police-1805273.
Please, pray for those lost in addiction, and the law enforcement officers tasked to deal with this extremely difficult situation.
“I was a cop in Oceanside, California for over a decade. It’s a town of around 170,000 people in north San Diego county and I’ve lived here for my entire life…
In 2000, California voters approved The Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act, which mandated that courts offer a drug treatment program to people arrested for felony drug possession of drugs including meth, heroin and cocaine.
Offenders who chose treatment over prison were enrolled in drug court—a specialized court docket program aimed at criminal defendants convicted of a drug offense—which I feel was actually pretty effective.
Those who chose prison instead of treatment were usually out in six months with good behavior, while arrested narcotics dealers often had their dealing charges reduced to simple possession and were offered drug court.
Thanks to this new act…the percentage of simple drug possession offenders in prison in California was pretty low at the time.
Essentially, there was nobody wasting away in prison for a first-time drug offense. However, I often arrested the same person for possession of meth multiple times, and they were offered drug court every time.
Quite a few people chose prison instead of drug court. They loved meth more than anything, and for them, six months inside wasn’t a big deal—they could still obtain drugs while incarcerated…” Read more…
We listen to birdsong and our hearts are filled with wonder. What are birds saying to one another? Or are they simply singing for joy?
The naturalists who study birdsong tell us that birds sing for a variety of reasons [1]. Birdsong can be used to attract and assess a potential mate, defend territory, or warn of danger.
Yet how can wild creatures craft songs of such beauty and complexity? The answer to that question is far more profound than any theory of evolution.
Their Creator provided them with survival strategies which reflect His own beauty and concern for their well-being. Their very songs point to His existence. Their praise rises to the skies.
Those who choose not to recognize this have — sadly — stopped up their ears.
“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding….
Does the hawk fly by your wisdom,
And spread its wings toward the south?
Does the eagle mount up at your command,
And make its nest on high?” (Job 38: 4, 39: 26-27).
—
[1] PBS, Nature, S41, E6, “Attenborough’s Wonder of Song”, https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/about-attenboroughs-wonder-song/28798/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9deiBhC1ARIsAHLjR2Ag0cCCssY1nvoLhvCS5M4O-KIU2KPqT0ez0fj7iLfYOQn-wmXzV_UaAhtjEALw_wcB.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://www.avoicereclaimed.com
The classic Tortured for Christ by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand — the founder of Voice of the Martyrs https://www.persecution.com — was published over 50 years ago [1]. But this first person account of Wurmbrand’s 14 years of imprisonment and torture at the hands of his Communist captors remains relevant today.
As the voice of the underground church, Wurmbrand tells the story of countless members of the Body of Christ who continued faithful despite unspeakable hardship and trials.
Apart from Wurmbrand’s own fortitude, love of Christ, and passion for the unsaved, three points, in particular, stand out:
- That Communists skillfully seduced church leaders by promising tolerance and peaceful co-existence, before harsh restrictions were imposed.
- That the persecuted church in China, North Korea, the Middle East, Africa, and elsewhere is in desperate need of support from American Christians.
- That the Great Commission — our directive to reach the unsaved for Christ — remains urgent.
I could not recommend Tortured for Christ more highly. Readers will weep from the book’s beginning to end.
—
[1] Wikipedia, “Richard Wurmbrand”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Wurmbrand.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://www.avoicereclaimed.com
Bill of Rights: “Article the third” contains the text later ratified as the First Amendment. National Archives and Records Administration (NAID Identified 1408042).
The Washington Examiner recently ran an article recapping the latest infringements on freedom of religion as protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution [1]:
- Walter Reed National Medical Center has terminated its arrangement with the Franciscans who ministered to veterans there for nearly two decades. The secular defense contractor, Mack Global — unable to provide spiritual services — has been substituted.
- The Dept. of Health and Human Services has reintroduced a proposal previously struck down by the courts to require that religious hospitals and physicians perform abortions and gender reassignment surgery (so called “gender affirming healthcare”) [2].
- The Dept. of Education has proposed revisions to Title IX which would ban discrimination on the basis of so called “gender identity” rather than biological sex [3].
- The Dept. of Education has, also, proposed revising the Religious Freedom Rule which currently bans colleges from denying faith based student groups the same benefits afforded secular groups [4].
- Pres. Joseph “Joe” Biden in June of 2022 signed the Executive Order Advancing Equality for LGBTQI+ Individuals [5]. The fear is that an Equality Act paralleling its provisions will pass in Congress, forcing Christian organizations to hire those with lifestyles viewed by the Bible as immoral.
This is the sound of distant jackboots. This is the sound of approaching menace. It does not bode well, either for Christians or the nation.
“…henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart...” (Eph. 4: 17-18).
—
[1] Washington Examiner, “First Amendment protections for religion are stuck in a political tug of war” by Nicholas Rowan, 4/28/23, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/first-amendment-protections-for-religion-are-stuck-in-a-political-tug-of-war.
[2] Reuters, “US can’t punish Christian hospitals for refusing to do abortions, gender surgery” by Brendan Pierson, 8/29/22, https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-cant-punish-christian-hospitals-refusing-do-abortions-gender-surgery-2022-08-29/.
[3] US Dept. of Education, “The US Department of Education Releases Proposed Changes to Title IX Regulations, Invites Public Comment”, 6/23/22, https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-releases-proposed-changes-title-ix-regulations-invites-public-comment.
[4] Inside Higher Education (IHE), “Biden Administration to Rescind Part of Religious Freedom Rule” by Katherine Knott, 2/22/23, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2023/02/23/biden-administration-rescind-part-trumps-free-inquiry-rule.
[5] The White House, “Fact Sheet: President Biden to Sign Historic Executive Order Advancing LGBTQI+ Equality During Pride Month”, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/06/15/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-sign-historic-executive-order-advancing-lgbtqi-equality-during-pride-month/.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://www.avoicereclaimed.com
A Lawyer's Prayers 