According to a translation by Catholic News Service, the pope said in an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera that “matrimony is between a man and a woman” but that moves to “regulate diverse situations of cohabitation [are] driven by the need to regulate economic aspects among persons, as for instance to assure medical care.”
Pope Francis has signaled that the Catholic Church may tolerate some forms of same-sex civil unions, though he affirmed the Church’s opposition to gay marriage.
According to a translation by Catholic News Service, the pope said in an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera that “matrimony is between a man and a woman” but that moves to “regulate diverse situations of cohabitation [are] driven by the need to regulate economic aspects among persons, as for instance to assure medical care.”
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In the aftermath of the Super Bowl, authorities announced that they rescued 16 minors in the New York City area from sex traffickers. In addition, more than 50 women who were also coerced to work as prostitutes were saved. Police from more than 50 law enforcement agencies spanning New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut arrested 45 pimps in a two-week run up to the Super Bowl. Before the Super Bowl, The New York Times reported that the NYPD had already made 298 prostitution-related arrests this year through Jan. 26, a 30 percent increase over the same period in 2013. CNN also reported on a New York City high-end drug and prostitution bust last week. The moment we saw the promotional photo above of gospel artist Erica Campbell, we knew somebody somewhere was gonna have problem with it. And as they say, Stevie Wonder coulda told you that! In any event, it seems that Mrs. Campbell is even coming under attack by her fans as well. The pic is from a photo shoot of her upcoming album that’s set to be released in March 2014. Pastor Rick Warren spoke a line to CNN's Piers Morgan that has resonated with people who, like him, have tried repeatedly to explain why they won't change their stance to support same-sex marriage. "I fear the disapproval of God more than I fear your disapproval or the disapproval of society," Warren, of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., told the host of "Piers Morgan Live." Warren appeared on the show amid a media blitz for his new book "The Daniel Plan" about getting healthy for the glory of God, but his stand for biblical marriage continues to draw attention. Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a Christian photographer asked the U.S. Supreme Court Friday to reverse a New Mexico Supreme Court decision that required her to abandon her freedom as the “price of citizenship.” On Aug. 22, the New Mexico high court upheld a decision against Elane Photography after its co-owner, Elaine Huguenin, declined to use her artistic expression to communicate the story of a same-sex ceremony. A concurrence accompanying the opinion concluded that Huguenin and her co-owner, husband Jonathan, “now are compelled by law to compromise the very religious beliefs that inspire their lives,” adding “it is the price of citizenship.” A Georgia high school student uses his smartphone to record a concealed attempt at a sexual act by two of his fellow students in the school cafeteria. That student and one of the classmates are now in legal trouble, facing public indecency charges. The potential for young people to use their smartphones to record and even distribute sexually explicit or graphic content is troubling for parents. There is even a word for it, "sexting," and it is a dangerous phenomenon. A recent FBI study reveals that 20 percent of teenagers with online access have sent or exchanged nude photos of themselves. The consequences of this type of unchecked online behavior are serious -- such sexually suggestive material can be easily exchanged with others or, worse, posted on adult-oriented websites. Parents must be made aware of what their children are doing, or are capable of doing, with the most up-to-date personal communication technology. They must also be made aware of how vulnerable their children are to online predators, and even their peers. By 2017, access to pornography on smartphones and tablets will be available to 250 million people worldwide, according to a new study from Juniper Research, a London-area analyst of the wireless sector. Higher-resolution screens, faster networks and personal security offered by password-protected phones and tablets will make the devices the fastest-growing distribution channels for adult content since the Internet was created, according to the study, released Sept. 25. Adult entertainment companies also are beginning to create content specifically for the portable devices because of "the increasing trend towards tablets becoming personal, as opposed to shared household devices," according to a report by the Center for Media Research in Lincoln, Neb., Oct. 11. And much of the content may be available free, making its use more likely and more easily hidden, according to analysts. So much for the left’s “consenting adults” rhetoric on sex. Forever the consummate conservationists, our self-described “progressive” friends at the American Civil Liberties Union, MSNBC and elsewhere have been ramping up efforts to downsize from “consenting adults” to merely “consenting”—a far less cumbersome qualifier in the noble struggle for unrestrained sexual license. Tolerating “intergenerational romance” for “minor-attracted” adults is all the rage these days. Ever hear of Kaitlyn Hunt? Over the past year or so, this poor, misunderstood lesbian woman’s “anti-gay persecution” has become a cause célèbre among gay rights activists and other left-wing purveyors of perversion. A so-called “contraceptive” pill, which could work up to a month after unprotected sex, is a “contradiction in terms,” critics say. Researchers have published a journal article calling for such a pill to be developed, saying it is scientifically possible but politically difficult. Dr. Peter Saunders of the Christian Medical Fellowship says this would be “abortion not contraception” because it would destroy an embryo rather than prevent a conception. While it may come as a shock to some that women are in danger of the personal harms of pornography, the porn industry isn’t since it has been prospering from it. Many women today are consuming porn at a competitive rate. Porn addiction can sometimes be seen as a male problem, which is understandable as men are 543% more likely to look at porn than women. However, there are plenty of women who choose to view it. About one third of the people viewing pornography regularly are women and 17% of women say they are addicted. Women are at particular risk because this issue is talked about so seldom. If a man admits to an addiction to porn, he is lauded for his bravery to work through it. If a woman admits it, she is shameful and shocking. This needs to change. Churches, communities, and resource networks need to have an open-door policy that eradicates this double standard and makes it safe for women to seek the help they need. |
Walter Blackwood
Associate Pastor with The Bridge Community of Faith in Kelowna BC Canada. Archives
May 2017
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