Thursday, March 24th, in the year of our Lord, 2016.
By Kevin Swanson
The most important religious liberty case of the year played out yesterday as arguments on the Little Sisters of the Poor case were heard by the Supreme Court. The lines of conflict are clear in this case. The Obama administration wants religious-based organizations to pay for contraception for their women employees, with NO co-pay obligation. Not only is the Little Sisters of the Poor group comprised of nuns who are sexually abstinent, but the Little Sisters also are religiously opposed to abortifacients and contraception. Justice Kennedy seemed to side with the Sisters in his questioning; however, he indicated that he would not provide an opt-out for Christian colleges. Attorney Stephanie Barclay from the Beckett Fund says that they are in this fight for the long haul: “It’s a case where it’s win-win either way. Either we have a victory this year, or we get a second bite at the apple if the Supreme Court decides to kick the can down the road. And we will keep fighting the good fight to make sure that these religious ministries can continue to serve the elderly poor. They really stay with them, and their mission is to treat the elderly poor as though they are Christ Himself, and we want to continue to protect their ability to do so.”
Hundreds of pro-life activists showed up outside the Supreme Court to support the Little Sisters in their case.
Three terrorists hit Brussels on Tuesday, killing 31 people and wounding 270 others. Now ISIS is saying that the organization has trained a total of 400 terrorists, who are prepared to make similar attacks on citizen populations throughout Europe.
A young Mormon missionary was injured in the Brussels bombing on Tuesday. Mason Wells was also present when the Boston Marathon bombs exploded three years ago, narrowly escaping injury. Thankfully, he is expected to make full recovery from his present injuries, according to a Fox News report.
The U.S. military bombed an Al Qaeda training camp in southeastern Yemen. Locals say that there were about 40 casualties.
A Christian preacher was stabbed to death by Muslims in Bangladesh, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the murder of Hussein Ali.
Planned Parenthood has announced that it will sink $20 million into Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Republican and Democrat administrations have provided the abortion and abortifacient provider with $2 billion of taxpayer funding over four-year cycles. That’s about 1% of the money that they are putting into Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Life News also reports that George Soros’s son has made a $1 million donation to the fund.
“The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice” (Proverbs 17:23).
A new report out of the UK finds that married people are the most satisfied with their lives, by a factor of two or three! According to the Office for National Statistics, married people are far more likely to be satisfied with life than divorced and single persons. The average marriage age for young men is 29 now, up from 22 in 1960.
“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make an help meet for him” (Genesis 2:18).
Monday was World Down Syndrome Day, and Life News took the opportunity to feature a speech from a young man from Holland with Down syndrome! Peter Harteveld says that he has a great life, and the only thing that makes him sad is people aborting kids like him: “I hope all you people who believe that babies with Down syndrome should not be born in that condition . . . you make me really, really sad, and to be honest, when I was writing this piece, I cried, and I almost never cry, because I am always happy.”
The UK Daily Mail reports that the number of babies aborted because of Down syndrome or other serious disabilities has increased by 34% in just the last three years. Several U.S. studies conducted between 1988 and 2006 indicate that between 80% and 90% of babies conceived with Down syndrome are aborted in this country.
“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139).
A federal circuit court is demanding that the Internal Revenue Service release the names of conservative organizations and provide a full list of groups to target for mistreatment because of their political views. Judge Raymond Kethledge accused the IRS of resisting the court “at every step.”
God sent a major winter snowstorm to the Denver area on Wednesday that shut down the airport and portions of I-25 and I-70. Sixteen inches of snow fell outside the World View studio this morning.