It’s Thursday, December 2nd, A.D. 2021. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Nepalese Christian pastor sentenced to two years in prison
As we previously reported, a pastor in Nepal was convicted under the country’s anti-conversion law last week.
On Tuesday, Nepal’s District Court in Dolpa gave Pastor Keshav Acharya his final hearing and sentenced him to two years in prison. Authorities arrested Pastor Acharya after a video surfaced of him praying against the coronavirus. Later, he was charged with proselytizing.
Nepal banned proselytizing in 2015 when it adopted a new constitution. And, in 2018, the southern Asian nation added the ban to its criminal code.
Three abortion measures fail internationally
Several pro-death measures failed in countries around the world recently.
In the United Kingdom, a pro-abortion amendment to the county’s Health and Care Bill failed last week. The amendment would have allowed women to perform their own abortions up to 28 weeks.
In Chile, the lower Chamber of Deputies voted to shelve a piece of abortion legislation this week. The bill would have legalized abortions, for any reason, up to 14 weeks of pregnancy.
And in Portugal, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa vetoed a bill this week that would have legalized euthanasia.
Oral arguments heard in Supreme Court abortion case
Meanwhile, in the United States, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday morning in the abortion-related case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
The case involves Mississippi’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. In 2019, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the law based on Roe v. Wade. Mississippi’s defense is now challenging the precedent set by Roe.
Based on Wednesday’s Supreme Court hearing, analysts suggest the court is leaning toward upholding the Mississippi law. Planned Parenthood, the abortion giant, responded to the hearing as “alarming.”
The court is expected to give a ruling by June 2022.
2 Chronicles 19:6-7 says, “Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment. Now therefore, let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes.”
Three courts vs. Biden’s COVID mandates
COVID-shot mandates continue to face opposition in the courts.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday ruled the military must improve its tracking of religious objections to the Biden administration’s COVID-shot mandate for troops. As of mid-November, over 16,000 service members have requested a religious exemption to the mandate, but the military has not approved any.
On Sunday, the Ninth District Court of Appeals blocked the San Diego Unified School District’s mandate from going into effect. The case began after a 16-year-old high school student sued the school district for religious discrimination.
And on Tuesday, a U.S. district judge in Kentucky temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s COVID-shot mandate for federal contractors in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio.
Salvation Army removed its “Let’s Talk About Racism”
The Salvation Army recently removed its “Let’s Talk About Racism” guide after pushback against the guide’s contents.
The organization acknowledged the internal guide “led some to believe we think they should apologize for the color of their skin, or that The Salvation Army may have abandoned its Biblical beliefs for another philosophy or ideology. That was never our intention, so the guide has been removed for appropriate review.”
68% of Catholics & 34% of Protestants: You go to Heaven even if you reject God
A new Pew Research report found that 73% of Americans believe in Heaven, while 62% believe in Hell.
However, Americans were more split on whether people who do not believe in God can go to Heaven, with 39% saying unbelievers can go to Heaven and 32% saying they cannot go to Heaven.
Even 34% of Protestants believe people who reject God can go to Heaven, while 68% of Roman Catholics believe the same.
Hebrews 3:12 says, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.”
Michigan student, who tried to disarm school gunman, killed
And finally, tragedy broke out on Tuesday when a sophomore at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit, Michigan opened fire on students, killing four people and injuring seven others, reports NBC News. The suspect is in police custody now.
During this tragedy, a hero emerged. Tate Myre, a linebacker for the football team, gave his life trying to disarm the shooter.
As of yesterday, a change.org petition got 78,000 signatures for the school’s stadium to be renamed the Tate Myre Stadium. The petition said, “Tate is not just a hero to his fellow students at Oxford High School, but a legend. His act of bravery should be remembered forever and passed down through generations.”
John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, December 2nd, in the year of our Lord 2021. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I’m Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.