It’s Thursday, March 14th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Global government restriction of religions is up
A new report from Pew Research found that worldwide government restrictions on religions reached peak levels in 2021.
The report gauged the level of restriction on a 10-point scale. The global median level of government restrictions on religion increased to 3.0 in 2021, up from 2.8 in 2020. It’s the highest recorded number since Pew Research began tracking it in 2007.
Christians in particular faced harassment by governments or private actors in 160 countries, up from 155 in 2020.
Irish voters rejected unbiblical definitions of family
Last Friday, voters in Ireland rejected measures that would have changed the constitution’s language about marriage and the family.
The “Family Amendment” would have expanded the concept of family to include unmarried couples and the idea of marriage to include other so-called “durable relationships.” The “Care Amendment” would have removed language from the Irish constitution that supported the work of mothers at home.
Seventy percent of voters rejected the Care Amendment, and 65% rejected the Family Amendment.
Psalm 128:3-4 says, “Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.”
No more puberty blockers for British minors
On Tuesday, the United Kingdom’s National Health Service announced the end of puberty blocker prescriptions for minors outside of clinical trials.
A spokesperson for the health service said, “We have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of puberty-suppressing hormones to make the treatment routinely available at this time.”
The decision comes as the U.K. has started to urge doctors to use caution when treating children with gender confusion.
Trump and Biden are officially rematched
In the United States, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump won their respective parties’ nominations for the White House.
Voters cast their primary ballots in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington on Tuesday. This gave Trump 1,249 delegates. He only needed 1,215 for the Republican nomination. Biden secured 2,107 delegates. He only needed 1,968 for the Democratic nomination.
The results set up Biden and Trump for a rematch of the 2020 presidential election.
TRUMP: “We have to win an election. And we should win it by a lot because there’s never been anybody worse at doing that job than Joe Biden. So, we’re not going to take time to celebrate. We’ll celebrate in eight months when the election is over.
“November 5th, I believe, will go down as the most important day in the history of our country. So, start thinking about it. Start thinking about your vote because this vote is going to be the most important vote you’ve ever cast.”
It’s the first presidential rematch since 1956. It’s also the first rematch since 1912 between two people who have both been president.
Pro-lifers trying to end abortion trafficking
Anti-abortion activists are still working after the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the banning of abortion in most cases like in Texas.
Mark Lee Dickson is the founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative and a director with Right To Life of East Texas.
He said one of the abortion loopholes they are trying to close with sanctuary cities is abortion trafficking. He said, “The loopholes we’re closing of course, are things like abortion trafficking, the taking of pregnant mothers across state lines for the purpose of abortion. … And then along with that, we’ve got to address this reality that these waste management companies can pick up from abortion facilities without consequence.”
Colleges discourage marriage and future children
Last Wednesday, the Heritage Foundation hosted an event about the decline of marriage and fertility in America.
In 2022, the fertility rate in the U.S. was 1.66 births per women aged 15-44, below the replacement level of 2.1.
Lindsey Burke is the director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy. At the event, she highlighted research on how colleges are contributing to the decline of marriage through heavy debt burdens and ideological opposition to family life.
She noted, “More time in higher education is prolonging adolescence and delaying marriage and family formation.”
Millennials set to inherit great wealth
And finally, Millennials are poised to become the richest generation in history, according to Knight Frank’s 2024 Wealth Report.
Millennials were born in the 80s and 90s. Over the next 20 years, they are set to inherit $90 trillion dollars in assets from the Silent Generation and the Baby Boomers. The Silent Generation was born between 1928 and 1945, and the Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964.
The report noted ultra-high-net-worth individuals are on the rise, those worth $30 million or more. The number of the ultra-wealthy in North America grew by 7.2% last year.
Deuteronomy 8:17-18 reminds us, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, March 14th in the year of our Lord 2024. 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.