It’s Friday, August 16th, A.D. 2024. This is The World View in 5 Minutes written by
Jonathan Clark and heard at www.TheWorldView.com. Filling in for Adam McManus I’m
Ean Leppin.
Taliban Persecutes Church in Afghanistan
International Christian Concern or the ICC reports that the Taliban celebrated its third anniversary of its takeover of Afghanistan. The climate for believers in Afghanistan has become very dire. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has pleaded with the US Department of State to designate Afghanistan as a Country of Particular Concern since 2022. However the US Department has never recognized those concerns by making Afghanistan a ‘Special Watchlist Country’.
According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom the Taliban has implemented an extreme version of Sharia Law in the country since they took power. The enforcement of that law includes ‘Public executions, lashings and floggings, stoning, beatings, and acts of public humiliation such as forced head shaving.’ Not only that but the Taliban has also restricted contact with the outside world including any efforts to send assistance to the churches through legal and logistical difficulties. Please pray that believers in Afghanistan would be encouraged and that their faith will remain strong.
Joshua 1:9 says “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Taliban Holds Parade to Celebrate 3 years in Afghanistan
On Wednesday the Taliban celebrated their 3 year occupation in Afghanistan with a military parade at Bagram Airfield, which was once the largest US military base in the country. Not only that but the parade showcased US military vehicles and weapons that were left behind when the US left Afghanistan. Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg told Fox News about the events that led up to such an abrupt evacuation of US military presence and who is responsible.
KELLOGG: “It primarily falls on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, because they walked away from the Doha Agreement. That was the agreement that President Trump put in place. It wasn’t a perfect agreement. No agreements are perfect, but it was pretty good to set the stage for good conflict-ending time in Afghanistan. And it was a conditions-based agreement. Most importantly, what President Trump had done, is he had established a personal relationship with Omar Baradar, who was the lead Taliban negotiator. So we had that relationship as well. And when President Trump talked to Baradar (and I was in the Oval Office when that happened), he told them what would happen if they didn’t fulfill their agreement. And even though it was translated, I kept thinking to myself, ‘Boy, how is this being translated, because it’s pretty stern?’ After that discussion with Baradar, not a single American was killed in over a year in Afghanistan, but Biden walked away from that agreement.”
The rapid evacuation of the US military resulted in $7 billion of military equipment being abandoned in the region. Hal Kempfer a retired Marine Intelligence Officer gave Fox News some insight into what it means to run and maintain that much equipment.
KEMPFER: “With the Afghan national army, they were dependent on U.S. contractors to keep all that equipment running. So, even though they inherited $7 billion worth of equipment, which is just- I mean, that just sits on my shoulders, when I think about the sheer amount of equipment that we left there, it’s horrible. Even though we left that, they have a tough time, just like the Afghan national government did, of keeping that stuff going. And without those U.S. contractor there, they lack the expertise, they don’t have the spare parts, they don’t have the ability to get the spare parts. So what you see rolling there, one of my first thoughts was, ‘That may be, all of everything we left, that could be the only stuff that’s still operating. And that may be as fast as some of those things could probably drive too.’ So, it’s not a silver lining, but it is something to consider.”
New data about Amendment 4 in Florida
New polls show Florida Amendment 4, which would legalize abortions up to birth in the state, doesn’t have enough support to pass. LifeNews.com reports that Amendment 4 proposes to codify unrestricted abortion in the state’s constitution and would overturn every pro-life law in the state and force taxpayers to fund abortions. Not only that, but minors wouldn’t even need parental consent. Amending the state’s constitution requires approval by a 60 percent majority. USA Today data is showing that while the 60 percent support is not reflective of the population. They have found that 58 percent of those in Florida are in favor of Amendment 4. Data released by Florida Atlantic University shows 56 percent of those in Florida support Amendment 4. Amendment 4 will be on the ballot in Florida this November.
Isaiah 5:20 says Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
Hurricane Ernesto continues to cause damage.
Reuters news reports that as of Thursday Hurricane Ernesto has already caused massive damage in Puerto Rico. It has destroyed over 400,000 homes and businesses and that roughly half of the country is without power.
Bermuda is currently under a hurricane warning as forecasters are predicting Ernesto could make landfall later today. By Saturday experts are expecting Ernesto to strengthen even more. Pray for those without power and homes and for those who will are in the path of this hurricane.
New Medbot could be an answer to a global surgeon shortage.
A medical feat was accomplished recently using a remote control robot to remove a tumor from a patient’s lung with the Surgeon being 3000 miles away! Good News Network reports that a Chinese-made 5G Medbot allowed Dr Lou Qingquan to remotely operate robotic arms to complete a surgery. Dr Luo was seated in the Shanghai Chest Hospital on the Pacific Coast and operated on a patient 3000 miles inland. This is the nation’s first robot-assisted surgery. There is currently a global shortage of specialist surgeons. It is calculated that for every 100,000 people in low and middle-income countries there is currently less than 1 specialist surgeon as compared to over 5 in high-income countries. These Medbots could be a potential breakthrough for those in need worldwide.
And that’s The World View on this Friday, August 16th, 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. Filling in for Adam McManus I’m Ean Leppin. Seize the day for Jesus Christ.