It’s Thursday, August 29th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Ukraine bans religious groups with ties to Russia
Last Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bill into law that bans religious groups with ties to Russia.
The legislation targets the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which has historical ties to Russia. Ukraine has prosecuted over 100 of its leaders.
Religion News notes, “Anyone concerned with freedom of conscience and belief can find legitimate reasons to condemn criminal charges over opinions expressed on social media or from the pulpit, which has been the case of many Ukrainian Orthodox Church clerics jailed since the invasion.”
Australia becomes hostile to religious freedom
Faith groups in Australia have been calling for more protections for religious freedom. They warn that people are facing increased discrimination for their religious beliefs.
A proposed Religious Discrimination Act would have protected religious freedom. However, the government announced it is scrapping the measure. It is even considering removing religious freedom protections in the current Sex Discrimination Act.
Monica Doumit with the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney said, “It is disappointing that there remains very little protection against discrimination on the basis of religious belief or activity.”
New York censors abortion pill reversal information
In the United States, New York has been trying to silence pro-life groups, like Heartbeat International, from sharing information about abortion pill reversals.
In response, Alliance Defending Freedom is supporting pro-life groups against the state.
A federal court ruled the pro-life groups can keep sharing life-saving information as the case proceeds.
The ruling noted, “The First Amendment protects Plaintiffs’ right to speak freely about [abortion pill reversal] protocol and, more specifically, to say that it is safe and effective for a pregnant woman to use in consultation with her doctor.”
Proverbs 24:11 says, “Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.”
U.S. fertility rate drops again
The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the U.S. fertility rate continues to drop.
The fertility rate fell 3% last year to 55 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. That amounted to 3.6 million babies who were birthed last year, down 68,000 compared to 2022.
The fertility rate has been falling for decades, especially since the 2008 Great Recession. The rate increased slightly in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has continued to fall since then.
Male voters prefer Trump; Female voters prefer Harris
The New York Times released polling data from battleground states this month.
The poll noted a gender gap in political preference, especially among young people.
Men tended to support former President Donald Trump, while women tended to support Vice President Kamala Harris.
Among people aged 18 to 29, women favored Kamala by 38 percentage points, and men favored Trump by 13 points. That’s a 51-point gender gap, up from a 39-point gap when President Joe Biden was still in the race for the White House.
Tulsi Gabbard: Kamala Harris is “afraid to debate Donald Trump”
Former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, who just endorsed Trump for president on Monday night, talked to David Webb on the Sirius XM Patriot channel Tuesday to explain why she thinks Vice President Kamala Harris is “afraid” to debate Trump.
Listen.
GABBARD: “Donald Trump’s campaign and Kamala Harris’s campaign agreed to this debate on September 10 to the same rules that applied during the Trump-Biden debate on CNN that we already saw.
“Now all of a sudden, we’re just two weeks out this debate that they already agreed to, and Kamala Harris is trying to change the rules. She wants it to be a debate where they allow the mics to be live the entire time, where she can bring her notes in to the debate with her, and where they will be seated for the entire debate.
“President Trump’s position has been pretty clear. Where he says, hey, look, we already agreed to the terms of this debate. We should stick with those terms, which is the same rules that he debated Joe Biden under. The fact that Kamala Harris is trying to change the rules here now, just days out from when this debate is supposed to occur, I think it, to me, it says that she’s afraid. She’s afraid to debate Donald Trump. Her wanting to bring notes into this debate reinforces what we already know to be true, which is she absolutely struggles if she is not using a script, if she is not using a teleprompter.
“If she can’t debate Donald Trump on the issues, on her record and his record, frankly, without notes in front of her and without sitting down, she’s got much bigger problems!”
Florida’s law banning transgender procedures for minors given green light
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a Florida law can go into effect that bans transgender procedures.
The law prohibits doctors from offering puberty blockers and body-mutilating surgeries to minors.
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis commented previously on the case, He said, “These procedures do permanent, life-altering damage to children, and history will look back on this fad in horror.”
At least 26 states have passed laws to protect children from transgender procedures.
Chick-fil-A adds entertainment to menu
Chick-fil-A has been America’s favorite fast food restaurant for nearly a decade.
Now, the company is adding entertainment to the menu as it prepares to launch its own streaming service. The entertainment platform would focus on family-friendly content.
Chick-fil-A’s CEO Dan Cathy has previously spent millions of dollars transforming over 700 acres of farmland in Georgia. It’s now home to the largest movie studio outside of Burbank, California.
100-year-long prayer chain launched hundreds of missionaries
And finally, this week is the anniversary of when a Christian community in Herrnhut, Germany began a round-the-clock “prayer chain.”
The community started after Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf opened his estate to Protestant refugees. On August 27, 1727, dozens in the community committed to pray in turns every hour of every day. The prayer chain reportedly lasted over one hundred years.
The Moravian community went on to send hundreds of missionaries around the world, becoming the spearhead of Protestant missions.
Colossians 4:2 says, “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview on this Thursday, August 29th, in the year of our Lord 2024. Subscribe by Amazon Music or 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.