It’s Wednesday, September 25th, 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
Christian suffering in Gaza
Christians continue to suffer in the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas War.
International Christian Concern reports there are an estimated 900 Christians in the territory. They have faced the hardship of war with death and devastation all around them. Beyond that, Christians there who have converted from Islam face persecution if their new faith is discovered.
Many Christians have sought refuge in church buildings during the conflict only to have them bombed. And believers who leave for countries like Egypt and Israel face the challenges of starting a new life.
Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Gaza.
Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”
Scottish abortion mill buffer zones
Buffer zones around abortion mills went into effect in Scotland yesterday.
The new legislation bans praying and offering help to women outside abortion mills. Violations carry fines of up to £10,000 — the equivalent of over $13,000.
Humza Yousef, a member of the Scottish Parliament, loves the idea of criminalizing free speech outside Scottish abortion mills.
YOUSEF: “You want to protest anywhere you should be protesting outside of the Scottish Parliament or wherever else. But where women are going to get an abortion, it can be one of the most traumatic days of their lives. They don’t need to be faced with that type of protest.”
Lois McLatchie of Alliance Defending Freedom U.K. was incredulous about the parliament’s proposal to prohibit compassionate Christians from offering a woman help and hope before she hires an abortionist to kill her unborn baby.
McLATCHIE: “We want to make sure that we’re keeping a free and open society and making sure that these buffer zones don’t go so as far and be so disproportionate as to take out perfectly legal and good activities like prayer and charitable offers of help. Let women help, let volunteers help, and keep those choices open for women.”
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children is protesting the buffer zones. John Deighan, the CEO of the pro-life group, said, “As well as outlawing compassion, buffer zones set a terrible precedent, breaching fundamental rights to free speech and freedom of religion. … Buffer zones have introduced thoughtcrime into Scottish society. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children will stand up to this assault on our freedoms.”
Judge rules in favor of Catholic groups in abortion case
In the U.S., a federal judge ruled in favor of Catholic groups in an abortion-related case on Monday.
At issue was the federal government’s enforcement of new regulations that would require employers to offer time off for employees to get abortions. The regulations also included accommodations for in vitro fertilization visits and protections for transgenderism.
The ruling protects 7,000 Catholic parishes and 1,380 Catholic employers.
The ruling noted, “This challenge to religious liberty is a reminder of the danger of government action that is clearly anti-religion.”
Kamala Harris raised four times as much money as Trump
Vice President Kamala Harris raised $189 million for her presidential campaign last month. Meanwhile, during the same time, former President Donald Trump only raised $44 million.
However, the two candidates remain virtually tied in national polls. The latest CNN poll shows 48% of voters support Harris and 47% support Trump.
In terms of swing states, the latest New York Times poll found that Trump leads Harris in Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina by two to five percentage points.
Overdose deaths dropped by 10%
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released provisional data on drug overdose deaths last week.
Overdose deaths dropped by 10% between April 2023 and April 2024. It’s the first decline since drug deaths spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the decline, there are still about 100,000 overdose deaths per year, a trend which has been in place since 2021.
States with big declines in overdose deaths include Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Arizona, Maine, and Vermont. Other states have not seen much declines or have even gotten worse like Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.
People with an anti-Biblical worldview more prone to anxiety
And finally, Dr. George Barna released a report suggesting the consequences of anti-Biblical worldviews are often misdiagnosed and treated as mental illness.
An estimated one quarter of adults have some kind of diagnosable mental disorder. The number increases to a third among Millennials and Gen Z. The most common type of disorder is anxiety.
The report found numerous unbiblical beliefs often produce feelings of anxiety, depression, and fear. Such beliefs include having no purpose in life, rejecting God, denying objective truth, and accepting reincarnation.
Dr. Barna noted, “People do not frequently experience anxiety, depression, or fear as a result of possessing the Biblical worldview. The profile of those who possess a Biblical worldview also tend to have longer-lasting and happier marriages, a clear and compelling sense of meaning in life, more enduring and satisfying relationships, greater spiritual clarity and joy, a deeper commitment to forgiving other people, and regular engagement in service to other people.”
Romans 8:15 says, “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’”
Close
And that’s The Worldview on this Wednesday, September 25th, 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.