It’s Friday, March 12th, 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

Christian women are greatest target of persecution

Open Doors International released their 2021 “Same Faith, Different Persecution” report. The study found religious persecution against women rose to the highest levels since the report began in 2018.

Helene Fisher with Open Doors told The Christian Post, “[Women] are more vulnerable in the society, and they are just the easiest way to disable the Christian population.”

Christian women face forced marriage, sexual violence, physical violence, psychological violence, and forced divorce in the top 50 nations where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Trafficking women as a form of religious persecution is also on the rise.

In Genesis 3:15, God cursed the Devil, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

Scotland says churches can open soon; Churches say: Too late!

The Scottish government announced that churches could re-open starting March 26th.

However, dozens of church leaders, represented by the Christian Legal Centre, are arguing in court that the suspension of in-person worship services was unlawful. The leaders also want to prevent the criminalization of in-person worship services from happening again.

Pastor Williams Philip said, “This is a crucial moment for the freedom of the church in Scotland. For public Christian worship to be banned and criminalised during this lockdown has been deeply damaging.”

Alabama: No minors can get sex-change surgeries/hormone therapy

The Alabama Senate passed a bill making it a felony to provide sex-change surgeries or hormone therapy to minors. Seven other states have introduced similar bills.

Meanwhile, the Mississippi House passed a bill banning men, who pretend to be women, from competing in women’s sports. The bill now goes to Republican Governor Tate Reeves who is expected to sign it.

Arkansas: All babies in womb protected except life of mother

Arkansas Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson  signed one of the country’s most restrictive abortion laws on Tuesday.

The bill bans all abortions, unfortunately with one exception: to “save the life of the mother.” However, the bill does not include exceptions for rape and incest.

Hutchinson said he signed the law, hoping it would take the abortion fight to the U.S. Supreme Court.

World economy expected to grow 5.6% this year

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development projects that the world economy will grow by 5.6% this year and 4% next year. And the group projects the U.S. economy will grow 6.5% this year and 4% next year.

The positive economic outlook comes as countries distribute coronavirus vaccines and the U.S. just passed a $1.9 trillion relief bill.

Psalm 146:3 reminds us, “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.”

Anniversary of first COVID lockdown

Yesterday marked a year since the U.S. entered its first coronavirus lockdown. That same day the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.

A year into the pandemic, Nature Magazine published a scientific study suggesting stay-at-home orders did not reduce coronavirus transmission. The study stated, “In 98% of the comparisons, using 87 different regions of the world, we found no evidence that the number of deaths/million is reduced by staying at home.”

Disney censors Peter Pan, Dumbo, & Swiss Family Robinson

Media companies continue their crackdown on so-called cultural appropriation.

Disney+ is now removing Peter Pan, Dumbo, Swiss Family Robinson, and The Aristocats from children’s profiles for racially insensitive content.

For example, Disney criticized Peter Pan for portraying “native people in a stereotypical manner.”

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris requires 1,000 oak trees to rebuild

And finally, in April of 2019, a fire destroyed the iconic 150-year-old spire of the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.

This week workers in France began felling oaks that are hundreds of years old to rebuild the famed spire.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the 300-foot spire would be reconstructed according to the original design of Eugene Viollet-le-Duc in the 1800s. The project requires 1,000 oaks to rebuild the structure. Each trunk is worth about $17,800.

Close

And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Friday, March 12th, 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.