This Day in History: Japan Formally Surrenders Ending WWII

Seventy six years ago World War II came to an end six years to the day it began. Give thanks for the brave men and women who fought against the twin evils of Nazism and Japanese militarism and if you know a vet from WWII who is still living (sadly they’re becoming fewer and fewer in number each year), take the time today and thank him/her for his/her service to our country and in the name of freedom.

This Day in History: WWII Begins

The massive conflagration known as World War II began this day 76 years ago when Germany invaded Poland. Prisoners were taken from German prisons, executed, and then dressed in Polish uniforms. Their bodies were placed at the Polish German border and used as the pretext for invading Poland. Truth never did matter to Hitler and his henchmen.

LifeSite: Eight Facts Most Don’t Know About Physical and Psychological Consequences of Abortion for Women

1. 31% of women having abortions report suffering physical health complications (1)

2. 10% of women having abortions suffer immediate, potentially life-threatening complications (2, 3, 4)

3. Women have a 65% higher risk of clinical depression following abortion vs. childbirth (5)

4. 65% of women suffer symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after abortion (1)

5. Women’s death rates from various causes after abortion are 3.5 times higher than after giving birth  (6, 7)

6. Many women describe their experience as ‘a nightmare’, which can hardly equated with ‘choice’. 60% of women surveyed after abortion responded that: ’Part of me died’ (1)

7. Suicide rates among women who have abortions are six times higher than those who give birth (7, 8)

8. Abortion increases a woman’s risk of future miscarriages by 60% (9)

Read it all to see the citations.

Jesus Creed: The American Flag in the Church

Makes sense to me. See what you think.

[A]ccording to American flag etiquette (yes, there are people who specialize in that), it is okay to fly the U.S. flag upside down (as a signal of distress), at half mast (mourning) and alongside other national flags in certain spaces such as at the United Nations headquarters in New York. But it is never okay to fly it “in submission” to something else—for example lower than another flag in the same space. According to my friend who is also a scholar of Christian worship and has taught graduate level course in Christian worship for many years, having the U.S. flag in any worship space is wrong because it is “being flown in submission”—to God.

A very interesting conundrum to consider.

The point is that the worship space, the sanctuary (whatever it is called), is dedicated to sole worship of God above all else. The people gathered are ostensibly worshiping God alone and expressing their supreme loyalty to God, Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God. Having the national flag in the same space violates flag etiquette because it is flying it “in submission.” It should only be flown where nothing else is being placed above it in terms of importance.

Read it all.