The Areopagus 12-16-08
posted by Phil Lawson
12-16-08
The Knights of Columbus commissioned a poll by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion entitled “Moral Issues and Catholic Voters” conducted Sept. 24th-Oct. 3rd.
Some of the statistics reflect commonly accepted knowledge, that most Americans believe there should be some restrictions on abortion (92%) and most want parental notification laws in the case of a minor’s abortion.
This particular survey went a step further in contrasting the opinions of (1) Americans, (2) practicing Catholic Americans, and (3) non-practicing Catholic Americans. For purposes of the poll, “practicing” was defined as attending Mass at least once or twice a month. According to the survey, 48% of the population overall considers themselves “pro-life.” 59% of practicing Catholics consider themselves “pro-life”. Here’s the striking statistic, only 29% of non-practicing Catholics consider themselves pro-life. Conversely, while 50% of Americans consider themselves “pro-choice.” A whopping 65% of non-practicing Catholics label themselves “pro-choice.”
Meaning non-practicing Catholics, though still identifying themselves as Catholics are even more likely to support abortion then the average American. Why even bother calling yourself Catholic? On the flip-side the constant teaching of Christ and the Church regarding the dignity of all life from Conception to Natural Death, is making headway, at least to those who make it into the pews on Sunday!
More information can be found at www.kofc.org
Phil’s Tidbits:
Via the Catholic Educators Resource Center: Quote of the Week:
"You have to push as hard as the age that pushes against you." - Flannery O'Connor
On Homeschooling and the State:
I was recently talking to a very intelligent college student. She’s still looking at her options for various majors, but indicated that she would be pursuing a teaching license on top of her other major. Her reason? She wants the freedom to homeschool her children—and figures this will help her should restrictions by the government concerning who can homeschool continue to be increased. The day after that conversation I came across this article from Switzerland:
Zurich Restricts Homeschooling to State-Licensed Teachers
By Ellen M. Rice
ZURICH, Switzerland, December 9,2008 (Lifesitenews.com) - The leading Swiss newspaper, Tages Anzeiger, reports that the by next summer the Canton of Zurich will restrict homeschooling rights to parents who are certified teachers.
“Parents will only be allowed to educate their children at home when they have a teacher’s certificate,” reported Tages Anzeiger on December 4. According to the paper there are fifty parents affected within the Canton of Zurich.
Eight of these families so far have announced that they are resisting the legislation, and face fines up to 5000 francs ($4100 USD) and possible citations for disobedience of official orders. Appeals of the Zurich decision are being filed, but so far the Education Director has rejected all compromise solutions.
Professor Georg Stöckli of the Education Institute of the University of Zürich says he agrees with the new restrictions: “Children from early on have an urge to separate themselves from their parents. One should not hinder them in this ... The family alone is not enough to satisfy the social needs of the children.”
(Phil's Note: Read those last 3 sentences again…it should send a chill down your spine. Do they really think the state is better at molding children then their parents…Hitler did—look up the infamous Hitler’s Youth Program. This is in stark contrast to the Christian view that has always held the family as the pre-eminent place of formation of children).
According to the Code Civile Suisse of December 10, 1907, parents are responsible for seeing to a child’s education and to his physical, intellectual and moral well-being. Each Swiss Canton, however, may interpret this law differently. Two cantons currently outlaw homeschooling outright, and Zurich now joins other cantons with severe restrictions. Before this restriction, home education was freely permitted, with Zurich authorities checking student progress once or twice per year.
A 2002 motion to require Zurich homeschoolers and private schools to teach “the same world view” as public schools, be staffed by certified teachers, and be evaluated by the Canton’s education board, failed.
Homeschoolers in Europe are in many cases up against increasingly hostile political forces. This holds true especially of Germany, where numerous homeschooling families have been persecuted in recent years, with children being removed from their homes in some cases.
In November of this year, a German homeschooling family whose children were removed forcibly in 2006 applied for political asylum in the United States. Uwe and Hannelore Romeike of Bissingen, Germany, and their five children arrived in the United States in August of this year. The family has settled in Eastern Tennessee where they were welcomed by local homeschool supporters and are being assisted by the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).
Excerpts from the Tages Anzieger article are translated into English at the “Principled Discovery” homeschool blog “Principled Discovery.” http://principleddiscovery.com/homeschooling-network/
What About the Father?
Armstrong Williams relates the tale of a father’s helplessness in preventing his g/f from aborting their child—a child that was conceived willingly by both of them. Then the Mom changed her mind….
Not long ago, (John) Stachokus planned to have a child with his 23-year-old girlfriend. Together, they picked out the child's name and godparents. He proudly imagined what it would be like to start a family; this made him happy. Then one day, his girlfriend abruptly decided to terminate her pregnancy. She was reacting to pressure from her parents, Stachokus says. He responded by obtaining an injunction, temporarily prohibiting her from having an abortion, which a court rejected. And just that quickly, Stachokus's hopes and dreams for his child dissolved. It did not matter to the court that Stachokus was willing to take full responsibility for nurturing and providing for the child. His basic human rights did not factor into the court's decision. All that mattered was that his girlfriend suddenly changed her mind and decided to murder their unborn baby. As far as the court was concerned, Stachokus had no say in the life of his own child. The court regarded him as little more than a soulless contributor of DNA.
-From: InsideCatholic.com “Abortion and the Rights of Fathers” by Armstrong Williams. http://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/images/insidedigest65.pdf
God Bless you!
Phil Lawson For the latest info on St. Peter’s, check out the parish website: www.saintpetercatholic.com (You can also find old editions of the Areopagus here)
The Areopagus is a regular email for adults that includes various reflections, tidbits, news and events. Hope you find it fruitful!
If you would like to be added to this list, send an email to lawsphil@gmail.com
On the other hand, if you would like to be removed, send an email to the same address indicating that.
The Knights of Columbus commissioned a poll by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion entitled “Moral Issues and Catholic Voters” conducted Sept. 24th-Oct. 3rd.
Some of the statistics reflect commonly accepted knowledge, that most Americans believe there should be some restrictions on abortion (92%) and most want parental notification laws in the case of a minor’s abortion.
This particular survey went a step further in contrasting the opinions of (1) Americans, (2) practicing Catholic Americans, and (3) non-practicing Catholic Americans. For purposes of the poll, “practicing” was defined as attending Mass at least once or twice a month. According to the survey, 48% of the population overall considers themselves “pro-life.” 59% of practicing Catholics consider themselves “pro-life”. Here’s the striking statistic, only 29% of non-practicing Catholics consider themselves pro-life. Conversely, while 50% of Americans consider themselves “pro-choice.” A whopping 65% of non-practicing Catholics label themselves “pro-choice.”
Meaning non-practicing Catholics, though still identifying themselves as Catholics are even more likely to support abortion then the average American. Why even bother calling yourself Catholic? On the flip-side the constant teaching of Christ and the Church regarding the dignity of all life from Conception to Natural Death, is making headway, at least to those who make it into the pews on Sunday!
More information can be found at www.kofc.org
Phil’s Tidbits:
Via the Catholic Educators Resource Center: Quote of the Week:
"You have to push as hard as the age that pushes against you." - Flannery O'Connor
On Homeschooling and the State:
I was recently talking to a very intelligent college student. She’s still looking at her options for various majors, but indicated that she would be pursuing a teaching license on top of her other major. Her reason? She wants the freedom to homeschool her children—and figures this will help her should restrictions by the government concerning who can homeschool continue to be increased. The day after that conversation I came across this article from Switzerland:
Zurich Restricts Homeschooling to State-Licensed Teachers
By Ellen M. Rice
ZURICH, Switzerland, December 9,2008 (Lifesitenews.com) - The leading Swiss newspaper, Tages Anzeiger, reports that the by next summer the Canton of Zurich will restrict homeschooling rights to parents who are certified teachers.
“Parents will only be allowed to educate their children at home when they have a teacher’s certificate,” reported Tages Anzeiger on December 4. According to the paper there are fifty parents affected within the Canton of Zurich.
Eight of these families so far have announced that they are resisting the legislation, and face fines up to 5000 francs ($4100 USD) and possible citations for disobedience of official orders. Appeals of the Zurich decision are being filed, but so far the Education Director has rejected all compromise solutions.
Professor Georg Stöckli of the Education Institute of the University of Zürich says he agrees with the new restrictions: “Children from early on have an urge to separate themselves from their parents. One should not hinder them in this ... The family alone is not enough to satisfy the social needs of the children.”
(Phil's Note: Read those last 3 sentences again…it should send a chill down your spine. Do they really think the state is better at molding children then their parents…Hitler did—look up the infamous Hitler’s Youth Program. This is in stark contrast to the Christian view that has always held the family as the pre-eminent place of formation of children).
According to the Code Civile Suisse of December 10, 1907, parents are responsible for seeing to a child’s education and to his physical, intellectual and moral well-being. Each Swiss Canton, however, may interpret this law differently. Two cantons currently outlaw homeschooling outright, and Zurich now joins other cantons with severe restrictions. Before this restriction, home education was freely permitted, with Zurich authorities checking student progress once or twice per year.
A 2002 motion to require Zurich homeschoolers and private schools to teach “the same world view” as public schools, be staffed by certified teachers, and be evaluated by the Canton’s education board, failed.
Homeschoolers in Europe are in many cases up against increasingly hostile political forces. This holds true especially of Germany, where numerous homeschooling families have been persecuted in recent years, with children being removed from their homes in some cases.
In November of this year, a German homeschooling family whose children were removed forcibly in 2006 applied for political asylum in the United States. Uwe and Hannelore Romeike of Bissingen, Germany, and their five children arrived in the United States in August of this year. The family has settled in Eastern Tennessee where they were welcomed by local homeschool supporters and are being assisted by the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).
Excerpts from the Tages Anzieger article are translated into English at the “Principled Discovery” homeschool blog “Principled Discovery.” http://principleddiscovery.com/homeschooling-network/
What About the Father?
Armstrong Williams relates the tale of a father’s helplessness in preventing his g/f from aborting their child—a child that was conceived willingly by both of them. Then the Mom changed her mind….
Not long ago, (John) Stachokus planned to have a child with his 23-year-old girlfriend. Together, they picked out the child's name and godparents. He proudly imagined what it would be like to start a family; this made him happy. Then one day, his girlfriend abruptly decided to terminate her pregnancy. She was reacting to pressure from her parents, Stachokus says. He responded by obtaining an injunction, temporarily prohibiting her from having an abortion, which a court rejected. And just that quickly, Stachokus's hopes and dreams for his child dissolved. It did not matter to the court that Stachokus was willing to take full responsibility for nurturing and providing for the child. His basic human rights did not factor into the court's decision. All that mattered was that his girlfriend suddenly changed her mind and decided to murder their unborn baby. As far as the court was concerned, Stachokus had no say in the life of his own child. The court regarded him as little more than a soulless contributor of DNA.
-From: InsideCatholic.com “Abortion and the Rights of Fathers” by Armstrong Williams. http://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/images/insidedigest65.pdf
God Bless you!
Phil Lawson For the latest info on St. Peter’s, check out the parish website: www.saintpetercatholic.com (You can also find old editions of the Areopagus here)
The Areopagus is a regular email for adults that includes various reflections, tidbits, news and events. Hope you find it fruitful!
If you would like to be added to this list, send an email to lawsphil@gmail.com
On the other hand, if you would like to be removed, send an email to the same address indicating that.
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