Spam Phone Calls

I received a phone call from Woonsocket, Rhode Island (USA) and totally ignored it. In fact I deleted it. I do not know anyone in Woonsocket or the entire state of Rhode Island. The call was either a wrong number or what is called "spam." (The derisive word "SPAM" comes from a canned spiced ham product which many people consider to be awful but which many others enjoy. It has a reputation similar to that of the also unfairly maligned fruit cake.)

Spam phone calls are a particular problem in the United States. Massive numbers of automated phone calls are sent by businesses trying to increase their profits or are sent to deliver a particular message (often political) to as many people as possible.  This type of Spam is merely a nuisance. In 2017, the United States Federal Trade Commission received 7,157,370 complaints about spam calls. The problem is escalating. There were 4.5 billion reported spam phone calls in the United States in June of 2018. These spam phone calls are essentially total garbage.

A second type of spam calls is is intended to be hostile and is criminal. One form of these aggressive attacks is intended to completely clog up phone lines and render them useless. This is a form of denial of service attack.

An even more criminal type of spam attempts to deceive or trick as many people as possible to respond to the call and to voluntarily give out their personal information such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers, computer sign-on passwords, etc. The motive here is to steal money.

In today's world  everyone is constantly surrounded by what is essentially SPAM; totally worthless garbage. Messages flood at us from television, movies, radio, music, books, news organizations, junk mail, flyers, and other people. The vast majority of it is secular or explicitly non-Christian. Some of it is malignantly anti-Christian.

There is an old saying in the Southern United States about a person so holy and high-minded that he or she is of no use in the real world. This is not what God wants. He wants us to let Him use us for His purposes here in the real world. We are told to he holy (separated) because God is holy, but we are also told to be "in the world but not of the world." Essentially, do not be useless.

Ignoring the vast majority of the garbage swilling around us does not mean that we must have no interest in culture, or learning. or books, or music, or sports, or fashion, or outdoor activities, or politics, or any other thing. It does, however, require us not to chase after every wind (especially those which we know stink). It also requires us to learn to recognize "the stink" even when a little perfume has been added.

Leviticus 11:44,45; 19:2; 20:7, 1 Peter 1:16, John 15:19; 17: 14-16, Ephesians 4:14, Ecclesiastes 6:9

Why Life Begins at Conception, Part 5

The scientific facts are not at issue.  Human life demonstrably begins at conception.  Froma Harrop, a columnist and editorial board member with the Providence (Rhode Island) Journal, has said, “the issue isn’t when life begins, but when personhood begins.”

“Personhood” has become an international issue, heavily debated by religion, philosophy, and law.  Does the fetus become a person at conception, at “quickening,” at birth, or sometime else during its intrauterine development?  When is it acceptable to “terminate” (abort) the fetus and when does it become impermissible?  Is there a set date during the fetal development or is it different for each fetus?  If it is different for each fetus, who has the legal right to determine when that date occurs?  What if the incorrect date is set?  Is termination (abortion) permissible for rape or incest or if the children carries a genetic disease?  If the date is missed, can other factors make termination (abortion) acceptable?  Is the possibility of a mistake in developmental dating a strong deterrent to termination (abortion)?

Ultimately, these issues will be decided by the secular courts in each country.  The trend in some countries is to allow abortions with increasing flexibility.  There is one faction which would allow partial birth abortion.  Some would deny medical care to infants who survive unsuccessful abortions.

Those of us who believe that personhood is established at conception may have to remain as loyal dissenters.  We may have to accept the legal reality but we do not have to remain silent.

Some may be faced with hard choices.  They may have to withdraw from the system if they are a nurse or physician who would be forced to participate in an abortion procedure.  Difficult choices may become necessary.