Tom Jacobs at Miller-McCune writes about a study out of Oxford University that shows that, while breast-fed babies fare better at school, the number of American women who choose to breastfeed is “stagnant and low.” The reason? Apparently, breastfeeding women are judged more harshly: Research just published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin … Read more
*Facepalm*: Catholics are more supportive of gay and lesbian rights than the general public and other Christians, according to a new report released today. The new report, which is the most comprehensive portrait of Catholic attitudes on gay and lesbian issues assembled to date, also finds that seven-in-ten Catholics say that messages from America’s places of … Read more
Often, the problem of deciding what to do depends on how an action is described. For example, people are against killing when it is called “murder,” but they may have other thoughts about it when words such as “just war” or “self-defense” are used. So what controls the way we describe our actions? To clearly … Read more
Judging by the impassioned commentary from some Catholic quarters during recent confrontations between unionized public-sector workers and state governments, you’d think we were back in 1919, with the Church defending the rights of wage slaves laboring in sweat shops under draconian working conditions. That would hardly seem to be the circumstances of, say, unionized American … Read more
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father; God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God; begotten, not made; of one Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. We’ve said those words thousands of times at Sunday Mass. … Read more
Micro cap NeoStem, Inc (NBS) has been working in the area of adult stem cells, making notable discoveries and picking up acquisitions along the way. Its business model may have them in the red as of today, but there’s something about the company that has attracted the Vatican’s attention. And money. The Vatican has placed … Read more
By now, you all have probably seen the video of Casey Heynes, the bullied Australian boy who put the smackdown on his tormentor. If not, here it is: [video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KakZkh9Iu7U&sns=fb 635×355] I still get a thrill watching Casey defend himself and body-slam the twerp. Justice is so sweet! Both boys have since been on news shows, talking … Read more
Can mathematical models predict whether religion is heading for extinction? Researchers used census data from nine countries — Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland — and noted that religious affiliation was on the decline in all of them: “In a large number of modern secular democracies, there’s … Read more
There is an old saying that we judge others by what they do, but we want them to judge us by our intentions. That more or less sums up one of the central confusions engendered by our embrace of modernity’s Absolute No. 1 Favorite Moral Heresy: consequentialism. Consequentialism, for anyone not fully up to speed … Read more
German success in the Third Battle of Kharkov exasperated the Russians, although no one could foretell that it would be the last significant local German victory of the war. That was March 16, 1943, and the next day Stalin virtually demanded that the United States and Britain form a second European front to relieve the … Read more
Over at the Wall Street Journal, Jennifer Moses writes on the worrisome trend for younger and younger girls to dress and act provocatively. Of course, that’s been the constant lament of parents for generations — but in Moses’ case, she recognizes that her own generation was the first to come of age in the sexual … Read more
In a recent speech to the Royal Society of Arts in London, Sir David Attenborough said there’s a “strange silence” about overpopulation. Journalist Bonnie Erbe apparently believes Attenborough statements should be shouted from the rooftops, so she wrote an opinion piece for Scripps Howard News Service about it: Sir David said there needed to be … Read more
Following the Bart Stupak betrayal, several pundits declared the end of the pro-life Democrat. For months, Congressman Stupak and a small group of Catholic House members had held out against Obamacare, insisting it be stripped of funding for abortion. But when the bill returned from the Senate with abortion funding intact, Stupak revealed himself to … Read more
Many historians had been trying for some time to set the record straight on the Crusades—misconceptions are all too common. For them, current interest is an opportunity to explain the Crusades while people are actually listening. With the possible exception of Umberto Eco, medieval scholars are not used to getting much media attention. We tend to … Read more
I had my first taste of alcohol on vacation with my parents when I was eight years old. We had just sat down to dinner at a restaurant in Rome, and the waiter came as usual to pour wine for my parents. To my surprise, he didn’t pass over my glass. As I looked at … Read more
A new translation of the Bible is causing a stir is some evangelical circles, according to the Associated Press. While the 2011 translation of the New International Version Bible (NIV) still uses masculine pronouns to refer to God, such as “he” and “Father,” it uses inclusive language when referring to an “unspecified person.” In … Read more
Good morning! For anyone nursing green beer hangovers this morning, here are a few links to ease you into the day: Archbishop Timothy Dolan on the sex abuse scandal to 60 Minutes: “This was such a crisis in the Catholic Church that in a way, we don’t want to get over it too easily. This … Read more
Not long ago, in New York City’s subway system, there was a campaign underway proclaiming that people can be “good without God.” The ads’ anti-gospel followed upon the good news previously advertised f ro m the so-called Coalition of Reason: “Don’t Believe in God? You’re Not Alone.” Of course, it’s unlikely that even God “believes” … Read more
In many major American cities, the tawdry sections of town that once housed pornographic cinemas, bookstores, and strip joints have given way to shiny new office buildings and Starbucks coffee houses. Does this sign of urban renewal also signify moral renewal? Has America finally grown bored with a surfeit of pornography? Unfortunately not. Pornography has … Read more
Two “kill all the dumb people” posts in one week? What are the odds? Human embryos should be screened for their potential intelligence and only the smartest allowed to live, an Oxford University ethicist has argued. In shocking remarks, Prof Julian Savulescu says embryos that do not pass the intelligence test should be destroyed for … Read more