Month: July 2023

Posted on

Arches NP: The Sand Dune Arch Trail

As I stepped onto the Sand Dune Arch Trail in Arches National Park, the early morning sun was casting long, dramatic shadows that danced on the red-orange sandstone formations. The air was dry, carrying the faint scent of sagebrush and juniper, a signature perfume of the Utah desert.

The trail, a mere half-mile long, was easy, but the scenery was anything but ordinary. It was like stepping onto another planet, the landscape a surreal painting of wind-sculpted arches and towering spires. The centerpiece, the Sand Dune Arch, was a marvel of nature’s architecture, a testament to the power of wind and time. Nestled between two sandstone fins, it was a hidden gem, and no doubt a sanctuary of shade in the desert’s unforgiving heat, if you visit during the summer. But I was there during the coolness of early spring. The best time to go.

As I walked, the sand beneath my feet shifted, each step a crunch in the otherwise silent expanse. Upon reaching the arch I sat, taking a moment to appreciate the quiet, the grandeur of the arch above me, and the way the light filtered through, casting an ethereal glow.

The Sand Dune Arch Trail, though short, was a journey through time, a glimpse into the raw, untamed beauty of nature.

If you would like to see more of these picture slideshows, click on the category God’s Beauty.

+++

God’s Beauty

Posted on

Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD) Censorship

This is a follow up to my last post. Evolutionary Biologist and fellow at the Manhattan Institute, Colin Wright, weighs in on the recent retraction of Michael Bailey’s peer reviewed article about ROGD.

Bailey’s paper, “Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria: Parent Reports on 1655 Possible Cases,” was a significant contribution to the ongoing debate about transgender identification among youth. The paper’s retraction was the result of a months-long campaign by activists who disagreed with its findings.

Those findings suggested that social factors might be contributing to the surge in cases of gender dysphoria among adolescents and young adults who had previously shown no gender-related issues. This hypothesis contradicts the prevailing “gender-affirming” model of care, which posits that children can know their “gender identity” from a very early age and will rarely, if ever, change their minds about it.

The retraction of the paper was not due to any flaws in the research itself, but rather to a technicality regarding the consent process for the study’s participants. The authors were accused of not obtaining written informed consent from the participants to have their responses published in a peer-reviewed article. However, Bailey argued that the participants were well aware that their anonymized results would be published online.

This retraction has far-reaching implications. It not only removes a significant contribution to the scientific debate on transgender identification among youth, but also signals the ideological capture of a scientific publishing giant that controls hundreds of journals that shape our knowledge base.

Wright raises important questions about the integrity of scientific publishing, the influence of ideology on scientific discourse, and the potential consequences of suppressing research that contradicts prevailing narratives.

Wright’s Full Article in City Journal.

+++

Posted on

Propaganda Masquerading As “Inclusive” Education

Propaganda masquerading as education from the Irish National Teacher’s Association.

Don’t think this is not happening in U.S. elementary schools. America’s preeminent teacher’s union, the National Education Association (NEA) is now recommending that its members add Gender Queer – a treatise on the merits of transgenderism – to their summer reading list.

I’ve posted about Gender Queer before. Take a look.

Gender Queer & School Choice

Speaking as a Classic Christian, I’m compelled to say there is a dark power behind all of this propaganda.

+++