Category: Human Life

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A Culture of Life and Civilization of Love

Notre Dame professor, O. Carter Snead, advocates for a “culture of life and civilization of love,” which he defines as a society that values every human life, born and unborn, and supports them with love, care, and legal protection. He emphasizes that being pro-life is not merely about being “anti-abortion,” but about recognizing the equal dignity and worth of every human being. This culture of life, he argues, is not about exclusion but about expanding the moral and legal community to include everyone, especially the most vulnerable.

He says we should ask a question about “hard limits” to those who support abortion rights. For example: should there be any restrictions on abortion at all, such as gestational stage or reasons like sex-selection or preventing the birth of a child with disabilities? He is pushing for a public debate that questions the absolute freedom of choice in the matter of abortion and urges the media to ask these hard questions as well.

Snead also advocates for “new political approaches” that involve creating partnerships across political divides and rethinking the role of government in supporting mothers, children, and families. He praises the efforts of “red” states that have expanded postpartum Medicaid coverage, increased tax credits for children, and funded programs for mothers and children. However, he also encourages reaching out to “blue” states, even those that have expanded access to abortion, to work on measures that support women and families who choose to parent or make adoption plans.

This is a call to action for a more inclusive and supportive society that values all life; a society that challenges the status quo, pushes for public debate, and encourages political cooperation for the benefit of mothers, children, and families.

Let us join with Snead and support a “culture of life and civilization of love” where everyone counts, everyone is cared for, body and soul, and everyone is protected, especially the weakest and most vulnerable.

Source: “Reflections on Dobbs, One Year Later” | The Hill

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Choose Life & Love

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Saint John Paul II’s Gratitude Toward Women

June 29 was the 28th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s “Letter to Women.” ( A MUST READ)

Some reflections on the uplifting importance of that letter….

Reflection 1

John Paul II’s first, and arguably, most profound point, is his expression of gratitude. Whether you’re a mother, wife, daughter, sister, employed in the workforce, consecrated virgin, or an educator (in whatever capacity), he thanks YOU. He doesn’t only thank you for the work you do, but for your very existence as a woman.

Reflection 2

As St. John Paul II continues in his reflection, he rightly brings awareness to the marginalization and lack of progress women have experienced. While it’s easy to see drastic progress in something like Title IX, we are simultaneously experiencing a “relapse” of this progress, spearheaded by lawmakers, organizations, and activists rushing to dismantle a law that has protected so many women. This is not the only deterioration we are seeing.

We live in a culture that no longer understands what it means to be a woman. We live in a culture that changes words like “breastfeeding” to “chestfeeding” or “women” to “wimmin” in the name of affirmation and inclusivity. We live in a culture where biological men compete in women’s sports. And we live in a culture that tells little girls they are boys because they enjoy wearing cargo shorts over dresses and prefer trucks over dolls. The list continues. So, what happened?

We not only forgot to thank women, but we also forgot to address that women are inherently different and unique, made in the Image and Likeness of God, with a specific vocation that only women can fulfill, to help. I’m not claiming the world became corrupt for this reason alone, but how are we expected to flourish in a culture that doesn’t respect or appreciate God’s given design for our bodies, let alone His plan for our lives?

Further reflections found here. But I’ll finish with this one.

“Let us remind our daughters, “tomboys” or not, that they are loved as a child of the Lord and are no less of a woman because they choose dirt over dolls, or dolls over dirt. Let us remind our friends that they can still be “mothers” by guiding their students, peers, or nieces/nephews toward the truth, single or not.”

Saint John PAul II’s “Letter to Women”

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The Body’s Emergency Response System: Irreducibly Complex

The other day I was running late for an outdoor bluegrass concert. So I hurriedly packed up the items I would need: camp chair; back pack with additional clothing (gets cool when the sun goes down); and literally launched myself into the drivers seat of my truck. Unfortunately on the way to the seat my left knee met with some resistance; the unforgiving rotating light switch.

Ayyyeeee!

Well, the leg started to bleed. And since the abrasive cut was not low enough to avoid my knee-high shorts, I had to take the time to wipe and bandage this time-waster; or it would stain my clothing.

I knew I could carry on unconcerned if I wanted to. Why? Simply put; blood coagulation, part of the process known as the blood-clotting cascade. Eventually the flow would stop. I wouldn’t bleed out. “Soldiering on” would work okay. Blood stained shorts be damned. I was on a mission towards Bluegrass Heaven.

But since the shorts were new, and not yet ready for damnation, Bluegrass Heaven would have to wait. I took the time to bandage up.

Why am I telling you this bit of personal trivia? Because it gives us one more example of the Intelligent Design behind God’s Good Creation. “Huh?” Let me explain.

Blood clotting is the body’s emergency response system; a system I’m convinced was wonderfully designed.

There are some really bright scientists who agree.

Imagine a man having a stroke. He’s rushed to the hospital, where a team of medical professionals springs into action. This is much like what happens when you cut yourself. Your body has its own emergency response system – the blood clotting process.

When you get a cut, your body sends out a distress signal, like a 9-1-1 call. This summons tiny particles in your blood, called platelets, to the site of the injury. These platelets transform and start to form a plug, slowing down the bleeding. Then something called coagulation takes place. But now things get a little technical here. So let me bring in the expert.

Biochemist Michael Behe explains it better than I could in the latest Secrets of the Cell episode; an explanation that includes his irreducible complexity argument for Intelligent Design.

Behe concludes the blood clotting process is too complex and interdependent to have developed through Darwinian evolution. It’s like a finely tuned machine, where every part is necessary for it to function properly. (That’s the irreducible complexity of it.) This suggests that the system was designed with a purpose, rather than being the result of incremental & random evolutionary processes.

That’s what I think too. See what you think.

Video created by Discovery Science

Companion Posts

God’s Design: The Cell
Who’s Dead, God or Charles Darwin?

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God’s Good Creation