Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] European Union President-Elect Touts World Government as Key to Solving Environmental and Financial Problems
[2] Church of Scotland Moderator Presents Eco-Congregation Scotland Certificate to St Machar’s Cathedral in Aberdeen, Scotland on 22 November 2009
[3] Church of Scotland Minister Praises Swiss Assisted Suicide Group
[4] Concerned Women for America Condemn Six Senators that Expressed Opposition to Health Care Bill, then Voted to Proceed on 21 November 2009
[5] ProlifeProfiles.com Exposes Sarah Palin’s “Shocking to the Conscience” Record on Pro-Life Issues
[6] Michigan Teenager Sues Abortionist Claimed to have Forced Abortion after Teen Viewed Ultrasound and Opted Not to Abort
[7] Knoxville, Tennessee, Hospital Attempts to Deny Food and Medical Care to Nine-Month Old Baby
[8] McGill University Student Body Council Suspends Campus Rights of Choose Life Pro-Life Club
[9] Alliance Defense Fund Demands 14th Murder Charge be Files against Ford Hood Jihad Mass Murderer U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan for Killing Unborn Child
[10] Vermont Judge Awards Sole Custody of Virginia Mother’s Daughter to Mother’s Former Lesbian Partner
[11] Pakistani Movies-on-CD Shop Bombed by Muslim Terrorists because Shop Sold Christian Materials
[12] English Religious Rights Barrister Warns that Christian Foundations of are being Eroded by Legal System Using U.K. Anti-Christian Legal Precedents
[13] Live Nativity Scene at U.S. Supreme Court Calls Attention to Hostility toward Public Expression of Faith
[14] 170,000 Copies of Darwin’s Origin of the Species Given Away on College Campuses on 18 November 2009
[15] Darwin's Racists - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Published in Order to Add Balance to 24 November 2009 150th Anniversary of Origin of the Species Publication
[16] Presbyterian Church in Taiwan Delivers Letter to U.S. President Expressing Concern about China-Related Issues
[17] Luzerne County, Pennsylvania to Tax Closed Churches
[18] John Calvin Magyar Reformed Church in Perth Amboy, New Jersey for Sale Due to Dwindling Hungarian Congregation
[19] British University Professor’s Study Shows Cursing Provides Pain Relief
[1] European Union President-Elect Touts World Government as Key to Solving Environmental and Financial Problems
European Union (EU) President-Elect and current Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, who will assume EU office in January 2010, in a 19 November 2009 speech before the European Parliament, said that the establishment of the G20 nations in 2009 makes global governance a reality, and that “greater security and justice” can be had in the areas of environment, energy, the financial crisis, and the climate crisis, “which threatens our very survival.”
Rompuy touted the upcoming Copenhagen Conference as the beginning of the “global management of our planet.”
+ BBC, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS, England, Fax: 020-8008-2398
+ YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Avenue, San Bruno, California 94066, 650-253-0000, Fax: 650-253-0001, press@youtube.com
+ European Parliament, 2, rue Mercier, L-2985 Luxembourg,
352-4300-24031, Fax : 352-43-55-78, idea@europarl.europa.eu
[2] Church of Scotland Moderator Presents Eco-Congregation Scotland Certificate to St Machar’s Cathedral in Aberdeen, Scotland on 22 November 2009
Church of Scotland (COS) Moderator of the General Assembly the Right Rev. Bill Hewitt, on 22 November 2009, presented an Eco-Congregation Scotland certificate to St. Machar’s Cathedral in Aberdeen, Scotland.
St. Machar’s Minister Alan Falconer commented: “We are thrilled to be receiving this award from the moderator. As a congregation we are concerned about the implications of climate change, not just in Scotland but across the world, because of the threat it poses to the poor. I would urge other churches across the north-east to get involved in the Eco-Congregation Scotland network and to start reducing their carbon footprint too.”
The 2009 General Assembly of the COS passed a resolution instructing every COS congregation to reduce their carbon footprint by five percent during the first year of the program.
COS Climate Change Officer Adrian Shaw has published the document “Many Heavens, One Earth,” which reviews the 2-4 November 2009 Celebration of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) and the United Nations Development Programme, held at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, where more than 200 delegates from worldwide faith groups gathered, “to celebrate the contribution that faiths can make to caring for the earth.”
Shaw described key conclusions and lessons from the meeting, including that: “Care for the earth is a common duty for all faith groups,” and that: “In the immediate future (November 2009) all faith groups should take action to lobby governments to agree a climate change deal in Copenhagen in December 2009.”
+ Press and Journal, Lang Stracht, Mastrick, Aberdeen AB15 6DF, Scotland, 01224-343311, pj.newsdesk@ajl.co.uk
+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4YN, Scotland, 0131-225-5722
+ United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya, 254-020-762- 3084, Fax: 254-020-762-3692, nick.nuttall@unep.org
[3] Church of Scotland Minister Praises Swiss Assisted Suicide Group
Retired Church of Scotland (COS) minister the Rev. Dr. John Cameron, in an upcoming issue of the COS magazine Life and Work, praises the Swiss assisted suicide group Dignatas for providing a “much needed service” for those that want to “die as they have lived.”
The Church of Scotland is officially opposed to the legislation currently before the Scottish Parliament, the “End of Life Choices Bill,” designed to legalize assisted suicide in Scotland.
+ The Scotsman, Barclay House, 108 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AS, Scotland, 131-620-8620
+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4YN, Scotland, 0131-225-5722
+ Dignatas, Postfach 9 - CH 8127 Forch, Switzerland, 44-980-4459, dignitas@dignitas.ch
[4] Concerned Women for America Condemn Six Senators that Expressed Opposition to Health Care Bill, then Voted to Proceed on 21 November 2009
Commenting on the votes of six U.S. senators who had previously expressed opposition to the Health Care Bill, but voted for the bill to proceed on 21 November 2009, Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America commented:
“[Six Democrat Senators] say they oppose the bill yet at the most crucial time when only one Democrat senator could have changed or killed the bill, they supported it. They are on record as voting for a bill that will fund abortion, penalize married couples, ration health care, tax people for failing to have 'acceptable' health insurance, prompt doctors to leave the profession and cause millions of Americans to lose their health coverage. Only last year the Senate ensured that federal funds did not pay for abortions through the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. Eight Democrat senators who supported that amendment voted today for a health care take-over that will fund abortion….Harry Reid's bill will impose a new tax penalty on married couples who jointly make [US]$250,000 annually. People who 'shack up' can earn up to [US]$200,000 each before being taxed. People with health insurance that is deemed 'unacceptable' by a government agent could be fined. It will leave 24 million without insurance, cause 5 million to lose their employer coverage and cut Medicare by [US]$464.6 million. This is not compassionate, it's heartlessly dictatorial. People may have insurance, but they won't get the health care they need."
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Concerned Women for America, 1015 Fifteenth Street Northwest, Suite 1100, Washington DC 20005, 202-488-7000, Fax: 202-488-0806
+ United States Senate, Washington DC 20510, 202-224-3121, ahazen@aoc.gov
[5] ProlifeProfiles.com Exposes Sarah Palin’s “Shocking to the Conscience” Record on Pro-Life Issues
American Right To Life’s (ARL) ProlifeProfiles.com website publishes profiles of the actual record on pro-life issues for public figures, and describes the documented pro-life facts on former Alaska Governor and Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin as being “shocking to the conscience.”
Palin’s at least twenty-seven areas of questionable behavior documented by ARL that belie Palin’s self-described pro-life credentials include:
-- Palin in 2009 appointed a Planned Parenthood board member to the Alaska Supreme Court;
-- Palin argues that chemical abortifacients that kill the youngest children should be legal;
-- Palin indicates support for public funding to kill some unborn children;
-- Palin allows her name to be used in ads promoting grisly government-funded embryonic stem cell "research"; and,
-- Palin undermines the God-given right to life by promoting evolution while officially opposing creation.
Within 24 hours of the launch of ProlifeProfiles.com, Palin's political action committee removed their own glowing news report of the governor's appointment of an unrepentant Planned Parenthood board member to the Alaska Supreme Court.
+ American Right To Life, 1535 Grant Street #303, Denver, Colorado 80203, 303-753-9341, office@AmericanRTL.org
+ Palin PAC, Post Office Box 2011, Lynnwood, Washington 98036, palinpac@comcast.net
[6] Michigan Teenager Sues Abortionist Claimed to have Forced Abortion after Teen Viewed Ultrasound and Opted Not to Abort
Genesee County, Michigan, teenager Caitlin Bruce in 2008 was six months pregnant when she went to the Feminine Health Care Clinic in Flint, Michigan, to have an abortion performed by Dr. Abraham Hodari.
Bruce claims that an assistant performing an ultrasound at the beginning of the procedure turned the ultrasound monitor toward Bruce and showed Bruce the heartbeat of her unborn child. Bruce says that she then told the doctor she had changed her mind and did not want the abortion, whereupon Dr. Hoderi told an assistant to hold Bruce down, which the assistant did by putting his weight on Bruce’s chest and covered Bruce’s mouth with his hand to muffle her screams to stop the abortion. Dr. Hoderi then performed the abortion.
Bruce has filed a civil suit against Dr. Hoderi, of which Dr. Hoderi denies any wrongdoing.
Operation Rescue reports that Hoderi has put his abortion clinics up for sale along with his expensive classic car collection, and has filed for a hasty divorce from his wife of 29 years, leading area pro-life activists to believe that the liquidation of assets may be a precursor to Dr. Hoderi fleeing the U.S.
Operation Rescue additionally reports that Hodari has a long history of abortion-related misconduct, as Hoderi has been involved in at least four abortion-related maternal deaths, Hoderi was convicted of illegally dumping private medical records, and Hoderi has boasted that abortionists have a "license to lie."
+ ABC-12, 2302 Lapeer Road, Flint, Michigan 48503, 989-790-3854, Fax: 989-790-9664, abc12news@abc.com
+ Operation Rescue, Post Office Box 782888, Wichita, Kansas 67278, 800-705-1175, Fax: 916-244-2636, info@operationrescue.org
+ Feminine Health Care Clinic, 2032 South Saginaw Street, Flint, Michigan 48503, 810-232-8071
[7] Knoxville, Tennessee, Hospital Attempts to Deny Food and Medical Care to Nine-Month Old Baby
Nine-month-old Gabriel Palmer was born with a club foot and a restricted airway, but flourished when Gabriel’s mother Catherine Palmer took him home, even though he requires continuing physical therapy, oxygen therapy, medication, and regular doctor visits.
Gabriel suffered breathing problems early in November 2009, and with the unavailability that day of Gabriel’s regular doctors, Catherine Palmer took Gabriel to the emergency room at the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital (ETCH) in Knoxville, Tennessee. After treatment by ETCH, Gabriel went into shock, developed pulmonary vascular disease, and was connected to a respirator.
After several days, ETCH began to withhold medical care from Gabriel, and on 13 November 2009, the head of the ETCH Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Dr. Kevin Brinkman, told Catherine Palmer that further care for Gabriel was “futile,” and that Gabriel was to be disconnected from the respirator and denied food and medicine. Gabriel was then denied being bathed, denied skin cream for his chapped skin, denied physical therapy, and Gabriel’s diaper changes were reduced.
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed a lawsuit and a request for a temporary restraining order against ETCH on 23 November 2009, and the ETCH ethical panel then decided not to withhold care from Gabriel. ADF then withdrew their restraining order request.
+ American Family Association, Post Office Drawer 2440, Tupelo, Mississippi 38803, 662-844-5036
+ Lifenews.com, news@lifenews.com
+ Alliance Defense Fund, 15100 North 90th Street, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260, 800-835-5233, Fax: 480-444-0025
+ East Tennessee Children's Hospital, 2018 Clinch Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee 37901, 865-541-8000, Contact Page
[8] McGill University Student Body Council Suspends Campus Rights of Choose Life Pro-Life Club
The student body council of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on 12 November 2009, suspended the campus rights of Choose Life, a pro-life student organization, citing graphic brochures distributed by Choose Life, brochures using “questionable statistics from questionable sources,” and Choose Life’s presenting a fall 2009 speaker that compared abortion to genocide and the Holocaust. The speech was disrupted when pro-abortion students stormed the speech venue.
Choose Life cannot meet on campus nor receive council funding while on suspension, and are required to meet with the council to discuss how Choose Life should behave in order to “promote respect” for all McGill students. If unsuccessful, Choose Life faces permanent revocation of the club’s official university status.
+ Lifenews.com, news@lifenews.com
+ McGill University, 845 Sherbrooke Street, West Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2T5, 514-398-4455, info.uro@mcgill.ca
[9] Alliance Defense Fund Demands 14th Murder Charge be Files against Ford Hood Jihad Mass Murderer U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan for Killing Unborn Child
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is demanding that the U.S. Army file a 14th murder charge against Ford Hood Jihad mass murderer U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan for the death of the three months in-utero child of U.S. Army Private Francheska Velez; the mother being killed along with her unborn child in Hasan’s Muslim terrorist attack.
Article 119a of the Uniform Code of Military Justice makes it a crime to kill “a child, who is in utero” at the time of the crime.
+ Examiner.com, 555 17th Street, Suite 700, Denver, Colorado 80202, contactus@examiner.com
+ Alliance Defense Fund, 15100 North 90th Street, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260, 800-835-5233, Fax: 480-444-0025
[10] Vermont Judge Awards Sole Custody of Virginia Mother’s Daughter to Mother’s Former Lesbian Partner
Rutland, Vermont, Family Court Superior Court Judge William Cohen, on 20 November 2009, awarded sole custody beginning 1 January 2010 of seven-year-old Isabella Miller to Janet Jenkins, the former lesbian partner of Isabella’s biological mother Lisa Miller, who with Isabella resides in Virginia. Lisa Miller split with Jenkins in 2003, moved with daughter Isabella to Virginia, became a Christian, and renounced her former lesbian lifestyle. Jenkins has been pursuing visitation rights with Isabella that Lisa Miller has denied to Jenkins.
The Millers are represented by Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel, who is fighting the custody order in the Vermont Supreme Court and in the Virginia Court of Appeals, who commented: "We're certainly not happy with the order. I think Lisa is devastated that the court would grant custody to Jenkins — a person who Isabella doesn't know. The only person known to her is her mother. We will ask the court to stay enforcement while the appeal moves forward. It's premature to set dates while the appeal is pending."
+ Rutland Herald, 27 Wales Street, Rutland, Vermont 05702, 800-776-5512, letters@rutlandherald.com
+ Liberty Counsel, Post Office Box 540774, Orlando, Florida 32854, 800-671-1776, Liberty@LC.org
[11] Pakistani Movies-on-CD Shop Bombed by Muslim Terrorists because Shop Sold Christian Materials
A movies-on-CD shop in the Kas town area of the Upper Dir District of
Pakistan was bombed by Muslim terrorists on 11 November 2009 because the shop sold the ‘Jesus Film’ and other Christian materials. The shop owner injured in the blast remained in critical condition as of 23 November 2009.
+ Religion News Blog, Contact Form
+ The Jesus Film Project, 100 Lake Hart Drive, Orlando, Florida 32832, 407-826-2300, Fax: 407-826-2375, Contact Page
[12] English Religious Rights Barrister Warns that Christian Foundations of are being Eroded by Legal System Using U.K. Anti-Christian Legal Precedents
During a November 2009 speech on Capitol Hill (U.S. Capitol) and at a Washington DC press conference, English religious rights barrister Paul Diamond of The Christian Legal Centre (TCLC) warned that the Christian foundations of the U.S. will be eroded if the U.S. legal system and U.S. politicians continue to 'import' anti-Christian legal precedents from the United Kingdom (UK).
Barrister-at-Law and Executive Director of TCLC, Andrea Williams, commented: “"For some time the situation in the UK has been getting worse. But what we are seeing now is a legislative shift that threatens nothing less than the banning of Christian expression and the right to hold a conscientious moral position. Our pro-bono caseload is growing alarmingly as ordinary Christians fall foul of the new legal culture. America must take note of what is happening here in the [UK]. It is a solemn, but important task to be able to bring this vital message and witness to the devastation being wrought upon Christians and the Christian faith in Great Britain today….On the burning question of the current radical attack on basic Christian liberties, we here are a canary in the mine. In that sense I hope that our experience on this side of the Atlantic, and the almost unbelievable cases which I will bring to America's attention, will concentrate minds and provide a vital warning of how quickly a culture and centuries-old religious rights and freedoms can be lost. Christian faith in the UK is becoming a bar to office and the same could happen very soon in the United States. I hope the case studies I am bringing from Great Britain will illustrate the terrible threat this and similar moves now pose to Christians and all freedom-loving Americans."
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Christian Legal Centre Limited, Post Office Box 655, Hayward Heath, West Sussex RH16 9AT, England, 07712 591164, info@christianlegalcentre.com
[13] Live Nativity Scene at U.S. Supreme Court Calls Attention to Hostility toward Public Expression of Faith
Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital and the Christian Defense Coalition, on 19 November 2009, staged a nativity scene with live actors on a public sidewalk in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington DC, in order to call attention to the growing hostility toward public expressions of faith, especially during the Christmas season.
President of Faith and Action the Rev. Rob Schenck commented: "The traditional creche, portraying Mary, Joseph and the Christ Child, along with the angels, shepherds and Wise Men, remind us all of what Christmas is all about. We like to refer to this effort as keeping Christ Mass in the nation's Capitol."
Reformed Presbyterian pastor and Director of the Christian Defense Coalition the Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney added: "Sadly, we are seeing an erosion and hostility toward public expressions of faith in the public square. This is especially true during the Christmas Season. The Nativity Project and Operation Nativity are reminders that our Constitution provides freedom 'of' religion not freedom 'from' religion. By encouraging people of faith to publicly display Nativity Scenes across the nation, we are not only encouraging people to embrace our religious liberty and First Amendment freedoms but we are loudly proclaiming the powerful message of Christmas. That timeless message needs to be heard now more than ever. That message is the Christ Child has come to bring 'peace on earth and goodwill toward man.' Our hope and prayer is that thousands will display this powerful message on their front lawns and in front of public buildings all across America during the Christmas Season."
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital, 109 Second Avenue Northeast, Washington DC 20002, 202-546-8329, Fax: 202-546-6864, Info@FaithAndAction.org
+ Christian Defense Coalition, Post Office Box 77168, Washington DC 20013, 202-547-1735, ChristianDefense@gmail.com
+ The Nativity Project, Post Office Box 892, Harvard, Illinois 60033, natvproj@owc.net
[14] 170,000 Copies of Darwin’s Origin of the Species Given Away on College Campuses on 18 November 2009
Living Waters Publications on 18 November 2009 gave away at 100 top U.S. universities, 170,000 copies of a special version of Darwin’s Origin of the Species, containing an introduction by Ray Comfort, author of You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence But You Can't Make Him Think, Nothing Created Everything, God Doesn't Believe in Atheists, and Evolution -- the Fairy Tale For Grownups.
The book giveaway was moved up a day after the Secular Student Association attempted to mobilize to disrupt the originally scheduled 19 November 2009 giveaway. Atheist Richard Dawkins, who mocks Comfort as the ‘Banana Man’ in lectures and interviews, has recommended that book recipients tear out Comfort’s introduction. Dawkins, who has publically called Comfort an ‘ignorant fool,’ has avoided debating Comfort by asking for US$100,000 before Dawkins will debate.
+ Living Waters Publications, 9818 Arkansas Street, Bellflower, California 90706, 562-207-9300, 562-207-9313, email@livingwaters.com
+ Secular Student Alliance, Post Office Box 2371, Columbus, Ohio 43216, 614-441-9588, Fax: 877-842-9474, ssa@secularstudents.org
[15] Darwin's Racists - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Published in Order to Add Balance to 24 November 2009 150th Anniversary of Origin of the Species Publication
The newly released book, Darwin's Racists - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, focuses on God the Creator. In addition to the worldwide debate on creation vs. evolution, Darwin's Racists also addresses rising national and global strife as Social Darwinism targets race, class, and disability, pitting the "fit" against the "unfit," from health care, to abortion, to seniors. Darwin's Racists also gives balance to the upcoming 24 November 2009 worldwide celebration of the 150th anniversary of the release of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, which denies God as the Creator and attacks the faith.
The full title of Darwin’s now-150 year-old book is: On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. [emphasis - Ed.]
+ Virtual Book Worm, Post Office Box 9949, College Station, Texas 77842, 877-376-4955, Fax: 877-376-4955, info@virtualbookworm.com
+ Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, California 94043, 650-253-0000, Fax: 650-253-0001, press@google.com
[16] Presbyterian Church in Taiwan Delivers Letter to U.S. President Expressing Concern about China-Related Issues
Representatives of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan traveled to Washington DC in early November 2009 to deliver an open letter to U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama ahead of Obama’s 15-18 November 2009 trip to China, expressing concern about the pro-China leanings of Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou, the thousands of Chinese missiles pointed at Taiwan, and about U.S. aloofness concerning the safety and future of Taiwan.
+ Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, 334 Youth Road, Tainan City, 70144 Taiwan, 886-6-235-6277, Fax: 886-6-237-8882, enews@pctpress.org
[17] Luzerne County, Pennsylvania to Tax Closed Churches
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, will begin taxing closed churches and associated property beginning in 2010.
The Episcopal Church (TEC) Diocese of Scranton (Pennsylvania) is in the process of closing several schools and forty-five churches in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and will be significantly impacted by the change in tax policy.
Examples of closed church facilities include the Transfiguration School in West Hazleton, Pennsylvania, which is assessed at US$1.166 million, translating into a tax assessment of US$17,589 based on 2009 tax rates, and Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, which is assessed at US$689,600, translating into a tax assessment of US$10,401 based on 2009 tax rates.
+ VirtueOnline, 1236 Waterford Road, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380
+ Episcopal Church Center 815 Second Avenue New York, New York 10017, 800-334-7626, cdawkins@episcopalchurch.org
+ Director of Assessments, Luzerne County Courthouse, 200 North River Street, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 18711, 570-825-1869,
[18] John Calvin Magyar Reformed Church in Perth Amboy, New Jersey for Sale Due to Dwindling Hungarian Congregation
The John Calvin Magyar Reformed Church in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, has been placed on the market for an asking price of US$750,000, due to a dwindling number of Hungarians in the congregation and the high cost of maintaining the church.
The congregation voted earlier in 2009 to merge with the Hungarian Reformed Church in Woodbridge, New Jersey; both churches being served by the Rev. Stefan Torok who commented: “It's a very, very painful decision. This is where members found their spiritual home for 80 years."
+ MyCentralNewJersey.com, 35 Kennedy Boulevard, East Brunswick, New Jersey 08816, 732-246-5500, shidlay@mycentraljersey.com
+ Calvin Synod, C/O Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, Bishop, 7319 Tapper Avenue, Hammond, Indiana 46324, 219-931-4321, kkludwig@aol.com
[19] British University Professor’s Study Shows Cursing Provides Pain Relief
A study conducted by Richard Stephens, Ph.D., lecturer in psychology and director of the master’s degree program in psychological research methods at Keele University in Staffordshire, England, shows that cursing provides pain relief. Subjects plunged their hand into icy water, then repeated a curse word or a neutral control word. Subjects repeating the curse word were found to have reduced pain and significantly faster heart rates.
Westminster Shorter Catechism Question Fifty-Five is: “What is forbidden in the third commandment?”, and the answer is “The third commandment forbiddeth all profaning or abusing of anything whereby God maketh himself known.”
Westminster Shorter Catechism Question Fifty-Six is: “What is the reason annexed to the third commandment?”, and the answer is: “The reason annexed to the third commandment is, that however the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment.”
Dr. Stephens’ study did not include investigation into whether pain relief is better than God’s righteous judgment or vice versa.
+ Bottom Line Publications, 281 Tresser Boulevard, 8th Floor, Stamford, Connecticut 06901, 203-973-5900, Fax: 203-967-3086, Contact Page
+ Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics, ewalsh@reformed.org
