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This is the last episode for the month of January – time for our monthly news roundup. In this episode, we’ll be talking about conforming our beliefs to political parties; choosing pets over babies; and the number of children who are victims of sexual exploitation, slavery, and sacrifices.
STORY #1 – Study Finds Political Parties Lead, and Voters Fall in Line
“Traditionally, a political party fights for the ideals and policies of its members. However, researchers from Binghamton University report that the opposite tends to take place in American politics. Voters tend to change their beliefs based on their party’s platform. It may sound backwards, but the study finds those already in power politically ‘lead the way,’ and the voters largely do as their told.
“‘We typically think of democracies as systems where political elites represent and respond to the interests of citizens, but we found less support for this idea than you might expect,’ explains study co-author Robin Best, an associate professor of political science, in a university release. ‘I was surprised that we didn’t find more support for the expectation that parties polarize in response to citizen preferences, and that it really seemed to be parties that were leading the process.’” (Study Finds)
Related material:
- Civil Government: Its Origin, Mission, and Destiny, and the Christian’s Relation to It by David Lipscomb (book)
STORY #2 – Choosing Pets Over Babies Is ‘Selfish and Diminishes Us’, Says Pope
“In a move likely to raise the hackles of millions of cats, dogs and their human cohabitees, Pope Francis has suggested that couples who prefer pets to children are selfish.
“Wading into a debate noted for its toxic tone on social media, the leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics said substituting pets for children ‘takes away our humanity.’
During a general audience at the Vatican, he said: ‘Today … we see a form of selfishness. We see that some people do not want to have a child. Sometimes they have one, and that’s it, but they have dogs and cats that take the place of children.’” (The Guardian)
Related material:
- The Application of Wisdom: Stewardship (Part 1)
- Bringing Up Children in the Lord (Part 1): The Gift of Children
STORY #3 – Stunning Report Shows 1.2 Billion Children Worldwide Have Fallen Victim to Sexual Exploitation, Slavery and Sacrifices
“America’s humanitarian border crisis is featured in a shocking new report that examines the horrors facing the world’s children in 2022.
Many migrant boys and girls fall prey to human traffickers, smugglers and drug cartels en route to the U.S., according to the report ‘Children in Crisis: The World’s Greatest “Badge of Shame”’ by Texas-based humanitarian agency GFA World.’”
“The report estimates 1.2 billion children worldwide are vulnerable to a host of calamities, including abuse, hunger and diseases. It’s a ‘toxic combination’ driven largely by poverty and supercharged by the pandemic, the report says.” (Charisma News)
Related material:
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