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Catholic Action League Raps Massachusetts K of C leadership Over Pro-Abortion Knights

Organization refuses to allow members to vote on measure requiring expulsion of pro-abortion, pro-gay politicians

BOSTON, May. 6, 2008 (CWNews.com/LifeSiteNews.com) - The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts has criticized state leaders of the Knights of Columbus for refusing to allow a vote at their annual convention on a measure that would have required suspension of the membership of politicians who support abortion or same-sex marriage.

A resolution proposed at the state K of C convention would have directed the state deputy "to summarily suspend those members of the Knights of Columbus who are public officials, present or former, or candidates for public office, who through their votes, campaign literature, web sites or public statements openly support abortion or homosexual marriage." Joseph Craven, who introduced the resolution, cited the rules of the K of C, which require suspension or expulsion for members "giving scandal, scandalous conduct or practice unbecoming a member of this Order."

Two-thirds of K of C members who serve in the Massachusetts legislature recently voted in favor or a proposal to expand "buffer zones" outside abortion clinics, while more than three-quarters voted against a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage.

Supreme Advocate Paul Devin, who was attending the Massachusetts convention, ruled the measure "unconstitutional." The Catholic Action League called the ruling "a disgraceful example of the disconnect between rhetoric and policy when it comes to the Knights of Columbus and Catholic teaching on the sanctity of life and the integrity of marriage."

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Darwin, Hitler, and the Culture of Death

Commentary by Michael Baggot

May 6, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Ben Stein has suffered extensive media criticism for drawing the connection between Darwin, Hitler, and the modern eugenics movements in a powerful 10-minute section of his film "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed".

In an MSNBC.com review, Arthur Caplan calls the connection Stein draws between Darwin's theory and the Holocaust "despicable".  Neo-Darwinians on the whole have unleashed a barrage of insults at Stein and his work. They have also, however, completely failed to address the intimidating body of evidence Stein presents to support his claims. 

While Stein has explicitly asserted that not every neo-Darwinist is a eugenicist, an examination of the historic record reveals that neo-Darwinism can and has provided the philosophic justification for numerous horrific eugenic projects. 

According to Darwin, the survival of the fittest is the engine for progress for men as well as the rest of the animal kingdom.  In his "Descent of Man," Darwin laments that the misguided care of the weaker members of society has come as a detriment to the whole.  He warns that measures must be taken to "prevent the reckless, the vicious and otherwise inferior members of society from increasing at a quicker rate than the better class of men," which is essentially nothing less than the mission statement of eugenicists the world over. 

Less than a century after Darwin's death, in his chapter on "Nation and Race" in "Mein Kampf," Adolf Hitler described the struggle for existence in Darwinian terms: "The stronger must dominate and not blend with the weaker, thus sacrificing his own greatness.  Only the born weakling can view this as cruel, but he after all is only a weak and limited man; for if this law did not prevail, any conceivable higher evolution of organic living beings would be unthinkable."

The Nazi party framed its mission in terms of a Darwinian struggle to achieve a more evolved life form.   According to the Hitler-approved pamphlet "Why are We Fighting?", "Our racial idea is only the 'expression of a worldview' that recognizes in the higher evolution of humans a divine command." 

Another Hitler-approved booklet, "Racial Policy", outlined the Nazi vision of man as follows: "The preservation and propagation, the evolution and elevating of life occurs through the struggle for existence, to which every plant, every animal, every species and every genus is subjected.  Even humans and the human races are subject to this struggle; it decides their value and their right to exist."

There is a ruthless consistency to the Darwinian-phrased Nazi propaganda.  After all, if Darwin has rendered the "God hypothesis" superfluous and hence any notion of man as the intrinsically valuable creature made in God's image and likeness, what better criteria is there for human worth than power?

According to Darwin, man is different from the rest of the animals only by a matter of degrees.  There is nothing that essentially distinguishes man from the other beasts.  At best, man is a more complex machine than the rest of the animals.  It should not be surprising then that the prominent bioethicist Peter Singer appeals to Darwinian evolution when attacking the sanctity-of-life ethic and defending abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia.  According to Singer, Darwin "undermined the foundations of the entire Western way of thinking on the place of our species in the universe." 

Likewise, Darwinian philosopher Daniel Dennett calls Darwin's views the "universal acid" that erodes traditional moral convictions rooted in the dignity of the human person.  His strictly biological assessment of human worth lets Dennett speak of the "gradations of value in the ending of human lives," as he offers a case for euthanasia.

In a particularly powerful portion of "Expelled," Stein lets Cornell historian of science William Provine detail the implications of neo-Darwinism.  Without qualification, Provine adamantly affirms that neo-Darwinism demonstrates that there is no meaning to life.  Not surprisingly, he claims that he would put a bullet through his own head if his brain tumor reemerged.  Provine chides his brother for clinging to this life for so long. 

One is then led to wonder if Provine has a more sympathetic view of the large quantity of apparent drains on our society that fill our nations hospitals and nursing homes.  The materialistic nihilism Provine honestly insists is entailed in neo-Darwinism seems to be completely incompatible with traditional humanitarian aspirations to defend the weak and vulnerable of society. Instead the weak and vulnerable are to be considered as obstacles to the progress of the human species in its evolutionary journey. They are to be eradicated. And, if not actively eradicated, then, at the very least, they should not be allowed to reproduce. 

If man is the accidental byproduct of blind natural forces and not the planned creation of an Intelligent Creator, then his worth is something to be earned rather than gratefully received.  The denial of man's intrinsic human dignity is at the heart of every eugenics movement from Hitler's Germany to early 20th century America to Planned Parenthood's continued mission to eliminate the "unwanted" children of the world. 

Is every neo-Darwinian a racist bent on genocide? No. But as Darwinian thinkers themselves admit, the neo-Darwinian outlook provides a handy foundation for the Culture of Death's rejection of human dignity and thus opens the way for the host of attacks on human life that continue to infect nations across the globe.  Thank you, Mr. Stein, for reminding us that ideas have major consequences.

(author's note: I am indebted to the Discovery Institute's Richard Weikart for compiling important passages from Hitler and Nazi propaganda in his recent article "Was It Immoral for 'Expelled' to Connect Darwinism and Nazi Racism?")

Learn more about Expelled:
http://www.expelledthemovie.com

Learn more about the Darwin-Hitler connection:
http://www.darwintohitler.com

Read more about Darwin's devaluation of the human person:
http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=vi...

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Ontario Premier's Plan to Scrap Lord's Prayer Backfires as Groundswell Grows in Opposition

By Hilary White

TORONTO, May 6, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Ontario premier's plans to scrap the recitation of the Lord's Prayer in the Legislature has resulted in a groundswell of opposition. The flood of emails objecting to the proposal temporarily crashed the website of Queen's Park, and hundreds of phone calls have come in protesting the move.

MPPs have complained that the time and money spent on the project could have better been spent elsewhere, especially considering there had been no calls to abolish the prayer leading up to McGuinty's decision to put the proposal to scrap the prayer before a committee.

In a move that reportedly surprised MPPs, Premier McGuinty, who continues to claim membership in the Catholic Church, told the legislature in February this year that the time had come to "move beyond" open acknowledgement of Christianity in the Ontario government. He asked a committee to draft a religiously neutral "prayer" that would better suit Ontario's "religious diversity".

"I've asked for a parliamentary committee, with representation from each of the parties and the Speaker's involvement as well, to take a look at how we can move beyond the Lord's Prayer to a broader approach that is more inclusive in nature," McGuinty said.

McGuinty told media, "We're much more than just Protestants and Catholics today. We have all the world's faiths represented here."

But Ontario, statistically speaking, is not as "diverse" as Mr. McGuinty might believe. Recent figures show that two-thirds of Ontario's population is Christian. In Canada overall, professing Christians still make up at least 70 per cent of the population.

McGuinty admitted that his suggestion to abolish the Lord's Prayer had resulted in a scolding from his Catholic mother. He told media today that he is "looking forward" to hearing the recommendation of the committee.

But committee chairman Steve Peters told media that while the response was overwhelmingly against the idea from the public, the committee had not finished its consultation process. Various groups, including atheists and non-Christian organizations, have been given until the end of the month to make presentations.

Conservative MPP Garfield Dunlop said, "The Lord's Prayer is inclusive enough that it covers a lot of different religions. It's not just about religion. It's about tradition."

"You don't tamper too much with what you've got," he said. "This really irks a lot of people and gets under their skin."

NDP MPP for Parkdale-High Park, Cheri DiNovo said that "about 80 per cent" of constituents are in favour of keeping the Lord's Prayer. "Now he's getting his groundswell," she added.

Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory said, "I don't think there was any thirst to have a debate on this at all, certainly not compared to hospital emergency rooms or lost jobs. But now that Mr. McGuinty - for reasons best known to him - has started the debate, people are quite animated about it." 

The committee consists of Bas Balkissoon, MPP (Liberal Party), Garfield Dunlop, MPP (Progressive Conservative Party) and Cheri Di Novo, MPP (New Democratic Party).

The consultation email form can be found at the website of the Ontario Legislature
http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/home.do#

Bas Balkissoon
Phone: 416-327-8928
Fax: 416-325-3862
bbalkissoon.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

Garfield Dunlop
Phone: 705-326-3246
Fax: 705-326-9579
Toll Free: 1-800-304-7341
garfield.dunlopco@pc.ola.org

Cheri Di Novo
Phone: 416-325-0244
Fax: 416-325-0305
dinovoc-qp@ndp.on.ca

Steve Peters
Phone: 416-325-7435
Fax: 416-325-7483
speters.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

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Washington Archbishop Denies Personal Responsibility for Allowing Pro-Abortion Politicians to Receive Communion

Commentary by John-Henry Westen

WASHINGTON, DC, May 6, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a column in his archdiocesan newspaper Wednesday, Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl addressed the subject of "how to respond to those in public office who support abortion legislation", explaining that he does not deny Holy Communion to the pro-abortion Catholic politicians who frequently present themselves for Communion at parishes under his authority.

Wuerl explains his belief that the decision to deny Communion should be a decision left to the offending politician's own hometown bishop, reasoning that by denying a pro-abortion politician Communion while they are in DC, Wuerl would be infringing on the territory of other bishops.  "I have not accepted the suggestions that the Archdiocese of Washington or episcopal conferences have some particular role that supersedes the authority of an individual bishop in his particular Church," he writes.

Wuerl says his stand is based on the 2004 document by the US Bishops Conference which addressed the issue, noting that it is up to individual bishops to decide on the matter in line with canon law.  The Washington prelate notes further that Cardinal Ratzinger approved of the document.

Of note, however, Wuerl never mentions that Ratzinger's letter says specifically that pro-abortion politicians "must" be denied Communion.

Furthermore, of critical importance in the passage from the US Bishops document - 'Catholics in Political Life' - cited by Wuerl is the stipulation that actions should be undertaken by bishops "in accord with the established canonical" principles.  The Catholic Church in its code of canon law sets out in canon 915, "Those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to Holy Communion."

Wuerl, however, instead references the line in the USCCB document: "Bishops can legitimately make different judgments on the most prudent course of pastoral action," thereby implying that a bishop is excused from the duty to refuse the Eucharist to publicly pro-abortion Catholic politicians that are not members of his diocese.  

Hence, one interpretation of the USCCB document would see it as natural that Catholic bishops may legitimately make different judgments on the course of action they'd take with the Catholic politicians they find in their dioceses.  However, Wuerl seems to suggest that bishops may take different actions dealing with the same cases, which would preclude criticizing a bishop who would opt not to deny communion even to the likes of John Kerry.

However, the latter interpretation was specifically criticized by St. Louis Archbishop Burke who, in an interview with Catholic writer Barbara Kralis, was asked about that very question.  Asked, "Does this mean that one Bishop can deny Senator John Kerry Holy Communion and another Bishop can give Kerry Communion and both Bishops are correct?," Archbishop Burke replied, "No, in fact, Canon 915 must be applied.  It does not give an option.  Canon 915 says that those persons who obstinately persist in grave manifest sin must be denied the Eucharist.  I strongly believe that if a bishop has spoken to someone who obstinately persists in grave manifest sin and he still presents himself for Holy Communion, he should be refused."

Kralis persisted in questioning, "Can one bishop admit and another bishop not admit? Is this teaching clear? Is it not a contradiction of Canon 915, for one bishop to refuse John Kerry the Eucharist in one diocese and for another bishop to give John Kerry the Eucharist in another diocese?"

Burke answered, "Yes, it would be a source of confusion.  I have refused to talk about individual candidates, but when a 'Catholic' pro-abortion politician knows the actions he has taken are gravely sinful in a public matter like supporting abortion, the only way to uphold church teaching is to withhold Holy Communion. It is not right for one 'minister of Holy Communion' to give the Eucharist and another not to."

See the Archbishop's full column here:
http://www.cathstan.org/main.asp?SectionID=14&SubSection...

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Jamaican Nurses Oppose Government Plan to Decriminalize Abortion

By Hilary White

NEW KINGSTON, Jamaica, May 6, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Nurses' Association of Jamaica (NAJ) has joined its voice to a growing chorus of objectors to the government's plan to decriminalize abortion. In a statement this weekend, the NAJ said that rather than spend resources on abortion, more money should be dedicated to "reproductive-health services".

"An attempt by any government to make abortion widely available will be met by extensive agitation and opposition from us (members of the NAJ)," NAJ president Edith Allwood-Anderson said.

Dr. Doreen Brady West, told the Jamaica Gleaner, "Jamaica has basic needs now which are unmet in the health field. To leave these and to go and create abortion clinics would be a clear departure from the philosophy of practicng the healing art."

The two were speaking at a meeting at the Courtleigh Hotel in New Kingston organized by the Coalition for the Defence of Life in response to the government's proposal.

While opposing abortion, however, Allwood-Anderson complained that more funding needs to be put towards contraception. But in Britain, where the contraceptive policy has been aggressively pursued by government health agencies, the result has been skyrocketing rates of unplanned pregnancy and, ultimately, of abortion.

Allwood-Anderson argued at the meeting, "Government has stopped supporting its distribution (of contraceptives) at its previous levels and there is no guarantee of supply. Even education in (nursing) schools has been cut back. We are saying that what Government needs to do is to maximize the existing services in terms of improving them."

In its proposal to decriminalize abortion, the Jamaican government is acting on a report from the pro-abortion Abortion Policy Review Advisory group, following on years of pressure from the United Nations and international population control groups to push for legalization.

While abortion remains in the criminal code, Jamaican common law allows it in cases of "significant foetal abnormality", where pregnancy would represent a threat to the "welfare or health" of the mother and in cases where pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Given the openness of these regulations, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 22,000 abortions are committed in Jamaica each year.

Allwood-Anderson added, "Abortion leads to psychological, self-esteem and medical problems and a change in personality. It will cost you more to treat these women in the long run. There are also others who will never get pregnant again."

In February this year, a group of religious leaders including representatives from the Catholic and Evangelical churches and leaders of the youth pro-life movements and Christian doctors told media, "Not only is the project to liberalize abortion in Jamaica contrary to the Law of God, it also militates against the deeply-held values of this nation".

"The people of Jamaica have not asked for abortion; the churches have not asked for it nor has the vast majority of civic groups or their leaders. A reasonable person might rightly question who exactly it is that wishes to impose abortion on this nation," said Catholic Archbishop Donald J. Reece, speaking for the group.

Jamaica is a strongly Christian country with 65 percent of its population registered as either Catholic or Protestant.

Recent statistics show that Jamaica has thus far avoided the precipitous drop in birth rate that has occurred in many developed countries that have legalized abortion and distributed contraceptives. As of 2008 surveys, Jamaica's total fertility rate is 2.3 children born per woman, just over the rate necessary to maintain a stable population.

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Jamaican Religious and Civic Leaders Respond to Proposal to Decriminalize Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/feb/08021109.html

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Despite Propaganda Effort, A Majority of Latin American Teens Do Not Use Contraceptives

COLOMBIA, May 6, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Despite innumerable campaigns by international organizations with a population control agenda, a large majority of Latin American teens still do not use contraceptives, according to a recent study.

The study, which examined the contraceptive practices of people in a variety of Latin American countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Mexico, and Guatemala, showed that Latin Americans continue to ignore the message of contraceptive "family planning" as a means to avoid poverty.

According to the study's results, 62 percent of Latin American women between 16 and 19 years of age do not use any form of birth control.  Of women between 16 and 45 years of age, 32 percent do not use birth control.

Contraception advocate Doctor Samuel Santoyo, who conducted the study for the pro-contraception group Latin American Center for Women and Health (CELSAM) with support from the pharmaceutical corporation Bayer Schering Pharma, expressed his concern that birth control campaigns in Latin America aren't working.

"It confirms that there is a high percentage of people who do not use (birth control) methods but what draws our attention is that they do know about them," Santoyo told El Tiempo. 

"First place is occupied by the pill, which is known by 40 percent of them, followed by the condom, the IUD, injectables, even permanent methods such as vasectomies, in men.  Despite that more than 60 percent do not utilize them."

Santoyo admitted that one of the reasons that many women do not use contraceptives in Latin America is that "they are afraid of secondary effects." 

Scientific studies have linked the use of chemical contraceptives with heart disease, hardening of the arteries, sterility, breast cancer, and numerous other ailments.

Reluctance to use contraceptives among Latin Americans has caused the fertility rate to remain well above replacement level, at 2.6 children per woman on average in 2000, according to the UN Population Division, compared to 1.6 per woman in the industrialized nations. 

However, efforts by international foundations based in the U.S. and Europe to suppress the population of Latin America have had a significant impact since the 1960s.  Mexican fertility, for example, fell from over seven children per woman in the 1960s, to 2.4 per woman in 2000, after massive and sustained campaigns by population control groups.

Related Resources:

The Inherent Racism of Population Control
http://www.lifesitenews.com/waronfamily/Population_Control/I...

El Racismo Inherente al Control de la Población
http://www.lifesitenews.com/waronfamily/Population_Control/R...

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Black University Employee Suspended for Objecting to Comparison between Black and Homosexual Discrimination

Homosexual lifestyle chosen, race not, says UT administrator

 By Michael Baggot

TOLEDO, OH, May 6, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A black employee of the University of Toledo (UT) was suspended on Friday after expressing offense at a local newspaper editor's comparison of discrimination against African Americans with discrimination against actively homosexual persons, noting that homosexual behavior is freely chosen in a way race is not.

"I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are 'civil rights victims.'  Here's why.  I cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a black woman," Associate Vice President of Human Resources Crystal Dixon wrote in a guest piece for the Toledo Free Press.

Dixon noted that, whereas race is genetically determined, the homosexual lifestyle is freely entered into and can be abandoned with proper support.

"I am genetically and biologically a black woman and very pleased to be so as my Creator intended.  Daily, thousands of homosexuals make a life decision to leave the gay lifestyle evidenced by the growing population of PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex Gays) and Exodus International just to name a few."

Dixon added that many actively homosexual individuals have realized "that their choice of same-sex practices wreaked havoc in their psychological and physical lives."  Dixon cited the example of Venus Magazine publisher Charlene E. Cothran, a former gay rights activist who abandoned 29 years of active lesbianism after a powerful conversion to Christianity.

Dixon wrote her April 18 "Gay rights and wrongs: another perspective" column in response to an April 6 piece in support of the "gay culture" written by Toledo Free Press Editor-in-Chief Michael S. Miller.

Decrying "the hatred and prejudice" expressed towards members of the "gay community," Miller went on to compare the "gay rights struggle" to "my black friends' struggles and my wheelchair-bound friends' struggles."

Miller insisted that religion was partially to blame for the unfair treatment members of the homosexual community have experienced.

"There are people who are so strongly anti-gay rights, they lust for legislation to limit the gay community's freedoms.  That makes no intellectual or moral sense to me.  Some of this prejudice is based in religion."

"I find it confusing that people who believe in a savior who opens his arms to everyone think he'll draw those same arms shut to keep gay people away.  And do not tell me you are 'tolerant' or 'tolerate' gay people.  Stop for a moment and think about how condescending and evil that attitude is."

Dixon responded that Christianity has traditionally recognized both the intrinsic dignity of every human person, as well as the sinfulness of homosexual actions that contradict God's plan for human sexuality.

"First, human beings, regardless of their choices in life, are of ultimate value to God and should be viewed the same by others.  At the same time, one's personal choices lead to outcomes either positive or negative."

"It is base human nature to revolt and become indignant when the world or even God Himself, disagrees with our choice that violates His divine order," Dixon added.

Miller himself expressed displeasure over Dixon's punishment.

"The university operates in an atmosphere of idea exchange, and while I recognize the institution's desire to distance itself from her, this is a basic free speech issue and I am disappointed she has been punished for expressing her views."

In a subsequent Toledo Free Press column, UT President Lloyd Jacobs wrote that Dixon's views "do not accord with the values of the University of Toledo."

Jacobs wrote his column to "repudiate much of her [Dixon's] writing."  He went on to cite his support, on behalf of UT, for two pieces of legislation developed to "extend to domestic partners a number of rights and privileges." 

The president also noted his support for a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning group on campus.

A media spokesman for the president told LifeSiteNews.com that Dixon will remain on paid leave of absence until further notice.

Dixon was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.

Contact President Jacobs:

President Dr. Lloyd A. Jacobs
University Hall
Room 3500
Phone: 419.530.2211
Fax: 419.530.4984
UTPresident@utoledo.edu

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Blasphemous Art Works Remain at Vienna Cathedral Gallery

By Hilary White

VIENNA, Austria, May 6, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Christian group in Vienna is asking for a renewal of protests against the display of a series of paintings in an art gallery attached to the Catholic cathedral that they say are blasphemous. In spite of thousands of protest letters and e-mails, the director of the Vienna's Dommuseum, still refuses to remove artworks by Alfred Hrdlicka that depict Christ and his Apostles as homosexuals engaged in a homosexual orgy at the Last Supper.

The Catholic group, the Austrian Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) has asked faithful Christians to renew their protests by writing once again to the museum director. They say that while the Last Supper painting has been removed, others remain.

In early April, the online Christian news site, Gloria TV posted a video that showed Hrdlicka's depiction of the flagellation of Christ with a nude Roman soldier performing a lewd act on the Lord's body. When protests flooded into the gallery, director Dr. Bernhard Boehler said visitors have asked "in a more or less emotional way," why the Apostles are depicted copulating. According to the director, the artist responded, "There were no women around".

"This exhibition, which attracts numerous pupils and students, strongly contributes to promote relativism in regard to faith and morals, particularly among its visitors," the Catholic group told media.

Citing the recent gruesome revelations of the Austrian man who imprisoned and raped his own daughter and an earlier case in which a young girl was abducted and imprisoned for 8 years, the TFP said, "At the very root of these monstrous cases are found a loss of faith and the increasing moral decadence of our society, particularly the dissolution of the family, which the TFP has long been struggling to defend."

Alfred Hrdlicka is a self-professed atheist and Marxist who said that he was pleased but also surprised when the Cathedral's museum agreed to exhibit his works.

Boehler said, "It was never our intention to hurt religious feelings, as we are also an institution of the Church. We understand that it is a provocative work of art. Provocation is a significant element of Arthur Hrdlicka's works of art."

He admitted that the words are "very provocative, problematic" and that "strong believers" would feel that they "might be blasphemous or obscene."

Boehler also suggested that Christian protests against the exhibit were akin to the use of violence by Islamic extremists against the publication of the so-called Mohammed cartoons in some Dutch newspapers.

The astonishingly muted response and lack of firm action regarding the exhibit by the Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Schönborn, has stunned many Christians, especially considering the international furor that has been going on now for almost two months. The Dommuseum art gallery is attached to the historic Catholic cathedral of St. Stephen and is located adjacent to the Archbishop's Palace.

To contact Dr. Bernhard Boehler:
Dom- und Diözesanmuseum
Stephanstplaz 6
1010 Vienna

To contact the Archdiocese of Vienna:
Wollzeile 2, A-1010 Wien, Oesterreich
Telephone: (01)515.52.3229
Fax: 515.52.3760

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Blasphemous Works Removed from Atheist's Exhibition in Vienna Cathedral Museum
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/apr/08040711.html

Vienna Cathedral Museum Exhibits Lewd, Blasphemous Homosexual "Religious" Art
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/mar/08032608.html

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APA Cancels Landmark Panel to Discuss Homosexual Therapy and Religion

By Michael Baggot

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 6, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The American Psychological Association (APA) cancelled a highly-anticipated panel on homosexual therapy and religion on Friday after receiving pressure to do so from pro-homosexual activists.

The "Homosexuality and Therapy: The Religious Dimension" symposium, organized by former Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists president Dr. David Scasta, was scheduled to occur yesterday at the Washington Convention Center, and was slated to discuss the insights religion can offer to the therapy of individuals with homosexual tendencies.

Practicing homosexual Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, who was scheduled to debate the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Albert Mohler, dropped out of the panel saying that he feared the panel would lend credibility to the notion that individuals can overcome their homosexual inclinations.

"Conservatives, particularly Focus on the Family, were going to use this event to draw credibility to the so-called reparative therapy movement.  It became clear to me in the last couple of weeks that just my showing up and letting this event happen…lends credibility to that so-called therapy," Robinson told the pro-homosexual news organization the Washington Blade.

Robinson was not the only pro-homosexual activist fearful of the symposium's impact.

"This was a platform for conservatives to get the APA to reconsider its position on homosexuality.  Scasta was being used by the religious right to offer them credibility," author Wayne Besen told the Washington Blade.

The symposium panel was to feature two evangelical Christians who affirm that homosexuality is not an irreversible condition.

Rev. Albert Mohler was scheduled to specially address the possibility of changing sexual orientation and expressed disappointment that the panel could not wrestle with important questions regarding how best to treat patients.

"It is clear which side of the argument was unwilling to show up for this conversation.  It is a tragedy the APA cannot hold a conversation on a matter of this importance without facing such internal political pressure that it becomes impossible for this symposium to be held," Mohler told The Times

The other evangelical panelist, Grove City College psychology professor Warren Throckmorton, attributed the cancellation to pressure from pro-homosexual activists.

"The APA program committee approved this six months ago.  But when gay activists learned about it, they felt my views on homosexuality are conservative and they didn't agree with them.  So they threatened to protest."

While Throckmorton insists that he does not consider homosexuality to be a disorder, he was criticized in a April 24 GayCityNews.com article for his work helping patients live their lives "heterosexually" with "only very few weak instances of homosexual attraction."

The APA removed homosexuality from its list of disorders in 1973, largely thanks to the work of sexologist Alfred Kinsey.  In 2000, the APA officially rejected reparative therapy.

Learn more about reparative therapy:
http://www.narth.com/docs/repair.html

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Letter to the Editor for Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Re: Canadian Cabinet Member Slams Human Rights Commission Manipulations as "Dangerous"

Dear Editor,
 
M.P. Jason Kenney is quoted in this article as saying, "I would also hope that we think long and hard about the central role, the foundational role, of such values as freedom of expression in our constitutional framework, and that we do not lightly undermine those constitutional values in our efforts to combat racism or hatred."

Unfortunately, Mr. Kenney's "conservative" government is an intervener along with others listed below "in support of Section 13, arguing that it is a reasonable restriction on freedom of speech." 

Here are the interveners: "The Attorney General of Canada, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and B'nai Brith Canada will be intervening in the Lemire case in support of Section 13, arguing that it is a reasonable restriction on freedom of speech." (Canadian Constitution Foundation Letter of April 28, 2008 to Mrs. Carol Gray)
 
Sincerely,
Stephen J. Gray
Chilliwack, B.C.

___________________________________________________

To write a letter to the Editor: E-mail your letter to editor@lifesitenews.com. Write "letter to the editor" in the subject line. Include your name, city and state or province and country of residence, as well as your phone # (the phone # is for our use only, and will not be published). Please note that all letters are subject to editing. LifeSiteNews.com will publish letters to the editor at its discretion, giving priority to the most concise, insightful and timely submissions.

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LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes

* Disclaimer: The linked items below or the websites at which they are located do not necessarily represent the views of LifeSiteNews.com. They are presented only for your information.

Judie Brown certainly does know how to drive home a point
http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=58188

Four McCain staffers and advisers mentioned as a possible vice-presidential pick the 36-year-old very pro-life Louisiana governor, Bobby Jindal
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/05/opinion/05kristol.html?_r=... hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Bank Robber Kills Preborn Twins, but Indiana Can't Bring Murder Charges
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000007324.cfm

Planned Parenthood and California Catholic Conference find common ground
http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=fedb790d...

British doctor said the emerging field of regenerative medicine would enable a patient’s own cells to be used to build hearts, livers and kidneys, complete with their own blood supply, to replace diseased organs.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3867...

Chill Out on Climate Hysteria. The Earth is currently cooling.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTc1MzdjOWEwMWUyNGMwYzk...

How UN structures were designed to prove human CO2 was causing global warming
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/2840

Oprah Shifts to the Dark Side
http://www.webcommentary.com/asp/showarticle.asp?id=westm&am...

Ben Stein Provokes the Liberal Wrath By Phyllis Schlafly
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhyllisSchlafly/2008/05/0...

China Will Get the Olympics It Deserves
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121003470358969387.html?mod=...

Multiculturalism follows inexorably from the rejection of a universal human nature
http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=1062

Gallup says only 7 percent of the world's Muslims are political radicals. Yet 36 percent think the 9/11 attacks were in some way justified.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/00...

Pope wants the Latin Mass everywhere
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/ukcorrespondents/holysmoke/may2...

Pope Benedict, in the course of his recent U.S. visit may have dealt a knockout blow to the liberal American Catholicism that has challenged Rome since the early 1960s.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1737323,00.ht...

The American Civil Liberties Union and booksellers in Oregon has challenged a state law restricting the sale of sexually-explicit material to children.
http://www.chron.com/commons/persona.html?newspaperUserId=ke...

Poll Shows Less Than 3 Percent of Americans are Gay
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000007323.cfm

Sacramento Coadjutor Bishop Jaime Soto to speak at national meeting of pro-gay ministries to homosexuals
http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=23b4a7f9...

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