Talking about the "things that matter most" on July 243:00 – The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right
The Christian Right is frequently accused of threatening democratic values. But Jon Shields argues that religious conservatives have in fact dramatically increased and improved democratic participation and that they are far more civil and reasonable than is commonly believed. Shields interviewed leaders of more than thirty Christian Right organizations, observed movement activists in six American cities, and analyzed a wide variety of survey data and movement media. His conclusions are surprising: the Christian Right has reinvigorated American politics and fulfilled New Left ideals by mobilizing a previously alienated group and by refocusing politics on the contentious ideological and moral questions that motivate citizens. He is here to discuss the Democratic virtues of the Christian Right.
3:40 – July 26 – The Feast of Joachim and Anna
Many people don't consider the fact that Jesus had Grandparents! But he did. They are Sts. Joachim and Anna, and their feast day is July 26. We look at what we know about them, from what sources, what were the circumstances of Mary’s birth, and since she was the Immaculate Conception – what was her childhood like? Steve Ray is our guest.
4:00 – Kresta Comments
4:20 – A Soviet Court Convicts Jesuit Father Walter Ciszek of being a “Vatican Spy” – July 26, 1942
On July 26, 1942, a Soviet court convicted Jesuit Fr. Walter Ciszek of being a “Vatican Spy.” During WWII, the PA priest had slipped into Russia to bring the sacraments to those who hadn’t seen a priest in years. He spent four years in Lubyanka Prison and was sent to Siberia as a slave laborer for 9 years. We’ll detail his extraordinary life with Msgr. Anthony Muntone, co-postulator of his cause for canonization.
4:40 – Saving Freedom: We Can Stop America's Slide into Socialism
The United States—the world’s great bastion of freedom—is sliding toward socialism. That’s the argument of SC Sen. Jim DeMint. Recent high-profile bailouts show the walls between government and the private sector are getting thinner each day. Federal control now extends in various ways to education, healthcare, financial markets, real estate, businesses, and religion. And as out-of-control government spending and debt increase accordingly, America is drained of the economic and political strength its people fought and worked so hard to achieve. But it isn’t too late to save the land of the free. Sen. DeMint is here to make his case.
5:00 – Direct to my Desk
Re the Catholic nurse forced to assist in an abortion:
ReplyDeleteI read ADF's preliminary complaint against Mount Sinai Hospital and it sure looks like an open and shut case to me. Catherina Cenzon-DeCarlo, the Catholic nurse forced to assist in the abortion of a 22 week pre-born, meticulously complied with hospital policy. (The hospital is subject to the Church amendment, which prevents institutions from taking action against health care providers like Mrs. DeCarlo who refuse to participate in an abortion or sterilization.)
But this brings up a larger religious issue: that being the Jewish understanding of human fetal development. Although there doesn't seem to be an "official" Jewish position regarding the status of pre-born children, most Jews do not hold the Catholic position that abortion is always wrong. At least that's what I have noticed. Orthodox Jews come pretty close, but may differ with Catholics on embryonic stem cell research. Then there's Rabbi David Feldman who wrote the book "Birth Control in Jewish Law." He says that the well being of the mother comes first; in rabbinic law the fetus is potential human life, but the mother is human life.
Mount Sinai is a Jewish hospital. It was established in 1852 as the Jews' Hospital to serve the indigent Jewish underclass in New York City. The website has a mission statement. Here's what the preamble says: "In the context of the Jewish traditions of scholarship and charity, the Board of Trustees commits Mount Sinai to the advancement of the art and science of medicine through clinical excellence. This central mission consists of high-quality patient care and teaching conducted in an atmosphere of social concern and scholarly inquiry into the nature, causation, prevention and therapy of human disease." An atmosphere of social concern?
According to the ADF complaint, the doctor who apparently performed the abortion, Dr. Michael Silverstein, "yelled at [Mrs. DeCarlo] over the phone in opposition to any delay in the case as a result of Mrs. DeCarlos request for accomodation." Dr. Silverstein works at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
The Mount Sinai School of Medicine Overview makes the following claim: "An innovative curriculum that is one of the most progressive in the country, stresses the humanistic and ethical aspects of medical practice as well as problem-solving strategies." The humanistic and ethical aspects of medical practice?
Mount Sinai violated Mrs. DeCarlo's rights and it's own mission statements. I find it hard to believe that they actually want to fight her on this.