Jerry Cox – Page 1170 – Family Council

Why Is There No “War on Halloween”?

Oct 21, 2015Jerry CoxReligious FreedomChristmas, Halloween, Religious Freedom, Religious Liberty, War on Christmas

The past few years we have heard more and more stories of the ACLU, atheist organizations, and others threatening local governments and public schools with legal action over Christmas decorations.

Baxter County is still in the middle of a lawsuit over its Nativity display placed on its courthouse lawn. Christmas decorations in Texas and elsewhere have been similarly attacked.

In 2012 atheists tried–unsuccessfully–to have an anti-Christmas message placed alongside Christmas decorations in Michigan; the proposed sign read,

“At this season of THE WINTER SOLSTICE may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world, Religion is but Myth and superstition that hardens hearts And enslaves minds.”

Here’s a question for you: How come we never hear about these groups going after Halloween decorations?

The ACLU in Ohio has written about whether or not Halloween qualifies as a “religious” holiday; overall their tone is very dismissive, opening with,

“Is Halloween off limits in the public schools? Do paper witches and goblins hung on bulletin boards violate the separation of church and state?

“Not really. . . .”

They go on to note how religious groups and individuals have unsuccessfully challenged displays that were allegedly satanic.

By and large, few believe in vampires that turn into bats, ghosts under white sheets, or witches that fly on broomsticks. When students color Jack-O-Lanterns and skeletons during Art Class this time of year, it’s generally viewed as harmless fun. However, many people do believe in ghosts; many pagan religions–both ancient and modern–believe in magic and witchcraft; and many religions–including Christianity–believe in devils and spirits.

The “paper witches and goblins” that adorn school bulletin boards this time of year may look little like what any of these people have in mind when they discuss spirits or witchcraft, but arguably they are still depictions of something that is at the very least supernatural and perhaps even directly tied to certain religious beliefs.

Theoretically, an atheist would believe in God and Jesus no more than in a witch with warts and a green face. So why is there no effort to put disclaimers up alongside Halloween decorations at school? Wouldn’t it be just as appropriate to remind people there are no gods, devils, or angels at Halloween as at Christmas? Shouldn’t Halloween magic be just as offensive to freethinkers as a Christmas miracle? Where is the outrage?

When it comes to the treatment of Halloween versus Christmas, perhaps Ravi Zacharias put it best when he said concerning many modern atheists, “The anger with which they speak about God you would not speak against the tooth fairy. Something in the back of their minds tells them, ‘He’s real, and we’re angry.'”

Photo Credit: Anders Lagerås (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Planned Parenthood to Stop Selling Baby Organs, Will Still Give Remains to Researchers

Oct 13, 2015Jerry CoxAbortionAbortion, Life, Pro-life

Planned Parenthood Federation of America CEO Cecile Richards announced today that Planned Parenthood no longer plans to sell organs harvested from aborted fetal remains to scientists–although it still plans to give the organs to researchers.

The move comes in the wake of a series of undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood officials allegedly negotiating the sale of aborted fetal remains in violation of federal law.

Richards recently testified before members of Congress about the organization’s practices. Her letter to the National Institute of Health acknowledges that Planned Parenthood will continue to give organs harvested from aborted babies to researchers; Planned Parenthood affiliates simply will receive no compensation for the organs.

Of course, there are still serious ethical questions about medical research conducted on organs harvest from aborted babies, as we have written before, so this is by no means a solution to the situation. However, this is a step in the right direction.

Despite Uptick, Arkansas Lottery Still Coming Up Short

Oct 13, 2015Jerry CoxArkansas LotteryArkansas Lottery, Lottery Oversight

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports an uptick in ticket sales at the Arkansas Lottery. According to the article, sales for September, 2015, were the highest of any September since 2011.

Here’s the bad news: Despite this uptick in sales, the Arkansas Lottery only allocated 18.3%–$6.6 million–of its gross revenue for scholarships last month.

While we’re still only one quarter of the way into Fiscal Year 2016, these numbers put the Arkansas Lottery on track to pay out roughly $71 – $75 million in scholarships this fiscal year–$80 million on the high side.

To put these numbers into perspective, $75 million is a full $25 million less than lottery proponents insisted the Lottery would provide for scholarships six years ago, and 18.3% is barely better than half of the percentage Louisiana’s lottery allocates.

What’s more, according to Lottery officials, the Lottery’s uptick in sales during September was bolstered in part by a new $20 scratch-off ticket and a high PowerBall jackpot.

This is more of the same failed strategy. The Lottery’s strategy since Day One has been to prop up ticket sales artificially by rolling out new games. People are always excited to try the new lottery games, but as soon as the novelty wears off, ticket sales decline again. (more…)