Daily Headlines | Friday November 5, 2021

Good Morning! 

What is the risk of ignoring the wonder and glory of God? 

Pastor John Piper observes: 

“If you don’t see the greatness of God then all the things that money can buy become very exciting. If you can’t see the sun you will be impressed with a streetlight. If you’ve never felt thunder and lightning, you’ll be impressed with fireworks. And if you turn your back on the greatness and majesty of God you’ll fall in love with a world of shadows and short-lived pleasures.” 

Or create Metaverse: 

God’s Universe Beats Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse 

From the Wall Street Journal: 

Mr. Zuckerberg wants us to become some kind of gods. That rings a bell. Wasn’t that vision the one the serpent in the Garden of Eden used to deceive Adam and Eve into eating forbidden fruit? “God knows well that the moment you eat of it you will be like gods,” the book of Genesis recounts. Is Facebook surreptitiously adopting Apple’s iconic image as its own? 

Mr. Zuckerberg’s announcement establishes his own order of creation, a new world “where people exist in immersive, virtual and shared spaces”—a metaverse, as the Journal explained. This fantasy world will certainly be as “pleasing to the eyes” as Eve’s apple was, if not downright addictive. Facebook knows human beings and their weaknesses well. Its team is again poised to prey on the youth, for whom the metaverse is designed, and pilfer large chunks of their lives while shaking down advertisers for access to their minds. 

The metaverse is not an original idea. It is a counterfeit version of the spiritual world that for millennia people of faith have understood and occupied. Love, faith, hope, friendship and compassion are real, albeit invisible, and humans interact in this sphere of life daily until death. But in the metaverse, nothing dies because nothing lives. It is all fake. Videogames, Workrooms, Siri and Alexa, and all the technological inhabitants thrust on modernity seem increasingly authentic and real, but they aren’t. 

The Judeo-Christian tradition holds that humans were loved into being and are the apex of God’s creation and part of a divine plan. “It is not good for man to be alone,” the Bible records. Will it be humans or avatars as life’s companions? 

Mother Teresa taught me that the primal need of a human being is to love and be loved. That is how God wired us. People feeling unloved, unwanted, and unwelcome in our communities are very real and deserve our attention. The metaverse trivializes their lives by ignoring them. Facebook’s squandering of billions of dollars to build a high-tech, artificially intelligent virtual reality is no blessing. It is a curse. 

2.   Science Can’t Answer Transgenderism’s Deepest Questions 

From the Gospel Coalition: 

The transgender movement has taken the primary question of this cultural debate completely out of the realm of science. By every identifiable physical trait, a person may be a member of one sex. But if, despite all of this, he identifies as the opposite sex, that is what he really is, according to the transgender movement. 

We don’t normally do things this way.  

Is there such a thing as human nature? Is sex more than just a matter of malleable plumbing? Are we male and female at our deepest level, and do these categories tell us anything about our purpose in the universe? 

Christianity’s answer—and the answer of virtually all philosophers until the last decade—was a resounding “yes.” Yet, today, an ideology that says otherwise is rapidly seizing control of the sciences, the academy, media industries, and the medical establishment. This coup is based not on empirical evidence, but on the willpower of an unprovable metaphysical assertion. And these revolutionaries demand—often on pain of firing and professional censure—that scientists and doctors shut up and go along with it. 

Yet this ideology contains the seeds of its own undoing. Aside from the fact that experimenting on the bodies of children is revolting, the transgender movement lacks a real answer to why we have a moral duty to support its claims or meet its demands. After all, if there is no such thing as objective human nature, or male and female, then it makes little sense to speak of an obligation to help people “align” their bodies with their feelings. Is it part of the human purpose to feel “natural” in our bodies, and to help others do so? What is happiness, and why is it important? Says who? 

It’s bad philosophy—a set of metaphysical claims defining human beings out of existence. And if we hope to restore sanity to our institutions and save young patients from psychological and physical abuse, we must confront these claims head-on, above all seeking to understand how we were created before allowing anyone to recreate us. 

OSHA Announces Vaccine Mandate Affecting 84 Million Workers; First Legal Challenge Filed

From The Daily Citizen: 

On November 4, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a new “emergency temporary standard” (ETS) creating a COVID-19 mandate affecting more than 84 million workers. The ETS requires all employees in workplaces of 100 or more to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or else undergo weekly testing with negative results. The unvaccinated are also required to wear facemasks on the job. 

Failure to comply will subject employers to an approximately $14,000 fine per violation. 

The announcement was immediately met by a legal challenge brought by the media company, The Daily Wire, represented by attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and the Dhillon Law Group. The lawsuit was filed in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio, and asserts that OSHA lacks the constitutional and statutory authority to issue the mandate, and illegally omitted the public comment process leading up to the ETS. 

RELATED: OSHA’s Vaccine Mandate Overkill (Wall Street Journal)  

The mandate comes amid a historically tight labor market and could impel some workers to quit. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey last week, 37% of unvaccinated workers said they would leave if their employer required them to get a vaccine or be tested weekly. A quarter of all adults said they knew someone who has left a job because of a vaccine mandate. 

The Administration’s unnecessary mandate is trampling state police powers, imposing new burdens on employers when they can least afford it, and making life harder for the unvaccinated who want to work in an economy with too few workers. He’s also courting a political counterreaction, as Tuesday’s election showed. 

4.   The Mama Bear Movement is Rising 

From The Daily Citizen: 

Across America, the Mama Bear Movement is rising and literally changing the political landscape of this country. These moms are a diverse group of ordinary women motivated to protect their children from an aggressive and progressive agenda being pushed by special interest groups that believe they know what is best for all children. 

The movement started to take shape at the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020, as parents became aware of what was being taught to their children in the classroom. Moms began asking questions about the curriculum, reviewed books in the school library, and listened to what was discussed in their children’s classes. 

The more moms heard, the more frustrated they became. Special interest agendas were being promoted in the classroom rather than the best interests of the children. 

Parents have the authority to determine the education of their children. School boards work for parents. 

Now, more than ever, moms must stand up to protect their children from special interests who have a stranglehold in many of our schools, both public and private. We must remain vigilant and be involved. 

As Christians, we know that our parental authority is not a right bestowed upon us by a benevolent government, but a God-given responsibility to protect and promote what is in the best interest of our children. It is our biblical calling as mothers to protect our children. 

Proverbs 22:6 directs parents to, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” 

Moms, if you are frustrated with the special interest groups who have their sights set on indoctrinating your children with their version of “truth,” this is your moment. If you were waiting for a sign to know whether you should get involved, this is your sign! This is your opportunity to join the Mama Bear Movement. Stand up, speak out, and defend the rights of parents and children from toxic woke policies. 

5.   Virginia politics have always had an effect on national events

From The Daily Citizen: 

This year’s Virginia elections have brought back many memories of my previous life engaged in grassroots politics and campaigns in the Commonwealth, before relocating to Colorado for family and ministry. 

In my twenties I worked campaigns, including one for the United States Senate, and in my thirties, I organized grassroots get out the vote and voter education programs. 

Even before beginning my professional career, I followed politics closely, watching the governor’s mansion change occupants, and parties, during my childhood and adolescence. I recall my journalist first cousin, who was an adult way ahead of me, talking about being assigned to follow gubernatorial candidate “Howlin” Henry Howell around the state during a race for governor in early the seventies. My cousin could make a scenario come alive as he told the story. 

As a schoolboy, I placed runner-up in a county-wide essay contest, admittedly not a big feat, but my paper, entitled “Virginia’s Nicknames,” described the many monikers placed on Virginia over the years: the Mother of Presidents (eight Virginia born presidents), the Mother of States (once encompassing parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and all of West Virginia, for example), the Old Dominion, and so on. 

Suffice it to say, my civic, historical, and political interest in my home state has always been strong. 

Manchin will get last word, even as House races to pass megabill

  From Politico: 

House Democrats are fighting to coalesce around their party’s $1.75 trillion social spending plan — all for Sen. Joe Manchin to change it anyway. 

As Speaker Nancy Pelosi furiously worked to unite her caucus around a centerpiece of the party’s domestic agenda, Manchin is making it clear that he’s not paying much attention to what the House is crafting, memorably saying Wednesday that he has “no idea” what they are doing. 

So even as the House tries to include provisions like paid leave and immigration reform, the West Virginia Democrat is operating on the presumption that the House can do what it wants, and then he will too. Manchin opposes including paid leave in the bill, and the Senate’s nonpartisan rules referee may scrap immigration reform before he has a chance to raise a concern. 

7.   Celebrate Election Wins – But Know the Radical Left Will Never Relent 

From The Daily Citizen: 

History may be on the side of a conservative reboot – political pendulums usually swing in midterm years. In fact, it’s become the norm, not the exception. 

Yet, many of us live with a degree of complacency, assuming tomorrow’s problems and challenges will be an extension of today’s, minus some changes in names or the weather. In reality, our circumstances are in constant flux. Because of this, we’re actually not very good at predicting our own future let alone future elections. 

Nobody saw a worldwide pandemic upending 2020. Only our worst nightmares could imagine the attacks of September 11, 2001. Those outliers nevertheless do not seem to deter many from assuming what is coming down the pike. 

Scripture is sensitive to this tendency, which is why Solomon wrote, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring” (Proverbs 27:1). The writer of Ecclesiastes poetically observed, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (3:11). 

We just don’t know what is coming our way. 

Obsessions of the radical left often take on the framework of Hollywood thrillers where the antagonist thought defeated suddenly reemerges due to some obscure twist of the story. We know it’s possible, but somehow convince ourselves it won’t happen – until it does. 

Be warned: the radicals will never stop. They will never give up. Even today there are unchagrined leftist activists who are urging fellow radicals to go on the offensive. They contend their poor showing at the polls on Tuesday wasn’t due to the extremism of their positions – but to the fact they weren’t extreme enough. 

As Christians, we hold to an enviable worldview. We care deeply about policies because they impact people – but we also know we’re to “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let [our] requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). 

Consequences of Botched Afghanistan Exit Just Got Much Worse for Young Girls

From The Daily Signal: 

The consequences of President Joe Biden’s badly mishandled Afghanistan withdrawal are old news for the left-wing ruling class. 

Congressional leaders have moved onto the president’s so-called “Build Back Better” agenda, where they duke it out over how many billions of taxpayer dollars to spend on “tree equity.” (Is $2.5 billion enough?) Biden jetted off to a climate conference that was so important, he napped through it. And Americans are consumed with inflation, a supply chain crisis, and ridiculously high gas prices.   

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, where the president chaotically withdrew U.S. troops this summer, 9-year-old Afghan girls are being bought and sold as child brides.   

This week, CNN’s “The Lead” with Jake Tapper aired a horrific report from Afghanistan involving fathers so desperate, they have “no choice” but to sell their young daughters into marriage. One of the girls, 9-year-old Parwana, is seen on-camera applying mascara and lipstick as a reporter shares her dreams of going to school and becoming a teacher. 

A few moments later, Parwana is seen being sold to a man who claims he’s 55 years old—although he looks much older—for the equivalent of $2,200. 

“My father has sold me because we don’t have bread, rice, and flour,” Parwana told CNN. “He has sold me to an old man.” 

Family Scholar House asking public to ‘Adopt a Family’ for Christmas  

From WDRB: 

COVID-19 is not the only hurdle some local families are facing this holiday season. In some cases, the pandemic is exacerbated by a cycle of poverty, homelessness and domestic violence. 

To help out, Family Scholar House — which provides a home, child care and other assistance for hundreds of families — is hoping the public will help purchase the items on the Christmas lists of the families they serve. 

“It was very scary,” White said of the move. “(My son) has intellectual and developmental disabilities. He also has a medical condition. He’s had four open heart surgeries. He also has a pacemaker and definitely has to have a lot of resources and a lot of help. It is very challenging for me as a single parent.” 

Shortly after the move, White found help and a home at Family Scholar House. 

“Actually, my story fit their mission,” she said. 

Like most 8-year-olds, her son is already making his Christmas list. 

“He has told me some things that he wants,” White said. 

But like all of the other parents at Family Scholar House, White is on a fixed income. 

“I am grateful and thankful for Family Scholar House as well as the community who contributes to this program,” she said. 

Family Scholar House serves 30,000 households across 23 states. Madison Wolf, community engagement specialist with Family Scholar House, said they’re asking the public to adopt the families they serve for Christmas. 

“When you adopt a family, you are ensuring that Santa finds all the kids at Family Scholar House,” Wolf said. 

Wolf said despite some of their struggles, the Christmas lists are humbling. 

“Our donors are often very surprised to find that most of our parents request things like cleaning supplies and toilet paper,” she said. “Because what they really want is to make sure that their kids have what they need.” 

10.Truck Driver Ed Durr, Who Spent $153 on Primary Campaign, Defeats New Jersey Senate President 

From The Daily Citizen: 

His name is Edward Durr. By day, he’s a truck driver. But now, he’s also one of New Jersey’s newly elected state senators.   

And in his own way, he just reenacted one of the greatest stories ever told: the story of David and Goliath. 

Durr puts food on the table by driving a truck for the furniture store Raymour & Flanigan. He has three kids and six grandchildren. NJ.com reports that Durr rides a Harley, walks his three dogs daily and loves the Philadelphia Eagles. 

“I’m just a simple man,” Durr said in a recent interview, “literally just like the song.” 

He didn’t like the way New Jersey politics was heading. 

So, he decided to get involved. 

And he won. 

Congratulations to Ed – and hope you all have a great weekend!