Is abortion more important than feeding children dying from hunger?
If you honestly think that we only need an "opinion" to be pro-life, there is something wrong. I get very frustrated when people claim to be pro-life and do nothing about the 3,500+ babies being killed every day in our nation while we go about our lives. Where is the action? Where are the Christians out in front of the killing centers, offering help and information? Babies CAN be saved when people are there to speak up for them. I have seen it myself and can provide story after story of women being turned away from abortion on the very day their babies were scheduled to be killed. Saving children who are being brutally dismembered alive in our own communities also takes "work, money, and commitment," and unfortunately most of the time I don't see it. Here's why pro-lifers should DO something to stop abortion: http://abort73.com/HTML/III-E-mandate.ht... http://www.advocatesfortheinnocent.com/c... Here's how they can: http://www.advocatesfortheinnocent.com/f... Now, as to your question: Of course we should try to save all innocent children from death, be it death in the womb or death from hunger. There are many, many Christians organizations which provide food, shelter, clothing, and medicine to people throughout the world and in America. Who do you think runs the majority of homeless shelters and soup kitchens in this country, and who has been shipping food, medicine, and clothing to Africa and other impoverished nations for years? Generally speaking, the organizations that do this type of thing are run by pro-life, Christian people. The pro-life Christians I know ARE involved in helping the poor in various ways, some by adopting sibling groups from Africa and in America, some by donating funds to feed children throughout the world, some by individually helping needy families as needs arise. Our compassion need not have limits.
What can be done to help impoverished children?
I've been saying for years (which is long before any "current" children were conceived) that our first line of defense against starvation and scarcity of all kinds must and will be preventative: i.e. Birth Control. I did not say anything about abortion as it is entirely unnecessary. Those intrauterine devices last 5 years with no side-effects for the vast majority of women. They're an out-patient procedure, cheap to make and allow women to get a better education, find a better Dad to have a family with and be better prepared to give them a good life. As to those kids already here? That'll take a few fish, a few loaves of bread, and one HUGE miracle. ...
Why do so many Americans believe the US model of life is superior to the one in the European Union?
The United States was built on the principles of equality and freedom (sweeping slavery and genocide of the native population under the carpet for the moment), forged at a time European society was under a hierarchical class system and the occasional tyrannical, despotic, rulers. And that foundation myth is part of the American storyMost of American society has descended from European immigrants who left their respective home countries for a “better” life, fleeing poverty, pogroms, jack-booted thugs, war, or an unforgiving feudal system, and this view of the “old country” is ingrained into the psyche.Then, many Americans got to go to Europe, often the first and only time they went abroad, to fight during the second world war. they came back with stories of devastation, disease, poverty and desperation like they had never seen, not even during the dustbowl and the Great Depression.The American economy got a surge, a shot in the arm, during and just after the Second World War, at a time Europe was recovering from the massive loss of the (mainly young, healthy, and male) workforce, and huge damage to its industrial capabilities. The foundation of modern American culture - branded goods, movies, music (especially rock & roll), car culture, youth culture, chain restaurants etc. - is from that post-war baby-boom time.Then of course there is the cold war. And, in the dominant culture, Communism is like Nazism. Socialism is a dirty word. To call someone a socialist is fighting talk (until Bernie Sanders attempted to rehabilitate the term), and most of Europe is Socialist (or social democrat, the nuance is lost on most Americans). That’s got to be bad, I mean, had you seen those bread lines in Soviet Russia? Apparently France, being socialist, must be just like thatCultural memory runs deep - often two or three generations. So this view of Europe is still prevalentA large number of people in the United States have never travelled abroad. The American people are a victim of their own media - inward looking and isolationist. Very few would expose themselves to foreign culture - foreign language music, movies and television shows. Subtitles are frowned upon. Reading foreign news is akin to intellectualism and seriously frowned upon.So it is no wonder that Americans have no first-hand or even second-hand experience of what contemporary European life is like
Why is food safety important to the food industry?
Food safety is of absolute importance to food industry because, we do not want our customers to be inconvenienced, made ill or in the worst case dead. Food Safety ensures,that customers are protected from Physical, Chemical & Biological Hazards during the entire lifecycle of food which includes procurement, processing, Handling packaging, delivery and storage. It clearly demarcates what is safe food to consume vis a vis what is not. If there were no food safety guidelines or laws that make it mandatory, the producers and processors of the food would be less inclined to take measures that ensure customer safety, cause obviously quality is costly and does not come at cheap prices. What started as a safety checklist for food to be carried by Austronauts, by Pillsbury in conjunction with NASA evolved into Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) standard which is the basis for various countries' food safety standards including India FSSAI and in a larger way ISO 22001. Such standards not only check and monitor potential hazards, but establish critical control points that ensure such risks are eliminated and food is safe for consumption.
Are there any organizations that specifically fight against Monsanto?
Hey there - a question after my own heart! Why fight? Oh dear god! Montsanto, the same folks that brought us PCBs, Agent Orange, and BGH (among others). The same corporation that falsifies test results and has been convicted of fraud, misrepresentation (Round-up is NOT biodegradable, thank you!) and people still trust them enough to use their products? How about the $700 million in lawsuits they've settled for the residents of Anniston, AL after turning the town into a carcinogenic wasteland. They knew what they were doing was wrong, yet they covered it up because it was more profitable to rake in billions and then pay out millions in damages. This company looks at consumers as collateral damage. Check out www.responsibletechnology.org and follow the links to watch "The World According to Montsanto" - it's in 10-minute youtube clips, but it is very frightening. I'd also recommend going to the library and renting a copy of "The Future of Food". Any company that tries to monopolize food and water rights, particularly in third world countries, is the worst kind of corporate greed. They are pure evil. And the group you're looking for is called "Millions Against Montsanto". The more I've learned about what this company does, the harder I've fought.
What can we do to eliminate Poverty?
Poverty, as we understand it classically, is being eliminated at a fairly rapid pace compared to the popular perception. The myth about there being two worlds, the rich and the poor, the haves and have nots, is simply not true anymore. From a SOCIAL perspective, at the individual level, people in formerly poor countries now have very similar family sizes and number of children per woman to those in rich countries. Access to the internet per capita has also risen greatly in poor countries. From a GEOPOLITICAL perspective, we've seen the emergence of the "Second World" which is essentially the resource-rich nations like Brazil, OPEC, Russia, the Caucuses, East Europe, South America, South Asia, Turkey. The new model for geopolitics is a flattened landscape in which the new "frenemies" (see Orwell's 1984) are the USA, EU, and China, each competing for and courting deals with for resources with the Second World. Unfortunately, the Second World is often not characterized by a rising middle class, but rather First World characteristics in the city centers and Third World in the country. And then there's sub-Saharan Africa. But eliminating poverty has always been a combination of a ton of things - family planning (see Mao Ze Dong and Communist Vietnam), investment in infrastructure (see the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Central Asia, and other similar entities), technological advances (see $100 computer, to name one), etc. It's also a problem of a country controlling and having agency over its own natural advantages, and exploiting that at the expense (and also benefit) of rich nations like the new big three. This could mean that instead of selling illegal coca to the FARC for lack of options in the past, a Colombian farmer can now send his legal crops to China, bypassing prohibitive subsidized North American superfarmers. This could mean making or breaking Georgia's importance on the world scene, hinged on whether the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline remains under their realm. This could mean a Peruvian indigenous farmer gets a cheap water pump to greatly increase mango production to feed his family, and even gain disposable income by selling to California instead of cheap local markets. Globalization is the key. The flattening of the world is the key. And it's happening, so we can all have hope for the world's poor.
Why don't religious people change the world by practicing what they preach, i.e. helping the unfortunate and tending to the sick, etc.?
They do. Simply by paying their taxes and giving to charity and the religious organization.It’s _much_ more effective to pay professionals to help people than to half-ass it and try doing it themselves.Most religious people aren’t social workers, psychologists, doctors, engineers etc.Lets say you see a sick person on the side of the road. You decide to help them. You take them home and tend to them. You have no idea what the real problems the sick person has. Are they just poor and have malnutrition and a few months of good meals is going to sort it? Or is it a contagious disease and you’ve just infected your entire family? Do they have a mental illness? Are you actually helping them, or enabling them?This is why charity organizations are created so that people in need get the right sort of help rather than amateur help which may help or may in fact make the situation worse.Yes, a lot of the big charities aren’t very efficient and consume a lot of money fundraising and putting on lavish dinners for rich people, but what help that does get to the ground level is usually pretty good and much better than some random dogooder just buying a ticket to #deprivedLocation.
Does hell endorse active punishment?
There is a real hell with eternal fire and brimstone resulting in eternal agony. Each participate will have memory of drinking cool, refreshing water, but won't get to. Oh yeah, they'll also remember all those parties they planned to have in hell with their friends. Why anybody would want to do anything to guarantee admission is beyond me. Pay attention all mockers and scoffers...you are working on a one-way ticket!
How can I get a list of rich people who are willing to give to families that need help?
I was doing a google search and ran across your comments. Whats ironic is that out of desperation I was searching for help with a financial situation.I do understand how hard it must be to want to share your wealth and do good for others but that you can feel taken advantage of. I would like to share a little story with you and hopefully you can see it from another view point.I am 53yr old divorced female. I have worked since I was 14. I raised my 3 wonderful children by my self sometimes holding down 3 jobs. I worked hard and moved up the ladder of life and gain several professional skills. Then it happened, I had a terriable accident outside my home breaking both bones in my right leg, shredded all the tendons and ligaments in my ankle. I spent 2 yrs unable to walk and multiple surgeries. I have developed other medical conditions as well and I have been deemed perminately disabled. I had to go on SSDI and medicare. I can't begin to express the depression and worthlessness that comes with this. In may 2015 I had to leave my home in the country and move to a mobile home in town due to my medical issues. Now to those who think that people like me live free guess again. Try living on $962/mo!!! No wonder so many are homeless. My current situation has brought me to begging for help as the government does NOT provide the programs and help you may think they do. I currently am renting a mobile home for $750/mo plus all utilities. I have applied for section 8 but it can take upto 6mo or longer to get to the top of the list. In the mean time I have been paying the projected section 8 rent amount of $288/mo plus all my utilities, cell phone, auto insurance, TV, etc. I back owe over $2000 rent and deposit and am now facing possible eviction. I will become homeless! I have searched for all possible programs to get help. I have worked so hard my whole life to be brought to my knees and begging for help. And NO there are not other options for me. Do you know what it feels like to face homelessness? To have to beg for help? The fear and depression? I would give almost anything to own my own home and not have to fear each day. I am not looking for hand outs but for a miracle!! I am looking for help to pay back my landlord, I would like to own my own home that is set up to meet my physical needs. I am so scared and do not know what to do anymore. I have been told I have about a week to come up with a plan or be on the street. Thank You cwallace9192@gmail.com
Why does the US spend money on foreign aid when we have poor and homeless people here at home?
Possibly to look like “good citizens” in the international system.Monopolization of the commodities in developing countriesMonopolization of the political institutions of these countries (related back to the first point) as most countries that receive foreign aid are developing countriesDid I also mention, foreign aid only perpetuates these problems, so I’m with you on that. Don’t know why developed countries give foreign aid ESPECIALLY to government run initiatives without strict transparency programs for that aid, as most cash is pocketed.For example, overwhelming evidence shows that aid has left African countries debt-laden, inflation prone, vulnerable to the vagaries of the currency markets and unattractive to higher quality investments, claiming aid as price tagged debt and a “Band-Aid solution” with no long term sustainable growth,[1] and this view has even been supported by the IMF.[2] Some stressed that aid was merely a smokescreen used by developed countries for “sustained looting” as Africa loses over $50 billion a year through climate change mitigation, tax evasion and profits earned by foreign multinational companies[3] that have no direct stimulus to African economies, and again, the same arguments can be applied to many other developing economies.[1] Moyo, D. (2009). Why Foreign Aid Is Hurting Africa. [online] WSJ. Available at: Why Foreign Aid Is Hurting Africa [Accessed 2 Oct. 2016].[2] economics. (2016). IMF | economics | Page 3. [online] Available at: https://lanle.wordpress.com/tag/... [Accessed 2 Oct. 2016].[3] Anderson, M. (2014). Aid to Africa: donations from west mask '$60bn looting' of continent. [online] the Guardian. Available at: Aid to Africa: donations from west mask '$60bn looting' of continent [Accessed 2 Oct. 2016].