News for Youth

Fun News of the Past; Evolution Challenged in the Classroom?; Teen Abortion Rate Dropping; Tips for On-line Safety

Fun News of the Past

John Knox (1505-1572), a leader of the Protestant Reformation, was frequently in danger from the Catholic authorities. It is said that in his house in Edinburgh, Scotland, he had a set of inside stairs built that were intentionally uneven. One step might be 8 inches high, the next step 12 inches high and so on. Why do you think Knox did this? (Hint: Read Jesus' words in John 3:19 and 12:35.)

Answer: The stairs were built to trip up intruders who would sneak into the house in the dark of night, leaving them laid out flat! Evil loves the cover of darkness, but when we live honestly and righteously, we have nothing to hide. Psalm 119:105 says, "[God's] word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." When we follow God's laws, we can be confident we are taking the right step, and not stumble.

Evolution Challenged in the Classroom?

The Ohio State Board of Education, on Dec. 10, 2002, adopted a new set of standards for their science curriculum which could allow for teaching alternate explanations about the origin and development of life on earth, beside evolution. It took the board 12 months to come up with a compromise statement that strikes a delicate balance between teaching evolution and teaching anything that is critical of the theory. And board members were quick to add a statement saying that they did not endorse "intelligent design"-- the idea that life is too complex to have developed by chance and must have been guided by an intelligent "higher power."

A committee appointed by the state Department of Education will begin writing a science curriculum based on the new standards this year. Board members admit that writing the new curriculum will probably be more difficult than writing the standards. Fifteen colleges have come out against the new standard, which allows concepts critical of the theory of evolution to be taught in the classroom.

Also this year, Texas will be ordering new biology textbooks. This summer, pro- and anti-evolution forces will hotly debate just what those textbooks say about teaching the origins of life. Then there's Kansas, which made headlines in 1999 by largely deleting evolution from its science standards. A state education board later restored teaching evolution, but board members opposed to evolution reclaimed several seats in the last election (http://www.cleveland.com).

God says in Romans 1:20-21 that the existence of God is obvious from looking at the creation, and that those who would deny God are "without excuse." King David of Israel marveled at how wonderfully designed we are, and said, "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well" (Psalm 139:14).

Teen Abortion Rate Dropping

Stephanie Monegro, 17, was two months pregnant when she went to a crisis pregnancy center seeking an abortion. What she saw there changed her mind. She had a sonogram done--an electronic picture of the baby, taken with sound waves.

"I saw my first sonogram of the baby, and I burst into tears," Stephanie said. "I thought: Why would I want to kill something that's living?"

Across the United States, 341 Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) now offer sonograms. That's twice the number from just three years ago, but still far short of the 1,800 CPCs operating in this country. The ultrasound pictures seem to be contributing to lower abortion rates among teens.

A study by Eric Keroack, medical director of a CPC in Boston, showed that 75 percent of mothers who express interest in having an abortion decide not to if they have a sonogram. "Ultrasound is an amazing reality check," he said.

At six weeks' gestation, mothers can see and hear an embryo's beating heart. Just before 10 weeks, they can see the fetus sucking its thumb. "All I know is that [if] a woman hears a heartbeat, she chooses life," said Thomas Glessner, president of the National Institute for Family and Life Advocates. His group is trying to equip 1,000 CPCs with ultrasound machines by 2010.

While abortion rates are down, there are still an estimated 1.3 million abortions performed in the United States annually. Twenty percent of all abortions are by teens ("Saved by Ultrasound," http://www.christianitytoday.com).

Tips for On-line Safety

When you're on-line, you're out in public. And when you're talking with someone in a chat room or on an IM session, you're talking with a stranger unless you are positive who that person is in the "real" world.

A study funded by the U.S. Congress found that one out of five youths between the ages of 10 and 17 have received an unwanted sexual solicitation in the last year. And the age and the gender of the perpetrators might surprise you. The vast majority—96 percent—of those who solicit teens are under 25. And nearly half—48 percent—are under the age of 18. Some 20 percent are female.

To protect yourself, never give out personal information to strangers, or any information that could be used to track you down. This includes information about your school or where your parents work. The Web site www.safekids.com has information about how to protect your privacy on-line, including ways to keep AOL from broadcasting your E-mail address when using AOL Instant Messenger. If you use this program, the recommendation is to use a screen name for that program that's not your regular AOL screen name (http://www.safekids.com/articles/thinksafe.htm). The prudent man, it says in Proverbs 22:3, foresees the danger and takes steps to avoid it.