Religion Today Daily Headlines - November 6, 2012

Religion Today Daily Headlines - November 6, 2012

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

  • Obama and Romney Deadlocked Ahead of Vote
  • Traditional Marriage Support Surges in Maryland
  • Flooded Virginia Clinic Kept Doing Abortions After Hurricane Sandy
  • Study: Churchgoing Teens Go Further with School

 

Obama and Romney Deadlocked Ahead of Vote

As President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney made last-minute appeals to voters in key states on Monday, new polls forecast a down-to-the-wire election with both sides claiming they have the momentum to win, the Wall Street Journal reports. A new national Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll of likely voters found the two candidates caught in a dead heat -- Obama led Romney by 48 to 47 percent, a difference of seven voters among a pool of 1,475 surveyed. Polls in many battleground states, from Virginia and Ohio to New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and even Michigan, also portrayed a race that is tightening as it comes to a close. "I could make a compelling case for either of these candidates winning the national vote," said Bill McInturff, a Republican pollster who conducted the Wall Street Journal polls alongside Democratic pollster Peter Hart. "This election will be determined by turnout, turnout, turnout," Hart added.

Traditional Marriage Support Surges in Maryland

A Maryland ballot initiative to legalize same-sex marriage has lost steam, WORLD Magazine reports. For most of the campaign cycle, the initiative looked like it would pass, but in the past week the tide has turned and supporters of traditional marriage now lead by a point. TV ads from the Maryland Marriage Alliance have apparently made a difference in the state, and there has also been a reaction to the suspension of Gallaudet University official Dr. Angela McCaskill over her support of traditional marriage. According to Bishop Harry Jackson, "A lot of people, including the African-American community, are saying, 'Wait a minute, [the same-sex marriage law] is going to have a lot of unintended consequences. The moral issues, and the backlash, and the persecution [of McCaskill] all make folks more engaged."

Flooded Virginia Clinic Kept Doing Abortions After Hurricane Sandy

An abortion center in Falls Church, Va., bragged about not letting Superstorm Sandy shut it down, WORLD Magazine reports. The Falls Church Healthcare Clinic told supporters that in the aftermath of the storm "we got in around 5:30 a.m., [and] there [was] two inches of water in the surgery room, water on the carpets, two offices totally soaked, water leaking in from our large windows. We put out hundreds of towels and started mopping up. ... We started seeing patients at 10 a.m." Pro-life organization Live Action wrote on its blog: "On what planet is it safe to perform surgery under those conditions? Falls Church Healthcare Center does indeed perform first-trimester surgical abortions, presumably in their surgery room, which was flooded with two-plus inches of water." Live Action continued: "Operating rooms generally are supposed to be sterile. But apparently that's not an issue when abortions need to be performed. Time and again, abortionists prove that they aren't interested in the 'safe' part of the 'safe, legal and rare' mantra that they tout so frequently. If it comes between making their blood money and the safety of women, the money will come first each time."

Study: Churchgoing Teens Go Further with School

Sociologists from Brigham Young University and Rice University found religiously-affiliated youth are 40 percent more likely to graduate high school than their unaffiliated peers and 70 percent more likely to enroll in college, Phys.org reports. The study of data from more than 8,379 teens from across the country found that Catholic teens, mainline Protestants and black Protestant congregations are twice as likely as unaffiliated teens to finish high school and about 80 percent more likely to enroll in college, and that Jewish and Mormon youth have the highest odds of graduating high school and enrolling in college. The researchers note that teens' fellow churchgoers are an important factor, serving as mentors who help teens set their sights high. Interestingly, mentors with a religious background have essentially the same effect as educators who mentor students.

Publication date: November 6, 2012

Religion Today Daily Headlines - November 6, 2012