AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

* NEGATIVE IMPACT OF ABORTION ON WOMEN RESULTS FROM HARD
WIRING OF THEIR BRAINS

* POWER TRANSFER BEING PREPARED IN NORTH KOREA

* SCIENTISTS ADMIT PARTING OF THE RED SEA POSSIBLE

* WORLD’S POOR NEED SAME LEVEL OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AS
THE BANKS

* U.S.A. IGNORING CREEPING THREAT FROM SHARIA LAW

* GAMBLING OPPONENTS SAY MORAL ARGUMENT NO LONGER
RELEVANT

———————————————–

NEGATIVE IMPACT OF ABORTION ON WOMEN RESULTS FROM HARD WIRING OF THEIR BRAINS

“Women are hard-wired for relationships ¢â‚¬”and a woman ¢â‚¬â„¢s relationship to
her baby is one of the most powerful of all. The hard-wiring of the
brain may explain many women ¢â‚¬â„¢s disturbing post-abortion feelings,”
write Evelyn and Paul Vitz. Evelyn Vitz is Professor of French and
Affiliated Professor of Comparative Literature at New York
University. Paul Vitz is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at New York
University and Senior Scholar at the Institute of Psychological
Sciences. In the article the authors relate stories of women who
shared their experiences after an abortion.
The authors found that “many of these women are in acute pain; some
almost totally incapacitated” by their post-abortion feelings. “What
is particularly striking is that most of the women who have these
powerful emotional reactions to their abortion are stunned by them.
They were not opposed to abortion; many were actively pro-choice.
They were blind-sided by their own reaction. One woman lamented ¢â‚¬”and
thousands of others agree ¢â‚¬” ¢â‚¬ËœIf this was the right decision, why do I
feel so terrible? ¢â‚¬â„¢ ¢â‚¬ 
Noting that “this phenomenon is so widespread, and found among women
from varied backgrounds and different parts of the world,” the
authors postulate that “it seems likely that the brain itself ¢â‚¬”in
particular, the nature of women ¢â‚¬â„¢s brains ¢â‚¬”may shed some useful light
on this negative emotional reaction.” The authors cite research into
the differences between women’s and men’s brains, especially as these
differences relate to the realms of emotion, stress, and memory.
“These differences can make a huge difference with regard to
decision-making and its emotional consequences.
The part of the brain that processes emotion in women functions
differently from that of men. What moves women most is relationships.
Females are more personal and interpersonal than men.” Researchers
have found that “men ¢â‚¬â„¢s behaviour under stress is generally
characterized by what is called  ¢â‚¬Å“fight or flight, ¢â‚¬  whereas women
respond to stress by turning toward nurturing behaviour, nicknamed
 ¢â‚¬Å“tend and befriend. ¢â‚¬  In post-abortion stress disorder this “tend and
befriend” response may manifest itself as depression and anxiety due
to the lack of a focal point for the response.
“When responding to the stress of the abortion, she may well be drawn
to  ¢â‚¬Ëœtending and befriending ¢â‚¬â„¢ behaviour which is the characteristic of
women. But one of the key persons she might have tended and
befriended ¢â‚¬”her unborn child ¢â‚¬”she has just terminated. She therefore
has no ready outlet to cope with this significant stress. Add to this
already toxic mix the power of the memories involved in most unwanted
pregnancies and abortion experiences,” the authors write. “All these
dramatic experiences are likely to provide her with indelible
memories which she may relive over and over.”
The authors conclude that “though a woman can decide rationally to
have an abortion … a terrible and shocking reaction sets in after
the abortion. Often the power of the logical arguments prove very
short-lived. It is, rather, the failed, betrayed relationship between
the woman and her foetus ¢â‚¬”now, in her mind, her dead baby ¢â‚¬”that has
staying power.” The authors call for a greater honesty from the
medical profession toward women contemplating abortion “to prevent at
least some women from having to experience this painful surprise.”
“Women need to be told the truth.
Source:
LifeSiteNews.com
———————————————–
POWER TRANSFER
BEING PREPARED IN NORTH KOREA
North Korea is preparing for a successor to leader Kim Jong-Il while
the country is in turmoil with many dying from hunger, according to
Open Doors. Kim Jong-Il’s third son Kim Jong-Un is expected to be
voted in as a member of the Workers Party Central Committee. If true,
it would be a significant step towards a power transfer in the
future. Kim Jong-Il is reportedly in poor health. North Korea is
taking harsh measures to strengthen the clique around the Kim family
with terrible consequences. A recent disastrous currency reform, has
led to many suicides.
Dr. Carl Moeller, President of Open Doors USA, says: “Change
is coming to North Korea. We need to pray that the change will be a
positive one for the Christians there – including the 40,000 to
50,000 Believers who are suffering in North Korean prison camps where
200,000 people are held. We need to continue to not only pray, but
also advocate for those brave Christians who live under brutal
conditions with no basic freedoms.” Civilians are openly protesting
decisions made by the government. These protests sometimes have led
to violence between civilians and police.
Such clashes are rare in a country with a tight security system and
vast network of spies. “Fifteen years ago Kim Jong-Il was still
considered a god, but years of hunger have left the people
disillusioned,” says Simon, Open Doors’ contact in North Korea. “They
have stopped believing the lie. Each time they put their trust in
their leader, he has let them down.” At the time of the failed
currency reform, he announced that people would no longer receive
food rations from the government. In the first seven months of 2010
food was only distributed occasionally and in just a few cities.

On top of that, the country was again hit hard by floods this summer.
Open Doors sources report people are dying of starvation in the
provinces of Hamkung, Yanggang and Jagang. Many North Koreans compare
the past few months with the devastating famines in the 1990s when
over one million people starved to death. Recently North Korea has
dispatched dozens of secret agents to China to track down North
Koreans who have fled, including Christians. Simon states: “Defectors
are seen as a destabilizing factor.”
“In our work with North Koreans in China we need to be extremely
careful. We must completely depend on God’s wisdom, protection and
guidance. However as the risks increase, so do the ministry
opportunities” Simon said. Despite all the rumours about transfer of
power, North Korean Christians don’t focus on the politics. The
current generation of Christians knows nothing but persecution. Open
Doors supports Believers with Bibles, training, food and other
practical help, and connects the Church in the West with them through
prayer and advocacy campaigns.
Source: Christian
Newswire
———————————————–
SCIENTISTS ADMIT
PARTING OF THE RED SEA POSSIBLE
People have always been fascinated by this Exodus story, wondering if
it comes from historical facts. A new scientific study shows
that the description of the waters parting indeed has a basis in
physical laws.” For years, atheists have dismissed Biblical miracles
as myths or fabrications. Although Christians and Jews believe these
miracles actually happened and were orchestrated by God Himself, it
is only recently that researchers have come to admit that the Red Sea
really could have parted for the fleeing Children of Israel.
U.S. scientists have studied ancient maps of the Nile Delta region,
pinpointed where the crossing may have occurred,and then studied
computer modelling which suggested a powerful wind “could have
divided the waters just as depicted in the Biblical story.” According
to the report: “Analysis of archaeological records, satellite
measurements and maps allowed the researchers to estimate the water
flow and depth at the site 3,000 years ago. An ocean computer model
was then used to simulate the impact of a strong overnight wind on
the six-foot-deep waters.
The scientists found that an east wind of 63 mph blowing for 12 hours
would have driven the shallow waters back, both into the lake and the
river channel. For a period of four hours, this would have created a
land bridge about two miles long and three miles wide. The waters
really would have been parted, with barriers of water raised on both
sides of the newly exposed mud flats. As soon as the winds dropped,
the waters would have rushed back, much like a tidal bore. Anyone
stranded on the mud flats would have been at risk of drowning.”

Researcher Carl Drews, from the National Centre for Atmospheric
Research said: “The simulations match closely with the account in
Exodus. The parting of the waters can be understood through fluid
dynamics. The wind moves the water in accordance with physical laws,
creating a safe passage with water on two sides and then abruptly
allowing the water to rush back in. People have always been
fascinated by this Exodus story, wondering if it comes from
historical facts. What this study shows is that the description of
the waters parting indeed has a basis in physical laws.”
What the researchers’ conclusions fail to account for, in relation to
the Biblical story, is how everything conspired to happen at exactly
the right moments to allow the Israelites to cross over, and then
immediately turned again to drown the pursuing Egyptians. Nor can it
explain how thousands of fleeing refugees could cross over mud. The
land had to be dry for that to occur. Still, such an admission coming
from the scientific community is just that: an admission that the
event was possible. If nothing else, it is a step away from complete
denial.
Source: The Daily
Mail
———————————————–
WORLD’S POOR NEED
SAME LEVEL OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AS THE BANKS
The same commitment to overcoming global poverty is needed as that
which was generated in response to the crisis in the banking sector,
a senior church official has told the head of the Swiss delegation to
the UN summit meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in
New York. Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the Geneva-based World
Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), told Switzerland ¢â‚¬â„¢s Foreign
Minister, Micheline Calmy-Rey, that the resources found in 2008 to
address the financial crisis surpassed what many thought was possible
at the time.
 ¢â‚¬Å“We need that same level of commitment from nations like Switzerland
if we are to meet the Millennium Development Goals, ¢â‚¬  Nyomi told
Calmy-Rey.  ¢â‚¬Å“How could it be that there is money for a safety net for
the financial crisis but not for the food crisis? ¢â‚¬  The encounters
were organized by two Swiss-based non-governmental organizations,
Bread for All and the Lenten Campaign. The objective was for African
voices to be heard prior to the UN High-Level PlenaryMeeting on the
Millennium Development Goals.
In his presentation to Calmy-Rey and representatives of the Swiss
Department for Development Cooperation, Nyomi stressed that Africans
are playing an active role in responding to the needs of their
continent.  ¢â‚¬Å“Justice demands that Africa is not simply seen as a
passive recipient of donor aid. Churches and other faith-based
organizations are also challenging our own people, ¢â‚¬  he said.  ¢â‚¬Å“In
Africa where there are churches in every corner of most communities,
we are well-placed to walk alongside those who have been suffering, ¢â‚¬ 
Nyomi notes.
 ¢â‚¬Å“Organizations such as the WCRC stand ready to work with all who are
serious about achieving the MDGs objectives of meeting the food,
education and health needs of the poorest and most vulnerable
people. ¢â‚¬  Acknowledging that monitoring is needed to ensure
responsible use of financial aid, Nyomi says Africans must do their
part.  ¢â‚¬Å“Unless caring people in every sector make a clear commitment
to economic justice and climate justice, achieving the MDGs by 2015
will be elusive,” says Nyomi.
Source: World Communion of Reformed Churches News
Release
———————————————–
U.S.A. IGNORING
CREEPING THREAT FROM SHARIA LAW
A group of national security experts is urging the Obama
administration to change its current stance on the link between
terrorism and Islam. The Centre for Security Policy has released its
report on Islamic Sharia law, saying the U.S. is “euphemistically”
labelling the threat of Islam as mere “violent extremism.” The
report, which has been endorsed by key U.S. lawmakers, was put
together by a 19-member team of national security experts, including
former high-ranking officials from the CIA and U.S. military, a
former Justice Department prosecutor and a former FBI special agent.

“Though it certainly has spiritual elements, it would be a mistake to
think of sharia as a ‘religious’ code in the Western sense because it
seeks to regulate all manner of behaviour… economic, social,
military, legal and political,” they wrote in the report. “Our
leaders have failed to perceive and respond effectively to– the real
progress being made by the Muslim Brotherhood in insinuating sharia
into the very heartland of America through stealthy means,” they
added. The Centre for Security Policy is run by former Reagan defence
staffer Frank Gaffney, Jr.
Source: Intercessors for
America
———————————————–
GAMBLING OPPONENTS
SAY MORAL ARGUMENT NO LONGER RELEVANT
The moral opposition to gambling in America is gasping its last
breaths. More than 15 million Americans are now problem or
pathological gamblers. Gambling contributed to more than 2 million
divorces in recent years. As more and more states turn to casinos and
gambling to fill shrinking budget coffers, the voice of the Church is
struggling to convince people that it is morally wrong, for it is not
acceptable in today’s society to present arguments based solely on
religion or moral grounds. Seventy percent of Americans do not
consider gambling to be a sin.
Thirty years ago, gamblers only had scratchy tickets or casinos in
Atlantic City or Las Vegas as gambling outlets. Today only two states
– Utah and Hawaii – do not have some form of legalized gambling.
Forty-three states have lotteries, and 12 states now have commercial
casinos. Gambling contributes around 5 percent to state budgets –
double what it was five years ago.”The church’s opposition to
gambling has not been widely effective,”said a spokesman for the
National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, “because the church is
not relevant in an irreverent age.”
Source: Intercessors for
America

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