National

In the wake of a recent online campaign, millions of Americans now know the name of Ugandan Joseph Kony, whose Lord’s Resistance Army is responsible for countless atrocities. But in the shadows of these developments, another campaign that would undermine fundamental human rights in Uganda has been ramping up– one that would establish legislation to criminalize homosexuality. As a Catholic who served as U.S. ambassador to Uganda and an evangelical Christian who has traveled throughout Africa, we believe it’s time for more U.S. faith leaders to speak out against systematic efforts to demonize gay Ugandans before it’s too late.

(apple) Last year, Christian apologist Josh McDowell made a remarkable claim about the Internet, stating that “the abundance of knowledge, the abundance of information, will not lead to certainty; it will lead to pervasive skepticism... the Internet has leveled the playing field [giving equal access to skeptics].”

He said that like it was a bad thing. 

Pro-life activists march up Constitution Avenue at the March for Life rally on January 23, 2012 in Washington, DC. Activists gather each year to protest on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. (Brendan Hoffman - GETTY IMAGES) For decades, abortion was thought of as an issue that riled up religious zealots in the Bible Belt. “Enlightened” Americans, however, saw abortion as the key to women’s liberation and a more egalitarian society.

Their notions about history and progress assured them that abortion was an essential part of the path forward, for women and for society more broadly.

Wednesday’s news that Gallup is now recording the lowest level of self-described pro-choicers in its history of tracking the abortion issue is no doubt an unwelcome hiccup in their vision for America.

The survey found:

The 41 percent of Americans who now identify themselves as “pro-choice” is down from 47 percent last July and is one percentage point below the previous record low in Gallup trends, recorded in May 2009. Fifty percent now call themselves “pro-life,” one point shy of the record high.

The polling shows that rather than embracing abortion with increasing gusto, Americans--especially young Americans--are rejecting it with increasing disgust, and not just for religious reasons.

Why?

A Pakistani resident reads a message on a cellular telephone referring to the blocked social networking Web site Twitter in Quetta on May 20, 2012, after the country's government blocked the site. Pakistan temporarily blocked Twitter, saying Twitter had refused to remove posts promoting a Facebook competition involving caricatures of the Prophet Muhammed. (BANARAS KHAN - AFP/GETTY IMAGES) My friend in Pakistan was unable to tweet this quote on May 20th: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and conveniences, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Yes, it was over 140 characters but the bigger reason was Pakistan’s ban on Twitter.

Why was the popular site banned? Because social media activists were tweeting to promote a Facebook page titled, “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day.” That posed a challenge for the Pakistan’s telecommunications regulators who view such activities as blasphemous. The government banned Twitter for eight hours.

Will Romney’s Mormon religion drive a wedge between him and evangelical Christian voters? (BRIAN SNYDER - REUTERS) Last October, socially conservative activists and politicians gathered for the Values Voter Summit sponsored by the evangelical Family Research Council. With the Republican primaries just months away, Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church of Dallas warned the gathering that “Every true, born again follower of Christ ought to embrace a Christian over a non-Christian.” The non-Christian he had in mind was Mitt Romney, who will soon become the first member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), more commonly known as Mormons, to receive the presidential nomination of a major party.