By Christy Barritt

Muslim Students and Catholic Universities

Muslim students are enrolling in Catholic Universities at the highest rate ever.

This was the conclusion of a New York Times Collaborative Study. One reason for this growth, as explored by the study, is that the level of acceptance provided at those universities is greater. Another possible explanation is that Muslims find comfort in the strict adherence of religious tenets.

Heads of schools reported that students from religious minorities find comfort in the freedom to practice religion without fear of persecution that may come from a more secular institution.

According to the study, the number of Muslim students on these campuses has doubled over the past decade, and the number of Muslim women has tripled. However, the majority of students at Catholic Universities consider themselves Catholic.

TV Ratings System a “Failure”

A study by the Parents Television Council examined all primetime programming for the four major broadcast networks and found that parents who relied on the television ratings system to block objectionable content from their children might want to reconsider.

Many parents used this rating system to block inappropriate content using something called a V-Chip.

The study found that TV programs often included explicit content without the proper warning and that TV-PG programming has explicit content every five and a half minutes.

The Parents Television Council is “calling on the Congress, the FCC, and the television industry to address the failures of the rating system and to replace it with one that is accurate, consistent, transparent, and accountable.”

Chinese Congregation Faces Persecution

A church in Beijing, China is continuing to worship together despite opposition from the government.

The communist Chinese government had evicted the Shouwang Church from their building, as well as arrested congregants when, in response, they began to worship outside instead. The church leadership has even been placed under house arrest, as reported by ChinaAid.

In China, churches must be registered as part of the official Three-Self Patriotic Movement to be considered legal. The church has refused to place itself under government regulators because of the government’s restrictions on evangelism, baptism, and other activities.

The 1,000-member congregation has seen more than 160 arrests since they began meeting. The police have terrorized some verbally and physically. Some members have been forced to quit their jobs or move due to government pressure.

The church is attempting to legally secure a place of worship, despite the opposition around them.

NYC Schools Distribute Plan B

At least 13 New York City high schools have begun offering the morning-after pill and other hormone-based drugs to children as young as 14.

The pilot program was developed through the NYC Department of Education and is called “Connecting Adolescents to Comprehensive Health.” Teen girls are given access to this medication for free as a way of decreasing high school pregnancies, according to program coordinators.

Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, can prevent pregnancy if taken without 72 hours of intercourse and may also cause abortion. Some research has shown these drugs to have serious side effects.

Schools sent a letter to parents explaining that they may exclude their children from the program, though many are doubtful that the parents have ever seen the letter.

Christy Barritt is an award-winning author, freelance writer, and speaker living in Chesapeake, Virginia. She and her husband Scott have two sons. 
www.christybarritt.com