We must embrace conflict
My dear friends,
Only five more days until Christmas, the celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace. And yet, we should not forget that circumstances around His birth and during His life and at the end of His earthly life were anything but peaceful. There are lessons in this related to LifeSiteNews and its mission.
Christ lived and taught and was Love, but that love and teaching were never politically correct. They often involved the saying of hard truths that many did not want to hear.
Christ’s birth was the ultimate sign of God’s love for the human race. And yet He was hated, and there were those who wanted to kill Him, even as an infant and later as He healed thousands of diseases and even raised some from the dead. In the end, He was brutally murdered.
One of the lessons of His life was that true love does not avoid conflict, and true love is often obliged to say things that are not welcomed or that disturb people, although the intent is never to disturb or to hurt. True love involves sticking one’s neck out where others refuse to do so for fear of personal discomfort, loss of worldly respect, or other less-than-admirable reasons.
At the recent International Pro-Life Conference in Ottawa, which was co-sponsored by LifeSiteNews, 14-year-old Lia Mills gave a message well beyond her young years related to all of this. Many of us were astonished how, at such a very young age, she has come to understand what even most adults do not about the battle for life and family.
Lia described the anger she faced after her pro-life speech went viral on YouTube, noting that she even received death threats. But while we're tempted to avoid conflict, she said, "the truth is that as pro-life people … we cannot avoid conflict, but [we must] embrace it in the right way. … My family and I have learned to embrace conflict."
What amazing wisdom from such a young girl! Christ embraced conflict, as did all the prophets and saints and most great leaders from the past. When one is acting against great evils, as LifeSiteNews is, attacks or conflict are an inevitable companion. And yet, we are obliged to persevere. And we do.
We have learned to accept that, when our news reports are effective against evils, the conflict that results, and is not sought, is often an affirmation that we are, as an air force military priest chaplain advised, “over the target.”
Austin Ruse, the president of C-FAM, wrote last week, “Where would we all be without LifeSiteNews.com? They cover the life and family issues like a glove. They are often first to report and when needed they cause a lot of trouble in all the right places. I read LifeSiteNews. I salute LifeSiteNews.com"
We “cause a lot of trouble” or “embrace conflict,” not because we like or seek conflict, but simply because we report truth. LifeSiteNews could play it safe and avoid controversy, but then we would have to deny the TRUTH. The birth of Christ reminds us that we cannot do that, no matter how much others protest.
That birth also reminds us that, no matter how charitable and objectively we state certain truths, there will always be those who will rage against that truth, as they did against Christ, the saints and many other great religious or secular leaders.
At this point, we have achieved half of our fundraising goal for the 2010 Christmas Campaign. At $75,000, we are more than grateful for the generosity that’s been demonstrated by our supporters.
But we still need your help in receiving the last half of our necessary $150,000 goal with only 11 days remaining.
(Click here to donate)It’s not easy working for LifeSiteNews. We’re often accused of insensitivities and atrocities by gay rights activists, the pro-abortion movement, proponents of stem cell research and euthanasia, anti-family organizations, and yes, even some liberal Church leaders.
It can be pretty daunting to see our critics point fingers at us and label us bigots, extremists, and other names I’d dare not share.
Yet, why would we endure such abuse if it were not for love?
Here at LifeSiteNews, we anticipate these struggles. Although we expect our critics to challenge us at every corner, we must shoulder the burden of this work in order to educate and activate society to bring out cultural change.
We are willing to endure hardships for the purpose of defending life, family, truth, and love.
The world needs LifeSiteNews. All across the globe, people such as yourselves are struggling as they face the culture of death on a daily basis:
· Our friends in Ireland are concerned about the European Court claiming the nation’s pro-life laws violate the “right to privacy.”
· The U.N. Secretary-General demanded greater respect for homosexual and transgender rights, attempting to mainstream the gay agenda while sacrificing freedom of religion.
· The ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project is targeting Bishop Olmsted of Phoenix, who threatened to renounce a Catholic hospital for performing an abortion.
· Pro-Life Action League President Joe Scheidler’s house was vandalized by an embittered pro-abortion activist.
· A Quebec high school distributed graphic pamphlets instructing youth on how to perform “safe” oral sex.
The stories we report can sometimes seem discouraging, but our job is not merely to bring you such updates on the trials and tribulations that we and our friends and allies face. Our job is to report these stories so they may, in turn, encourage our readers to challenge the anti-life and anti-family agenda.
We provide you, our readers, with the tools necessary to battle the anti-life and anti-family movement.
Now we humbly ask you to give us the tools needed to continue reaching the world with our crucial service.
(Click here to donate)Our friends and allies strongly affirm their praises of LifeSiteNews:
· “No one is more on target, no one is more open with the facts than LifeSiteNews. I’m humbled by the coverage I’ve received from them and I urge all people of good will, pro-life and pro-family, to continue and double and redouble their financial support of this institution so that we should be able to get out the message and fight the moral fight for the glory of God.”
Rabbi Yehuda Levin, spokesman for the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the U.S. and Canada· “Over the years American Life League has become so dependent on LifeSiteNews.com that we cannot imagine doing our educational work without them. We need them; the babies need them; the world needs them … their brand of no nonsense, unabashedly principled reporting is an asset beyond measure.”
Judie Brown, President of American Life League· "A lot of us wouldn't be able to work so effectively if not for the extraordinarily good work of LifeSiteNews, which is the most widely read pro-life news service in the world."
John Smeaton, Director of Britain’s Society for the Protection of Unborn Children· “LifeSiteNews has been extremely valuable to us in our efforts to protect life and family in Latin America. LifeSite’s interest in reporting on key happenings throughout Latin America has been crucial in creating awareness, and very importantly, causing others to act!”
Julia Regina Sol de Cardenal, President of Si a la Vida, El SalvadorThe battle that lies before us will be long and arduous. That we can guarantee. With you as our allies, we can approach the frontlines with greater hope and fortitude.
Please help LifeSiteNews celebrate life and truth this Christmas through a gift of $5, $50, $100, $1,000, $5,000, or even more.
(Click here to donate)Thank you for your support of LifeSiteNews.
For Life and Family,
Steve Jalsevac
Managing Director and Co-founder
LifeSiteNewsPS: U.S. donors can donate to LifeSiteNews to reduce taxable income for 2010 when you itemize your tax deductions. So don't forget to donate before the year's end!
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Monday, December 20, 2010
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