I was reading a very interesting post that listed the leading causes of death in the US. The results and the post were interesting, but a comment really made the point. First the list.
15. Assault (homicide): 16,591
14. Parkinson’s disease: 20,552
13. Essential hypertension and hypertensive renal disease (high blood pressure, kidney failure caused by high blood pressure): 25,651
12. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis: 30, 444
11. Septicemia (systemic infection): 35,587
10. Intentional self-harm (suicide): 36,547
9. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (kidney disease): 48,714
8. Influenza and pneumonia: 53,582
7. Diabetes mellitus (diabetes): 68,504
6. Alzheimer’s disease: 78,889
5. Accidents (unintentional injuries): 117,176
4. Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke): 128,603
3. Chronic lower respiratory diseases (emphysema, chronic bronchitis): 137,082
2. Malignant neoplasms (cancer): 568,668
1. Diseases of heart (mainly heart attack): 598,607
Interesting. Now the comment.
Anonymous said…
The leading cause of death in the world is abortion, not disease.
There are approximately 1.2 million abortions per year in the US. Compare that to all the other leading causes and you realize there is no comparison. Over twice as many people die from abortion each year as the next leading cause. Double.
Think about how many lives we would save if we could just cure abortion.
September 4, 2011 at 5:57 pm
>I'm also aware of lots of bad, bad things that have happened in my family, but I haven't lost my belief that the institution of the family is a very good thing.
Sure, but let's say you caught your grandfather raping your sister, would you help cover it up? Tell your sister if she rats out grandpa you'll have her sent to prison to be further abused? After all Gramps gives wicked Christmas presents, wouldn't want to lose out on that!
No, I don't think you would, I think you would call the police because you're probably a decent person who knows right from wrong.
At least I hope that's how you are.
However the Church's evils are so far removed from your personal experience to the point of near abstraction you let it go. Why? Because you don't think beyond yourself, you don't think about how those children suffered, how the current Pope conspired to keep them in the dark because the Vatican's "infallible" reputation was of more value and how you are a small but vital part of that machinery. You and every other Catholic help keep it going.
You have Jesus and the security that brings and that's something you clearly need so out of a literal selfishness you won't even begin to jeopardize it.
And that's not thinking much beyond your own self?
September 6, 2011 at 1:23 pm
If you are still following this, I am sorry about your great anger and frustration. I hope that you know, somewhere deep inside, that God loves you, that He willed your existence and that He stands at the door of your heart patiently waiting to be invited in. I pray that you will come to allow yourself to know His peace.
September 6, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Ironically, my faith as well as my utter assuredness that I'm on the right path are often reaffirmed when I read the illogical and nonsensical "thinking" of people like "salvage." Thank God I am not mired in the darkness he currently wallows in. I pray that one day he opens his eyes and learns something. Keep trolling here, salvage — perhaps you'll eventually receive some residual enlightenment.