Cross still stands after fire destroys Texas church: ‘A sight to behold’

A fire tore through a Texas church on Friday, leveling the building and destroying nearly everything inside – except for a cross that was still standing among the charred debris.

The fire broke out at the Balsora Baptist Church in Bridgeport and quickly consumed the structure, according to Wise County Emergency Services Department No. 2.

As the flames were put out and the smoke cleared, firefighters spotted the sign of hope still standing. Source: Fox News

World swimming bans transgender athletes from women’s events

World swimming’s governing body has effectively banned transgender women from competing in women’s events, starting Monday.

FINA members widely adopted a new “gender inclusion policy” on Sunday that only permits swimmers who transitioned before age 12 to compete in women’s events. The organization also proposed an “open competition category.” — Source: Times of Israel

Man, 66, Says He Was Barred From Donating Blood After Refusing To Answer If He Was Pregnant

A 66-year-old Scottish man who has donated blood for years says he was turned away after refusing to answer if he was, or had recently been, pregnant.

Leslie Sinclair has donated over 125 pints of blood in the last half century, according to the Daily Mail. But when he most recently showed up to do his part to save lives, he says he was told to fill out a form asking if he was or had been pregnant anytime within the past six months.

“I indicated to the staff that I could not be in this position, but they told me that I must answer, otherwise I would not be able to donate blood,” Sinclair, of the central Scotland town of Stirling, told the Daily Mail. “I told them that it was stupid and that if I had to leave I would not come back and that was it, I got on my bike and left.” Source: Daily Wire

Israel’s ‘Iron Beam’ laser system may help deter Iran’s threat against the Holy Land

Hezbollah frequently launched several of its simplest rockets against Israel but hasn’t launched a major rocket or missile attack against Israel since 2018. The more rockets and missiles launched, the greater their capacity to overwhelm the limited number of defensive missiles that can be fired to intercept them.

The not-so-obvious problem with Iron Dome is that each Tamir missile costs about $50,000. The cost of a typical intercept is $100,000 or $150,000. Israel is a relatively wealthy nation, but those costs are not sustainable because of other demands — social welfare programs among them — on its budget.

What may be a solution to both problems has now been unveiled. Israel’s cheap shot — from its new “Iron Beam” laser system — will cost about $2 for each interception. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced the development of the system in early June. It is expected to be deployed next year. Source: Washington Times

Mind Manipulation: “The Easiest Way to Grab People’s Attention Is to Make Them Frightened”

Yuval Noah Harari: “So if you want to distract the public from issues like government corruption, or deteriorating health care system or deteriorating education system, the best thing is to find an external enemy that threatens the survival of the nation … and this is why very often, even in a situation when there is no real threat, leaders are manufacturing artificial threats.”

Puberty Blockers, Cross-Sex Hormones, and Youth Suicide

Adolescents who are confused about their gender suffer from an abnormally high suicide rate. Though research demonstrates that gender confusion generally resolves itself without medical intervention, some educators and medical professionals encourage teens, and even pre-teens, to take puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones so that their secondary sex characteristics, such as body and facial hair, breast tissue, muscular build, and fat composition, align more closely with the gender with which they identify.

In the past several years, the suicide rate among those ages 12 to 23 has become significantly higher in states that have a provision that allows minors to receive routine health care without parental consent than in states without such a provision. Before 2010, these two groups of states did not differ in their youth suicide rates. Starting in 2010, when puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones became widely available, elevated suicide rates in states where minors can more easily access those medical interventions became observable. Source: Heritage Foundation

Christian Reformed Church Brings LGBT Stance Into Faith Statement

The Christian Reformed Church, a small evangelical denomination of US and Canadian churches, voted Wednesday at its annual synod to codify its opposition to homosexual sex by elevating it to the status of confession, or declaration of faith.

The 123-53 vote at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, caps a process begun in 2016 when a previous synod voted to form a study committee to bring a report on the “biblical theology” of sexuality.

The vote, after two long days of debate, approves a list of what the denomination calls sexual immorality it won’t tolerate, including “adultery, premarital sex, extra-marital sex, polyamory, pornography, and homosexual sex.” Source: Christianity Today