Adult Stem Cell Research Shows Promise

Pro-life Christians are opposed to embryonic stem cell research because the harvesting of the stem cells requires the killing of the embryo, but Christian groups have been touting breakthroughs in adult stem cell research.

According to a story in the May 4 DC Examiner, an associate professor of pathology and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University is making strides in what is being called “ethical adult stem cell research.”

Dr. Lee Martin discovered adult stem cells in the nose region, and their discovery is showing success in various animal models of degenerative nervous system disorders. Martin says the research could lead to a cure for, or at least a powerful treatment for, symptoms of spinal muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Martin’s research was done on laboratory mice, but it shows great promise for human patients.

(EP News)

Survey: Americans Don’t Trust Daily Newspapers

Nearly half of Americans believe little or nothing of what they read in America’s daily newspapers, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

The New York Times boasts millions of readers, yet only 21 percent of them say they believe what they read in the “newspaper of record.” Of those surveyed, 14 percent said they believed almost nothing they read in the Times.

Danny Schechter, editor of MediaChannel.org, said, “The deeper problem with the New York Times is that it tends to focus on the beltway, on the establishment, and as a platform for a very predictable range of views.”

Bill Keller, executive editor of the New York Times, said the paper is considering increasing its coverage of religion in America as a way to win back readers’ trust. “We could use not only more reporting on religion, but a different tone in our reporting on religion,” Keller said.

He added that the 2004 election led newspapers to take a second look at what readers want: “The tone of the debate…served a constructive purpose for the media generally in making us a little more aware that we should be seeking out stories about the role that religion plays in the lives of Americans.”

(Kim Trobee/EP News)

Youth in the Surveys

Recent surveys have concluded that:

Ninety-eight percent of English teachers surveyed believe Bible literacy gives students a distinct educational advantage, and 90 percent believe biblical knowledge is crucial for a good education. 

The majority of America’s teenagers believe in God, but they have difficulty expressing their faith, and their religious knowledge is “meager, nebulous, and often fallacious.”

Men and women who had practiced chastity through age 18—when surveyed 20 years later—had about half the risk of divorce, had completed more education, and had about 20 percent more income each year than those who were not chaste. 

(EP News)