The Shocking Truth

This morning while James and I were at the gym, we noticed the news story on the Today show that told of Michele Bachmann's stab towards candidate and Texas governor, Rick Perry during a debate. Apparently it was Rick Perry who passed the law that states that all 12 year old girls are required to be vaccinated against Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which causes virtually all cases of cervical cancer and genital warts (http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=14381). Bachmann's point was that you should not require parents to give their child this vaccine especially when it has been shown to cause retardation. Of course, the news station quickly said her claims of retardation were unsubstantiated. The vaccine is strongly recommended by respected medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Cancer Society to prevent cervical cancer, and they would know, right?  That's what we all hope, but that is not the case because we live in a fallen world. No matter how much evidence that this is true, the government and pharmaceutical companies will never admit to it because of liability and the billions of dollars that they make on vaccines. But I believe that just as we are (as Christians) to search the Scriptures to see if what we are hearing is true, so also it is our responsibility to research things that the government and doctors tell us. Because as a result of the fall, we have a sin nature and so the love of money, pride, and power are the motivation for most people in the world.

After watching the news story, James made a reference to a billboard that is on Montana interstates (specifically the one just outside of Bozeman on your way to Butte). It reads: "Montana is dead last in child vaccines" and then goes on to say something like, "help Montana kids stay healthy." He posed the question to me: "Since Montana is dead last in child vaccines, I wonder what our autism rate is compared to other states?" So I looked it up online and as I presumed, Montana is #49 with 270 autistic children, as compared to California who is #1 with 24,863 autistic children. Granted, California has more people, but this finding still reveals a lot about the relationship between child vaccines and autism.

I have to admit, I am not naive in this issue. I have read and heard stories of parents dealing with autistic children (whose child was normal until immediately after their infant vaccines), read articles about Mercury Poisoning and the difference between vaccines 20 years ago and today, and heard many doctors put guilt trips on parents who don't vaccinate their children. I even read one story where the little girl was perfectly normal and happy until she got her last few vaccines, and she screamed uncontrollably for 24 hours immediately after the vaccine and then started showing signs of autism in the months to follow (yelling uncontrollably all day, etc..). When they brought their new born baby to the doctor a few years later, and refused the vaccines, the doctor was outwardly angry and told the mother that she was a bad parent. How crazy is that? I also read of a one year old who died after getting the MMR vaccine. The government is paying them $250,000 - like that will make up for it. Other stories reveal that the infant vaccines may not only cause autism but also death. This website is one of many who share shocking stories. http://crystalchild.wordpress.com/2011/01/22/vaccine-injury-blog-list/

So why is there suddenly an epedemic of autism that didn't exist 20 years ago? Well, the facts show that they are putting A LOT more mercury into the vaccinations (infant vaccination, flu shots, H1N1 vaccines, etc...).

"Mom's Against Mercury" writes in an article:

"During the manufacturing process, antibiotics (neomycin, polymyxin B and gentamicin) are added to eliminate stray bacteria found in the mixture. The final solution can contain the following additives in any combination: Triton X-100 (a detergent); polysorbate 80 (a potential carcinogen); gelatin; formaldehyde; and residual egg proteins. In addition, many of the influenza vaccines still contain thimerosal as a preservative. Thimerosal (mercury) is being investigated for its link to brain injury and autoimmune disease" (http://momsagainstmercury.org/mercury.htm). 

Vaccinationnews.com says in their article:

"A review of medical literature indicates that the characteristics of autism and of mercury poisoning (HgP) are strikingly similar...The parallels between the two diseases are so thorough as to suggest, based on total Hg injected into U.S. children, that many cases of autism are a form of mercury poisoning.For these children, the exposure route is childhood vaccines, most of which contain thimerosal, a preservative which is 49.6% ethylmercury by weight. The amount of mercury a typical child under two years receives from vaccinations equates to 237.5 micrograms, or 3.53 x 1017 molecules (353,000,000,000,000,000 molecules). Most such vaccinal Hg may not be excreted and instead migrates to the brain.
(http://www.vaccinationnews.com/DailyNews/July2001/AutismUniqueMercPoison.htm)

So then you might ask, "Why don't all children react to the mercury and develop autism?" To state it simply, everyone's bodies are different and react differently to things. vaccinationnews.com states it more medically.

"A thorough review of medical literature and U.S. government data indicates (i) that many and perhaps most cases of idiopathic autism, in which an extended period of developmental normalcy is followed by an emergence of symptoms, are induced by early exposure to Hg; (ii) that this type of autism represents a unique form of Hg poisoning (HgP); (iii) that excessive Hg exposure from thimerosal in vaccine injections is an etiological mechanism for causing the traits of autism; (iv) that certain genetic and non-genetic factors establish a predisposition whereby thimerosal's adverse effects occur only in some children; and (v) that vaccinal Hg in thimerosal is causing a heretofore unrecognized mercurial syndrome" 

Though refusing these vaccines for you children and refusing to get vaccines as an adult will cause doctors to rebuke you sharply, peers to look at you strangely, or schools to require you to fill out an exempt form for your child, isn't it worth it? As Christians we are looked down on by the world - teachers rebuke our belief in creationism, man made in the image of God, sin, and the like; peers make fun of high schoolers who don't smoke, drink, cuss, or sleep around; and doctors are dumbfounded by cancer patients who "hope in God' and "consider it all joy" in the midst of trials. So, how is this any different? 

I think it was in Massachusetts where they were trying to make it a law that you could not spank your child because that would be inflicting upon their rights. People who are hyper-conscious about what they eat, are overly concerned about mercury in fish (and so they won't eat it unless it comes from Whole Foods Market). But if we go the Massachusetts logic, don't vaccines infringe upon a child's rights because they don't choose to get them - and what if they react badly and become autistic or even die? They didn't have a choice. And if you use the logic of the person who is "hyper-conscious" about what they eat, well don't you think the amount of mercury in vaccines is much more harmful than that which is in fish? Everyone sees things through their worldview glasses - environmentalists see things through the view that "mother earth" is #1 and should be worshiped; liberals see things through the lenses of Atheism, relativism, and human entitlement (to state a few); Christians should see things through the lenses of the Bible. So do we? Do we treat our bodies as a temple of the Holy Spirit? We have such strong convictions about theology, abortion, and homosexuality, but not medicine?

This is something I feel very strongly about and I hope you will research it for yourself and make a decision. In this case, ignorance is not bliss.

 

Oh Deer!: Shedding Light On What It's Like Being Married To An Addict

It's amazing to think that just three short years ago I was a naive Californian who arrived in the" middle of nowhere" in Montana and now I'm married to a Montana man and happily living in this amazing place. I was too embarrassed to admit it then, but for my first semester at Montana Wilderness School of The Bible I had no idea what a shed was. After a shy Google search and some explanation from a native Montanan, I felt a lot less naive.

Now, I am obsessed with them. Not as much as James, though. He is motivated by elk and sheds. He really is addicted to shed hunting (and that's not a bad thing). When we go hiking, no matter how vigorous the terrain or how exhausted I am, he is determined to find elk sign or a shed on the ground. I might be inclined to feel neglected while I'm whimpering as we spend 8 hours climbing straight up hills, straight down hills, side stepping across mountainsides, or walking over hundreds of dead fallen trees, but his determination and fascination with finding these hidden treasures in the woods brings me great joy. 

I only know of one person who is more obsessed with shed hunting than James, and he has hundreds of sheds to prove it. For those of you in California, male deer, elk, and moose grow antlers each year that fall off in the late winter/early spring, and the cycle continues. Each year they grow larger antlers and so their shed can be quite impressive. They are actually worth some money, but we search for them for the excitement of the treasure hunt, the joy that comes when finding one, and to grow our collection. 

I love looking for them too. I can't really describe the excitement that comes when on this shed treasure hunt. Though I haven't found too many, I know there are many more to be found in my future. I already know what I'll say if I find an elk shed. When I finally do find one though, my remark probably won't seem as clever as it does now.

(My First Shed)

 

(My second shed. Not too impressive, but at least I found something)

James was bow hunting on Saturday (the first day of bow season) and though he didn't see or kill an elk, he came back with a great find, a moose shed. It gave him great joy and when he showed me, I was ecstatic as well. So ecstatic that I actually put a dent in a piece of our furniture because I set it down too hard. Whoops!

 

("Moose are....wherever you find them" - Aubrey) 

And yes, the more impressive sheds James finds, the more Montanan our decor becomes. But with the proper placement, they make our apartment look like a million "bucks"!

Duty AND Delight

One thing that I am always thinking about in my Christian walk is balancing my emotional relationship with Jesus and being theological grounded by reading God's Word. Sometimes I'll rush through my devotions more focused on finishing so that I can complete my to-do list rather than enjoying God and taking advantage of my free mornings. But when I start to feel like my spiritual walk is dry, God reminds me of His presence. Like this past week while listening to my favorite hymns while cooking or while I was standing in a small church this past Sunday singing hymns with just a piano and organ that I began to get teary eyed because of the joy in my soul, the remorse over my sin, and the obvious presence of the Holy Spirit. I love when God blesses me with these sweet moments. It is then that I am reminded that I must have duty and delight. I must be devoted so that I can take time in the morning to read AND to pray, and not be distracted by my chores for the day. But I must delight in Jesus, be sensitive to His presence, and show the love of Jesus that I have in my heart. So this week I resolve to love Jesus by actually LIVING OUT the theological truths that I love so much (e.g. God's sovereignty and mercy).