Evidence for God in Morality Archives

August 18, 2025August 17, 2025

The Story of Clementine Breen and Gender Transition

The issue of gender transition for children is one of the great tragedies in today’s world. Not only is this a biblical issue with Genesis 2:15-24 making it clear that God’s design was a product of His wisdom and purpose, but it is a scientific issue with transgender children having a shortened life full of drugs and medical procedures. The story of Clementine Breen is an example.

A young lady named Clementine Breen is suing the medical establishment for inflicting irreversible damage upon her. She was just 12 years old when counselors and doctors told her she was really a boy. Clementine was sexually abused as a child, leaving her terrified of growing into womanhood. This led to “weird behavioral issues.”

Instead of receiving help with the damage of her past, Clementine was rushed into “transition” drugs and the removal of her healthy breasts. Medical providers scared Clementine’s parents into believing she was “high risk” for suicide. They asked her parents a cliché question we have heard many times, “Would you rather have a dead daughter or a living son?”

Doctors gave Clementine puberty blockers when she was 12 years old, testosterone at 13, and a double mastectomy at 14. During this time, her mental health worsened, and she struggled with bouts of psychosis and even attempted suicide. At age 17, Clementine was encouraged by her providers to have a hysterectomy, but she refused. In 2024, Clementine stopped taking testosterone and found a counselor who helped her understand how her past had led her to become a trans person. She is now a college student and says, “I am a woman.”

Some children have found a temporary peace with their gender change, but ultimately, the negative results of the drugs and surgeries become obvious. There is a massive need for the story of Clementine Breen to be known by families, counselors, and doctors, who must understand that gender change procedures are not a positive way to meet the needs of troubled children. Humans should not be playing God with children’s lives when the results are catastrophic.

Reference: Alliance Defending Freedom newsletter for August 2025.

August 14, 2025August 13, 2025

Fraud in Scientific Research Data

Fraud is something we encounter in every area of life, including religion, business, and science. Some scientists are becoming very concerned about fraud in scientific research data. They face pressure to publish research papers to secure grants, advance their careers, or gain prestige. When financial gain is involved, scientists may be tempted to falsify the statistics they report. A recent study suggests that the number of fraudulent scientific publications is growing “at a rate far outpacing that of legitimate science.”

Scientists rely on the work of others and depend on the accuracy of published research. When data is falsified for financial gain, it can be deadly, especially in medical research. Faking scientific data for personal gain damages scientific knowledge. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly important across many fields, including medicine. If AI is trained on false data, it creates even bigger problems.

Reputable scientific journals are supposed to publish “peer-reviewed” research, but sometimes they must retract articles once errors are found. Other predatory journals publish without verifying the accuracy of the research. One British journal stopped publishing, and a criminal organization took over its domain, posting fraudulent research. Even legitimate science journals can be hacked by bribing employees. Often, fraudulent science comes from developing countries or nations with weak moral standards.

The point is that, like all human endeavors, there are instances of fraud in scientific research data. We often say that science and faith in God are friends, not enemies. True science about God’s creation and genuine faith in God and His word must align, as they both come from the same trustworthy source. However, humans are not always trustworthy, and that truth applies to both science and religion.

References: space.com and pnas.com

August 1, 2025July 31, 2025

Toad Churches Are Not the Answer

Americans have come up with some strange ways to replace Christian faith. About 10 years ago, a news story reported that smoking dried secretions from the skin of “trippy toads” (better known as Sonoran Desert toads or Colorado River toads) could produce an intense psychedelic high. To avoid legal issues, people claimed that smoking these dried secretions was an Indigenous religious practice. The truth is that no tribe ever did this, but a market for toad slime grew, putting Sonoran Desert toads on the brink of extinction. Toad churches continue to emerge.

In 2021, a new toad church appeared in Texas, calling itself the Church of Psilomethoxin. They reach out to veterans suffering from PTSD. Like all alternatives for those who reject Christianity, this movement offers no real purpose, only temporary pleasure, and it can cause great harm to both people and toads.

The long-term effects of all drugs are significant. In the 1960s, Timothy Leary promoted LSD and started the Harvard Psilocybin project to support his claims. Forty years later, the disastrous consequences of LSD use are well known. We’re beginning to see the long-term impacts of marijuana, and alcohol remains the most destructive drug mankind has developed.

Rejecting the teachings of Jesus Christ and turning to temporary highs always leads to negative outcomes. Toad churches are just one example among many attempts by skeptics of Christianity to find an alternative.

References: vice.com and wikipedia.org

July 30, 2025July 29, 2025

Free Will: Is It an Illusion?

Did you decide to read this article, or do you just think you made that decision? Do you have the ability to choose or reject any action? When we hear about someone murdering another person or a group of people, did that person choose to do it? Those who deny that we have free will argue that we cannot make our own decisions because the molecules in our brain neurons, our environment, and circumstances control us. This is the view held by atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Stephen Hawking.

Those who deny the existence of free will are materialists, believing that matter is all that exists. What we call our mind is merely the accidental activity of atoms and molecules in our nerve cells. Since these accidents direct our actions, free will is just an illusion. The atheist attorney Clarence Darrow, of Scopes trial fame, wrote, “It has been generally assumed that man was created different from all the rest of animal life; that man alone was endowed with a soul and with the power to tell good from evil; … that man not only knew good from evil, but was endowed with “free will,” and had the power to choose between good and evil…As a matter of fact, every scientific man knows that the origin of life is quite different from this; that the whole current conception of the individual and his responsibility is a gross error…”

Darrow’s views stem from his belief in materialistic evolution. We must ask, “If we have no free will to choose our actions, why do we think we do?” Of course, the atheist would say that blind and undirected evolution has planted within us the illusion that we can make free will choices. If we are nothing but accidental collections of atoms, the mind is an illusion, and free will cannot be possible. If what we perceive as design in the natural world is only an illusion, then free will is also an illusion. If there is an ultimate MIND that created this universe, life, and our minds, that would explain why we see design in the universe, our solar system, planet Earth, life, and our bodies. If God does not exist, there is no design, no purpose, and no free will.

As I consider this scenario, I wonder how anyone can truly live life believing there is no design, purpose, or free will. Most casual atheists probably have not considered the implications of their worldview, or they choose not to dwell on them. They simply say, “There is no God, so just enjoy life.” But how can you choose to enjoy life if you have no real choice? It seems to me that this whole atheist mindset, worldview, philosophy—whatever you want to call it—denies reality. Design in the universe and in nature is real, and so is our ability to choose. Therefore, choose wisely.

Reference: “Crime: Its Cause and Treatment” by Clarence Darrow

July 8, 2025July 7, 2025

The Power to Change

One of the greatest barriers to improving things in our world today is resistance to change. Without needed change, situations deteriorate and human misery increases. This is true on every level, from moral to political. Racism of the past must be abandoned, as does anti-Christian and anti-Jewish hatred. What society needs is the power to change.

The Bible’s key concept on this subject is “repentance.” Repentance is not confessing everything you did that was wrong. Repentance means changing the way you think. In Acts 2:38, Peter gave the key to having God’s Spirit work in our lives. Many preachers emphasized the baptism part of what Peter said, and the result is that people got wet with no change in their lives. They totally missed the power to change.

Peter’s message was, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is God living in us and giving us the power to change. The first step to achieving a meaningful life change is to change the way you think. If you don’t change how you think, baptism is meaningless.

The Bible is full of stories about men who changed their way of thinking. Moses changed from a weak Egyptian prince to a leader of Israel. Jonah changed from a man running from God to a spokesman to Nineveh. Peter changed from a denier to a proclaimer, and Paul changed from a persecutor to a preacher. Change is not easy, and it can take time to change old habits.

The journey to change begins with thinking differently, allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us, and then acting on what God has called you to do. Those Biblical examples are beyond most of us, but God has a purpose for everyone. God doesn’t create any junk, but He also doesn’t force us to accept the ministry He calls us to. Your calling may be in agriculture or industry. It may be helping someone with physical, mental, or emotional needs. It may be raising or teaching children.

God gives us the power to change, but it doesn’t happen until we change our thinking.

June 19, 2025June 18, 2025

Collateral Damage of Cohabitation

If you listen to today’s music, whether country, heavy metal, folk, or pop, you will hear that “hooking up” is the thing to do. Television shows and movies add to the commercialization of sex, so we see the collateral damage of cohabitation in the entire entertainment industry.

Roughly 20.1 million couples in the United States live with an unmarried partner. That is approximately 8% of U.S. couples, most of whom are in the 25- to 34-year-old age group. According to Pew Research, by double digits, married adults are more likely to trust their spouse or partner to be faithful to them, to act in their best interest, to always tell them the truth, and to handle money responsibly. That means those who are cohabiting may never experience the complete joy and commitment that God intended for the marriage relationship.

Not only do the participants in cohabitation not know the security or commitment that comes from God’s design for marriage, but they also lose the structure of the nuclear family as God intended. Children grow up living with constant change in their home situation. Those of us who have been foster parents or have adopted children know how hard that is for the kids.

The collateral damage of cohabitation is a worldwide tragedy, with drugs, including alcohol and marijuana, catalyzing the instability of these relationships. Every culture in which marriage and family disintegrate is doomed to collapse. Will America learn from history or repeat it?

Reference: pewresearch.org

June 16, 2025June 15, 2025

The Value of Fathers

Father’s Day brings to mind the value of fathers. Scientific research recently verified something that should not have been a surprise. The study involved scholars from the University of Virginia, Hampton University, and others. The conclusion was that children who have “actively involved fathers” do significantly better academically, emotionally, and behaviorally.

What is an actively engaged father? According to the study, those fathers manage parenting obligations “very well” and regularly share meals with their families at least four times a week. The study found no difference between fathers of different races. It is not the skin color that matters, but rather how actively the father is involved with his children. The educational level also did not affect the value of fathers.

What difference does marriage make? The study revealed that 51% of children with married parents had fathers who were highly engaged. That was the case in only 15% of children who had cohabiting parents.

What is the value of fathers who are actively engaged? The difference they make is in three areas: grades, behavior, and depression. Girls with fathers who are involved in their lives were 8% more likely to have better grades and only one-tenth as likely to be diagnosed with depression. In other words, a supportive father has a profound effect on a girl’s emotional well-being.

For boys, the value of fathers relates more closely to behavioral support. Boys with engaged fathers were 13% less likely to have behavioral issues in school compared to those with non-engaged fathers.

This study analyzed data on children in Virginia; however, the same findings are likely to hold true in other states and even different countries. The family is God’s design, and the greatest success in life results when a married father and mother are wholly committed to each other and work together to support their children. (See Ephesians 6:4.)

References: Fox News and The National Marriage Project