Recent news articles have speculated about the "end of Western civilization." Interestingly enough, as you read through those articles, the reasons put forth for the end of our way of life have stemmed from our lack of energy conservation awareness to our addiction to oil for our energy needs. Political issues, environmental issues, educational issues are all put forth as arenas for the salvation of mankind.

An ongoing study provides shocking insights into dangerous deceptions from the most trusted individuals in the life of a child—his or her parents. Is it harmful to tell children that Santa Claus is real? Is it simply encouraging them to use their God-given imagination, thereby broadening their future mental potential? What effect does parental lying have on the minds of impressionable youth?

From December 26–January 1, several million Americans will be celebrating Kwanzaa, a "harvest festival" first proclaimed in 1966 to celebrate blessings of African heritage. How should we view this recently-devised holiday?

As a news hound, that is, one who follows what is happening on the world scene, I am often struck by the lack of civility in political discourse, news reporting and in daily interaction between people in all walks of life. There is a strident tone, a hard edge in many—if not most—exchanges that involve differences of opinion. Whether it is on the floor of Congress, in the chambers of Parliament, in countries large and small, contention seems to be the spirit of the times.

The 25th of November 2009 was the 150th anniversary of the publishing of Darwin's "Origin of the species." In that context, an article in the Toronto Star by journalist Stephen Marche brought forward arguments that for a couple of minutes kept me in suspense. Could we really have a journalist saying that the Bible was true?