text:
How to really measure the 'Francis effect'
Is the Internet killing religion?
Stop dressing so tacky for church
New doubts about 'Gospel of Jesus' Wife'
9 myths about Hinduism — debunked
Satanists unveil design for statehouse statue
Pastor tries atheism, loses jobs, gains $19,000
Noah's Ark discovery raises flood of questions
Pope Francis' greatest hits of 2013
The Obamacare 'scandal' you haven't heard about
Pope Francis: No more business as usual
Call Jesus (or Santa) white, expect a fight
How Catholic was JFK?
FBI: Rabbis plotted to kidnap husbands
How do advertisers spell trouble? G-O-D
Pope Francis takes the papacy to the people
Pastors push peace at Zimmerman trial
Colbert roasts the Pope
From grief to grace
Creationists taunt atheists in billboard war
Why millennials are leaving the church
Twitter meme: Zimmerman will face higher Judge
Conservatives brace for `marriage revolution'
Sorry, retweeting the pope won't get you out of hell
Church without God – by design
The Gospel of Tony Soprano
Lutherans elect first openly gay bishop
Atheists in heaven? Pope sparks debate
What's Thanksgivukkah?
Pope Francis on gays: `Who am I to judge?'
Rick Warren on guns, God and son's tragic death
By Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor
[twitter-follow screen_name='EricCNNBelief']
Lake Forest, California (CNN) — In his first interview since his son's suicide in April, famed pastor Rick Warren told CNN that he knew his son, Matthew, had bought a gun, dismissed rumors that Matthew was gay and said he doesn't blame God for the tragedy.
"I have cried every single day since Matthew died," Warren said Tuesday in an exclusive interview with CNN.
"But that - that's actually a good thing. Grief is a good thing. It's the way we get through the transitions of life."
Rick Warren and his wife, Kay, founded Saddleback Church in Southern California in 1980, growing it from a small congregation to a multisite megachurch with some 20,000 weekly worshippers.
Warren is also author of the spiritual self-help guide "The Purpose Driven Life," one of the best-selling books of all time, with more 36 million copies sold.
But even as the Warrens grew in prominence - attending conferences with presidents and prime ministers - their son Matthew struggled with borderline personality disorder and deep depression, they said during an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan.
The Warrens said they are opening up about their son's tragic death because they hope to end the stigma of mental illness and save another family from the pain they suffer.
They have slowly returned to the spotlight since grieving in private for five months.
MORE ON CNN: The five things you need to know about Rick Warren
Matthew Warren visited his parents on the night of April 5, just like so many nights before.
"I had made him dinner," Kay Warren told CNN. "He laid his head down on the kitchen table and he just said 'I'm so tired.' He just said 'I'm so tired.'"
After a hug from his dad, Matthew left his parents' house and went back to his own. He and his mom began texting, and the conversation veered toward suicide, Kay Warren said.
"I knew it was very desperate. And I also knew he – I knew he had a gun."
Earlier, Matthew had told his parents he had illegally obtained a gun online - but if they called the police about the gun he would kill himself instantly.
Matthew Warren had tried to legally purchase a gun many times, his family said. Each time he was rebuffed because he had been forcibly admitted to a mental institution, a red flag on a California background check.
"We're grateful that the laws kept Matthew from getting the gun for as long as it did," Rick Warren said.
When Matthew hit a roadblock buying a gun, he turned to other options.
"He was so desperate to end the pain," Kay Warren said.
Ten days earlier, Matthew had tried to end his life by overdosing on pills, the Warrens said, one of several suicide attempts in his young life.
Matthew had begged his mother to help him die, Kay Warren said.
"I will do anything to help you live," she recalls telling him, "but I will not help you take your life."
The texting between Matthew and Kay Warren went on for hours on the night of April 5.
Then it stopped.
The Warrens headed to Matthew's house. He did not come to the door. The lights were on, and they decided to leave, worried if they called the police Matthew would make good on his fatal promise.
The next morning they went back to his house. The lights were still on.
This time they called the police.
Rick and Kay Warren stood outside their son's home sobbing in each others' arms.
They knew.
A nod from a police officer who inspected Matthew's house confirmed the worst.
"I just hit the ground," Kay Warren said.
Matthew had access to mental health care and all the love in the world but not even that could spare him, Rick Warren said.
"If love could have kept my child alive, he'd be alive today, because he was incredibly loved," the pastor said.
The evangelical Christian said he doesn't blame God for his son's death.
"I never questioned my faith in God; I questioned God's plan," Rick Warren said. "God isn't the blame for my son's death. My son took his life. It was his choice."
Kay Warren said the family's faith and community support got them through the past five months. Condolence cards poured in from around the world; 30,000 by Saddleback Church's count.
In their grief, Rick and Kay Warren said they turned to a familiar source, the Bible.
For Kay Warren, a verse from the New Testament brings comfort, she said. "It says our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory."
She recites the verse when visiting her son's grave.
"Matthew's body was broken. That gun broke his body and he was buried in brokenness. But he's going to be raised in glory."
GALLERY: Rick Warren over the years
The Warrens said they struggle with anger that their son died using an illegally obtained firearm.
Before his death, Matthew told his parents he bought the gun online, but wouldn't tell them from whom.
Investigators said the serial number was filed off when they recovered it from the scene. So far police have not been able to determine who sold Matthew Warren the gun.
"One of the hard things was forgiving the person who sold him the gun," Rick Warren said. "Because I didn't want to forgive him."
But the Warrens said their Christian faith, rooted in the belief that their own sins had been forgiven by Jesus, enabled them to forgive the person who sold the gun to their son.
"I don't want to be tied to that person emotionally for the rest of my life," Kay Warren said.
Slightly more than half of Americans - 53% - think churches should do more to prevent suicide in America, according to a new poll by LifeWay Research, a Christian company based in Nashville.
Nearly half of evangelicals (48%) say people with serious mental illnesses like depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia can be cured by Bible study and prayer alone. Sixty percent of Americans overall disagree.
The Warrens said Matthew had access to good health care, but the system sometimes puts obstacles between families and their mentally ill loved ones.
Kay Warren pointed to difficulty families have in getting mentally ill family members help because of laws on patient privacy.
"The right to privacy and that right to autonomy, it's a dance," she said.
"I don't have good answers. It's a dance. So we've got to do a better job with that."
Because the Warrens are conservative Christians who oppose same-sex marriage, rumors circulated about Matthew's sexuality in the days after his death.
The Warrens dismissed those rumors in the CNN interview.
"Well, first, Matthew wasn't gay, " Rick Warren said, "but if he was, we would have loved him unconditionally anyway. It wouldn't have made one difference at all."
The Warrens said they have tried to stay away from online criticism and the rumors surrounding Matthew's death so they can focus on his legacy: raising awareness about mental illness.
Asked why they had not prioritized mental illness earlier, the Warrens said that they did not want to thrust their troubled son into the limelight.
"It was his story to tell," Rick Warren said.
Now telling Matthew's story falls to his parents.
They want the world to remember a young man who was "funny, quirky, ridiculously silly."
On his headstone the family put "compassionate warrior."
They have established the Matthew Warren Fund to honor his memory. Rick Warren said they will wait a year and then hope to use the funds to help those struggling with mental illness and their families.
The Warrens want to spread the word that even though their story had a tragic ending, "There's hope," Kay Warren said. "It's so important that people know, no matter how desperate their despair, there is hope, and not to give up."
Daniel Burke - CNN Religion Editor
Filed under: Death • Faith • Guns • Leaders • Violence
Next entry »New interview shows why the pope is so beloved
« Previous entryThe five things you need to know about Rick Warren
InsanityPrevails
INB4 Oh crap, guys! It has the word God in it! Brace yourselves for the rage war!
rcj112
I am very sorry for theis couples' loss, but it seems to me Matthew mya have been more tormented over his orientation and the beleifs of his family as appose to a "mental" illness.
An Interent Atheist
What orientation?
Bob Bobman
Ok, so the lesson in all this is that it was God's plan that his son shoot himself in the head?
Really?!!!
If you believe in a "God" that has such "plans", you are suffering from a severe mental illness called religion.
Just another illustration of the mental gymnastics one has to engage in to preserve the delusion of an imaginary sky daddy.
Ok, it was evolution's plan. Or his death was just some random occurrence that in the grand scheme of things doesn't mater. Why are you so worried about how they are trying to cope with this totally illogical and unreasonable unfortunate act that unfolded in their life?
Rob123
He questioned God's plan, but decided there was too much money to be made in the Mega-
church business.
Tea Party Patriot
Every month when I can and the Good Lord willing, I send a few dollars to SarahPAC, which as you know is Sarah Palin's political action committee.
Boisepoet
At first glance, this appears to be off-topic...but since we are discussing mental illness, your actions fit the topic.
asdrel
What does that have to do with this article. I think you should be ashamed of yourself for using an article about a young man's tragic death and his family's grief to sound off about your allegiance to a PAC.
There is a guy who is completely obsessed with hating Sarah Palin on here. He scans the tv, newspapers and internet looking for mentioning of her. When there is none, he comes here and posts random and off topic remarks about her.
Poor guy.
You must be talking about palintwit. He/she is absolutely hilarious. and I look forward to his/her posts.
Pig in a Poke
I kind of do the same thing only I just wad it up and flush it down the toilet.
Linda Bullock
Satan did his worst to the Warrens, BUT God used it to display His Best. The love, compassion, forgiveness and hope of this family was nothing short of divine. Just a glimpse of heaven here on earth.
doobzz
Those two are your god's best?
That's explains why he designed humans with an amusement park located in a sewage system.
Typical scenario:
It's a redneck trailer-court, Pop is getting ready to go job hunting for the day. "Honey, where is my refill mug for Starbucks?" His wife, taking the 5 cigarettes out of her mouth, drawls, "baby, I don't think Starbucks does them refill things. Why don't you get Bubba and Bobo to make a pot and make sure you get your guns strapped on before headin' out!"
That is SO unrealistic and unfair! I mean, rednecks can't even afford Starbucks in the first place!
mike electrician
Sorry for the loss Rick, but God's plan is like George Seurat's painting, we as humans are standing inches from the surface, and can only see rough blotches and a series of dots of the divine plan, whereas God has a box seat and views it in its glorious entirety.
And you know this how?
God doesn't have a plan.
Want to know why?
Anyone who thinks that God's plan is for their son to shoot himself in the head is quite insane.
Exhibit A: His son is quite dead despite all of his prayers.
And despite access to the best mental health care. Medication. Therapy. And love.
All those things don't work, hu? We should just give up on trying to help mentally ill people?
If you are in fact praying to the all-powerful creator of the universe, why would you need to seek any other help?
Unless of course "God" just does his "will" no matter what.
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
By the fig and the olive.
Mount Sinai.
And this honored town (Mecca).* 95:1-3
*95:1-3 The fig, olive, Sinai and Mecca possibly symbolize Adam, Jesus, Moses, Abraham and Muhammad, respectively. Thus, all major religions are represented.
We created man in the best design.
Then turned him into the lowliest of the lowly.
Except those who believe and lead a righteous life; they receive a reward that is well deserved.
Why do you still reject the faith?
Is God not the Most Wise, of all the wise ones? 95:4-8
"The example of Jesus, as far as GOD is concerned, is the same as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, "Be," and he was." Quran [3:59]
It does not befit God that He begets a son, be He glorified. To have anything done, He simply says to it, "Be," and it is. [19:35]
"No soul can carry the sins of another soul. If a soul that is loaded with sins implores another to bear part of its load, no other soul can carry any part of it, even if they were related. ... [35:18]
"They even attribute to Him sons and daughters, without any knowledge. Be He glorified. He is the Most High, far above their claims." Quran [6:100]
"Recall that your Lord said to the angels, "I am placing a representative on Earth." They said, "Will You place therein one who will spread evil therein and shed blood, while we sing Your praises, glorify You, and uphold Your absolute authority?" He said, "I know what you do not know." [2:30]
"They say , "We live only this life; we will not be resurrected. If you could only see them when they stand before their Lord! He would say, "Is this not the truth?" They would say, "Yes, by our Lord." He would say, "You have incurred the retribution by your disbelief." [6:30]
And god created fart.
Forget that old stuff...the FSM baked your god into a lasagne and we ate him...no leftovers, so you can throw that book away and get a good Italian cook book.
bmurdoc
Here is a partial list of the over 2500 inconsistencies and contradictions in the bible. Care to explain them please? Does God make mistakes?
GE 1:3-5 On the first day, God created light, then separated light and darkness.
GE 1:14-19 The sun (which separates night and day) wasn't created until the fourth day.
GE 1:11-12, 26-27 Trees were created before man was created.
GE 2:4-9 Man was created before trees were created.
GE 1:20-21, 26-27 Birds were created before man was created.
GE 2:7, 19 Man was created before birds were created.
GE 1:24-27 Animals were created before man was created.
GE 2:7, 19 Man was created before animals were created.
GE 1:26-27 Man and woman were created at the same time.
GE 2:7, 21-22 Man was created first, woman sometime later.
GE 1:28 God encourages reproduction.
LE 12:1-8 God requires purification rites following childbirth which, in effect, makes childbirth a sin. (Note: The period for purification following the birth of a daughter is twice that for a son.)
GE 1:31 God was pleased with his creation.
GE 6:5-6 God was not pleased with his creation.
(Note: That God should be displeased is inconsistent with the concept of omniscience as well as with the fact that God allegedly does not change his mind: NU 23:19-20, 1SA 15:29, JA 1:17.)
GE 2:4, 4:26, 12:8, 22:14-16, 26:25 God was already known as "the Lord" (Jahveh or Jehovah) much earlier than the time of Moses.
EX 6:2-3 God was first known as "the Lord" (Jahveh or Jehovah) at the time of the Egyptian Bondage, during the life of Moses.
GE 2:17 Adam was to die the very day that he ate the forbidden fruit.
GE 5:5 Adam lived 930 years.
GE 2:15-17, 3:4-6 It is wrong to want to be able to tell good from evil.
HE 5:13-14 It is immature to be unable to tell good from evil.
GE 4:4-5 God prefers Abel's offering and has no regard for Cain's.
2CH 19:7, AC 10:34, RO 2:11 God shows no partiality. He treats all alike.
GE 4:9 God asks Cain where his brother Able is.
PR 15:3, JE 16:17, 23:24-25, HE 4:13 God is everywhere. He sees everything. Nothing is hidden from his view.
GE 4:15, DT 32:19-27, IS 34:8 God is a vengeful god.
EX 15:3, IS 42:13, HE 12:29 God is a warrior. God is a consuming fire.
EX 20:5, 34:14, DT 4:24, 5:9, 6:15, 29:20, 32:21 God is a jealous god.
LE 26:7-8, NU 31:17-18, DT 20:16-17, JS 10:40, JG 14:19, EZ 9:5-7 The Spirit of God is (sometimes) murder and killing.
NU 25:3-4, DT 6:15, 9:7-8, 29:20, 32:21, PS 7:11, 78:49, JE 4:8, 17:4, 32:30-31, ZP 2:2 God is angry. His anger is sometimes fierce.
2SA 22:7-8 (KJV) "I called to the Lord; ... he heard my voice; ... The earth trembled and quaked, ... because he was angry. Smoke came from his nostrils. Consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it."
EZ 6:12, NA 1:2, 6 God is jealous and furious. He reserves wrath for, and takes revenge on, his enemies. "... who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and rocks are thrown down by him."
2CO 13:11, 14, 1JN 4:8, 16 God is love.
GA 5:22-23 The fruit of the Spirit of God is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
GE 4:16 Cain went away (or out) from the presence of the Lord.
JE 23:23-24 A man cannot hide from God. God fills heaven and earth.
http://www.genesispark.com/essays/contradictions/answered/
How do we help the blind man see?
You need help. GOD's help.
First and foremost, my sympathies to the family for their loss. I think the mindset here needs to be confronted. It's a ridiculous distinction for Warren to say that he questioned God's plan but not his faith in God. Questioning God's plan IS questioning faith in God. There's a reality that Warren just can't deal with: That all the many prayers for his son's healing did nothing except provide a false sense of divine protection. There is no divine plan or purpose to a suicide or anything else for that matter. Stuff just happens and mature & modern humans learn to deal with it without relying on a lot of baseless spiritual mumbo-jumbo. Things are only made better by the effort we make, so get off your knees and roll up your sleeves.
Of course he questioned God's plan. People with these beliefs constantly experience all kinds of cognitive dissonance. Christians that believe in a Divine plan intrigue me. Why do they pray to God asking for stuff? If there is a Divine plan, then it's rather egotistical and arrogant of them to think they that can change God's Mind with a prayer. What is the use of being God if somebody with a two dollar prayer book can come along and change your mind? And then there are those who don't get what they want by praying and they say, "Well, it's God's will." and "Thy will be done." That leads me to ask a simple question: If God is going to do what he wants anyway, then why ask in the first place? Idiots.
mikeaceshadow
Agreed with you Brad. There can only be a God's plan if God existed! There is no God out there and each individual is responsible for his or her life. The rest of it is a game to make money off of the insecure!!
Shamma Lammadingdong
It's not necessarily people who are insecure, but people who have been brainwashed from a young age to believe in this type of thinking. Look at these parents who take a young child and teach him to hate blacks and jews from the get go and idealize Hitler. They didn't develop those beliefs on their own, they were instilled into their young minds by their parents and people of authority. Young minds are easy to mold. Who of us didn't whole heartedly believe in Santa Claus when we were children? It was not until our parents or other children explained to us that it wasn't real that we accepted the fact. It's really no different, other than the fact that generation after generation of human beings on this planet seem to perpetuate the myth of a magical being in the sky and very few people having the ability to think rationally in opposition to what they've been taught their whole life; to go against God's will is to damn yourself to hell and a miss your opportunity to live in some mystical place called heaven when you die.
I want to challenge you on that with some questions. How did the earth and the universe came to be? Since we came from copulation between a man and a woman, who were the first man and woman? How did the first man and woman came to be? How did the animals of the earth came to be? Where did it all started? How is that our bodies naturally function the way they do? How is it that animals acquire these natural instincts? How is that the animal bodies function the way they do in the fight against diseases and other reaction to events that serve to disrupt normal body function? How is that the earth and the environment have its natural way of cleansing itself? How is it that it is important for the plants to use up carbon dioxide and release oxygen so that we, the animals and the fish of the sea can utilize that oxygen as well as to protect us from UV rays in the preservation of the ozone layer?
There are much more questions to put to you but if you can answer the questions that were posed to you with absolute certainty and validity then I will support your belief that no God exists. No scientists, no matter how brilliant they are, are yet to answer these with absolute certainty and validity. NONE. The bible as I know is the most valid piece of information that answers these question with the highest level of confidence. Outside of that, I challenge you to try to give a plausible answer to the questions I posed to you. Just try. Even if you don't believe in the bible, you have to be believe in a higher power to rationalize all of this.
Richard Cranium
"The bible as I know is the most valid piece of information that answers these question with the highest level of confidence."
ANd that is just sad.
No one has ever shown any evidence of any gods existing. There is also no definitive proof that no gods exist, but reason and logic would indicate it is extremely unlikely.
What happens when you die and Quetzlcoatl is angry with you for worshipping your false god?
Lack of understanding does not by default mean a magic sky fairy exists.
What's really ridiculous is that someone once said "everything that is created has to have a creator, therefore the universe needed god to create it...my reply; who created god?...their reply...he has always existed...even when Christians try their hand at logic they fail miserably...
knklnlkn
k bnbk
@dilio, the bible is a collection of myths and fables.
Brad, read this if you have any bit of belief that God exist. If not, I just ask that you have an opened mind. To answer your question, God gave us a path, a path which we have choice or freedom to choose. We can choose to serve Him or we can choose not to but either way there are consequences. God has a plan for us but His plan can only and will only come into play if we trust Him and exercise faith in Him. The responsibility is on us to believe in Him, trust in Him and to submit to Him but not be slack by thinking that we will have nothing to do on our part because God already made out His will. It's not like that. As a result, you constantly have to be communicating with God to stay in touch with your spirituality. When you become weak or lose your spirituality with God, you become depressed, full of anxiety, worried and just not at peace. It is at this point where your faith is really being put to the test to affirm whether you believe in God or not. When people say it's God's will, they are taking comfort in the fact that they have done their best and everything they possibly could do and therefore the rest is really left up to God because their intentions are only to follow God's will. If you are in touch with God, and only seeks to make decision in favour of His will, then you will start appreciate the greatness of God. Many times we get the signs and the revelation from God but choose to ignore it. Sometimes we have a misunderstanding of what God plan is for our life. This can take a whole session to discuss but God's fundamental will is for us to freely submit and follow Him in His ways and the reward will be life and peace.
Been there done that.
Stop making excuses for your imaginary sky daddy.
God is Sovereign whether we believe or disbelieve in Him – He is still coming back.
@linda, the chances that your god is real and the absurd doctrines legitimate are infinitesimally small.
@dilio, your comment is loaded with so many ignorant fallacies, but i will pick the "god is testing you" one to rebut. of course, your supposed god is omniscient and therefore knows exactly the level of your faith and needs no "test".
it is truly an absurd doctrine.
My fiancé suffered from BPD and depression for many years, he too took his life by a gun in November 2012, the days he suffered were severe..... God chose to end his suffering, and others say he chose to end mine also. I know he is finally at peace with God.
Jack M
I'm so sorry for your loss, but I just can't believe God would make someone committ suicide in order to relieve themselves and others from pain. Wouldn't God want people to intervene and try to save a potential suicide?
Zechariah 12:10
Looking for grace in time of grief.
You won't find it here, I'm afraid. Boards like this attract the cruel, as you can see from many of the comments above.
GOD'S love exceeds our understanding, and yields great peace.
GOD'S love exceeds the hatred others express.
GOD'S only Son JESUS gave his life for all, not just the ones who loved him. John 3:16
Love those who persecute us. Because we are filled daily with GOD's love.
You can buy a gun anywhere. You don't have to have a background check when buying a weapon from someone on the street. People sell guns everyday. The problem is no one does anything about it. If you buy a weapon you should have to have a background check. If you sell a weapon to someone else without getting a background check, you should go to prison for any crime committed with that weapon.
Hell and destruction are never full
The cops blew it regarding the shooter at the Navy yard. He was in his third motel one night and they told him to keep running.
Doc Vestibule
We have very strict gun laws in Canada – especially when it comes to hand guns.
While it helps mitigate the problem, it certainly doesn't stop it.
In the city where I live, there are communal handguns!
Once someone in a given area manages to procure one, it gets passed around the community and is often used in multiple crimes by multiple perpetrators.
It drives the cops crazy becuase they are extremely difficult to track down and nigh impossible to pin on any specific individual.
Ja*pan must have had a load of h0m0se*xuals.
there is no way to rationalize the happenings in this world with any divine plan, unless that god is a sociopath.
You believe in God!!! Are you nuts or Muslim? Still some modern human are delusional. If you are clueless then blame it on some imagination or ancient alien.
Your comment seems to imply that people can only be Nuts or Muslim. I believe you can be Nuts and Muslim at the same time.
Tom 'the terrible' you are wrong my brother. Only nuts and muslims believe in god, thats what I meant.
Ok then. I definitely think you are wrong. You can definitely be Nuts and Muslim. For the same reason why someone can be nuts and Christian or nuts and a Entomologist.
If God has a plan, it's a pretty shltty one where human beings are concerned.
Mental gymnastics at it's finest. "I don't blame God. I question his plan." Yep God is never responsible for all of the bad things in people's lives but he'll get credit for finding you a parking spot or curing cataract (Search "Thank you God" funny song)
Actually, God is the final authority and a great administrator of justice.
How does your heart weigh up against a Shu feather, lol???
Ma'at may judge you unworthy when you die...
Of course God is the final authority. "Might makes right". In your world morality comes from God. If he says kill your son as a sacrifice. Your answer should be "How? and When?". In your world people don't know what is right or wrong unless it comes from on high.
How many times can you get away with breakin' curfew?? You'll lose yer car keys.
@Hell and destruction are never full – Makes perfect sense.
In Ja*pan wasn't suicide expected??
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.
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It's hard to change the Catholic Church. Even if you're the Pope.
Mark Driscoll, top megachurch pastor, resigns
Why I got arrested in Ferguson
Under conservative assault, Vatican backtracks on gay comments
A new welcome for gay Catholics in the church
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I'm not a GOPer, nor do I play one on TV on Why liberals are more tolerant of atheists
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Does RoadBotics assess parking lots?
RoadBotics > FAQs > Does RoadBotics assess parking lots?
We can. However, our focus is mainly on roads so at this point it's not a service that we offer.
Parking lots are challenging because roads are not defined on digital maps for most parking lots. We use Open Street Maps for our base maps. If all your parking lot roads that need to be analyzed are defined on OSM, we can consider your project as an exception. Please get in touch with Sales using the contact form for more information.


WAYNE SIMMONS PARKED his Ford truck sporting a "Drink Orange Juice" tag on a dirt track near a 60-acre Hendry County grove of members of the Rue family (Rutaceae), which could appear in a hospital soap opera if they were human. But they aren't. The most prominent and troubled family member is citrus, but the Rues include such relatives as roses, among many others.
Citrus is gravely ill, but still productive.
Beneath the truck tires, the track was covered with the chopped mulch of once-upon-a-time orange trees killed by mischance.
Most were destroyed by Hurricane Irma almost 12 months ago. But some were the victims of an insect-borne bacterial disease more dangerous to citrus farmers over time than any 10 hurricanes.
Mr. Simmons had cut the ruined trees out of the grove, dragged them clear, and run them through an industrial mulcher before spreading the result back on the ground.
"At least there's some use out of them," he said.
Cheerful and fit-looking, Mr. Simmons, 60, grew up on a farm near Plant City, like five generations of his family before him. He'd stopped here on the first morning of August to greet two visitors: a Florida Weekly reporter and a man familiar to citrus farmers internationally — farmers growing citrus from China, India, Spain, North Africa and Brazil to the five counties of Southwest Florida — Dr. Mongi Zekri, a University of Florida citrus extension agent based in LaBelle.
They had come to assess the current condition of Florida's citrus industry, a powerful economic force in the Sunshine State from the late 1940s to 2005. For 13 years since then, citrus has been beleaguered and in decline though still a significant producer, the victim of the seemingly unstoppable disease called greening.


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Three killed, others wounded as cultists clash in Imo
11 doctors on trails for various allegations of misconduct
Don't impose leaders on NASS, Ndume's supporters tell APC
A coalition of pro- democracy groups under the auspices of National Coalition in Defence of Democracy has asked the leadership of the All Progressives Congress and the Presidency to avoid the mistake of the past and refrain from imposing leaders on the National Assembly, especially the Senate.
The group warned that attempts by previous governments to impose leaders on the National Assembly have always ended badly with the eventual impeachment of those imposed by the Presidency, giving examples of such impositions by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
National Coordinator of the coalition, Ambassador Auwal Alhassan Gama told a news conference on Monday in Abuja that rather than micro zone the position of the President of the Senate to an individual, they were of the view that the senators whom they described as men of integrity should be allowed to pick their own leaders.
They expressed the belief that if allowed to select their leaders, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume would emerge as the Senate President considering his wealth of experience as a legislator and would ensure a cordial relationship between the executive and the legislature.
Reminded that the leadership of the party has already taken a stand and may not turn back on it, Gama said "it is not constitutional to micro zone the positions to individuals. Having zoned it to the zones, it is our belief that the zone should be allowed to decide on who they want as doing so would amount to disenfranchising others.
"We don't support picking an individual by the party. It is our belief that the 109 senators who are men of integrity should be allowed to make their choice of who should lead them. But if our suggestions are not carried, it would go down in history that we spoke out.
Asked why they were particular about the position of the Senate President and silent on that of the Speaker of the House of Representatives which has not been given to any zone, Gama said they decided to speak out on the position of Senate President since the party has already made its decision on it known.
He said: "the forum observed among other things that one of the reasons why the present government under the able leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR did not meet up the expectations of many Nigerians in the areas of Infrastructure and Human development was a result of the sour relationship between the Executive and the Legislative arms of Government. This has created setbacks in the areas of non-full implementation of the budget and alteration on key intended project by the government.
"The National Coalition In Defence of Democracy in its wisdom felt the need to call on the newly elected members of the upper chambers of the National Assembly irrespective of the political party to consider Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, a three term senator from Borno South Senatorial district of Borno State, a Patriot, a detribaised Nigerian and an experienced member of the National Assembly who has contributed to the growth of our democracy for the position of President of the Senate.
"The decision to call for Support for Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume's emergence as the next Senate president is born out of our desire for a healthy working relationship between the Executives and the Legislature for a better delivery of democratic dividends. It is our believe that he will bring his matured sense of reasoning, experience and fear of God into play as the Chairman of the National Assembly, he is one politician we know and trust Will unite all interest in the National Assembly.
"While we salute the courage and goodwill of the presidency in allowing the independent of all arms of government to run its activities independently, it is equally important for all stakeholders including the APC National Working Committee to provide a level playing ground for all its members at the North Eastern part of the country who deemed it fit to contest.
"We wish to call on all members of the National Assembly Elect, especially those of the upper chambers to support the call for Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume's Senate Presidency. We were part of the process that brought you on-board and it is our humble plea and believes that Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume will not disappoint us."
Tags: All Progressives CongressMohammed Ali Ndumenational assembly

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Gigi Hadid had got a little naughty for LOVE magazine's advent calendar. The 20-year-old model has stripped down to lacy lingerie for day 2 of the advent. She showed off her endless pins and cleavage in the new video released Wednesday.
Hadid, who just walked the runway for the 2015 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show that was taped on Nov. 10, shows off her dancing skills in the two-minute video. She pouts her deep red lips and ruffles her glossy blonde hair before spinning round and giving fans a full view of her pert posterior.
Gigi is pictured in a pair of lacy red and black lingerie with suspenders. She flaunts her toned pins in the clip and falls to her knees before writhing around on the floor in front of the camera. The Instagram "It girl" as she is popularly called worked her magic in Agent Provocateur lace lingerie.
In the video shot in slow motion, Gigi dances to a retro tune, and has accessorized with Boucheron earrings. Her balconette is a new release by the brand. She also wears a stylish pair of black chain heels, which elongates her long legs.
Gigi has followed close on the heels of her best friend Kendall Jenner who was featured on day 1 of the calendar. She wore a shark costume with a black bikini and sky-high heels beneath.
V Magazine released a short film starring Gigi Hadid and directed by Sebastian Faena, titled "Those Wrecked by Success". We have added x295 screencaps to the image gallery, you can watch the 7 min short below.
V Magazine // Those Wrecked by Success Starring Gigi Hadid from The Wall Group on Vimeo.
We have added x HD screencaps of Gigi in Calvin Harris & Disciples How Deep Is Your Love Music Video, here.