In-depth coverage of current social issues. Insights into the philosophical, moral and ethical values in society today—health care, science and environmental news and articles

Messiahs! Rulers and the Role of Religion 

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VISION Spring 2009 Issue
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VISION BLOGS    

Causes of Conflict:
Thoughts on Religion, Identity and the Middle East

First Followers: Jesus' Teachings, Then and Now

Family Matters: Building Strong Family Relationships 

BOOKS  

What Makes Us Human?
Leading thinkers and scholars from around the world weigh in on this fascinating question in this book edited by Dr. Charles Pasternak. Vision publisher Dr. David Hulme also contributes an essay discussing the question in regard to religion.

Identity, Ideology, and the Future of Jerusalem
For more than a hundred years, the tiny strip of land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River has been the subject of intense debate and bitter conflict, with one of the main focal points of the ongoing struggle being a single ancient city. Exploring the lives of 14 key Palestinian and Jewish leaders, this fascinating study examines the roles of identity and ideology in the search for a resolution to the final-status issue of Jerusalem. The book will prove an important resource for scholars and students interested in the Arab-Israeli conflict, peace studies, and political psychology.
Read more and order book  

Special Report:
Global Finance, Human Fallout
As the U.N. hosts a summit of world leaders to "assess the worst global economic downturn since the Great Depression," it also notes that wide-scale hunger is deepening. Of course, humanity has been here before. And we'll be here again, unless we take a fundamentally different approach.

Teen Pregnancy:
The Tangled Web 
Much has been made of the fact that teenage pregnancy rates in the United States and the United Kingdom are among the highest in the world. But, in reality, cold statistics say very little about how to address this complex global problem. What are the key issues, and what role do adults need to play in resolving them?

Biography: George Orwell- Writing a Revolution 
His own life experiences undoubtedly played a large part in producing George Orwell’s final and possibly best known work, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Today, some 60 years after it was first published, Orwell's novel still carries a relevant message for a world in which telling the truth may indeed be a revolutionary act.

Religion and the Bible
The Apostles, Part 14:
Called, Chosen, Faithful
The apostle Peter's life is a study in how much a person can change. His writings offer wisdom that is as applicable today as when he penned his letters nearly two millennia ago. In part 14 of this series, Vision examines Peter's theme of interpersonal responsibility.

Capitalism: Unknown Ideal?
On the heels of extensive government intervention in economies around the world, writer-philosopher Ayn Rand is making a comeback. Her philosophy emphasized the right of the individual to pursue wealth and happiness through capitalism. Does our economic salvation depend on separating government and commerce? 

Biography
Ayn Rand: Fantasyland
It is unusual to find someone who not only retains their early views but builds a detailed philosophy atop them. Ayn Rand was such a person. Today, more than 27 years after her death in 1982, Rand’s works—including her great objectivist flagships The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957)—continue to sell thousands of copies yearly.

Swine Flu: Is a
Pandemic Inevitable?
On April 29, the Director-General of the World Health Organization raised the level of influenza pandemic alert to phase 5. WHO's guidelines call for a Phase 5 alert when there is sustained human-to-human spread of the virus in at least two countries in one region. As official measures are mobilized, what can we do individually to mitigate the spread of swine flu?

From the Publisher:
Who Will Save Us?
History teaches some sad lessons about leaders who answer the self-perceived call of destiny, abetted by publics overwhelmed by social, economic and political disorder. Interestingly, the present global financial upheaval is just the kind of crisis that brings renewed interest in reforming the capitalist order.