'Despite the Problems, Don't Throw out the Baby with the
Bathwater,' Says Ex Worldwide Church of God Minister

There are several indicators that organized religion is on the decline, not just in Western Europe, but also in the United States.

Only 37 percent of Americans believe clergy contribute significantly to society's well-being, according to a new Pew Research Center poll. Even among regular church goers, only about half, 52 percent, say clergy contribute "a lot" to the betterment of society.

Gallup and Pew polls provide these other indicators:

• Two-thirds of Americans say religion is losing its influence in our lives.
• Since the 1970s, Americans' confidence in organized religion has steadily decreased.
• As of 2012, the downward trend hit an all-time low: only 44 percent of Americans have "a great deal" of confidence in organized religion.

"America is still the most devoutly religious first world country - other Pew polls indicate that most teens and 20-somethings still consider themselves 'spiritual,' and roughly half of U.S. adults are still faithful to a religion," says Wade Fransson, a former minister in the Worldwide Church of God - a religion eventually denounced as a cult - and author of "The People of the Sign," (thepeopleofthesign.com), a memoir recounting his life with the church.

While Fransson has experienced firsthand the liabilities of extremist elements in religion, he says religion and spirituality still offer society important benefits:

• Religion often drives innovation and progressive social mores. Can anyone imagine what the world might look like today without the Gutenberg printing press, the institution of marriage or the very devout pilgrims who helped pave the way for what would become the United States? Would there have been another human-based institution to champion the Golden Rule in quite the same way as the world's religions have done, including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Bahá'í Faith, Confucianism, Sikhism, Taoism and others? Our morals are fundamentally rooted in the history of religion, and throwing out religion would truly be like throwing out the baby with the bathwater, Fransson says.

• Faith groups are responsible for much of the world's charity work. Here's a quick glimpse of just a few of the charities created by religious groups: Salvation Army, YMCA, St. Jude's Hospital, Habitat for Humanity International, International Prison Ministry, Intercristo, World Relief, Remuda, Christian Aid USA/Canada ... and the list goes on. Across the country and around the world millions of faith groups contribute daily to their communities, from feeding the hungry to educating the poor. Religion's bad apples get plenty of press, but the fundamental core of faith, worship and devotion to something bigger than ourselves remains essentially good.

• Humans are by nature spiritual; ignoring our spirituality can be dangerous. In recent years there has been a confined yet noticeable spring of atheistic books, including Sam Harris' "The End of Faith," elaborating on how religion's role in society has long been a damaging one. But atheists promoting a decidedly anti-religious message, who would prefer religion to be confined to the past, offer little or no alternative to a human being's innate longing for spirituality, or a deeper meaning to life other than what's merely apparent and material.

"I call it 'The Search' - that is, that urge we all share for significance amid this vast and mysterious universe," Fransson says. "I suspect there's an element of truth - another piece to the puzzle - dwelling within each religion or spiritual system, and we should all deeply consider and appreciate the transcending beliefs of others."

About Wade Fransson

Wade Fransson manages technology vendor contracts and relationships for a major retail corporation. He has a background in business and technology for major corporations and was the CEO of GoHuman, Inc. online marketplace. In "The People of the Sign," he shares his story to show both the positives and negatives of one of the most fascinating churches born in the 20th century. The sequel is to be published in October.

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is asking the Inspector General of the National Security Agency (NSA) to provide additional information about the intentional and willful misuse of surveillance authorities by NSA employees. He's also asking the Inspector General to provide as much unclassified information about these cases as possible.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has oversight jurisdiction over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the intelligence courts that fall under the act's authority.

"The American people are questioning the NSA and the FISA court system.  Accountability for those who intentionally abused surveillance authorities and greater transparency can help rebuild that trust and ensure that both national security and the Constitution are protected," Grassley said.

The text of Grassley's letter is below.

 

August 27, 2013

 

Dr. George Ellard, Inspector General

National Security Agency

Office of the Inspector General

9800 Savage Road, Suite 6247

Fort Meade, MD 20755

 

Dear Dr. Ellard:

I write in response to media reports that your office has documented instances in which NSA personnel intentionally and willfully abused their surveillance authorities.

For each of these instances, I request that you provide the following information:

(1)               The specific details of the conduct committed by the NSA employee;

(2)               The job title and attendant duties and responsibilities of the NSA employee at the time;

(3)               How the conduct was discovered by NSA management and/or your office;

(4)               The law or other legal authority - whether it be a statute, executive order, or regulation - that your office concluded was intentionally and willfully violated;

(5)               The reasons your office concluded that the conduct was intentional and willful;

(6)               The specifics of any internal administrative or disciplinary action that was taken against the employee, including whether the employee was terminated; and

(7)               Whether your office referred any of these instances for criminal prosecution, and if not, why not?

Thank you for your prompt attention to this important request.  I would appreciate a response by September 11, 2013.  I also request that you respond in an unclassified manner to the extent possible.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Grassley, Ranking Member

cc:  Honorable Patrick Leahy, Chairman

DECATUR, Ill. (August 28, 2013) - New interactive presentations developed by the United Soybean Board (USB) help educate soybean farmers on how the management systems they are using can meet the sustainability expectations of international customers. The interactive presentations, which highlight the U.S. Soybean Sustainability Assurance Protocol, are being introduced for the first time at the Farm Progress Show taking place in Decatur, Ill., this week.

U.S. soy exporters will be able to go to a website starting this fall and get an actual certificate of sustainability for the amount of soy they want to export. The certificate will confirm that the U.S. soy was produced with sustainable farming practices for international customers. Measurement of sustainability is based on analysis of existing data that the National Agricultural Statistics Service and other agencies collect regularly from U.S. soybean farmers. The Soybean Sustainability Assurance Protocol contains no additional requirements or demands of U.S. farmers.

Following Farm Progress, USB will post the presentations on its own website and make them available to other organizations to ensure soybean farmers understand the U.S. Soybean Sustainability Assurance Protocol.

The U.S. soy family, consisting of the American Soybean Association, U.S. Soybean Export Council, USB and state soybean boards, has developed the U.S. Soybean Sustainability Assurance Protocol to help define and document sustainable performance in soybean production for international customers.

The protocol covers four key components of U.S. sustainable soy production: sound environmental objectives, social responsibility, promoting economic growth and continuous improvement in technology and cultural practices. The protocol also addresses how sustainable performance by U.S. soybean farmers is measured and verified by various government programs.

Through the protocol, the farmers who run the nation's 279,110 soybean farms pledge they are committed to ensuring that U.S. soybeans continue to be produced in a sustainable manner.

Doug Winter, a USB director and soybean farmer from Mill Shoals, Ill., says the organization not only wants international customers to be aware of the sustainable performance of U.S. soybean farmers, but also for farmers to know that the Soybean Sustainability Assurance Protocol provides a competitive advantage for U.S. soy.

"I know in my part of the country, and from talking to other farmers around the country, 90 percent of the farmers are probably doing 90 percent of the practices and things that are in the protocol," he says. "In addition to protecting farmers' freedom to operate, the protocol ensures that global demand and acceptance for our product will remain strong. It is a promise that U.S. farmers can keep, because we are committed to responsible production and continuous improvement."

The 69 farmer-directors of USB oversee the investments of the soy checkoff to maximize profit opportunities for all U.S. soybean farmers. These volunteers invest and leverage checkoff funds to increase the value of U.S. soy meal and oil, to ensure U.S. soybean farmers and their customers have the freedom and infrastructure to operate, and to meet the needs of U.S. soy's customers. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff.

For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org
Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnitedSoybeanBoard
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/unitedsoy
View our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/UnitedSoybeanBoard

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