(NOTE: read an important update at the end of this post!)
The Bible, the holy word of God, and prayerful concern for victims of breast cancer – they fit together so very well! That is until you add the Susan G Komen Foundation into the mix! We, at Catholic Sistas, spent much of October helping to shed light on the unholy alliance between Komen and Planned Parenthood (PP). The fact that Komen donates millions of dollars to PP – the largest provider of abortion in our land – should, therefore, not come as a surprise. What may not be common knowledge, however, is their latest attempt to ‘pink’…
the Holy Bible!
That’s right! Komen has stepped up its attempts to commercialize breast cancer by partnering with B&H Publishing Group (a division of LifeWay Christian stores) and Walmart as reseller. Their brainchild is the Here’s Hope Bible – Breast Cancer Awareness Edition, which benefits the Susan G Komen Foundation. Hopefully the publisher and retailer are unwitting accomplices to Komen in their insidious efforts to usurp dollars intended to help with ‘awareness’.
So here is their spiel from the Walmart online store:
“The Here’s Hope Breast Cancer Bible is a reminder that God has not forgotten you, a friend, or loved one who has been impacted by breast cancer. Not only will you find encouragement and inspiration through testimonies from breast cancer survivors but more importantly you’ll encounter God’s life-sustaining words for you.”
Prayerful concern, inspiration, and comforting scripture are certainly a solace for those of us who have experienced breast cancer. I firmly believe that I am alive today as the result of many prayers lifted up for me during surgery, chemo, and recovery! As a 6-year survivor, I also feel qualified to opine that breast cancer donations would be better spent on prevention and research or perhaps helping actual victims such 30 year old, Erika Vandiver, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 20 weeks pregnant.
Furthermore, much of Komen’s rhetoric is aimed at ‘awareness’. Aren’t we all ‘aware’ of breast cancer by now? You can ask almost anyone, male or female, and they will likely be able to recite, by rote, the ways to prevent breast cancer: regular mammograms, healthy eating, avoidance of the Pill, and of course not having abortions. We know about self exams and exercising and even genetic testing. So this ‘awareness’ is not as urgent as it once was. Komen seems simply to have found a titillating way to stir up sentiment – and reap the cash rewards – and now they have stooped to the shameless exploitation of scripture!
However, what concerns me most about this latest endeavor to raise money…ahem…I mean awareness, is that Komen is crossing the line of propriety. How dare an organization with a loathsome alliance with abortion giant, PP, associate themselves with ‘scripture for profit’? Especially since a part of their share of the purchase price will, most likely, find its way to a cause of breast cancer – abortion! After all, $1 of every purchase of the Here’s Hope Bible goes to Komen. Additionally disgraceful is that Komen’s support of PP does nothing to prevent breast cancer – PP does not provide even one mammogram in any of its facilities, nationwide!
Now, before you object to the conclusion that Komen dollars help to fund PP abortions, let’s connect the dots. Money donated to PP is fungible. This means that, although the money may not be donated specifically for abortions, it does free up funds that WILL be used for abortions. By helping PP pay their light bill, for example, you are freeing up other funds to kill babies! That is simply not acceptable, helpful or moral!
God help our nation in its complicity in the killing of millions of unborn babies!
These babies deserve our prayerful consideration! We must not become unwitting accomplices ourselves! Let us seek justice for the sake of the voiceless! So what can we do? For starters, think before you pink! Then we must share this post with as many people as possible to raise our own kind of ‘awareness’. We should also contact B & H publishing, LifeWay, and Wal-Mart and let them know (if they don’t already) that Komen is not a suitable partner. This will take little of our time and if enough pro-life faithful are willing to make the effort, we may just be able to stem this pink tide…especially with Him as our ally!
“Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.” ~Matthew 5:6
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UPDATE:
From a story posted by LifeNews.com entitled LifeWay Christian Bookstores Takes Komen Bible Off Shelves:
“In a victory for pro-life advocates, Lifeway Christian Bookstores has taken a Bible sold to fund the Komen breast cancer foundation (which funds Planned Parenthood) off of its bookshelves.
Read the entire text of the December 14, 2011 letter from Thom S. Rainer, President and CEO – LifeWay Christian Resources, here. He explains the decision of removing the offending Bibles from their shelves in keeping with their commitment to Christian values. It would be wonderful to flood LifeWay and their publisher, B & H publishing will notes of thanks. I’m sending mine now!
God bless, Birgit J
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UPDATE 2:
I wanted to share the great response I received today (December 28, 2011) from the publishing company responsible for the ‘pink’ Bible:
Good Afternoon Ms Jones,
I am sorry to be so late responding to your concern sent a few days ago regarding the Cancer Awareness Bible produced by B&H Publishing, a division of Lifeway Christian Resources.
I hope you’ve read by now that LifeWay is withdrawing the Bibles from the retail stores where they were being sold, and is discontinuing our relationship with the Komen Foundation. Our president, Dr. Thom Rainer, said the project was a mistake because of the perceived indirect relationship with Planned Parenthood.
We are developing a plan to re-use the special pink Bibles to support breast cancer research and treatment.
Thank you for sharing your concern.
Martin King
–
Martin King
Director LifeWay Communications
LifeWay Christian Resources
One LifeWay Plaza
Nashville, TN 37234-0192
615-251-2307 (o)
615-585-0033 (c)
I doubt contacting Wal-Mart will have any effect. Every October their stores are awash in pink, just like everywhere else. LifeWay, however, should know better. My in-laws are Southern Baptist, and LifeWay is where they get their Sunday School and other educational material and “church supplies.” Last I checked, the Southern Baptists were as opposed to abortion as Catholics. I’m going to ask them to have their pastor contact LifeWay (and maybe contact the head of the Southern Baptist Convention), and threaten to take their business elsewhere if they continue to participate in this unholy alliance.
It makes me sad because Susan G. Komen has the run of PINK all over the market. Sometimes unknowingly people purchase items where a portion go to the Foundation. It is important to check tags carefully.
I’m sad that they provide funds to Planned Parenthood knowing PP funds abortions. I’m even more discouraged because PP could do great things but instead chooses to participate in and fund abortions.
Babies are a blessing!!! I love the Fruits of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. They are a great reminder that even an unplanned pregnancy is not a curse, but instead a blessing if we only allow the Lord to bless us. Mary wasn’t prepared to have a baby. She allowed the Lord’s will to be done in her life and enjoyed the fruits (and sorrows) of being the Mother of the Savior of the world.
1. Humility 2. Love of Neighbor 3. Poverty (probably the most applicable in this situation. Our Lord was born into poverty and was our SAVIOR! Each child deserves the chance to become something wonderful. Even when we feel we can’t afford it, there is a way. Through Him all things are possible.) 4. Purity of mind and body 5. Obedience
I speak from experience on number three. I had for years taken birth control (not knowing it actually causes abortions) but because I wanted to control when I was going to have a child. I was constantly afraid of the cost. I ignored entirely God’s will for my life for years. I now am free of the control of the pill and am living my life in much more accordance (or at least trying) with God’s will. I have not been blessed with a child yet, but it is no longer because I am physically preventing it.
Great reminder post!
Ellen, yes, I do hope that LifeWay is simply unaware of the connection between Komen and Planned Parenthood. I think that is entirely possible – which makes contacting them and spreading the word that much more important! Thank you for choosing to ‘do something’ instead of just reading about it!
Megan, thank you for sharing your story. I find that it is vitally important not just to keep ourselves informed, but to share the information we find with others. We should all then act! This, along with heartfelt prayer, will go a long way in righting wrongs in this world! God bless!
BIBLES?
REALLY?
Surely not the same Bible that contains passages like Matthew 25:40 “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Since you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.” There’s simply too huge a disconnect between what THAT Bible says and raising funds to give to an organization that promotes aborting God’s human creatures in the womb.
Must be some other kind of “bible….”
From a story posted by LifeNews.com entitled ‘LifeWay Christian Bookstores Takes Komen Bible Off Shelves’:
“In a victory for pro-life advocates, Lifeway Christian Bookstores has taken a Bible sold to fund the Komen breast cancer foundation (which funds Planned Parenthood) off of its bookshelves.”
Read the entire text of the December 14, 2011 letter from Thom S. Rainer, President and CEO – LifeWay Christian Resources on the link below. He explains the decision of removing the offending Bibles from their shelves in keeping with their commitment to Christian values. It would be wonderful to flood LifeWay and their publisher, B & H publishing will notes of thanks. I’m sending mine now!
God bless, Birgit J
http://www.lifenews.com/2011/12/14/lifeway-christian-bookstores-take-komen-bible-off-shelves/
Its unconventional and perhaps a little controversial but if it works who are we to knock it?
Marian the reason we must oppose this effort to ‘pink’ the bible is that funds would wind up helping to kill unborn children in their mothers’ womb. This is not something we can allow to happen.
BTW, after being made aware of the connection between Susan G Komen and Planned Parenthood, LifeWay made the right choice and pulled the offending merchandise. God bless them!
http://www.lifenews.com/2011/12/14/lifeway-christian-bookstores-take-komen-bible-off-shelves/
I wanted to share the great response I received today from the publishing company responsible for the ‘pink’ Bible:
+ + +
Good Afternoon Ms Jones,
I am sorry to be so late responding to your concern sent a few days ago regarding the Cancer Awareness Bible produced by B&H Publishing, a division of Lifeway Christian Resources.
I hope you’ve read by now that LifeWay is withdrawing the Bibles from the retail stores where they were being sold, and is discontinuing our relationship with the Komen Foundation. Our president, Dr. Thom Rainer, said the project was a mistake because of the perceived indirect relationship with Planned Parenthood.
We are developing a plan to re-use the special pink Bibles to support breast cancer research and treatment.
Thank you for sharing your concern.
Martin King
—
Martin King
Director LifeWay Communications
LifeWay Christian Resources
One LifeWay Plaza
Nashville, TN 37234-0192
615-251-2307 (o)
615-585-0033 (c)
This is great news, thanks for the update.
I was just reading this from the top and starting to find myself getting really angry but then this at the end sort of brought me back down to earth. People dont respect life anymore, when you dont respect life what is to respect?