Twenty Things That Caught My Eye: Funerals in Nigeria, the Importance of Dads, Taking Pride in Hurting Children, & More

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2. Murdered Nigerians found suffering at foot of cross, bishop says at funeral

3. Nigerian priest says he shielded parishioners like chicks during massacre

“I stood there in shock, wondering what was going on, when someone ran to me, yelling, ‘Father, unknown gunmen!'” the associate pastor told churchinneed.org.

The now-infamous June 5 massacre left at least 50 people dead and dozens wounded. But Father Abayomi said that, at the time, he did not fear for his life, but was worried about how to protect his parishioners.

“I urged people to move through the sanctuary into the sacristy,” the priest told churchinneed.org. “Some of the parishioners escaped through there. I remained in the inner part of the sacristy. I could not run as I was surrounded by children, while some adults clung to me, some even inside my chasuble. I shielded them just as a hen shields her chicks.”

For more on what’s happening in Nigeria, see my interview with international religious-liberty expert Stephen Rasche:

4.  Matthew Walther: Why My Parents Chose Life

“As the country awaits the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, I wanted to reflect upon my experience and that of my parents. . . . I, for one, do not regret the brute fact of my existence. And I have every reason to think that if I had been stillborn, my parents would not have celebrated the chance at ‘freedom.’ They would, I believe, have mourned just as my wife and I did for Winnie, who at the time of her death could have been legally aborted in all 50 states.”

5. Douglas Murray: Trans surgery for children is not a ‘right’ to be fought for

What the hell do children know? Children are not born wise or with complete self-knowledge. They are — by nature — highly suggestible. If a child lives in a society that tells them they might be trans then some will mistakenly believe it. Most will turn out to be perfectly straight or gay. And some of the latter might see being trans as an easier — and more acceptable — solution. I know this from interviewing such people and hearing about the terrible consequences.

Because if you are “trans” then a set of other things must follow. You will be told you should take hormones or puberty blockers. You will be told these are reversible though they are not. If you are a girl you will be encouraged to have “top-surgery,” a k a a mastectomy. Does nobody apart from parents see the madness of this? Does nobody but the public see how mad it is that we now live in a society in which if a girl says they are a boy we are all meant to celebrate them. Whereas if a girl says they are a boy and we say “are you sure about that?” we are engaging in “conversion therapy.”

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8. Matt Taibbi: The world’s most taboo legal case

On November 17, 2021, the Women’s Liberation Front, or WoLF, filed a civil rights lawsuit in California that drew almost no coverage. A press corps gearing up to be outraged en masse by the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp defamation case had zero interest in a lawsuit filed by far poorer female abuse victims.

9. As Dobbs decision nears, U.S. bishops urge Church to ‘Walk with Moms in Need’

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11. Melinda Henneberger: Two homeless dads will spend Father’s Day with a cherished gift in Sacramento: Their kids

12. Representative Burgess Owens, Representative Byron Donalds, Jack Brewer: America’s Crisis is a Lack of Fathers

As our country commemorates Father’s Day this weekend, it is important that we recognize the millions of children throughout our nation who are growing up without their fathers. Data from the United States Census Bureau shows that nearly 18.5 million children grow up without their fathers, which has in return led to the United States owning the title of the world’s leader in fatherlessness.

We know that fatherhood is essential to the development of our children, and the increased involvement of fathers in the home leads to better results on a wide variety of outcomes. From economic prosperity, increased academic performance, to improved social mobility; fathers in their respective homes continue to be a key indicator of success for all children across racial, ethnic, and socio-economic groups. That is why we have joined forces to introduce a resolution into the U.S. House of Representatives that promotes fatherhood and its proven benefit to society.

13.  Brad Wilcox, Wendy Wang, Alyssa Elhage: ‘Life Without Father’: Less College, Less Work, and More Prison for Young Men Growing Up Without Their Biological Father

14.  Rachel Lu: Recovering the Path to Manhood

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17. We are Muslims and Jews. We need the Supreme Court to side with coach’s Christian prayer

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19. Andreé Geulen, Belgian woman who rescued hundreds of Jewish children, dies at 100

20. 55,000 Catholics gather in a stadium … for a Pentecost prayer vigil!