A reader would like to hear about “those in the bible adopted by someone not their mother.” Because studying and debating the Bible is one of my hobbies, I thought this would be a fun topic to discuss.

Of course, you are not going to find adoption decrees or home studies in the Bible. Imagine a world without ICPC requirements … ahhh … but I digress…

The first person to come to mind would be Moses. Pharaoh had ordered the midwives to kill all of the Hebrew baby boys when they were born, so Moses’ mother hid her baby for three months. The mother placed baby Moses in a basket where Pharaoh’s daughter bathed in the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby, adopted him, and raised Moses as her son. See Exodus 2.

Jesus was also technically involved in step-parent adoption because God Himself was the father.

There is no doubt that I am, in the broadest sense, pro-adoption. Advocating for the right of the children of the world to have the option of adoption open to them is the foundation of much of my work, and I do what I can to address issues that challenge these rights.

Anti-adoption forces exist in the world, and those are often easily dealt with as pie-in-the-sky attitudes that neglect reality beg correction.

What is not so easy for me, however, is responding to pro-adoption writings that make me cringe.

No matter how many children would benefit from a family, there are many, many reasons for families not to adopt, and although the reasons for are uncountable, wrong ones exist.

One big red flag against an adoption decision is any version of nobility. Seeking sainthood through bringing a child into a family is just plain wrong, and the idea of it is something successful adoptive parents rail against.

I received a letter in the mail from the Christian organization, Focus on the Family (Focus). I learned that Jim Daly, the president and CEO of the organization, was an orphan, so he feels a very strong need to provide loving homes to the children in the foster care system.

Of course, Focus is a Christian organization, so the letter is specifically written to Christians. The letter points out that there are more than 300,000 churches in the United States and 127,000 waiting children. So, if only half of the churches in the United States assisted a family in adopting one child out of foster care, there would be no more foster children waiting for homes.

I must admit that my first reaction was skeptical. I do not believe that people should adopt a child just because their religion tells them to take care of the orphans. I believe that the only reason a person should adopt a child is because he or she truly wants to parent a child. I was pleased to see that the letter addressed this concern as well.

Andrew … its meaning is "man, warrior" - Think Baby Names

The baby name Andrew is of Greek origin. Andrew was one of the first two people that Jesus called as a disciple (along with his brother Peter). Saint Andrew is the patron saint of both Russia and Scotland.

In the United States, the baby name Andrew has not dropped below #86 since 1880. (The baby name ranked #86 in 1945 and 1946.) The baby name was ranked at #24 in 1880 through 1883. The baby name dropped slightly in popularity but reached #24 again in 1977. The baby name Andrew broke into the Top Ten in 1986 and has remained there ever since, peaking at #5 a few times and then settling into #10 in 2007. See Popular Baby Names.