Don't believe the media headline spin . . .
In an effort to make President Obama's claim true (that America is NOT a Christian nation), the mainstream media have incorrectly hyped results of a new Pew Research survey — a poll which actually shows that MORE Americans claim to be devout Christians while formerly nominal Catholics and mainline churchgoers now more honestly report no religious affiliation.
Separately, read academic report: Christians Will Flourish Demographically
For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:
20% in U.S. Have No Religion, yet ARE Spiritual
Secularists Revel in Aspirations of an Atheist America
Media, Secularists Revel in Reporting Failure of Christian Religion
However, Atheists & Liberals Lament Recent Supreme Court Religious Liberty Rulings
Also read Liberal Media Ignore 40,000 National Day of Prayer Events
So what is this ObamaNation? It's a 'Fake Church,' Says Catholic Cardinal
For myriad attacks on the Bible and Christian faith, read CBS Gives Voice to Atheists, Heretics, & Apostates
From "Big Drop in Share of Americans Calling Themselves Christian" by Nate Cohn, New York Times 5/12/15
The Christian share of adults in the United States has declined sharply since 2007, affecting nearly all major Christian traditions and denominations, and crossing age, race and region, according to an extensive survey by the Pew Research Center.
The Christian share of adults fell to 70.6 percent from 78.4 percent between 2007 and 2014, with declines among all major Christian denominations.
The decline has been propelled in part by generational change, as relatively non-Christian millennials reach adulthood and gradually replace the oldest and most Christian adults. But it is also because many former Christians, of all ages, have joined the rapidly growing ranks of the religiously unaffiliated or “nones”: a broad category including atheists, agnostics and those who adhere to “nothing in particular.”
Not all religions or even Christian traditions declined so markedly. The number of evangelical Protestants dipped only slightly as a share of the population, by 1 percentage point, and actually increased in raw numbers [to 62.2 million].
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Study: Americans becoming less Christian, more secular" by Rachel Zoll, Associated Press 5/11/15
The number of Americans who don’t affiliate with a particular religion has grown to 56 million in recent years, making the faith group researchers call “nones” the second-largest in total numbers behind evangelicals, according to a Pew Research Center study released Tuesday.
Researchers have long debated whether people with no religion should be defined as secular since the category includes those who believe in God or consider themselves “spiritual.” But the new Pew study found increasing signs of secularism.
Last year, 31 percent of “nones” said they were atheist or agnostic, compared to 25 percent in 2007, and the percentage who said religion was important to them dropped.
Pew researchers said Christian losses were driven by decreases among mainline, or liberal, Protestants and Roman Catholics.
Mainline Protestants declined by about 5 million to 36 million between 2007 and 2014. Pew found 13 percent of U.S. adults are former Catholics. The study put the number of Catholic adults at 51 million, or just over one-fifth of the U.S. population, a drop of about 3 percent over seven years. In 2007, Catholics made up about one-quarter of Americans.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "American Religion: Complicated, Not Dead" by Emma Green, The Atlantic 5/12/15
. . . the survey actually reveals something more complex than a slow and steady march toward secularization. Those who didn’t identify with any particular religion were asked a follow-up question: “How important is religion in your life?” The answers reveal that this group might be churchless, but it’s not wholly faithless: 44 percent said religion is “very” or “somewhat” important to them, while 56 percent said religion isn't important to them, according to Greg Smith, Pew’s associate director of research. . . .
The survey gives at least a partial look at what the researchers call “religious switching”: People converting to other faiths, joining new kinds of churches, or ditching religion altogether. If you count switches among the major traditions in Protestantism (mainline, evangelical, and historically black congregations), roughly 42 percent of Americans no longer consider themselves part of the religion in which they were raised. . . .
This [survey] may make it sound like Christianity has entered a tailspin, but given its continued prominence in American life, that’s probably overdramatic. America is still a Christian nation, just by a somewhat smaller margin. . . .
The most important caveat to keep in mind in reading this survey is that religion, and particularly Christianity, is not losing its overall influence in American culture. Culture-war rhetoric often implies an epic battle between Christian conservatives and the creep of secularity; in general, that narrative is an oversimplification of American religion. . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Nominals to Nones: 3 Key Takeaways From Pew’s Religious Landscape Survey" by Ed Stetzer, Christianity Today 5/12/15
The percentage of convictional [devout] Christians remains rather steady, but because the nominal Christians now are unaffiliated the overall percentage of self-identified Christians is decline. . . .
1. Convictional Christianity is rather steady.
Evangelicals now make up a clear majority (55%) of all U.S. Protestants. In 2007, 51% of U.S. Protestants identified with evangelical churches.
One of the primary reasons it appears as though “American Christianity” is experiencing a sharp decline is because the nominals that once made up (disproportionately) Mainline Protestantism and Catholicism are now checking “none” on religious affiliation surveys.
Nominal Christians make up a higher percentage of Mainline Protestants and Catholics than any other denomination of Christian, and this is why their numbers continue to sharply decline.
2. There have been significant shifts within American Christianity.
One of the most notable shifts in American Christianity is the evangelicalization of church in America. Fifty percent of all Christians now self-identify as “evangelical” or “born again,” up from 44 percent in 2007. In 2007, 44% of American Christians, who made up 78% of the U.S. population identified as evangelical. In 2014, 50% of American Christians, who make up 70% of the U.S. population identify as evangelical.
3. Mainline Protestantism continues to hemorrhage.
Only 45% of those raised in the Mainline Protestant tradition remain in Mainline churches. . . . If Mainline Protestantism continues its trajectory it is only a couple of generations from virtual extinction.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "The New Pew Survey on Religion & Lament for Nominal Christianity" by Mark D. Tooley, Christian Post Contributor 5/13/15
Evangelicals are the one Christian group to have grown numerically and almost retained their population percentage, now at 25%. A growing majority of Protestants are now Evangelical, and half of all Christians now identify as Evangelical or born-again. Liberal Mainline Protestantism unsurprisingly continues its fast decline, dropping from 18 to under 15%. Catholics dropped from about 24% to 21%.
The ongoing trend seems to be that nominal, mostly non-practicing Mainline Protestants and Catholics increasingly identify as unaffiliated. Most of this group still professes belief in God, many pray and some attend church. But they no longer claim ties to a specific tradition. Less than a third, about 7%, are atheist or agnostic.
. . . Active Christianity remains robust in America. Orthodox Christian expressions are displacing declining liberal forms. But there is cause for concern and sadness, as Mainline Protestantism, once central to American life, and a unifying spiritual and civil force, recedes ever more dramatically. An America more and more torn between secularists and the spiritually ambiguous on one side, against Evangelicals and believing Catholics on the other, will be even more polarized, missing the common language that Mainline Protestants offered so effectively for centuries.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "5 key findings about the changing U.S. religious landscape" by Michael Lipka, Pew Research Center 5/12/15
1. Christians are declining, both as a share of the U.S. population and in total number. . . .
2. Within Christianity, the biggest declines have been in the mainline Protestant tradition and among Catholics. . . .
3. The growth of the “nones” has been powered in part by religious switching. Nearly one-in-five U.S. adults (18%) were raised as Christians or members of some other religion, but now say they have no religious affiliation.
4. . . . the decline of Christians and rise of the “nones” – have occurred in some form across many demographic groups, including men and women, older and younger Americans, and people with different levels of education and different races and ethnicities.
5. The share of Americans who identify with non-Christian faiths, such as Islam and Hinduism, has grown modestly in recent years, from 4.7% in 2007 to 5.9% in 2014. Muslims now account for 0.9% of the U.S. adult population (up from 0.4% in the 2007 Landscape Study), while Hindus make up 0.7% of U.S. adults (up from 0.4% in 2007).
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "America’s Changing Religious Landscape" posted at Pew Research Center 5/12/15
To be sure, the United States remains home to more Christians than any other country in the world . . .
Because the U.S. census does not ask Americans about their religion, there are no official government statistics on the religious composition of the U.S. public. . . .
While many U.S. religious groups are aging, the unaffiliated are comparatively young – and getting younger, on average, over time. As a rising cohort of highly unaffiliated Millennials reaches adulthood, the median age of unaffiliated adults has dropped to 36, down from 38 in 2007 and far lower than the general (adult) population’s median age of 46.4 By contrast, the median age of mainline Protestant adults in the new survey is 52 (up from 50 in 2007), and the median age of Catholic adults is 49 (up from 45 seven years earlier).
. . . the size of the historically black Protestant tradition – which includes the National Baptist Convention, the Church of God in Christ, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Progressive Baptist Convention and others – has remained relatively stable in recent years, at nearly 16 million adults. And evangelical Protestants, while declining slightly as a percentage of the U.S. public, probably have grown in absolute numbers as the overall U.S. population has continued to expand.
The new survey indicates that churches in the evangelical Protestant tradition – including the Southern Baptist Convention, the Assemblies of God, Churches of Christ, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Presbyterian Church in America, 0ther evangelical denominations and many nondenominational congregations – now have a total of about 62 million adult adherents. That is an increase of roughly 2 million since 2007 . . .
. . . people in older generations are increasingly disavowing association with organized religion. About a third of older Millennials (adults currently in their late 20s and early 30s) now say they have no religion, up nine percentage points among this cohort since 2007, when the same group was between ages 18 and 26. Nearly a quarter of Generation Xers now say they have no particular religion or describe themselves as atheists or agnostics, up four points in seven years. Baby Boomers also have become slightly but noticeably more likely to identify as religious “nones” in recent years.
. . . The evangelical Protestant tradition is the only major Christian group in the survey that has gained more members than it has lost through religious switching. Roughly 10% of U.S. adults now identify with evangelical Protestantism after having been raised in another tradition, which more than offsets the roughly 8% of adults who were raised as evangelicals but have left for another religious tradition or who no longer identify with any organized faith.
. . . Whites continue to be more likely than both blacks and Hispanics to identify as religiously unaffiliated; 24% of whites say they have no religion, compared with 20% of Hispanics and 18% of blacks. But the religiously unaffiliated have grown (and Christians have declined) as a share of the population within all three of these racial and ethnic groups.
. . . The percentage of college graduates who identify with Christianity has declined by nine percentage points since 2007 (from 73% to 64%). The Christian share of the population has declined by a similar amount among those with less than a college education (from 81% to 73%). Religious “nones” now constitute 24% of all college graduates (up from 17%) and 22% of those with less than a college degree (up from 16%).
. . . Since 2007, the share of evangelical Protestants who identify with Baptist denominations has shrunk from 41% to 36%. Meanwhile, the share of evangelicals identifying with nondenominational churches has grown from 13% to 19%.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Click headlines below to read previous articles:
Liberal Mainline 'Churches' Continue to Wither as they Conform to the Decadent Culture
New Atheist 'Churches' in America Give Competition to Mainlines
Colleges Hire Humanist & Atheist Chaplains for the Nonbelievers
Congress: America No Longer a Christian Nation
Jesus' Virgin Birth NOT Worth Celebrating: Poll
America Going to Hell; Christians Lose Convictions
President Obama Provokes Second 'In God We Trust' Movement
Showing posts with label Christian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Friday, February 06, 2015
Obama Compares Christians to Islamic Terrorists
 |
| Click for FOX News report |
“There is a tendency in us, a sinful tendency, that can pervert and distort our faith.”UPDATE 2/18/15: President Obama Ignores Hate Crimes Against U.S. Christians
-- President Barack Hussein Obama
UPDATE 5/10/15: FBI Director Says Satan Leads Islamic Terrorists
UPDATE 6/23/15: President Obama Defends Muslims, Gays Regarding Terrorism Against Church
For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:
President Obama's Army Says Christians are Worst Terrorists
President Obama Praises Islam for Making America What It Is
President Obama Honors 9/11 Muslim Heroes at White House
Al Qaeda Proclaims War on Cross — U.S., Obama Silent
Also read Islamic 'Call to Prayer' at National Cathedral in Washington D.C.
-- From "President Obama: 'People Committed Terrible Deeds In The Name Of Christ'" by Antonia Blumberg, The Huffington Post 2/5/15
In his comments at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, President Obama condemned violence in the name of religion and pointed to religious groups other than the Islamic State that have perpetrated acts of terror in human history.
"Lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place," the president said, "remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ.”
The president's comments angered some who felt that comparing the atrocities of the Islamic State to other acts of violence was out of line. The Catholic League's Bill Donohue called it "an attempt to deflect guilt from Muslim madmen," and argued that Christian crusaders were merely defending themselves against hostile Muslim neighbors.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Critics Seize On Obama’s ISIS Remarks at Prayer Breakfast" by Julie Hirschfeld Davis, New York Times 2/5/15
President Obama may have thought he was giving a straightforward history lesson at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday when he compared the atrocities of the Islamic State to the bloodshed committed in the name of Christianity in centuries past.
But that is not how many of his longtime critics saw it.
“The president’s comments this morning at the prayer breakfast are the most offensive I’ve ever heard a president make in my lifetime,” said Jim Gilmore, the former Republican governor of Virginia. “He has offended every believing Christian in the United States.”
Mr. Gilmore said the comments go “further to the point that Mr. Obama does not believe in America or the values we all share.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Critics pounce after Obama talks Crusades, slavery at prayer breakfast" by Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post 2/5/15
President Obama has never been one to go easy on America. . . . At a time of global anxiety over Islamist terrorism, Obama noted pointedly that his fellow Christians, who make up a vast majority of Americans, should perhaps not be the ones who cast the first stone.
Obama spoke a day after meeting with Muslim leaders, in what participants said was his first roundtable with a Muslim-only group since taking office. The Muslim leaders who argued that they feel their community has faced unfair scrutiny in the wake of terrorist attacks overseas. Although the White House released only a broad description of the meeting — which touched on issues including racial profiling — participants said it gave them a chance to express their concerns directly to the president.
Farhana Khera, executive director of the civil rights group Muslim Advocates, one of 13 participants, said the session gave Obama a chance to focus on Muslim Americans the way he has done with other constituencies, such as African American and Jewish groups.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Obama Uses Prayer Breakfast To Call For Curbs On Islam Criticism" by Neil Munro, White House Correspondent, The Daily Caller 2/5/14
Obama also suggested that free speech should be curbed or regulated to shield Islamic ideas and Muslims’ self-esteem from the rough-and-tumble world of modern democracies.
In Islamic culture and laws, criticism of Islamic ideas is often treated as traitorous insults to Islam’s deity and its final prophet that deserve capital punishment.
Obama’s qualified endorsement of Islamic blasphemy laws echoed his 2012 statement to the United Nations General Assembly, when he said “the future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.”
. . .
The Crusades began in 1095, roughly 906 years before the 9/11/2001 attack in New York, and roughly 450 years after Arabs occupied the Christian city of Jerusalem, which was then part of the Christian Byzantine Empire. The empire was eventually destroyed when Islamic armies used mercenary European gunners to capture and occupy Byzantium in 1453.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Rev. Graham to Obama: Unlike Christ, Mohammed ‘Killed Many Innocent People' - His 'True Followers' Emulate Him" by Michael W. Chapman, CNSNews.com 2/5/15
“Mr. President--Many people in history have used the name of Jesus Christ to accomplish evil things for their own desires,” said Rev. Graham. “But Jesus taught peace, love and forgiveness. He came to give His life for the sins of mankind, not to take life.”
“Mohammad on the contrary was a warrior and killed many innocent people,” said Rev. Graham. “True followers of Christ emulate Christ—true followers of Mohammed emulate Mohammed.”
. . . As for the Inquisition, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights reports that “the Catholic Church had almost nothing to do with it. The Church saw heretics as lost sheep who needed to be brought back into the fold. By contrast, secular authorities saw heresy as treason; anyone who questioned royal authority, or who challenged the idea that kingship was God-given, was guilty of a capital offense.”
One of the leading authorities on the Inquisition, Henry Kamen, states that a total of 1,394 people were killed during the Inquisition. “Today, Muslim madmen kill more than that in a few months,” said [Catholic League President Bill] Donohue.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read President Obama, Hypocrite in Chief, Holds Prayer Breakfast as well as American Decline: President Obama's Gay Agenda vs. Christians
Is President Obama a Christian? No, Say Two-Thirds of Americans
And read Biblical Prayer Stricken from Obama Inauguration
Saturday, November 08, 2014
Pope Blasts Liberal 'christians' as Pagans
Not surprisingly, the media did NOT report that Pope Francis referred to non-believers who claim to follow a christ of their own creation as "pagan christians" who are "enemies of the Cross of Christ" and who are destined for damnation. No, the mainstream (liberal) media only report the goings-on of their "pet Pope" when they can twist his words into Gay Agenda or feminist propaganda.
For background, read Pope Francis Warns of Satan; Media, Take Heed!
-- From "Pope Francis: 'Pagan' Christians 'in Name Only' are 'Enemies of the Cross'" posted at The Roanoke Times 11/7/14
Not all those who claim to be Christians really are, said Pope Francis Friday morning. Some are Christians "in name only," he said. "They bear the name of Christians but live a life of pagans." In his homily at Mass, the Pope that there have always been two types of Christian, those who truly followed Christ and those who only pretended to.
From "Pope Francis blasts 'pagan' Christians as 'enemies of the cross'" by Ann Schneible, Catholic News Agency 11/7/14
In his daily homily for Mass at the Santa Marta residence, Pope Francis urged the faithful against living as lukewarm pagans who are merely Christian in name, for these are “enemies of the Cross.”
Reflecting on the day's reading from Paul to the Philippians, the Holy Father spoke of two types of Christians: those who advance in their faith, and those who behave as “enemies of the Cross of Christ.”
Pope Francis condemned this latter group as “Christian pagans,” describing them as “worldly, Christian in name,” but living a “pagan life.” They are “pagans with two strokes of Christian paint, in order to appear as Christians.”
The Holy Father then challenged the faithful to ask themselves if they too exhibit the same worldliness and paganism, and whether they are citizens of Heaven or the earth.
Unlike the citizens of Heaven who await the coming of the Savior, Pope Francis said the citizens of earth are destined for damnation.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "'Pagan Christians' go to church, but don't put God first, pope says" by Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service 11/7/14
Today, the pope said, "there are many of these. And we, too, must be careful not to slip" into being Christians in name only. Being half-hearted Christians, "accustomed to mediocrity" is a danger for all, he said.
In the day's first reading, Philippians 3:17-4:1, St. Paul speaks of true Christians having their "citizenship" in heaven, the pope said, while "pagan Christians" are full citizens of the world.
The way for someone to check their spiritual nationality, he said, is to ask some questions: "Do I like to brag? Do I like money? Do I like pride?"
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Pope at Santa Marta: Enemies of the Cross of Christ" posted at Vatican Radio 11/8/14
"Both groups – he said - were in the [Philippian] Church together, they went to Mass on Sunday, they praised the Lord, they called themselves Christians". So what was the difference? The second group "act like enemies of the Cross of Christ! Christians enemies of the Cross of Christ”.
The Pope said these were "worldly Christians, Christians in name, with two or three Christian things, but nothing more. Pagan Christian". "A Christian name, but a pagan life." Or to put it another way: "Pagans with two strokes of Christian paint, so as to appear like Christians, but pagans nonetheless".
"Even today there are many! We must be careful not to slip toward the path of being pagan Christians, Christians in appearance. The temptation to get used to mediocrity, the mediocrity of Christians, these Christians, it is their undoing because their hearts cool, they become lukewarm. And the Lord had strong words for these lukewarm [Christians]: 'because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth'. These are very strong words! They are enemies of the Cross of Christ. They take the name, but do not follow the requirements of Christian life".
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background on mainstream media coverage of Pope Francis, note these typical fallacious media headlines:
Pope Open to Homosexual Civil Unions
Pope Francis OKs Gay & Women Priests
But what the pope has actually said and has done, include the following:
Pope Said the Gay Agenda is the Work of the Devil
Pope Disappoints Liberals by Opposing 'Gay Adoption'
Pope's New Spanish Cardinal Says 'Gay Gene' is a Defect
Pope Francis Cracks Down on American Liberal Nuns, Priests
Also read Pope Francis Decries Abortion; Vatican Says Media Distort Him
And notice how the media reacted to a U.S. Supreme Court justice saying that Satan exists.
For background, read Pope Francis Warns of Satan; Media, Take Heed!
-- From "Pope Francis: 'Pagan' Christians 'in Name Only' are 'Enemies of the Cross'" posted at The Roanoke Times 11/7/14
Not all those who claim to be Christians really are, said Pope Francis Friday morning. Some are Christians "in name only," he said. "They bear the name of Christians but live a life of pagans." In his homily at Mass, the Pope that there have always been two types of Christian, those who truly followed Christ and those who only pretended to.
From "Pope Francis blasts 'pagan' Christians as 'enemies of the cross'" by Ann Schneible, Catholic News Agency 11/7/14
In his daily homily for Mass at the Santa Marta residence, Pope Francis urged the faithful against living as lukewarm pagans who are merely Christian in name, for these are “enemies of the Cross.”
Reflecting on the day's reading from Paul to the Philippians, the Holy Father spoke of two types of Christians: those who advance in their faith, and those who behave as “enemies of the Cross of Christ.”
Pope Francis condemned this latter group as “Christian pagans,” describing them as “worldly, Christian in name,” but living a “pagan life.” They are “pagans with two strokes of Christian paint, in order to appear as Christians.”
The Holy Father then challenged the faithful to ask themselves if they too exhibit the same worldliness and paganism, and whether they are citizens of Heaven or the earth.
Unlike the citizens of Heaven who await the coming of the Savior, Pope Francis said the citizens of earth are destined for damnation.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "'Pagan Christians' go to church, but don't put God first, pope says" by Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service 11/7/14
Today, the pope said, "there are many of these. And we, too, must be careful not to slip" into being Christians in name only. Being half-hearted Christians, "accustomed to mediocrity" is a danger for all, he said.
In the day's first reading, Philippians 3:17-4:1, St. Paul speaks of true Christians having their "citizenship" in heaven, the pope said, while "pagan Christians" are full citizens of the world.
The way for someone to check their spiritual nationality, he said, is to ask some questions: "Do I like to brag? Do I like money? Do I like pride?"
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Pope at Santa Marta: Enemies of the Cross of Christ" posted at Vatican Radio 11/8/14
"Both groups – he said - were in the [Philippian] Church together, they went to Mass on Sunday, they praised the Lord, they called themselves Christians". So what was the difference? The second group "act like enemies of the Cross of Christ! Christians enemies of the Cross of Christ”.
The Pope said these were "worldly Christians, Christians in name, with two or three Christian things, but nothing more. Pagan Christian". "A Christian name, but a pagan life." Or to put it another way: "Pagans with two strokes of Christian paint, so as to appear like Christians, but pagans nonetheless".
"Even today there are many! We must be careful not to slip toward the path of being pagan Christians, Christians in appearance. The temptation to get used to mediocrity, the mediocrity of Christians, these Christians, it is their undoing because their hearts cool, they become lukewarm. And the Lord had strong words for these lukewarm [Christians]: 'because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth'. These are very strong words! They are enemies of the Cross of Christ. They take the name, but do not follow the requirements of Christian life".
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background on mainstream media coverage of Pope Francis, note these typical fallacious media headlines:
Pope Open to Homosexual Civil Unions
Pope Francis OKs Gay & Women Priests
But what the pope has actually said and has done, include the following:
Pope Said the Gay Agenda is the Work of the Devil
Pope Disappoints Liberals by Opposing 'Gay Adoption'
Pope's New Spanish Cardinal Says 'Gay Gene' is a Defect
Pope Francis Cracks Down on American Liberal Nuns, Priests
Also read Pope Francis Decries Abortion; Vatican Says Media Distort Him
And notice how the media reacted to a U.S. Supreme Court justice saying that Satan exists.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Obama a Christian? No, Say Two-Thirds of Americans
In the latest Gallup poll, 66% of Americans say that President Obama is either a Muslim, someone of no faith at all, or they just can't tell. Only 34% say that he's a Christian -- most likely of a generic sort, rather than a devotee of a denomination.
For background, read Is Obama Christian? Few Think So: Poll and also read Boston Globe Explores Obama as Fake Christian as well as Obamas' Rare Church Attendance is Easter
UPDATE 5/2/13: President Obama Prays to an Unknown God
UPDATE 2/6/14: President Obama, Hypocrite in Chief, Holds Prayer Breakfast
-- From "Poll: Most Americans do not identify Obama as Christian" by Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times 6/23/12
The poll released Friday . . . is striking, because few presidents have spoken and written as much about their faith as Obama. . . . He uses Christian language and imagery often in speeches.
[Apparently] a certain percentage of the populace knows that Obama professes a Christian faith but doesn't believe him.
Obama's father was born into a Muslim family in Kenya, but was an atheist by the time Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, according to the president's accounts. Obama has written that he was not raised in a religious household, but converted to Christianity as an adult, in part through [the heretical Rev. Jeremiah] Wright's influence.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Gallup Poll: 44% don't know Obama's religion" by David Jackson, USA TODAY 6/25/12
Gallup notes that Americans are more likely to know the religion of Republican presidential Mitt Romney, "with most Americans correctly saying Romney is a Mormon and a smaller 33% saying they don't know."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Poll: Americans still have trouble naming Obama’s religion" posted at The Capitol Column 6/24/12
This Gallup poll is not the only survey in the past several years to reveal that many Americans still aren’t sure what religion Mr. Obama practices. A 2010 Pew Research Center survey found that nearly one in five Americans say the president is a Muslim.
A quick analysis of Pew surveys from 2008 through 2010 reveals that a growing number of Americans think Mr. Obama is a Muslim. In March 2008, 12 percent of Americans said he is a Muslim, but two years later that number had grown to 18 percent.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Gallup: 44% Don’t Know Obama’s Religion; 11% Say He’s Muslim; 8% Say He Has None" by Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com 6/23/12
The group of those who say they do not know Obama’s religion crosses party lines, with 47 percent of Republicans saying they don’t know, 46 percent of Independents saying they don’t know, and 36 percent of Democrats saying they don’t know.
The group of those who say Obama is a Muslim also crosses party lines, with 18 percent of Republicans saying he is a Muslim, 12 percent of Independents, and 3 percent of Democrats.
Gallup’s analysis of its own poll incorrectly says that “[j]ust 34 percent of Americans correctly say U.S. President Barack Obama is a Christian”—including 20 percent who generically say he is a “Christian,” 7 percent who say he is a “Protestant,” 4 percent who say he is a “Baptist,” 2 percent who say he belongs to the United Church of Christ, and 1 percent who say he is a Methodist.
Independents were more likely than Republicans or Democrats to believe that Obama was of “no religion” or “none.” Ten percent of Independents said that was their understanding, compared 7 percent of Republicans and 6 percent of Democrats.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Poll: Many Americans Don't Know Obama Is Christian" by Audrey Barrick, Christian Post Reporter 6/23/12
The Obamas do not currently belong to any church but attend various churches, such as St. John's Episcopal Church near the White House, on a few occasions.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read President Obama Reads Easter Message Speech as well as Obama on Jihad: Islam is a Great Religion
To read the full Gallup Poll, CLICK HERE
For background, read Is Obama Christian? Few Think So: Poll and also read Boston Globe Explores Obama as Fake Christian as well as Obamas' Rare Church Attendance is Easter
UPDATE 5/2/13: President Obama Prays to an Unknown God
UPDATE 2/6/14: President Obama, Hypocrite in Chief, Holds Prayer Breakfast
-- From "Poll: Most Americans do not identify Obama as Christian" by Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times 6/23/12
The poll released Friday . . . is striking, because few presidents have spoken and written as much about their faith as Obama. . . . He uses Christian language and imagery often in speeches.
[Apparently] a certain percentage of the populace knows that Obama professes a Christian faith but doesn't believe him.
Obama's father was born into a Muslim family in Kenya, but was an atheist by the time Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, according to the president's accounts. Obama has written that he was not raised in a religious household, but converted to Christianity as an adult, in part through [the heretical Rev. Jeremiah] Wright's influence.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Gallup Poll: 44% don't know Obama's religion" by David Jackson, USA TODAY 6/25/12
Gallup notes that Americans are more likely to know the religion of Republican presidential Mitt Romney, "with most Americans correctly saying Romney is a Mormon and a smaller 33% saying they don't know."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Poll: Americans still have trouble naming Obama’s religion" posted at The Capitol Column 6/24/12
This Gallup poll is not the only survey in the past several years to reveal that many Americans still aren’t sure what religion Mr. Obama practices. A 2010 Pew Research Center survey found that nearly one in five Americans say the president is a Muslim.
A quick analysis of Pew surveys from 2008 through 2010 reveals that a growing number of Americans think Mr. Obama is a Muslim. In March 2008, 12 percent of Americans said he is a Muslim, but two years later that number had grown to 18 percent.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Gallup: 44% Don’t Know Obama’s Religion; 11% Say He’s Muslim; 8% Say He Has None" by Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com 6/23/12
The group of those who say they do not know Obama’s religion crosses party lines, with 47 percent of Republicans saying they don’t know, 46 percent of Independents saying they don’t know, and 36 percent of Democrats saying they don’t know.
The group of those who say Obama is a Muslim also crosses party lines, with 18 percent of Republicans saying he is a Muslim, 12 percent of Independents, and 3 percent of Democrats.
Gallup’s analysis of its own poll incorrectly says that “[j]ust 34 percent of Americans correctly say U.S. President Barack Obama is a Christian”—including 20 percent who generically say he is a “Christian,” 7 percent who say he is a “Protestant,” 4 percent who say he is a “Baptist,” 2 percent who say he belongs to the United Church of Christ, and 1 percent who say he is a Methodist.
Independents were more likely than Republicans or Democrats to believe that Obama was of “no religion” or “none.” Ten percent of Independents said that was their understanding, compared 7 percent of Republicans and 6 percent of Democrats.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Poll: Many Americans Don't Know Obama Is Christian" by Audrey Barrick, Christian Post Reporter 6/23/12
The Obamas do not currently belong to any church but attend various churches, such as St. John's Episcopal Church near the White House, on a few occasions.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read President Obama Reads Easter Message Speech as well as Obama on Jihad: Islam is a Great Religion
To read the full Gallup Poll, CLICK HERE
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Most Non-committal Cohabitants' First Marriage Ends
A report by the federal CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) shows that the best chance for a decades-long, first-time marriage is a college-educated religious couple without previous illegitimate children, AND who did NOT cohabit prior to a formal wedding engagement.
Note (below) how many ways the mainstream media spins the statistics in this government report.
For background, read Marriage Trend: Confined within Church and also read Fewer Get Married, but Stay Married: Census as well as Cohabitation Soars, Children Suffer: Study
-- From "College degree, religious faith help marriages ‘survive’ to 20th year" by Cheryl Wetzstein, The Washington Times 3/22/12
. . . although relatively few - one in five - first marriages fail within five years, they are likely to be associated with characteristics like marrying as a teen, coming from a single-parent home and not having a child together after marriage.
Conversely, marriages that reached their 20-year anniversary were associated with having a college degree, having a religious life, not cohabiting before marriage and not having previous marriages or children from previous relationships, the report said.
. . . the new data show that of married women with a high-school education, 59 percent divorced before their 20th anniversary. In contrast, 78 percent of married women with bachelor’s degrees reached their 20th anniversary.
“The only good news is that federal data also suggest that married couples with children have seen their divorce rates come down since the 1980s,” [said sociology professor W. Bradford Wilcox, who also directs the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia].
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Living together before marriage no longer seen as bad omen; about 60 pct of couples try it" by The Associated Press 3/21/12
Living together before marriage has been a long-growing trend. In the late 1960s, only about 10 percent of U.S. couples moved in together first, and they ended up with higher divorce rates.
Today, about 60 percent of couples live together before they first marry.
The study found those who were engaged and living together before the wedding were about as likely to have marriages that lasted 15 years as couples who hadn’t lived together.
But what about the couples who were living together but weren’t engaged? The new study found marriage was less likely to survive to the 10- and 15-year mark among couples who weren’t engaged when they lived together — findings similar to earlier research.
Commitment has made a difference. In interviews with some women who have been married 20 years or more after living with their spouse first, firm belief in a future together was a common theme.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "About Half of First Marriages Don't Last 20 Years" by Salynn Boyles, WebMD Health News 3/22/12
Between 1982 and 2010, the percentage of women under the age of 45 living with a partner outside of marriage nearly quadrupled, from 3% to 11%, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
56% of first marriages among men and 52% among women now end in the first two decades.
By age 40, close to 9 out of 10 women and 8 out of 10 men will have married at least once.
More than 2 out of 3 Asian women (69%) were likely to still be married after 20 years, compared to around half of white women (54%) and just over a third (37%) of African-American women.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Nearly 40% of women today have never been married" by Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY 3/22/12
The data, out today from the National Center for Health Statistics, are based on 22,682 in-person interviews from 2006 to 2010 with men and women (not couples) ages 15 to 44. Among the 12,279 women studied, the percentage of never-marrieds rose to 38% from 33% in 1995.
The highest percentage of women who have never married was among blacks (55%), followed by U.S.-born Hispanics (49%), Asians (39%) and whites (34%).
The percentage of women who said they were in a first marriage declined to 36%, from 44% in 1982. Similar data on men were not collected until 2002.
The data reflect not only the "delay in getting married for the first time" but also "that more people are cohabitating," says Galena Rhoades of the University of Denver's Center for Marital and Family Studies.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Out-of-Wedlock Births: Majority for Moms Under 30
Note (below) how many ways the mainstream media spins the statistics in this government report.
For background, read Marriage Trend: Confined within Church and also read Fewer Get Married, but Stay Married: Census as well as Cohabitation Soars, Children Suffer: Study
-- From "College degree, religious faith help marriages ‘survive’ to 20th year" by Cheryl Wetzstein, The Washington Times 3/22/12
. . . although relatively few - one in five - first marriages fail within five years, they are likely to be associated with characteristics like marrying as a teen, coming from a single-parent home and not having a child together after marriage.
Conversely, marriages that reached their 20-year anniversary were associated with having a college degree, having a religious life, not cohabiting before marriage and not having previous marriages or children from previous relationships, the report said.
. . . the new data show that of married women with a high-school education, 59 percent divorced before their 20th anniversary. In contrast, 78 percent of married women with bachelor’s degrees reached their 20th anniversary.
“The only good news is that federal data also suggest that married couples with children have seen their divorce rates come down since the 1980s,” [said sociology professor W. Bradford Wilcox, who also directs the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia].
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Living together before marriage no longer seen as bad omen; about 60 pct of couples try it" by The Associated Press 3/21/12
Living together before marriage has been a long-growing trend. In the late 1960s, only about 10 percent of U.S. couples moved in together first, and they ended up with higher divorce rates.
Today, about 60 percent of couples live together before they first marry.
The study found those who were engaged and living together before the wedding were about as likely to have marriages that lasted 15 years as couples who hadn’t lived together.
But what about the couples who were living together but weren’t engaged? The new study found marriage was less likely to survive to the 10- and 15-year mark among couples who weren’t engaged when they lived together — findings similar to earlier research.
Commitment has made a difference. In interviews with some women who have been married 20 years or more after living with their spouse first, firm belief in a future together was a common theme.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "About Half of First Marriages Don't Last 20 Years" by Salynn Boyles, WebMD Health News 3/22/12
Between 1982 and 2010, the percentage of women under the age of 45 living with a partner outside of marriage nearly quadrupled, from 3% to 11%, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
56% of first marriages among men and 52% among women now end in the first two decades.
By age 40, close to 9 out of 10 women and 8 out of 10 men will have married at least once.
More than 2 out of 3 Asian women (69%) were likely to still be married after 20 years, compared to around half of white women (54%) and just over a third (37%) of African-American women.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Nearly 40% of women today have never been married" by Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY 3/22/12
The data, out today from the National Center for Health Statistics, are based on 22,682 in-person interviews from 2006 to 2010 with men and women (not couples) ages 15 to 44. Among the 12,279 women studied, the percentage of never-marrieds rose to 38% from 33% in 1995.
The highest percentage of women who have never married was among blacks (55%), followed by U.S.-born Hispanics (49%), Asians (39%) and whites (34%).
The percentage of women who said they were in a first marriage declined to 36%, from 44% in 1982. Similar data on men were not collected until 2002.
The data reflect not only the "delay in getting married for the first time" but also "that more people are cohabitating," says Galena Rhoades of the University of Denver's Center for Marital and Family Studies.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Out-of-Wedlock Births: Majority for Moms Under 30
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Hiring Only Christians for Missions Org. OK: Supreme Court
World Vision, with over 40,000 employees supplying Christian aid and relief worldwide, has been given the nod by the U.S. Supreme Court to hire and fire based on religious belief and requiring employees to sign a statement of faith.
-- From "Supreme Court Rejects Appeal of Religious Hiring Exemption" by The Associated Press 10/3/11
The Supreme Court has let stand a lower court ruling that found World Vision can fire employees who disagree with its Christian doctrinal statement.
Three fired employees [Sylvia Spencer, Vicki Hulse and Ted Youngberg] sued World Vision in 2007, arguing that the charity's main focus was on relief rather than religious work, so it should not be allowed to hire only fellow believers.
But last year, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the plaintiffs' claim [in a 2-1 decision] and on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear their appeal.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "High court refuses World Vision hiring case" by Hal Bernton, Seattle Times staff reporter 10/3/11
"I am pleased, relieved and gratified with the court's action,' said World Vision's U.S. president, Richard Stearns, in a statement released Monday. "After four years of litigation, we at World Vision U.S. may now put this matter behind us, and continue our policy of hiring only Christians."
Stearns, in his Monday statement, said that this hiring policy is "... vital to the integrity of our mission to serve the poor as followers of Jesus Christ."
The former employees initially signed a statement of faith but then were terminated after they no longer could affirm their beliefs in the deity of Jesus Christ, nor the Trinity.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Supreme Court Rejects Appeal of Religious Hiring Exemption" by The Associated Press 10/3/11
The Supreme Court has let stand a lower court ruling that found World Vision can fire employees who disagree with its Christian doctrinal statement.
Three fired employees [Sylvia Spencer, Vicki Hulse and Ted Youngberg] sued World Vision in 2007, arguing that the charity's main focus was on relief rather than religious work, so it should not be allowed to hire only fellow believers.
But last year, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the plaintiffs' claim [in a 2-1 decision] and on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear their appeal.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "High court refuses World Vision hiring case" by Hal Bernton, Seattle Times staff reporter 10/3/11
"I am pleased, relieved and gratified with the court's action,' said World Vision's U.S. president, Richard Stearns, in a statement released Monday. "After four years of litigation, we at World Vision U.S. may now put this matter behind us, and continue our policy of hiring only Christians."
Stearns, in his Monday statement, said that this hiring policy is "... vital to the integrity of our mission to serve the poor as followers of Jesus Christ."
The former employees initially signed a statement of faith but then were terminated after they no longer could affirm their beliefs in the deity of Jesus Christ, nor the Trinity.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
City Permit Required for Bible Study in Calif.
Chuck and Stephanie Fromm have paid hundreds of dollars in fines to the City of San Juan Capistrano for covertly reading the Bible with friends in their home, and could face architectural and traffic study costs to obtain a "conditional use permit" for any home Bible study to continue.
Being caught in any such activity again without approval, could result in fines of $500 per Bible study session.
For background, read 'Big Brother' Requires Permit for Home Bible Study and also read Another Calif. City Restricts Home Bible Studies as well as Arizona City Bans Bible Studies in Homes
UPDATE 9/21/11: One week later, mainstream media discover the story
-- From "Capistrano Couple in Legal Battle for Hosting Bible Study in Home" by Jonathan Volzke, The Capistrano Dispatch 9/13/11
Stephanie Fromm hosts a Bible study on Wednesdays that draws about 20 people, while Chuck Fromm’s Sunday-morning gathering draws as many as 50. But in the neighborhood of large homes on even larger lots—the Fromms live in a 4,700-square-foot home on a parcel that also has a corral, barn, pool and huge back lawn—Stephanie Fromm said parking was never a problem. Neither was noise, she said.
The Fromms’ citations say they violated section 9-3.301 of the Capistrano Municipal Code, which prohibits “religious, fraternal or non-profit” organizations in residential neighborhoods without a conditional-use permit. The footnote on the section says it “Includes churches, temples, synagogues, monasteries, religious retreats, and other places of religious worship and other fraternal and community service organizations.”
The Fromms are being represented in their lawsuit, an appeal of the hearing officer’s decision, by Michael Peffer of the Pacific Justice Institute in Santa Ana. The trial is set for October 7 in Laguna Hills.
The Fromms are 18-year residents of Capistrano . . . Chuck Fromm is publisher of Worship Leader Magazine . . . an international 20-year-old magazine for pastors, worship leaders, musicians, vocalists, sound and visual techs, technology stewards, artists and others.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "First Amendment under attack in SoCal" By Rick Silva, Paradise Post 9/15/11
[A city official] told the couple that regular gatherings of more than three people require a conditional-use permit.
. . . The city rejected the Fromm's appeal, so the Pacific Justice Institute has appealed the decision to the California Superior Court in Orange County.
But if those same 20 people roll over to the ol' homestead 20 times a year for some football, beer and fun, they don't? Or do they? Could those football parties be considered fraternal? Perhaps every week they have a barbecue and plot the recall of the entire city council. That might be worth the conditional-use permit.
The very notion that government can require such a conditional-use permit under the guise of "land use" should scare everyone who is involved in religious, political or non-profit gatherings.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "City demands Christians get permit for Bible study" by Bob Unruh, World Net Daily 9/16/11
"Imposing a heavy-handed permit requirement on a home Bible study is outrageous," said Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, which is working on the case on behalf of the Fromms.
. . . "An informal gathering in a home cannot be treated with suspicion by the government, or worse than any other gathering of friends, just because it is religious. We cannot allow this to happen in America, and we will fight as long and as hard as it takes to restore this group's religious freedom."
Pacific Justice said it has represented larger churches that have been required to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of the permit process on such items as engineering and traffic studies, architectural designs. The process includes public hearings and ultimately can result in a rejection by the city.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Being caught in any such activity again without approval, could result in fines of $500 per Bible study session.
For background, read 'Big Brother' Requires Permit for Home Bible Study and also read Another Calif. City Restricts Home Bible Studies as well as Arizona City Bans Bible Studies in Homes
UPDATE 9/21/11: One week later, mainstream media discover the story
-- From "Capistrano Couple in Legal Battle for Hosting Bible Study in Home" by Jonathan Volzke, The Capistrano Dispatch 9/13/11
Stephanie Fromm hosts a Bible study on Wednesdays that draws about 20 people, while Chuck Fromm’s Sunday-morning gathering draws as many as 50. But in the neighborhood of large homes on even larger lots—the Fromms live in a 4,700-square-foot home on a parcel that also has a corral, barn, pool and huge back lawn—Stephanie Fromm said parking was never a problem. Neither was noise, she said.
The Fromms’ citations say they violated section 9-3.301 of the Capistrano Municipal Code, which prohibits “religious, fraternal or non-profit” organizations in residential neighborhoods without a conditional-use permit. The footnote on the section says it “Includes churches, temples, synagogues, monasteries, religious retreats, and other places of religious worship and other fraternal and community service organizations.”
The Fromms are being represented in their lawsuit, an appeal of the hearing officer’s decision, by Michael Peffer of the Pacific Justice Institute in Santa Ana. The trial is set for October 7 in Laguna Hills.
The Fromms are 18-year residents of Capistrano . . . Chuck Fromm is publisher of Worship Leader Magazine . . . an international 20-year-old magazine for pastors, worship leaders, musicians, vocalists, sound and visual techs, technology stewards, artists and others.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "First Amendment under attack in SoCal" By Rick Silva, Paradise Post 9/15/11
[A city official] told the couple that regular gatherings of more than three people require a conditional-use permit.
. . . The city rejected the Fromm's appeal, so the Pacific Justice Institute has appealed the decision to the California Superior Court in Orange County.
But if those same 20 people roll over to the ol' homestead 20 times a year for some football, beer and fun, they don't? Or do they? Could those football parties be considered fraternal? Perhaps every week they have a barbecue and plot the recall of the entire city council. That might be worth the conditional-use permit.
The very notion that government can require such a conditional-use permit under the guise of "land use" should scare everyone who is involved in religious, political or non-profit gatherings.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "City demands Christians get permit for Bible study" by Bob Unruh, World Net Daily 9/16/11
"Imposing a heavy-handed permit requirement on a home Bible study is outrageous," said Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, which is working on the case on behalf of the Fromms.
. . . "An informal gathering in a home cannot be treated with suspicion by the government, or worse than any other gathering of friends, just because it is religious. We cannot allow this to happen in America, and we will fight as long and as hard as it takes to restore this group's religious freedom."
Pacific Justice said it has represented larger churches that have been required to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of the permit process on such items as engineering and traffic studies, architectural designs. The process includes public hearings and ultimately can result in a rejection by the city.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
9/11 Prayer at Ground Zero, Despite Mayor
After the New York mayor announced the ban on clergy and prayer at the city's 9/11 anniversary memorial service for Sunday, several Christian leaders organized a prayer event on Saturday.
For background, read Clergy & Prayer Banned From 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Memorial and also read Obama D.C. 9/11 'Prayer:' Exclude Evangelicals
-- From "Vigil raps lack of clergy prayer at NYC 9/11 event" by The Associated Press 9/10/11
Religious leaders are protesting New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's decision not to include a clergy-led prayer in the city's ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
About two dozen ministers gathered Saturday in front of St. Paul's Chapel in lower Manhattan. The group planned to walk to the edge of ground zero and hold a prayer service there.
The Rev. Rob Schenck notes that clergy members ministered to people in New York after the attacks. He says it was hurtful not to include religious leaders in the ceremony.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Omitting Clergy at 9/11 Ceremony Prompts Protest" by Laurie Goodstein, New York Times 9/8/11
The second Sunday after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, New York clergy members of many faiths joined elected officials at Yankee Stadium in a city-sponsored memorial ceremony that melded the sacred and the secular, replete with flags, prayers and tears.
Ten years later . . .
Richard D. Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, which is the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, said in an interview that the planned ceremony only proved that New York was the “epicenter of secularism,” out of step with the rest of America.
“We’re not France,” he said. “Mr. Bloomberg is pretending we’re a secular society, and we are not.”
[Former New York mayor] Rudolph W. Giuliani who helped organize the 2001 event at Yankee Stadium [said this week] “I feel like America has lost its way.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Clergy Plan 9/10 Prayer Service at Ground Zero" by Joseph Perkins, Christian Post Contributor 9/7/11
The Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition . . . found Bloomberg’s decision “extremely troubling.” That’s what prompted him and his fellow religious leaders to hold their own prayer vigil the day before Bloomberg’s strictly secular memorial service.
Meanwhile, a study by the Barna Group suggests that New Yorkers have gotten increasingly religious since 9/11. In 1999 and 2000, according to the study, only 31 percent were weekly churchgoers. Ten years later, that figure has increased to 46 percent.
The ranks of “active-faith adults,” those who pray, read the Bible and attend church in a typical week, has grown from 17 percent to 24 percent since the World Trade Center was reduced to rubble. All told, the Barna survey reveals, 61 percent of New Yorkers say their faith is very important to them.
“Our intention,” said the Rev. Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council, and another of the organizers of the planned Saturday service, “is to address that need in the hearts and minds of so many affected by the pain of that infamous day.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Lack of clergy at Sept. 11 memorial prompts separate prayer event" by Kevin J. Jones, Catholic News Agency 9/10/11
“During the past 10 years, it has only been faith in God and prayer that has enabled so many to move forward and rebuild their lives and protected America from another major terrorist attack,” [Rev. Mahoney] said.
Rev. Mahoney thought it was “imperative” to have a public prayer service at Ground Zero during the anniversary weekend. While the absence of prayer at the official service may seem reasonable to some, he suggested, “it will only compound the pain and the loss of others.”
“During our prayer time at Ground Zero, we will seek God for His continued protection, especially with new credible terrorist threats, pray for those who lost loved ones, pray for our leaders and elected officials and turn to God in repentance recognizing only He can bring healing and restoration to our nation,” he said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background, read Clergy & Prayer Banned From 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Memorial and also read Obama D.C. 9/11 'Prayer:' Exclude Evangelicals
-- From "Vigil raps lack of clergy prayer at NYC 9/11 event" by The Associated Press 9/10/11
Religious leaders are protesting New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's decision not to include a clergy-led prayer in the city's ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
About two dozen ministers gathered Saturday in front of St. Paul's Chapel in lower Manhattan. The group planned to walk to the edge of ground zero and hold a prayer service there.
The Rev. Rob Schenck notes that clergy members ministered to people in New York after the attacks. He says it was hurtful not to include religious leaders in the ceremony.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Omitting Clergy at 9/11 Ceremony Prompts Protest" by Laurie Goodstein, New York Times 9/8/11
The second Sunday after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, New York clergy members of many faiths joined elected officials at Yankee Stadium in a city-sponsored memorial ceremony that melded the sacred and the secular, replete with flags, prayers and tears.
Ten years later . . .
Richard D. Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, which is the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, said in an interview that the planned ceremony only proved that New York was the “epicenter of secularism,” out of step with the rest of America.
“We’re not France,” he said. “Mr. Bloomberg is pretending we’re a secular society, and we are not.”
[Former New York mayor] Rudolph W. Giuliani who helped organize the 2001 event at Yankee Stadium [said this week] “I feel like America has lost its way.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Clergy Plan 9/10 Prayer Service at Ground Zero" by Joseph Perkins, Christian Post Contributor 9/7/11
The Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition . . . found Bloomberg’s decision “extremely troubling.” That’s what prompted him and his fellow religious leaders to hold their own prayer vigil the day before Bloomberg’s strictly secular memorial service.
Meanwhile, a study by the Barna Group suggests that New Yorkers have gotten increasingly religious since 9/11. In 1999 and 2000, according to the study, only 31 percent were weekly churchgoers. Ten years later, that figure has increased to 46 percent.
The ranks of “active-faith adults,” those who pray, read the Bible and attend church in a typical week, has grown from 17 percent to 24 percent since the World Trade Center was reduced to rubble. All told, the Barna survey reveals, 61 percent of New Yorkers say their faith is very important to them.
“Our intention,” said the Rev. Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council, and another of the organizers of the planned Saturday service, “is to address that need in the hearts and minds of so many affected by the pain of that infamous day.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Lack of clergy at Sept. 11 memorial prompts separate prayer event" by Kevin J. Jones, Catholic News Agency 9/10/11
“During the past 10 years, it has only been faith in God and prayer that has enabled so many to move forward and rebuild their lives and protected America from another major terrorist attack,” [Rev. Mahoney] said.
Rev. Mahoney thought it was “imperative” to have a public prayer service at Ground Zero during the anniversary weekend. While the absence of prayer at the official service may seem reasonable to some, he suggested, “it will only compound the pain and the loss of others.”
“During our prayer time at Ground Zero, we will seek God for His continued protection, especially with new credible terrorist threats, pray for those who lost loved ones, pray for our leaders and elected officials and turn to God in repentance recognizing only He can bring healing and restoration to our nation,” he said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Americans Believe in Prayer, NOT Darwin
A new poll shows that 77% of voters believe that prayer heals people, and those believing in Biblical creation outnumber those believing in Darwin's evolution by a margin of two to one.
For background, read Poll: Most Americans Believe Intelligent Design over Darwinism and also read Eons of Godless Human Evolution? NOT, Say 84% of Americans as well as Only 25% of Britons are Darwinists
-- From "Fox News Poll: Most Believe Prayer Heals, 45 Percent Believe in Creationism" by Dana Blanton, FoxNews.com 9/7/11
Those groups most likely to believe prayer literally heals include those who regularly attend religious services (93 percent), white evangelical Christians (91 percent), blacks (89 percent), conservatives (85 percent), and those who are part of the Tea Party movement (84 percent).
Women (82 percent) are more likely than men (71 percent) to believe in the healing power of prayer.
Some 45 percent of voters accept the Biblical account of creation as the explanation for the origin of human life on Earth, while 21 percent say the theory of evolution as outlined by Darwin and other scientists is correct. Another 27 percent say both explanations are true.
Belief in creationism, however, fails to explain Republican presidential primary preferences. Frontrunner Rick Perry is the top choice for GOP primary voters who believe in creationism as well as those who believe in evolution.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "A new Fox News poll on evolution" posted at National Center for Science Education 9/7/11
Respondents were asked, "Which do you think is more likely to actually be the explanation for the origin of human life on Earth: the theory of evolution as outlined by Darwin and other scientists, the Biblical account of creation as told in the Bible, or are both true?"
Evolution was more popular among Democrats than Republicans (28% to 13%), men than women (24% to 19%), college graduates than non-college-graduates (28% to 16%), the affluent than the non-affluent (28% to 15%), and liberals to conservatives (37% to 11%). In results from 1999, the theory of evolution was favored by 15%, the Biblical account of creation by 50%, the combination answer by 26%, and 9% of respondents said that they didn't know.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Few Believe Evolution Enough to Teach It as well as Scientific Teaching vs. Darwinism: States' Legislation
For background, read Poll: Most Americans Believe Intelligent Design over Darwinism and also read Eons of Godless Human Evolution? NOT, Say 84% of Americans as well as Only 25% of Britons are Darwinists
-- From "Fox News Poll: Most Believe Prayer Heals, 45 Percent Believe in Creationism" by Dana Blanton, FoxNews.com 9/7/11
Those groups most likely to believe prayer literally heals include those who regularly attend religious services (93 percent), white evangelical Christians (91 percent), blacks (89 percent), conservatives (85 percent), and those who are part of the Tea Party movement (84 percent).
Women (82 percent) are more likely than men (71 percent) to believe in the healing power of prayer.
Some 45 percent of voters accept the Biblical account of creation as the explanation for the origin of human life on Earth, while 21 percent say the theory of evolution as outlined by Darwin and other scientists is correct. Another 27 percent say both explanations are true.
Belief in creationism, however, fails to explain Republican presidential primary preferences. Frontrunner Rick Perry is the top choice for GOP primary voters who believe in creationism as well as those who believe in evolution.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "A new Fox News poll on evolution" posted at National Center for Science Education 9/7/11
Respondents were asked, "Which do you think is more likely to actually be the explanation for the origin of human life on Earth: the theory of evolution as outlined by Darwin and other scientists, the Biblical account of creation as told in the Bible, or are both true?"
Evolution was more popular among Democrats than Republicans (28% to 13%), men than women (24% to 19%), college graduates than non-college-graduates (28% to 16%), the affluent than the non-affluent (28% to 15%), and liberals to conservatives (37% to 11%). In results from 1999, the theory of evolution was favored by 15%, the Biblical account of creation by 50%, the combination answer by 26%, and 9% of respondents said that they didn't know.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Few Believe Evolution Enough to Teach It as well as Scientific Teaching vs. Darwinism: States' Legislation
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Media Discover America is a Christian Nation
Before the Age of the Internet, the mainstream media monopoly succeeded in striping Christianity from many facets of American society, including political campaigns; all that has changed now.
For background, read Media Prepare Anti-Christian Campaign for 2012 and also read NY Times Wants Conservative Christian Candidates Grilled on Theology as well as God's Conspiracy Theory via GOP per NBC's Rachel Maddow
-- From "Theology a hot issue in 2012 GOP campaign" by Rachel Zoll, Associated Press Religion Writer 9/3/11
It used to be simpler. . . .
Now, politicians are navigating a landscape in which rifts over faith and policy have become chasms. . . .
Nationally, more than 70 percent of Republicans and more than half of Democrats say it's somewhat or very important that a presidential candidate have very strong religious beliefs, according to the Public Religion Research Institute.
Politicians are evaluated not only by what church they attend, but also by what their congregation teaches and what their pastor says on Sundays.
Politicians are facing complex questions on religious doctrine, prompted in many cases by their own attempts at highlighting their faith.
Voters have started pushing for specifics because they no longer consider belief separate from action and faith unrelated to policymaking, said Kathleen Flake, who specializes in American religious history at Vanderbilt University. . . .
"For the first time, we're not only interested in whether someone is religious, which is essentially a question of, 'Do you have a morality that the voter can identify with?'" Flake said. "It appears that there's a significant portion of the electorate that's interested in what the particular theology of the candidate is. Do they believe in Jesus? If so, what kind of Jesus do you believe in?"
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Also read Presidential Candidates Address Christian America
For background, read Media Prepare Anti-Christian Campaign for 2012 and also read NY Times Wants Conservative Christian Candidates Grilled on Theology as well as God's Conspiracy Theory via GOP per NBC's Rachel Maddow
-- From "Theology a hot issue in 2012 GOP campaign" by Rachel Zoll, Associated Press Religion Writer 9/3/11
It used to be simpler. . . .
Now, politicians are navigating a landscape in which rifts over faith and policy have become chasms. . . .
Nationally, more than 70 percent of Republicans and more than half of Democrats say it's somewhat or very important that a presidential candidate have very strong religious beliefs, according to the Public Religion Research Institute.
Politicians are evaluated not only by what church they attend, but also by what their congregation teaches and what their pastor says on Sundays.
Politicians are facing complex questions on religious doctrine, prompted in many cases by their own attempts at highlighting their faith.
Voters have started pushing for specifics because they no longer consider belief separate from action and faith unrelated to policymaking, said Kathleen Flake, who specializes in American religious history at Vanderbilt University. . . .
"For the first time, we're not only interested in whether someone is religious, which is essentially a question of, 'Do you have a morality that the voter can identify with?'" Flake said. "It appears that there's a significant portion of the electorate that's interested in what the particular theology of the candidate is. Do they believe in Jesus? If so, what kind of Jesus do you believe in?"
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Also read Presidential Candidates Address Christian America
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Pro-abortion, Girl Scouts' Appeal Diminishes
Many Christian parents are reporting that the Girl Scout's affiliation with “Planned Parenthood” is not something that they want their children involved with, and have now begun removing their daughters from the organization.
For background, read Girl Scouts Advocate Guide Teaching Sex Acts? and also read Planned Parenthood Urges HIV-infected Teens to Freely Have Sex
UPDATE 1/12/12: "Boycott Girl Scout Cookies" says Girl Scout (video)
UPDATE 10/28/11: Girl Scouts Convention Features Pro-Abortion Speakers
-- From "Children Leaving Girl Scouts Due to 'Planned Parenthood' Affiliations" by Fionna Agomuoh, Christian Post Contributor 8/18/11
In recent years, it has become more apparent to many Girl Scouts and their parents that the wholesome values that the organization claims to stand behind may not be as wholesome as expected. In response, they are favoring several faith-based girl empowerment organizations that have been founded as alternatives to the Girl Scouts.
Patti Garibay, founder of the American Heritage Girls, a non-denominational female scout program notes that countless American Heritage Girls were once Girl Scouts who left the organization due to conflicts with their faith and beliefs.
Another budding girls group is the Little Flowers Girls' Club. Geared toward home-schooled Catholic girls, the club has been growing by 2,000 members a year.
Pioneer Girls and GEMS Girls' Clubs, are also both organizations that focus on Christ-centered and faith-based life skills and character building.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "The cookie crumbles: American girls abandoning Girl Scouts" by Taylor Hudson, World Net Daily 8/14/11
Proof of the strong links [to Planned Parenthood] can be found by looking no further than the statements of Girl Scout CEO Kathy Cloninger, who told NBC's "Today" show in an interview in 2004: "We partner with many organizations. We have relationships with our church communities, with YWCAs, and with Planned Parenthood organizations across the country, to bring information-based sex education programs to girls."
There's additional documentation in printed materials provided by the Girl Scouts, although the statement from Cloninger remains sufficient for many parents. It comes on the heels of WND's exposure of Girl Scouts' promotion of lesbian causes.
Concerned Women for America . . . President Wendy Wright has documented the relationship between Girls Scouts and Planned Parenthood.
"These groups work together to steal children's innocence and make them vulnerable to the negative consequences of promiscuity thereby creating clients for their abortion and STD services," said Wright.
One link between Girl Scouts USA and pro-abortion causes that can be easily verified is the connection to the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, or WAGGGS. Each Girl Scout is automatically a member of WAGGGS due to shared funding and activities. The WAGGGS website shows support for a campaign involving "sexual and reproductive health services" such as "emergency contraception in order to avoid unintended pregnancies and accessible, affordable and safe abortions."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background, read Girl Scouts Advocate Guide Teaching Sex Acts? and also read Planned Parenthood Urges HIV-infected Teens to Freely Have Sex
UPDATE 1/12/12: "Boycott Girl Scout Cookies" says Girl Scout (video)
UPDATE 10/28/11: Girl Scouts Convention Features Pro-Abortion Speakers
-- From "Children Leaving Girl Scouts Due to 'Planned Parenthood' Affiliations" by Fionna Agomuoh, Christian Post Contributor 8/18/11
In recent years, it has become more apparent to many Girl Scouts and their parents that the wholesome values that the organization claims to stand behind may not be as wholesome as expected. In response, they are favoring several faith-based girl empowerment organizations that have been founded as alternatives to the Girl Scouts.
Patti Garibay, founder of the American Heritage Girls, a non-denominational female scout program notes that countless American Heritage Girls were once Girl Scouts who left the organization due to conflicts with their faith and beliefs.
Another budding girls group is the Little Flowers Girls' Club. Geared toward home-schooled Catholic girls, the club has been growing by 2,000 members a year.
Pioneer Girls and GEMS Girls' Clubs, are also both organizations that focus on Christ-centered and faith-based life skills and character building.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "The cookie crumbles: American girls abandoning Girl Scouts" by Taylor Hudson, World Net Daily 8/14/11
Proof of the strong links [to Planned Parenthood] can be found by looking no further than the statements of Girl Scout CEO Kathy Cloninger, who told NBC's "Today" show in an interview in 2004: "We partner with many organizations. We have relationships with our church communities, with YWCAs, and with Planned Parenthood organizations across the country, to bring information-based sex education programs to girls."
There's additional documentation in printed materials provided by the Girl Scouts, although the statement from Cloninger remains sufficient for many parents. It comes on the heels of WND's exposure of Girl Scouts' promotion of lesbian causes.
Concerned Women for America . . . President Wendy Wright has documented the relationship between Girls Scouts and Planned Parenthood.
"These groups work together to steal children's innocence and make them vulnerable to the negative consequences of promiscuity thereby creating clients for their abortion and STD services," said Wright.
One link between Girl Scouts USA and pro-abortion causes that can be easily verified is the connection to the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, or WAGGGS. Each Girl Scout is automatically a member of WAGGGS due to shared funding and activities. The WAGGGS website shows support for a campaign involving "sexual and reproductive health services" such as "emergency contraception in order to avoid unintended pregnancies and accessible, affordable and safe abortions."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Contraceptive Study Shows Need for Christ
Planned Parenthood's Guttmacher Institute (research organization) released a study of the widespread use of contraceptives by Christians, thus corroborating God's Word that "all have fallen short of God's Glory" and are in need of the Savior.
-- From "Most Catholic women in U.S. use birth control" posted at Reuters Life 4/14/11
Some 98 percent of sexually active Catholic women in the United States have used contraceptive methods banned by the church, research published on Wednesday showed.
A new report from the Guttmacher Institute, the nonprofit sexual health research organization, shows that only 2 percent of Catholic women, even those who regularly attend church, rely on natural family planning.
The latest data shows practices of Catholic women are in line with women of other religious affiliations and adult American women in general.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Guttmacher Report: Most U.S. Women of Reproductive Age Use Artificial Birth Control At Some Point" by Lambert Mbom, CNSNews.com 4/20/11
The data showed that 83 percent of women of reproductive age (15 to 44) have a religious affiliation: 48 percent Protestant; 25 percent Catholic; and 11 percent identify with another religion, such as Buddhism, Islam and Judaism.
Sexual experience among never-married women of all religious affiliations is fairly common, according to the survey, with 69 percent (ages 15 to 44) saying they have engaged in sexual activity at some point in their lives.
The report noted that, “While Catholic and Evangelical women are slightly more likely than Mainline Protestants to be married; patterns of contraceptive use do not differ by religious affiliation among married women.”
In its introduction to the report, the Guttmacher Institute criticized in particular the Catholic Church and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for opposing artificial means of birth control as apparent “preventive and public health care.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Most Catholic women in U.S. use birth control" posted at Reuters Life 4/14/11
Some 98 percent of sexually active Catholic women in the United States have used contraceptive methods banned by the church, research published on Wednesday showed.
A new report from the Guttmacher Institute, the nonprofit sexual health research organization, shows that only 2 percent of Catholic women, even those who regularly attend church, rely on natural family planning.
The latest data shows practices of Catholic women are in line with women of other religious affiliations and adult American women in general.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Guttmacher Report: Most U.S. Women of Reproductive Age Use Artificial Birth Control At Some Point" by Lambert Mbom, CNSNews.com 4/20/11
The data showed that 83 percent of women of reproductive age (15 to 44) have a religious affiliation: 48 percent Protestant; 25 percent Catholic; and 11 percent identify with another religion, such as Buddhism, Islam and Judaism.
Sexual experience among never-married women of all religious affiliations is fairly common, according to the survey, with 69 percent (ages 15 to 44) saying they have engaged in sexual activity at some point in their lives.
The report noted that, “While Catholic and Evangelical women are slightly more likely than Mainline Protestants to be married; patterns of contraceptive use do not differ by religious affiliation among married women.”
In its introduction to the report, the Guttmacher Institute criticized in particular the Catholic Church and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for opposing artificial means of birth control as apparent “preventive and public health care.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Obama's Easter Re-election Campaign
This year's White House Easter celebration uses the slogan 'Get Up and Go!' to kick off the 2012 campaign, and President Obama used the Easter Prayer Breakfast to try, again, to convince Americans that he's Christian.
For background, read about previous White House Easters:
Easter Event at White House Avoids Christians
Obama Celebrates Homosexuals, Eggs as Easter
-- From "The White House Easter Egg Roll: ‘Get Up and Go!’" by Ashley Southall, New York Times 4/19/11
On Tuesday, the White House released the details for this year’s event, with the theme “Get Up and Go!”
Along with the musical performances and the traditional egg roll competition, there will be celebrity storytelling, a dance party, an obstacle course, basketball, tennis, yoga and arts and crafts. White House chefs and celebrity guest chefs will teach healthy eating habits at a special food station.
The souvenir eggs will be available in purple, green, yellow and pink pastels and stamped with the signature of the president and the first lady.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "'Reminder of the eternal' at W.H." by MJ Lee, Politico, 4/19/11
President Obama tells Christian leaders at the Easter Prayer Breakfast that nothing gives him more perspective than the Bible ...The morning after hosting a Passover seder, President Obama told Christian leaders at the White House that the Bible gives him perspective more than anything else, including his family.
“In the middle of these critical national debates, in the middle of our busy lives, we must always make sure that we are keeping things in perspective,” Obama said at the second Easter Prayer Breakfast he’s hosted as president. “Children help do that. A strong spouse helps do that. But nothing beats scripture and the reminder of the eternal.”
“As busy as we are, as many tasks that pile up during this season, we are reminded that there is something about the resurrection – something about the resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ, that puts everything else in perspective,” Obama said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Obama: ‘Resurrection of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, Puts Everything Else in Perspective’" by Fred Lucas, CNSNews.com 4/19/11
During the speech, Obama reflected on Christ’s crucifixion. “And we’re reminded that in that moment, he took on the sins of the world--past, present and future -- and he extended to us that unfathomable gift of grace and salvation through his death and resurrection,” said Obama.
“In the words of the book Isaiah: ‘But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.’”
“This magnificent grace, this expansive grace, this ‘Amazing Grace’ calls me to reflect,” Obama said. “And it calls me to pray. It calls me to ask God for forgiveness for the times that I’ve not shown grace to others, those times that I’ve fallen short. It calls me to praise God for the gift of our son--his Son and our Savior.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Click headlines below to read previous articles:
Obama Declares He's Christian, Again
Obama Reads Bible, but doesn't Honor Bible
Is Obama Christian? Few Think So: Poll
Boston Globe Explores Obama as Fake Christian
Obama's 'Pluralistic Christian' Reign?
Obama's Base Support is the Unchurched (barely)
For background, read about previous White House Easters:
Easter Event at White House Avoids Christians
Obama Celebrates Homosexuals, Eggs as Easter
-- From "The White House Easter Egg Roll: ‘Get Up and Go!’" by Ashley Southall, New York Times 4/19/11
On Tuesday, the White House released the details for this year’s event, with the theme “Get Up and Go!”
Along with the musical performances and the traditional egg roll competition, there will be celebrity storytelling, a dance party, an obstacle course, basketball, tennis, yoga and arts and crafts. White House chefs and celebrity guest chefs will teach healthy eating habits at a special food station.
The souvenir eggs will be available in purple, green, yellow and pink pastels and stamped with the signature of the president and the first lady.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "'Reminder of the eternal' at W.H." by MJ Lee, Politico, 4/19/11
President Obama tells Christian leaders at the Easter Prayer Breakfast that nothing gives him more perspective than the Bible ...The morning after hosting a Passover seder, President Obama told Christian leaders at the White House that the Bible gives him perspective more than anything else, including his family.
“In the middle of these critical national debates, in the middle of our busy lives, we must always make sure that we are keeping things in perspective,” Obama said at the second Easter Prayer Breakfast he’s hosted as president. “Children help do that. A strong spouse helps do that. But nothing beats scripture and the reminder of the eternal.”
“As busy as we are, as many tasks that pile up during this season, we are reminded that there is something about the resurrection – something about the resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ, that puts everything else in perspective,” Obama said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Obama: ‘Resurrection of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, Puts Everything Else in Perspective’" by Fred Lucas, CNSNews.com 4/19/11
During the speech, Obama reflected on Christ’s crucifixion. “And we’re reminded that in that moment, he took on the sins of the world--past, present and future -- and he extended to us that unfathomable gift of grace and salvation through his death and resurrection,” said Obama.
“In the words of the book Isaiah: ‘But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.’”
“This magnificent grace, this expansive grace, this ‘Amazing Grace’ calls me to reflect,” Obama said. “And it calls me to pray. It calls me to ask God for forgiveness for the times that I’ve not shown grace to others, those times that I’ve fallen short. It calls me to praise God for the gift of our son--his Son and our Savior.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Click headlines below to read previous articles:
Obama Declares He's Christian, Again
Obama Reads Bible, but doesn't Honor Bible
Is Obama Christian? Few Think So: Poll
Boston Globe Explores Obama as Fake Christian
Obama's 'Pluralistic Christian' Reign?
Obama's Base Support is the Unchurched (barely)
Friday, February 18, 2011
Christian Athlete Ridiculed for his Morality
Joel Northrup, a home-schooled sophomore, forfeited his wrestling match against a girl in the Iowa state tournament.
-- From "Girl wrestler in Iowa wins state match by default" by Jim Halley, USA TODAY 2/17/11
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cassy and Megan and their accomplishments," Northrup said in a statement. "However, wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times. As a matter of conscience and my faith, I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most of the high school sports in Iowa."
Northrup's father, Jamie, is pastor at Believers in Grace Fellowship, a non-denominational church in Marion.
In most states, girls wrestlers compete against boys. Hawaii, California and Texas have girls-only state wrestling tournaments.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Iowa Teen Refuses to Wrestle Girl, Citing Faith" posted at CBNNews.com 2/18/11
Jamie Northrup, the boy's father, is a Pentecostal minister. He said the family knew ahead of time who his son would be wrestling against and left the decision up to him.
"There's certainly no scriptures that address this and nothing doctrinal or church based," the elder Northrup said. "I just believe this is a principled decision."
"Joel believes, based on his conscience and faith, that girls should be treated with dignity and respect--taking nothing away from those two female athletes -- but wrestling is a combat sport," he explained.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
"As a matter of conscience and my faith, I do not believe it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner."
-- From "Girl wrestler in Iowa wins state match by default" by Jim Halley, USA TODAY 2/17/11
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cassy and Megan and their accomplishments," Northrup said in a statement. "However, wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times. As a matter of conscience and my faith, I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most of the high school sports in Iowa."
Northrup's father, Jamie, is pastor at Believers in Grace Fellowship, a non-denominational church in Marion.
In most states, girls wrestlers compete against boys. Hawaii, California and Texas have girls-only state wrestling tournaments.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Iowa Teen Refuses to Wrestle Girl, Citing Faith" posted at CBNNews.com 2/18/11
Jamie Northrup, the boy's father, is a Pentecostal minister. He said the family knew ahead of time who his son would be wrestling against and left the decision up to him.
"There's certainly no scriptures that address this and nothing doctrinal or church based," the elder Northrup said. "I just believe this is a principled decision."
"Joel believes, based on his conscience and faith, that girls should be treated with dignity and respect--taking nothing away from those two female athletes -- but wrestling is a combat sport," he explained.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Most Teens Want to be Virgins at Marriage
Half of the over 5,000 teens surveyed concluded that sex before marriage was "never" morally acceptable; over 70 percent rejected the practice of "living together" before marriage; and 61 percent confessed they would like to be a virgin on their wedding day.
-- From "Study Reveals That Teens Desire Abstinence Until Marriage" by Dave Bohon, The New American 2/14/11
A new study from a youth research organization finds that even amidst a culture in which an aggressive media encourages teens to become sexually active, a solid majority still want to embrace traditional values regarding sex. According to the latest research by OneHope, a Christian youth outreach that provides research to non-profit organizations, 61 percent of American teens want to remain abstinent until marriage, with an additional 63 percent saying that while they have already been sexually active, they would like to return to a place of sexual purity.
[The study found:]
From "American teens: We want our virginity back" by Drew Zahn © 2011 WorldNetDaily 2/14/11
The verified online survey of teens aged 13-18 was conducted by the international Christian children's ministry OneHope and strictly randomized to include a proportioned mix of students from different races, parts of the country and urban vs. rural residence.
Chad Causey, OneHope's vice president of global ministries explained the survey's questions about sexuality were merely part of a broader attempt to understand how teens think.
"What was striking to us was, while we celebrated the 61 percent who said that they wanted to be a virgin when they were married, it became quickly apparent that that belief was loosely held," Causey told CBN News. "Even among the students who saw ... virginity is something to be saved for marriage, many of them, 77 percent, believe there's nothing wrong with passionate kissing; a third of them, 34 percent, believed it was OK to have sex before marriage; in other words, their belief about virginity or about preserving intimacy for marriage was a very private belief. They didn't see it as something that was right, they saw it as something that was right for them, and that came through more and more frequently in the research."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Study Reveals That Teens Desire Abstinence Until Marriage" by Dave Bohon, The New American 2/14/11
A new study from a youth research organization finds that even amidst a culture in which an aggressive media encourages teens to become sexually active, a solid majority still want to embrace traditional values regarding sex. According to the latest research by OneHope, a Christian youth outreach that provides research to non-profit organizations, 61 percent of American teens want to remain abstinent until marriage, with an additional 63 percent saying that while they have already been sexually active, they would like to return to a place of sexual purity.
[The study found:]
• 82 percent of teens said they believe God intended marriage to last a lifetime.On a more alarming note, the survey found that:
• 64 percent said religion is somewhat or very important to them.
• 80 percent said parents had at least some influence over their thoughts and actions (followed by teachers and friends).
• 69 percent of the teens surveyed said they regularly watch MTV (sponsors of such fare as the overtly sexualized weekly teen drama Skins).To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
• 65 percent said they believe that truth is relative.
• 52 percent said they believe spiritual development is not necessary for a satisfying life.
• 50 percent said they considered an unmarried man and woman a family.
• 34 percent said they spend less than 15 minutes a week talking with their fathers about things that matter to them.
From "American teens: We want our virginity back" by Drew Zahn © 2011 WorldNetDaily 2/14/11
The verified online survey of teens aged 13-18 was conducted by the international Christian children's ministry OneHope and strictly randomized to include a proportioned mix of students from different races, parts of the country and urban vs. rural residence.
Chad Causey, OneHope's vice president of global ministries explained the survey's questions about sexuality were merely part of a broader attempt to understand how teens think.
"What was striking to us was, while we celebrated the 61 percent who said that they wanted to be a virgin when they were married, it became quickly apparent that that belief was loosely held," Causey told CBN News. "Even among the students who saw ... virginity is something to be saved for marriage, many of them, 77 percent, believe there's nothing wrong with passionate kissing; a third of them, 34 percent, believed it was OK to have sex before marriage; in other words, their belief about virginity or about preserving intimacy for marriage was a very private belief. They didn't see it as something that was right, they saw it as something that was right for them, and that came through more and more frequently in the research."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Ohio GOP Challenge Roe v. Wade
The Christian Tea Party power is playing out in many states, including Ohio where the November 2010 election placed Republicans in control, as the legislature begins with the most significant challenge ever to the Supreme Court 1973 ruling on abortion.
-- From "Ohio abortion ban could be most restrictive" by Karen Kasler, Statehouse Bureau Chief, WKSU (NPR) 2/9/11
Ohio could have the most restrictive law on abortion in the nation, if the so-called “Heartbeat Bill” passes. The measure would ban abortion after the first detectable fetal heartbeat, which can be as early as five weeks after conception. Sponsoring Rep. Lynn Wachtmann (watch-man) of Napoleon says other states will be watching the outcome of this bill, which could test the limits of nearly 40 years of case law on abortion.
Ohio Right to Life is on record as opposing the bill, saying it doesn’t stand a chance of being upheld as constitutional. It’s instead pushing a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks – a point at which the antiabortion group says a fetus can live outside the body.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Abortions would be costly, difficult to get under new bills" by Laura A. Bischoff, Dayton Daily News 2/12/11
With state government now firmly under Republican control, lawmakers are considering:
From "OH Bill Aims to Ban Almost All Abortions" by Violet Ikonomova, WTAP TV-5 News (Parkersburg, WV) 2/10/11
Meanwhile pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood have come out against the bill. The head of the group's legislative arm in Ohio says it's obviously unconstitutional and if passed, would be tied up in litigation for years.
And some anti-abortionists share that sentiment.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Ohio Abortion Proposal Challenges Roe v. Wade" by Jennifer Wishon, CBN News Washington Correspondent 2/10/11
In the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, women have the right to an abortion until their fetus is viable or able to live outside the womb. It's only at the point of viability that states can restrict abortion under the ruling.
A constitutional challenge to Roe v. Wade is what many pro-life Americans want. The heartbeat bill in Ohio is one of a handful of measures moving through various state legislatures aimed at restricting abortions.
Whether the legislation . . . passes or not, newly elected Republicans have made it clear they intend to act on their pro-life principles.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Ohio abortion ban could be most restrictive" by Karen Kasler, Statehouse Bureau Chief, WKSU (NPR) 2/9/11
Ohio could have the most restrictive law on abortion in the nation, if the so-called “Heartbeat Bill” passes. The measure would ban abortion after the first detectable fetal heartbeat, which can be as early as five weeks after conception. Sponsoring Rep. Lynn Wachtmann (watch-man) of Napoleon says other states will be watching the outcome of this bill, which could test the limits of nearly 40 years of case law on abortion.
Ohio Right to Life is on record as opposing the bill, saying it doesn’t stand a chance of being upheld as constitutional. It’s instead pushing a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks – a point at which the antiabortion group says a fetus can live outside the body.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Abortions would be costly, difficult to get under new bills" by Laura A. Bischoff, Dayton Daily News 2/12/11
With state government now firmly under Republican control, lawmakers are considering:
• Senate Bill 8 and House Bill 63. Requiring courts to ask teens who are seeking permission to have an abortion if they understand the possible physical and emotional complications.To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
• House Bill 79. Prohibiting health care plans that participate in the state insurance exchange from covering elective abortions.
• Banning abortions after a heartbeat can be detected, which can be as early as five weeks.
• House Bill 78 and Senate Bill 72. Banning abortions after 20 weeks gestation.
• House Bill 7. Banning abortions after 22 weeks gestation.
From "OH Bill Aims to Ban Almost All Abortions" by Violet Ikonomova, WTAP TV-5 News (Parkersburg, WV) 2/10/11
Meanwhile pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood have come out against the bill. The head of the group's legislative arm in Ohio says it's obviously unconstitutional and if passed, would be tied up in litigation for years.
And some anti-abortionists share that sentiment.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Ohio Abortion Proposal Challenges Roe v. Wade" by Jennifer Wishon, CBN News Washington Correspondent 2/10/11
In the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, women have the right to an abortion until their fetus is viable or able to live outside the womb. It's only at the point of viability that states can restrict abortion under the ruling.
A constitutional challenge to Roe v. Wade is what many pro-life Americans want. The heartbeat bill in Ohio is one of a handful of measures moving through various state legislatures aimed at restricting abortions.
Whether the legislation . . . passes or not, newly elected Republicans have made it clear they intend to act on their pro-life principles.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)