DaVinci Code, Move Over!

Take a good hard look and see if the natural progression of "tolerating" everything is producing the world in which you really want to live.

From "DaVinci Code, Move Over!" by Sandy Rios, posted 9/27/07 at Townhall.com

It looks like a pagan worship scene from a Cecile B. DeMille rip-off featuring half-clad homosexual sadomasochists with animal masks and sex toys.

Trouble is it isn't a scene intended to expose debauchery, but to celebrate it. Da Vinci Code, move over! You've been replaced by a new version of "Last Supper mockery" in honor of the "world's largest leather event," the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco.

Amidst black leather, tattoos and feather boas, homosexuals pose as apostles who in the original painting are depicted gathered at a table with their sweet savior to partake of the last meal together.

DaVinci's famous painting features the bread, a symbol of Christ's body "broken for you" as Jesus said, and the wine representing his blood, soon to be given in sacrifice for the sins of His disciples as well as for all mankind.

But on this table, rather than the symbols of that great act of a great Savior, rests sex toys—symbols for the object of their worship: the god of sex and unlicensed physical pleasure. These are perfect symbols, actually, because sex drives, motivates, consumes and demands homage in this radical community more than any other thing. It defines their lives, gives them their names, establishes their relationships, maps out their days, determines their holidays and dominates their nights.

Read the rest of Sandy's commentary.

Senate Passes Dangerous Hate-Crimes Amendment

Democrats don't have enough votes to override a veto. We must contact the president.

From "Senate Passes Dangerous Hate-Crimes Amendment" posted 9/27/07 at Citizenlink.org

Democrats passed a hate-crimes measure today, but failed to collect enough votes to override a pledged presidential veto. The amendment, which would create a new federal class of crime based on "actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity," is attached to a Defense spending bill.

Five Republican senators who voted in favor of hate-crimes legislation in 2004 switched their votes today and opposed the measure. They are: Sens. Lamar Alexander, Tenn.; Robert Bennett, Utah; John Ensign, Nev.; and Lisa Murkowski and Ted Stevens, both of Alaska.

"The president is not going to agree to this social legislation on the Defense Authorization Bill," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told The Associated Press. "This bill will get vetoed."

The Democrat-controlled House passed similar legislation as a stand-alone bill earlier this year, and also fell short of the needed votes to override a veto.

Read the rest of this article.

Before the election, many conservatives who usually vote either stayed home or voted for the liberals because they were disgusted and disillusioned with inarguable conservative (i.e.: Republican) ineptitude and cowardice. They reasoned, "What difference does it make, who gets elected?"

Well, here's their answer. Liberals do not value freedom the way conservatives do and are quite willing to destroy it in order to gain votes for the short term. This would not have happened had we not foolishly allowed these people to be elected just last November...

Please EMAIL or write to the President and ask him to veto this outrageous legislation. Consider CALLING our to our two senators Obama and Durbin, both of whom voted in favor of hate crimes, to express your disappointment and remind them that we ALL have the right to EQUAL justice under the law, regardless our sexual preferences...

Next on the agenda, more destruction of freedom of religion, association and conscience through the passage of ENDA.

Protect Christian Schools and Ministries from ENDA!

Call Your Representative Today!

From "ENDA (H.R. 2015) could enshrine “sexual orientation” in federal law" posted at Family Research Council

Here is more information about ENDA H.R. 2015 from our friends at the Family Research
Council:

ENDA affords special protection to a group that is not disadvantaged.
The issue is not job discrimination: It is whether private businesses will be forced by law to accommodate homosexual activists' attempts to legitimize homosexual behavior.

The first "religious exemption" clause is very narrow and offers no clear protection to church-related businesses: Religious schools or charitable organizations, religious bookstores, or any business affiliated with a church or denomination fall outside this narrow definition, and could presumably be required to hire homosexual applicants.
The second "religious exemption" clause fails to offer protection for all hiring by church-related organizations or businesses. The position of a teacher of religion at a church-related school would be exempt, but, e.g., that of a biology teacher would not. Thus, most of the teachers and staff at a religious school would be covered by ENDA, which means that the church would be forced to hire homosexual applicants for such positions-despite the fact that their lifestyle would be in direct opposition to the religious beliefs of the organization or company.

It is unlikely that the "religious exemption" included in the bill would survive court challenge: Institutions that could be targeted include religious summer camps, the Boy Scouts, Christian bookstores, religious publishing houses, religious television and radio stations, and any business with fifteen or more employees.

ENDA violates employers' and employees' Constitutional freedoms of religion, speech and association. The proposed legislation would prohibit employers from taking their most deeply held beliefs into account when making hiring, management, and promotion decisions. This would pose an unprecedented intrusion by the federal government into people's lives.

ENDA would approvingly bring private behavior considered immoral by many into the public square. By declaring that all sexual preferences are equally valid, ENDA would change national policy supporting marriage and family.

If homosexual behavior and cross dressing are seen as equivalent to heterosexual behavior in the eyes of the law, the full force of the law, including law suits, loss of tax exemption, licensing and accreditation would likely be used to bring dissenting organizations into compliance. That means Christian organizations and eventually faithful churches...

CALL your congressman CLICK HERE (no searching required -- your specific congressman's phone number will appear)

Please inform your pastor, Christian friends, bible study members, Christian school teachers. Most Christians are woefully ignorant of the monumental destruction of religious freedom which will take place if this bill becomes law!

Dorm Brothel: The New Debauchery, and the Colleges that Let it Happen

I am prepared to ask whether America might not be lost because the great middle class was persuaded that they must send their children to college with no questions asked...

From "Dorm Brothel: The new debauchery, and the colleges that let it happen" by Vigen Guroian, posted at Orthodoxy Today

The Culpable College

The campaign against alcohol and drugs, which it seems every American college has proudly announced it is waging, is a smokescreen that covers the colleges' great sin. Regulating a substance like alcohol on an urban campus like Loyola's cannot succeed unless there is radical reform of the whole of college life. Nothing that the college does to limit alcohol consumption can make a significant difference until the major incentives to drink are removed, beginning with coed dormitories and apartments. Many of my students have explained to me that drinking, especially binge drinking, serves as the lubricant for the casual sex that living arrangements at Loyola invite and permit. There is no need to find the cheap hotel of yesterday. The college provides a much more expensive and available version of it.

The sexual adventures that follow can take a variety of paths, but what this young Loyola man describes is not atypical.

True story: I woke up at three in the morning one day last year to my roommate having sex in his bed five feet away from me. Taking a moment to actually wake up, I realized what was going on. I got up . . . heard what was going on, and . . . recognized the voice of the girl. . . . I had two classes with her the semester before and one that semester. . . . The next morning . . . there was no awkward exchange. No childish giggling. I simply told him that I could not believe that she didn't mind having sex with someone for the first time while someone else was in the room sleeping. I also couldn't believe that she hadn't stopped and covered herself up when I had walked out of the room. My roommate looked at me with a casual smile, the same smile I'd seen when talking about the Mets or Red Sox, the same smile I'd seen at our dining-room table over Taco Bell, and he said to me, "Whatever, she's a college girl."

This is a disturbing description of the demise of decency and civility between the sexes for which the American colleges are culpable and blameworthy. It is not that what this student describes was unheard of in the 1960s. Frankly, I can tell similar stories about my college experience. Nevertheless, this was the exception rather than a commonplace occurrence. For colleges made it clear to young men and women that such behavior was unacceptable, and had in place living arrangements with rules and sanctions that discouraged it.

There is nothing new or novel about human depravity or debauchery. Outrage over debauchery is deserved. Nevertheless, as I have suggested already, my outcry is not directed at the debauchery among college students, but rather at the colleges themselves. Today colleges not only turn a blind eye to this behavior, but also set up the conditions that foster and invite it. I am concerned about the young men and women who wish to behave differently, but for whom this is made especially difficult by the living conditions their colleges provide and often insist upon.

Read the entire article.

Six Flags New England Holds 'Gay Day,' Invites Kids

Offered high school students half price admission to bring them to the park on that day...

From our friends at Mass Resistance: "Six Flags New England amusement park holds "gay day"

When one thinks of a Six Flags amusement park, the images of fun rides, roller coasters, and life-sized cartoon characters comes to mind. A place to take children.

But last Sunday, September 16, here's how the day at Six Flags New England in Agawam was advertised:

You Are Invited To Join Us Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning, Intersexed Brothers, Sisters, Friends and Families for OUT IN THE PARK At Six Flags New England . . . It's more fun than a Gay Pride Parade! We're here, we're queer and we're going have the time of our lives!

http://www.oicgifts.com/outinthepark/outinthepark/index.html
(Note: If this page is taken down, we're re-posting it at www.massresistance.org ).

Well, what can we comment on this -- besides the obvious? This is so lunatic and odious that it defies words. As usual, the homosexual movement wants to be with children and act as if they were children. We see it over and over.

Read the whole article.

Miller Brewing Sponsors Homosexual-sado-masochistic Festival

Miller Brewing Co. distances itself from blasphemous "Last Supper" promotional poster but pledges to continue funding Folsom Street Fair.

From "Catholic League Urges Miller to Cut Ties With Folsom Street Fair" by Melanie Hunter, posted 9/26/07

Miller Brewing Company has decided to pull its logo from a "Last Supper" poster-featuring homosexuals and sex toys-advertising the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Calif. But a Catholic group is urging the company to cut all ties with the homosexual "leather" street fair.

The Catholic League for Religious Civil Rights issued a press release Wednesday, expressing outrage that Miller Brewing Co. is still supporting the event despite the fact that a portion of the money raised by the homosexual-sado-masochistic festival will go to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an anti-Catholic group that is planning a fundraiser entitled, "The Last Supper With the Sisters."

"There is no better way to prepare your mortal flesh for the kinkiest weekend on Earth than to nourish your bones and boost your spirit with a divine feast," the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence said on its Web site.

"Indulge your senses and confess your indulgences with The Sisters as if it were your last meal. No gastric craving will go unsatisfied, no bag of silver will go unspent and no sin will go unforgiven. ... Don't be a Judas! Come, eat, drink and be Mary! Be sure to mention The Last Supper With The Sisters when you make your reservation ..." the Web site says.

..."After this development was brought to the attention of Miller Brewing, spokesman Julian Green responded that Miller was standing by the event.

Read the rest of this article.

I continue to be astounded at the eagerness with which corporate America is embracing obvious depravity. It is an amazing thing.

Why are the police, and mayor even allowing public nudity, public sex, public urination, at Folsom Street Fair? Isn't this illegal? Would that we had more courageous men like Mayor Ray Naugle in Ft. Lauderdale taking a stand against public indecency instead of promoting it...

To contact Miller Brewing Company's CEO Mr. Tom Long call 1-414-931-2000.

Be aware, the response to this outrage is so great they have set up an 800 number so as to deflect calls and shield their CEO.

16 Catholic Senators Support Pro-Abortion Bill

Catholic pro-life groups are condemning a major pro-abortion vote cast by more than a dozen Catholic U.S. senators.

From "16 Catholic Senators Support Pro-Abortion Bill" by Jim Brown, posted 9/26/07, at OneNewsNow.com

Sixteen Catholic senators recently voted against an amendment that would have restored the Mexico City Policy. The policy, instituted by President Reagan in 1984, prohibited U.S. taxpayer dollars from funding organizations that perform or promote abortions in foreign countries. Catholic activist Judie Brown, president of American Life League, says she was especially disappointed by the vote of a freshman Democrat from Pennsylvania who claims to be pro-life.

"Other than Robert Casey, who is an enormous disappointment to me, I think we could have expected the pro-abortion vote from the other 15 so-called Catholic senators," says Brown. "It's no surprise to me that those 15 individuals voted against life because they've been doing so consistently for a very long period of time."

A big part of the reason this is happening is because leadership in American Christendom is very weak. These politicians should have been called to account long ago and put out of the church in order to spur repentance for their own sakes and the sake of the church. Instead their sin is allowed to encourage other Christians to sin and confuse the unbelieving world. Shame on our leaders for lacking the courage of their convictions and respect for the positions in which they have been placed.

Read the rest of this article.

Barron's "Most Respected Companies" Questioned by Biblically Responsible Investing Group

From "Barron's "Most Respected Companies" Questioned by Biblically Responsible Investing Group" by Warren Smith, posted at The Charlotte World

Matthews, NC--- Barron's Magazine, in its Sept. 10, 2007 issue, released its list of the "Most Respected Companies."

But many companies on the list get little respect from the Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI) Institute.

The BRI Institute evaluates companies based on whether they're engaged in or promoting activities Christians would find objectionable - including pornography, genocide, and abortion. Of the top 10 companies on the Barron's list, only 3 of them pass the BRI Institute's screens.

Rusty Leonard, CFA, a former Templeton fund manager who founded Stewardship Partners, his own investment management company focusing on a BRI approach, is also the president of the BRI Institute. He said, "While we do not doubt that these companies are well managed in many respects, Christian investors have higher standards. The Lord desires us to be good stewards of all that He has entrusted to our care, including our investments. Therefore we examine a company's actions very closely to see if there are areas that might be at odds with our faith."

... The top company on Barron's list is Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway. According to Leonard, Christian investors should have serious concerns about it as well. At this year's annual meeting shareholders addressed the issue of the company's oil investments in the Sudan, where the government is complicit in genocidal activity. Buffet refused to sell the investment due to these shareholder concerns, but has recently been reducing his stake to cash in on a substantial profit.

"Profiting from genocide, however, is not what any investor, Christian or otherwise, should desire," said Leonard.

Additionally, Buffet's family foundations, which benefit from their association with Berkshire Hathaway, have been substantial supporters of Planned Parenthood.

Read the entire article.

Buffalo Grove HS: "God Bless America" Removed from Homecoming Song List

"I just couldn't be more proud," said Sherman, who lives in Buffalo Grove. "My daughter got God banned from homecoming this year."

From "Atheist plans to thank Dist. 214 board" by by Eric Zorn, posted 9/20/07 at The Daily Herald

Atheist Rob Sherman will attend tonight's Northwest Suburban High School District 214 school board meeting - just to say thanks.

"They're providing my daughter with a fine secular education," said Sherman, a Buffalo Grove resident. "I want to thank them for that."

Sherman's daughter, Dawn Sherman, is a freshman at Buffalo Grove High School and a member of the student council. Recently, she spoke out against having "God Bless America" on the school's homecoming song list.

The council agreed.

The song was removed from the list, according to District 214 spokeswoman, Venetia Miles. There are 45 members of the Buffalo Grove High School student council. Sherman is one of 10 freshman members.

"I just saw it on the list, and asked them to take it out," said Dawn, who is 14 years old. "The songs should be secular."

Kevin Cuttone, a veteran of the Air Force, is not happy with the decision to eliminate "God Bless America." The song deserves to be heard, especially when there is a war going on, he said.

A thousand parents and tax payers can't get one filthy book removed from this school but one 14 year old girl complains about a patriotic song because it has the word God in it and "Poof!" it's history...

Aurora Planned Parenthood to Remain Closed Pending Investigation

From "Illinois Stealth Planned Parenthood Clinic Remains Closed" by Devon Williams, posted 9/20/07 at Lifesite.org

For more than 40 days, pro-life advocates have rallied around the clock to keep a stealth Planned Parenthood abortion clinic out of Aurora, Ill. A federal judge today ruled that the clinic’s doors will remain closed.

Planned Parenthood had plans to open the $7 million clinic Tuesday in the Chicago suburb. It had applied for city permits under a front company that hid the true nature and owners of the building. After a two-hour hearing, U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle denied Planned Parenthood’s request pending further investigation.

Read the rest of this article.

Academy Award Winning Actress Ellen Burstyn Says Abortion was the Worst Thing in Her Life

From "Academy Award winning actress Ellen Burstyn Says Abortion was the Worst Thing in Her Life" by John-Henry Westen

Academy Award winning actress Ellen Burstyn known for her roles in 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' and 'The Exorcist' was interviewed by CFRB radio in Toronto while she was in town promoting her new book - Lessons in Becoming Myself.

CFRB spoke at length about the long and eventful career of the highly acclaimed 74-year-old actress after which the interviewer asked Burstyn "what was the lowest moment" of her life.

After a pause during which the interviewer prompted with her single motherhood, struggles with her son and more, Burstyn said, "You know, I guess, I hate to talk about this on the air, but having an abortion."

Burstyn continued, "You know that was really an extremely painful experience."

"Did you feel you didn't have a choice?," asked the interviewer. "At the time I was just young and dumb, I didn't really want to have a baby then," she replied.

"It was the wrong thing to do and I really didn't understand that till later," said the actress.

"That was very very painful, that was probably the worst."

Concluding the matter she said, "I try not to allow regret to settle over me like a shroud, because I think its an unhealthy way to live."

To listen to the CFRB interview click here:
http://www.cfrb.com/player/ondemand/files/srimedia/ellen%202...

The Inconvenient Truth About Organ Donation

Physician sounds alarm about unethical or at least highly questionable practices of organ transplant industry

From "The Inconvenient Truth About Organ Donations" by Steve Jalsevac, posted 7/19/07 at Lifesite.org

There has been growing concern over the past several years about increasingly aggressive measures undertaken to harvest human organs from dying patients. Dr. John, Shea, a Toronto physician who has specialized in researching the issue, has just completed a report, Organ donation: The inconvenient truth, that sounds an alarm about the unethical or at least highly questionable practices of the organ transplant industry. The article is published in the September issue of Catholic Insight magazine.

The magazine editor states the article is offered to inform the public about "the moral principles and scientific facts pertaining to both the donation and harvesting of human organs for transplantation purposes. Many physicians have serious and well-considered concerns about the morality of human organ transplantation and about the fact that the general public has not been properly informed about what really happens when organs are retrieved."

Dr. Shea reports on the modern and still very unsettled definition of "brain death" used by many organ transplant physicians to justify declaring organ donors dead and therefore fair game for immediate organ harvesting .

Shea points out, "There is no consensus on diagnostic criteria for brain death. They are the subject of intense international debate. Various sets of neurological criteria for the diagnosis of brain death are used. A person could be diagnosed as brain dead if one set is used and not be diagnosed as brain dead if another is used." It depends on what hospital or which doctor is involved in a particular case.

In fact, says Shea, "A diagnosis of death by neurological criteria is theory, not scientific fact. Also, irreversibility of neurological function is a prognosis, not a medically observable fact."

The coldly utilitarian goal of promoting the acceptance of brain death, says Shea, "is to move to a society where people see organ donation as a social responsibility and where donating organs would be accepted as a normal part of dying." In fact, he says, the specific wishes of a donor opposed to having his organs removed would be bypassed by putting skilled pressure on surviving family members to approve the organ removal.

Read the rest of this article.

Christian Group Loses Tax-Exemption for Refusing to Accommodate Lesbian Civil Union Ceremony

New Jersey is dragging out the big guns. Apparently the almighty tax-exemption is now at risk for NJ Christian organizations who refuse to accommodate homosexual behavior...Faithfulness is going to start costing us more than public criticism.

From "U.S. Christian Camp Loses Tax-Exempt Status over Same-Sex Civil-Union Ceremony" posted 9/19/07 by John Jalsevac at Lifesite.org

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced on Monday that it was stripping the Methodist Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association of its tax-exempt status for part of its property. The Methodist camp made the news earlier this year after it refused, for religious reasons, to allow a lesbian couple to hold a "civil-union" ceremony at a pavilion on the camp's property.

The pavilion, said Scott Hoffman, the camp's chief administrative officer to LifeSiteNews, "is a facility we have used exclusively for our camp meeting mission and worship celebrations since 1869."

Until recently the camp held tax-exempt status on its entire boardwalk property under a New Jersey program that gives tax-breaks to organizations that open up their property to the general public.

In June, however, Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Pester, a lesbian, filed a complaint with the state attorney general's office on the basis of sexual orientation discrimination, after Ocean Grove refused to allow them to hold their "civil-union" ceremony at the camp's pavilion. A second lesbian couple has also sued Ocean Grove. New Jersey's anti-discrimination laws currently forbid those who "offer goods, services, and facilities to the general public" from "directly or indirectly denying or withholding any accommodation, service, benefit, or privilege to an individual" on the basis of sexual orientation.

"It is clear that the pavilion is not open to all persons on an equal basis," DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson, wrote to the camp on Monday, in announcing the DEP's decision to revoke the camp's tax-exempt status.

Read the rest of this story.

No. You are right. It's private property, remember? Can I come hold a worship service on your front lawn Ms. Jackson?

If they can punish one group for standing against homosexual behavior they can and eventually WILL punish ALL groups who refuse to validate homosexual behavior - including churches. Government has many means with which it can try to force Christian organizations to approve (at least publicly) of homosexual behavior: lawsuits, licensing, accreditation and the almighty tax exemption are among them. If loss of tax-exemption is thought to be fair game for refusing to accommodate homosexuality, many churches and Christian ministries will not be able to afford to keep their property.

I always wonder why homosexuals are so bent on forcing EVERYONE to validate their behavior. Public opinion polls show that about half the nation already agrees with them and the other half are generally older and will eventually pass away. If they are really sure homosexual behavior is moral, why do they care what we do, say or think?

But alas, I know the answer. They are not sure homosexual behavior IS right. God has equipped us all, including homosexual activists, with a conscience. The mere fact that Bible-believing Christians still believe that homosexual behavior is sinful stirs the conscience so many are trying to ignore...God's Law is like a mirror showing us our need for redemption.

Our message does not make them unsafe or unequal. It makes them uncomfortable. And ironically, for all their talk of tolerance, they have no tolerance for that at all...

Illinois Senate Passes Casino Bill

Next stop the Illinois House -- let your voice be heard. Find out how your senator voted.

From "Casino Bill Passes the Illinois Senate" by Dave Smith, posted 9/19/07 at Illinois Family Institute

Last night, the Illinois State Senate voted 37 to 15 (with 6 voting 'present') to pass HB 2035, a bill that will expand gambling with three new casinos -- one for Chicago and two more at locations to be determined later.

Look at the chart below to see how your State Senator voted, or you can also download it by clicking HERE.

This bill now moves to the Illinois House of Representatives. Call your state representative and urge them to vote NO on Gambling Expansion (HB 2035). If you prefer to E-mail your state representative, CLICK HERE.

Latest Public School Outrage

Yet another example of how many school administrators and officials have lost all respect for the parents and community members who pay their salaries...

From "Latest Public School Outrage" by David E. Smith, posted 9/8/07 at Illinois Family Institute
Michael Brumbaugh, a dean at a Chicago suburban junior high school in Addison, Illinois -- Indian Trail Junior High School -- is accused of unauthorized entry into a student's home, while the student's mother was in the shower!

Not surprisingly, the family has filed a lawsuit against the school district.

The whole situation began when 12-year-old Tyler D'Alessandro discovered he had left his knife in his backpack after he had accompanied his dad to work over the weekend, using the knife to break apart boxes and to separate his LEGO pieces!

Days later, while walking home for lunch, he discovered and showed the knife to a friend when, suddenly, another student grabbed it and ran toward nearby students in a juvenile attempt to frighten them. Tyler quickly got the knife back and continued home.

Now mind you, this incident did not happen on school property!

The following school day, a parent of one of the students, who had seen the knife, complained to school officials. Tyler was called into the dean's office. Tyler was then taken, involuntarily from school, in the dean's personal vehicle. He was driven to his home, and without authorization from Tyler's parents, Dean Brumbaugh took Tyler into the home to look for the knife.

Even though Dean Brumbaugh knew Tyler's mother was home and in the shower, he didn't wait to speak to her, nor did he tell her later that he and Tyler had even been to the D'Alessandro home to look for the knife.

For the knife incident that took place away from school grounds, Tyler was suspended for 10 days. When the D'Alessandros complained about how Tyler was treated and the unauthorized search of their home, District Superintendent, Donald Hendricks, response was to increase Tyler's disciplinary penalty by transferring the 12 year-old out of Indian Trail JHS and into an alternative educational program.

When D'Alessandros complained about Hendrick's intimidation tactics, the discipline was yet again increased to a recommendation for expulsion.

Read the rest of this story.

CA: Christian School Sued for Suspending Students for Lesbian Behavior

This is an important lawsuit because it will determine whether or not Christians will be permitted to make the rules in their own schools...

From "School Sued for Upholding Faith-Based Policies" posted 9/12/07 at Citizenlink.org

Two Christian legal groups are seeking to defend a Christian school that suspended two female students for engaging in homosexual behavior.

The Alliance Defense Fund and The Christian Legal Society (CLS) are representing the Association of Faith-Based Organizations (AFBO) in support of California Lutheran High School.

The students' parents sued the school claiming sexual-orientation discrimination in violation of state laws.

...Prior to admission, California Lutheran students and their parents must certify that they understand and will adhere to these policies.

Read the whole article.

If the school loses this case, Christian schools in CA will for all practical purposes no longer be allowed to be Christian.

If ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) becomes law, Christian schools NATIONWIDE will no longer be allowed to be Christian. We will have lost the right to operate our schools according to biblical truth - the right to demand "faculty to model Christian character as an example for our students.”

Our legislators do not understand why allowing open homosexuality and transgenderism in Christian schools is a problem. We must educate them immediately...

Don't you know that a little yeast (public sin) works through the whole batch of dough?
-I Corinthians 5:6

The ENDA Christian Schools???????

Legislation that puts your children/grandchildren at risk!

You may be hearing about legislation coming to a vote this week or next in the US House of Representatives entitled “Employment Non-Discrimination Act” or “ENDA” (H.R. 2015). Christians and pro-family organizations oppose ENDA because it forces employers to accept and support open homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgender behavior in the workplace.

But one important consequence of ENDA has received little consideration so far — one that may be of direct consequence to you and your children/grandchildren.

If ENDA becomes law it will severely undermine the autonomy of Christian schools and colleges.

How? Because ENDA would force Christian schools, colleges and daycare centers to employ homosexuals and cross-dressers. ENDA does have a religious exemption; however, it is so narrowly written that only limited positions in the church would be exempt.

As a result:

1. A Christian school or ministry could not refuse to hire practicing homosexuals, bisexuals, cross-dressers, or transsexuals.

2. A Christian school would be powerless to discipline or dismiss a teacher if they suddenly announce they are homosexual, bisexual, or transgendered.

You might be wondering: Are you just being sensational? Come on — a transsexual would never want to work in a Christian school anyway!

But this has already happened: John Nemecek, a 55 year old male, a married father of three, was an associate professor at Spring Arbor University, a Christian college in Michigan when he began dressing as a woman and calling himself “Julie.” Fortunately, since ENDA is not yet law, the school was able to take appropriate action and refuse to renew the professor's contract, saying:

“Our curriculum integrates faith in all aspects of our liberal arts education, and we expect our faculty to model Christian character as an example for our students.”

Under ENDA, the school would have been required to keep Mr. Nemecek on staff. They might have been sued for expressing expectations for integrated faith and character. It is possible they would have been forced to pay for “sex reassignment surgery” as part of his “medical treatment.”

One determined homosexual activist in a Christian school could impact many, many children. Homosexual activists have much disposable income and time (since they don't generally have families). Pro-“gay” ideology is their religion. If ENDA becomes law, homosexual activists will target high profile Christian schools in order to initiate law suits and intimidate all others into submission. Do you know any Christian schools that can afford an expensive lawsuit?

Perhaps you are thinking that your local school could adjust to this as long as curricular content would be unaffected. Ask yourself this: What would be the net effect on students of a popular teacher modeling outright disobedience to God? How can someone who obviously does not believe the Bible possibly communicate a Biblical worldview? To do so would be to condemn themselves. ENDA would effectively institutionalize hypocrisy in our Christian schools.

Here's the bottom line:

A Christian school that cannot maintain Biblical standards among teachers and administrators is no longer a Christian school.

ENDA is an egregious encroachment on religious freedom. The people crafting this legislation believe that religious freedom consists only in the ability to privately believe certain things and attend church on Sunday. They do not understand that for a Christian, true religious freedom is the ability to LIVE according to Biblical truth...to live with integrity.

If we don't speak up, most of our Congressmen will NOT understand why a lesbian shouldn't be teaching math in a Christian school.

ENDA is coming up for a vote in the House of Representatives by the end of September. We must contact our legislators NOW!!!

Send an email to your pastor, your local Christian school administrators and teachers, and any parents you may know with children in Christian schools or colleges.

Mail a letter to those without email.

To CALL your congressman CLICK HERE (no searching required -- your specific congressman's phone number will appear)

To E-MAIL your congressman CLICK HERE

To hear Robert Knight, Director of the Culture and Media Institute for the Media Research Center, discuss ENDA with Sandy Rios, click here to download the .MP3 audio file.

Read More:

How ENDA Could Begin an Uncivil War

ENDA Liberty

“Gay” Conquest Spells the ENDA Reason

Legislation would put homosexuals' rights above employers.'

Bill requires hiring 'gays,' cross-dressers

GOOD NEWS! Aurora City Council Delays Planned Parenthood Permit

Planned Parenthood cannot open its largest abortion clinic in the nation until an independent investigation is completed.

From "Aurora City Council Delays Planned Parenthood Permit" posted 9/13/07 at Citizenlink.org

The Aurora City Council decided Tuesday to delay the scheduled Sept. 18 opening over accusations that the world's largest abortion provider deceived the city by filing paperwork under a different name.

Last month, neighbors of the "Gemini Health Clinic" were shocked to learn the facility will be used for abortions. Apparently, city officials also were kept in the dark. A 24-hour, 40-day prayer vigil that began Aug. 9 continues.

Planned Parenthood has argued it is filling a demand for services in the community. The Rev. Dan Hoehn, pastor at St. Mary Immaculate Church in Plainfield, Ill., spoke at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

"There is a demand for pornography in Aurora," he said. "There is a demand for heroin. Just because a demand exists does not oblige the council."

Well said pastor.

Thank God for this small, but significant victory and also thank him for the handful of courageous pastors willing to step outside the safety of the four walls of their Churches to stand in the gap for these unborn children and the teenage girls at the nearby high school who would be victims of this evil organization...

If you would like to be a part of what God is doing in Aurora, please go to familiesagainstplannedparenthood.org

Watch Sean Hannity FOX News coverage of Planned Parenthood fraud in Aurora, IL

Read previous Culture Campaign Blog articles on this subject.

Prison Libraries Yank Christian Titles

Efforts to rid libraries of radical Islam spill over into other faiths.

From "Prison Libraries Yank Christian Titles" posted 9/11/07 at Citizenlink.org

Prison chaplains have been ordered to clear their library shelves of hundreds of religious and Christian books that used to be readily available to inmates. Federal officials say they are concerned that prisons are becoming a breeding ground for Islamic terrorists, but Christian books are also being tossed.

There are still more than 200 Christian titles available, but many others, including works by early church fathers, have been removed. Many Jewish titles were also removed, and the list is expected to be expanded in October.

Mark Early, president of Prison Fellowship, said the tactic is like “swatting a fly with a sledgehammer.”

Read the rest of this article.

What a terrible consequence of a people unable to discern between good and evil...

Aurora May Withhold Planned Parenthood Permit

From "Aurora May Withhold Planned Parenthood Permit" posted 9/11/07 at Citizenlink.org

The city of Aurora, Ill., is considering a new attorney to examine the paperwork Planned Parenthood filed in the building of its largest abortion clinic in the nation. The previous attorney was found to have connections to the city's current outside legal counsel, and was dismissed for conflicts of interest, LifeNews.com reports.

Read the rest of this report.

Read previous Culture Campaign Blog articles on this subject.

HIV POSITIVE SPERM DONATIONS TO BE OK'D IN CALIFORNIA????

Must read to believe...

According to "California Legislature Sends Same-Sex 'Marriage' Bill to Governor" posted 9/10/07 at Citizenlink.org the California legislature has approved and sent an unbelievable set of bills to the governor's office to sign. Among the provisions of this legislation are the following:

1. allow HIV-positive men to donate sperm, with no guarantee that the child
conceived in the process would be HIV-free (And what about the woman? One must not discriminate - even when it endangers people's lives?)
2. legalize same-sex “marriages"
3. teach public school children age 5 and older to be accepting of homosexuality, cross-dressing and bisexuality
4. end local oversight of school discrimination policies

Here is an actual excerpt from the bill:

Sperm whose donor has tested reactive for HIV or HTLV-1 may be used for the purposes ofinsemination or advanced reproductive technology for a recipient testing negative for HIV or HTLV-1 only after the donor's sperm hasbeen effectively processed to minimize the infectiousness of the sperm for that specific donation, where informed and mutual consent has occurred...

Processed to MINIMIZE infectiousness? Mutual consent? Are they kidding? Even if a woman is foolish enough to do this, what about the child? What consideration does he/she get?

The politicians go who have signed off on this are apparently nothing more than prostitutes of the worst sort - not selling themselves for money, but selling the welfare of their constituents to the highest bidder - in this case the almighty gay lobby...

Will Pr. Rick Warren be speaking out about this? AIDS is one of his top issues. (At least AIDS in Africa is...)

Please pray that righteousness will prevail, the governor will veto this terrible legislation and the people of California will wake-up and exercise the freedom they've been blessed with to this put a stop to this evil.

Focus Vindicated After Yearlong IRS Audit

The IRS closed a nearly 12-month audit of Focus on the Family and Dr. James C. Dobson by affirming that the organization committed no wrongdoing.

From "Focus Vindicated After Yearlong IRS Audit" by Stuart Shepard, posted 9/10/07 at Citizenlink.org

The investigation, which ended last week, was sparked by allegations from two groups that routinely bash conservatives: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. In particular, CREW falsely accused Focus on the Family and Dr. Dobson, in his capacity as the head of Focus, of electioneering by endorsing candidates for public office. It called on the IRS to conduct a "full-scale investigation" and to revoke Focus' tax-exempt status, levy fines and pursue "civil and criminal penalties."

Dr. Dobson said on his national radio broadcast today that the real target was conservative Christians nationwide.

"The purpose for this was not only to see if they could damage us and take us out," he said, "but to scare every pastor and every nonprofit that's out there."

Read the rest of this article.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. -- Matthew 5:10

Study: No Scientific Consensus on Global Warming Claims

Papers do not support claims that it's human-caused or will have catastrophic impact.

From "Study: No Scientific Consensus on Global Warming Claims" posted 9/4/07 at citizenLink.org

A comprehensive survey of climate-change research reveals a lack of consensus in the scientific community on whether global warming is caused by human activity or will have any significant impact. Less than half of the recent papers in a major scientific journal agree even “implicitly” with those notions.

Researchers examined published between 2004 and 2007. They found that only 38 percent of scientists accepted claims about global warming without question. Forty-eight percent were neutral.

Ken Green, a climate change expert at the American Enterprise Institute, called it as a rebuttal to claims of "consensus" on the issue.

"The climate is warming," he said. "We’re unclear on what the major causes are.”

Notably, just one of the 528 papers examined makes any reference to global warming producing catastrophic results.

Read the rest of this article.

San Diego Christians Help Prevent City Council from Signing Gay-Marriage Brief

Approximately 40 Christians appeared at the San Diego City Council on Tuesday, September 4, 2007 to oppose the brief.

From "City Council declines to sign on to gay-marriage court brief" posted 9/6/07 at San Diego Metro News

The San Diego City Council declined Tuesday to sign onto an amicus brief with other cities asking the California Supreme Court to overturn a prohibition on same-sex marriages.

The so-called “friend-of-the-court” brief has been endorsed by the cities of Los Angeles, San Jose, Long Beach and Oakland.

An effort by San Diego Councilwoman Toni Atkins to join the request failed, with her colleagues split 4-4.

Voting against Atkins' motion were council members Donna Frye, Tony Young, Brian Maienschein and Kevin Faulconer.

Frye said she was concerned about a lack of public notice.

“I think we at least need to allow both sides to weigh in on this issue,” she said. “The public has a right to participate, and I do not believe that has occurred.”

Young, Maienschein and Faulconer did not explain the reasons for their dissenting votes.

Atkins, who is gay, told her colleagues that gay couples should have civil rights equal to their heterosexual counterparts.

Important Note: The Constitution does not grant rights to COUPLES. It protects the rights of INDIVIDUALS. Giving special rights to couples and groups always diminishes freedom for individuals...

According to ex-homosexual activist James Hartline, approximately 40 Christians appeared at the San Diego City Council on Tuesday, September 4, 2007 to oppose the brief. The issuance of a legal brief in support of a gay marriage case currently being heard by the California Supreme Court would have been catastrophic for Christian values in California's second largest city.

Hartline is himself running for a city council seat being vacated by Councilwoman Toni Atkins.

Read the rest of the article.

'Faith' Leaders Mislead Youth

Jim Wallis, Rob Bell, Tony Campolo, Mel White and even Phillip Yancey are among 'faith' leaders who range from wishy-washy to downright rebellious with regard to Scriptural teaching on homosexual behavior...

From "'Faith' Leaders Mislead Youth" by Linda Harvey at MissionAmerica.com

So homosexuality, bisexuality and cross-dressing are okay with our Lord? That would mean there’s no difference between such an “enlightened” approach and the behavior of pagans in the Old Testament...hmmm...

“This one...keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So said a homosexual gang member to Lot in the city of Sodom (Genesis 19:9).

If you listen to some prominent religious leaders today, the same attitudes prevail. It’s all been a big misunderstanding, because it's traditional Christians who are at fault. They are simply primitives enslaved by their own “fear” and even “hate.” We are not to take Scripture too seriously because there are newer messages, newer insights revealed to those who can be entrusted with such things.

The superstars of the “evangelical” left who take this view have strong credibility with youth and students in today’s high schools and even some Christian colleges. This isn’t too surprising, when some of these colleges increasingly permit behavior that violates core biblical principles. (Example: Spring Arbor University in Michigan hemmed and hawed for many months last year before finally deciding to dismiss a male professor who had begun cross-dressing. To its credit, the school finally did the right thing.)

Secular academia is of course enamored with these wolves in sheep’s clothing, because they work hard to distance themselves from the “religious right.” Their spin on “faith” makes it possible to define for today’s youth what constitutes real freedom, faith, and dignity: going to homosexual bars and bathhouses, or women having breasts amputated to “become” men. This can all take place before and after one’s mystical prayers to a New Age “Jesus.”

What do the “evangelical” left offer our kids? A little research reveals glaring problems with the following folks...

Read the rest of this commentary.

Gay Activists, The Real Bullies

No one complains more about "bullying" and "harassment" than gay activists: which is funny, because the gay activists are the biggest bullies in America.

From "Gay Activists, the Real Bullies" by Lee Duigon, posted 9/3/07 at MichNews.com

Case in point: a pair of lesbians have engaged the coercive machinery of the state of New Jersey to force a small Christian community to allow their "civil union" to be performed on church property.

There must be hundreds of liberal "churches" in New Jersey who would be only too glad to host this mockery of a sacrament. The lesbians could have gone to any one of them. Instead, they selected one place in New Jersey where they were sure to be refused--and then went running to the State Division of Civil Rights (translation: civil wrongs) to cry "discrimination!"

Ocean Grove is an anomaly in New Jersey, a tiny Jersey shore community where people take the Bible seriously. For more than a century Ocean Grove was governed by the United Methodist Church, through the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OGCMA). A lawsuit put a stop to that. It also abolished the town's unique custom of closing off its main streets with chains every Saturday at midnight, to enforce Sunday as a day of rest. I suppose that was ended in the interests of promoting diversity.

Still, OGCMA owns 100 percent of the land in Ocean Grove. Anyone who wishes to live there must lease the land from OGCMA; and before they give you a lease, you have to sign a covenant saying you understand the mission of the church, and support it. The two lesbians who are trying to defeat the mission of the church signed such a covenant. Obviously they didn't mean it. Probably they moved to Ocean Grove with this very scheme in mind from the beginning.

Read the rest of this article.

BC, Canada: Parents Cannot Opt Children Out of Gay Curriculum

The Vancouver Sun reports that among the "key learning concepts" in the new course are "ableism, ageism, anthropocentrism, consumerism, cultural imperialism, extremism, feminism, fundamentalism, heterosexism, humanism, racism, sexism and speciesism."

From "Homosexual Indoctrination Grade 12 Curriculum to Start in British Columbia Schools" by Hilary White, posted 9/4/07 at LifeSite.org

Starting next week, British Columbia will introduce its grade 12 "Social Justice" elective course that will see homosexuality promoted in BC schools as an "alternate lifestyle" equivalent to natural marriage. The course is only the first part of a larger K-12 curriculum resulting from a Human Rights complaint settlement by the government with a pair of homosexual activists.

The British Columbia Human Rights Commission ordered that Murray Corren and his homosexual partner Peter Corren be allowed to force the BC Education Ministry to accept their curriculum and that parents will not be allowed to remove their children. Murray Corren wanted the K-12 curriculum to include, "Queer history and historical figures, the presence of positive queer role models -- past and present -- the contributions made by queers to various epochs, societies and civilizations and legal issues relating to (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) people, same-sex marriage and adoption."

It was revealed in 2006 that the provincial government had signed the settlement contract with the two men giving them unprecedented control over the content of the curriculum. The contract stipulated that the education ministry would meet with the men every six months until September 1, 2007 to allow them to oversee the development process.

The Vancouver Sun reports that among the "key learning concepts" in the new course are "ableism, ageism, anthropocentrism, consumerism, cultural imperialism, extremism, feminism, fundamentalism, heterosexism, humanism, racism, sexism and speciesism."

Heterosexism is defined as a "prejudice against homosexuals on the assumption that heterosexuality is the norm".

Glen Hansman, president of the Vancouver Elementary School Teachers' Association, admitted in the Sun that the curriculum will require students to examine injustices to homosexuals because of the assumption that heterosexuality is normal and to "take a stand against these injustices."

Sean Murphy, spokesman for the BC Catholic Civil Rights League, is quoted by the Sun saying that the course "can be used by individual teachers as a vehicle to turn students against the Catholic Church on the grounds that it violates human rights by opposing practices like abortion, contraception and homosexual conduct."

With the inclusion in the list of "speciesism", the course will also introduce the concept of animal rights, a key issue in the world of secularist utilitarian bioethics that proposes human beings are no more important than animals. The term was coined by Peter Singer, the Princeton bioethicist who promotes infanticide and euthanasia on utilitarian grounds. Singer is generally considered the "father" of the modern extremist animal rights movement.

The two homosexual men filed a complaint against the BC Ministry of Education in 1999 alleging that the Ministry's curriculum didn't adequately "address issues of sexual orientation." The result was a curriculum, the writing of which was supervised by Murray Corren, that teaches students that the "gay lifestyle" is safe and as natural as heterosexual relations.

The pair particularly objected that the law allowed an opt-out provision in which teachers are under an obligation to advise parents when a subject deemed to be "sensitive" is raised in the classroom. The complaint demanded that homosexuality be removed from the list of issues considered officially "sensitive."

The issue has sparked protest rallies by parents' groups concerned by the erosion of parental rights and the right of religious people to protect their children from secularist indoctrination.

How Political Should Faithful Catholics Be?”

Rev. Frank Pavone
National Director of Priests for Life

Catholic Citizens of Illinois Annual Dinner

Tuesday, September 25th
6 pm at the Wyndham Drake Hotel
2301 York Road, Oak Brook.

Tickets are $60 per person ($500 for a table of 10).

For more information or reservations, call 708-352-5834.
The public is welcome.

www.catholiccitizens.org

Part-Human Embryos are a Chilling Step Closer as Watchdog Gives Go-Ahead for Hybrid 'Chimeras'

From "Part-human embryos are a chilling step closer as watchdog gives go-ahead for hybrid 'chimeras'" by Fiona McRae, posted 9/5/07 at DailyMail

The creation of part-human, part-animal embryos looks set to be approved by the fertility regulator tomorrow.

These "hybrid" embryos would be used for research into incurable diseases such as Alzheimer's.

The news follows a surprise Government decision not to ban the controversial research.

A shortage of human eggs has led two groups of scientists to appeal to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for permission to make hybrid embryos from human skin cells and animal eggs.

Cows' eggs are most likely to be used, because they are in plentiful supply.

Scientists say the creation of hybrid embryos has the potential to revolutionise the treatment of debilitating diseases which affect millions.

But opponents believe mixing of human and animal genetic material defies nature.

They are also unhappy about the destruction of embryos that such research inevitably entails.

The scientists' hopes to use hybrids were initially jeopardised by a proposal to outlaw such research under a shake-up of outdated fertility laws.

But in May, Labour ministers dramatically changed their minds.

However, only scientists who are researching serious diseases - and are licensed by the HFEA - will be allowed to carry out such procedures.

While the fertility watchdog has yet to rule on the issue, its ethical and scientific experts are in favour of the creation of hybrids.

The watchdog looks suspiciously like a fox...

Read the rest of this article.

A Way to Make Your Voice Politely Heard in Your Public School

Have you ever been nagged while writing a check to your local PTA, knowing that a small portion of your donation will go to the National PTA, which supports such things as abortion, radical sex-ed, pro-homosexual education and opposition to school choice? I have. I want to contribute to my child's school - but not be counted as a member of the National PTA that does so much harm to children.

Perhaps there are other organizations in your child's school that do much good work but also support events or causes that you cannot contribute to in good conscience. Here's an idea from Deerfield mother, Laurie Higgins:

The pocketbook and loud public dissent are the only forces that may effect change, and loud public dissent is rare. We seem to be a bunch of silent sadsacks. So, let's speak with our money. It's less scary.

Write a letter explaining why you are withholding their charitable donation and send it to the organization's leaders. If you're brave, you could also send a letter to your local press. If you feel so inclined, you can contribute those monies to support something else like the Athletic Booster Club. If you do, you should make that clear in your letter. Finally, encourage like-minded friends to do likewise.

Why We Cannot Allow the Passage of 'Hate Crimes' Legislation

"The Left likes to claim hate-crimes laws are only for violent crimes and conservative Christians are being alarmists to warn of the muzzling of pastors and religious expression. But there are already plenty of laws dealing with violence..."

From "The Slippery Slope of ‘Hate-Crimes’ Laws" by Stephen Adams, associate Editor at Citizenlink.org

Plus, in other countries that have adopted hate-crimes laws, “hate-speech” bans generally go with the package.

For example:

• Ireland prohibits words or behaviors that are “threatening, abusive or insulting and are intended or … are likely to stir up hatred” on the basis of one’s sexual orientation.
• Iceland forbids “ridiculing, slandering, insulting, threatening” protected classes, including homosexuals.
• Sweden’s hate-speech law bans even expressing “disrespect.”
• In Italy, an atheist is taking a priest to the European Court of Human Rights on a complaint of “religious racism” for teaching that Jesus existed.

Probably the next big battleground after “homophobic” hate speech is “Islamophobic” hate speech.

Canadian Pastor Mark Harding, for example, publicly objected when his local high school began handing out Qurans and making special accommodations for Muslim students to pray at school, while others were denied such privileges. Because the literature he distributed attributed violence to Islam, Harding was prosecuted under a Canadian hate-crimes law for “willfully promoting hatred” against a religious group.

His sentence was two years’ probation and 340 hours of community service at Ontario’s Islamic Society of North America under supervision of a Muslim imam.

Read the whole article.

Appeals Court Rules Against High School Christian Club

From "Appeals Court Rules Against High School Christian Club" from staff reports at Citizenlink.org posted 8/29/07

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against a Christian club that is seeking to start up at a Seattle high school.

Truth Bible Club has been trying to gain recognition since 2001, but has been blocked because of its Christian code of conduct.

Officials at Kentridge High School have called the club discriminatory because its name excludes other religions, and its bylaws require voting members to sign a statement espousing the Bible.

Robert Tyler, of Advocates for Faith and Freedom, said the school's argument doesn't hold up.

“It is discriminatory, but there’s nothing wrong with discrimination in the right context,” he told Family News in Focus. “For example you have the boys basketball team and the girls basketball team.”

Nate Kellum, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), pointed out the school's double standard: other clubs are granted the freedom to associate with whomever they please — including the school's Gay Straight Alliance.

“It’s really incredible that these groups are allowed to identify themselves according to membership," he said, "but Truth is forced to compromise who they are — they are forced to compromise their message.”

Kellum added that ADF is prepared to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court if that’s what it takes for Truth Bible Club to gain recognition.

Colorado Student Files Lawsuit Over Commencement Speech That Mentioned Jesus

A student who said she was told she wouldn't get her diploma unless she apologized for a commencement speech in which she mentioned Jesus has filed a lawsuit alleging her free speech rights were violated.

UPDATE 5/29/09: Appeals court rules against student; on to Supreme Court?

UPDATE 3/12/09: Appeals court in Denver to consider overturning a lower court's approval of a penalty imposed by the school district.

From "Colorado Student Files Lawsuit Over Commencement Speech That Mentioned Jesus" Associated Press, posted 8/31/07 at FOXNews.com

The school district contends its actions were "constitutionally appropriate."

Erica Corder was one of 15 valedictorians at Lewis-Palmer High School in 2006. All were invited to speak for 30 seconds at the graduation ceremony. When it was Corder's turn, she encouraged the audience to get to know Jesus Christ.

Corder had not included those remarks during rehearsals.

Corder's lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court, said Principal Mark Brewer told her to prepare a public apology or she would not receive her diploma. She was still allowed to graduate.

Read the rest of this article.

A Civilization at Risk: Whatever Became of Virtue?

How can we be good if we don't know what good is? "We have lost objective moral law for the first time in history." -- Peter Kreeft

From "Civilization at Risk: Whatever Became of Virtue?" (excerpt from a book by the same name) by Peter Kreeft

How are we weak?

Not technologically, of course. We are like King Midas, swollen with new powers and riches, although at a price: everything we touch has gone dead and cold.

Not intellectually. We learn more and more, though it means less and less. We are overwhelmed with knowledge as well as with power. Our heads are about to burst. Some do.

Nor are we morally weaker. I do not think we are necessarily more wicked than our ancestors, overall. True, we are less courageous, less honest with ourselves, less self-disciplined, and obviously less chaste than they were. But they were more cruel, intolerant, snobbish, and inhumane than we are. They were better at the hard virtues; we are better at the soft virtues. The balance is fairly even, I think.

But though we are not weaker in morality, we are weaker in the knowledge of morality. We are stronger in the knowledge of nature, but weaker in the knowledge of goodness. We know more about what is less than ourselves but less about what is more than ourselves. When we act morally, we are better than our philosophy. Our ancestors were worse than theirs. Their problem was not living up to their principles. Ours is not having any.

We have lost objective moral law for the first time in history. The philosophies of moral positivism (that morality is posited or made by man), moral relativism, and subjectivism have become for the first time not a heresy for rebels but the reigning orthodoxy of the intellectual establishment. University faculty and media personnel overwhelmingly reject belief in the notion of any universal and objective morality.

Moral values have become both privatized and collectivized. On the one hand, the modern mind has fallen victim to what C. S. Lewis calls “the poison of subjectivism”: the idea that morality is manmade, private, subjective, a matter of feeling, a subdivision of psychology. “I feel” replaces “I believe”.

On the other hand, sociology has socialized and collectivized morality; consensus determines rightness or wrongness, and democracy becomes our religion: vox populi vox dei (“the voice of the people is the voice of God”). These two developments, privatism. and collectivism, may seem contradictory, but they have happened simultaneously in the modern West.

Their effect is that we live in two separate worlds. Our feeling life, our inner world of “values” (no longer real goods), is set against the outer world of behavior, a world governed by social “mores” (no longer real morals). . . .

The one thing no teacher dares to do is to tell anyone he is wrong and needs to change. We dare not confront. There is not a single biblical prophet who would be allowed to teach in a modern public university or to talk on network TV today without being labeled “fanatic”, “authoritarian”, “reactionary”, “simplistic”, and probably “fundamentalist” (which combines all these horrible things). Jesus himself — the real Jesus described in the Gospels rather than the “meek and gentle Jesus” of the selective modern imagination, which is only a thin slice of him — would be the most radically unacceptable of all. He would be crucified a second time, in words. . . .Laurie Higgins, teacher and writer

Read the rest of this excellent excerpt.

Ex-Gay Ministry Harassed by Homosexual Activists at Fair

From "Ex-Gay Ministry Harassed by Homosexual Activists at Fair" posted 8/30/07 at Citizenlink.org

Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) got an earful of "tolerance" at the Arlington County Fair in Virginia last week. They were faced with a barrage of verbal abuse, and one man was reportedly assaulted by a gay activist.

“They accused this young man of hiding his feelings," PFOX Executive Director Regina Griggs explained. "They walked by him and hit him in the back — attacked him.”

PFOX set up a display to offer hope to people dealing with unwanted same-sex attractions, but two gay activists objected to the message of hope.

“They told us that we had no right to be there. That we were nothing but a group of religious bigots," Griggs told Family News in Focus. “And that the right to free speech doesn’t apply to former homosexuals.”

Officers kicked the gay activists out of the fair and encouraged the PFOX volunteer to press charges, but he chose not to.

Florida Chaplain Says Hospital Fired Him for Saying 'Jesus' in Prayers

A Florida hospital chaplain says he was fired from his position for including the word 'Jesus' at the end of his prayers, according to report on MyFoxOrlando.com

From "Florida Chaplain Says Hospital Fired Him for Saying 'Jesus' in Prayers" posted 8/30/07 at FOXNews.com

Reverend Danny Harvey, who worked for the Leesburg Regional Center for more than seven years, claims to be the victim of religious discrimination after he says the hospital staff forced him to resign from his post.

Hospital officials deny any discrimination against Harvey and said that his departure was brought about because his services were not consistent with center's various faiths.
Read the rest of this article.

Aurora, IL: Residents Say Planned Parenthood Lied on Giant Abortion Mill Application

Local residents accused Planned Parenthood of “sneaking” into the city under an assumed name. Hundreds attend city council meeting...

From "Residents Say Planned Parenthood Lied on Giant Abortion Mill Application - City Investigates" by Hilary White, posted 8/29/07 at Lifesite.org

City authorities in Aurora Illinois, near Chicago may be having second thoughts about the opening of the largest American Planned Parenthood abortion mill in their town. The 22,000 square-foot, $7.5 million facility is scheduled to open for business September 18.

The city has hired Chicago attorney Richard Martens to review the process by which the facility, nick-named the “Abortion Fortress” for its high brick walls, was approved in November 2006. At a public meeting earlier this week, local residents accused Planned Parenthood of “sneaking” into the city under an assumed name.

"This is definitely a rare occurrence," city spokesman Carie Anne Ergo told The Beacon News. "I don't know of another instance in which the city has done this."

Eric Scheidler, communications director for the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League, told local media that he was pleased the city was taking the step. "I don't have the disadvantage of being a lawyer," he said. "I'm just a guy who thinks that if you lie to government officials, you ought to be held accountable.”

...But the decision to investigate came after local residents voiced a different opinion at a town meeting on Tuesday. City officials heard from the future neighbours of the abortion facility that Planned Parenthood “snuck” into their town by lying to officials and going through the application process under the name Gemini Development Corp. The city was only informed of the true nature of the venture a month ago. Planned Parenthood has a 30-day temporary occupancy permit, which expires September 17.

At Tuesday’s public meeting, 120 people signed up to speak and the presentations went until after 11 pm. The Daily Herald quotes Pastor Mark Smith at the meeting saying, “We could not debate these issues because they were not brought forward.”

A friend who attended the meeting wrote this inspiring eye-witness account:

I got home from the City Council meeting at 2:10 a.m. It was the most remarkable display of citizenship at work that I have ever witnessed. One hundred and twenty two people had signed up to speak. After a motion failed that would have ended the debate at 9:00 p.m. the members of the council sat and listened for hours as one after another of the people of Aurora got up and told their stories. So moving, so passionate, so well informed, so honest. So right!

There were two women from NOW who spoke in support of Planned Parenthood. Everyone else gave the aldermen quite an education that night. One guy used his three minutes to ask the people to get on their knees and pray with him. And they did. Young and old, story after story until 1:35 a.m. The room was packed to overflowing with people also standing in the hallway outside. Probably about 400 people in all. Numbers don't tell the story, though. You really would have been amazed at how well the citizens performed. And so proud to be a pro-lifer.

And the Gigantic Pro-Life Rally was definitely that. In spite of threatening weather the people just kept coming. The police had estimated about 1,300 were there. And the sun shone on them after all. All ages, from all over. Congratulations again on a job well done.

Then the Teen Rally was another remarkable event. They had 500 tee shirts and they ran out. There were many teens there in their own pro-life tee shirts, also. There were moms and dads and younger siblings - at least 750, if not more in total. Just a fantastic day for the young people. Our hope for the future.

Most amazing of all is that the 40 Day Prayer Vigil continues unabated through some of that terrible weather we've been having. Men and women, teens, little kids and babies are out there all day and all night. Your sacrifice is very much appreciated. History is happening in Aurora and you are a witness to it.

When we were fighting the clinic in Glen Ellyn that opened a little over five years ago, we requested to be heard at their open board meeting. They were very courteous and even set up chairs and a big screen TV for the overflow people in the big gymnasiam. There were about 1,200 people there, the most that had every attended an open board meeting. They listened to us but they didn't hear us.

The City Council heard what the people were saying the other night. They learned things they had never heard before. I am really optimistic that they may be able to do something to keep this evil out of their community. Hope you're still praying, even if you can't be at 3051 E. New York Street, those prayers at home are so important also.

Would you be willing to stand with these wonderful people -- or even just fast and pray? Here's a website where you can get more information.

Read other Culture Campaign Blog articles on this subject.

Federal Judges Bar Laws Mandating Health Standards for Abortion Clinics in Missouri

Abortion clinics can continue to operate as if they were dental offices instead of outpatient surgery centers...

From "Federal Judges Bar Laws Mandating Health Standards for Abortion Clinics in Missouri" by Peter J. Smith, posted 8/29/07 at Lifesite.org

A Federal judge issued a restraining order on the state of Missouri Monday preventing it from requiring abortion facilities to adhere to strict medical standards, just days after another federal judge blocked a law requiring abortionists to have admitting privileges at the nearest hospital within 30 miles.

U.S. District Judge Ortrie Smith granted the restraining order at the behest of abortion supporters who said the strict standards mandated by the law would adversely affect the Kansas City clinic, (Hmmm -- only if its standards are currently shoddy...) which provides medical-induced abortions, and the Columbia clinic, which would have to upgrade its ambulatory surgical center in compliance with the law. Smith set a hearing for September 10 to hear further evidence and arguments.

Last Friday, U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughery issued a temporary restraining order on a law requiring abortionists to obtain clinical privileges at a hospital within 30 miles just a day after Gov. Matt Blunt signed it. The law also permits parents to sue those who "intentionally cause, aid or assist" their underage daughters obtaining abortions without their informed consent.

The law would have put an effective end to abortions in some parts of Missouri, where hospitals are not within the 30 mile radius mandated by the law.

Michelle Collins, an administrator at the Springfield Healthcare Center Inc told the Associated Press that she was "ecstatic" at the ruling and that "it will be business as usual."

A spokesman for Blunt said the Governor welcomed the chance to defend the recently suspended laws. Until then, federal judges have guaranteed that abortion clinics may operate under lower medical standards and perform major surgeries without the lifesaving benefits of nearby hospitals.

One must continually wonder what justification judges use to permit lower standards at abortion clinics? Abortion advocates always tell us they have womens' best interests at heart...

Hundreds of Teens Protest Planned Parenthood Clinic

More than 700 teens marched for 2 hours near the site of the new clinic.

From "Hundreds of teens protest Planned Parenthood clinic" by Andre Salles, posted 9/2/07 at BeaconNewsOnline.com

AURORA -- The next generation of the anti-abortion movement rallied on the city's far East Side Saturday afternoon to protest the scheduled opening of a Planned Parenthood' facility.

Calling themselves Youth for Truth, hundreds of teens, many from Fox Valley schools, marched for two hours up and down East New York Street near the site of the new clinic. The facility is scheduled to open Sept. 18 and plans to offer abortions there have ignited controversy.

There were more than 700 teens on hand Saturday, according to 17-year-old Youth for Truth organizer Mary Kate Guest of Aurora. The group formed two weeks ago, she said, out of a desire to speak for what she sees as the target market of Planned Parenthood.

"Lots of kids feel this way," she said, "and we put this together because we know we can make a big stand."

Organizers of Saturday's rally printed up 500 T-shirts emblazoned with the group's name and a Bible verse. (Deuteronomy 30:19, which reads, in part, "Choose life so your children may live.")

Guest said all 500 shirts were claimed early.

Many of the teens turned out to the rally with their church youth groups. For some, like Aurora Christian student Claira Salvo, the cause is more personal. She said some of her family members have had abortions and now regret that decision, and she wishes that option had not been available for them.

Read the rest of the story.

God bless these kids!