Swedish Twin Study: Homosexuality Mostly Environmental

While the original title of the article below gives the impression that genetics plays an equal or even greater influence than environment, the study in fact shows that genetics is only 35% for men and 18% for women.

-- From "Homosexual Behavior Largely Shaped by Genetics and Random Environmental Factors" from ScienceDaily.com, 6/30/08

Homosexual behaviour is largely shaped by genetics and random environmental factors, according to findings from the world's largest study of twins.

Writing in the scientific journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, researchers from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, and Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm report that genetics and environmental factors (which are specific to an individual, and may include biological processes such as different hormone exposure in the womb), are important determinants of homosexual behaviour.

Dr Qazi Rahman, study co-author and a leading scientist on human sexual orientation, explains: "This study puts cold water on any concerns that we are looking for a single 'gay gene' or a single environmental variable which could be used to 'select out' homosexuality - the factors which influence sexual orientation are complex. And we are not simply talking about homosexuality here - heterosexual behaviour is also influenced by a mixture of genetic and environmental factors.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Like gambling, alcoholism, obesity, and even religiosity, political views, and (!) violence, current science holds that homosexuality has a genetic component (from 1/3 to 1/5 of the story). Regardless of the breakdown of genetics vs. environment, we ought to think and act in ways that may sometimes go against our natural inclinations.

Presbyterians PCUSA Open Pulpit to Homosexual Behavior

-- From "Presbyterians move to allow gay clergy, but fight remains" by Kimberly Winston, Religion News Service 6/27/08

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The nation's largest Presbyterian denomination on Friday (June 27) cracked open the door to ordaining non-celibate gay and lesbian clergy, though the decades-old fight is far from over.

Delegates at the Presbyterian Church (USA) meeting here voted 54 percent to 46 percent to remove a clause in their constitution that requires clergy to be either married and faithful or single and chaste.

But the action still needs approval by a majority of the denomination's 173 regional bodies, called presbyteries, and similar moves in recent years have twice failed to win ratification on the local level.

"It is more than we expected from this General Assembly," said Jon Walton, co-moderator of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, which supports gay and lesbian clergy. "But it is all that we hoped for."

The setting for this year's assembly in California proved an interesting backdrop for the debate, just a week after the state joined Massachusetts in allowing same-sex couples to marry.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Conservative Anglicans Worldwide Jointly Challenge Recognition of the Archbishop of Canterbury

Conservatives conclude that Anglicans in Britain and North America are now following a "false gospel" that allows a malleable, liberal interpretation of Scripture.

-- From "Anglican Church conservatives move to form power bloc" by Laurie Goodstein and Dina Kraft, International Herald Tribune 6/29/08

Anglican conservatives, frustrated by the ongoing stalemate over homosexuality in the Anglican Communion, declared Sunday that they would defy the church's historic lines of authority and establish a new power bloc within the church that will be led by a council of predominantly African archbishops.

The announcement came at the close of an unprecedented meeting in Jerusalem by conservatives, who contend that they represent a majority of the 77 million members of the Anglican Communion.

A statement the delegates issued in Jerusalem said that it was time to establish a branch in the United States and Canada that would absorb the churches that have been outraged by the American church's consecration of an openly gay bishop in 1993 and the Canadian church's blessing of same-sex unions.

The conservatives said that while they acknowledge Canterbury's historic position, they did not accept the idea "that Anglican identity is determined necessarily through recognition by the archbishop of Canterbury."

Some liberal American bloggers sought to play down the conservatives' actions, dismissing them as an attempt to hijack the Communion when, in their view, there are much more important issues for the church to confront, like poverty, AIDS and global warming.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

The inactive, rudderless Church

-- From "Wreaking havoc on America" commentary by Matt Friedeman, posted at OneNewsNow.com 6/24/2008

If the church of Jesus Christ, whose congregations number in the hundreds of millions in America, was doing what she were supposed to be doing ("... created in Christ Jesus to do good works"), a whole host of problems would be taken care of in short order.

. . . An inactive and ineffective church, ignoring the call to be holy, is as bad as a culture can hope for. To have a faith that is comfortable inside the confines of worship but remains unreleased into the world is, really, no faith at all.

Dennis Kinlaw recalls one of his tasks as a boy -- gutting a pig and hanging it in the smokehouse for his mother. One day, she asked her son to retrieve that ham, for special company was expected at their dinner table. He dutifully grabbed the meat and took it to his mother, who cut it with a butcher knife. Her mood suddenly soured, as the boy approached to investigate to find out that the meat was now oozing with maggots. She said somewhat forcefully to Kinlaw: "Not enough salt, Dennis, not enough salt."

When the church isn't the salt of the earth or the light of the world, disaster awaits. And the coming disaster, caused by Christian fecklessness, is the rise of paganism, cults, and Islam. None of these can compete with a vitalized, loving, compassionate church.

Luther had a phrase -- "Cor incurvatus ad se" ... a heart turned in on itself; a basic definition of sin. Ecclesiastically applied, there is nothing worse. The Church was not meant simply for itself; it was made for others.

And the world is waiting for us.

To read the entire commentary, CLICK HERE.

School District Plagued with STDs - Abstinence Ed Blamed

-- From "Pa. school district plagued with STDs" by Stephen Sacco, Times Herald-Record 6/27/08

MILFORD, Pa. — An estimated 10 percent of middle and high school students in the Delaware Valley School District are infected with a sexually transmitted disease. About two dozen teenage girls in the district have tested positive for pregnancy. And officials say there's one confirmed case of a student with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stepped in to track down students at risk for HIV, since the infected student is reported to have had multiple sex partners in the district, officials say.

School officials released the alarming figures in a letter sent home June 15 to the parents of the more than 3,000 Delaware Valley middle and high school students. Maternal and Family Health Services in Milford — a nonprofit health clinic serving male and female patients — alerted the district to the figures. Clinic officials say they estimate that more than 300 Delaware Valley middle and high school students contracted a sexually transmitted disease in the past year; and 25 to 30 girls tested positive for pregnancy. Students as young as 12 years old reported being sexually active, officials say.

. . . There is little for teens do in the area.

"They get bored, and they have sex," [said 15-year-old student Rachel McKean.]

Then, there's the health curriculum. "(The district) only teaches abstinence," McKean said. "They don't teach safer sex practices."

The Board of Education is currently revising the health curriculum.

But people are talking, like Jordan Young, 24, and his sister, Aja Young, 12.

"I think it's kind of ridiculous how such a good area, and such a good school district, can have this happen," said Aja Young.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Can you believe that this 'journalist' quotes children as to the cause of the problem AND for a course of action?!

New Colorado Law has Christians Fearing Jail

ACLU: "One may practice one's religion in private; however, once a religious person comes into the public arena, there are limitations in how the expression of their religion impacts others."

-- From "'Religion in private' OK, declares ACLU" © 2008 WorldNetDaily 6/27/08

Colorado's new state law that critics say criminalizes expressing biblical beliefs regarding homosexuality is scaring residents who fear their overheard statements could be used to put them in jail.

WND reported the law, SB200, which was promoted as an "anti-discrimination" plan favoring alternative sexual lifestyles and gender perceptions, has made it a criminal offense to discriminate against someone based on those lifestyles or perceptions.

Colorado Family Action wrote of the plan: "This bill lays groundwork for state-sanctioned abuse of individuals and organizations who have faithfully held religious convictions and refuse to offer or sell goods or services to homosexuals, bisexuals, transgendered, or transsexual individuals because of such beliefs."

"We've seen … charges brought by homosexuals against a video reproduction business in Virginia, a medical clinic in California, an adoption service in Arizona and a church in New Jersey," he continued. "Colorado tops them all on the potential outrage meter, however, because in addition to civil fines and penalties, small-business owners can be prosecuted under the criminal laws of Colorado and spend up to one year in jail for trying to live according to their faith," [said Tom Minnery of Focus on the Family.]

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Reluctant School Board Accepts 'Gay Club' -- Principal Quits

Homosexual advocates not satisfied, and will challenge Board's decision to require parental permission for children to be a part of the homosexual advocacy group

-- From "Under board's decision, parents can still keep kids out of gay club" by Stewart Moore on WIS-TV10 6/24/08

IRMO, South Carolina (WIS) - High school students in one Midlands school district are in for some changes when they go back to school this fall.

At a meeting Monday night, Richland-Lexington District Five board members decided to allow the formation of non-academic clubs. That would include clubs like the Gay/Straight Alliance.

Plans for that club at Irmo High School in the district have caused a lot of controversy lately.

The school board says any student wishing to join any non-academic club must now have parent permission to do so.

That decision was made after the formation of the Gay/Straight Alliance club at Irmo High School sparked a nationwide debate.

[Ray Drew of South Carolina Equality, a homosexual advocacy organization,] says his group doesn't think suing the district over the change in policy would be helpful to anyone, but promises that any type of discrimination against students wishing to join the club would lead to just that.

"My group is already training students, teachers, parents and administrators at Irmo High School for what they should be looking for next year. Anything out of compliance with federal law, we are going to be watching everything," says Drew.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

For additional coverage of this story from a different news source, CLICK HERE.

Black Pastors: Say NO to Planned Parenthood's Money

Candidates should not accept the abortionists' $10 million offered as campaign contributions

-- From "Black Pro-Life Advocates Hope Candidates Refuse Planned Parenthood Funds" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor 6/24/08

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A coalition of black pro-life pastors and advocates plan a march at the headquarters of both the national Republican and Democratic parties on Thursday [June 26]. They want candidates of both parties to refuse any of the $10 million Planned Parenthood plans to spend on the upcoming elections.

The African-American activists say Planned Parenthood targets black women and historically black communities with their abortion centers.

They also point to an investigation showing staff at Planned Parenthood offices gladly accepting donations from a caller pretending to want the funds used for abortions on black babies.

“We are very concerned that Planned Parenthood is targeting African American communities and African American babies,” Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr, told Fox News.

“Any candidate who continues … by accepting campaign contributions says that you’re not as concerned about civil rights for all people,” King said. “It’s an anti-civil rights act to support Planned Parenthood.”

Day Gardner of the National Black Pro-Life Union and King are leading the effort, which will involve 50 black pastors.

To read the rest of this article, CLICK HERE.

Even the Liberal Mainstream Media Gets It...

They are now acknowledging what the church won't: the homosexual 'rights' movement is depriving Christians of basic civil liberties--and it's only going to get worse...

From "When Gay Rights and Religious Liberties Clash" by Barbera Bradley Hagerty, posted 6/13/08 at npr.org

In recent years, some states have passed laws giving residents the right to same-sex unions in various forms. Gay couples may marry in Massachusetts and California. There are civil unions and domestic partnerships in Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Oregon. Other states give more limited rights.

Armed with those legal protections, same-sex couples are beginning to challenge policies of religious organizations that exclude them, claiming that a religious group's view that homosexual marriage is a sin cannot be used to violate their right to equal treatment. Now parochial schools, "parachurch" organizations such as Catholic Charities and businesses that refuse to serve gay couples are being sued — and so far, the religious groups are losing. Here are a few cases:

Read more.

"Houston, we have a problem..."

Even NPR is acknowledging that fundamental liberties are being destroyed in order to placate homosexual and transgender activists. Will our clergy and Christian leaders acknowledge it?

Christians who are in the world are in need of some practical guidance about how to respond-- not to individual homosexuals (that’s Christianity 101), but to the the movement itself, that is increasingly controlling our schools, govt. and workplaces...

We find ourselves in an increasingly untenable situation. This movement demands allegiance in no uncertain terms...

Will our leaders help, encourage and support us in being faithful?

Michigan Townspeople Unify Against Atheist Attack on Symbols

-- From "Atheist wants Frankenmuth to remove religious symbols" by Francis X. Donnelly, The Detroit News 6/21/08

So when local atheist Lloyd Clarke wanted to remove a cross from the [City] seal, along with ones in a city park and on a state bridge, residents rose nearly as one against him.

The Ann-Arbor-based Thomas More Law Center announced earlier this month it has been retained by the city to defend the crosses on the city seal and city park.

. . . Stung by the community reaction, he has withdrawn from the controversy.

He hopes a Washington group, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, will pick up the battle against the remaining crosses. The organization is considering such a move.

Why would an atheist want to live in a place where City Hall hosts a Nativity scene during the holidays and its most famous store is named Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland?

Clarke has a long history of activism. A retired UAW organizer, he has belonged to anti-war groups and ran for the state Senate in 2006 as a Green Party candidate, receiving 2.5 percent of the vote.

After he objected to the bridge crosses, the city promptly removed them.

Boy, that was easy, Clarke thought. He then tried his luck with removing the cross from the city seal.

But the city balked, the churches got involved, the residents turned on Clarke, and Frankenmuth hasn't been the same since.

To read the entire article (which ridicules Christians and portrays the atheist as a freedom fighter), CLICK HERE.

The Consequences of Cowardice in Maine

Pro-family Maine group forced to drop its push to preserve traditional marriage.

From Maine Group Drops Anti-gay Rights Push by Glenn Adams, posted 6/19/08 at Boston.com

AUGUSTA, Maine—An initiative campaign to repeal Maine's gay rights law and put in place roadblocks to gay marriages and adoptions is being abandoned, leaders of the campaign said Thursday.

"We're pulling the plug," said Michael Heath, executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine.

Heath said the evangelical group failed to attract voter, volunteer and financial support it needed to continue its campaign.

The group collected only a third of the 15,000 voters' signatures it had set as a goal for primary election day June 10, said Heath. He added said that potential volunteers "don't want to be aligned with bigotry and homophobia and hatred," tags their opponents had applied to the initiative backers.

EqualityMaine, which had placed volunteers at the polls June 10 to discourage voters to sign the initiative ballots, welcomed Thursday's decision.

To read the rest of the article CLICK HERE.

I can identify with the concerns of these citizens. I experience the same fears myself. Who wants to be called ugly names and thought of as a bigot? On the other hand, according to the definition of homosexual activists, apparently God Himself is a 'homophobic bigot'...

Americans are, in effect, accepting the tyranny of a tiny, deceived minority of people, desperate for validation of a behavior that even they know, in the deepest part of their minds and hearts, is wrong. This is obvious because if they were truly sure what they were doing was right they wouldn't be so desperate to force others to confirm it...

Because America is no longer the "home of the brave" she won't be the "land of the free" much longer...

Pastor Challenges IRS Regs Limiting Freedom of Religious Speech

Pastor Gus Booth: "If you are a Christian, you cannot support a candidate like Barack Obama."

-- From "Warroad pastor getting national attention for taking on IRS" by Stephen J. Lee, Grand Forks Herald 6/22/08

The ex-college linebacker pastor [of Warroad, MN Community Church] ignited a fire-storm of sorts this spring by picking a fight with the IRS over what he said is a violation of his constitutional rights, but more, his freedom given by God.

During a May 18 sermon, the Bemidji State University graduate told his congregation no Christian should vote for either Democratic contender for President, Sen. Hillary Clinton or Sen. Barack Obama because of their support for abortion rights and homosexual marriage. He first had invited the Warroad Pioneer to report on his sermon and it did. Booth then sent copies of the article to the IRS and to the liberal watchdog group. Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

Booth says the IRS regulation on churches engaging in political talk is relatively recent, and is “trumped” by constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and by the Bible.

“Of course, the Constitution is certainly more important than tax law,” he told the Herald. “The Constitution was around before the IRS even existed. I just feel the IRS is kind of a ‘Johnny-come-lately’ and should not tell me I have to pay for the privilege of free speech. It’s not a privilege, it’s a right.”

Booth is part of a national network of conservative evangelical pastors who plan to make a public stand on the issue Sept. 28. The Alliance Defense Fund is a religious liberty advocacy group begun in 1994 by several leaders of several Christian ministries, including Focus on the Family and Campus Crusade for Christ. Alan Sears, president and CEO, is an attorney formerly worked in the Justice Department under Republican administrations. The ADF promises to “aggressively defend religious liberty.”

He’s being counseled by ADF attorneys, but hopes news of that won’t scare off the IRS, Booth said Sunday after church.

“I want them to charge me,” he said. “My rights have been violated. I want to get that law changed.”

He’s promised his congregation he won’t let this controversy interfere too much with his pastoral duties.

But they seem to support him wholeheartedly, judging by their responses today.

To read the entire above article, CLICK HERE.

Also, CLICK HERE for coverage from another news source.

CA Abortionist Faces 9 Years in Prison

UPDATE (12/8/08): Abortion Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Unlicensed Abortion, All Facilities Closed

-- From "Abortion clinic operator is charged in felonies by San Diego County D.A." by Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 6/21/08

SAN DIEGO -- A 48-year-old woman who ran an abortion clinic in Chula Vista was charged Friday with 10 felony counts of practicing medicine without a license and grand theft.

Bertha Pinedo Bugarin, who faces similar charges in Los Angeles, is accused of telling women that she was a doctor, performing abortions on them and prescribing drugs. One woman had to be rushed to a hospital with life-threatening complications, prosecutors said.

[San Diego County Dist. Atty. Bonnie] Dumanis said nine former patients from Bugarin's Clinica Medica de la Mujer have identified Bugarin, including one woman who gave birth prematurely to a baby that lived for only three hours. Another patient paid $500 for an abortion but had to return for a second procedure when the first was not successful, prosecutors said.

"This defendant preyed on women in the Hispanic community" by passing herself off as a doctor, the prosecutor says. Bertha Bugarin, 48, at one point ran six clinics in Southern California. If convicted on all counts, she faces more than nine years in prison, prosecutors said.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

America! Greatest nation in history, but for how long?

Without the foundation of Religion and Morality that George Washington and the other founding fathers provided for us, there is simply no real hope for the future of this country.

-- From "How Much Time Does the U.S. Have?" by Charles S. LiMandri posted on Catholic Exchange 6/19/07

This is an excellent, brief summary of the history of the decimation of the American culture. Better to CLICK HERE and read the entire article, beyond the below excerpts.

It is my opinion that between the end of the American Civil War and the Reconstruction of the South, proceeding through the Industrial Revolution, and continuing up until about the end of World War II in 1945, the U.S. reached its zenith. Then came the U.S. Supreme Court’s Everson decision in 1947 which imposed an unconstitutional “Wall of Separation” between Church and State. This directly contradicted the vision of the founding fathers. Upon his farewell address to the nation, George Washington tried to impress upon his fellow countrymen that it was “Religion and Morality” that served as the foundation for our young nation.

. . . The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Griswold in 1965 (which found a new constitutional “right to privacy” for contraception) was the next big judicial construct. This in turn helped fuel the feminist revolution of the 1970’s since women were no longer “chained to their homes” by babies to raise. But, since contraception does not always work, the U.S. Supreme Court had to find a new application for the constitutional right to privacy, which it did in Roe v. Wade in 1973.

. . . yet another constitutional right to privacy . . . announced by the U.S. Supreme Court in the horrific Lawrence decision in 2003 — this time for homosexual sodomy.

. . . Can we stop this societal suicide — possibly, but not if we can’t stop same-sex “marriage” in California in November 2008, and not without supernatural help.

To read this entire article, CLICK HERE.

Pro-Lifers Campaign Against Pill-Induced Abortions

"The [Griswold vs. Connecticut Supreme Court] decision ... set the stage for (legal) abortion in the United States because it found the right to privacy in sexual matters."

-- From "Pro-Lifers Campaign Against Pill-Induced Abortions" by Penny Starr, CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer 6/6/08

Washington (CNSNews.com) - On the eve of the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that said prohibiting women access to birth control violated "marital privacy," the American Life League (ALL) is launching a new campaign to educate women about how birth control pills and other products can cause chemically induced abortion by preventing a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus lining.

Jim Sedlak, vice president of ALL, a Roman Catholic pro-life non-profit, announced the "Protest the Pill Day '08: The Pill Kills Babies" campaign at a press conference at the National Press Club on Friday.

"We find that when we talk to women who are on the birth control pill that they have no idea that this can happen," Sedlak said. "Distributors of the pill, particularly Planned Parenthood -- and those are the customers we have the most contact with -- are simply told they won't get pregnant."

"They don't know about the fact that a human being can be created and five-to-seven days later die because the action of the pill will not allow it to implant in the womb," he said.

Sedlak was joined at the conference by Dr. Marie Anderson, an OBGYN who does not prescribe contraceptives but promotes natural family planning at the Tepeyac Family Center in Fairfax, Va.

"Women deserve to be told the truth about the abortifacient (abortion-inducing) mechanism of the pill," Anderson said.

To read this entire article, CLICK HERE.

Calif. County Employees Refuse to Perform Civil Same-sex 'Marriages'

-- From "Employees told they could be reassigned" by Craig Gustafson, San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer 6/19/08

At least 14 employees in the San Diego County Clerk's Office raised religious objections to performing gay wedding ceremonies but were told by their boss they couldn't pick and choose between marriage applicants.

“It would unfairly burden other employees and would directly compromise the services we provide to the public, particularly given that so many employees have requested the same arrangement,” Smith's office told 14 employees by e-mail.

In the e-mails, employees were told they would have to perform the ceremonies without discrimination or seek a reassignment within the department or the county.

San Diego was not the only county where religious objections from county clerk employees came up.

In Sutter County, north of Sacramento, three of the four employees who usually perform wedding ceremonies said that they could not do so for same-sex couples, said Cindy McMillan, assistant Sutter County Clerk-Recorder. They were not penalized for their beliefs, and other employees volunteered to perform the nuptials.

By contrast, the issue did not come up in Alameda County in the San Francisco Bay Area or in Orange County. No county employees who perform civil wedding ceremonies requested to opt out for religious or other reasons, officials said.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

New Book Debunks Atheists’ Claims

Much of what atheists pass off as fact in their charges against God and religion is really based on myth, says Legionary of Christ Father Thomas D. Williams.

-- From "New Book Debunks Atheists’ Claims" by Karna Swanson, posted at Zenit.org 6/16/08

Father Williams is author of Greater Than You Think: A Theologian Answers the Atheists About God.

“Though the atheists claim to represent the side of reason,” he asserts in his book, “their arguments more often than not are ideological rather than rational.”

In this interview, ZENIT asked Father Williams, a theology professor in Rome and Vatican analyst for CBS News, to explain some of the common fallacies perpetuated by atheism that he addresses in his book.

Q: What spurred you to write this book?

Father Williams: As you are undoubtedly aware, the last several years have seen a surge in neo-atheist literature, with books such as Daniel Dennett’s "Breaking the Spell," Sam Harris’ "The End of Faith," Richard Dawkins’ "The God Delusion," and Christopher Hitchens’ "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything."

Several of these books have become bestsellers. The problem is, most people only hear one side of the story. They become indoctrinated with the atheistic arguments without ever hearing a reasoned response.

Many people have been confused by these books. Others worry about friends who have read them, or simply would like good answers to the charges atheisms brings against God, religion, and Christianity in particular. I wrote this book to furnish clear, concise replies to the atheists’ charges.

The book lays out -- and responds to -- the chief claims of the neo-atheists in five categories: (1) the case against God and religion, (2) the case against religion’s benefits for society, (3) the case against religion’s compatibility with science and reason, (4) the case against Christianity, and (5) the case for atheism’s superiority.

To read the entire interview, CLICK HERE.

Public Statement of Morality Ends General's Career

General Peter Pace said, "I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way."

-- From "Homosexual Activists Oppose Medal for Retired General" by Randy Hall, CNSNews.com Staff Writer/Editor 6/19/08

See background from July 2007

(CNSNews.com) - Two homosexual advocacy groups are criticizing the decision to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to retired General Peter Pace. He'll be honored on Thursday.

"Honoring General Pace with the country's highest civilian award is outrageous, insensitive and disrespectful to the 65,000 lesbian and gay troops currently serving on active duty in the armed forces," said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), in a news release on Wednesday.

"Honoring General Pace for using his personal prejudice to meddle with military matters is just plain wrong," [Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays] PFLAG added. "There should be no medal for bigotry and intolerance."

While conservatives rallied in support of the general, he later apologized for injecting his personal opinion in his defense of the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

In Sept. 26, 2007, testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Pace noted: "We should respect those who want to serve the nation but not through the law of the land, condone activity that, in my upbringing, is counter to God's law."

"All I'm saying is that in my responsibility -- with the authority I've been given and responsibilities I've been given -- are to obey the law of the land and to object if something is either illegal or immoral," he said.

Pace retired from his post on Oct. 1. At the time, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the decision not to appoint him to a second term wasn't a reflection on Pace's performance but an acknowledgement that the general would face bruising questioning by the Senate Armed Services Committee over early mismanagement of the war in Iraq.

"If we've come to the point in this country where our leaders cannot answer a question about homosexuality for fear of being demonized by the 'Gay Thought Police,' then we've lost the very freedom that Gen. Pace defended -- and for which our heroic men and women in the armed forces paid the ultimate price to protect," [said Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth -- a group devoted to opposing "gay" activism.]

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

The Post-modern Motto: Let Religious Pluralism Reign

-- From "Twilight of the Idols" by R.C. Sproul in Tabletalk Magazine, June 2008

. . . In the culture of pluralism, the chief virtue is toleration, which is the notion that all religious views are to be tolerated, all political views are to be tolerated. The only thing that cannot be tolerated is a claim to exclusivity. There is a built-in, inherent antipathy towards all claims of exclusivity. To say that there is one God is repulsive to the pluralists. To say that one God has not revealed Himself by a plurality of avatars in history is also repugnant. A single God with an only begotten Son is a deity who adds insult to injury by claiming an exclusive Son. There cannot be only one Mediator between man and God. There must be many according to pluralists today. It is equally a truism among pluralists that if there is one way to God, there must be many ways to God, and certainly it cannot be accepted that there is only one way. The exclusive claims of Christianity in terms of God, in terms of Christ, in terms of salvation, cannot live in peaceful coexistence with pluralists.

The motto of the United States is e pluribus unum. However, since the rise of the ideology of pluralism, the real Unum of that motto has been ripped from its foundation. What drives pluralism is the philosophical antecedent of relativism. All truth is relative; therefore, no one idea or source can be seen as having any kind of supremacy. Built into our law system is the idea of the equal toleration under the law of all religions. It is a short step in people’s thinking from equal toleration under the law to equal validity. The principle that all religions should be treated equally under the law and have equal rights does not carry with it the necessary inference that therefore all religions are valid. Even a cursory, comparative examination of the world’s religions reveals points of radical contradiction among them, and unless one is prepared to affirm the equal truth of contradictories, one must not be able to embrace this fallacious assumption.

Sadly, with a philosophy of relativism and a philosophy of pluralism, the science of logic doesn’t matter. Logic is escorted to the door and is firmly booted out of the house onto the street. There is no room for logic in any system of pluralism and relativism. Indeed, it’s a misnomer to call either a system, because it is the idea of a consistent, coherent view of truth that is unacceptable to the pluralist. The fact that people reject exclusive claims to truth does not invalidate those claims. It is the Christian’s duty to hold firm to the uniqueness of God and of His Christ and not compromise with the advocates of pluralism.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Should Willow Creek Have Met With Soulforce?

What does the bible say about it?

From "Willow Creek Should Not Have Met With Soulforce" by Sonja Dalton, posted 6/16/08 at AmericansforTruth.org

A fundamental question has been lost amid the sensation over the recent meeting between Willow Creek leadership and pro-homosexuality activists affiliated with the group Soulforce:

Did Pastor Bill Hybels have Biblical authority to welcome, meet with, and dine with Jay Bakker and Soulforce?

First, let’s examine who these Willow Creek “guests” were…

Jay Bakker (right) is the cigarette-puffing, tattooed, punk-rocker son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker; he’s the star of the Sundance Channel series “One Punk Under God” and “pastor” of the “gay”-affirming Revolution NYC. He is quoted as having said:

“…I felt like God spoke to my heart and said ‘[homosexuality] is not a sin.’”

(You might want to pencil that into your Bible, somewhere near Leviticus 18:22 or I Corinthians 6:9-11. Or not.)

On Sunday, June 8th, Bakker served as the “clergy leader” for “The American Family Outing” — a group of homosexual, bisexual, and transgender “families” who imposed themselves upon Bill Hybels and Willow Creek Community Church. These counterfeit “families” are, in fact, “queer” and allied activists associated with Soulforce, whose website states:

“The mission of Soulforce is to cut off homophobia at its source – religious bigotry…”

The founder of Soulforce is Mel White, who left family and church to engage in homosexuality and who unabashedly preaches:

“I am gay. I am proud. And God loves me without reservation.”

(The question is, Mel, do you love God? For Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” John the Baptist taught: “Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”)

This is an excellent and very helpful commentary for understanding all the issues. To read the entire commentary CLICK HERE.

Subsequent to the meeting with Pr. Hybels, Soulforce activists reported in various news sources that Willow Creek leadership agrees with them about the following:

(1) Sexual orientation is unchangeable.
(2) "6 of the 7 verses used to condemn homosexuality are irrelevant; really referring to other things."

This is, of course, very worrisome to faithful Christians. Did Willow Creek leadership really say this? What does Willow Creek leadership really believe regarding homosexuality? They have yet to issue a statement rebutting the homosexual activists' accounts of this meeting.

Please read the rest of this commentary and consider contacting Willow Creek leadership to respectfully ask them to set the record straight about what was said at that meeting and what their position on homosexuality really is.

Ohio Public Library so Despises God's Word . . .

-- From "Library shuts out Christians -- and everybody else" by Jeff Johnson on OneNewsNow 6/13/2008

An Ohio county public library has closed its meeting rooms to the public rather than allow them to be used by a Christian group.

George and Cathy Vandergriff wanted to host a Crown Financial Ministries "Financial Freedom" workshop in a public meeting room at the Clermont County, Ohio, public library. Tim Chandler, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), says the couple was told that, because the class would be quoting from the Bible, they could not hold it at the library.

"The Supreme Court said, more than 25 years ago, that once you've opened up meeting space, you can't exclude anyone just because they're engaging in religious speech. And, here we are, we're still fighting this battle," Chandler contends.

"The library, in response to the lawsuit, has decided to close the meeting rooms and not allow anybody in the public to use them. So, this is the length that they're going to exclude Christians from being able to use their meeting space," Chandler explains.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Voting Without Perfect Candidates

-- From "A Brief Catechism for Catholic Voters" by Fr. Stephen F. Torraco, PhD

Question: If a candidate says that he is personally opposed to abortion but feels the need to vote for it under the circumstances, doesn’t this candidate’s personal opposition to abortion make it morally permissible for me to vote for him, especially if I think that his other views are the best for people, especially the poor?

Answer: A candidate for office who says that he is personally opposed to abortion but actually votes in favor of it is either fooling himself or trying to fool you. Outside of the rare case in which a hostage is forced against his will to perform evil actions with his captors, a person who carries out an evil action -- such as voting for abortion -- performs an immoral act, and his statement of personal opposition to the moral evil of abortion is either self-delusion or a lie. If you vote for such a candidate, you would be an accomplice in advancing the moral evil of abortion. Therefore, it is not morally permissible to vote for such a candidate for office, even, as explained in questions 3 and 6 above, you think that the candidate’s other views are best for the poor.

Question: What if none of the candidates are completely pro-life?

Answer: As Pope John Paul II explains in his encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), “…when it is not possible to overturn or completely abrogate a pro-abortion law, an elected official, whose absolute personal opposition to procured abortion was well known, could licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and morality. This does not in fact represent an illicit cooperation with an unjust law, but rather a legitimate and proper attempt to limit its evil aspects.” Logically, it follows from these words of the Pope that a voter may likewise vote for that candidate who will most likely limit the evils of abortion or any other moral evil at issue.

To read all of the guide for Catholic voters, CLICK HERE.

New Homosexual 'Marriage' Playbook (same as the old playbook)

Advocates for same-sex marriage warn homosexual activists to not advance the gay agenda too rapidly, lest a backlash result. Obviously, the November 2008 election is key in the strategy.

-- Excerpts from "Make Change, Not Lawsuits" by the ACLU, HRC, and a variety of homosexual advocacy organizations

Now that we’ve won marriage in California, should we be bringing cases in other states or suing the federal government? If not, what can we do to help secure the freedom to marry nationwide?

Bottom Line. If you’re ready and it’s right for you, get married in California. If you do, claim the name and act like what you are -- married. But don’t go suing right away. Most lawsuits will likely set us all back. There are other ways to fight which are more likely to win.

Summary: The fastest way to win the freedom to marry throughout America is by getting marriage through state courts (to show that fairness requires it) and state legislatures (to show that people support it). We need to start with states where we have the best odds of winning. When we’ve won in a critical mass of states, we can turn to Congress and the federal courts. At that point, we’ll ask that the U.S. government treat all marriages equally. And we’ll ask that all states give equal treatment to all marriages and civil unions that are celebrated in other states. Couples who want to should get married, call themselves married, and ask (sometimes demand) that family, friends, neighbors, businesses, employers and the community treat their marriages with respect. Making the marriages of same-sex couples a conspicuous part of American society will help us get something we’ll need to win ultimately: public acceptance of equal treatment for lesbian and gay families.

But one thing couples shouldn’t do is just sue the federal government or, if they are from other states, go sue their home state or their employer to recognize their marriage or open up the health plan. Pushing the federal government before we have a critical mass of states recognizing same-sex relationships or suing in states where the courts aren’t ready is likely to get us bad rulings. Bad rulings will make it much more difficult for us to win marriage, and will certainly make it take much longer.

To read the entire six-page PDF document, CLICK HERE.

And, the LA Times reports, "Flamboyant images from same-sex ceremonies, activists say, could be used by opponents to convince California votes that gays and lesbians shouldn't have the right to marry."

-- From "Gay couples are emphasizing low-key weddings" by Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 6/16/08

The gay and lesbian couples who packed a Hollywood auditorium last week had come seeking information about California's new marriage policies. But they also got some unsolicited advice.

Be aware.

Images from gay weddings, said Lorri L. Jean, chief executive of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, could be used by opponents in a campaign designed to persuade California voters that gays and lesbians should not have the right to marry. Those getting married, she cautioned, should never lose sight of what they might be supplying to the other side.

Sitting close to his husband-to-be in the audience, hairstylist Kendall Hamilton nodded and said he knew just what she meant. No "guys showing up in gowns," he said.

"It's a weird subject," added Hamilton, 39, who plans to wed his partner of five years, Ray Paolantonio. "We want everybody to be free, but the image does matter. . . . They are going to try to make us look like freaks."

"One of the things that have hurt the gay effort in California is the exhibitionism in San Francisco," which doesn't always play well elsewhere, said political analyst Tony Quinn.

"One of the things about the gay and lesbian community is we're known for our outrageousness, our flamboyance," said West Hollywood City Councilman John Duran, who is president of the board of directors of Equality California, an organization pushing for same-sex marriage. "But we're under this incredible political pressure not to have those portrayals" right now.

To read the rest of this LA Times article, CLICK HERE.

-- Commentary by Laurie Higgins:

The LA Times article discusses the effects of exposure to various kinds of images. Homosexualists in CA want to tightly control the nature of the images to which the public is exposed--only Norman Rockwell-esque partners need apply. These efforts at image control reminded me of the following passages from After the Ball, "the gay manifesto" that was published in 1989 as a blueprint for cultural revolution:

"to desensitize straights to gays and gayness, inundate them in a continuous flood of gay-related advertising, presented in the least offensive fashion possible. If straights can't shut off the shower, they may at least eventually get used to being wet."

The authors Kirk and Madsen go on to describe a later step in the process of transforming cultural views on homosexuality that they call "Conversion":

"by Conversion we actually mean something far more profoundly threatening to the American Way of Life, without which no truly sweeping social change can occur. We mean conversion of the average American's emotions, mind, and will, through a planned psychological attack, in the form of propaganda fed to the nation via the media. . . . in Conversion, the bigot who holds a very negative stereotypic picture, is repeatedly exposed to literal picture/label pairs in magazines, and on billboards and TV, of gays--explicitly labeled as such, who not only don't look like his picture of a homosexual, but are carefully selected to look either like the bigot and his friends, or like any one of his other stereotypes of all-right guys--the kind of people he already likes and admires."

Massachusetts Dept. of Social Services Recruiting Foster Parents at Transgender Pride Parade

Clearly disturbed parents for emotionally distraught kids...

From "Transgender pride on parade" posted 6/15/08 at MassResistance.org

Click HERE for the pictorial review. Be sure to view all 3 parts.

The Dept. of Social Services foster parent literature is at the bottom of Part 3 -- CLICK HERE.

People who think this is a good idea shouldn't be allowed anywhere near children...

Note: Some of the people you see in the pictures are also designing MA public school curriculum. Click HERE to read about it.

Norway: Legitimizing Same-sex Marriage means Nobody Marries

-- From "Norway okays homosexual marriages, adoptions" on OneNewsNow 6/14/2008

OSLO - Norway has become the sixth country in the world to give homosexuals the legal right to "marry," with all the benefits previously given only to heterosexual couples. The new "marriage" law also allows homosexuals to adopt children and permits lesbians to be artificially inseminated.

Norway began allowing same-sex civil unions in the 1990s and since then its heterosexual-marriage rates have plummeted and its out-of-wedlock birthrate skyrocketed to 80 percent for firstborn children; but the provision allowing homosexuals to adopt children is of gravest concern.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

First Lady Speaks God's Word, Resulting in Investigation for 'Hate Crimes'

"Iris Robinson, considered Northern Ireland's first lady as the wife of First Minister Peter Robinson, has been accused of 'hate crimes' and is facing both a police investigation and the possibility of a civil complaint, according to reports."

-- From "Watchdog set to probe Iris’s stance on gays" by Lesley-Anne Henry in the Belfast Telegraph 6/13/08

The Assembly's standards watchdog was last night urged to investigate Iris Robinson's anti-gay comments.

It comes as the PSNI confirmed it was launching a probe into the controversial comments after receiving at least two official complaints.

Last week the DUP MP and MLA sparked a huge row when she described homosexuality as an "abomination" and claimed gay people could be 'turned around' with psychiatric help.

Mrs Robinson has refused to apologise, claiming she is standing up for God and has every right to express her view.

Meanwhile, the police last night confirmed they have taken legal advice to establish if Mrs Robinson's comments amount to an incitement of hatred under anti-discrimination legislation in Northern Ireland.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

And from "Northern Ireland's first lady accused of hate crime" © 2008 WorldNetDaily 6/13/08

A report in An Phoblacht, an online political weekly in Ireland, said Robinson had been invited onto the BBC Radio Ulster's "The Stephen Nolan Show" to talk about a recent physical assault on a homosexual by a team of thugs described by the reporter as "gay-bashing."

She condemned the violence, then described homosexuality as "disgusting, nauseous, shamefully wicked and vile," and said, "It's an abomination."

Now, the report said, a government agency has confirmed it is investigating complaints that have been filed against her, and one homosexual activist said he's contacted a lawyer about the situation.

On the radio program, Robinson said, "Homosexuality is not natural. My Christian beliefs tell me that it is an abomination and that is very clear. It is an offense to God, and offensive act and something God abhors."

She went on to urge homosexuals to seek psychiatric counseling, because of the success of various programs that offer to help them re-focus their sexual lifestyles.

"I have a lovely psychiatrist who works with me in my office trying to turn homosexuals away from what they are engaged in," she said. "I'm happy to put any homosexuals in touch with this gentleman. I have met people who have turned around and become heterosexual. They are married and having families."

The comments from both Robinson and Miller were condemned immediately by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which holds "lesbian, gay and bisexual people should be regarded as valued members of society who have exactly the same rights and responsibilities as others."

Such "discrimination" they experience by having to hear opinions such as those held by Robinson, the report said, makes them worry.

To read the entire second article, CLICK HERE.

Homosexual Philadelphia Official Wants Boys Scouts Evicted

UPDATE 6/16/10: As trial begins, Philadelphia tells local scouts to reject BSA moral code

-- From "Scouts sue after Philly demands rent or new policy" by Maryclaire Dale, Associated Press Writer 5/27/08

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Boy Scouts chapter engaged in a long fight over gay rights has sued the city of Philadelphia to try to avoid paying $200,000 a year in rent to stay in the city-owned space that has been its headquarters for 80 years.

The Cradle of Liberty Council currently pays $1 annually for the space, but the city has given it until Saturday to open their membership to gays or start being charged fair-market rent.

The federal suit filed Friday accuses the city of censorship for targeting the Scouts but maintaining free or nominal leases with other groups that limit membership, such as Baptist and Roman Catholic church groups and The Colonial Dames of America.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the Boy Scouts, as a private group, have a First Amendment right to bar gays. But the policy has had consequences, with municipalities, charities and donors withholding support.

The Cradle of Liberty Council oversees about 300 troops in Philadelphia and suburban Delaware and Montgomery counties. It serves about 70,000 children, including 50,000 in the city, the suit said.

The Scouts say the higher rent would force them to cut programs, and represents the cost of sending about 800 needy children to summer camp.

The city owns the Beaux Arts headquarters constructed by the Scouts in 1928 and the land beneath it. The Scouts have spent about $60,000 a year to maintain the building, and another $1.5 million for renovations in 1994, the suit said.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Some in Congress Favor Planned Parenthood over U.S. Armed Forces

The Senate Appropriations Committee has added an amendment to the 2008 War Supplemental Bill (H.R. 2642) that pro-life advocates say would benefit the nation's largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood.

Illinois residents, E-mail your congressman (click here) -- Vote NO on this amendment, but YES to funding our troops

-- From "Planned Parenthood Could Profit From War Funding Bill" by Michael Gryboski, CNSNews.com Correspondent 6/12/08

The measure would once again allow Planned Parenthood clinics and university health centers to receive drugs at discounted prices, according to Wendy Wright, president of the pro-life group Concerned Women for America.

"Planned Parenthood already has a massive markup on its drugs," Wright told Cybercast News Service. "They get them at a severely reduced price as it is, and then they turn around and sell them for a rather high price to their clients."

She pointed out that the provision would enable clinics to buy drugs, such as birth control pills and the morning after pill Plan B, at a discount.

In 2005, as part of the Deficit Reduction Act, Congress made university health clinics and clinics that dispense birth control and abortion drugs ineligible to receive discounts on drugs provided under the Public Health Service Act. If enacted, the amendment would overrule that law (Public Law 109-171), virtually guaranteeing Planned Parenthood clinics would get discounts on drugs.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Louisiana Legislators Nearly Unanimous for Teaching Critically on Evolution

A growing number of states are enacting "legislation … and policies that protect, encourage, and sometimes even require teachers to discuss the scientific evidence for and against Darwinian evolution."

UPDATE 5/30/13: Louisiana House Education Committee Keeps Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and Evolution-Science Act

-- From "Academic Freedom Bill Advances in Louisiana" by Susan Jones, CNSNews.com Senior Editor 6/12/08

(CNSNews.com) - The Louisiana House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bill that would protect those who teach both the scientific strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory. The vote was 94-3.

"This bill promotes good science education by protecting the academic freedom of science teachers," said Dr. John West, vice president for public policy and legal affairs at Discovery Institute, which has designed sample legislation for the state lawmakers to consider.

According to the bill, at the request of a local school district, the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education must "allow and assist teachers, principals, and other school administrators to create and foster an environment ... that promotes critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of scientific theories being studied including, but not limited to, evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning."

The bill also allows school districts to permit teachers to "use supplemental textbooks and other instructional materials to help students understand, analyze, critique, and review scientific theories in an objective manner," although the state board of education could veto those materials.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Pastors Vow to Monitor Islamic Indoctrination in Public Schools

Wow! Go pastors!! "Officials with a Houston pastors organization have decided to monitor attempts by the Council on American Islamic Relations [CAIR] to preach Islam to captive public school student audiences."

-- From "Pastors to monitor CAIR demands in district" © 2008 WorldNetDaily 6/11/08

Pastor Dave Welch, a spokesman for the Houston Area Pastor Council, an inter-denominational organization, told WND today that open records requests will be submitted at every school in the area to determine "how many have been contacted by CAIR."

The decision follows a dispute that erupted over a presentation by leaders for CAIR's Houston base to students at Friendswood Junior High School.

The principal, Robin Lowe, has been moved to another administrative post dealing with curriculum, officials have confirmed. She arranged the mandatory presentation in which CAIR instructed students that Adam, Noah and Jesus are prophets; announced "there is one god, his name is Allah"; taught the five pillars of Islam; told students how to pray five times a day; and gave instruction on Islamic religious requirements for dress.

Welch said school officials announced the principal set up the assembly after CAIR asked for time to talk to all students about Islam. They said CAIR was upset by an altercation between two students CAIR perceived as attacking Islam, even though school officials found no evidence of that.

CAIR, as WND has reported, is a spinoff of the defunct Islamic Association for Palestine, launched by Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook and former university professor Sami al-Arian, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide services to Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

To read the entire above article, CLICK HERE.

Same thing in Florida schools as well . . .

-- From "Islamic group banned after visit to Seminole classroom prompts complaints" by Dave Weber, Sentinel Staff Writer 6/11/08

An Islamic group has been banned from visiting classrooms in Seminole County schools after officials said it crossed the line between telling students about the Muslim culture and pushing its religion.

The flap over the Academy for Learning Islam's visit to Lake Brantley High School also has caused the school system to re-evaluate who it lets into county classrooms to present educational programs and what they can talk about. By fall, teachers will have stricter guidelines.

In addition to the Lake Brantley High visit, the Sanford-based academy also presented programs at Crooms Academy, Sanford Middle, Seminole High, Wicklow Elementary and Wekiva Elementary this past school year, officials said.

But a ruckus arose after three representatives of the Islamic group showed up at teacher Alison Henderson's family dynamics class at Lake Brantley in late April. Henderson had requested the program through the school district's speakers bureau, but the three were substitutes for the originally scheduled speaker, officials said.

. . . Alan Kornman, who led those complaining to the School Board about the academy, said the Muslim group clearly wants to convert students to Islam. He heads the Central Florida chapter of the United American Committee, a right-leaning [sic] watchdog group that says it wants to alert Americans to the threats of Islamic extremism.

No media bias in this article, uh? Ya, right!

To read the entire second article, CLICK HERE.

UK: Catholic Adoption Agency to Defy Gay 'Rights' Law

This is exactly what needs to happen here in America for Americans to understand that what's really at stake here is freedom itself.

From "Catholic adoption agency to defy gay rights law" by Johnathan Petre, posted 6/8/08 at dailymail.co.uk.

A Roman Catholic adoption agency headed by Britain's most senior Catholic churchman is to defy the Government over its controversial gay equality laws.

The Westminster Catholic Children's Society, whose president is Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, will ignore new rules that require it to place children with same-sex couples.

While other Catholic adoption agencies are caving in to the legislation by severing their ties with the Church or even closing, the Westminster Society will continue its policy of placing children only with married heterosexuals and single people.

Its stance will set the Cardinal - who welcomed Tony Blair into the Catholic Church last December - on a collision course with New Labour and the gay rights lobby.

Read more.

Please pray for Cardinal O'Connor and for freedom in Great Britain.

Examining "Strengths and Weaknesses" of Darwinism Deemed Too Threatening

From "Battle Over Teaching 'Weaknesses' of Evolution Moves to Texas" by Lawrence Jones, posted 6/6/08 at Christianpost.com

Darwinists in Texas are seeking to remove a science standard that requires schools to teach both the "strengths and weaknesses" of evolution.

Under current standards for the state's science curriculum, students are expected to "analyze, review, and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information."

But when the Texas Board of Education look to update state science standards this summer, some committee members will ask the board to remove the "strengths and weaknesses" phrase, according to The New York Times.

Among those requesting the board to drop the phrase is Kevin Fisher, a committee member who told the NY Times that questions left unanswered by evolution shouldn't be regarded as its weaknesses.

Other critics include Texas Freedom Network, a group that has opposed state proposals for Bible classes and Bible textbooks in the past.

Several board members appear to favor the current standard, saying it maintains a balanced debate on evolution.

"Evolution is not fact. Evolution is a theory and, as such, cannot be proven," Board Vice Chairman David Bradley told The Houston Chronicle. "Students need to be able to jump to their own conclusions."

Bradley also dismissed concerns by critics over the board's intention to sneak religion into the classroom.

"The only thing that this board is going to do is ask for accuracy." Continue reading...

Examining the strengths and weakness of a given theory or argument is a benchmark of our nation, public education system, and even The Council for Secular Humanism:

"The first principle of democratic secular humanism is its commitment to free inquiry. We oppose any tyranny over the mind of man, any efforts by ecclesiastical, political, ideological, or social institutions to shackle free thought."

Efforts to shackle free thought abound in this case.

Government Bans Pastor from Speaking Against Homosexuality

A Canadian human rights tribunal ordered a Christian pastor to renounce his faith and never again express moral opposition to homosexuality, according to a new report.

For background, read Canada: Pastor Found Guilty of Hate Crime

-- From "Government to pastor: Renounce your faith!" © 2008 WorldNetDaily 6/9/08

In a decision dated May 30 in the penalty phase of the quasi-judicial proceedings run by the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal, evangelical pastor Stephen Boisson was banned from expressing his biblical perspective of homosexuality and ordered to pay $5,000 for "damages for pain and suffering" as well as apologize to the activist who complained of being hurt.

Boisson wrote a letter to the editor of his local Red Deer, Alberta, newspaper in 2002 denouncing the advance of homosexual activism as "wicked" and stating: "Children as young as five and six years of age are being subjected to psychologically and physiologically damaging pro-homosexual literature and guidance in the public school system; all under the fraudulent guise of equal rights."

The activist, local teacher Darren Lund, filed a complaint, and the guilty verdict from Lori G. Andreachuk, a lawyer, was handed down Nov. 30, 2007. The latest decision involved the penalty phase of the trial.

[The guilty verdict from Lori G. Andreachuk states:]

"Mr. Boissoin and The Concerned Christian Coalition Inc. shall cease publishing in newspapers, by e-mail, on the radio, in public speeches, or on the Internet, in future, disparaging remarks about gays and homosexuals. Further, they shall not and are prohibited from making disparaging remarks in the future about … Lund or … Lund's witnesses relating to their involvement in this complaint. Further, all disparaging remarks versus homosexuals are directed to be removed from current Web sites and publications of Mr. Boissoin and The Concerned Christian Coalition Inc. …"

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." --Daniel 3:16-18

Aids Pandemic Among Heterosexuals Bogus

A quarter of a century after the outbreak of Aids, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has accepted that the threat of a global heterosexual pandemic has disappeared.

-- From "Threat of world Aids pandemic among heterosexuals is over, report admits" by Jeremy Laurance in The Independent 6/8/08

In the first official admission that the universal prevention strategy promoted by the major Aids organisations may have been misdirected, Kevin de Cock, the head of the WHO's department of HIV/Aids said there will be no generalised epidemic of Aids in the heterosexual population outside Africa.

Dr De Cock, an epidemiologist who has spent much of his career leading the battle against the disease, said understanding of the threat posed by the virus had changed. Whereas once it was seen as a risk to populations everywhere, it was now recognised that, outside sub-Saharan Africa, it was confined to high-risk groups including men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, and sex workers and their clients.

Aids organisations, including the WHO, UN Aids and the Global Fund, have come under attack for inflating estimates of the number of people infected, diverting funds from other health needs such as malaria, spending it on the wrong measures such as abstinence programmes rather than condoms, and failing to build up health systems.

Critics of the global Aids strategy complain that vast sums are being spent educating people about the disease who are not at risk, when a far bigger impact could be achieved by targeting high-risk groups and focusing on interventions known to work, such as circumcision, which cuts the risk of infection by 60 per cent, and reducing the number of sexual partners.

There were "elements of truth" in the criticism, Dr De Cock said. "You will not do much about Aids in London by spending the funds in schools. You need to go where transmission is occurring. It is true that countries have not always been good at that."

One of the danger areas for the Aids strategy was among men who had sex with men. He said: "We face a bit of a crisis [in this area]. In the industrialised world transmission of HIV among men who have sex with men is not declining and in some places has increased.

"It is astonishing how badly we have done with men who have sex with men. It is something that is going to have to be discussed much more rigorously."

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

New Federal Marriage Protection Amendment in Congress

Congressmen are slow to back this amendment

Illinois residents, CLICK HERE to E-mail your congressman and urge support

-- From "Ga. Republican to introduce federal amendment to ban gay marriage" by Dyana Bagby, Southern Voice Atlanta 5/23/08

Backlash from the California Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage continued this week as U.S. Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) said he plans to introduce an amendment to the U.S.

“What the activist judges in California have shown is that the traditional definition of marriage is under assault by a cadre of lawyers and judges who hold the will of the voters in contempt,” Broun said in a press release. “As a result, a political and social question that should be resolved at the ballot box is being imposed by a handful of liberal elites.”

“Broun’s amendment is just another attempt by anti-gay extremists to try and stop the inevitable march towards progress we continue to see,” said Trevor Thomas, spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay political group. “We will be there every step of the way fighting extremists and their fear tactics. And due to our community’s work in ‘06 to change the leadership in Congress, this bill is ‘dead on arrival’ this legislative session.”

Broun said his “Marriage Protection Amendment” is a direct result of the 4-3 decision by the California Supreme Court on May 15. The court ruled the state statutory ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Once Marriage is Re-defined, Chaos Ensues

A Californian family has unveiled the latest version of family life - a marriage of four.

-- From "Four better or four worse for marriage of four" posted at the Telegraph 06/06/2008

Tony, 48, Kaye, 48, Kevin, 40, and Sandi, 40, who live in San Jose, signed legal documents to give them similar status to actual spouses.

The foursome practice polyamory - the belief people can love several partners at once with everyone's blessing.

. . . Sandi fell pregnant with Tony's baby and all four changed their surname to his name, 'Luck'.

After Sandi gave birth to their daughter, Ruth, Kaye and Sandi fell in love, and later Kaye and Kevin, a student and former ballet dancer, became sexual partners too.

They bought a house together and share one bedroom allowing them to have sexual relationships with each other.

All four parents were present when Ruth was born and have signed papers making them equal guardians.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Good News! Idaho: Library Board Votes to Protect Children From Porn

Decency sometimes does prevail when we take a stand...

From "Nampa Library Board Votes to Protect Children From Porn" posted 6/4/08 at IdahoExaminer.com

Editor’s note: The subject material in the following story will be objectionable to some people

Two books with graphic, leave-nothing-to-the-imagination sexual illustrations will not be allowed back on the general circulation shelves in the Nampa Library.

“The New Joy of Sex” and “The Joy of Gay Sex” were made permanently inaccessible to minors on a 3-2 vote yesterday by the Nampa Library Board. “The Joy of Gay Sex” is particularly objectionable, showing in vivid and realistic detail virtually every conceivable way of engaging in homosexual sex, and which includes an entire chapter on “Daddy-Son Sex Fantasies” to book.

The controversy began over two years ago when a 15-year-old stumbled across the “Joy of Gay Sex” on a table in the middle of the library where any child could find it.

Kudos to activist husband and father Randy Jackson, who launched the effort to remove this smut from general circulation in 2005. His efforts show what an engaged citizen can accomplish through cheerful persistence. And kudos to Mayor Tom Dale, who appointed family-friendly members to the Board to replace members who insisted that gay porn remain accessible to young children.

Read the rest of this article.

Apparently Idahoans still have a remnant of leaders possessing some common sense and decency. Wish we could say the same for Chicago area schools in Deerfield and District 214...

Oregon Offers to Pay to Kill, But Not Treat Cancer Patient

Medication prescribed that would slow the growth of cancer not covered by Oregon Health Plan

From "Oregon Offers to Pay to Kill, But Not Treat Cancer Patient" by Tim Waggoner, posted 6/4/08 at LifeSite.com

SALEM, Oregon, June 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Lung cancer patient, Barbara Wagner, was recently notified that her oncologist-prescribed medication that would slow the growth of cancer would not be covered by the Oregon Health Plan; the plan, however, she was informed, would cover doctor-assisted suicide should she wish to kill herself.

"Treatment of advanced cancer that is meant to prolong life, or change the course of this disease, is not a covered benefit of the Oregon Health Plan," read the letter notifying Wagner of the health plan's decision.

Wagner says she was shocked by the decision. "To say to someone, we'll pay for you to die, but not pay for you to live, it's cruel," she told the Register-Guard. "I get angry. Who do they think they are?"

This past Monday morning, however, Wagner had reason to rejoice. A representative from the company that manufactures the treatment called the cancer patient to say they would give her the medication for free.

"I am just so thrilled," she said. "I am so relieved and so happy."

Dr. Walter Shaffer, medical director of the state Division of Medical Assistance Programs, which administers the Oregon Health Plan, attempted to defend the health plan's decision. "We can't cover everything for everyone," he said. "We try to come up with polices that provide the most good for the most people." Shaffer then addressed a priority list that had been developed to ration health care. "There's some desire on the part of the framers of this list to not cover treatments that are futile," he said, "or where the potential benefit to the patient is minimal in relation to the expense of providing the care." (Emphasis ours)

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California Teachers Association: Parents Shouldn't Have Right to Homeschool

Filed an amicus brief arguing that parents should be forced to put their children in public schools...

From "Home School Labeled Anarchy" by Jeff Johnson, posted 6/5/08 at OneNewsNow.com

The response of California's teachers' union to pro-family attempts to protect home schooling in that state has outraged one attorney who is working on the case.

Numerous organizations on both sides of the issue have filed friend-of-the-court briefs in the appeal of a California court's ruling that parents have no right to home school their children. But one reaction in particular caught the attention of pro-family attorney Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute.

"The California Teachers Association ... decided to file an amicus brief arguing before the court that parents should have no right over the education of their children, should not have a right to home school, and that these children should be literally forced to be put back into the public schools -- even though parents object," the attorney explains.

Dacus did a double-take when he read one specific charge made by the teachers' union. "In their brief, the teachers' union said that to allow parents to be able to home school without being credentialed teachers could result in 'educational anarchy,'" he shares.

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Parent David Parker Petitions U.S. Supreme Court

Massachusetts school hell-bent on homosexual indoctrination of children, fighting parents tooth and nail in courts

"What the pro-homosexual camp has done is positioned so-called 'gay' rights' to completely trump parental rights and parental authority in public schools."

-- From "Supremes asked to stop 'gay' indoctrination" by Bob Unruh © 2008 WorldNetDaily 6/5/08

The U.S. Supreme Court is being asked to review a case in which parents are objecting to the actions of a school district where officials are trying "to systematically indoctrinate young children into disbelieving core ten[e]ts of their families' faith."

. . . Earlier District Judge Mark Wolf had ordered that school officials' work to undermine Christian beliefs is needed to prepare children for citizenship, and if parents don't like it they can elect a different school committee or homeschool their children.

Those conclusions, according to MassResistance, a pro-family organization following the case, "have been so bizarre that it boggles the mind."

Parker, his wife and another couple have been trying to bring a federal civil rights lawsuit against school officials and others in Lexington, Mass., but have run into a massively funded campaign by nationwide groups promoting homosexuality.

"At issue is the teaching of homosexuality and transgender topics to elementary school children while denying parents rights of consent, opt-out provision, or even notification before or after the fact!" wrote MassResistance.

"The school department, led by Supt. Paul Ash, has stated in school publications and in the media that they will not compromise on any of those points."

The case developed in 2005 when Parker learned of the pro-homosexual indoctrination plan in the school.

"After a long series of meetings with Estabrook Elementary School officials regarding … teaching homosexual issues to his son in kindergarten without parental consent, David Parker finally told the principal and the city's director of education that he would not leave until the school agreed to negotiate some agreement on the matter. Rather than negotiate, the officials had Parker arrested and brought to jail, where he spent the night. The next morning he was led into Concord District court in handcuffs," MassResistance reported.

Also at issue is whether those schools' "open and specific intention to indoctrinate … children into disbelieving core tenets of their families' deeply held religious faith constitutes a burden on the families' free exercise of religion."

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UK Religious Education Policies Violate Human Rights, Critics Say

-- From "UK Religious Education Policies Violate Human Rights, Critics Say" by Kevin McCandless, CNSNews.com Correspondent, 6/4/08

London (CNSNews.com) - Charging that the human rights of teenagers are being violated, lawmakers and humanists are calling for religious education to be scaled back in British schools.

Christianity is the official state religion in the United Kingdom, and students in most public schools are required to take religious education classes and participate in acts of collective worship.

Such acts must be predominantly Christian in nature over the course of the year and might include opportunities for prayer and mediation, or assemblies with a religious theme. Schools with a majority of students who are of other faiths can apply for an exception to this rule.

Government surveys have found that a number of schools in England have neglected daily worship, but the requirement remains a sore point for many humanists.

Parents are allowed to keep their children out of religious education and daily worship, and since 2006, pupils in their final year of school also have been allowed to choose not to participate in worship.

Last month, a parliamentary human rights committee issued a report recommending that students below the age of 16 also be allowed to opt out of religious education classes and daily worship as long as they have "sufficient maturity, intelligence and understanding."

The lawmakers said forcing a student to engage in these activities was "incompatible" with the child's freedom of thought, conscience and belief. It also violated the European Convention on Human Rights, the report said.

The report by the parliamentary committee came shortly after Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, warned that Britain was in danger of becoming a "God-free zone."

"One of the things which I challenge is the desire to separate Christianity from rational inquiry," he said. "Many of our 'new atheists' seem unable to cope with the notion of an intelligent, reflective Christian faith."

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