Monday, June 30, 2014

Sheriff Defies ACLU: July 4th Prayer in Louisiana

Sheriff Julian Whittington will host the second annual 4th of July “In God We Trust Rally” in Bossier City, Louisiana where everyone is invited to enjoy food, fun, patriotic and Christian music, along with prayer on public property. Louisiana’s American Civil Liberties Union has complained that the event is illegal.
“I think Bossier Parish is a better place with Christianity and Christian values involved in it. I am an elected official. I’m also a citizen here. I think this is what’s best for us. I don’t work for anybody in Washington. What they do, what they say, I couldn’t really care less,”
-- Sheriff Julian Whittington, Bossier Parish
For background, read Atheists Fret Supreme Court Ruling Favoring Prayers in Christian America

And also read the resulting resurgence in public prayer following the Supreme Court decision.

-- From "Bossier Sheriff's office to host 4th of July 'In God We Trust' rally" posted at KTBS-TV 3 (Shreveport, LA) 6/24/14

. . . Throughout the ceremony, there will be church singing groups, patriotic videos and remarks.

Sheriff Whittington will honor Posse members who served in World War II and recognize Young Marines success stories. Students from Princeton Elementary School will read their award-winning essays of "What Does Freedom Mean to Me," and one local pastor will make you laugh with his imitations of the Presidents.

. . . Sheriff Whittington will offer his remarks, and Gov. Bobby Jindal will also deliver a special message via video. The Sheriff will also make a check presentation to show the thousands of dollars that have been donated to the Young Marines program after the federal government denied grant funding last spring. Sheriff Whittington made it very clear to the Department of Justice that he was not going to remove voluntary prayer and the mention of God from the Young Marines program in order to receive the grant money and stood firm that the program would continue…with or without federal aid.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Bossier Sheriff stands for his right to pray when, where and with whom he pleases" by Adam Duvernay, Shreveport Times 6/28/14

“Last year, we didn’t really know what we were doing and we had so many people, so much reaction from people, so we held the event and over 1,000 people showed up and said, ‘We agree with you. For a nation that was founded on Christian values, our government was formed around it, it’s on our money, it’s in our oath, we pledge as elected officials, to somehow now say it’s somehow taboo or you have to run with it is ridiculous. We agree with you. Stick with it,’” Whittington said.

That’s how Bossier City resident Holly Lanaghan feels about it, anyway. She said everything — from schools to local governments — is improved by closer ties to God. She supports Whittington’s stance and practices.

“It sure can’t hurt. When you take God out, that’s when things start going downhill. I think more people support the sheriff than don’t,” Lanaghan said. “There’s one God and he loves everybody. It doesn’t matter what title you want to hang on yourself. God is not about religion. He’s about the relationship we should have with him.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read FDR's D-Day Prayer is Un-American, Say Atheists

And read of the myriad atheist lawsuits against Christians and prayer nationwide.

However, in response, read of countless examples of citizens banding together to defy the atheists and pray in school and other local government bodies, and also read the long list of states enacting laws to bring prayer back to schools.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

ObamaNation: Homosexual Victory 'Pride Parades'

This weekend, with key leadership from President Obama, in cities large and small across America, adoring media are lauding the flaunting of apparent, albeit short-lived (from an eternal perspective), hedonistic defeat of a once righteous and God-fearing nation.
“It’s fun to have a community come together and be proud of who we are.”
-- Genna Rehan, of Omaha, Nebraska (age 16)
For background, read So-called "christians" Celebrate Gay Pride Month with Sexually Confused Chaplain Preaching at National Cathedral and also read ObamaNation: Building Alters of Worship to Sexual Deviancy as well as Lawless Obama Administration Tells States to Violate Oath for 'Gay Marriage'

And read that just this week, Vice President Biden declared that the Gay Agenda must trump religious beliefs.

In addition, read how activist judges across America are forbidding voters the right to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

The flood of politicians, most notably Republican, jumping on the band wagon of sexual deviancy is simply phenomenal.



-- From "Sun shines, rainbow flags abound at Heartland Pride festival" by Kirby Kaufman, Omaha World-Herald News Service 6/28/14

. . . a growing community of gay and transgender residents in Council Bluffs and Omaha.

[There were] roughly 500 people dotting the streets of downtown Council Bluffs to watch pride flags, drag queens, proud people and even a rainbow-colored shaggy dog in the parade for the 2014 Heartland Pride Festival.

A record-setting 41 parade floats, since the metro area’s first official Pride Parade in 1988, moved along Pearl Street. Organizations represented included the Council Bluffs Community Alliance, Union Pacific, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, area churches and several others.

Helen Broadway-Savage, parade chairwoman, said LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersexual and asexual) “is starting to become less and less of an issue.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "St. Paul police show they're friends of Twin Cities Pride" by Mara H. Gottfried, TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press 6/27/14

When thousands gather for the Twin Cities Pride festival this weekend, St. Paul police officer Darin McDonald will be among those participating . . . St. Paul's only openly gay male officer [said] "... Pride is a great opportunity for youth of today to see positive role models in every profession, and they can achieve their dreams and become whoever they want to be."

At the Pride Parade on Sunday, the co-grand marshals are former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and current Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau. Harteau is Minneapolis' first female police chief and the city's first chief to be openly gay.

There are about 585 St. Paul police officers; McDonald estimates 20-some female officers are gay.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Sponsorship of gay pride parades on the rise" by Brady McCombs, Associated Press 6/28/14

In between muscular men in speedos gyrating to thumping dance music and drag queens decked out in formal gowns, Salt Lake City's gay pride parade also featured a few, more conventional participants: Some of America's most well-known companies.

From Starbucks to eBay to Macy's, the increasing visibility of corporations at the parade in Utah and at others across the country in recent years comes as same-sex marriage bans fall in the courts . . .

At many companies, support for pride parades and festivals is being fueled by internal Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender councils who are given small budgets and freedom to spend that money where they choose.

The continued transformation of the parades from small, defiant, sexually daring protests to family-friendly, mainstream celebrations has been on full display this summer as new companies join businesses that have been supporting the cause for years.

TD Bank has been sponsoring gay pride parades and festivals in various cities since 2009. The company said it spends nearly $1 million annually on LGBT events and initiatives in the U.S. and Canada. This year, the company is sponsoring 20 gay pride parades.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Seattle Pride celebrates 40th anniversary this weekend" by Madeline McKenzie, Seattle Times staff 6/26/14

Seattle Pride celebrates its 40th anniversary this weekend. The theme is Generations of Pride, honoring the history of the Northwest’s LGBT rights movement and the progress the LGBT community has made since the first Seattle Pride celebration in 1974.

Sunday’s Pride Parade features Celebrity Grand Marshal George Takei, “Hikaru Sulu” in the Star Trek TV show and movies and now a social-justice activist for LGBT and human rights around the world. Community grand marshals include King County Executive Dow Constantine. Local activists including organizers from the 1974 event will be special guests.

The popular annual Doggie Drag Costume Contest and Parade is at 11:30 a.m. . . .

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Pride in the Park brings awareness to LGBT community in Flint" by Amanda Emery, The Flint (Michigan) Journal 6/18/14

The Flint Pride in the Park celebrated its fourth year Saturday, June 28, with more than 1,000 people coming to downtown Flint, said Planning Committee Member Yashica Ellis.

Ellis said U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee and Flint Mayor Dayne Walling spoke at the event, with Kildee giving the opening remarks.

The event boasted two stages with music, a drag queen review, dancers, spoken word performances, and folk singers. Ellis said the event also had live wrestling set up in the kid's corner and more than 35 venders.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Pride Parade expected to draw 1 million participants" posted at Chicago Tribune 6/29/14

This is the first Pride Parade since Illinois' law allowing same-sex marriage went into effect. Same-sex marriage will be part of the parade's theme, with married couples featured throughout the procession on floats, in cars and marching with organizations.

The parade has 200 registered entrants, with a handful of new religious groups and organizations, including the Shedd Aquarium and Art Institute of Chicago, organizers said. The parade is expected to last about three hours, but people often remain along the 4-mile route that wraps around Uptown, Lakeview and Lincoln Park for long afterward.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Gay Agenda will be Complete when Christians are Muzzled, Say Homosexualists as well as Senator Ted Cruz Says the Gay Agenda Ends Christian Liberty

And read American Decline: Obama's Gay Agenda vs. Christians as well as America Going to Hell; Christians Lose Convictions

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Supreme Court Decision Favors Abortionists' Speech

Although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously against so-called "buffer zones" that bar pro-lifers from public sidewalks near abortion clinics, Justice Scalia and three other justices said that the majority opinion discriminates against pro-lifers by ruling extra speech rights for abortionist employees.
“Today’s opinion carries forward this court’s practice of giving abortion-rights advocates a pass when it comes to suppressing the free-speech rights of their opponents. There is an entirely separate, abridged edition of the First Amendment applicable to speech against abortion. . . . [and the majority opinion] continues the onward march of abortion-speech-only jurisprudence”
-- Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas
For background, read Supreme Court: Do Pro-lifers Have Free Speech in Massachusetts?

Also read 9th Circuit rules that buffer zones must be equally enforced against abortion clinic advocates.

In separate cases, harassment of pro-lifers costs money in Wyoming and Rockford, IL.

-- From "Court strikes down abortion clinic buffer zones" by Robert Barnes, The Washington Post 6/27/14

Significantly, only the court’s liberals joined [Chief Justice John] Roberts’ [majority] opinion — Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. That is a rare combination at the court . . .

The court’s four conservatives agreed the law violated the First Amendment but, writing separately from Roberts, said he was wrong in not simply finding that the law discriminated against those opposed to abortion.

Justice Samuel Alito did not join Scalia’s biting opinion and wrote his own, agreeing that the law was unconstitutional because employs “blatant viewpoint discrimination.”

Roberts’ opinion — which Scalia mocked as “Something for Everyone” — found a middle ground.

The Massachusetts case is McCullen v. Coakley.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Scalia Accuses Fellow Justices Of Discriminating Against Pro-Lifers" by Tristyn Bloom, Daily Caller 6/27/14

The law’s opponents argued that the law was what is known as a “content-based” restriction of speech because “it creates speech exclusion zones only at abortion clinics and, as a practical matter, affects speech on only one controversial issue–abortion.” Because the law exempted clinic employees and volunteers from the buffer zone, they also argued that it privileged abortion supporters.

This isn’t the first time Scalia has spoken out against his fellow justices on this issue. In 2000, Scalia dissented from a majority ruling in favor of a Colorado buffer zone law: “What is before us, after all, is a speech regulation directed against the opponents of abortion, and it therefore enjoys the benefit of the ‘ad hoc nullification machine’ that the Court has set in motion to push aside whatever doctrines of constitutional law stand in the way of that highly favored practice.”

“Having deprived abortion opponents of the political right to persuade the electorate that abortion should be restricted by law, the Court today continues and expands its assault upon their individual right to persuade women contemplating abortion that what they are doing is wrong. Because, like the rest of our abortion jurisprudence, today’s decision is in stark contradiction of the constitutional principles we apply in all other contexts, I dissent.”

It is unclear whether the court’s Thursday ruling will overturn the 2000 decision.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Scalia: Supreme Court is letting liberal politicians crush pro-life free speech" by Ben Johnson, LifeSiteNews.com 6/26/14

The law, [Scalia] said, clearly intended to silence all pro-life advocacy near abortion facilities.

The three criticized the majority's view that the state law was not “narrowly tailored” because the pro-life counselors had not engaged in sufficient violence to warrant the statute. “That is rather like invoking the eight missed human targets of a shooter who has killed one victim to prove, not that he is guilty of attempted mass murder, but that he has bad aim.”

Justice Scalia also rapped the court's liberal wing for telling Massachusetts lawmakers to “consider an ordinance such as the one adopted in New York City that . . . makes it a crime ‘to follow and harass another person within 15 feet of the premises of a reproductive health care facility.’”

Justice Samuel Alito had questioned why abortion escort's free speech rights would be respected within the bubble zone but pro-lifers would have their rights denied.

Imagine if two people spoke to a woman considering an abortion, he said during oral arguments months ago. “The first, who is an employee of the facility, says, ‘Good morning. This is a safe facility.’ The other one who’s not an employee says, ‘Good morning, this is not a safe facility.’ Now, under this statute, the first one has not committed a crime; the second one has committed a crime,” he said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "JUSTICE SCALIA, with whom JUSTICE KENNEDY and JUSTICE THOMAS join, concurring in the judgment" (beginning on page 35) posted at Supreme Court of The United States 6/26/14

The second half of the Court’s analysis today, invalidating the law at issue because of inadequate “tailoring,” is certainly attractive to those of us who oppose an abortion speech edition of the First Amendment. But think again. This is an opinion that has Something for Everyone, and the more significant portion continues the onward march of abortion-speech-only jurisprudence.

The gratuitous portion of today’s opinion is Part III, which concludes—in seven pages of the purest dicta—that subsection (b) of the Massachusetts Reproductive Health Care Facilities Act is not specifically directed at speech opposing (or even concerning) abortion and hence need not meet the strict-scrutiny standard applicable to content based speech regulations. Inasmuch as Part IV holds that the Act is unconstitutional because it does not survive the lesser level of scrutiny associated with content-neutral “time, place, and manner” regulations, there is no principled reason for the majority to decide whether the statute is subject to strict scrutiny.

Is it harassment, one wonders, for Eleanor McCullen [a pro-life sidewalk counselor] to ask a woman, quietly and politely, two times, whether she will take literature or whether she has any questions? Three times? Four times? It seems to me far from certain that First Amendment rights can be imperiled by threatening jail time (only at “reproductive health care facilit[ies],” of course) for so vague an offense as “follow[ing] and harass[ing].” It is wrong for the Court to give its approval to such legislation without benefit of briefing and argument.

Public streets and sidewalks are traditional forums for speech on matters of public concern. Therefore, as the Court acknowledges, they hold a “‘special position in terms of First Amendment protection.’” Moreover, “the public spaces outside of [abortion providing] facilities . . . ha[ve] become, by necessity and by virtue of this Court’s decisions, a forum of last resort for those who oppose abortion.” It blinks reality to say, as the majority does, that a blanket prohibition on the use of streets and sidewalks where speech on only one politically controversial topic is likely to occur—and where that speech can most effectively be communicated—is not content based. Would the Court exempt from strict scrutiny a law banning access to the streets and sidewalks surrounding the site of the Republican National Convention? Or those used annually to commemorate the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery civil rights marches? Or those outside the Internal Revenue Service? Surely not.

To read the entire Supreme Court decision, CLICK HERE.

Also read Christians Arrested for Praying Near Chicago Abortion Clinic (violated city's "Bubble Zone" ordinance)

In addition, read Obama Administration Targets Pro-lifers for Prosecution as well as White House Targets Pro-lifers with Lawsuits, BUT more recently Judges Counter Obama's Attacks on Pro-lifers

And read IRS Tells Pro-lifers: Either Shut Up or Be Taxed

Friday, June 27, 2014

GOP Senator Favors 'Gay Marriage' to Get Elected

Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins of Maine announced this week that she supports deviant sexual behavior across America because so many other people (mostly judges) do so -- besides, otherwise her Democrat challenger, former ACLU director Shenna Bellows, could win the election in November.
"Nearly 44 percent of Americans live in a state where same-sex couples can be legally married, and I believe this number will only continue to grow."
-- Sen. Susan Collins, career politician
In order to get elected in the past, Collins had kept a lid on her enthusiasm for homosexual advocacy.

Earlier this week, Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson said same-sex "marriage" and abortion are non-issues.

For background, read GOP Platform OKs Abortion & 'Gay Marriage' at Nevada Convention and also read GOP Funds Pro-abortion Homosexual Candidates as well as GOP Has Failed the Nationwide Marriage Amendment Test

-- From "Republican Senator Susan Collins endorses same-sex marriage" by Matt Bradwell, UPI 6/26/14

Collins publicly announced her support for same-sex marriage after the Human Rights Campaign, America's largest LGBT advocacy group, endorsed her re-election over Democrat challenger Shenna Bellows.

Collins is the fourth Republican senator to endorse marriage equality, after Mark Kirk of Illinois, Rob Portman of Ohio and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "GOP Sen. Collins declares support for gay marriage" by Catalina Camia, USA TODAY 6/26/14

“A number of states, including my home state of Maine, have now legalized same-sex marriage, and I agree with that decision,” Collins said in a statement issued Wednesday. . . . Collins previously has said the issue was best handled by the states.

The senator was endorsed for re-election Wednesday by the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group. Chad Griffin, president of HRC, cited Collins’ efforts to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the policy that had prevented openly gay members of the military, and her vote for the Employer Non-Discrimination Act, known as ENDA.

“It seems the dam has finally broken: from local legislators to United States Senators, Republicans around the country are coming to the common-sense conservative conclusion that marriage equality strengthens society and is no threat to religious liberty,” said Gregory Angelo, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, a group of gay Republicans.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Susan Collins becomes fourth GOP senator to publicly support same-sex marriage" by Mario Moretto, Bangor Daily News Staff 6/25/14

Collins has long maintained that the question of same-sex marriage is one for each state to decide on its own.

While Collins had never made her personal stance on same-sex marriage known, she voted twice — in 2004 and 2006 — against proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution that would have codified in the highest law that marriage only existed between one man and woman.

Collins also helped shepherd the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, through the Senate. That bill protects LGBT people from workplace discrimination.

Collins’ support for same-sex marriage puts her out of step with the Maine Republican Party’s official stance, enshrined in its platform, that marriage exists only between one man and one woman.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read 'Gay Marriage' NOT Protected, Says Lone Appellate Judge

And read 'Gay Marriage' Not Favored in Polls, Only in Court

Thursday, June 26, 2014

'Gay Marriage' NOT Protected, Says Appellate Judge

Yesterday, more judges ruled that American voters are barred from defining natural marriage (e.g.: Indiana), but also yesterday, Judge Paul Kelly of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals became the only federal judge, since last year's Supreme Court ruling on DOMA, to rule that the U.S. Constitution does NOT provide a special right for homosexual "marriage."

UPDATE 11/7/14: 'Gay Marriage' Loses in Federal Appeals Court; on to Supreme Court

UPDATE 7/30/14: 4th Circuit Judge Bucks Majority 'Gay Marriage' Ruling, Saying Polygamy Will Follow

For background, read how activist judges across America are forbidding voters the right to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

However, also read 'Gay Marriage' Not Favored in Polls, Only in Court

In addition, read that just this week, Vice President Biden declared that the Gay Agenda must trump religious beliefs, and even a so-called Tea Party U.S. Senator said that same-sex "marriage" and abortion are non-issues.

-- From "Thoughts on today’s Tenth Circuit decision striking down Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage" by Ilya Somin, Professor of Law at George Mason University School of Law, Washington Post 6/25/14

. . . this decision is significant because it is the first such ruling by an appellate court. It is also notable because there is a lengthy and detailed dissent by Judge Paul Kelly, who has now become the first judge since Windsor to conclude that a state law banning same-sex marriage does not violate the Constitution. Kelly’s opinion suggests that there is not a clear consensus in the federal judiciary about either the implications of Windsor or the same-sex marriage issue more generally.

. . . today’s decision is an important victory for advocates of same-sex marriage. But Judge Kelly’s dissent suggests that the legal battle over the issue is far from over. The question is likely to return to the Supreme Court, quite possibly sooner than many of us at first anticipated.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ruling shows crack in legal gay marriage unanimity" by Nicholas Riccardi, Associated Press 6/26/14

Judge Paul J. Kelly, Jr. was in the minority in his opinion as the two other judges on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals panel found the U.S. Constitution protects the rights of gay couples to marry. Kelly has broken the string of 16 state and federal judges who sided with gay marriage advocates in cases across the country over the past year.

Kelly, 73, is a Republican and appointee of President George H.W. Bush . . . in his 21-page dissent, Kelly warned that his colleagues were overreaching in striking down Utah's voter-approved gay marriage ban.

Creating a national mandate for gay marriage, even in states where it is unpopular, "turns the notion of a limited national government on its head," he wrote, adding later: "We should resist the temptation to become philosopher-kings, imposing our views under the guise of constitutional interpretation of the 14th Amendment."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Utah plans to appeal appellate court's ruling on same-sex marriage to U.S. Supreme Court" by Marjorie Cortez, Deseret News National Edition 6/25/14

The Utah Attorney General's Office said it will appeal to the high court but did not rule out the possibility of first asking the full 10th Circuit court to review the case.

. . . the ruling also brought a defense of state rights. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Paul J. Kelly Jr. dissented from Judge Carlos Lucero and Judge Jerome Holmes in the ruling . . .

"If the states are laboratories of democracy, requiring every state to recognize same-gender unions — contrary to the views of its electorate and representatives — turns the notion of limited government on its head," [Judge Kelly] wrote. "Marriage is an important social institution commonly understood to protect this and future generations. That states sincerely differ about the best way to do this is inevitable."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE 7/18/14: "Appeals court strikes down Oklahoma gay marriage ban" by Richard Wolf, USA TODAY

[The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit] in Denver struck down a second state ban on same-sex marriage Friday, ruling that Oklahoma -- like Utah before it - cannot prohibit gays and lesbians from marrying.

As was the case with Utah's appeal, the panel split 2-1, with Judges Carlos Lucero and Jerome Holmes voting to strike down the ban and Judge Paul Kelly dissenting.

In his dissent, Kelly -- named to the bench by President George H.W. Bush -- said "any change in the definition of marriage rightly belongs to the people of Oklahoma, not a federal court. . . . At a time when vigorous public debate is defining policies concerning sexual orientation, this court has intervened with a view of marriage ostensibly driven by the Constitution," Kelly said. "Unfortunately, this approach short-circuits the healthy political processes leading to a rough consensus on matters of sexual autonomy, and marginalizes those of good faith who draw the line short of same-gender marriage."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

VP Biden Says 'Gay Rights' Trump Religious Beliefs

In a speech yesterday at the Naval Observatory, Vice President Joe Biden elevated the Gay Agenda, and thus the advancement of deviant sexual behavior, above all other aspects of a nation's culture and social tradition, by saying "I don't care what your culture is;" gay rights is "the civil rights issue of our day" and is the "defining mark of a civilized nation."
"LGBT rights are human rights and human rights are LGBT rights, so we will protect them, period.”
-- John Kerry, Secretary of State
UPDATE 10/5/15: Hillary Clinton Joins Biden Calling For More 'Gay Rights'

UPDATE 2/1/15: Mrs. Obama Thanks Hollywood for Gay Indoctrination

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

President Obama Raises Gay Agenda above Religious Liberty

ObamaNation: Building Alters of Worship to Sexual Deviancy

Lawless Obama Administration: States Should Violate Oath for 'Gay Marriage'

Obama Administration Orders Taxpayer-funded Elderly Sex Changes

UPDATE 11/20/14: Obama Top Homosexual Arrested for Anal Sex with Boy

UPDATE 9/2/14: President Obama Focuses Taxpayer Resources on Gay Agenda

And read how Christian Americans are being forced to participate in the celebration of deviant sexual behavior.

In addition, read Gay Agenda will be Complete when Christians are Muzzled, Say Homosexualists as well as Senator Ted Cruz Says the Gay Agenda Ends Christian Liberty

-- From "Biden: Gay Rights Take Precedence Over Culture" by Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press, 6/24/14

Biden told a gathering of U.S. and international gay rights advocates that President Barack Obama has directed that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender men and women around the world . . . [and] said that across U.S government agencies officials have been instructed to make the promotion of gay rights abroad a priority.

Where countries fail to move toward protections of LGBT people, he warned, "there is a price to pay for being inhumane." Among those at the evening reception were leading gay rights activists and the ambassadors from Britain, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland.

During his trip to Africa last year, Obama, while in Senegal, urged African leaders to extend equal rights to gays and lesbians. . . .

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Africans Reject Obama's Gay Agenda, to his Face

From "Biden: Gay rights is our 'civil rights issue'" by Justin Sink, The Hill 6/24/14

Biden said, he was encouraged by the advancement of gay rights in the U.S.

"The only reason that change is taking place is because more and more of you have the courage...to stand up and say 'I'm gay, I'm lesbian, I'm transgender,'" he said.

"Governments are responsible for protecting the rights of all citizens, and it is incumbent upon the state, and on each of us, to foster tolerance and to reverse the tide of discrimination," [national security adviser Susan Rice] said.

. . . the White House announced in recent weeks it was drafting an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation [ENDA]. The administration also said it would expand federal spousal benefits to couples which had gotten married in states that permitted gay marriage, but moved to states which did not.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Sen. Markey Wants to Establish Special LGBT Envoy at State Department" by Tatiana Lozano, CNSNews.com 6/23/14

A bill introduced June 12 by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), would establish a special envoy at the State Department to coordinate America’s “global response” on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues and allow LGBT individuals “who have a well-founded fear of persecution...to seek protection in the United States.”

The International Human Rights Defense Act of 2014 would reinforce the Obama administration’s already established foreign policy position on LGBT rights, including the public funding of overseas LGBT groups.

“Markey's bill would codify Obama's failed foreign policy approach,” Wendy Wright, vice president for government relations and communications at the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, told CNSNews.com.

“The U.S. should treat all people will dignity. Prioritizing LGBT rights in foreign policy has resulted in downplaying the horrific persecution of Christians, denying aid to innocent people, and jeopardizing the fight against terrorists,” she added.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read European Union High Court Rules Gay Agenda Trumps Christianity as well as Supreme Court Rules Bible as 'Hate Speech' in Canada

And read American Decline: Obama's Gay Agenda vs. Christians as well as America Going to Hell; Christians Lose Convictions

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Wisc. GOP Sen. Johnson: Moral Values a Non-issue

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin made clear that he will not let his claimed moral beliefs get in the way of the codification of deviant sexual behavior via "gay marriage," or stem the flowing river of blood killing America's future via abortion.  Johnson indicated that he has no intention of discouraging Americans from voting for such destruction of the nation, if that's what the people he represents want.
". . . social issues are going to primarily be decided in the states through democratic process … then I’ll certainly go with the judgment of the American people in terms of where they want to fall on, whether it’s abortion issues or gay marriage or whatever. Let the voters decide that."
-- Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican who appealed to Tea Party voters to get elected
For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

GOP Strategy: Dump Old Uneducated Christian Voters

GOP in Illinois Proclaims Biblical Beliefs Unacceptable

GOP Funds Pro-abortion Homosexual Candidates

GOP Has Failed the Nationwide Marriage Amendment Test

GOP Platform OKs Abortion & 'Gay Marriage' at Nevada Convention

. . . better watch out Republicans: Christian Tea Party Defeats GOP in Virginia: Dave Brat

UPDATE 6/27/14: GOP Maine Senator Favors 'Gay Marriage' to Get Elected

-- From "GOP senator won't oppose gay marriage if voters want it" by Catalina Camia, USA TODAY 6/23/14

Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican elected in 2010 with Tea Party support, says he won’t oppose gay marriage if that’s what the voters decide.

“I’m a pretty traditional guy, almost 60 years old,” the Wisconsin senator said during an interview on CNBC. “I think marriage is between a man and a woman. But again if the voters decide that they want gay marriage, I’m not going to oppose it.”

Johnson’s comments Monday on CNBC’s Squawk Box program came amid a broader discussion in which he emphasized that Republicans should stress economic and fiscal issues . . . [w]hen pressed about the “right mix” for Republicans on social issues vs. economic issues . . .

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ron Johnson: If voters want same-sex marriage, 'I’m not going to oppose it'" by Steven Elbow, The (progressive) Capital Times 6/23/14

Asked what Republicans need to do to win votes in national elections, Johnson said they need to focus on issues that everyone can agree on, particularly "getting a prosperous America."

“From my standpoint it’s really the fiscal issues, economic issues that overweigh all the other ones,” he said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "If Voters Want Gay Marriage, GOP Senator Ron Johnson Is 'Not Going To Oppose It'" by Sara Bondioli, The Huffington Post 6/24/14

Johnson's comments on gay marriage are in line with what he has said previously -- that gay marriage is an issue to be decided by a state's voters.

Johnson represents a state that elected the first openly gay senator, Tammy Baldwin, in 2012. The state's gay marriage ban was struck down earlier this month. However, the U.S. District Court judge who did so ordered a halt on same-sex marriages in the state while GOP Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen's appeal of the ruling is pending.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Gay Agenda will be Complete when Christians are Muzzled, Say Homosexualists as well as Senator Ted Cruz Says the Gay Agenda Ends Christian Liberty

And read American Decline: Obama's Gay Agenda vs. Christians as well as America Going to Hell; Christians Lose Convictions

Monday, June 23, 2014

Parent Reports Obscene School Event with Sex Toys

Teri Grimes, drama teacher at Bellingham (Washington) High School, chose to end her decades-long career with an awards ceremony that included F-word jokes about priests and a prize to the "horniest stud" consisting of a box of sex toys.

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

X-Rated Sex Ed for California 8th Grade; Parents Livid

Education Experts Say Use Porn in Teaching Sex Ed

New Hampshire School Teaches Porn, Complaining Dad Arrested

Secret Sex Training of 6th-Graders in Oregon

Sex in New Jersey Kindergarten, Nobody Blames Culture



-- From "Sex jokes shock mom at Bellingham school ceremony" by The Associated Press 6/4/14

A drama-club adviser at Bellingham High School has apologized for an end-of-year awards ceremony that included profanity, off-color jokes and a sex toy as an award.

In her apology, Teri Grimes took responsibility for inappropriate comments and actions and said it was not representative of the students.

Grimes is retiring this year after three decades as a teacher.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "School Awards Ceremony Featured Sex Toys, Swearing" posted at CBS News Seattle 6/4/14


An anonymous parent claims Grimes excessively used profanity during the ceremony and was handing out inappropriate awards.

Grimes also reportedly told a distasteful joke which contained a punchline insinuating a priest would be eager to have sexual intercourse with children. After hearing the joke, the parent and her 17-year-old daughter got up and left the auditorium.

Bellingham High School’s principal held a meeting with drama students and Grimes following the ceremony. A spokesperson says everybody involved expressed sincere apologies and regret.

Neither Grimes nor the students face any discipline at this time, though the incidents are still under investigation.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Washington high school teacher apologizes over awards ceremony jokes about priests abusing children, sex toy prizes" by David Harding, New York Daily News 6/5/14

"I sat there with my mouth open in shock and the final straw was when a joke was told on stage about a teacher, a lawyer and a priest on a plane," the unidentified parent wrote.

"The plane was going down and the teacher says we have to save the children. The attorney says 'F*** the children!' and the priest says 'OOOOH… Do we time for that???'"

She also claimed there was vulgar language used throughout.

"WE need to get the word out there that THIS is the kind of TRASH that is being taught in our schools. I am so shocked right now I am in tears," the upset parent said in her email.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Relax Parents, Sexting Simply How Kids Flirt Today

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Sexually Confused Chaplain at National Cathedral

Preaching at today's "worship service" at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. is an ordained Episcopal (ECUSA) priest who is touted as the first openly transgender priest to do so. The Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge, 40, who first partnered as a lesbian decades ago and then later, while claiming to be a man, married that same female partner (now raising two pre-pubescent sons), is currently the Episcopal chaplain at Boston University with the goal of influencing the development of young adults.
[College is] “an amazing time to explore one’s faith, one’s tradition, to explore how their intellectual life and their sense of vocation connect with their broader sense of who they are.”
-- Dr. Cameron Partridge, transgender priest, "father & husband," and former lesbian
For background, read President Obama's National Cathedral is the Seat of Apostasy and also read President Obama & Democrats Celebrate Deviant Sex Month of June as well as ObamaNation: Building Alters of Worship to Sexual Deviancy

In addition, read Transgenderism is a 'Delusion' According to Victim

-- From "Transgender Priest to Preach at National Cathedral" by The Associated Press 6/21/14

[As Dr. Partridge preaches,] The Right Rev. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, will preside at the service. It’s part of the cathedral’s celebration of LGBT pride month.

The service will also include readings and prayers from members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

The Very Ref. Gary Hall, dean of the cathedral, says he hopes Partridge’s appearance “will send a symbolic message in support of greater equality for the transgender community.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Rev. Cameron Partridge Will Be First Openly Transgender Priest To Preach at Washington National Cathedral" by Yasmine Hafiz, The Huffington Post 6/6/14

Partridge was in the process of being ordained as a priest when he[she] told his[her] bishop, The Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, that he[she] was transitioning from female to male in 2001. Shaw supported his[her] decision and has gone on to become a dedicated advocate for trans issues within the diocese of Massachusetts. . . .

Washington National Cathedral is one of the most high-profile Christian advocates for LGBT equality. In 2013, [Gary] Hall announced a policy of blessing same-sex marriages, and held a service to celebrate the Supreme Court's rejection of the Defense of Marriage Act.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "National Cathedral to Offer Pulpit to Openly Transgender Priest for First Time Sunday" by Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor 6/22/14

The Episcopal Church voted to allow the ordination of transgender people in September 2012.

Most evangelical Christians believe gender identity is determined by God.

"Is my sex determined by my decision in my mind, or by God's design in my nature?" theologian John Piper asked in a post on the DesiringGod blog.

"Whom we should worship is not left to our preferences, and who we are sexually is not left to our preferences. Both are dictated by God's revelation in nature," Piper said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "New Episcopal Chaplain a Role Model" by Rich Barlow, Boston University Today 11/18/11

In clerical black and collar, there is no physical hint that the bearded and bespectacled chaplain was once female. . . .

As he takes over the University’s part-time Episcopalian chaplaincy, Partridge, who lives outside Boston with his wife and their toddler son, says he wants to minister with the empathy that has sometimes been denied him since he completed his transition to a man in 2001. His father, for example, no longer speaks to him. “It’s not my choice,” he says. (Most family and friends accepted him after long conversations.)

Pondering a gender change began with his doctoral studies at Harvard Divinity School in the ’90s. “I was out as gay at that point,” he recalls. . . . With the change, “I felt like I was able to kind of reclaim the body that God had given me.”

[Student] Sean Glenn (STH’13) first encountered Partridge at evening prayer early in the fall semester . . . Glenn says Partridge introduced him to “queer readings of scripture,” which interpret biblical passages according to gay believers’ experience.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Five questions for transgender chaplain Cameron Partridge" by Lauren Markoe, Religion News Service 7/19/13

While a student at all-female Bryn Mawr College in 1995, Partridge came out as gay and embraced a call to the priesthood. Partridge then graduated from Harvard Divinity School, transitioned from female to male, was ordained an Episcopal priest, got married and completed his doctorate. Today, he’s a religion scholar at Harvard Divinity School and an Episcopal chaplain at Boston University.

Q: As a young woman attending Bryn Mawr, you came out as a lesbian, but also, in a way, as a religious person. How so?

A: When I got to college I’d been quietly wrestling with my sense of vocation for a few years. I felt drawn to academic work — ultimately in gender, sexuality and religion — but I also sensed a call to the priesthood.

Q: You’re married to a woman who was your partner when you both were women. And now, as a married straight couple, you’re a pretty conventional-looking family. But you don’t really like the designation “straight couple.”

A: On the one hand, I am read as a member of a heterosexual couple . . . Here’s the bottom line — perhaps cliche but true: This is about love. I love my spouse and my children. I love being a husband and a dad.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Gay Agenda will be Complete when Christians are Muzzled, Say Homosexualists as well as Senator Ted Cruz Says the Gay Agenda Ends Christian Liberty

And read American Decline: Obama's Gay Agenda vs. Christians as well as America Going to Hell; Christians Lose Convictions

Saturday, June 21, 2014

S.C. School Board Rejected Jesus, now Reconsiders

Last year, the Pickens County (South Carolina) Board of Trustees voted to bar students from praying at school board meetings in response to atheists' threats of lawsuits from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, but after the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing prayer in Jesus' name at local government meetings, the Board is now deciding how to reinstate the Christian prayers demanded by its citizens.
“For us to have a prayer, according to our faith, or for us to have a legitimate prayer, it would have to be in Jesus' name.”
-- Pastor Jimmy Burrell, Gilead Baptist Church
For background, read South Carolina School Bans Jesus from Prayers after Atheists Threaten and also read Atheists Fret Supreme Court Ruling Favoring Prayers in Christian America

And read Prayer Never Stopped at Florence, SC School Board Meetings

In addition, read Democrats Want School Prayer Law in South Carolina



-- From "School board pushes for prayer after high court ruling" by Liz Lohuis, WYFF-TV4 (Greenville, SC) 6/20/14

An Upstate school district is one step closer to changing its prayer policy for the second time in less than 18 months and it all started with a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Board members met with their attorney and area pastors to discuss making some changes.

Chairman Alex Saitta said threats of a lawsuit last year pressured the board to move away from its traditional student-led prayers.

Under the most recent policy, board members deliver non-sectarian prayers before meetings.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Prayer policy revisited by Pickens Co. School Board" by Casey Vaughn, WHNS-TV21 (Greenville, SC) 6/20/14

Many want a change to the type of prayers held before Pickens County School Board meetings and they spoke about it Thursday.

Ministers, school board members and concerned citizens spoke about the type of prayer spoken, saying the current non-religious prayer is not enough. The board changed its prayer policy to only allow non-sectarian prayers before meetings in 2013.

"But this gave us the opportunity with the Supreme Court ruling where you can actually invite a clergy in random from the community, give a prayer any way he feels is conscious," said Alex Saitta, Chairman of Pickens County School Board. "Any school board or town council or legislature that actually went to a moment of silence or to no prayer at all, I think they made a mistake."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Pickens school board debates changes to prayer policy" by Sarah Freishtat, Anderson (South Carolina) Independent Mail 6/19/14

The Supreme Court ruling allows clergy to deliver religious prayers that reflect upon shared ideals, attorney William "Bick" Halligan told board members. According to the ruling, the prayers cannot denigrate other religions or proselytize, and are meant for the benefit of the board, not students or parents, Halligan said. The opportunity to deliver a prayer must be open to established clergy of any religion.

The policy committee planned to have another meeting before recommending changes to the prayer policy to the full board. The committee also decided to ask South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson for a legal opinion on the process to select the clergy.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Pickens School Board weighs prayer changes" by Amy Clarke Burns, The Greenville News 6/19/14

“Is God welcome in Pickens County?” asked Jimmy Burrell, pastor of Gilead Baptist Church in Pickens.

He was one of three area pastors who spoke to the board’s policy committee Thursday night in a preliminary meeting to consider whether to change the board’s prayer policy.

“I believe a prayer that’s prayed or offered should be reflective of the people that are being represented,” he said. “It really felt like we were being alienated because of our faith.”

Board chair Alex Saitta said he personally agrees with the pastors but is adamant about crafting a policy that will stand up to potential legal challenges.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read FDR's D-Day Prayer is Un-American, Say Atheists

And read of the myriad atheist lawsuits against Christians and prayer nationwide.

However, in response, read of countless examples of citizens banding together to defy the atheists and pray in school and other local government bodies, and also read the long list of states enacting laws to bring prayer back to schools.

Friday, June 20, 2014

'Gay Marriage' is Christian in Presbyterian PCUSA

By a 3-to-1 margin, leaders of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. now believe that their clergy should sanction what God Almighty has declared, for eternity past and future, an abomination in His eyes.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. . . . It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.
James 3:1 & Luke 17:2 (ESV)
For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

New York Methodist Bishop Allows Same-sex Marriages

Liberal 'Church' Sues North Carolina to Overturn God's Decree

Liberal 'Churches' Conforming to Decadent Culture

President Obama's National Cathedral is the Seat of Apostasy

-- From "Presbyterian Assembly: Gay Marriage Is Christian" by Jeff Karoub and Rachel Zoll, Associated Press 6/19/14

The amendment [that marriage can be the union of "two people," not just "a man and a woman"] approved Thursday by the Presbyterian General Assembly requires approval from a majority of the 172 regional presbyteries, which will vote on the change over the next year. But in a separate policy change that takes effect at the end of this week's meeting, delegates voted to allow ministers to preside at gay weddings in states where the unions are legal and local congregational leaders approve. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex marriage.

The votes, during a national meeting in Detroit, were a sweeping victory for Presbyterian gay-rights advocates. The denomination in 2011 eliminated barriers to ordaining clergy with same-sex partners, but ministers were still barred from celebrating gay marriages and risked church penalties for doing so. Alex McNeill, executive director of More Light Presbyterians, a gay advocacy group, said the amendment was "an answer to many prayers."

But Bill Norton, of the Presbytery de Cristo, which covers parts of Arizona and New Mexico, urged the assembly to delay any changes. "We are laying hands on something that is holy, that God has given us, so we need to be sure any changes we make are in accord with God's will revealed in Scripture," Norton said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Presbyterians vote to allow gay marriage by whopping 3-1 ratio" by Lauren Markoe, Religion News Service - Washington Post 6/19/14

The Presbyterian Lay Committee, which opposes gay marriage, urged congregations to launch a financial boycott out of protest.

“The Presbyterian Lay Committee mourns these actions and calls on all Presbyterians to resist and protest them,” the group said in a statement. “ . You should refuse to fund the General Assembly, your synod, your presbytery and even your local church if those bodies have not explicitly and publicly repudiated these unbiblical actions.”

“God will not be mocked,” the statement continued, “and those who substitute their own felt desires for God’s unchangeable Truth will not be found guiltless before a holy God.”

. . . the General Assembly’s vote stands out as a church adapting its policy to fit a rapidly shifting culture even as most other Christian denominations have resisted.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Presbyterians Vote to Allow Same-Sex Marriages" by Laurie Goodstein, New York Times 6/19/14

The Presbyterian Church, a historic mainline Protestant denomination that spans a broad spectrum from liberal to conservative evangelicals, has been mired in the debate over homosexuality for about three decades. The General Assembly’s decision in 2010 to ordain openly gay ministers caused many congregations, including some of the largest, to depart.

About 350 of the denomination’s congregations have left since 2010, when the General Assembly voted to ordain openly gay clergy members, said the Rev. Gradye Parsons, the church’s stated clerk, in an interview. But it is still the nation’s largest Presbyterian denomination, with 10,038 churches in 2013 and about 1.8 million members.

Heath Rada, the newly elected moderator of the church, said at a news conference that he thought the measures passed because many Presbyterians were simply tired of having themselves and their church defined by the controversy over homosexuality.

The Presbyterians follow other religious groups that have taken similar steps, including the United Church of Christ, which affirmed “equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender” in 2005; Quakers; the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations; and the Reform and Conservative movements in Judaism.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Presbyterian Church USA votes to allow gay marriage ceremonies" by Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press Staff Writer 6/19/14

Presbyterians number about 1.8 million but have an influence beyond their numbers. Eight U.S. presidents, including Ronald Reagan and Dwight Eisenhower, were Presbyterians, the second-most-popular denomination among presidents.

. . . conservatives are concerned the move could divide the church and lead to further membership declines. Since 1992, Presbyterian Church USA has lost more than a million members, declining 37% from 2.78 million to 1.76 million last year. Some conservative congregations have broken away, and more could leave after Thursday’s vote.

A Presbyterian man from Pennsylvania said people who are backing gay marriage are acting as “agents of the state,” not as “ambassadors of Christ.”

LGBT advocates said they were amazed by the high percentage who voted for both proposals. Two years ago, at the last Presbyterian gathering in Pittsburgh, a proposal to allow same-sex marriage was defeated 52%-48%. Since then, the cultural landscape has changed, with 19 states now allowing same-gender marriage.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

Presbyterians Delete God's Character from Hymnal

United Church of Christ Eliminates 'Heavenly Father'

UCC Supervisor Bans Jesus & Bible from VA Chaplains

Drop Morals for Catholic School Teachers, Say Parents

Notre Dame Rejects Students for Natural Marriage

Church is About Friendships, NOT God: Study

Methodists Team Up with Atheists for Bible Study

Liberal Clergy to Obama: U.S. Must Pay for Abortions

CBS News Gives Voice to Atheists, Heretics, & Apostates

Also read Gay Agenda will be Complete when Christians are Muzzled, Say Homosexualists as well as Senator Ted Cruz Says the Gay Agenda Ends Christian Liberty

And read American Decline: Obama's Gay Agenda vs. Christians as well as America Going to Hell; Christians Lose Convictions

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Married Birthing Nearly Extinct: Non-college Grads

A latest John Hopkins University study found that less-educated adults, who are almost 30 years old, do not wait until marriage to have kids. Researchers said that it is now an "unusual" trend for non-college graduates to have all their children within marriage.

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

44% of 'Middle America' Births are Out of Wedlock

More Women Shack Up & Give Birth; Marriage Rare

Young Adults Rarely Marry, Seniors Divorce Often

Fewer Get Married, but Stay Married: Census

Demise of Family Counters Upward Mobility: Harvard Study

Violence & Poverty due to Absence of Intact Family

ObamaNation: Perpetual Poor Barred from Marriage

UPDATE 7/29/14: Marriage Rates Low Among Millennial Generation

UPDATE 12/3/14: Divorce Rates Drop, as well as Marriage Rates

-- From "Non-College Graduates Do Not Wait Until Marriage to Have Children, Study" by Stephen Adkins, UniversityHerald Reporter 6/17/14

"Clearly the role of marriage in fertility and family formation is now modest in early adulthood and the lofty place that marriage once held among the markers of adulthood is in serious question," sociologist Andrew J. Cherlin said in a press release.

The researchers found that 81 percent of births reported by women and 87 percent of births reported by men had occurred to non-college graduates. Overall, 57 percent of births had occurred outside wedlock for both men and women. Plus, 64 percent of women and 63 percent of men had at least one child outside of marriage. It was 74 percent among women and 70 percent among men without 4-year college degrees.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "More Millennial Mothers Are Single Than Married" by Belinda Luscombe, Time Magazine 6/17/14

Motherhood is beginning to show the fissures along income and education lines that have already appeared in other aspects of U.S. society, with a small cluster of wealthy well educated people at one end (married with kids), a large cluster of struggling people at the other (kids, not married) and a thinning middle. While many children raised by single parents are fine, the advantages of a two parent family have been quite exhaustively documented. Some of these advantages can be tied to financial resources, but not all.

Among people with kids between the ages of 26 to 31 who didn’t graduate from college, 74% of the moms and 70% of the dads had at least one of those kids while single, Cherlin found.

The study points out that unmarried couples have a high break up rate in the first few stressful years after the birth of a child and that this often leads to what’s called “multi-partner fertility” in the academy and “a lot of different baby mamas” in the rest of the world. This kind of family instability, with step-siblings and half siblings and a lot of fleeting parental figures can be tough on both finances and on kids and leads to the calcification of social inequality “The sharp differentiation by education in the transition to adulthood,” says the study, “is another indicator that American society is moving toward two different patterns of family formation and two diverging destinies for children.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "The Luxury of Waiting for Marriage to Have Kids" by Olga Khazan, The Atlantic 6/17/14


. . . the cornerstone theory of marriage no longer applies. Culturally, young adults of all social classes and income levels are less likely to think of marriage as the “cornerstone” of their lives—that is, the first thing they do as adults.

. . . marriage is increasingly something only educated people do. . . . College-educated people are increasingly only marrying other college-educated people, and they’re more likely to get married overall. One reason less-educated women are having children out of wedlock is that college-educated men are not interested in marrying them.

Unlike in Western Europe, where couples cohabit for years and sometimes decades, often with kids, less-educated Americans tend to rotate in and out of cohabiting relationships as the years wear on. They have children with multiple different partners, creating complex webs of child obligations, step-parents, and half-siblings.

For the study, researchers examined the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which interviewed 9,000 young people born between 1981 and 1998 annually from 1997 to 2011.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/06/why-poor-women-dont-wait-for-marriage-to-give-birth/372890/


From "Most Millennial moms who skip college also skip marriage, data shows" by Jill Rosen, John Hopkins University 6/16/14

The study is detailed in "Changing Fertility Regimes and the Transition to Adulthood: Evidence from a Recent Cohort," a paper by Cherlin, Elizabeth Talbert, and Suzumi Yasutake recently presented to the Population Association of America.

Of mothers with four or more years of college, 32 percent had at least one baby while unmarried. Of mothers with one to three years of college, 67 percent had at least one baby while unmarried. Of mothers with a high school diploma, 71 percent had at least one baby while unmarried. Lastly, among mothers with no high school diploma, 87 percent had at least one baby while unmarried.

Only 36 percent of the mothers had all of their babies while married —that's 46 percent of whites, 10 percent of blacks and 28 percent of Hispanics. Those numbers are roughly the same for men.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Millennials in Adulthood" posted at Pew Research 3/7/14


The median age at first marriage is now the highest in modern history—29 for men and 27 for women. In contrast to the patterns of the past, when adults in all socio-economic groups married at roughly the same rate, marriage today is more prevalent among those with higher incomes and more education.

Perhaps because of their slow journey to marriage, Millennials lead all generations in the share of out-of-wedlock births. In 2012, 47% of births to women in the Millennial generation were non-marital, compared with 21% among older women. Some of this gap reflects a lifecycle effect—older women have always been less likely to give birth outside of marriage. But the gap is also driven by a shift in behaviors in recent decades. In 1996, when Gen Xers were about the same age that Millennials were in 2012, just 35% of births to that generation’s mothers were outside of marriage (compared with 15% among older women in 1996).12

Millennials join their elders in disapproving of this trend. About six-in-ten adults in all four generations say that more children being raised by a single parent is bad for society; this is the most negative evaluation by the public of any of the changes in family structure tested in the Pew Research survey.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Utopian Dream Shattered by Reality of Birth Rate as well as American Trend: Fewer Children, More Animals/Pets