Obama Ignores Law for Religious Freedom Ambassador

In 1998, Congress passed the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) to highlight and alleviate religious persecution worldwide, but since Barack Obama was elected president, the position of IRFA ambassador-at-large has been vacant for a cumulative three years despite Obama's repeated promises to fill the post.

“A continued vacancy will confirm the suspicion that already exists among foreign governments, persecutors, victims and American diplomats that the issue is not a priority.”
-- Thomas Farr, professor of religion and international affairs at Georgetown University

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

President Obama Claims Religious Liberty Around the World is his Priority

President Obama Prioritizes 'Gay Rights' NOT International Religious Freedom

President Obama Ignores Christian Genocide by Islamists, Focuses on Gay Agenda

Vice President Biden Says 'Gay Rights' Trump Religious Beliefs

Al Qaeda Proclaims War on Cross & U.S., Obama Silent

In addition, read Christians, Extinct in Middle East, as Islam Wins

-- From "Religious Freedom Is a Tenet of Foreign Policy, Obama Says" by Peter Baker, New York Times 2/6/14

Mr. Obama’s attention to religious freedom issues has sometimes been criticized. He did not nominate someone to fill the congressionally authorized position of ambassador at large for international religious freedom until the summer of his second year in office and his eventual nominee, Suzan Johnson Cook, was not confirmed until April 2011.

She stepped down in October and has yet to be replaced. Mr. Obama had no nominee to announce by Thursday’s [prayer] breakfast and so was left to promise vaguely that he looks forward to nominating a replacement, offering no timetable.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Wanted: a new ambassador-at-large for religious freedom" by Lauren Markoe, Religion News Service — Washington Post 1/15/14

. . . wondering how long it’s going to take the White House to name a new ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

Many in the field hope it’s someone with more diplomatic background than Johnson Cook, a former Clinton administration official and popular Baptist minister whose international experience was mostly acquired on the job.

The ambassador-at-large position does not report directly to Secretary of State John Kerry, as do other ambassadors-at-large, further evidence to those who argue that the State Department needs to take the plight of the religiously oppressed more seriously.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Despite His February Promise, Obama Still Hasn’t Filled Religious Freedom Post" by Patrick Goodenough, CNSNews.com 7/9/14

Obama told the National Prayer Breakfast gathering last February, “I look forward to nominating our next ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom to help lead these efforts” to promote religious freedom around the world.

Over the ensuing period State Department spokeswomen have periodically agreed that the ambassador position is an important one, while saying that other officials from Secretary of State John Kerry down regularly bring up religious freedom issues in their interaction with foreign governments.

“You know how strongly we feel about having someone in that position,” department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Monday, as she confirmed that she had nothing to report on a nomination.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Rep. Wolf: Int’l Religious Freedom Commission Gives ‘Unvarnished Truth’ About Allies, Foes" by Patrick Goodenough, CNSNews.com 7/9/14

At a time when religious persecution is on the rise across the globe, the U.S. House voted Tuesday to reauthorize a statutory religious freedom watchdog. . . .

Pakistan arguably has been the biggest beneficiary of the State Department’s reluctance to impose penalties on a country viewed as an important counter-terrorism partner. Citing notorious blasphemy laws and other abuses, the USCIRF [U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom] has called for Pakistan to be designated a “country of particular concern” (CPC) every year since 2002, and the State Department has overruled the recommendation each time.

Under the IRFA the administration may impose sanctions or take other measures against CPCs, designed to generate improved behavior from governments which either themselves violate citizens’ religious freedom, or permit other parties to do so.

Even when the administration has followed a USCIRF recommendation on CPC designation, it has at times chosen to waive sanctions, favoring dialogue instead. The clearest case of this has been Saudi Arabia, which has been blacklisted since 2004 but which neither the Bush nor Obama administration has sanctioned as a result.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read President Obama Provokes Second 'In God We Trust' Movement as well as ObamaNation: Alters of Worship to Sexual Deviancy

Obama Provokes Second 'In God We Trust' Movement

Just like in the 1950s as communism threatened the land of the free and the home of the brave (as well as the entire world) when Americans gloriously displayed their defiance to the atheistic totalitarians by declaring "In God We Trust," Americans now again see the need to show their contrast to a tyrannical, socialist White House.

For background, read President Obama's typical messages for Easter and for Thanksgiving, and compare those to his Ramadan speech, where President Obama Praises Islam for Making America What It Is

And read how President Obama Strips God from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and how the Lawless Obama Administration Tells States to Violate Oath in favor of 'Gay Marriage'

Also read how Barack Obama, Commander in Chief, wields power over the military.

-- From "Mississippi officially adds 'In God We Trust' to state seal" by Renee Johnson, WLOX-TV13 (Biloxi, MS) 7/1/14

Remember that other part of Senate Bill 2681? Not the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act that made national headlines, but the part of the bill that added "In God We Trust" to the state seal. That also took effect Tuesday, and Governor Phil Bryant is showing off the new design.

"In my State of the State Address, I called on the Legislature to add the simple yet profound words 'In God We Trust' to Mississippi's state seal. These words should strengthen our resolve and give us the courage to stand for our principles in our state. I am very proud to see them added to our seal," Bryant said Tuesday.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Mobile County commission votes to allow display of 'In God We Trust'" by Steve Alexander, WALA-TV10 (Mobile, AL) 6/19/14

Commissioner Merceria Ludgood said, “I cannot in good conscience support an action by this county commission that, I believe, at best, is a hollow gesture and, at worst divisive.”

Commissioner Jerry Carl said, “I personally support it and support it to the max. Whether it it is a political move or not, it really doesn’t make a difference to me at this point.”

Commission President Connie Hudson said, “I think its splitting hairs, at this point, to deny putting the national motto on a wall in this building.”

Pete Riehm of Mobile said, “The County of Mobile proudly does begin its sessions with prayer, and I didn’t notice anybody being uncomfortable. It also has a pledge that we’ve been saying for a long time that acknowledges a cardinal truth that this nation is based on, that this is, ‘One Nation Under God.’ “

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Mobile County Commission votes to display 'In God We Trust' in Government Plaza" by Cassie Fambro, The Birmingham News 6/20/14

Nine people signed in to speak before the commissioners with eight of them against the public display of the words "In God We Trust" on a plaque in Government Plaza and one supporting it.

The issue went far beyond the four words proposed, according to many who spoke. The crux of the problem is that the phrase signifies the Christian God, several said, and Commissioner Jerry Carl disagreed.

"Mobile has been blessed," said Riehm. "Ben Franklin said 'look how God has delivered us," he used as an example. He cited Franklin's quote that "God governs in the affairs of men" as historical precedent for the word God.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "‘In God We Trust’ Causes County Stir" posted at The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA) 7/1/14

A spirited discussion embroiled the Whitman County (Colfax) Commissioners on Monday about whether to display the national motto, “In God We Trust,” in their chambers at the courthouse. Earlier this month, the commissioners received a request to do so by In God We Trust-America, a volunteer organization in California that encourages elected officials to approve such displays.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Council votes to display 'In God We Trust' in chambers" by Liz Lohuis, WYFF-TV4 (Greenville, SC) 7/3/14

“I think it reinforces our sense of who we are and where we can from as citizens,” said Councilman Butch Kirven.

“I trust in God and I think every member of council will say the same thing.  I just don't know if it's absolutely necessary to invite a lawsuit,” said [Councilman Joe] Baldwin.

News 4 spoke with the woman who is encouraging the plaques.  She is a council woman in Bakersfield, California, and the founder of the In God We Trust organization.

She said if anyone sues, she will put council in touch with an attorney who will defend their case for free.

As of Wednesday, more than 370 local governments in 15 states voted to display the motto, including Anderson County Council.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Greenville joins ‘In God We Trust’ movement" by Rudolph Bell, The Greenville News 7/2/14

County Councilman Fred Payne said he proposed the idea after getting an email newsletter from In God We Trust America, a nonprofit organization that encourages local governments to display the motto.

In God We Trust America was launched more than a decade ago by Jacquie Sullivan, a longtime member of City Council in Bakersfield, Calif.

“It’s completely, solidly legal,” Sullivan said.

Greenville County Attorney Mark Tollison, asked if he’d reviewed the legality of displaying the motto, pointed to a legal opinion from former South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon.

He cited three federal appeals court rulings that upheld use of the motto against Establishment Clause challenges.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Public schools might be given option to display 'In God We Trust'" by Eric Morris, Herald Standard 6/24/14

The state House of Representatives voted [172 to 24] on June 2 to pass a bill [the National Motto Display Act] that would allow public schools to display the motto — as well as the Bill of Rights — in classrooms and other areas of the buildings.

Brownsville Area School Board President R.W. “Rocky” Brashear said he is in favor of the bill and that the board would likely consider implementing the motto in its schools if the bill is passed into law.

State Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, said she voted in favor of the bill because it allows school districts the power to decide if they want to display the motto.

The Rev. Ewing Marietta of Liberty Baptist Church in North Union Township and member of Thou Shalt Not Move grassroots religious advocacy movement said the motto should be displayed for its historical significance.

Marietta cites historical figures such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt as American leaders who cited God in their public speeches.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "The Star-Spangled Banner" (the national anthem of the United States of America) fourth verse, 1814

O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation.
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!



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

And read Atheists Fret Supreme Court Ruling Favoring Prayers in Christian America

Obama's MSNBC: Kids Belong to State, NOT Parents

The unapologetically forward-[left]-leaning cable channel MSNBC, whose reports resemble that of White House spokespersons, presented a 30-second totalitarian public-service announcement explaining that America must stop believing that parents are responsible to raise children -- that's the purpose of government and its school system.

UPDATE 5/16/15: Public Boarding Schools Proposed by Obama Administration

For background, read Massachusetts Strives to Replace Mom with Government and also read Violence & Poverty due to Absence of Intact Family as well as Marriage Essential for Children: Studies



-- From "'Unflippingbelievable': Palin hits MSNBC" by Dylan Byers, Politico 4/8/13

MSNBC's latest "Lean Forward" ad has earned the ire of one Sarah Palin, who says the spot promotes the idea that kids don't belong to their parents.

The ad features host Melissa Harris-Perry making an argument for greater investment in public education. Harris-Perry says Americans have "never invested as much in public education as we should have because we've always had a private notion of children: 'your kid is yours and your responsibility.'"

"We haven't had a very collective notion of, 'these are our children,'" Harris-Perry said. "So part of it is we have to break through our private idea that kids belong to their parents or kids belong to their families, and recognize that kids belong to whole communities. Once it's everybody's responsibility, and not just the households, then we start making better investments."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Glenn Beck Blasts MSNBC Promo for Attacking Family Values" By Myles Collier, Christian Post Contributor 4/8/13

The 30-second spot was such an assault on personal liberty that Beck spent nearly an hour of his radio show on Monday to discussing the MSNBC promo. He also continually insisted that the message put forth with the add is not what America is about.

"It's almost a parody of reality," Beck said of the MSNBC promo. "It is so far beyond what we have ever thought as a nation, it's remarkable … this is exactly what we warned about. This is the fulfillment of so many things that we have said on this program."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "MSNBC-Melissa Harris-Perry says 'kids belong to whole communities'" by Mike Shortridge, Washington Times 4/7/13

This is not the first time that Harris-Perry has offered her opinion on the value of children, referring to the fertilized egg or, zygote, as “a thing” after dramatically breaking apart a plastic model of a woman’s reproductive system.

Choosing to air what should be the story line for a horror movie, or perhaps a documentary about Hitler, Stalin or Mao Zedong, MSNBC is apparently offering their tactile approval of the “Lean Forward” spot.

. . . The claim of Ms. Harris-Perry that “kids do not belong to their parents, kids belong to whole communities”, should infuriate every American.

These are the people that are teaching our children.

To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.

From "MSNBC: Kids Don't Belong to Their Parents" by Rich Lowry, National Review Editor 4/9/13

[Harris-Perry's] statement wasn’t an aside on live TV. The spot was shot, produced and aired without, apparently, raising any alarm bells. No one raised his or her hand and said, “Should we really broadcast something that sounds so outlandish?”

. . . As the ultimate private institution, the family is a stubborn obstacle to the great collective effort. Insofar as people invest in their own families, they’re holding out on the state and unacceptably privileging their own kids over the children of others. These parents are selfish, small-minded and backward.

. . . The truth is that parents are one of society’s most incorrigible sources of inequality. If you have two of them who stay married and are invested in your upbringing, you’ve hit life’s lottery. You’ll reap untold benefits denied to children who aren’t so lucky. That the family is so essential to the well-being of children has to be a constant source of frustration to the egalitarian statist, a reminder of the limits of his power.

To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Bar Obama from Ceding Parental Rights to U.N.

AGENDA: Grinding America Down (full movie on YouTube):


AGENDA: Grinding America Down (Full Movie) FREE to watch for a limited time (click here)! from Copybook Heading Productions LLC on Vimeo.

Bishops Hammer ObamaNation, Even with Hitler, Stalin

Peoria, Illinois Bishop Daniel Jenky compared President Obama's war on Christianity to the totalitarian regimes of Nazis and Communists, saying in his homily, that similar to the Obama administration, they "tried to force Christians to huddle and hide only within the confines of their churches." While at the 8th Annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, a call went out saying that church members should never give in to the “heavy hand of government” or “those who hate” Catholics.

"Never in the lifetime of any of us here present has the religious liberty of the American people been as threatened as it is today."
-- Carl Anderson, chairman of Knights of Columbus

For background, read Bishops Throw Down Gauntlet: Obama War on Christianity and also read The Pope, and Obama's War on Christianity as well as Obama Feeds Catholics 'A Bunch of Bull'

-- From "Peoria bishop: Hitler remark was 'historical context'" by The Associated Press 4/19/12

"Hitler and Stalin, at their better moments, would just barely tolerate some churches remaining open, but would not tolerate any competition with the state in education, social services and health care," the (Peoria) Journal Star and Chicago Tribune quoted Jenky as saying during the homily. "In clear violation of our First Amendment rights, Barack Obama — with his radical, pro-abortion and extreme secularist agenda — now seems intent on following a similar path."

Diocese Chancellor Patricia Gibson told local media that Jenky "offered historical context and comparisons as a means to prevent a repetition of historical attacks upon the Catholic Church and other religions."

"We have currently not reached the same level of persecution," Gibson said. "But Bishop Jenky would say that history teaches us to be cautious. ... (He) is concerned that our government is truly treading on one of our most dear freedoms, which is religious freedom."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Catholic leader says Obama pushes 'evil acts'" by Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner 4/19/12

At the 8th Annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Carl Anderson, CEO and Chairman of the 1.8 million-member Knights of Columbus compared Obama to British royalty who beheaded martyr St. Thomas More in 1535 for his supporting the pope over the king.

. . . he warned that the administration’s goal is to change religion. “A government willing to affect the faith and mission of the church is a government willing to change the identity of the church,” he warned. “We see a new government intolerance of religion,” he added, referencing the health insurance mandate.

Concluding, Anderson said, “What kind of Catholics to they think we are? Do they really expect us to go gently into that dark night they are preparing for religious liberty in America? Do they not know that people who believe in ‘one holy catholic and apostolic church’ can never agree to compromising our Church by entangling it in intrinsically evil acts? Do they not see that faithful Catholics will never accept cynical political strategies of ‘divide and conquer’ to separate us from our bishops?”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Prayer Breakfast: Obama Admin. at War with Religion" by Paul Strand, CBN News Washington Sr. Correspondent 4/20/12

[Carl Anderson said] the Obama administration realizes it's at war with pro-life forces, even if pro-lifers don't want to face it.

"Last year, the secretary of Health and Human Services told a NARAL luncheon, 'We are in a war,'" Anderson said.

He added that the administration is trying to force believers to tolerate what they once wouldn't.

"When you have a government that's willing to do that, you have a government that's willing to manipulate and change the identity of churches," he warned.  "And that's exactly what the First Amendment was designed to prevent."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

And also read Bishops Say Obama Destroying Societal Norm

Obama 'In Bed' with Homosexuals for 2012

Eyeing low public approval ratings, the Obama campaign has opted to discard the presidential oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution" with regard to the Defense of Marriage Act, in favor of cash from the homosexualists.

Read previous article Same-sex 'Marriage' Via Purchasing of Politicians (How does a minority view representing about 3% of the population gain control in Congress? Follow the money . . . of Tim Gill.)

UPDATE 3/14/11: Homosexualists press Obama for more

-- From "DOMA move helps President Obama with gays" by Josh Gerstein, Politico 3/1/11

President Barack Obama’s decision to stop fighting lawsuits challenging the Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA] has dramatically warmed his relationship with gay and lesbian activists — clearing the way for the president and Democrats to fundraise aggressively in the gay community in the crucial lead-up to his 2012 reelection bid.

“The mood has gotten a lot better,” said DNC Treasurer Andrew Tobias, who is gay and has long been a key leader for the party in the LGBT community. “More and more, people are recognizing that we’ve made some very real gains and have a president and a party eager to make some more very real gains.”

The praise is a sharp contrast from the complaints and protests from the gay community that marked much of Obama’s first two years in office. Frustrated activists grew restless over snail’s-pace progress on agenda items like the repeal of the military’s ban on gays in uniform, and they watched with alarm as the Justice Department tried to justify keeping benefits from same-sex couples — a key effect of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Some gay Democratic donors organized boycotts. Others picketed fundraisers Obama headlined, and even heckled him at public events.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "In Defense of the Defense of Marriage Act" by David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey, Wall Street Journal 3/2/11

Marriage is unlike any other governmental benefit. License to marry carries with it far more than mere permission, as in obtaining a license to drive or practice a profession. The reason that gay-rights supporters are so determined to achieve equal status for same-sex unions, and the reason that so many others vigorously oppose that recognition, is that marriage is an affirmative statement of societal approval.

DOMA recognizes and protects the unique constitutional role of the states in deciding these issues. It is through the democratic process within the states that a genuine and lasting resolution to the question of same-sex marriage can and should be found.

Inviting a comprehensive judicial resolution of the issues surrounding same-sex marriage, which is what the administration has done by announcing that it will no longer defend the law, is the worst of all possible solutions. There is a political process taking place that has secured, and doubtless will continue to secure, the ability of same-sex couples to marry in many states. Shutting down that process through a judicial ruling will end all possibility of compromise. And like Roe v. Wade's effort to finally "solve" the abortion debate, it will divide our society on this issue for decades to come.

President Obama took an oath to uphold the Constitution, and one aspect of that responsibility is to defend the laws Congress enacts against constitutional attack if there is any reasonable defense to be made. There is such a defense to be made for DOMA.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Newt Gingrich: Obama Could Be Impeached Over Gay Marriage Reversal" by Paul Bedard, U.S.News & World Report 2/25/11

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich [said] . . . that if President Obama doesn't change his mind and order his Justice Department to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act, Republicans in Congress should strike back and even consider impeachment proceedings.

"I believe the House Republicans next week should pass a resolution instructing the president to enforce the law and to obey his own constitutional oath, and they should say if he fails to do so that they will zero out [defund] the office of attorney general and take other steps as necessary until the president agrees to do his job," said Gingrich. "His job is to enforce the rule of law and for us to start replacing the rule of law with the rule of Obama is a very dangerous precedent."

The president's decision not to enforce the law that protects traditional marriage was a major policy switch and was seen as a bow to the gay community that has pushed hard to win the right to marriage in many states. Gays have been politically active for Obama, though some have been critical of his defense of traditional marriage.

. . . the president also gave another olive branch to the community, naming [Jeremy Bernard as] the first gay social secretary for the White House.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Conservative Group: Did Obama Justice Dept. Collaborate With Those Trying to Overturn California’s Same-Sex Marriage Ban?" by Susan Jones, CNSNews.com 3/2/11

A conservative advocacy group wants to know if the U.S. Justice Department had any behind-the-scenes correspondence or communication with various law firms and/or groups that are suing California over its voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.

The Family Research Council has filed a freedom of information act (FOIA) request with the Justice Department, seeking any and all communications between Justice Department officials and various law firms or liberal advocacy groups that oppose, or are involved in the legal fight against either California’s Proposition 8 or the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

The FRC noted in its FOIA request that Attorney General Eric Holder – on Feb. 23 – held a news conference and then sent a letter to Congress announcing that the Obama administration would no longer defend the federal definition of marriage found in the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Less than three hours after Holder’s announcement, litigants seeking to strike down California’s definition of traditional marriage filed a “motion to vacate stay” in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. That motion cited and/or quoted from Holder’s letter twice -- on pages 7 and 10.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Obama’s homosexual America" by Jeffrey T. Kuhner, The Washington Times 2/24/11

Although he claims still to be “grappling” with the issue of same-sex marriage, the president is a radical social liberal. He supports “strong” civil unions for homosexuals. He claims that restrictions on homosexuals getting married are “discriminatory” and “homophobic.” He endorses abortion on demand - including the barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion. He defends embryonic stem-cell research. He has nothing but kind things to say about euthanasia. In short, he champions the culture of death.

Mr. Obama’s stated goal is to transform America. The most destructive aspect is this revolution against traditional morality. He is trying to make homosexuality a permanent, legitimate feature of American life. . . . By abandoning DOMA, Mr. Obama is paving the way for the final assault on the last bastion of conservatism - the family.

[President Obama's] attack on DOMA is not only for political purposes. It is also ideological.

From its inception, the modern left has sought to destroy the traditional family. Marriage has been the bedrock institution of the Christian West; smash it, and the entire civilizational edifice comes crashing down.

The homosexual lifestyle signifies the triumph of neo-pagan Epicureanism.

To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.

Also read, Obama 'Throws Marriage Under the Bus'

On a Mission from God: Ronald Reagan's America

"I've made a decision to recommit the rest of my life, and the rest of my presidency, to God."

-- From "Ronald Reagan at 100: The President, the Pope and the Medicine of Forgiveness" by Michael Reagan, FoxNews.com 2/6/11

On my father's 100th birthday, I think back to the assassination attempt on his life in March 1981.

[We] were escorted into Dad's [hospital] room. I remember it being dark and hot—the drapes were closed for security reasons. Dad was awake and alert—and he was clearly glad to see us.

It was good to hear him joking—but later he told me seriously, "Michael, I believe God spared me for a purpose. I want you to know that I've made a decision to recommit the rest of my life, and the rest of my presidency, to God."

In June 1982, my father visited Pope John Paul II. As they met in the Papal Library, Dad reminded the Holy Father of a bond they shared: On March 30, 1981, a bullet missed my father's heart by a fraction of an inch. Six weeks later, on May 13, a Turkish gunman shot the Pope multiple times. Both men narrowly survived the attacks—and both men freely forgave their attackers.

My father told the pope that he believed God had called him to help bring down the godless Communist system—and the Holy Father agreed. At that moment, they forged a partnership that ultimately toppled Soviet Communism.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "What Reagan Meant to America" by Bruce Walker, American Thinker 2/1/11

Reagan . . . did not bring religiosity into the White House. Jimmy Carter was more ostentatiously Christian than Reagan, and FDR talked much more about God than the Gipper did. What Reagan brought instead was a sunny cheerfulness about God, a quiet certainty that this land -- which welcomed oppressed sects of Christians, which elected the first Jews to public office in human history, and which found in the flourishing of private charities (hospitals and colleges, for a long time, were all nearly all religious), a verity in the Great Faith, that collection of believing Christians and Jews who have always, when left to their own devices and consciences, enriched life through quiet compassion.

[Reagan] won a global war without bloodshed -- a stunning accomplishment unrivaled in human history. . . . The nightmare of the Baby Boomers, the threat of nuclear war with Comminism, was ended by Ronald Reagan with no Cuban Missile Crisis, no Manhattan Project, and no D-Day.

. . . The young man who as a lifeguard saved so many lives kept doing just that all his life, and that mission -- not glory or power -- gave his life purpose and worth.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

China Focuses Its Totalitarian Birth Control

A wide gender imbalance, as well as the need for more children to care for parents, has likely influenced the government's tight control on the country's birthrate. . . . a harsh policy marked by forced abortions, sterilizations and fines for those who have more than one [child].

. . . China has some 32 million more boys than girls under the age of 20.

UPDATE 8/31/11: Females born alive excel in nation lacking women

UPDATE 8/8/11: China vows crackdown on sex-selective abortions

UPDATE 10/22/10: One-Child Policy = Forced Abortion at Eight Months

UPDATE 9/28/10: China announces holding firm on one-child policy

-- From "China Could Overthrow One-Child Rule" by Allie Townsend, Time Magazine 9/9/10

The pilot projects, which are set to begin in 2011, allow for a second child per family if at least one spouse is an only child. USA Today reports that Beijing, Shanghai and four other provinces will follow suit in 2012, with nationwide adoption of the new policy expected by 2013 or 2014. In 1979, China's one-child policy was introduced after decades of huge population boom followed by mass death due to resulting food shortages. The policy, which has prevented 400 million births, restricted the country's ethnic Han majority to have only one child per family (exempting most ethnic minorities) and has remained nearly the same since, though a few exceptions have been made. (Some rural farm families have been allowed to have a second child if the first is a girl.)

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "China may relax its one-child rule" by Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY 9/8/10

"In the past, we only focused on slowing population growth," says Peng Xizhe, a professor at Shanghai's Fudan University. "It's much more complicated than we earlier thought."

. . . a traditional preference for boys has led to the abortion of many girls. In 2009, the ratio of newborn boys to newborn girls was 119 to 100, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics.

For three decades, China's one-child policy has set family sizes in the world's most populous nation — and symbolized the tight social controls set by its ruling Communist Party.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Chinese Gov't Buys Into Christian Abstinence

[Chinese] teachers are being trained with a sex education curriculum created by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family.

-- From "Abstinence program partners Chinese officials with U.S. evangelicals" by William Wan, Washington Post 9/3/10

. . . Evangelical Christian groups want an entree into China. And Chinese authorities, despite the country's official atheism, want help with controlling population growth and managing the society's rapidly shifting values.

At an early demonstration of the abstinence curriculum two years ago - given to the Communist Youth League of China in Hangzhou - teens were supposed to end the seminar by making a virginity pledge, the hallmark of the Christian group's abstinence program. But government officials quickly stepped in, insisting that the kids pledge to no one but the Communist Party.

Officials in Yunnan, however, said Focus on the Family's message of abstinence resonated with the province's conservative leadership.

"Nowadays, teenagers have too many different channels for learning about sex," said Ma Lianhong, Yunnan's former secretary general of media, who introduced the Christian group to provincial leaders. "Even if you don't talk about it, they will just learn about it quietly by themselves, which is even more dangerous. . . . Abstinence is good for keeping the families steady and bringing down the divorce rate. And it complies with China's traditional morals."

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

China's Mass Executions Fuel Human Organ Trafficking

China's hidden policy of executing prisoners of the forbidden quasi-Buddhist group Falun Gong and harvesting their organs for worldwide sale has been expanded to include Tibetans, "house church" Christians and Muslim Uighurs, human rights activists said Monday.

-- From "Chinese accused of vast trade in organs" by Julia Duin, Washington Times 4/27/10

In a news conference on Capitol Hill, several speakers, including attorney David Matas of B'nai Brith Canada and Ethan Gutmann of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said their investigations have unearthed a grisly trade in which an estimated 9,000 members of Falun Gong have been executed for their corneas, lungs, livers, kidneys and skins.

They likened the practice to the Nazi treatment of Jewish prisoners in World War II concentration camps, which included using them for sadistic medical experiments and taking the gold fillings from the teeth of corpses.

Organs from just one person can fetch a total of $100,000 on the worldwide market, he added.

The charges of organ harvesting and its spread to other religious and ethnic groups were made by the researchers and activists based on their extensive interviews with former prisoners and families of prisoners, and based on analysis of statistics, including health numbers, released by the Chinese government.

Although the practice of harvesting organs from prisoners has been documented as early as 1992 by Chinese dissident Harry Wu's Laogai Research Foundation, it was not until 2006 that the Epoch Times, a Falun Gong publication, accused the Chinese government of using its adherents for the practice.

When contacted Monday, Wang Baodong, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy, said, "The sheer lies of organ harvesting are nothing but Falun Gong's propaganda tactics.

In 2005, Chinese Vice Minister of Health Huang Jiefu acknowledged that 95 percent of all transplanted organs come from executions . . .

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

NY School Interrogates Parents' Religious Beliefs

A mother and father in New York were subjected by their school district's attorney to a faith "sincerity test," which ultimately ruled their beliefs were too questionable to qualify for a religious exemption to mandatory student immunization.

-- From "School interrogates, rejects parents' religion" by Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 2/8/09

Ron and Rita Palma filed the exemption with their son's school district in 2006 after coming to the conclusion the year before that the required vaccinations violated their conscience and sense of God's leading for their family.

Rather than accept the standard exemption form, however, the Bayport-Blue Point Union Free School District demanded the couple meet with school attorney David Cohen. The Palmas have twice been compelled to sit down with Cohen to be interrogated about their faith and their convictions about vaccines.

Cohen described to the Palmas' attorney that the purpose of the interview was two-fold: to determine whether the Palmas' beliefs are actually religious, as opposed to philosophical or political; and to determine whether the beliefs are "sincerely and genuinely held."

"It's almost beyond words what we were put through," [Rita] Palma said. "It's such an abusive power, it's so arrogant that 'outrageous' doesn't even label it correctly. It's something you can't even imagine that somebody would take it upon themselves to do – to judge the sincerity of your belief.

"Particularly in a school district," Palma said, "taking it upon themselves to judge your relationship with God? Have you ever heard of such a thing?"

Not only were the Palmas grilled, however, their attempts to file religious exemptions were also ultimately denied.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

China Shuts Churches During Olympics

Pastors forced to sign agreements not to meet for 90 days

-- From "Churches ordered closed during Olympics" © 2008 WorldNetDaily 8/13/08

An organization founded by a man who escaped from China after being persecuted for his Christian faith says it has uncovered a secret Chinese government document demanding that churches shut their doors for 90 days around the Beijing Olympics.

"Should church members violate these rules they will be subject to the disciplinary actions of the Chinese government," said the report from China Aid Association, an organization dedicated to helping persecuted Christians.

China Aid said the document, drafted by Chinese government officials, specifies that the house churches in China "refrain from organizing and joining illegal gatherings and refrain from receiving donations, sermons and preaching from overseas religious organizations and groups that have a purpose."

The group asserted the discovery of the document "provides further evidence of the PRC's hypocrisy towards creating a 'harmonious society' marked by religious freedom and rule of law."

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Tony Campolo, Jim Wallis: The Marxist Delusion and a Christian Evangelist

In the final analysis it's Communism, not Biblical Christianity, that dominates the thinking of the 'Evangelical Left'

From "Tony Campolo, Jim Wallis: The Marxist Delusion and a Christian Evangelist" by David Noebel, posted 2/19/08 at ChristianWorldviewnetwork.com

I have just finished reading Tony Campolo’s book Letters to a Young Evangelical. Published by Basic Books and copyrighted by Campolo in 2006, this work gives the reader an amazing look into the mind and heart of a radical sociologist on a mission—to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. The cannon fodder for establishing this Kingdom is the poor, the wretched, the oppressed, the naked, the downtrodden, and the proletariat. The chief tool to bring about this Kingdom is “progressive politics” (3). Its Mein Kampf is Jim Wallis’ God’s Politics. Indeed, Jim Wallis is featured on the jacket of Campolo's book with this statement: “Tony Campolo is my favorite evangelist.”

Campolo's volume is a veritable love-fest among three leftwing Evangelicals—Campolo and his two partners in crime (the crime being deception): Ron Sider (Evangelicals for Social Action) and Jim Wallis (Sojourners magazine), whom he calls his "best of friends" throughout the book. All three subscribe to the same party line—liberal, leftwing, allegedly progressive, ideas that impact social, economic and political action. “I believe,” says Campolo, “that Christians should engage in efforts to change the political and economic structures of our society because these structures do not adequately address the needs of the poor and oppressed” (4, 5, 258).

The purpose of Campolo’s letters to two young evangelicals (Timothy and Junia) is to convince them that the “Religious Right” in America is their sworn enemy, and if they wish to get serious about God’s business, which is assisting the poor and oppressed to bring in the Kingdom of God, they must reject the Jerry Falwells, the James Dobsons and the Tim LaHaye’s of the conservative wing of Evangelicalism and stake their claim with the true “progressives,” namely the Sider, Wallis and Campolo camp. This camp will bring forth the Kingdom of God on earth in spite of the constant foot dragging of their non-progressive, conservative, Evangelical counterparts.

Read the rest...