North Shore Student Advocacy has learned that Deerfield High School is offering the books Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes (Part One & Two) -- laced with graphic sexual content, including gay sex, pervasive expletives, religious denigration and mockery --- in English classes this spring .
Read analysis of the excerpts HERE.
View selected photocopy pages HERE.
WARNING: HIGHLY GRAPHIC SEXUAL CONTENT
[Also, see next followup post]
“After almost 15 years of school advocacy and reviewing many objectionable books and curricula, I have never seen anything this vulgar and harmful to students,” says Lora Sue Hauser, Executive Director of North Shore Student Advocacy. “Parents, taxpayers and concerned citizens must force themselves to read these excerpts, as horrific as they are, so you know what kids are being exposed to. The school justifies this egregious choice because of its themes of hope. Evidently, all great literature with themes of hope have already been exhausted so teachers need to start offering pornography. We say – enough.”
North Shore Student Advocacy (NSSA), an organization to help parents and students when they run into problems in public schools, was made aware of these books last fall when a parent complained. The books were part of required reading until NSSA filed a formal complaint with the school, asking the books to be reviewed by committee. The committee decided to remove the books from required reading but continued to offer them in the classroom as an optional title. “Optional Title,” according to the principal, means that the student may select the books to study with peers and be guided by the adult, male teacher. A parental permission slip will be required but without full disclosure of the sexually explicit content. This conclusion is unacceptable to the complaining parent and to NSSA. They are asking that this pornographic book be removed from curriculum completely.
After contacting the State’s Attorney’s office of Lake County, Illinois, they deemed the books “obscene” according to Illinois obscenity laws, violating the “distributing harmful materials to minors” statute. But, state and federal obscenity laws exempt schools and libraries under “affirmative defense” so it becomes impossible to prosecute a teacher or school.
Deerfield High School, an upscale suburban community on the North Shore of Chicago, has had a long history of presenting inappropriate curricula to students. They continue to have faculty who push their own personal agendas and are unresponsive to parents and taxpayers in the community. Not surprisingly, the administration has a very high turnover rate; 4 principals and 3 superintendents in 6 years.
Please contact Deerfield High School, District 113 and the Lake County District Attorney to give your opinion on yet another violation of trust.
Principal, Dr. Sue Hebson: (224) 632-3000
shebson@dist113.org
Superintendent, Dr. George Fornero: (224) 765-1000
gfornero@dist113.org
Lake County State’s Attorney: Mr. Mike Waller: (847) 377-3000
StatesAttorney@co.lake.il.us
For more information, contact North Shore Student Advocacy at NSSAdvocacy@aol.com or
(847) 651-8646.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Monday, March 03, 2008
IMPORTANT: Judge Orders CA Homeschoolers Into Gov. Education
What choices will soon be left for faithful Christian parents?
From "Judge orders homeschoolers into government education", by Bob Unruh, posted 2/29/08
A California court has ruled that several children in one homeschool family must be enrolled in a public school or "legally qualified" private school, and must attend, sending ripples of shock into the nation's homeschooling advocates as the family reviews its options for appeal.
The ruling came in a case brought against Phillip and Mary Long over the education being provided to two of their eight children. They are considering an appeal to the state Supreme Court, because they have homeschooled all of their children, the oldest now 29, because of various anti-Christian influences in California's public schools.
The decision from the 2nd Appellate Court in Los Angeles granted a special petition brought by lawyers appointed to represent the two youngest children after the family's homeschooling was brought to the attention of child advocates.
"We find no reason to strike down the Legislature's evaluation of what constitutes an adequate education scheme sufficient to promote the 'general diffusion of knowledge and intelligence,'" the court said in the case. "We agree … 'the educational program of the State of California was designed to promote the general welfare of all the people and was not designed to accommodate the personal ideas of any individual in the field of education.'"
So what are the choices for faithful Christian parents in CA?- Allow our children to be taught in public schools that homosexual conduct is normal and moral (See Families Flee CA Public Schools After Pro-Gay Mandate)
- Get a teaching degree so that we will be allowed to homeschool our own kids
- Spend a lot of money on private schools
Read more.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
UK: Another Couple Rejected as Foster Parents Because of Christian Beliefs
Council insisting parents positively discuss homosexuality with foster kids.
From "Another UK Couple Rejected for Fostering Children over Religious Beliefs on Homosexuality" by Hillary White, posted 2/27/08 at Lifesite.com
OAKWOOD, Derby, UK, February 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In November 2007, LifeSiteNews.com reported that a Christian couple in Somerset, UK, was being forced to retire from fostering needy children on conscientious grounds after the local council imposed rules requiring them to discuss homosexuality with the children. Now a similar case is reported in Derby, in which the local council is being sued after rejecting an application from a Christian couple to assist foster children under ten years old. The Telegraph reports that Eunice and Owen Johns refused to talk to children about homosexuality as though it were an acceptable "lifestyle".
The Labour-controlled council adoption panel was also reportedly "upset" that the couple insisted that children in their care would be required to accompany the family to church on Sundays. The Johns have been married for 39 years and have four adult children of their own. Mrs. Johns is a retired nurse and Sunday school teacher.
The adoption panel admitted in internal documents that Mr and Mrs Johns of Oakwood, in Derby, might have grounds to feel that they had been "discriminated against on religious grounds".
In the Somerset case last year, Vincent and Pauline Matherick were able, after their case caught national media attention, to reach an agreement with their local council authorities and keep their current child, a ten year-old boy, in their home. They had made almost identical complaints and told media that they intended to retire from fostering children after the council insisted that they participate in discussions about homosexuality.
Read more.
Hat tip: AFTAH
Friday, February 29, 2008
Racism Alive and Well at Planned Parenthood
Accepting donations to finance abortion of black babies...
From "Racism Alive and Well at Planned Parenthood" by Tony Perkins, posted 2/28/08
A shocking set of recordings was released this week that could prove disastrous for Planned Parenthood's ties with the African-American community. Lila Rose, a pro-life student and reporter at UCLA, launched an undercover investigation aimed at exposing the racism of the nation's largest abortion merchant. With the help of an actor, she contacted Planned Parenthood clinics in seven states, inquiring if they would be willing to accept a donation earmarked for the abortion of black babies. The results were jaw-dropping.
Rose was appalled to discover that every last clinic agreed. Not one employee objected or questioned the request, even when the actor insisted that the purpose was to "lower the number of black people" in America. When the caller phoned an Ohio branch, he was told that Planned Parenthood "will accept the money for whatever reason." Read the outrageous transcript from the Idaho clinic, which is also available with Rose's other recordings in a montage at http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=LK08B57&f=WA08B46.
From "Racism Alive and Well at Planned Parenthood" by Tony Perkins, posted 2/28/08
A shocking set of recordings was released this week that could prove disastrous for Planned Parenthood's ties with the African-American community. Lila Rose, a pro-life student and reporter at UCLA, launched an undercover investigation aimed at exposing the racism of the nation's largest abortion merchant. With the help of an actor, she contacted Planned Parenthood clinics in seven states, inquiring if they would be willing to accept a donation earmarked for the abortion of black babies. The results were jaw-dropping.
Rose was appalled to discover that every last clinic agreed. Not one employee objected or questioned the request, even when the actor insisted that the purpose was to "lower the number of black people" in America. When the caller phoned an Ohio branch, he was told that Planned Parenthood "will accept the money for whatever reason." Read the outrageous transcript from the Idaho clinic, which is also available with Rose's other recordings in a montage at http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=LK08B57&f=WA08B46.
Actor: ...I really faced trouble with affirmative action, and I don't want my kids to be disadvantaged against black kids.Pro-life blogger Jill Stanek reveals staggering statististics regarding the extermination of African Americans by abortion in her post, "Vanishing Black History Month."
Planned Parenthood: Yes, absolutely.
Actor: And we don't, you know, we just think the less black kids out there the better.
Planned Parenthood: (Laughs) Understandable, understandable... This is the first time I've had a donor call and make this kind of request, so I'm excited and want to make sure I don't leave anything out.
[JLS note: "rate" is number of births per 1,000 women.]
1960 black birth rate is 38.9
1965 black birth rate is 32.9
1970 black birth rate is 26.5
1975 black birth rate is 19.5
1980 black birth rate is 19.7I think you get the point here. Today the black birth rate is 15.7.
This is called the decline of a race.
Now when we add the rate of black abortion, which is 28 [number of abortions per 1,000 women], you got your genocide. [For CDC corroboration see bottom of table #9.]
Genocide anyone? The birth rate is lower than the abortion rate for blacks.
Rev. Jesse Peterson reveals the appalling fact that some black clergymen and political leaders facilitate this genocide in his recent excellent article, "Abortion: Black Genocide."
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Virginia Parents Succeed Against Pro-homosexual Book
Parents succeed in protecting their children
From "Virginia parents succeed against pro-homosexual book" by Jeff Johnson, posted 2/22/08 onenewsnow.com
Parents in one Virginia County have successfully forced the removal of a book, which promotes homosexuality, from their local elementary school. The book, titled And Tango Makes Three, is based in part on the story of two male penguins that temporarily form a couple to raise a penguin chick. Peter LaBarbera with Americans for Truth About Homosexuality says he is not surprised that the homosexual propaganda piece is still showing up in elementary school libraries.
"One of the more insidious aspects of the homosexual agenda has been its willingness to manipulate young people's minds to promote homosexual behavior," he warns. "We shouldn't be talking about homosexuality to kids who are years away from understanding ... what normal sex is ...."
Critics say the book does not explain that the real penguins -- on which the story is based -- split-up as soon as a potential female partner was introduced into their environment. And one of them later mated with her.
Christian parents with children in public schools must be vigilant and willing to speak up when necessary. Passivity with regard to the schools teaching children to approve of sin is not a legitimate response from Christian parents.
God help us if we prefer peace to the truth...
Read the rest of this article.
From "Virginia parents succeed against pro-homosexual book" by Jeff Johnson, posted 2/22/08 onenewsnow.com
Parents in one Virginia County have successfully forced the removal of a book, which promotes homosexuality, from their local elementary school. The book, titled And Tango Makes Three, is based in part on the story of two male penguins that temporarily form a couple to raise a penguin chick. Peter LaBarbera with Americans for Truth About Homosexuality says he is not surprised that the homosexual propaganda piece is still showing up in elementary school libraries.
"One of the more insidious aspects of the homosexual agenda has been its willingness to manipulate young people's minds to promote homosexual behavior," he warns. "We shouldn't be talking about homosexuality to kids who are years away from understanding ... what normal sex is ...."
Critics say the book does not explain that the real penguins -- on which the story is based -- split-up as soon as a potential female partner was introduced into their environment. And one of them later mated with her.
Christian parents with children in public schools must be vigilant and willing to speak up when necessary. Passivity with regard to the schools teaching children to approve of sin is not a legitimate response from Christian parents.
God help us if we prefer peace to the truth...
Read the rest of this article.
Fort Worth Church to Include Gay Members' Photos in Directory
"Compromise" literally compromises the understanding of the family
From "Fort Worth church to include gay members' photos in directory" by Joanna Cattnatch, posted 2/25/08 at Dallasnews.com.
FORT WORTH – Broadway Baptist Church members reached a compromise on a church directory Sunday, ending a debate on how to include photos of gay members but leaving the pastor's fate unclear.
In a 294-182 vote, members approved a recommendation by the church's board of deacons to publish a directory that would include member photos in "candid, small and large group pictures" but not include family portraits.
The 125th anniversary pictorial directories "will identify the people in them by name and every effort will be made to include all members in the directory," the deacon board said in its recommendation.
The board said members recognize that there are differing opinions on what constitutes a family. The proposal, the board said, did not endanger the church's Baptist affiliations.
"This has been a difficult decision for our congregation," deacon chair Kathy Madeja said, reading a statement after the vote. "We believe we have approached it in the best way possible. We did not rush to make a decision. We tried not only to listen to each other, but to understand each other's opinions.
"We prayerfully searched for God's leading for our church."
Church members voted after a sermon by Pastor Brett Younger in which he asked parishioners to look people in the eye and question what they see and how they react.
"If we look into the eyes of a gay Christian, we may have to rethink some of our opinions," Mr. Younger said.
If there are differing opinions in this church's leadership about "what constitutes a family" this church has got bigger problems than which pictures go in the directory...
Read the rest of the article.
From "Fort Worth church to include gay members' photos in directory" by Joanna Cattnatch, posted 2/25/08 at Dallasnews.com.
FORT WORTH – Broadway Baptist Church members reached a compromise on a church directory Sunday, ending a debate on how to include photos of gay members but leaving the pastor's fate unclear.
In a 294-182 vote, members approved a recommendation by the church's board of deacons to publish a directory that would include member photos in "candid, small and large group pictures" but not include family portraits.
The 125th anniversary pictorial directories "will identify the people in them by name and every effort will be made to include all members in the directory," the deacon board said in its recommendation.
The board said members recognize that there are differing opinions on what constitutes a family. The proposal, the board said, did not endanger the church's Baptist affiliations.
"This has been a difficult decision for our congregation," deacon chair Kathy Madeja said, reading a statement after the vote. "We believe we have approached it in the best way possible. We did not rush to make a decision. We tried not only to listen to each other, but to understand each other's opinions.
"We prayerfully searched for God's leading for our church."
Church members voted after a sermon by Pastor Brett Younger in which he asked parishioners to look people in the eye and question what they see and how they react.
"If we look into the eyes of a gay Christian, we may have to rethink some of our opinions," Mr. Younger said.
If there are differing opinions in this church's leadership about "what constitutes a family" this church has got bigger problems than which pictures go in the directory...
Read the rest of the article.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Wheaton College Features Pro-Homosexual Speaker
From "Wheaton College Features Pro-Homosexual Speaker" by Jeff Johnson, posted 2/19/08 at OneNewsNow.com
Wheaton College is once again featuring a pro-homosexual activist as a featured speaker at its Center for Applied Christian Ethics.
Peter LaBarbera, with Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, says the college is failing both its Bible-centered charter and its obligations to academic integrity. "We find it hard to believe that somebody who believes in the Bible -- and the Bible teaches that homosexuality is an abomination," states LaBarbera, "... could call support for so-called 'civil rights' based on egregiously sinful behavior -- how you can call that 'a justice issue'?"
One must wonder why on earth Wheaton College would give a man, who claims to be Christian -- yet openly advocates rebellion toward God -- a platform from which to influence its students. I can hardly imagine a circumstance under which they would invite a "Christian" who publicly advocates other sorts of sexual sin, such as adultery, polygamy, bestiality or adult incest. Is advocating the more politically correct sin of homosexuality somehow more permissible? Incidentally, Mr. Wallis also supports legalized abortion.
A person such as this should be considered a wolf in sheep's clothing and therefore dangerous to the flock. The only circumstances under which he should have been allowed to speak would have been one where he would have shared the platform with an able Biblical scholar who could have easily rebuked him.
In giving him a solitary platform, Wheaton College not only provided him a position from which to spread his particular brand of rebellion, it also lent him credibility in doing so.
We can only hope and pray that Wheaton College administrators will realize that they have made a very unwise decision and learn from it...
Read the rest of the article.
Wheaton College is once again featuring a pro-homosexual activist as a featured speaker at its Center for Applied Christian Ethics.
Peter LaBarbera, with Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, says the college is failing both its Bible-centered charter and its obligations to academic integrity. "We find it hard to believe that somebody who believes in the Bible -- and the Bible teaches that homosexuality is an abomination," states LaBarbera, "... could call support for so-called 'civil rights' based on egregiously sinful behavior -- how you can call that 'a justice issue'?"
One must wonder why on earth Wheaton College would give a man, who claims to be Christian -- yet openly advocates rebellion toward God -- a platform from which to influence its students. I can hardly imagine a circumstance under which they would invite a "Christian" who publicly advocates other sorts of sexual sin, such as adultery, polygamy, bestiality or adult incest. Is advocating the more politically correct sin of homosexuality somehow more permissible? Incidentally, Mr. Wallis also supports legalized abortion.
A person such as this should be considered a wolf in sheep's clothing and therefore dangerous to the flock. The only circumstances under which he should have been allowed to speak would have been one where he would have shared the platform with an able Biblical scholar who could have easily rebuked him.
In giving him a solitary platform, Wheaton College not only provided him a position from which to spread his particular brand of rebellion, it also lent him credibility in doing so.
We can only hope and pray that Wheaton College administrators will realize that they have made a very unwise decision and learn from it...
Read the rest of the article.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Abortion in America: Black Genocide
Black clergy and politicians facilitate the genocide.
From "Abortion: Black genocide" by Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, posted 2/12/08 at WorldNetDaily.com
Most of my life I had considered myself a Christian. Yet 18 years ago as I sat quietly and prayed, I experienced a deep realization – I harbored resentment in my heart. The realization caused me to repent and forgive. Forgiveness set me free from within, and I began to see with a clarity I never had before.
Also read Coach Dave Daubenmire's astute observations about this as a pro-life sidewalk counselor.
From "Abortion: Black genocide" by Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, posted 2/12/08 at WorldNetDaily.com
Most of my life I had considered myself a Christian. Yet 18 years ago as I sat quietly and prayed, I experienced a deep realization – I harbored resentment in my heart. The realization caused me to repent and forgive. Forgiveness set me free from within, and I began to see with a clarity I never had before.
Soon after that life-changing experience, I started BOND to help black men overcome their resentments and find freedom. Soon I was helping men of every race as I saw mankind's problems were universal.
I began to counsel young and older women as well. Many of the women I spoke to were having or have had at least one abortion. During the counseling sessions, I discovered that most of these women had guilt and low self-esteem. Often they had considered suicide.
I realized that this problem was not being dealt with by the black clergy or black politicians. In fact, to my surprise, abortion was often actually encouraged by these "leaders."
Read the rest of this commentary.Also read Coach Dave Daubenmire's astute observations about this as a pro-life sidewalk counselor.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
UK: Anglican Bishop Fined $92,000 for Refusing to Hire Homosexual Youth Worker
In addition, the diocese's costs in fighting the case are expected to be around $97,000
From "Bishop fined in gay discrimination case" by Nick Britten, posted 2/2/08 at Telegraph.co.uk
A bishop has been ordered to undergo equal opportunities training and to pay a gay youth worker nearly £50,000 ($97,000 US) for refusing him a job because of his sexuality.
John Reaney, 42, had his appointment at the diocese of Hereford blocked by the Bishop of Hereford, the Rt Rev Anthony Priddis, despite being told by his interviewers that he was the outstanding candidate for the post.
During a two-hour interview with Bishop Priddis, Mr Reaney claimed he asked intrusive questions about his sexuality which had left him feeling embarrassed, upset and "a total waste of space".
He was so upset he broke down in tears on the way home. Three days later the bishop telephoned him to say his application had been unsuccessful.
He took the Hereford Diocesan Board of Finance to an employment tribunal and said today he was "delighted" with the payout.
He added: "Lesbian and gay Christians working within the Church of England are entitled to be treated with humanity."
Ben Summerskill, chief executive of the gay rights pressure group Stonewall, added: "We're delighted that the tribunal has sent such a robust signal, both to the bishop and other employers.
"The substantial level of compensation sends out a very clear message. Not even a bishop is above this law."
The compensation includes £25,000 for future loss of wages, £8,000 for future pension loss, £7,000 damages for psychiatric injury, £6,000 for injury to feelings, £1,320 for counselling and £25 for costs incurred seeking work.
The diocese's costs in fighting the case are expected to be around £50,000 ($97,000 US), but a spokesman said this was being met by an anonymous donor.
But the diocese will have to pay the £47,000 compensation award from its own funds.
Perhaps you have wondered if you would have the faith and courage to die for Christ. That is not the right question for American Christians to ask themselves. The more pertinent question appears to be, are you willing to sacrifice your financial prosperity for Christ?
Unless the Church wakes up and shouts a resounding NO! to this nonsense, some of us will have to answer that question sooner than we think...
Choose whom you will serve and start serving Him NOW by standing up for righteousness and speaking the truth about the homosexual 'rights' movement in the circumstances of your own life - at work, in your childrens' school, your church, your local government, the local newspaper, etc. - wherever the lies are being told...Be a witness.
We ought not think that we will be able to muster up the faith and courage in a big decision for Christ if we have compromised all along the way in the small ones...
God will grows us through our small choices so that when and if the day comes that we are forced to choose between continued financial prosperity or the truth, witnessing to the truth will be just one more step in a "long obedience in the same direction..."
Read the rest of this article.
From "Bishop fined in gay discrimination case" by Nick Britten, posted 2/2/08 at Telegraph.co.uk
A bishop has been ordered to undergo equal opportunities training and to pay a gay youth worker nearly £50,000 ($97,000 US) for refusing him a job because of his sexuality.
John Reaney, 42, had his appointment at the diocese of Hereford blocked by the Bishop of Hereford, the Rt Rev Anthony Priddis, despite being told by his interviewers that he was the outstanding candidate for the post.
During a two-hour interview with Bishop Priddis, Mr Reaney claimed he asked intrusive questions about his sexuality which had left him feeling embarrassed, upset and "a total waste of space".
He was so upset he broke down in tears on the way home. Three days later the bishop telephoned him to say his application had been unsuccessful.
He took the Hereford Diocesan Board of Finance to an employment tribunal and said today he was "delighted" with the payout.
He added: "Lesbian and gay Christians working within the Church of England are entitled to be treated with humanity."
Ben Summerskill, chief executive of the gay rights pressure group Stonewall, added: "We're delighted that the tribunal has sent such a robust signal, both to the bishop and other employers.
"The substantial level of compensation sends out a very clear message. Not even a bishop is above this law."
The compensation includes £25,000 for future loss of wages, £8,000 for future pension loss, £7,000 damages for psychiatric injury, £6,000 for injury to feelings, £1,320 for counselling and £25 for costs incurred seeking work.
The diocese's costs in fighting the case are expected to be around £50,000 ($97,000 US), but a spokesman said this was being met by an anonymous donor.
But the diocese will have to pay the £47,000 compensation award from its own funds.
Perhaps you have wondered if you would have the faith and courage to die for Christ. That is not the right question for American Christians to ask themselves. The more pertinent question appears to be, are you willing to sacrifice your financial prosperity for Christ?
Unless the Church wakes up and shouts a resounding NO! to this nonsense, some of us will have to answer that question sooner than we think...
Choose whom you will serve and start serving Him NOW by standing up for righteousness and speaking the truth about the homosexual 'rights' movement in the circumstances of your own life - at work, in your childrens' school, your church, your local government, the local newspaper, etc. - wherever the lies are being told...Be a witness.
We ought not think that we will be able to muster up the faith and courage in a big decision for Christ if we have compromised all along the way in the small ones...
God will grows us through our small choices so that when and if the day comes that we are forced to choose between continued financial prosperity or the truth, witnessing to the truth will be just one more step in a "long obedience in the same direction..."
Read the rest of this article.
Monday, February 18, 2008
E.R. Discovers the Problem With Postmodernism
From "E.R. discovers the flaw of post-modernism" posted on YouTube.com
Prime-time tv is not a place where we would expect to find a 'rubber meets the road' dramatization of the problem with the post-modern worldview. This remarkable video clip shows clearly the emptiness, shallow platitudes and uncertainty inherent in modern day spiritual wisdom...
Watch the video clip here.
Would you be capable of answering this man's questions? Could you explain the Gospel to him (or someone like him) clearly if you had the opportunity? Could you tell him how he could be forgiven? If not, you need to learn how.
A great but simple way to explain the Gospel comes to us from Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron at Way of the Master ministries. Click here to learn.
We must all be prepared with an answer for the hope that we have...
Prime-time tv is not a place where we would expect to find a 'rubber meets the road' dramatization of the problem with the post-modern worldview. This remarkable video clip shows clearly the emptiness, shallow platitudes and uncertainty inherent in modern day spiritual wisdom...
Watch the video clip here.
Would you be capable of answering this man's questions? Could you explain the Gospel to him (or someone like him) clearly if you had the opportunity? Could you tell him how he could be forgiven? If not, you need to learn how.
A great but simple way to explain the Gospel comes to us from Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron at Way of the Master ministries. Click here to learn.
We must all be prepared with an answer for the hope that we have...
Friday, February 15, 2008
God, Moral Judgment, and the Death Penalty
From "God, Moral Judgment, and the Death Penalty" by Albert Mohler, posted 1/29/08 at albertmohler.com
In a fascinating new look at capital punishment, Professor Walter Berns of Georgetown University argues that support of the death penalty is tied to belief in God. He documents the link between secularization and declining support for capital punishment.
In a fascinating new look at capital punishment, Professor Walter Berns of Georgetown University argues that support of the death penalty is tied to belief in God. He documents the link between secularization and declining support for capital punishment.
In "Religion and the Death Penalty," published in The Weekly Standard, Berns begins by observing that the best case for the death penalty "was made, paradoxically, by one of the most famous of its opponents, Albert Camus, the French novelist." Indeed, in opposing the death penalty Camus seems to have grasped what others had missed.
As Professor Berns explains:
The death penalty, he said, "can be legitimized only by a truth or a principle that is superior to man," or, as he then made clearer, it may rightly be imposed only by a religious society or community; specifically, one that believes in "eternal life." Only in such a place can it be said that the death sentence provides the guilty person with the opportunity (and reminds him of the reason) to make amends, thus to prepare himself for the final judgment which will be made in the world to come. For this reason, he said, the Catholic church "has always accepted the necessity of the death penalty." This may no longer be the case. And it may no longer be the case that death is, as Camus said it has always been, a religious penalty. But it can be said that the death penalty is more likely to be imposed by a religious people.
Further:
The reasons for this are not obvious. It may be that the religious know what evil is or, at least, that it is, and, unlike the irreligious, are not so ready to believe that evil can be explained, and thereby excused, by a history of child abuse or, say, a "post-traumatic stress disorder" or a "temporal lobe seizure." Or, again unlike the irreligious, and probably without having read so much as a word of his argument, they may be morally disposed (or better, predisposed) to agree with the philosopher Immanuel Kant--that greatest of the moralists--who said it was a "categorical imperative" that a convicted murderer "must die." Or perhaps the religious are simply quicker to anger and, while instructed to do otherwise, slower, even unwilling, to forgive. In a word, they are more likely to demand that justice be done. Whatever the reason, there is surely a connection between the death penalty and religious belief.
Read the rest of this article.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Love and Chemicals
If atheist scientists are right, love is just chemicals in the brain...
From "Love and Chemicals" by Dinesh D'Souza, posted 2/13/08 at tothesoure.org
Physicist Victor Stenger in God: The Failed Hypothesis rejects the idea that humans have souls. “If we do indeed possess an immaterial soul, then we should expect to find some evidence for it.” Along the same lines, philosopher Daniel Dennett writes, “Nerve cells are very complicated mechanical systems. You take enough of those, and you put them together, and you get a soul.” Cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker adds, “Every aspect of our mental lives depends entirely on physiological events in the tissues of the brain.” And what happens to free will? “It seems free to you,” biologist Francis Crick explains, “but it’s the result of things you are not aware of.”
The issue here is the effort on the part of atheists—some with impressive scientific credentials—to extend the materialistic understanding of nature to human beings. Yes, we humans are material objects but are we no more than that? Certainly we experience ourselves very differently from the way we experience the outside world. All other things we experience indirectly, from the outside, through the apparatus of our senses; but ourselves we experience directly, from the inside, without the involvement of our senses.
Only about ourselves do we have this kind of “inside information.” And when we examine ourselves we discover things about our nature that we don’t find in inanimate objects. Based on our privileged and unique access, we know that the external or objective account of reality, however accurate it may be in describing raindrops and tree trunks, is not the fully story when it comes to describing ourselves.
For instance, we have consciousness and that is something that doesn’t show up under a microscope. We experience love, one of our deepest human experiences, and this seems absurd to explain simply in terms of atoms and molecules interacting with each other.
Read the rest of this article.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
8-year-old Boy Returning to School as Girl
Teachers making accommodations, preparing to counsel other students.
From "8-year-old boy returning to class as a girl" posted 2/8/08 at WorldNetDaily.com
An 8-year-old boy is preparing to return to his home school district in Colorado as a girl, so school officials are designating two school restrooms as unisex facilities, and preparing to counsel other students on the issue of transgenderism.
The report comes from KUSA-Television in Denver, which did not identify the third-grade student or his family in the Castle Rock suburban district.
But the report said the student had attended his home district several years ago, as a boy, and then had taken classes in another district for a time.
One parent, identified by the television station as Dave M., said children in the elementary school are going to wonder what's going on.
"I see this as being a very difficult situation to explain to my daughter, to explain why someone would not want to be the gender they were born with," he told the station.
His daughter will share a classroom with the boy dressing as a girl.
"I do think that there's going to be an acknowledgment that 'Why are you in a dress this year when you were in pants last year?'" he said.
A spokeswoman for the Douglas County School District in Castle Rock, said the district's calling "is to educate all kids no matter where they come from, what their background is, beliefs, values, it doesn't matter."
Whei Wong, the district spokeswoman, said the school is preparing two "unisex" restrooms for the student to use and teachers have been instructed to address the student by name, instead of using a "he" or "she" pronoun.
...Wong confirmed "mental health professionals" would be provided for other students, staff or parents if there are "any concerns at all."
Read the rest of this article.
So is this where we are at?
Instead of helping confused children to embrace reality, we will instead ALL live a lie?
I wonder if we have become so incapable of rational thought that parents and teachers will actually accept this hideous psychobabble. A faithful Christian teacher or parent must REFUSE.
Since transgenderism is still categorized as a mental health DISORDER by the APA I'm wondering how the school can legally do this. At the very least the school is encouraging a mental disorder...
There is so little respect for even obvious physical truth in our day.
What chance does moral truth have?
From "8-year-old boy returning to class as a girl" posted 2/8/08 at WorldNetDaily.com
An 8-year-old boy is preparing to return to his home school district in Colorado as a girl, so school officials are designating two school restrooms as unisex facilities, and preparing to counsel other students on the issue of transgenderism.
The report comes from KUSA-Television in Denver, which did not identify the third-grade student or his family in the Castle Rock suburban district.
But the report said the student had attended his home district several years ago, as a boy, and then had taken classes in another district for a time.
One parent, identified by the television station as Dave M., said children in the elementary school are going to wonder what's going on.
"I see this as being a very difficult situation to explain to my daughter, to explain why someone would not want to be the gender they were born with," he told the station.
His daughter will share a classroom with the boy dressing as a girl.
"I do think that there's going to be an acknowledgment that 'Why are you in a dress this year when you were in pants last year?'" he said.
A spokeswoman for the Douglas County School District in Castle Rock, said the district's calling "is to educate all kids no matter where they come from, what their background is, beliefs, values, it doesn't matter."
Whei Wong, the district spokeswoman, said the school is preparing two "unisex" restrooms for the student to use and teachers have been instructed to address the student by name, instead of using a "he" or "she" pronoun.
...Wong confirmed "mental health professionals" would be provided for other students, staff or parents if there are "any concerns at all."
Read the rest of this article.
So is this where we are at?
Instead of helping confused children to embrace reality, we will instead ALL live a lie?
I wonder if we have become so incapable of rational thought that parents and teachers will actually accept this hideous psychobabble. A faithful Christian teacher or parent must REFUSE.
Since transgenderism is still categorized as a mental health DISORDER by the APA I'm wondering how the school can legally do this. At the very least the school is encouraging a mental disorder...
There is so little respect for even obvious physical truth in our day.
What chance does moral truth have?
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Can You Legislate Morality?
By Sonja Dalton
A challenge to your thinking, friends:
Point #1
America has enacted federal/state/local legislation prohibiting and defining punishment for theft, fraud, bribery, assault, rape, murder, etc. So in fact we do legislate morality.
God Himself intends for governments to enforce morality — to punish evil-doers, avenge evil, evoke praise from the righteous, execute justice (I Pet 2:15; Rom 13:1-6; Prov 21:15 & 29:4) — does He not?
So the question is not “Should we legislate morality?” or “How can we legislate/enforce morality?” but rather: “Whose morality will be honored?” If not the Christian value system, then what system of values do you propose instead? Shall we substitute...
Socialism?
Communism?
Secular humanism? (Counterfeit freedom — the morality that is being legislated in America today; examine its fruit...)
Islamic sharia law? (The Archbishop of Canterbury has actually suggested that Britain allow Muslims to govern themselves within the UK!)
In reality, there is no such thing as “moral neutrality” — not in politics, not in law, not in public school curricula, etc. Teaching evolution or what passes for “sex ed” is not morally neutral — it advances the argument of the Enemy. Allowing abortion and permitting “homosexual marriage” (or even “civil unions”) are not morally neutral positions — for what is the message conveyed? What is legal is also permissible...okay to do...ethical...moral.
Point #2
Rest assured: “Christian activists” do not imagine that America (or Americans) will be redeemed in creating or even in keeping sound laws. The purpose of earthly legislation is not to save man’s soul, but simply to preserve justice in society. (Even God’s law doesn’t save — because we cannot adequately observe it! Thus the need for grace and mercy.) Immoral law — law that fails to reflect the character and nature and design of God — cannot preserve justice! Satan’s activists seek to influence the law in order to sanctify their particular sins in the eyes of their community; Christian activists seek to influence legislation as an act of love toward our neighbors...
Just laws protect the innocent against those who would violate them (or at the very least, punish the guilty) — for example, those who would divorce an innocent wife, fail to support children, brutally murder the unborn, rob our children of their innocence, molest a teenage boy, scam an elderly person, etc.
But what happens when law does not comport with that which is truly righteous? Evil reigns unrestrained. Lies are propagated. Victims suffer and multiply.
(Do some research: How man children grew up fatherless or in poverty prior to “birth control” and “no-fault divorce” and “sexual freedom” vs now? I know the answer — do you? What percentage of US population practiced homosexuality, bi-sexuality, or lived as transgender in 1950 vs now? And what do you project that figure will be in 2025, as a generation grows up with no law prohibiting sodomy and in some states with a “right” to “marry”?)
Point #3
In contrast, earthly laws built upon the truth of God’s law have the power to teach men virtue, to change man’s heart by convicting him of sin and bringing him to repentance. To quote an excellent article (“No Hint of Politics”) by Greg Koukl:
Our Constitution ensures liberty to worship false gods or no god at all, and even opportunity to influence our leaders and laws for evil — but its authors never intended to fully accommodate the modern demands of secular humanists, radical Muslims, queer activists, etc.
We Christians have believed one of Satan’s most effective lies: that we ought not impose “our” morality on others. We have hid our light under a bushel. The Truth is that there is only one Source of genuine morality, and we ought not be ashamed to extol Him in the public square.
A challenge to your thinking, friends:
Point #1
America has enacted federal/state/local legislation prohibiting and defining punishment for theft, fraud, bribery, assault, rape, murder, etc. So in fact we do legislate morality.
God Himself intends for governments to enforce morality — to punish evil-doers, avenge evil, evoke praise from the righteous, execute justice (I Pet 2:15; Rom 13:1-6; Prov 21:15 & 29:4) — does He not?
So the question is not “Should we legislate morality?” or “How can we legislate/enforce morality?” but rather: “Whose morality will be honored?” If not the Christian value system, then what system of values do you propose instead? Shall we substitute...
Socialism?
Communism?
Secular humanism? (Counterfeit freedom — the morality that is being legislated in America today; examine its fruit...)
Islamic sharia law? (The Archbishop of Canterbury has actually suggested that Britain allow Muslims to govern themselves within the UK!)
In reality, there is no such thing as “moral neutrality” — not in politics, not in law, not in public school curricula, etc. Teaching evolution or what passes for “sex ed” is not morally neutral — it advances the argument of the Enemy. Allowing abortion and permitting “homosexual marriage” (or even “civil unions”) are not morally neutral positions — for what is the message conveyed? What is legal is also permissible...okay to do...ethical...moral.
Laws begin by imposing norms of conduct, but conclude by teaching morality and values.
As these values are inculcated, the coercive power of law recedes as its moral force rises to govern the conduct of the people.
-- David Lewellyn of the Simon Greenleaf School of Law
Point #2
Rest assured: “Christian activists” do not imagine that America (or Americans) will be redeemed in creating or even in keeping sound laws. The purpose of earthly legislation is not to save man’s soul, but simply to preserve justice in society. (Even God’s law doesn’t save — because we cannot adequately observe it! Thus the need for grace and mercy.) Immoral law — law that fails to reflect the character and nature and design of God — cannot preserve justice! Satan’s activists seek to influence the law in order to sanctify their particular sins in the eyes of their community; Christian activists seek to influence legislation as an act of love toward our neighbors...
Righteousness exalts a nation,but sin is a reproach to any people. -- Prov 14:34
Just laws protect the innocent against those who would violate them (or at the very least, punish the guilty) — for example, those who would divorce an innocent wife, fail to support children, brutally murder the unborn, rob our children of their innocence, molest a teenage boy, scam an elderly person, etc.
But what happens when law does not comport with that which is truly righteous? Evil reigns unrestrained. Lies are propagated. Victims suffer and multiply.
(Do some research: How man children grew up fatherless or in poverty prior to “birth control” and “no-fault divorce” and “sexual freedom” vs now? I know the answer — do you? What percentage of US population practiced homosexuality, bi-sexuality, or lived as transgender in 1950 vs now? And what do you project that figure will be in 2025, as a generation grows up with no law prohibiting sodomy and in some states with a “right” to “marry”?)
Point #3
In contrast, earthly laws built upon the truth of God’s law have the power to teach men virtue, to change man’s heart by convicting him of sin and bringing him to repentance. To quote an excellent article (“No Hint of Politics”) by Greg Koukl:
Because Christians have been silent, "debased public standards which are destructive of life, faith, family, personal morality, and social responsibility are now protected by new, coercive laws and constitutional principles."...
When someone tells me that laws can never change a fallen person's heart, I ask them if they apply that philosophy to their children. Does the moral training of our children consist merely of preaching the Gospel to them? Wouldn't we consider it unconscionable to neglect a child's moral instruction with the excuse that laws can never change a child's rebellious heart? Don't we give them rules to obey, then threaten them with punishment for disobedience?
Proverbs instructs us to "train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it" (22:6). We give children rules to obey, then praise or punish them according to their conduct. We expect that a faithful and judicious application of moral guidelines—with appropriate rewards and punishments for behavior—will develop habits of moral virtue.
If this works to build children, why can't it work to build citizens? If it works to raise a family, why can't it work to raise a collection of families known as a community? Why do we believe in the transforming power of moral instruction at home, but consider it powerless to inform the moral conscience of a country made up of families just like ours? Same people. Same laws. Same rules. Same process.
Our Constitution ensures liberty to worship false gods or no god at all, and even opportunity to influence our leaders and laws for evil — but its authors never intended to fully accommodate the modern demands of secular humanists, radical Muslims, queer activists, etc.
Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.
It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
-- John Adams
We Christians have believed one of Satan’s most effective lies: that we ought not impose “our” morality on others. We have hid our light under a bushel. The Truth is that there is only one Source of genuine morality, and we ought not be ashamed to extol Him in the public square.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Hog Wild for Jesus
From "Hog Wild for Jesus" by Dr. Scott Lively, posted 2/5/08 at Defendthefamily.com
What would you do if somebody built a “gay” nudist colony in your neighborhood? When that happened in a little town called Ava, Missouri, some Christian men decided to fight fire with fire so-to-speak, and built a hog farm next door. They apparently reasoned that one public nuisance deserves another. However, the “gays” disliked their new neighbors so much they filed a lawsuit.
Almost as predictable as the lawsuit was the condemnation by many Christians (including some pastors) that the men’s actions were “not Christian.” But is that right? Is it truly “not Christ-like” to show open hostility to evil? Is real Christianity so docile and effeminate that its only answer to aggression is to hide in the church and pray? Or to show only sweet and tender love toward the offenders so we won’t hurt their feelings or scare them away from the church?
The Jesus I worship was a man, not a wimp. While He could be, and often was compassionate and nurturing, He was not afraid to show intolerance for sin, and even to take forceful action against it when necessary. In John 2:15, this same Jesus made a whip of cords with His own hands and used it to drive the money changers from the temple, after kicking over their tables. And He repeatedly and publicly rebuked certain pious religious leaders as “a brood of vipers” and “whitewashed tombs full of dead men’s bones” Matthew 23:13-35.“ I wonder if this Jesus would even be accepted in membership in many of America’s churches, let alone be allowed to preach.
Now I’m decidedly NOT advocating or condoning violence against homosexuals. Nor am I necessarily endorsing this particular action taken by these men. As much I applaud their courage, I might personally have pursued a less lawsuit-inviting strategy. But as a spiritual matter, I ask you: what IS the appropriate response to the establishment of an open and notorious summer-camp for sodomy in a rural, conservative neighborhood in the “buckle of the Bible belt?”
Lets first not pretend that the builders of this “gay” sex camp are just innocent new neighbors looking for a quiet place to be left alone. The establishment of this base was a deliberate act of in-your-face, I-dare-you-to-hit-me provocation by political agitators, complete with drunken, naked men strolling down nearby roads in front of families...
Read the rest of this thought provoking editorial.
What would you do if somebody built a “gay” nudist colony in your neighborhood? When that happened in a little town called Ava, Missouri, some Christian men decided to fight fire with fire so-to-speak, and built a hog farm next door. They apparently reasoned that one public nuisance deserves another. However, the “gays” disliked their new neighbors so much they filed a lawsuit.
Almost as predictable as the lawsuit was the condemnation by many Christians (including some pastors) that the men’s actions were “not Christian.” But is that right? Is it truly “not Christ-like” to show open hostility to evil? Is real Christianity so docile and effeminate that its only answer to aggression is to hide in the church and pray? Or to show only sweet and tender love toward the offenders so we won’t hurt their feelings or scare them away from the church?
The Jesus I worship was a man, not a wimp. While He could be, and often was compassionate and nurturing, He was not afraid to show intolerance for sin, and even to take forceful action against it when necessary. In John 2:15, this same Jesus made a whip of cords with His own hands and used it to drive the money changers from the temple, after kicking over their tables. And He repeatedly and publicly rebuked certain pious religious leaders as “a brood of vipers” and “whitewashed tombs full of dead men’s bones” Matthew 23:13-35.“ I wonder if this Jesus would even be accepted in membership in many of America’s churches, let alone be allowed to preach.
Now I’m decidedly NOT advocating or condoning violence against homosexuals. Nor am I necessarily endorsing this particular action taken by these men. As much I applaud their courage, I might personally have pursued a less lawsuit-inviting strategy. But as a spiritual matter, I ask you: what IS the appropriate response to the establishment of an open and notorious summer-camp for sodomy in a rural, conservative neighborhood in the “buckle of the Bible belt?”
Lets first not pretend that the builders of this “gay” sex camp are just innocent new neighbors looking for a quiet place to be left alone. The establishment of this base was a deliberate act of in-your-face, I-dare-you-to-hit-me provocation by political agitators, complete with drunken, naked men strolling down nearby roads in front of families...
Read the rest of this thought provoking editorial.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Sex-Ed Curriculum Includes Field Trip to Buy Condoms
From "Sex-Ed Curriculum Includes Field Trip to Buy Condoms" by Bob Unruh, posted 2/2/08 at WorldNetDaily.com
A campaign has been launched by concerned parents and others in Florida where a school board has adopted an explicit sex ed curriculum that includes various how-to lessons for students as young as fourth grade, and in one incarnation proposed field trips for children to purchase condoms and then talk about their experience.
The parents have created the Sex Ed Facts.com website to coordinate their work to oppose the program adopted by the board members of the St. Lucie County school district.
The dispute is similar to a controversy that has been going on in Montgomery County, Md., over a similarly graphic sex-education curriculum adopted by the school board there that teaches homosexuality is innate and provides depictions of "erotic" sex techniques.
...Janice Karst, a spokeswoman for the district, said the program was adopted "in addition" to the school's regular abstinence-based program in response to community concerns over a high number of HIV/AIDS cases in the county.
Read the rest of this article.
Let's get this straight: According to the CDC 71% of AIDS in this country is a result of men having sex with men, but the solution to the crisis is to teach 4th graders how to use condoms???
A campaign has been launched by concerned parents and others in Florida where a school board has adopted an explicit sex ed curriculum that includes various how-to lessons for students as young as fourth grade, and in one incarnation proposed field trips for children to purchase condoms and then talk about their experience.
The parents have created the Sex Ed Facts.com website to coordinate their work to oppose the program adopted by the board members of the St. Lucie County school district.
The dispute is similar to a controversy that has been going on in Montgomery County, Md., over a similarly graphic sex-education curriculum adopted by the school board there that teaches homosexuality is innate and provides depictions of "erotic" sex techniques.
...Janice Karst, a spokeswoman for the district, said the program was adopted "in addition" to the school's regular abstinence-based program in response to community concerns over a high number of HIV/AIDS cases in the county.
Read the rest of this article.
Let's get this straight: According to the CDC 71% of AIDS in this country is a result of men having sex with men, but the solution to the crisis is to teach 4th graders how to use condoms???
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Coalition Calls for Exodus from CA Public Schools
From "Exodus Mandate, Phyllis Schlafly and a Coalition of Christian and Pro-family Organizations Endorse Call for 'Exodus' From California Schools" posted 2/7/08 at earnedmedia.org
COLUMBIA, South Carolina, Feb. 7 /Christian Newswire/ -- California Governor Schwarzenegger signed legislation mandating that public school children be indoctrinated to accept as normal the homosexual lifestyle and other forms of sexual deviancy. In the wake of the failed effort to obtain a referendum to repeal this legislation, a broad coalition of Christian grassroots organizations have endorsed the Campaign for Children and Families' call for California families and churches to rescue their children from California's public schools.
The growing coalition includes Eagle Forum, the Campaign for Children and Families, Exodus Mandate, and ten more sponsors, five of which are based in California. These organizations will be providing information to California parents and pastors concerning the new school legislation, how it mainstream's sexual deviancy among children, and what alternatives to California's public schools are available.
According to Phyllis Schlafly, President of Eagle Forum, "Many of us have worked to reform public schools. Unfortunately, SB 777 and the related legislation represent a repudiation of 2,000 years of Christian moral teaching on human sexuality, marriage, and the family. The result is that California's schools are now promoting behaviors and lifestyles that are physically and spiritually dangerous for children. Consequently, in California, parents must try to find alternatives to the public schools."
Read the rest of this press release.
COLUMBIA, South Carolina, Feb. 7 /Christian Newswire/ -- California Governor Schwarzenegger signed legislation mandating that public school children be indoctrinated to accept as normal the homosexual lifestyle and other forms of sexual deviancy. In the wake of the failed effort to obtain a referendum to repeal this legislation, a broad coalition of Christian grassroots organizations have endorsed the Campaign for Children and Families' call for California families and churches to rescue their children from California's public schools.
The growing coalition includes Eagle Forum, the Campaign for Children and Families, Exodus Mandate, and ten more sponsors, five of which are based in California. These organizations will be providing information to California parents and pastors concerning the new school legislation, how it mainstream's sexual deviancy among children, and what alternatives to California's public schools are available.
According to Phyllis Schlafly, President of Eagle Forum, "Many of us have worked to reform public schools. Unfortunately, SB 777 and the related legislation represent a repudiation of 2,000 years of Christian moral teaching on human sexuality, marriage, and the family. The result is that California's schools are now promoting behaviors and lifestyles that are physically and spiritually dangerous for children. Consequently, in California, parents must try to find alternatives to the public schools."
Read the rest of this press release.
Albert Mohler Advocates Christian Exit From Public Schools
From "Mohler's New Book Advocates Exit Strategy from Public Schools" by Bob Allen, posted 1/18/08 at Ethics Daily.com
A seminary president and recently announced candidate for president of the Southern Baptist Convention says in a new book that Christians should have an exit strategy from public schools.
Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says in Culture Shift: Engaging Current Issues With Timeless Truth that Christian parents increasingly view public schools as "prime battlegrounds for cultural conflict."
Given recent developments, Mohler predicts schools "will soon become even more hostile to the convictions of many Christian families."
"I am convinced that the time has come for Christians to develop an exit strategy from the public schools," Mohler writes. "Some parents made this decision long ago."
..."The strategy would also affirm the responsibility of churches to equip parents, support families and offer alternatives," he writes. "At the same time, this strategy must acknowledge that Christian churches, families and parents do not yet see the same realities, the same threats and the same challenges in every context. Sadly, this is almost certainly just a matter of time."
Read the rest of this article.
A seminary president and recently announced candidate for president of the Southern Baptist Convention says in a new book that Christians should have an exit strategy from public schools.
Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says in Culture Shift: Engaging Current Issues With Timeless Truth that Christian parents increasingly view public schools as "prime battlegrounds for cultural conflict."
Given recent developments, Mohler predicts schools "will soon become even more hostile to the convictions of many Christian families."
"I am convinced that the time has come for Christians to develop an exit strategy from the public schools," Mohler writes. "Some parents made this decision long ago."
..."The strategy would also affirm the responsibility of churches to equip parents, support families and offer alternatives," he writes. "At the same time, this strategy must acknowledge that Christian churches, families and parents do not yet see the same realities, the same threats and the same challenges in every context. Sadly, this is almost certainly just a matter of time."
Read the rest of this article.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Public School Teachers Boo Pro-Family Pastor
From "Teachers boo pro-family pastor" by Jeff Johnson 2/4/08 at OneNewsNow.com
"And then she says, 'But the most important thing is, this is my Dad.' I stood up to walk up to the microphone and there were some boos. They started booing."
Hutcherson, senior pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Washington, ignored the hecklers and gave his presentation, which never mentioned homosexuality. But the homosexual activists who booed Hutcherson were not finished. After his speech, they challenged him directly in front of the entire assembly.
Read the rest of this article.
A pastor known for overcoming racial discrimination to become an NFL star and pro-family advocate was booed during a recent Martin Luther King Day presentation.
"And then she says, 'But the most important thing is, this is my Dad.' I stood up to walk up to the microphone and there were some boos. They started booing."
Hutcherson, senior pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Washington, ignored the hecklers and gave his presentation, which never mentioned homosexuality. But the homosexual activists who booed Hutcherson were not finished. After his speech, they challenged him directly in front of the entire assembly.
Read the rest of this article.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Christians Urged to Vote Their Values
From "Land, others, urge Christians to vote their values in elections" by Daniel W. Guido, posted 9/25/08 at bpnews.net
Richard Land is the president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. He and several other spoke at the "Values Voter Summit" Sept. 21-23.
Land told the audience that God is involved in the moral issues that currently confront Americans.
“God is pro-life, pro-heterosexual and anti-pornography. But He is not Democrat or Republican," Land said.
Land’s comments came during a panel discussion on “The Role of Churches in Political Issues.” Appearing with him was Herb Lusk, pastor of Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia; John Guest, pastor of Christ Church at Grove Farm in Sewickley, Pa.; and Kenyn Cureton, vice president for convention relations for the SBC's Executive Committee. Cureton served as moderator.
Land said he would caution churches to refrain from endorsing specific candidates and instead work to educate their parishioners on where the candidates stand on the issues.
“Churches can be engaged, getting involved in voter registration, for instance, as long as it is done blind,” Land said. “Pastors have an obligation to speak prophetically about the issues of the day. And we all have an obligation to preach about unborn life. Every Christian should be registered to vote. It is a sin not to vote.”
Lusk agreed, telling the audience that voting and “standing for the truth requires courage, but we must do it.” He said “Christians must get out there and live what we believe," and he warned that like the days of Nehemiah, “our walls are down and our cities are in disarray. We must cry out to God for His protection and deliverance.”
Read the entire article.
Richard Land is the president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. He and several other spoke at the "Values Voter Summit" Sept. 21-23.
Land told the audience that God is involved in the moral issues that currently confront Americans.
“God is pro-life, pro-heterosexual and anti-pornography. But He is not Democrat or Republican," Land said.
Land’s comments came during a panel discussion on “The Role of Churches in Political Issues.” Appearing with him was Herb Lusk, pastor of Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia; John Guest, pastor of Christ Church at Grove Farm in Sewickley, Pa.; and Kenyn Cureton, vice president for convention relations for the SBC's Executive Committee. Cureton served as moderator.
Land said he would caution churches to refrain from endorsing specific candidates and instead work to educate their parishioners on where the candidates stand on the issues.
“Churches can be engaged, getting involved in voter registration, for instance, as long as it is done blind,” Land said. “Pastors have an obligation to speak prophetically about the issues of the day. And we all have an obligation to preach about unborn life. Every Christian should be registered to vote. It is a sin not to vote.”
Lusk agreed, telling the audience that voting and “standing for the truth requires courage, but we must do it.” He said “Christians must get out there and live what we believe," and he warned that like the days of Nehemiah, “our walls are down and our cities are in disarray. We must cry out to God for His protection and deliverance.”
Read the entire article.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Political Passivity - Vice or Christian Virtue?
Note to our readers: We have posted this previously but this excellent commentary is worth running again on the eve of an important primary election...
From "Political Passivity—Vice or Christian Virtue?" by Greg Koukl, posted 4/30/07 at Townhall.com
It’s not only the left that sounds the alarm when Christians “jeopardize the separation of church and state” by engaging in political action. Some Christians object, too. One evangelical leader offered this stern warning: “There should not be even a hint of anything political in our public discourse.”
From "Political Passivity—Vice or Christian Virtue?" by Greg Koukl, posted 4/30/07 at Townhall.com
It’s not only the left that sounds the alarm when Christians “jeopardize the separation of church and state” by engaging in political action. Some Christians object, too. One evangelical leader offered this stern warning: “There should not be even a hint of anything political in our public discourse.”
This may sound spiritual in some circles, but it can be devastating to the public good. Without question the Gospel has supernatural power to change lives, and those changed lives can change the world. William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King, and Mother Teresa come immediately to mind.
Some Christians wrongly conclude, however, that political involvement is therefore a waste of time. This is a mistake. The Gospel is never communicated in a political or cultural vacuum.
“The effective and mass communication of the gospel depends upon the freedom to proclaim it,” wrote Hugh Hewitt. The Apostle Paul told Christ’s followers to pray for those in authority so believers might lead a tranquil, quiet life in godliness and dignity. In a democratic society those prayers can and should be augmented by action.
The doctrine of political passivity is flawed in its understanding of the function of law, the changing definition of "politics," the role of the Christian citizen in the moral education of a nation, and the original intent of the First Amendment.
Read the rest of this commentary.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Intrusive Gay Bill Moving Through CA Legislature
Critics say it's the first step toward establishing quotas for homosexuals
From "Intrusive Gay Bill Moving Through CA Legislature" by Terry Phillips, posted 2/1/08 at citizenlink.org
From "Intrusive Gay Bill Moving Through CA Legislature" by Terry Phillips, posted 2/1/08 at citizenlink.org
When first written, the California bill would have required a private foundation to gather information about its operations pertaining only to race and gender. Becky Burgoyne, legislation analyst with the California Family Council, says it was soon amended.
"They have now expanded that to all foundations. And so they're all included now, but they also put in sexual orientation."
Jeff Johnston, a gender analyst at Focus on the Family, finds the demand, to gather information on sexual orientation, ironic.
"On the one hand, you have people on the left saying, for years, that they don't want the government in the bedroom. And then here they are trying to collect information about what happens in the bedroom."
The current proposal only requires information be "gathered." Johnston says that won't last
Tragic and astonishing in its absurdity...A quote by Christian author and researcher, Allan Dobras, says it all,
“It should be abundantly clear to even the most casual observer that the homosexual rights movement is out of control and has gained immense momentum. Homosexuality in its several forms (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender—GLBT) has become the cause celebre of our time and shredded the fabric of rational thought."
Friday, February 01, 2008
Black History Month: What do Many of the Heroes Have in Common?
They were followers of Jesus Christ...
From "Follow the Lord Jesus" by Chuck Colsons, posted 2/1/07 at Breakpoint.org
From "Follow the Lord Jesus" by Chuck Colsons, posted 2/1/07 at Breakpoint.org
It’s Black History Month—and in classrooms around the country, children have been learning about famous African-Americans and their contributions to our culture. That’s a good thing. But there is one thing most kids have not been learning about many of these famous men and women: that is, their Christian faith and how it motivated their lives and their work.
For instance, Sojourner Truth is often identified as a women’s rights advocate and abolitionist. Overlooked is the source of Sojourner’s fiery devotion to human rights: That was her commitment to Jesus Christ. “The Lord gave me the name Sojourner,” she declared, “because I was to travel up and down the land, showing people their sins, and being a sign unto them.” At age 88, her dying words were, “Follow the Lord Jesus.”
Wow...Showing them their sins? That would certainly be a politically incorrect statement today - even in most of our churches, but it is certainly Biblical...
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Christian Photographer Sued by Lesbians
From "ADF attorney available to media following hearing in complaint against N.M. photographer" posted 1/25/08 at AllianceDefenseFund.org
UPDATE 12/17/09: Judge requires Christians, found guilty, to pay $6,600
UPDATE 8/22/13: NM Supreme Court rules photographer violated Human Rights Act
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence will be available for media interviews following a hearing before the New Mexico Human Rights Division Monday and Tuesday. ADF attorneys represent a Christian photographer being tried under state antidiscrimination laws for declining to photograph a same-sex “commitment ceremony.”
“Christians shouldn’t be penalized for abiding by their beliefs. The state cannot force unwilling people to promote a message they disagree with and thereby violate their conscience,” said Lorence. “The state’s prosecution violates our client’s First Amendment rights. The government cannot make people choose between their faith and their job.”
A same-sex couple asked Elaine Huguenin, co-owner with her husband of Elane Photography, to photograph a “commitment ceremony” that the two women wanted to hold. Huguenin declined because her Christian beliefs are in conflict with the message communicated by the ceremony.
The same-sex couple filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Division, which is now trying Elane Photography under state antidiscrimination laws for sexual orientation discrimination. The agency will hold a hearing Monday and Tuesday.
Neither marriage nor civil unions are legal between members of the same sex in New Mexico.
Human 'rights' is becoming an oxymoron when it comes to the homosexual movement. If they succeed the only people who will be allowed any 'rights' are those who agree with gay activists...
UPDATE 12/17/09: Judge requires Christians, found guilty, to pay $6,600
UPDATE 8/22/13: NM Supreme Court rules photographer violated Human Rights Act
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence will be available for media interviews following a hearing before the New Mexico Human Rights Division Monday and Tuesday. ADF attorneys represent a Christian photographer being tried under state antidiscrimination laws for declining to photograph a same-sex “commitment ceremony.”
“Christians shouldn’t be penalized for abiding by their beliefs. The state cannot force unwilling people to promote a message they disagree with and thereby violate their conscience,” said Lorence. “The state’s prosecution violates our client’s First Amendment rights. The government cannot make people choose between their faith and their job.”
A same-sex couple asked Elaine Huguenin, co-owner with her husband of Elane Photography, to photograph a “commitment ceremony” that the two women wanted to hold. Huguenin declined because her Christian beliefs are in conflict with the message communicated by the ceremony.
The same-sex couple filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Division, which is now trying Elane Photography under state antidiscrimination laws for sexual orientation discrimination. The agency will hold a hearing Monday and Tuesday.
Neither marriage nor civil unions are legal between members of the same sex in New Mexico.
Human 'rights' is becoming an oxymoron when it comes to the homosexual movement. If they succeed the only people who will be allowed any 'rights' are those who agree with gay activists...
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Anti-Discrimination Law May Force Closing of Catholic Charities
"This is not idle talk. I am very serious," says Archbishop
From "Archbishop Chaput: "Anti-Discrimination" Bill May Force Closing of Catholic Charities" by Hilary White, posted 1/28/08 at Lifesite.org
DENVER, Colorado, January 28, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In an editorial in the Register, the newspaper of the Denver archdiocese, Archbishop Charles Chaput has warned that a proposed law may result in the end of one of the largest charitable organisations in the state.
HB 1080 seeks to impose restrictions on religious groups, forbidding them from hiring staff based on religion, and adding "sexual orientation" to the list of characteristics against which it is prohibited to "discriminate" in employment. HB1080 applies to religious groups that receive federal or state funding, which would include the organization Catholic Charities.
From "Archbishop Chaput: "Anti-Discrimination" Bill May Force Closing of Catholic Charities" by Hilary White, posted 1/28/08 at Lifesite.org
DENVER, Colorado, January 28, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In an editorial in the Register, the newspaper of the Denver archdiocese, Archbishop Charles Chaput has warned that a proposed law may result in the end of one of the largest charitable organisations in the state.
HB 1080 seeks to impose restrictions on religious groups, forbidding them from hiring staff based on religion, and adding "sexual orientation" to the list of characteristics against which it is prohibited to "discriminate" in employment. HB1080 applies to religious groups that receive federal or state funding, which would include the organization Catholic Charities.
The bill, currently before the Colorado General Assembly, will place Catholic Charities in the position of having to close its doors, warns the Chaput. While Catholic Charities purpose is to help the poor, not proselytize, it exists "as part of the religious mission of the Catholic Church," and not just for the sake of "generic do-goodism."
"When it can no longer have the freedom it needs to be 'Catholic', it will end its services. This is not idle talk. I am very serious."
Read the entire article.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Good News! CA Christian Schools Can Still Set Their Own Standards for Moral Behavior
No triable issue: Academy's right to expel 2 girls in lesbian 'relationship' upheld
From "Lesbian Suit Against Christian School Tossed" posted 1/25/08 at Worldnetdaily.com
The only problem is, in our legal system, even when you win you often lose because it is so incredibly costly to finance a legal defense.
How many Christian schools and ministries can afford to defend their freedom?
From "Lesbian Suit Against Christian School Tossed" posted 1/25/08 at Worldnetdaily.com
A California judge has ruled that Christian schools can set standards for behavior for their students, and impose penalties if they are not met.
The decision comes from Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gloria Trask, who found "no triable issues" on claims that a Christian school discriminated against two girls because of their perceived sexual orientation, according to a report in the North County Times.
Trask recently dismissed the claims made against California Lutheran High School in Wildomar by the two girls and their parents.
The case developed in 2005 when the girls, members of the junior class, were expelled after school officials noticed behavior by the two that may have indicated a lesbian relationship.
But it's not over yet...Attorney Kirk Hanson, representing the students, said he would appeal the dismissal of the case. He said he'll continue to argue the school is a business and must abide by state discrimination requirements.
"That's (appeals court) where this case would have ended up regardless," Hanson told the newspaper. "Win or lose at the trial level, the case is going to be in front of a court of appeal."
But John McKay, a lawyer for the school, said, "The First Amendment gives Christian schools the right to educate children on the (basis) of Christian beliefs. We're right on the First Amendment (regarding) free association."
Read the rest of this article.The only problem is, in our legal system, even when you win you often lose because it is so incredibly costly to finance a legal defense.
How many Christian schools and ministries can afford to defend their freedom?
Friday, January 25, 2008
MRSA Outbreak Among 'Gays' - Let the Whitewash Begin
From "MRSA Outbreak Among ‘Gays’ — Let the Whitewash Begin" by Matt Barber, posted at Townhall.com
You can’t help but feel a little sorry for Amanda Beck. She’s a reporter from Reuters who was among the first to cover a new study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, which warns about an outbreak of a virulent, drug-resistant, and potentially deadly strain of Staph infection afflicting certain segments of the homosexual community.
You can’t help but feel a little sorry for Amanda Beck. She’s a reporter from Reuters who was among the first to cover a new study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, which warns about an outbreak of a virulent, drug-resistant, and potentially deadly strain of Staph infection afflicting certain segments of the homosexual community.
Although outbreaks of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, have primarily been confined to hospitals in the past, the study determined that, due to “high risk behaviors” beyond hospital walls — such as “anal sex” — men who have sex with men are now 13 times more likely to contract the infection.
Because this particular strain can be transmitted through “skin-to-skin contact,” researchers fear the outbreak “has the potential for rapid, nationwide dissemination” and will spread to “the general population.” Once it does, they say it will be “unstoppable.” The initial reporting by some in the mainstream media, even The New York Times, was fairly accurate and balanced. It superficially addressed the study’s lucid data and sound conclusions. But all that quickly changed. You see, by even reporting on this study, Amanda Beck and her media codefendants deviated from the script. They broke the rules. And in so doing, they really, really ticked off that 500-pound homosexual activist gorilla and his yappy, apple polishing lapdogs back at media central... Read the rest of this commentary.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
US Government Sues Salvation Army for Requiring English at Work
From " US Government Sues Salvation Army for Requiring English at Work" by Paul M. Weyrich, posted 4/25/07 at acuf.org
Just when you think you have heard it all, along comes a story that is almost too ridiculous to be true. But it is. The idiocy of federal bureaucracies apparently is never-ending. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which might easily be called the Department of Political Correctness, has decided to take on the Salvation Army. Yes, the Salvation Army, that phenomenally successful assistance organization which began in Great Britain over one hundred and forty-years ago. The Salvation Army, which has helped thousands of people in countries all over the world, is being sued by the EEOC.
...It all started in a thrift store in Framingham, Massachusetts. Two Hispanic employees were given one year to learn English in order to speak the language of the country in which they live and the language spoken by other employees. They failed to do so; in turn the employees were fired. The EEOC filed a lawsuit against the Salvation Army claiming the employees had suffered “emotional pain, humiliation and embarrassment” as a result of the English-only policy.
Read the entire article.
Just when you think you have heard it all, along comes a story that is almost too ridiculous to be true. But it is. The idiocy of federal bureaucracies apparently is never-ending. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which might easily be called the Department of Political Correctness, has decided to take on the Salvation Army. Yes, the Salvation Army, that phenomenally successful assistance organization which began in Great Britain over one hundred and forty-years ago. The Salvation Army, which has helped thousands of people in countries all over the world, is being sued by the EEOC.
...It all started in a thrift store in Framingham, Massachusetts. Two Hispanic employees were given one year to learn English in order to speak the language of the country in which they live and the language spoken by other employees. They failed to do so; in turn the employees were fired. The EEOC filed a lawsuit against the Salvation Army claiming the employees had suffered “emotional pain, humiliation and embarrassment” as a result of the English-only policy.
Read the entire article.
“I Have This Stain on My Soul”
‘Pro-choicers’ worried about growing number of men who say they have been traumatized by wives’ or girlfriends’ abortions
From “I have this stain on my soul” published 1/8/08 at CaliforniaCatholicDaily.com
Abortion rights activists are “warily” watching the “mobilization” of a movement of men who claim that aiding and abetting abortions gotten by their wives or girlfriends has left them with emotional or psychological scarring, reported the Jan. 7 Los Angeles Times.
“If anecdotes from grieving women can move the Supreme Court, what will testimony about men's pain accomplish?” asked the newspaper.
...The Times interviewed three men who say they have been troubled by abortions they’ve aided. One, Chris Aubert, said he had been unconcerned about the abortions of two of his girlfriends -- one of which he helped pay for. But then he and his wife saw an ultrasound image of their first child, and he saw abortion was wrong. Aubert and his wife subsequently became Catholic, and they now have five children.
A successful Houston lawyer, Aubert admitted that, had the abortions not occurred, he might not have “the blessings I have now… that’s an intellectual debate I have with myself. I struggle with it.” His former girlfriends, too, he said, might have a better life, now. Yet, he always goes back, he said, to the fact that abortion is immoral. And though he does not feel the angst other men say they feel, "I have this stain on my soul," Aubert said, "and it will always be there."
Read the whole article.
From “I have this stain on my soul” published 1/8/08 at CaliforniaCatholicDaily.com
Abortion rights activists are “warily” watching the “mobilization” of a movement of men who claim that aiding and abetting abortions gotten by their wives or girlfriends has left them with emotional or psychological scarring, reported the Jan. 7 Los Angeles Times.
“If anecdotes from grieving women can move the Supreme Court, what will testimony about men's pain accomplish?” asked the newspaper.
...The Times interviewed three men who say they have been troubled by abortions they’ve aided. One, Chris Aubert, said he had been unconcerned about the abortions of two of his girlfriends -- one of which he helped pay for. But then he and his wife saw an ultrasound image of their first child, and he saw abortion was wrong. Aubert and his wife subsequently became Catholic, and they now have five children.
A successful Houston lawyer, Aubert admitted that, had the abortions not occurred, he might not have “the blessings I have now… that’s an intellectual debate I have with myself. I struggle with it.” His former girlfriends, too, he said, might have a better life, now. Yet, he always goes back, he said, to the fact that abortion is immoral. And though he does not feel the angst other men say they feel, "I have this stain on my soul," Aubert said, "and it will always be there."
Read the whole article.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
UK: Chlamydia Among under-16s up 9-fold in 4 years
'Lot of evidence' shows even if condoms always used disease can still be transmitted
From "'Lot of evidence' shows even if condoms always used disease can still be transmitted" posted 1/12/08 at WorldNetDaily.com
From "'Lot of evidence' shows even if condoms always used disease can still be transmitted" posted 1/12/08 at WorldNetDaily.com
London health experts say something needs to be done beyond making condoms available to lower the number of children with sexually transmitted diseases, because the handouts from school nurses just aren't doing the work.
"There is … a lot of evidence to show that even if condoms are used all the time the disease can still be transmitted. We need to focus on better sexual education that involves parents, not just the school nurse," Trevor Stammers, a physician and healthcare ethics lecturer, told the London Evening Standard.
He said the government's dedication to contraception should be reconsidered.
Read the whole article.
Monday, January 14, 2008
How Christians Ended Slavery
From "How Christians Ended Slavery" by Dinesh D'Souza, posted 1/14/07 at KRLA AM
Isn't it remarkable that atheists, who did virtually nothing to oppose slavery, condemn Christians, who are the ones who abolished it?
Consider atheist Sam Harris, who blames Christianity for supporting slavery. Harris is right that slavery existed among the Old Testament Jews, and Paul even instructs slaves to obey their masters. During the civil war both sides quoted the Bible. We know all this. (Yawn, yawn.)
But slavery pre-dated Christianity by centuries and even millennia. As we read from sociologist Orlando Patterson's work, all known cultures had slavery. For centuries, slavery needed no defenders because it had no critics. Atheists who champion ancient Greece and pre-Christian Rome somehow seem to forget that those empires were based on large-scale enslavement.
Atheist Michael Shermer says Christians are "late comers" to the movement against slavery. Shermer advanced this argument in our Cal Tech debate in December. That debate is now online, and you can watch it at michaelshermer.com.
But if what Shermer says is true, who were the early opponents of slavery who got there before the Christians did? Actually, there weren't any...
The truly ironic thing is that if black slavery were still present in the U.S. I suspect very few of today's Christians would raise a voice or lift a finger against it. To speak out for righteousness has fallen into tremendous disfavor. Having imbibed the spirit of the age, even the Church has decided that tolerance (of any and all but the most obviously hideous behavior) is considered loving, and a great virtue. Conversely, speaking out for righteousness is considered unloving and a great spiritual faux pas.
Strangely, many Christians now see the proclamation of God's Law as an 'obstacle to the Gospel' rather than God's instrument to teach men and women what righteousness really is -
thereby leading them to realize they are wretched sinners in need of a savior.
Booker T. Washington certainly saw standing up for righteousness differently than we see it today:
Read the rest of this helpful article and consider what the implications are for Christians to stand against the great evils present in our society today such as the promotion of sexual immorality (even to children), abortion, pornography, destruction of religious freedom etc...
Isn't it remarkable that atheists, who did virtually nothing to oppose slavery, condemn Christians, who are the ones who abolished it?
Consider atheist Sam Harris, who blames Christianity for supporting slavery. Harris is right that slavery existed among the Old Testament Jews, and Paul even instructs slaves to obey their masters. During the civil war both sides quoted the Bible. We know all this. (Yawn, yawn.)
But slavery pre-dated Christianity by centuries and even millennia. As we read from sociologist Orlando Patterson's work, all known cultures had slavery. For centuries, slavery needed no defenders because it had no critics. Atheists who champion ancient Greece and pre-Christian Rome somehow seem to forget that those empires were based on large-scale enslavement.
Atheist Michael Shermer says Christians are "late comers" to the movement against slavery. Shermer advanced this argument in our Cal Tech debate in December. That debate is now online, and you can watch it at michaelshermer.com.
But if what Shermer says is true, who were the early opponents of slavery who got there before the Christians did? Actually, there weren't any...
The truly ironic thing is that if black slavery were still present in the U.S. I suspect very few of today's Christians would raise a voice or lift a finger against it. To speak out for righteousness has fallen into tremendous disfavor. Having imbibed the spirit of the age, even the Church has decided that tolerance (of any and all but the most obviously hideous behavior) is considered loving, and a great virtue. Conversely, speaking out for righteousness is considered unloving and a great spiritual faux pas.
Strangely, many Christians now see the proclamation of God's Law as an 'obstacle to the Gospel' rather than God's instrument to teach men and women what righteousness really is -
thereby leading them to realize they are wretched sinners in need of a savior.
Booker T. Washington certainly saw standing up for righteousness differently than we see it today:
"If no other consideration had convinced me of the value of the Christian life, the Christlike work which the Church of all denominations in America has done during the last 35 years for the elevation of the black man would have made me a Christian."
-Booker T. Washington (Up From Slavery, 1907)
Read the rest of this helpful article and consider what the implications are for Christians to stand against the great evils present in our society today such as the promotion of sexual immorality (even to children), abortion, pornography, destruction of religious freedom etc...
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Alberta Human Rights Commission = Kangaroo Court
Would you have the courage to speak Truth to people who have the power to ruin your life? Ezra Levant did...
From "Kangaroo Court" by Ezra Levant, posted 1/11/08 at ezralevant.com
This is a remarkable and powerful speech delivered by the editor of a Canadian magazine who has been hauled before the disastrous Alberta "Human Rights" Commission as it attempts once again to circumscribe fundamental liberties in such a way as to advance its own socio-political vision.
In case you're blissfully ignorant of this commission, search the LifeSite News website for Alberta Human Rights Commission to learn more about its cultural mischief-making:
ALBERTA HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION INTERROGATION
Opening remarks by Ezra Levant, January 11, 2008 – Calgary
My name is Ezra Levant. Before this government interrogation begins, I will make a statement.
When the Western Standard magazine printed the Danish cartoons of Mohamed two years ago, I was the publisher. It was the proudest moment of my public life. I would do it again today. In fact, I did do it again today. Though the Western Standard, sadly, no longer publishes a print edition, I posted the cartoons this morning on my website, ezralevant.com.
I am here at this government interrogation under protest. It is my position that the government has no legal or moral authority to interrogate me or anyone else for publishing these words and pictures. That is a violation of my ancient and inalienable freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and in this case, religious freedom and the separation of mosque and state. It is especially perverted that a bureaucracy calling itself the Alberta human rights commission would be the government agency violating my human rights. So I will now call those bureaucrats “the commission” or “the hrc”, since to call the commission a “human rights commission” is to destroy the meaning of those words.
I believe that this commission has no proper authority over me. The commission was meant as a low-level, quasi-judicial body to arbitrate squabbles about housing, employment and other matters, where a complainant felt that their race or sex was the reason they were discriminated against. The commission was meant to deal with deeds, not words or ideas. Now the commission, which is funded by a secular government, from the pockets of taxpayers of all backgrounds, is taking it upon itself to be an enforcer of the views of radical Islam. So much for the separation of mosque and state.
I have read the past few years’ worth of decisions from this commission, and it is clear that it has become a dump for the junk that gets rejected from the real legal system. I read one case where a male hair salon student complained that he was called a “loser” by the girls in the class. The commission actually had a hearing about this. Another case was a kitchen manager with Hepatitis-C, who complained that it was against her rights to be fired. The commission actually agreed with her, and forced the restaurant to pay her $4,900. In other words, the commission is a joke – it’s the Alberta equivalent of a U.S. television pseudo-court like Judge Judy – except that Judge Judy actually was a judge, whereas none of the commission’s panellists are judges, and some aren’t even lawyers. And, unlike the commission, Judge Judy believes in freedom of speech.
Read the rest of this amazing address.
Friends, pay attention to “ENDA” (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) and “Hate Crimes” legislation here in the US Congress. As “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” are codifed as protected classes, faithful pastors/elders, preachers, teachers, Christian business owners, and pro-family activists — and maybe even YOU — will be sued (ie, financially ruined), as is already happening in UK and Canada, and in fact, already happening here in the US.
Related Coverage:
Alberta Christian Pastor Hauled Before Human Rights Tribunal For Letter to Editor on Homosexuality
Christian Political Party Before Human Rights Commission for Speaking Against Homosexuality
Human Rights Complaint Filed Against Catholic Bishop for Defence of Traditional Marriage
Homosexuals Seek to Shut Down Canadian Pro-Family Websites
Etc., Etc.
From "Kangaroo Court" by Ezra Levant, posted 1/11/08 at ezralevant.com
This is a remarkable and powerful speech delivered by the editor of a Canadian magazine who has been hauled before the disastrous Alberta "Human Rights" Commission as it attempts once again to circumscribe fundamental liberties in such a way as to advance its own socio-political vision.
In case you're blissfully ignorant of this commission, search the LifeSite News website for Alberta Human Rights Commission to learn more about its cultural mischief-making:
ALBERTA HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION INTERROGATION
Opening remarks by Ezra Levant, January 11, 2008 – Calgary
My name is Ezra Levant. Before this government interrogation begins, I will make a statement.
When the Western Standard magazine printed the Danish cartoons of Mohamed two years ago, I was the publisher. It was the proudest moment of my public life. I would do it again today. In fact, I did do it again today. Though the Western Standard, sadly, no longer publishes a print edition, I posted the cartoons this morning on my website, ezralevant.com.
I am here at this government interrogation under protest. It is my position that the government has no legal or moral authority to interrogate me or anyone else for publishing these words and pictures. That is a violation of my ancient and inalienable freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and in this case, religious freedom and the separation of mosque and state. It is especially perverted that a bureaucracy calling itself the Alberta human rights commission would be the government agency violating my human rights. So I will now call those bureaucrats “the commission” or “the hrc”, since to call the commission a “human rights commission” is to destroy the meaning of those words.
I believe that this commission has no proper authority over me. The commission was meant as a low-level, quasi-judicial body to arbitrate squabbles about housing, employment and other matters, where a complainant felt that their race or sex was the reason they were discriminated against. The commission was meant to deal with deeds, not words or ideas. Now the commission, which is funded by a secular government, from the pockets of taxpayers of all backgrounds, is taking it upon itself to be an enforcer of the views of radical Islam. So much for the separation of mosque and state.
I have read the past few years’ worth of decisions from this commission, and it is clear that it has become a dump for the junk that gets rejected from the real legal system. I read one case where a male hair salon student complained that he was called a “loser” by the girls in the class. The commission actually had a hearing about this. Another case was a kitchen manager with Hepatitis-C, who complained that it was against her rights to be fired. The commission actually agreed with her, and forced the restaurant to pay her $4,900. In other words, the commission is a joke – it’s the Alberta equivalent of a U.S. television pseudo-court like Judge Judy – except that Judge Judy actually was a judge, whereas none of the commission’s panellists are judges, and some aren’t even lawyers. And, unlike the commission, Judge Judy believes in freedom of speech.
Read the rest of this amazing address.
Friends, pay attention to “ENDA” (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) and “Hate Crimes” legislation here in the US Congress. As “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” are codifed as protected classes, faithful pastors/elders, preachers, teachers, Christian business owners, and pro-family activists — and maybe even YOU — will be sued (ie, financially ruined), as is already happening in UK and Canada, and in fact, already happening here in the US.
Related Coverage:
Alberta Christian Pastor Hauled Before Human Rights Tribunal For Letter to Editor on Homosexuality
Christian Political Party Before Human Rights Commission for Speaking Against Homosexuality
Human Rights Complaint Filed Against Catholic Bishop for Defence of Traditional Marriage
Homosexuals Seek to Shut Down Canadian Pro-Family Websites
Etc., Etc.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Planned Parenthood Entices Teens with "Mile High Club"
From "Planned Parenthood Entices Teens with "Mile High Club" by John Connolly, posted 1/2/07 at Lifesite.org
Planned Parenthood Golden Gate (PPGG) has aired a new commercial featuring a stereotyped gay man showering teens with condoms and contraceptive pills aimed specifically at 18 to 24-year-olds.
The ads, aired on MTV, VH-1, Comedy Central and TLC, are set to a "Mile High Club" theme, where Stephen, a flagrantly stereotypical gay man "educates" the teenage passengers about 'safe sex' by shoving contraceptives at them. At the end of the commercial, Stephen sits on the pilots lap and hits on him.
"PPGG created this campaign to stress the importance of sexual health in a creative way and one that breaks free from the old ineffective paradigm of relying on fear-mongering tactics to inspire desired behavior changes," said Dian J. Harrison, PPGG's President and CEO in a press release. "We want young people to take control of their sexual health and well-being by using prevention every time they have sex. This ad's message normalizes pregnancy prevention and safer sex in a healthy, cool, and humorous way."
The commercial, which will run through February 2008, is the latest in a series of raunchy sex-obsessed commercials aired by the heavily-tax-funded PPGG and aimed subverting at teens and young adults.
In early 2007, PPGG made a commercial that showed a sloppy-looking male angel eating popcorn at the head of the bed watching a couple having sex. Then his female angel counterpart appeared imploring him to do something. The male angel uses a TV remote and rewinds the scene of the couple in bed. This time the woman asks her male partner if he has any protection, to which he exclaims, "Yeah, of course." The woman responds, "Amen!"
In 2006, PPGG produced a spot depicting a young woman working with power tools who later hops into bed with a man, selects items from a Planned Parenthood "safe sex" tool case and exclaims, "Nice tool!"
"The organization's shameless promotion of its attempts to influence teenagers with a morally reprehensible TV spot is just another reason why all taxpayer funding of the group should be yanked immediately," said Jim Sedlak, executive director of American Life League's STOPP International.
According to PPGG's 2006 tax return, $12.2 million of its $22.1 million budget comes from taxpayer sources by means of fees and contracts from government agencies.
Watch the video.
Planned Parenthood Golden Gate (PPGG) has aired a new commercial featuring a stereotyped gay man showering teens with condoms and contraceptive pills aimed specifically at 18 to 24-year-olds.
The ads, aired on MTV, VH-1, Comedy Central and TLC, are set to a "Mile High Club" theme, where Stephen, a flagrantly stereotypical gay man "educates" the teenage passengers about 'safe sex' by shoving contraceptives at them. At the end of the commercial, Stephen sits on the pilots lap and hits on him.
"PPGG created this campaign to stress the importance of sexual health in a creative way and one that breaks free from the old ineffective paradigm of relying on fear-mongering tactics to inspire desired behavior changes," said Dian J. Harrison, PPGG's President and CEO in a press release. "We want young people to take control of their sexual health and well-being by using prevention every time they have sex. This ad's message normalizes pregnancy prevention and safer sex in a healthy, cool, and humorous way."
The commercial, which will run through February 2008, is the latest in a series of raunchy sex-obsessed commercials aired by the heavily-tax-funded PPGG and aimed subverting at teens and young adults.
In early 2007, PPGG made a commercial that showed a sloppy-looking male angel eating popcorn at the head of the bed watching a couple having sex. Then his female angel counterpart appeared imploring him to do something. The male angel uses a TV remote and rewinds the scene of the couple in bed. This time the woman asks her male partner if he has any protection, to which he exclaims, "Yeah, of course." The woman responds, "Amen!"
In 2006, PPGG produced a spot depicting a young woman working with power tools who later hops into bed with a man, selects items from a Planned Parenthood "safe sex" tool case and exclaims, "Nice tool!"
"The organization's shameless promotion of its attempts to influence teenagers with a morally reprehensible TV spot is just another reason why all taxpayer funding of the group should be yanked immediately," said Jim Sedlak, executive director of American Life League's STOPP International.
According to PPGG's 2006 tax return, $12.2 million of its $22.1 million budget comes from taxpayer sources by means of fees and contracts from government agencies.
Watch the video.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Brampton Ontario - Shades of Stalinist Russia
The destruction of religious freedom in Canada has begun in earnest now...
From "Brampton Ontario - Shades of Stalinist Russia" posted 1/4/07 at No Apologies with Tristan Emmanuel
• The study recommends a redefinition of what constitutes "places of worship" - including a removal of provisions expressly allowing church properties to be used for "community services" such as day care centres, soup kitchens, etc.
• There is a recommendation for major restrictions on new church start-ups, including regulating what space these start-ups could rent, where, and for how long.
• The study sets a stated goal of having only one "place of worship" for every 10-thousand residents. (There's no express mention of shutting down existing churches, but the goal would apparently be achieved by flatly denying applications for new churches to be built until that ratio is achieved.)
• The policy also includes major increases in permitting fees for things like zoning and variance issues. (One church reportedly had to pay the City of Brampton $400-thousand for the permits and approvals to put up a new sanctuary.)
• And the real shades of Stalinist Russia come with the proposed regulations on "house churches." Regularly-scheduled private gatherings in homes would be restricted to no more than 20 people - children included.
Any questions?
I don't know the demographic landscape of this area but there are reports that this particular crackdown on religion is due to a large influx of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs which is creating some discomfort among native Canadians.
It is interesting to see how everything is working together to destroy religious freedom.
One merely has to observe what has happened in the UK and is now in Canada to see that freedom of religion, the bedrock of all freedoms, is disappearing. (See related coverage below for examples.) Incredibly, it seems to be going with barely a whimper of protest.
Here in the US, legalizing same-sex marriage and passing anti-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation and cross-dressing will create a situation in which Biblical Christianity is officially in direct opposition to public policy. The above article illustrates different ways the government can make life very difficult for those who refuse to join the bandwagon.
General indifference and the abdication of responsibility among Christian leaders to stand for righteousness makes the outcome almost certain. The above article probably prophesies our future...
Read the whole appalling account.
Related coverage:
Canada: Pastor Found Guilty of 'Hate' Crime
BC, Canada: Parents Cannot Opt Children Out of Gay Curriculum
UK: Anti-Gay Comment Could Land You in Jail for 7 Years
UK: Anglicans Fined for Refusing to Hire Homosexual Youth Worker
UK: Religious Schools May Not Teach "Christians Sexual Morals as if They Were Objectively True"
From "Brampton Ontario - Shades of Stalinist Russia" posted 1/4/07 at No Apologies with Tristan Emmanuel
It first came to my attention over the Christmas break, when I got an email. I was pretty convinced this couldn't be true. Not even in "liberal" Canada. The story is about the city of Brampton, Ontario, and how it plans to start regulating religion within its boundaries.
It's a convoluted tale but the way I understand it, the bureaucrats in Toronto's western-most suburb decided to have a look at the way churches, mosques, temples, and other "places of worship" have traditionally been exempted from paying property taxes. That initial idea then spawned a whole bunch of other questions, and pretty soon a study was launched on "Places of Worship".
It was all done very quietly, but some churches got wind of it. Some of them would go to City Hall to get their variances renewed or extended, only to be told not to worry about it for now, because the City was doing a study on "Places of Worship", and all that stuff about variances would probably change anyway.
Which got some of those churches asking about the study. But the City wouldn't produce a copy, citing confidentiality rules. In fact, to this day, Brampton hasn't produced a copy for public perusal. A search of their website would lead you to believe the study doesn't even exist.
But last summer, someone with a bit of sympathy for the churches leaked a copy. A draft of the report - the one that doesn't even officially exist - is about a hundred pages long, and parts of it read like they could have been written in Stalinist Russia.
• The study recommends a redefinition of what constitutes "places of worship" - including a removal of provisions expressly allowing church properties to be used for "community services" such as day care centres, soup kitchens, etc.
• There is a recommendation for major restrictions on new church start-ups, including regulating what space these start-ups could rent, where, and for how long.
• The study sets a stated goal of having only one "place of worship" for every 10-thousand residents. (There's no express mention of shutting down existing churches, but the goal would apparently be achieved by flatly denying applications for new churches to be built until that ratio is achieved.)
• The policy also includes major increases in permitting fees for things like zoning and variance issues. (One church reportedly had to pay the City of Brampton $400-thousand for the permits and approvals to put up a new sanctuary.)
• And the real shades of Stalinist Russia come with the proposed regulations on "house churches." Regularly-scheduled private gatherings in homes would be restricted to no more than 20 people - children included.
Any questions?
I don't know the demographic landscape of this area but there are reports that this particular crackdown on religion is due to a large influx of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs which is creating some discomfort among native Canadians.
It is interesting to see how everything is working together to destroy religious freedom.
One merely has to observe what has happened in the UK and is now in Canada to see that freedom of religion, the bedrock of all freedoms, is disappearing. (See related coverage below for examples.) Incredibly, it seems to be going with barely a whimper of protest.
Here in the US, legalizing same-sex marriage and passing anti-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation and cross-dressing will create a situation in which Biblical Christianity is officially in direct opposition to public policy. The above article illustrates different ways the government can make life very difficult for those who refuse to join the bandwagon.
General indifference and the abdication of responsibility among Christian leaders to stand for righteousness makes the outcome almost certain. The above article probably prophesies our future...
Read the whole appalling account.
Related coverage:
Canada: Pastor Found Guilty of 'Hate' Crime
BC, Canada: Parents Cannot Opt Children Out of Gay Curriculum
UK: Anti-Gay Comment Could Land You in Jail for 7 Years
UK: Anglicans Fined for Refusing to Hire Homosexual Youth Worker
UK: Religious Schools May Not Teach "Christians Sexual Morals as if They Were Objectively True"
Thursday, January 03, 2008
I Don't Feel 'Called,' Either
Don't 'feel called' to contend for truth or righteousness in the culture? What does the Bible say?
From "I Don't Feel 'Called,' Either" by Sonja Dalton, posted 1/2/07 at MissionAmerica.com
See if you notice a pattern here:
From "I Don't Feel 'Called,' Either" by Sonja Dalton, posted 1/2/07 at MissionAmerica.com
See if you notice a pattern here:
• When a courageous Christian school board member questioned the profane, sexually explicit, and violent content of books on her district’s required reading lists, a handful of her supporters contacted about sixty churches in the district asking for their support — but not one pastor or minister “felt called” to show up at the school board meeting and publicly oppose such morally corrupt material.
• When a Christian mother noticed that her son’s reading list included a blatantly anti-Christian and factually false assignment, she spoke with other Christian parents, but they just “didn’t feel called” to speak to the teacher or principal. Likewise, her church’s coordinator for high school Bible study “didn’t feel called” to alert other parents in the congregation or to counter the propaganda in group discussions with students.
• When I speak with mature fellow Christians about evangelizing in homosexual neighborhoods, somehow they, too, “don’t feel called” to that particular ministry.
After hearing this pious response over and over, I began to wonder if I’d missed something, so I consulted my favorite online concordance in a quest for Bible authority, hoping to learn that I, too, could wait to “feel called” to cook a dish for the next potluck. You can imagine my disappointment when I discovered...um...nothing.
You see, the Bible doesn’t say a thing about “feeling” called. It says that Christians are called, period.
• We are called to be saints, set apart, to belong to Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:6, I Corinthians 1:2)
• We are called to be sanctified by the Spirit and by belief in Truth, to be conformed to the image of Jesus, to serve His purposes. (Romans 8:26-30, II Thessalonians 2:13-15)
• We are called to live in manner worthy of the calling — to walk in holiness. (Galatians 5:24, Ephesians 4:1, I Thessalonians 4:7, II Timothy 1:9)
• We are called into fellowship with and service to other believers. (I Corinthians 1:2,9, Galatians 5:13-14)
• We are called to preach the gospel, to proclaim His excellencies. (Acts 16:10, I Peter 2:9)
• We are called to suffer for doing good. (I Peter 2:21)
• We are called to stand firm. (II Thessalonians 2:15)
• We are called to eternal life. (I Timothy 6:12, I Peter 5:10)
Sometimes I don’t “feel” like abstaining from temptation or selflessly serving others — and I never “feel” like suffering, especially not unjustly. But nonetheless I am called — and so are you.
Please read the rest of this thought provoking commentary.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
69-year-old Pro-Lifer Assaulted and Seriously Injured
Police Allow Assailant to Leave Crime Scene and Threaten to Arrest Witnesses
From "69-year-old Pro-Lifer Assaulted and Seriously Injured" by John Conolly, posted 1/2/07 at Lifesite.org
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, January 2, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A 69-year-old pro-life sidewalk counselor was assaulted and seriously injured on December 22 while attempting to talk to a woman over a privacy fence, resulting in serious injuries.
Ed Snell, a counselor with a group that talks to women to convince them not to go into the Hillcrest abortion clinic, was pushed from a platform attached to the top of his truck which enabled him to talk over the 7-foot privacy fence the clinic erected in an attempt to prevent the counselors from talking to the women.
The man who attacked Snell jumped the fence and "leaped on the vehicle with Ed and catapulted him off of the vehicle and onto the ground," said John McTernan, a fellow activist and good friend of Snell.
Snell's friends called 911 when it appeared he was unconscious. When police arrived, witnesses identified the assailant, only to be met with arrest threats from the female officer who was dispatched. She allowed the attacker to go free, and police only arrested the man after the serious nature of Snell's injuries was released.
"It is unbelievable that an officer would allow an attacker to go free after inflicting life-threatening injuries on an elderly gentleman, then threaten to arrest the witness to the crime," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "That was not only unprofessional conduct, but it showed a fundamental lack of respect for Mr. Snell's life and beliefs. She should face serious discipline."
When the Hillcrest abortion clinic was called for comment, the receptionist shouted, "He got what he deserved! He earned what he got!" before hanging up.
Mr. Snell suffered internal hemorrhaging in his head, four compression fractures of vertebrae, a broken shoulder and two broken ribs. Doctors feared he might die before they were able to stop the hemorrhaging.
Snell was released from the hospital on Christmas Eve, and is currently recovering in his home in Harrisburg. Doctors expect his injuries to take eight weeks to heal. Bishop Kevin Rhodes of Harrisburg visited Snell on the day he was released.
From "69-year-old Pro-Lifer Assaulted and Seriously Injured" by John Conolly, posted 1/2/07 at Lifesite.org
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, January 2, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A 69-year-old pro-life sidewalk counselor was assaulted and seriously injured on December 22 while attempting to talk to a woman over a privacy fence, resulting in serious injuries.
Ed Snell, a counselor with a group that talks to women to convince them not to go into the Hillcrest abortion clinic, was pushed from a platform attached to the top of his truck which enabled him to talk over the 7-foot privacy fence the clinic erected in an attempt to prevent the counselors from talking to the women.
The man who attacked Snell jumped the fence and "leaped on the vehicle with Ed and catapulted him off of the vehicle and onto the ground," said John McTernan, a fellow activist and good friend of Snell.
Snell's friends called 911 when it appeared he was unconscious. When police arrived, witnesses identified the assailant, only to be met with arrest threats from the female officer who was dispatched. She allowed the attacker to go free, and police only arrested the man after the serious nature of Snell's injuries was released.
"It is unbelievable that an officer would allow an attacker to go free after inflicting life-threatening injuries on an elderly gentleman, then threaten to arrest the witness to the crime," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "That was not only unprofessional conduct, but it showed a fundamental lack of respect for Mr. Snell's life and beliefs. She should face serious discipline."
When the Hillcrest abortion clinic was called for comment, the receptionist shouted, "He got what he deserved! He earned what he got!" before hanging up.
Mr. Snell suffered internal hemorrhaging in his head, four compression fractures of vertebrae, a broken shoulder and two broken ribs. Doctors feared he might die before they were able to stop the hemorrhaging.
Snell was released from the hospital on Christmas Eve, and is currently recovering in his home in Harrisburg. Doctors expect his injuries to take eight weeks to heal. Bishop Kevin Rhodes of Harrisburg visited Snell on the day he was released.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
