City Finds Family Guilty of Home Bible Studies

Officials in Venice, Florida say a $250-per-day fine against Shane and Marlene Roessiger for holding unauthorized weekly Bible study and prayer involving a handful of Christians in their home is justified as a "zoning violation."

“That may be fine in some tyrannical parts of the world. That is not okay in the United States of America.”
-- Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute (representing the Christians vs. the government)

For background, read Religious Liberty & Anti-Christian Totalitarianism in America and also read Phoenix Christian Jailed for Home Worship Gatherings as well as City Permit Required for Bible Study in California

UPDATE 6/15/14: Bible Study Limit in Homes in Texas City Rescinded



-- From "Venice dispute erupts over religious sign in yard" by Kim Hackett, Correspondent, Sarasota Herald-Tribune 9/6/12

When does praying at home with a group of believers cross into illegally operating a church in a neighborhood? And can a city allow political signs on a residential yard but not religious ones?

Weighty constitutional issues that are typically reserved for federal or state courts found their way before this city's Code Enforcement Board on Thursday in the case of Venice versus the William and Florence Brewer Trust and Linda Roessiger.

"I'm going to stand for what I believe," said ministry leader Shane Roessiger, who lives in the house.

Members of the In Him Healing Touch Ministry said they, too, listen to a higher authority and will not take down the "Need Prayer?" sign or a 20-foot white, blood-red splattered crucifix, regardless of how the city rules.

The group vows to take the matter to federal court.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Family Faces Fines for Hosting Bible Study" by Todd Starnes, Fox News 9/17/12

“It is difficult to understand how it is illegal to have a prayer meeting on Friday night with a half dozen people but it is alright if I invited the same group on Monday evening to watch Monday night Football,” Roessiger said.

The Roessigers are also facing a fine for putting a small sign in their front yard that reads: “Need Prayer (941) 484-4915.”

“The Code Enforcement Board has continued both cases, although Mr. Roessiger was found guilty a few months ago of zoning violation (as it relates to land use),” [Pam Johnson, a spokesperson for the city of Venice] said. “It has not been determined at this time if the use violation has been abated. No determination of guilt has been made for the sign issue because the case is continued.”

Johnson confirmed that the two cases involve a code infraction regarding the use of a sign and a zoning infraction regarding using their home as a ‘house of worship.’

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "City Threatens Family With $250 Per Day Fine For Weekly Prayer Meeting In Home" posted at Pacific Justice Institute 8/27/12

The Roessigers head a small ministry called In Him Healing Touch Ministries. Like many small nonprofits, they initially chose to get mail at their home instead of renting out a post office box. Venice Code Enforcement officials are using the listing of the residence as the ministry's address to build a case against the Roessigers. In addition to prayer and Bible study, the ministry has food outreaches in the community and engages in foreign missions work. The latter includes ministering to people living in garbage dumps through providing meals and religious services.

In a letter sent by attorney Kevin Snider of the Pacific Justice Institute, the City Code Enforcement Board was informed that the corporate address has been changed so that the home address is no longer listed with the Florida Secretary of State. However, this family intends to continue to exercise their rights to the use and enjoyment of their property for prayer and Bible study, Snider wrote. In an unusual response, the Board "continued the matter indefinitely."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read California Pastor Arrested for Reading Bible in Public

Religious Liberty & Anti-Christian Totalitarianism

Catholic and Evangelical leaders alike are framing the elections as a choice between the first freedom upon which America was founded, versus an ever-increasing, controlling government hell-bent on secularizing the nation with its companion hostility toward religion, absent any freedom of conscience.

For background, read Atheists Attack Prayer Across America via Government and also read City Finds Family Guilty of Home Bible Studies as well as Pro-life Pharmacists Battle Government in Court and read how Homosexualists and Foreigners Bash Christian Baker

-- From "Dolan Defends Religious Liberty" by Julianne Dudley, Weekly Standard 9/11/12

[Cardinal Timothy] Dolan, who recently attended both the Republican and Democratic conventions (“as a pastor [and] not to endorse any party, platform, or candidate”), has so far avoided taking an overtly partisan stance this election season. He has, however, been at the forefront of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ criticism of President Obama’s Health and Human Services mandate requiring many Catholic institutions to provide insurance plans to their employees that would cover contraceptives and abortifacients.

Addressing a largely Catholic audience Monday night at an event sponsored by the John Carroll Society in Washington, D.C., Cardinal Timothy Dolan . . . did not mention the president or the upcoming election once during his remarks, he did express his growing concern over the administration’s lack of protection of religious liberties. America is “the teacher to the world,” he stated. If her government cannot protect democracy’s “first and most cherished liberty,” who will?

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

For background, read Bishops Throw Down Gauntlet: Obama War on Christianity

From "Cardinal Dolan: That ‘Conscience Thing’ Is ‘Ennobling,’ ‘Enlightened’" by Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review 9/11/12

“The threats to [that] freedom are abundant,” [Cardinal Dolan] said. He focused on two timely ones: First, a secularist drive that “will tolerate religion as long as it’s just considered some eccentric private hobby for superstitious, unenlightened folks, limited to an hour on the Sabbath, with no claim to any voice in the public square.” This “is hardly ‘free exercise,’” he countered, and quoted the first lady speaking at the African Methodist Episcopal Church Conference, where she seemed to understand this: “Our faith just isn’t about showing up on Sunday . . . it’s about what we do on Monday through Saturday.”

And then “America’s shepherd,” as Speaker of the House John Boehner introduced him for the final prayer at the Republican convention in Tampa, highlighted the HHS contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing-drug mandate that currently has his New York archdiocese suing the federal government, calling it “a direct intrusion of the government into the very definition of a church’s minister, ministries, message, and meaning.” The HHS mandate controversy, he repeated, is about “the raw presumption of a bureau of the federal government to define a church’s minister, ministry, message, and meaning.”

“The defense of religious freedom is not some Evangelical Christian polemic, or wily strategy of discredited Catholic bishops,” the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said, countering the media narrative, “but the quintessential American cause, the first line in the defense of and protection of human rights.”

“Freedom of religion,” he said, “has been the driving force of almost every enlightened, unshackling, noble cause in American history,” the cause of some of our most “liberating, ennobling” movements, including the civil-rights movement, he said. In defending religious liberty today, he said, we are “protecting America. We act not as sectarians, but as responsible citizens. We act on behalf of the truth about the human person.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Conservative groups release survey on religious hostility" by Lauren Markoe, Religion News Service - posted at Washington Post 8/22/12

“America today would be unrecognizable to our Founders,” according to the report [“Survey of Religious Hostility in America”], unveiled on Monday (Aug. 20) by the Texas-based Liberty Institute and the Washington-based Family Research Council.

“Our first freedom is facing a relentless onslaught from well-funded and aggressive groups and individuals who are using the courts, Congress, and the vast federal bureaucracy to suppress and limit religious freedom,” the report says.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Report Highlights Consistent Pattern of Hostility Toward Christians in US" by Paul Stanley, Christian Post Reporter 8/22/12

The report was released earlier this week and includes over 600 incidents over a 10-year period.

The attacks range from rulings from the judiciary branch to an elementary school student who was physically lifted from his seat and reprimanded for praying before eating his lunch. Yet another example shows a Christian couple was fired as apartment complex managers and forced to move because a painting with a Christian reference was displayed in their office.

. . . Kelly Shackelford, president of Liberty Institute [said,] "This radicalized minority is driven by an anti-religious ideology that is turning the First Amendment upside down."

FRC's Tony Perkins added, "As dark as this survey is, there is much light. The secularists' agenda only advances when those who love liberty are apathetic. Let this be a call to stand for religious liberty in the United States."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.



From "Religious liberty emerges as sensitive political issue" by Melissa Maynard, Myrtle Beach Online.com 9/17/12

For the first time in American history, both candidates on a major ticket in presidential politics aren't Protestants. And for that matter, religiously speaking, none of the four candidates leading the Democratic and Republican tickets will be WASPs either — from a white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant background.

One issue is whether governments and courts are trying to relegate believers of varying creeds to private expressions of faith within the walls of their places of worship. Nathan Diament, executive director of public policy for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, says the correct definition of religious liberty includes "the protection and the valuing of individuals not just to believe what they want to believe but to act and live their lives in conformity and consistent with those beliefs." Critics of this understanding of religious liberty assert that faith should not be an excuse to be exempted from any public policy with which one disagrees.

The Ethics and Public Policy Center, a D.C. think tank, has formed an American Religious Freedom Program that is working to form bipartisan caucuses in all 50 state legislatures. One goal is to allow believers to opt out of providing professional services such as photographing same-sex weddings or dispensing contraceptives at pharmacies - based on their personal religious convictions. Another is to make sure that any same-sex marriage legislation includes provisions stating that religious institutions are not legally required to allow the use of their property for same-sex weddings.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read about the Christian Tea Party Uprising Across America

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Government-paid Breast Enlargement for 10-year-olds

Even though rising health care costs force rationing on patients, U.S. taxpayers are forced to fund sex-change operations for prisoners suffering gender confusion and U.K. taxpayers must fund breast implants for girls as young as age ten who feel inferior due to their breast size.

For background, read To Cut Health Care Costs, Lower Birth Rate, Says White House and also read 6-year-old Girls Want to be Sex Objects: Study as well as Obama, Senate Continue to Push Transgender Privilege

-- From "250 girls under 16 given bigger breasts on NHS at cost of £5,000 a time" by Daniel Martin, UK Daily Mail 9/14/12

The Department of Health said NHS-funded breast augmentation would only take place for recognised clinical reasons, not merely for cosmetic ones.

But Nigel Mercer, a consultant plastic surgeon, said that the procedure could be given the go-ahead if a GP believed the patient was suffering psychological problems because of the size of their breasts.

The latest statistics show that over the past five years, two girls aged 11 and four aged 13 have had the procedure, which costs around £5,000 a time.

The peak age for the operation is 19, and last year there were 114 procedures on women of that age. Over the past five years, 255 recipients were aged 16 or under.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Transsexuals have right to breast enlargement" posted at The New Age 9/11/12

Male-to-female transsexuals have a legal right to breast enlargement operations when hormone therapy fails to give them a feminine shape, a German federal court ruled on Tuesday.

A transsexual may receive implants if her new breasts have not yet reached the size of a bra's A-cup, the Federal Social Court in the central city of Kassel said.

The judges said that this right to breast-enlargement surgery applied even before a sex change, basing its ruling on a recent decision by Germany's top court which found that such a procedure was not a requirement for a legal name change

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Judge orders Massachusetts to pay for inmate’s sex-change surgery" by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe 9/4/12

In the first decision of its kind, a federal judge has ordered state officials to provide a taxpayer-funded sex-change for a transsexual prisoner, after finding that the treatment is the only adequate care for the inmate’s gender identity disorder.

“This fact that sex reassignment surgery is for some people medically necessary has recently become more widely recognized,” [District Court Chief Judge Mark L.] Wolf wrote in a landmark 127-page ruling Tuesday. “Denying adequate medical care because of a fear of controversy or criticism from politicians, the press, and the public serves no legitimate penological purpose. It is precisely the type of conduct the Eighth Amendment prohibits.”

The judge did not say who should perform the surgery or where it should be conducted, leaving those decisions to state officials. The cost of the surgery ranges from $7,000 to more than $50,000, depending on the extent of cosmetic work, according to informational surgery and transgender websites.

It was not clear how much postsurgery care would have to be provided, though the state would bear that cost as well.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

40% of Women Use No Birth Control, Feminists Find

A group of highly-educated women, along with birth control businesses, are perturbed that American women are not being provided with, and encouraged to use, a variety of contraceptive products and procedures. Seemingly miffed by biological science, they report that nearly half of all women surveyed said they'd had "accidental" pregnancies.

“Many women just don’t fully understand their risk for getting pregnant.”
-- Jennifer Wider, MD, medical advisor for the Society for Women's Health Research

For background, read To Cut Costs, Lower Birth Rate, Says White House and also read Sex on the Rise, Procreation in Decline as well as Childless Women: White and More Educated

-- From "2 in 5 women don't use birth control" by WebMD Medical News 9/14/12

The new Contraception in America survey polled 1,000 women aged 18 to 49 and 201 doctors about their contraceptive knowledge and preferences. Taken together, the polls provide a snapshot of contraceptive use in the U.S. The survey was sponsored by Teva Women's Heath, which manufactures several types of contraceptives.

“This survey tells us that a tremendous amount of basic contraceptive education is still needed for women of all ages and their doctors,” says women's health expert Dominica Moore, MD. She is president of Sapphire Women's Health Group in Far Hills, N.J, and a board member of the Society for Women's Health Research.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "It's Complicated: Facts About Contraception" by Jennifer Wider, MD, Contributing Writer, Society for Women's Health Research 9/12/12

“While contraception is widely available, women don't access clinics or health care providers,” said Rebecca Brightman, MD, a clinical instructor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. “Women who are uninsured frequently don't seek the attention of a health care provider until it is too late.”

. . . the survey also revealed that women underestimate their risk of pregnancy. Among the sexually active women surveyed, many reported they are not trying to get pregnant, and a majority perceive that they are at “low or no risk” for accidental pregnancy.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Abstinence Education Effective, Fed Study Shows as well as Abstinent Teens the Norm, Moral Sex-Ed Works: Study

Atheist, NASA Conceal First Communion on Moon

Yesterday, astronaut Buzz Aldrin commemorated his crewmate, Neil Armstrong, at the memorial service for the first man on the moon. Unbeknownst to the world, before Armstrong made the first footprint, he sat quietly in the lunar space module observing Aldrin celebrating the body and blood of Jesus Christ, broadcasting Scripture to earth, which NASA censored.

For background, read Christians Can Forget Having Any Career at NASA and also read Prayer in America: Hidden Faith, or Public?

UPDATE 12/23/13: Obama's NASA Ignores God's Creation: Apollo 8 1968



-- From "Armstrong memorialized in National Cathedral ceremony" by Jessica Wehrman, Washington bureau (Dayton Daily News) 9/13/12

Neil Armstrong, who died Aug. 25 from complications after a cardiovascular procedure, was remembered in a solemn and sometimes emotional service in Washington National Cathedral . . .

Among the notables at the service were legendary astronauts John Glenn and Buzz Aldrin, House Speaker John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and U.S. Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "How Buzz Aldrin's communion on the moon was hushed up" by Matthew Cresswell, The UK Guardian 9/13/12

Before Armstrong and Aldrin stepped out of the lunar module on July 20, 1969, Aldrin unstowed a small plastic container of wine and some bread. He had brought them to the moon from Webster Presbyterian church near Houston, where he was an elder. Aldrin had received permission from the Presbyterian church's general assembly to administer it to himself. In his book Magnificent Desolation he shares the message he then radioed to Nasa: "I would like to request a few moments of silence … and to invite each person listening in, wherever and whomever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours, and to give thanks in his or her own way."

He also read a section of the gospel of John. During it all, Armstrong, reportedly a deist, is said to have watched respectfully but without making any comment.

The story of the secret communion service only emerged after the mission. Aldrin had originally planned to share the event with the world over the radio. However, at the time Nasa was still reeling from a lawsuit filed by the firebrand atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair, resulting in the ceremony never being broadcast. The founder of American Atheists and self-titled "most hated woman in America" had taken on Nasa, as well as many other public organisation. Most famously, she successfully fought mandatory school prayer and bible recitation in US public schools.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Finding God on the moon" by Josh Graves, FoxNews.com 8/31/12

. . . Aldrin read the words of Jesus, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn. 15:5) He also read Psalm 8: “You have set your glory in the heavens . . . When I consider the heavens, the words of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place . . . Who are we that you are mindful of us, human beings that you care for us?”

In Aldrin’s own words: “. . . It’s interesting to think that some of the first words spoken on the moon were the words of Jesus Christ, who made the Earth and the moon — and Who, in the immortal words of Dante, is Himself the ‘Love that moves the Sun and other stars.’”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

ACLU Warns of Christianity in S. Carolina Schools

Threatening lawsuits, the South Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union claims evidence that the wrong kind of liberty is alive and well in South Carolina pubic schools: religious liberty of a majority Christian citizenship.

For background, read ACLU says Christians of Faith Shouldn't be on School Boards and also read Prayer in America: Hidden Faith, or Public? as well as Missouri Votes to Bring Prayer Back to School, Countering Atheists

Also read North Carolina School Bows to ACLU, Bans All Prayers at Events

-- From "ACLU Tells Public Schools It’s Monitoring School Prayer Complaints" by Sam Favate, Wall Street Journal 8/21/12

In a letter sent to all public schools in the state, the ACLU of South Carolina said the [ACLU] campaign is trying to ensure that schools do not impose or promote religion, and adds that, “based on complaints received by the ACLU, many school districts are failing to honor this vital constitutional mandate.”

Among the incidents the ACLU claims to have received in the last two years are the distribution of Bibles to students, prayer and scriptural readings at school events and school assemblies featuring evangelizing and religious content. The letter also states that if the group receives a complaint about a particular school district, they will make contact in an attempt to resolve the issue. “Litigation will be a last resort,” the letter states.

State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais said in a statement to Law Blog, “I support the rights of students and adults to pray or not to pray in schools. This misinformation campaign by the ACLU isn’t about religious freedom. It’s an attempt to discourage religious expression in the public arena by issuing threats of lawsuits and suggesting it is unlawful to pray in school. The Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. To those who choose to pray in school, I encourage them to keep praying.”

In January, the ACLU and ACLU of South Carolina filed a lawsuit challenging the practice of school-sponsored prayer and religious activities in a South Carolina school district. The case was settled by consent decree, and a permanent injunction was ordered, prohibiting prayers during or in conjunction with school events. The order also blocked school officials from organizing, financing or sponsoring religious services involving students.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "ACLU’s ‘Religious Freedom’ Campaign Aims to Keep Religion Out of S.C. Public Schools" by Jon Street, CNSNews.com 9/11/12

Erin Leu, a spokesperson for Liberty Institute, said the ACLU’s “Religious Freedom” campaign seems to lean in one direction: “One thing I noticed about the campaign is that there is a heavy focus on what the school cannot do and there’s less of a focus on what the students can do for their religious rights…I wish there was more of an emphasis on the religious rights of students.”

“[The ACLU] claims neutrality, but they want a state that’s secular and opposed to the inclusion of theistic messages,” Chris Gacek of the Family Research Council told CNSNews.com.

“I think it represents part of an ongoing process in various ways for organizations with left-wing ideologies to exert influence and control…to gain power over the way schools are administered,” he added.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Schools warned of major 'intimidation' by ACLU" by Bob Unruh, World Net Daily 9/11/12

“While a teacher may not use the classroom to indoctrinate students, a teacher may disseminate information about religion in an objective manner so long as the information is reasonably related to the curriculum,” states a letter [to schools] from the Alliance Defending Freedom.

“Religious groups are permitted to distribute Bibles, religious literature, and even set up displays at school if the school permits other community organizations to do so,” ADF said.

The ACLU letter said school officials may not incorporate prayer into any school event, plan or promote religious services, hold school events at religious venues when an alternative is available, participate in student religious clubs or cite the Bible.

The ACLU’s letter demands information from every school about their commencement programs, athletic events, board meeting agendas, awards ceremonies, school event calendars and “any prayers, invocations, benedictions, blessings, proselytizing, or other religious remarks.”

The organization wants the information within 15 days and wants to be given access to copies without charge.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read ACLU Threatens Schools: Must Teach Homosexuality as well as ACLU Threatens Tennessee School over Gay Club

Pedophilia is Sexual Orientation, Like 'Being Gay'

So who looks like Chicken Little now, screaming "slippery slope?"

UPDATE 11/2/13: American Psychiatric Association changes official DSM manual to redefine pedophilia (see latest article excerpts at bottom of this post).

Mainstream media is reporting that pedophiles deserve sympathy rather than jail, because scientific researchers believe that their "child-attraction sexual orientation" is inborn, it's the next civil rights movement (after blacks, homosexuals, etc.).

“Currently, there is no significant longitudinal evidence that pedophiles can be made to not be attracted to children, and thus it can be defined as their orientation. And if pedophilia is a sexual orientation, that also means it’s futile to send pedophiles to prison in an effort to alter their attractions. Doing so is akin to sending a homosexual child off to a religious-based institution that claims it can 'pray the gay away.'”
-- Cord Jefferson

For background, read Normalization of Pedophilia Urged by Psychiatrists and also read Pedophiles Win in 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as well as Penn State Sodomy Raises Ire of Homosexualists

UPDATE 12/21/12: Most Americans Say Gay Men Untrustworthy with Boys

UPDATE 10/8/14: Pedophilia NOT a Crime, Says Obama-supporting Professor

UPDATE 7/24/15: Vampire Normalization Urged in Idaho State University Study

-- From "The Science of Pedophilia: Is It a Sexual Orientation?" by Makini Brice, Medical Daily 9/7/12

On Valentine's Day last year, the Parliament of Canada's Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights held a session in which MPs debated whether they should institute mandatory sentencing laws against sex offenders of two years.

There to speak were Dr. Vernon Quinsey, then from Queens University, and Dr. Hubert Van Gijseghem, a retiree from the University of Montreal. Naturally, the subject of therapy entered the discussion, to which Van Gijseghem said,

"When we speak of therapy or when individuals get therapy and we feel as though everyone is pacified, the good news is often illusory. For instance, it is a fact that real pedophiles account for only 20% of sexual abusers. If we know that pedophiles are not simply people who commit a small [offense] from time to time but rather are grappling with what is equivalent to a sexual orientation just like another individual may be grappling with heterosexuality or even homosexuality, and if we agree on the fact that true pedophiles have an exclusive preference for children, which is the same as having a sexual orientation, everyone knows that there is no such thing as real therapy. You cannot change this person's sexual orientation."

There is a natural aversion to pedophilia in the United States and worldwide. But is that discomfort helpful?

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Pedophilia may not be a life choice" by Dianne Williamson, Worcester, Mass. Telegram & Gazette 8/26/12

For years, we've been told that pedophilia is an addiction or a horrible illness or a manifestation of an abusive adult seeking power and control. . . .

The terms “pedophile” and “child molester” aren't interchangeable. . . .

But not all pedophiles act on their desires, and untold numbers spend their lives fighting their sexual arousal to children. Now, researchers are offering evidence that people can be born with a brain predisposed to be sexually attracted to children. In other words, it's about biology.

If this science pans out, it means some people are born with a sex drive they must fight their entire lives, through no fault of their own. Imagine being a straight man, for example, and being told your attraction to women is immoral and cannot be acted upon. It must be horrible. And little help is available because laws require therapists and doctors to report anyone they believe poses a threat to children.

Such research rings true because who would choose to be a pedophile?

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Gawker: Editor causes firestorm after advocating for pedophiles" by Stella Martin, Imperfect Parent 9/9/12

A firestorm has erupted over an editorial published on Friday an editor of Gawker, advocating for pedophiles and suggesting that pedophile challenges are a civil rights issue. Its author, Cord Jefferson, fully acknowledged the article’s agenda, tweeting on Friday, “I wrote this big piece about trying to find sympathy and new treatments for pedophiles. Check it out, maybe.”

Journalists on both sides of the political spectrum came out over the weekend to condemn the piece which compares the challenges facing pedophiles to that of the plight of the gay and minority communities. The author, Cord Jefferson, seeks to paint pedophiles as an oppressed group of people, fearing for their safety and living out their days lonely and without a partner to love because adult/child “sex” is so frowned upon.

Perhaps the most disturbing and criticized part of his editorial however, is the opening lede which gives an admitted pedophile named Terry the opportunity to describe how he raped his 7-year-old niece, suggesting that it was not only consensual, but that the 7-year-old enjoyed and welcomed it. Jefferson also refrained from calling the rape “rape”, but opted instead for describing the rape “sex” and the abuse, a “relationship”.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Black Gay Progressive: 'Jesus Would Embrace Pedophiles'" by Daniel Greenfield, FrontPageMag.com 9/9/12

Now and then people claim that there’s a moral slippery slope, that if we accept one thing then we have to accept another. And if we accept gay marriage then next up it’s polygamy and then pedophilia. And clearly that’s not the case.

Gawker, the favorite smear blog of the left in general and NBC evening news anchor Brian Williams specifically, put up an item using the same arguments in defense of pedophilia from Cord Jefferson who also writes for The Root. It tries to prove that pedophilia is a biological disorder, but ends up making the same argument for progressivism.

If there’s anything that’s bound to lower the rate of child abuse, it’s easing our taboos on abusing children. And we can also lower rapes if we just lower our taboos on rapists.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

UPDATES 11/2/13:

From "Not All Pedophiles Have Mental Disorder, American Psychiatric Association Says In New DSM" by Hunter Stuart, Huffington Post 11/1/13

In a move toward destigmatizing pedophilia, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in its updated Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), distinguishes between pedophiles who desire sex with children, and those who act on those desires.

The former group -- those who want to have sex with children but whose desires are not distressing or harmful to themselves or others -- is no longer classified as having a psychiatric condition in the updated DSM.

The change in the DSM, a kind of Bible among medical professionals, lawmakers, and drug and insurance companies, doesn't just apply to pedophilia, but to several other deviant sexual desires listed in the manual. It represents "a subtle but crucial difference that makes it possible for an individual to engage in consensual atypical sexual behavior without inappropriately being labeled with a mental disorder," explains the APA in its DSM-5 Paraphilic Disorders Fact Sheet.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "APA to correct manual" by Cheryl Wetzstein, The Washington Times 10/31/13

About a week ago, a blog called NeonTommy, produced at Annenberg Digital News at the University of Southern California, said the APA had drawn a “very distinct line” between pedophilia and pedophilic disorder in its new manual.

According to the DSM-5, pedophilia “refers to a sexual orientation or profession of sexual preference devoid of consummation, whereas pedophilic disorder is defined as a compulsion and is used in reference to individuals who act on their sexuality,” NeonTommy wrote.

The APA said in its [most recent] statement that “‘sexual orientation’ is not a term used in the diagnostic criteria for pedophilic disorder and its use in the DSM-5 text discussion is an error and should read ‘sexual interest.’”

Other DSM-5 paraphilias are exhibitionistic disorder, fetishistic disorder, frotteuristic disorder, sexual masochism disorder, sexual sadism disorder, transvestic disorder, voyeuristic disorder and pedophilic disorder. Despite all these things being labeled a “disorder” in DSMs for years, the actions some of them result in — for example, flashing, assault and battery, and “peeping Tom” behavior — are all uncontroversially illegal.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "American Psychiatric Association Struggles Again with Classifying Pedophilia" posted at Liberty Counsel 11/1/13

. . . following the public outcry [this week], APA released a statement that [their DSM has] a mistake.

“Clearly, if reclassifying pedophilia was merely an ‘error,’ it would have been caught in the ‘decade’s journey,’” says Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel.

“Whether it is classified a ‘sexual orientation’ or a ‘sexual interest,’ any effort to legitimize pedophilia will provide pederasts with all the arguments they need to remove age of consent laws, and children will suffer,” says Staver.

“The APA has lost credibility with this recent blunder over the classification for pedophilia. The APA has become co-opted by a political agenda. It is hard to see the APA any other way,” says Staver. “The implications of reclassifying natural law, whether it be for same-sex marriage or adult-children relationships, are far-reaching,” Staver concluded.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read 'Gay Kids' Can't Change, Says California Legislation

And read Acceptance of Bestiality Visible on the Horizon

For-credit Bible Study Back in Tenn. Public Schools

Eleven Hamilton County, Tennessee churches have joined hands to provide for teaching of the Bible as an academic elective in 20 middle and high schools, all in accord with a U.S. District Court decision.

“President Andrew Jackson said the Bible ‘is the rock on which our Republic rests.’ No one is truly educated without a knowledge of Scripture.”
-- Ron Phillips, pastor of Abba’s House

For background, read Tennessee Board of Education Approves Bible Teaching in Schools and also read Idaho School Takes Bible to Supreme Court as well as Texas Schools Must Teach 'Bible as History & Literature'



-- From "11 Churches Unite To Support Bible History Classes At Hixson Middle And High Schools" posted at The Chattanoogan 9/4/12

The “Hixson Gathering,” scheduled for Sept. 16, from 6-7:30 p.m., will feature a community meal, prayer service and fund-raiser at the Hixson Middle School gymnasium, 5681 Old Hixson Pike.

Organizers hope to raise enough money to fund the cost of two full-time Bible history teachers at Hixson Middle and High schools. Proceeds will be directed to the schools through Bible in the Schools, a local nonprofit organization.

“I would love to say ‘thank you’ to the Hixson community for helping us to offer such a wonderful program in our schools,” said Hixson Middle School Principal LeAngela Rogers. “The teen years are a time of unprecedented growth socially, physically, emotionally and morally. Bible history classes contribute not only to their academic achievement but also to character education, as students develop into their own person,” Rogers said.

“The Bible is the most influential book ever written. It has shaped and transformed lives across several millennia, and it must surely be a valuable part of any well-rounded education,” said Robert Johnson, senior pastor of Hixson Presbyterian Church, another sponsoring church.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Churches band together for model program that has court approval" by Drew Zahn, World Net Daily 9/8/12

[Hamilton County] has found a way to keep biblical instruction in its public schools – with the blessing of a court decision, the support of the community and in keeping with a tradition that began in 1922.

With the help of an organization called Bible in the Schools, area residents, like those at the Hixson Gathering, are able to reimburse the Hamilton County Department of Education for certified Bible teachers – hired at no cost to the taxpayers – while dodging the legal tactics of groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

The program, which Bible in the Schools told WND it hopes can serve as a model for communities all across the U.S., began in 1922, when local resident Dr. J. Park McCallie first proposed a unique plan in which private citizens in the community would pay for teachers – who would, in turn, be subject to the board of education in scholarship and discipline – to instruct students in the history and language of the Bible. Doctrinal questions, however, would be directed back to the students’ pastors or priests.

The program was accepted and practiced until a court decision in 1979 temporarily stopped it.

On appeal, however, a U.S. District Court decision laid down guidelines for how the program could be reinstated with the court’s blessing and without violating the constitutional concerns that prompted the earlier decision.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read City Permit Required for Bible Study in California as well as Phoenix Christian Jailed for Home Worship Gatherings

Georgia School Stops Prayer, so Football Fans Pray

After a couple in Haralson County complained, the Wisconsin-based atheist Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) threatened to sue, so the school system stopped a 50-year tradition of prayer over the loud speakers at sporting events. In response, citizens now wear Christian T-shirts and pray loudly during the official "moment of silence" prior to football games.

For background, read Prayer in America: Hidden Faith, or Public? and also read Missouri Votes to Bring Prayer Back to School, Countering Atheists


-- From "50 years of prayer stopped after school threatened" by Mike Paluska, CBS WGCL-TV (Atlanta, GA)

[Local residents] Frank and Sarah Mcintire said they just wanted the school to stop violating the constitution, not to cause problems for the team.

Haralson County Schools Superintendent Brett Stanton said . . . "We are going to follow the guidelines of the Constitution. I think it is a huge adjustment for this community, something they are having to adapt to. And something that has really brought them together."

Instead of being silent during the moment of silence, fans and players decided they would pray.

The act, according to community members, was to show that just because the school can't broadcast their prayer over the PA system, they are not going to stop praying.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.



From "Haralson students expected to lead prayer at football game" by Amy K. Lavender, Times-Georgian 9/7/12

“The Haralson County School System strives to provide the best learning environment possible for all of our students,” Superintendent Brett Stanton said in a prepared statement. “We have recently been faced with the threat of legal action regarding prayer from the public address system before home football games. Personally, it saddens me since my faith is a very important part of my life.

The Rev. Mason Bush, pastor at Providence Baptist Church in Tallapoosa, had been the team chaplain for 15 years, but stepped down this year. He’ll no longer be leading prayers on the field, in the field house or over the PA system. Neither will coaches. But the law doesn’t prevent the students from leading prayers.

“By state law, prayer can still be led by students, and that’s what will happen here Friday night,” Bush said. “The children have taken it upon themselves to stand up for what they believe in. Students from the football team, the band and the cheer team have all volunteered to lead prayer on Friday night.”

“I think the Christians’ rights are being violated,” said Tallapoosa City Councilman Dan Pope, who was an educator for 29 years. “This country was founded by Christians, our forefathers were Christians, some of them were even ministers. We’ve always had prayer before the games. It saddens me this is the point we’ve gotten to in our country when a minority can tell the majority what they’re going to do.”

The Rev. Jason Hatchett, pastor First Baptist Church in Tallapoosa, said he has begun to seek legal advice from the Liberty Council to explore options against the potential lawsuit.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Michigan Marriage Amendment Unconstitutional?

A lesbian couple have been encouraged by a federal judge to challenge the Michigan constitution on the grounds that homosexual "marriage" is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. In 2004, the citizens of Michigan voted to amend their constitution to define marriage as one man and one woman.

Citizens of dozens of states have passed one-man-one-woman marriage amendments to their state constitutions explicitly to preclude judges from changing the definition of marriage. If federal judges rule against a marriage amendment of even one state, then only an amendment to the U.S. Constitution would allow any state to maintain traditional marriage.

For background, read There's No Right to Same-sex 'Marriage' Says Supreme Court Justice Scalia and also read ACLU Loses: Montana Marriage Amendment Holds in Court as well as Homosexual 'Marriage' Not Enough; Next Goal


-- From "Gay Hazel Park couple sues to unite their family" by Tammy Stables Battaglia, Detroit Free Press Staff Writer 9/8/12

[April] DeBoer and partner Jayne Rowse decided to take their battle in U.S. District Court in Detroit one step further Friday. They amended their complaint in front of Judge Bernard A. Friedman that asks for the right to adopt as a same-sex couple. Instead, they are challenging Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Attorney General Bill Schuette and Oakland County Clerk Bill Bullard Jr. to declare Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage and partnerships unconstitutional.

Their lawyer Dana Nessel said . . . "We are the Mississippi of the gay civil-rights era here in Michigan."

Friedman has agreed to hold off on decisions on the women's first case until the state officials have time to respond to the newest evolution of the case, Stanyar said. The case could take years as it winds its way through the court system, possibly through the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court, she said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Lesbian couple challenges Michigan's marriage law" by Christine Ferretti, The Detroit News 9/8/12

DeBoer and Rowse decided to amend their suit last week after U.S. District Judge Bernard A. Friedman called the marriage amendment the "underlying issue" during a motion hearing in which the state sought to have the second-parent adoption case tossed out.

DeBoer and Rowse argue the state's marriage amendment violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the U.S. Constitution.

Kary L. Moss, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, said in a statement that the group agrees with the challenge to the marriage amendment, which, the ACLU contends, violates the U.S. Constitution and harms families.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read 'Gay Marriage' Enables Polygamy Court Challenge

Christians OK with Romney, Non-religious Prefer Obama

A new Pew Research poll found that 81% of all Americans have no problem with Mitt Romney being a Mormon, while the latest Gallup poll found that those Americans who claim no religion favor President Obama over Romney by a wide margin of 69% to 23%.

For background, read Obama, Dems Severely Lacking of Christian Support and also read Obama a Christian? No, Say Two-Thirds of Americans as well as Black Pastors Line up to Oppose Obama

UPDATE 12/9/12: 70% of 'religiously unaffiliated' reelected President Obama

-- From "Survey: Voters More Comfortable With Romney’s Faith, Doubt Obama" by Benjamin Fearnow, CBS News D.C. 9/4/12

Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center [found that] . . . Fully eight-in-ten voters who know Romney is Mormon say they are either comfortable with his faith (60%) or that it doesn’t matter to them (21%).

Along religious lines, white evangelical Protestants and black Protestants, on the one hand, and atheists and agnostics on the other, are the most likely to say they are uncomfortable with Romney’s faith. But unease with Romney’s religion has little impact on voting preferences. Republicans and white evangelicals overwhelmingly back Romney irrespective of their views of his faith. Meanwhile, Democrats and seculars oppose him regardless of their impression.

A separate Pew Research survey, released July 24, found that voters have little interest in learning more about Romney’s religious beliefs.

On the other hand, scrutiny of Barack Obama’s religious faith has actually increased since 2008.

Forty-nine percent of voters surveyed said they think Obama is a Christian – which is down from 55 percent in 2008, but actually up from 38 percent in August 2010.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Gallup: Obama Enjoys Massive Lead Among Those With No Religion" by Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com 9/6/12

In the three-week period that ended on Sept. 3, according to Gallup, Obama led Romney 69 percent to 23 percent among those who have no religion. That was exactly the same result Gallup got in the previous three-week period ending Aug. 26.

In the three week period ending May 6, Obama led Romney 63 percent to 27 percent among registered voters with no religion.

Romney leads Obama in other religious categories that Gallup tracks. He leads Obama 47 percent to 45 percent among registered votes who say they are Catholic, 54 percent to 39 percent among those who say they are Protestant or Christian, 58 percent to 35 percent among those who say they are “highly religious” and 47 percent to 45 percent among those who say they are “moderately religious.”

Among registered voters who say they are “nonreligious,” Obama holds a 62 percent to 31 percent lead—not quite as large as his 69 percent to 23 percent lead among those who say they have no religion.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Alabama Students' Pre-game Prayer Counters Atheists

After the Escambia County Public Schools acquiesced to atheists' demands to terminate prayers at Flomaton High School football games, students lined the playing field, hand-in-hand, bowed their heads and prayed aloud.

For background, read Prayer in America: Hidden Faith, or Public? and also read Missouri Votes to Bring Prayer Back to School, Countering Atheists



-- From "Group Claims High School Prayers Illegal; Students Take A Stand" posted at NorthEscambia.com (News for Molino, Bratt, Walnut Hill, McDavid, Century & Cantonment) 9/5/12

Prayers led over the public address system at Flomaton High School football games was common prior to this year, as was the recital of the Lord’s Prayer by both players and coaches following Hurricane football games.

But that all came to an end prior to Flomaton’s Friday night season opener against Monroeville after the school district received a letter from the Freedom from Religion Foundation that claimed such prayers were illegal.

The school district responded to the letter by enforcing a ban against facility and students from participating in or leading prayer at school sponsored events.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Students join in prayer before football game" by Paige Malone, WALA-TV10 (Mobile, AL) 9/4/12

Many in the community said it is the student’s choice and support the prayer. But, the Freedom from Religion Foundation Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said this is not what you should see at a sporting event.

Superintendent Randall Little said the letter said the school system was in violation of a Supreme Court ruling that states any official sanction of prayer in public schools is unconstitutional, including sporting events.

Little said technically prayer is not forbidden on the field, as long as school employees do not organize it or participate.

"We shall comply with the laws as it comes to this issue. But at the same time, students have the right to lead in prayer as long as it is student led, student initiated. And, we shall reserve that right," said Little.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Most Homosexuals Who Want to Convert Report Change

Just as California government outlaws allowing homosexuals to obtain counseling from psychologists to reduce same-sex attraction, a new survey shows that 55% of those seeking such counseling saw the frequency and intensity of their deviant sexual desires diminish.

For background, read 'Gay Kids' Can't Change, Says California Legislation and also read Homosexuality NOT Fixed, Change Possible: Study as well as Homosexuals Can Change, Says Jewish Experts

-- From "Ex-gay group: 'New survey finds counseling to reduce homosexuality can be effective, beneficial'" by Steve Rothaus, Miami Herald 8/30/12
The survey was conducted by People Can Change, an international nonprofit organization of men who have successfully transitioned away from unwanted homosexuality who now support others seeking similar change.

The People Can Change survey found other reported outcomes from counseling were:

•53% of respondents said their unwanted homosexual behaviors were reduced or eliminated
•38% said heterosexual attractions emerged or increased
•58% said any remaining homosexual attractions became less troubling
•69% said their self-esteem improved
•69% said their shame diminished
•71% became more self-accepting
•66% felt more at peace

. . . Among respondents who had experienced serious suicidal thoughts at one time, 76% said that as a result of the counseling, those thoughts became either much less (60%) or somewhat less (16%) serious and frequent. In comparison, 11% said their suicidal thoughts increased.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.



From "Survey Suggests Unwanted Same-Sex Attractions Can Be Reduced Through Counseling" by Jeff Schapiro, Christian Post Reporter 9/1/12

"Hundreds of people are telling us their counseling worked, they benefited significantly, it helped them feel better about themselves -- and in some cases it even saved their lives," said Rich Wyler, founder and director of People Can Change, in a statement.

"Their voices have been largely silenced or ignored by pro-gay activists and mainstream media in favor of a more politically correct view, but the experience of these men and women is real. It is valid. They can tell you from firsthand experience that counseling to reduce homosexuality can be effective, even life-saving. Their voluntary choice to pursue change deserves respect."

Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out (TWO), an organization that works to fight "anti-gay lies and the ex-gay myth," told The Christian Post that the People Can Change study is "completely unscientific and bogus," because it is based on a survey of people who already had connections with the organization.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "15 groups to O'Reilly: Drop 'gay' radical [Wayne Besen]" posted at World Net Daily 8/23/12

Individuals representing a wide range of pro-family organizations have signed a request to Fox News host Bill O’Reilly to stop using homosexual activist Wayne Besen as a commentator on his program.

“When Fox News provides a forum to a radical homosexual activist known for employing inflammatory and hateful language in the service of promoting lies, the network becomes complicit in the damage done to the victims of Wayne Besen’s and the SPLC’s smear campaigns,” said the statement signed today by Mathew D. Staver of Liberty Counsel, Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern, Diane Gramley of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania and others.

The letter calls Besen a homosexual agitator.

. . . Besen and SPLC “are now filing complaints against therapists who counsel homosexuals with unwanted same-sex attractions, thereby denying gays the right of therapeutic self-determination.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Pro-marriage Catholics Break Law in Washington?

Federal IRS regulations allow tax-exempt organizations to advocate issues, such as urging citizens to vote consistent with church teaching, but the liberal mainstream media has inaccurately reported that the Washington state government has ruled that the Catholic church is outlawed from enabling parishioners to donate money to overturn the legislature's new law permitting same-sex "marriage." When pressed, Washington state officials clarified how the church is to handle contributions to issues campaigns.

For background, read Washington Seventh State for Same-sex 'Marriage'

-- From "Catholic churches can't collect donations to overturn gay marriage law, Washington state rules" by The Associated Press 8/28/12

Last week, Yakima Bishop Joseph Tyson sent a letter to pastors in 41 parishes of the Yakima Diocese asking them to announce a special collection that would go to Preserve Marriage Washington, which is fighting the same-sex marriage law that was passed earlier this year.

The diocese's chief of staff, Monsignor Robert Siler, said Tuesday . . . "As far as I know, the procedures we sent to the parishes meet the requirement of state law," he said, noting that the envelopes are preaddressed to the campaign.

"We're not collecting and counting money," he said. "We're just collecting envelopes and forwarding them."

But Lori Anderson, a spokeswoman for the state's Public Disclosure Commission, says no organization can be an intermediary for a contribution. She says the church can hand out envelopes, but either a member of Preserve Washington has to be on hand to collect them or parishioners must send them in individually.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Preserve Marriage site advises bundled donations, state says churches can't be intermediaries" by Rachel La Corte, Associated Press 8/30/12

The group seeking to overturn Washington's gay marriage law has been advising churches to take special collections and forward them to the campaign . . . Preserve Marriage Washington's website includes a "church tools" section, where it asks churches to collect "all envelopes from donors, put them in a larger mailing envelope, put your church name and return address on the mailing envelopes and send it via regular U.S. mail" to the campaign.

Christopher Plante, deputy campaign manager for Preserve Marriage, said he was confident that the campaign's fundraising process was "completely compliant with the PDC's rules."

"The PDC has in no way communicated with the Catholic church, or with Preserve Marriage Washington," he said. "We are confident that our legally reviewed materials comply with all of Washington state's campaign finance requirements."

He noted that the campaign has thousands of volunteers across the state, so it would have no problem collecting the donations if that was what was ultimately required.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Story claiming Wash. state ruled against Church marriage collections ‘misleading,’ official says" by Kathleen Gilbert, LifeSiteNews.com 8/31/12

. . . when Lori Anderson, a spokeswoman for the state’s Public Disclosure Commission, was asked whether the agency had ruled against the Catholic Church’s planned collection, she responded, “Oh gosh, no.”

“The [mainstream media] headline is kind of misleading, in my opinion,” said Anderson, the same official cited in the AP’s original report. Anderson told LifeSiteNews.com on Friday that the law means no one collecting from the pews can be employed or recruited by the Catholic Church. “Whoever’s doing that has to be an individual person,” such as a volunteer for Protect Marriage, she said.

That, according to the executive director of the Washington state Catholic Conference, was the plan all along.

Financially, Washington’s traditional marriage [fundraising] effort currently lags behind its opponents by more than a 12-to-1 ratio, with Washington United for Marriage garnerning over $6 million so far.

David Hains, communications director for the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte [North Carolina], said “No bishop or issue can support say a candidate, but they can do things to support issues,” he said. “Having collections to support issues is nothing new in the Church.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

School Tells Atheists that Prayer is NOT Illegal

Wisconsin atheists have threatened to sue the Walker County schools in Georgia because it claims that the Ridgeland High School football coach, Mark Mariakis, is a Christian who allows team prayer (led by students) and allows local churches to provide pre-game meals to the team. The school has replied that there's nothing unconstitutional going on, and that all traditions will continue despite the atheists' complaint.

For background, read Prayer in America: Hidden Faith, or Public? and also read Missouri Votes to Bring Prayer Back to School, Countering Atheists



-- From "Walker County school superintendent responds by letter to Freedom from Religion Foundation" posted at Rome News-Tribune 8/31/12

Walker County superintendent of schools Damon Raines sent a two-page response letter on Thursday to the Freedom From Religion Foundation [FFRF, of Madison, WI], which last week alleged First Amendment violations by the school system.

“The Walker County Board of Education feels that we are in compliance with all federal and state laws and will continue to monitor and scrutinize areas that are considered questionable,” Raines said.

“We will still continue to have pre-game meals in the manner that we have,” Raines said. “We have a large amount of community support in Walker County and we are proud of that tradition. There will be certain areas of (pre-game meals) that we will take into consideration and if we have to change certain practices then we will.”

He also addressed the allegation about football player attendance at a football camp run by a Christian ministry. Players receive a bunk, meals and a practice field. “There is no religious activity happening at that camp,” Raines said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.



From "Superintendent: No laws broken by Ridgeland coach" by Matt Ledger, The Walker County Messenger 8/31/12

“Your complaints are taken very seriously, and each enumerated complaint stated in your correspondence has been carefully reviewed,” Raines wrote to [FFRF's Andrew] Seidel in the letter, which was sent Thursday. “Walker County School System is concerned that each person within the system (student and employee) is afforded his or her constitutional rights.”

“No basis could be found to support your statement that coach Mariakis made fun of the Mormon religion or any religion,” Raines said.

Raines maintains that student-led prayer is allowed by the Constitution, but “will not be conducted during an impermissible time,” such as instructional time.

Raines also said that employees can participate in religious activities when it is outside the scope of their responsibility, even if it is on school property.

The allegations have brought a tidal wave of supporters that validate the hard work of school system employees and the “excellent football program headed by coach Mariakis,” Raines said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ridgeland High School football team plays amid prayer scrutiny" by Joy Lukachick, Chattanooga Times Free Press 9/1/12

. . . some fans [at Friday's game] traded in their black team shirts for a new one that displayed a player kneeling surrounded by the words "Take a knee and pray with me."

Mariakis supporters believe the fight at Ridgeland High is bigger than one coach, one team and one small town.

It's about challenging misinterpretation of the constitution, said Neal Brown, a local chaplain and pastor.

It's about supporting a way of life, said Erica Harris, a mom of a football player.

Some Christians and community members agree that there is a line between honoring God and not forcing religion on others. But if it's taken too far, nobody can enjoy their religious rights, said Jennifer Henry, a mom of one of the players.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ga. School District Says Football Coach Did Not Violate Church-State Separation" by Michael Gryboski, Christian Post Reporter 8/30/12

Mathew D. Staver, founder and chairman of the Liberty Counsel, which offered legal counsel should the debate go to court, told The Christian Post that there is no evidence Mariakis did anything wrong.

"There is no evidence at this point to suggest the coach has done anything wrong. He should be applauded for inspiring the players to be good sportsmen and good citizens," said Staver. "The Freedom From Religion Foundation is primarily a paper machine. The group writes a lot of letters, sues infrequently, and loses most of the time."

Public outcry in defense of Mariakis was found on social media, as multiple Facebook groups were created in support of the football coach. These included the open group "We Support Coach Mariakis!! Panther Nation!!" which has at present over 1,400 members and "Support Coach Mariakis," which in the past week has received over 10,000 likes.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Fewer Black Babies Killed under GOP, Dems Furious

A new study from Yale University and City University of New York shows that if the Republican Party abortion platform came to fruition and states could outlaw abortion, not only would the national abortion rate drop, but the rate among non-white Americans would drop the most.

For background, read Minorities Targeted by Planned Parenthood for Abortion: Study and also read Abortion Targeting Blacks: Exposed in Media Campaign as well as Black Genocide in New York City (nearly 2 of 3 killed in womb)

-- From "Abortion access in a post-Roe world" by Sarah Kliff, Washington Post 8/27/12

A new working paper from Theodore Joyce, Yuxiu Zhang and Ruoding Tan . . . explores what would change about abortion access if Roe were to be overturned and the issue of legal abortion returned to the states.

Overturning Roe, however, would by no means eliminate abortion. Even in a situation where 31 states banned legal abortion, the national abortion rate would only fall 14.9 percent.

The expectation is that, in a post-Roe world, the more liberal states, like New York and California, would continue to offer legal access — just as they did prior to the Roe decision. Most of the south and large swaths of the Midwest, however, would likely ban the procedure.

Even in the most extreme situation – one where 46 states ban abortion and only four allow legal access – the abortion rate only falls by 29 percent.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "The Quiet Racism of Abortion Bans" by Brian Fung, Associate Editor, The Atlantic 8/28/12

But whatever you make of those topline numbers, one thing seems certain: an abortion ban would disproportionately affect women from non-white and low-income backgrounds.

. . . In the scenario involving a 31-state ban, minorities would see their abortion rates drop 1.8 percentage points more than whites. In the extreme example of a 46-state ban, the difference would be 12.3 points.

For [non-white and low-income women], an abortion ban would mean either carrying their unplanned pregnancies to term . . . or resorting to unsafe, illegal abortions . . . [which would] create new headaches for states: between the threat to public health posed by underground abortions, and the rise of teen birth rates; the added economic burden on state social and health-care services; the mockery it'd make of public statistics; and their inherent racial and socio-economic unfairness, it's hard to see how abortion bans would advance anything except ideology.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read and view a vintage interview with Planned Parenthood founder, eugenicist Margaret Sanger