Deseret News:
Writing on CNN's Belief Blog, Richard J. Mouw, president of the Fuller Theological Seminary, an evangelical school in Pasadena, Calif., says he "begs to differ" with those who say that "to cast a vote for (Romney) is to promote the cause of a cult."
...
"We evangelicals and our Mormon counterparts disagree about some important theological questions," Mouw continued. "But we have also found that on some matters we are not as far apart as we thought we were.
...
There are other evangelicals who support Mitt Romney, such as those behind the website EvangelicalsForMitt.org.
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Should traditional Christians be comfortable supporting Mormon candidates for office?
Patheos columnist and evangelical J. E. Dyer wrote that Christians can indeed vote for Mormons. She said that neither Mitt Romney's or Jon Huntsman's religious views affect her political opinions about their suitability to be president. "I've never really 'gotten' the antipathy of some evangelical conservatives to Mormon politicians," she wrote. "On the other hand, reports of that antipathy may be somewhat overblown."
...
Dyer then made a case for voting for Mormons. She said Mormons are integrated into mainstream American life and are "simply part of the community." She said they "are law-abiding, responsible, and positive about the tenets of American political philosophy." Their political ideas are within the mainstream and also run the gamut from the liberal left to the conservative right. "LDS politicians work within the limits of constitutional government. They have no history of failing to respect First Amendment protections, nor do they advocate applying religious principles inappropriately to the activities of the state."
Read the rest here.
EvangelicalsForMitt.org
...
Dyer then made a case for voting for Mormons. She said Mormons are integrated into mainstream American life and are "simply part of the community." She said they "are law-abiding, responsible, and positive about the tenets of American political philosophy." Their political ideas are within the mainstream and also run the gamut from the liberal left to the conservative right. "LDS politicians work within the limits of constitutional government. They have no history of failing to respect First Amendment protections, nor do they advocate applying religious principles inappropriately to the activities of the state."
Read the rest here.
EvangelicalsForMitt.org
EU School Calendars Scrub Christian Holidays, Keep Muslim Ones
A peek into America's future if we keep down the progressive road. Conservatives need to stand up for the small things if we want to avoid the big things.
A new 2011-2012 school calendar for children published by a branch of the European Union has omitted references to Christian holidays but has kept its references to prominent Jewish, Hindu, and even Muslims holidays, according to a Catholic news outlet.
Catholic News Agency (CNA) reports the European Commission printed three million school diaries, which include the calendars, that it hands out free of charge to students who request them. But missing from all the copies were any references to sacred Christian holidays.
Read the rest here.
A new 2011-2012 school calendar for children published by a branch of the European Union has omitted references to Christian holidays but has kept its references to prominent Jewish, Hindu, and even Muslims holidays, according to a Catholic news outlet.
Catholic News Agency (CNA) reports the European Commission printed three million school diaries, which include the calendars, that it hands out free of charge to students who request them. But missing from all the copies were any references to sacred Christian holidays.
Read the rest here.
Saudi Prince in Support of Moving Ground Zero Mosque
Good for him, nice to see some logic being employed on the other side of the argument.
Via The Blaze:
"DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A Saudi prince who has aided the imam spearheading a proposed Islamic center near New York’s ground zero is appealing for another site not associated with the “wound” of the Sept. 11 attacks, a report said Thursday.
In interview excerpts published by the Dubai-based Arabian Business magazine, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was quoted as saying that moving the planned mosque, health club and cultural center would respect the memory of those killed in the 2001 attacks and allow American Muslims to choose a more suitable location.
The comments are reportedly the prince’s first public views on the dispute, which has stirred street protests and fiery debates between religious and political leaders over America’s freedom of worship versus the lingering anger over the 9/11 attacks."
Via The Blaze:
"DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A Saudi prince who has aided the imam spearheading a proposed Islamic center near New York’s ground zero is appealing for another site not associated with the “wound” of the Sept. 11 attacks, a report said Thursday.
In interview excerpts published by the Dubai-based Arabian Business magazine, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was quoted as saying that moving the planned mosque, health club and cultural center would respect the memory of those killed in the 2001 attacks and allow American Muslims to choose a more suitable location.
The comments are reportedly the prince’s first public views on the dispute, which has stirred street protests and fiery debates between religious and political leaders over America’s freedom of worship versus the lingering anger over the 9/11 attacks."
Utah Gay Rights Advocates Protest Remarks by LDS Church Leader
I fully support the remarks made by the LDS Church, and in fact agree with them. I thought he was very respectful, but still true to the church's Christan beliefs. I also don't have a problem with the protestors, at least they were peaceful. What are your thoughts?
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gay rights activists staged a silent protest Thursday outside the headquarters of the Mormon church in Salt Lake City in response to a church leader’s remarks that homosexuality is an immoral condition that can and should be overcome.
The sermon by Boyd K. Packer, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, came Sunday during the 180th semiannual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City.
In his remarks Packer said some would argue that gays “were pre-set and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn tendencies toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Why would our Heavenly Father do that to anyone?”
...
In a statement issued near the end of the rally, church officials said they support the right of groups to voice their opinion in the public square.
“Those familiar with the Church‘s doctrine on the importance of marriage and family know it is based on principles of respect and love for all of God’s children,” spokesman Scott Trotter said in the statement. “We have continually emphasized that there is no room in this discussion for hatred or mistreatment of anyone.”
A similar statement was issued in the days following Packer’s speech, which also defended the faith’s stance against gay marriage. Packer, 86, who is next in line for the church’s presidency, said those who tolerate or advocate voting for same-sex marriage want to legalize immorality, “as if a vote would somehow alter the designs of God’s laws and nature.”
For more, read the article in the Deseret News.
"I represent a church that believes in human dignity, in treating others with respect even when we disagree — in fact, especially when we disagree," said church spokesman Michael Otterson at a November 2009 public hearing on the ordinance. "Our language will always be respectful and acknowledge those who differ, but (we) will also be clear on matters that we feel are of great consequence to our society."
Video Courtesy of KSL.com
From the Blaze:SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gay rights activists staged a silent protest Thursday outside the headquarters of the Mormon church in Salt Lake City in response to a church leader’s remarks that homosexuality is an immoral condition that can and should be overcome.
The sermon by Boyd K. Packer, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, came Sunday during the 180th semiannual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City.
In his remarks Packer said some would argue that gays “were pre-set and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn tendencies toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Why would our Heavenly Father do that to anyone?”
...
In a statement issued near the end of the rally, church officials said they support the right of groups to voice their opinion in the public square.
“Those familiar with the Church‘s doctrine on the importance of marriage and family know it is based on principles of respect and love for all of God’s children,” spokesman Scott Trotter said in the statement. “We have continually emphasized that there is no room in this discussion for hatred or mistreatment of anyone.”
A similar statement was issued in the days following Packer’s speech, which also defended the faith’s stance against gay marriage. Packer, 86, who is next in line for the church’s presidency, said those who tolerate or advocate voting for same-sex marriage want to legalize immorality, “as if a vote would somehow alter the designs of God’s laws and nature.”
For more, read the article in the Deseret News.
"I represent a church that believes in human dignity, in treating others with respect even when we disagree — in fact, especially when we disagree," said church spokesman Michael Otterson at a November 2009 public hearing on the ordinance. "Our language will always be respectful and acknowledge those who differ, but (we) will also be clear on matters that we feel are of great consequence to our society."
Museum Exhibit Portrays Jesus in Sex Act
A museum in Colorado has an exhibit that shows the Son of God in a pornographic pose. What are your thoughts with regard to free speech? I believe this does fall under free speech, my question is, what happened to decency and respect? Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD. Via The Blaze:
A Loveland, Co., public art museum has sparked a heated debate among the town’s residents after highlighting an exhibit which seems to feature Jesus Christ in a tawdry sex act.
The controversial piece is part of a 10-artist exhibit called, “The Legend of Bud Shark and His Indelible Ink.” The lithograph showing the son of God engaged in a sexual act is called, “The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals,” and was created by Stanford University professor Enrique Chagoya.
A Loveland, Co., public art museum has sparked a heated debate among the town’s residents after highlighting an exhibit which seems to feature Jesus Christ in a tawdry sex act.
The controversial piece is part of a 10-artist exhibit called, “The Legend of Bud Shark and His Indelible Ink.” The lithograph showing the son of God engaged in a sexual act is called, “The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals,” and was created by Stanford University professor Enrique Chagoya.
Pastor Terry Jones' Planned Burning of the Quran
I'll come right out and say that I don't agree with this "demonstration." That isn't to say it doesn't fall under his right to free speech, but I personally don't agree with it. But just as we have the freedom to speak, to burn flags and bibles, we also have the right to freedom of religion. I just don't view it as a legitimate form of protest or disagreement. What are your thoughts?
Christian Preacher Arrested for Saying Homosexuality is a Sin
Sounds like England is just as screwed up as we are. Good has become bad, and bad has become good. We must all be tolerant of each others beliefs, unless those beliefs are Christian.
A Christian street preacher was arrested and locked in a cell for telling a passer-by that homosexuality is a sin in the eyes of God. Dale McAlpine was charged with causing “harassment, alarm or distress” after a homosexual police community support officer (PCSO) overheard him reciting a number of “sins” referred to in the Bible, including blasphemy, drunkenness and same sex relationships.
The 42-year-old Baptist, who has preached Christianity in Wokington, Cumbria for years, said he did not mention homosexuality while delivering a sermon from the top of a stepladder, but admitted telling a passing shopper that he believed it went against the word of God. Police officers are alleging that he made the remark in a voice loud enough to be overheard by others and have charged him with using abusive or insulting language, contrary to the Public Order Act.
Mr McAlpine, who was taken to the police station in the back of a marked van and locked in a cell for seven hours on April 20, said the incident was among the worst experiences of his life. “I felt deeply shocked and humiliated that I had been arrested in my own town and treated like a common criminal in front of people I know," he said.
“My freedom was taken away on the hearsay of someone who disliked what I said, and I was charged under a law that doesn't apply.” Christian campaigners have expressed alarm that the Public Order Act, introduced in 1986 to tackle violent rioters and football hooligans, is being used to curb religious free speech. Mr McAlpine pleaded not guilty at a preliminary hearing on Friday at Wokingham magistrates court and is now awaiting a trial date.
A Christian street preacher was arrested and locked in a cell for telling a passer-by that homosexuality is a sin in the eyes of God. Dale McAlpine was charged with causing “harassment, alarm or distress” after a homosexual police community support officer (PCSO) overheard him reciting a number of “sins” referred to in the Bible, including blasphemy, drunkenness and same sex relationships.
The 42-year-old Baptist, who has preached Christianity in Wokington, Cumbria for years, said he did not mention homosexuality while delivering a sermon from the top of a stepladder, but admitted telling a passing shopper that he believed it went against the word of God. Police officers are alleging that he made the remark in a voice loud enough to be overheard by others and have charged him with using abusive or insulting language, contrary to the Public Order Act.
Mr McAlpine, who was taken to the police station in the back of a marked van and locked in a cell for seven hours on April 20, said the incident was among the worst experiences of his life. “I felt deeply shocked and humiliated that I had been arrested in my own town and treated like a common criminal in front of people I know," he said.
“My freedom was taken away on the hearsay of someone who disliked what I said, and I was charged under a law that doesn't apply.” Christian campaigners have expressed alarm that the Public Order Act, introduced in 1986 to tackle violent rioters and football hooligans, is being used to curb religious free speech. Mr McAlpine pleaded not guilty at a preliminary hearing on Friday at Wokingham magistrates court and is now awaiting a trial date.
Belief in God Relieves the Blues
There just might be something to all that "God" stuff that secular humanists so often love to scorn.University of Toronto psychologists reported last year that "believing in God can help block anxiety and minimize stress," their research showcasing "distinct brain differences" between believers and nonbelievers.
A new study released Wednesday by Rush University Medical Center in Chicago took the idea a step further. In patients diagnosed with clinical depression, "belief in a concerned God can improve response to medical treatment," said the new research, which has been published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
The operative term here is "caring," the researchers said. "The study found that those with strong beliefs in a personal and concerned God were more likely to experience an improvement."
And, in modern America we pay Him back by stripping Him from our schools, our holidays, our society.
Via
Nothing Sacred - Transvestites and Mao Adorn White House Christmas Tree
This isn't a joke, you have to see this article from Big Government, along with the pictures.Why let a holiday season come between the White House and making some political statements? The White House pegged controversial designer Simon Doonan to oversee the Christmas decorations for the White House. Mr. Doonan, who is creative director of Barney’s New York has often caused a stir with his design choices. Like his naughty yuletide window display of Margaret Thatcher as a dowdy dominatrix and Dan Quayle as a ventriloquist’s dummy. For this year’s White House, he didn’t disappoint.
Read the rest here.
Thanks Steph!
The Frightening Rise Of Christian Persecution Worldwide
Thanks Michael S. for this great post, from This is the End of the World as we Know it.
The Frightening Rise Of Christian Persecution: Christians Around The World Are Being Shot, Burned, Hanged, Tortured And Stuffed Into Metal Shipping Containers
There is a widely quoted statistic that more Christians died for their faith in the 20th century than in the 19 centuries leading up to it. But as bad as the 20th century was, the 21st century is starting to make that look like a Sunday picnic. In every corner of the globe, Christians are being shot, burned, hanged, tortured and even stuffed into metal shipping containers. Christian clergy are being marked for assassination around the world, hundreds of churches are being burned to the ground along with scores of homes and businesses owned by Christians. Dozens of nations across the globe have now passed strict anti-conversion laws in an attempt to stifle the spread of Christianity. In the countries where Christians are not yet facing physical persecution, they still must deal with open discrimination, lawsuits and increasing ridicule. Christianity is now the most hated and most persecuted religion on the plant. The reality is that the words that Jesus spoke in John 15:18 ring truer today than ever: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."
Keep those words in mind as you read the following shocking reports of Christian persecution from all over the world....
China
Chinese authorities have conducted a crackdown on "illegal" Christian churches in recent months that church leaders are calling the harshest in years. Christians in China are required to worship in "churches" run by state-controlled organizations, and Christians who attempt to worship on their own are brutally persecuted.
Recently, hundreds of government police and hired thugs descended on a megachurch that served approximately 50,000 worshippers, smashing doors and windows, seizing Bibles and sending dozens of worshippers to hospitals with serious injuries. The co-pastors of the church are in prison and police vehicles remain parked on virtually every corner of the neighborhood where the church is located. Scenes such as this are regularly being repeated all over China as the Communist government seeks to eliminate all religion that is not government-sanctioned.
Eritrea
In a story that recently made headlines all over the world, thirty elderly women in Eritrea were arrested for simply praying together. But the truth is that this is just the latest episode in an ongoing persecution of Christians that is beyond brutal.
The Pakistan Christian TV website recently described the horrifc persecution of Christians in Eritrea this way....
Today some 3,000 Eritrean Christians are imprisoned for their faith. Some are in underground and solitary cells whilst some are in 'secret' prisons for the 'disappeared'. However, most are herded into unventilated shipping containers in the desert where dysentery and infectious diseases go untreated. Torture is routine.
The truth is that these unventilated shipping containers are extremely uncomfortable. The temperatures in these metal shipping containers can reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and in many instances Christians are not even let out of them to use the bathroom.
Assassinations Of Clergy
Increasingly, Christian clergy are being targeted for assassination all over the world. The following are just a few of the recent examples....
*A Russian priest that had been highly critical of Islam has been assassinated inside his own church.
*Leftist guerrillas in Colombia brutally executed a Christian pastor just outside his own home.
*Two masked members of the al-Shabaab Muslim militia shot and killed a Christian pastor in Somalia as he drove home from a worship service.
India
Persecution of Christians in India is getting so bad that India actually made International Christian Concern's Hall of Shame.
According to the ICC, 2008 was particularly bad, with "wave after wave of highly coordinated Hindu raids" that resulted in "the worst outbreak of anti-Christian violence in its recent history."
The statistics that the ICC quotes regarding the outbreak of persecution in India are sobering....
"In all, more than 100 Christians are confirmed dead, 4,000 homes have burned down, and over 50,000 Christians have fled their homes."
The following is just one example of what is going on in India. This story was originally posted by The Voice of the Martyrs....
----
On April 25, Pastor Mohan Babu and two other believers were severely beaten by 35 Hindu extremists for holding a Vacation Bible School (VBS) near Bangalore City, in Karnataka State. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts in India, the three-day VBS was organized by Ragigudda Baptist Church. VOM sources said, "Around 60 children from different backgrounds were attending the VBS. As they were worshiping, about 35 people belonging to a Hindu extremist group forcefully entered the hut chanting slogans and demolished the hut. The extremists mercilessly beat Mohan, Samuel and Krishna, alleging forceful conversion. The perpetrators chased the children without any courtesy and tore the Bibles. Mohan was severely injured on his lips and was profusely bleeding. The believers are living in fear and did not lodge complaint with the police."
----
Egypt
Hundreds of Muslim villagers in southern Egypt recently burned and looted scores of Christian-owned shops. Christians in Egypt live in a constant state of fear and thousands are being forced to relocate. In fact, the forced deportation of Egyptian Christians from their homes by the government in order to "protect" them is rapidly increasing.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, of course, strictly forbids the conversion of any Muslim to Christianity. The penalty for conversion is death. Back in 2008, The daughter of a man who works for Saudi Arabia's religious police became a Christian after she joined an Internet chat group. He responded by cutting out her tongue and burning her to death.
The United Kingdom and Europe
All across Europe, "anti-proselytising" laws are being passed. Not only that, but other laws are being adopted that force Christians to deny their beliefs. For example, the U.K. government is being forced by the European Commission to eliminate exemptions that allow churches to refuse to employ homosexual staff.
North Korea
North Korea is one of the most brutally repressive governments in the history of mankind. Tonight more than 200,000 Christians will try to stay warm in horrific North Korean labor camps.
Christians there are considered little more than dogs as the following story from The Voice Of The Martyrs illustrates.....
----
The young brown-eyed girl looked up at her mother. What would she decide?
Earlier that morning, the young girl's mother, their pastor, and twenty-six others in her North Korean village of GokSan were bound and taken before a screaming crowd of Communists.
One of the guards ordered Pastor Kim and the other Christians, "Deny Christ, or you will die." The words chilled her. How could they ask her to deny Jesus? She knew in her heart he was real. They all quietly refused.
Then the Communist guard shouted directly at the adult Christians, "Deny Christ, or we will hang your children." The young girl looked up at her mother. She gripped her and knowing how much her mom loved her. her mother then leaned down. With confidence and peace she whispered, "Today, my love, I will see you in heaven."
All of the children were hanged.
The remaining believers were then brought out onto the pavement and forced to lie down in front of a huge steamroller. The Communists gave them one last chance. "Deny this Jesus or you will be crushed." The Christians had already given up their children; there was no turning back.
As the driver started the heavy piece of equipment, the singing from the villagers started softly. "More love, O Christ, to thee, more love to thee."
----
United States
Even with everything that has happened, the United States still offers Christians more freedom than virtually anywhere else on earth. But that is quickly changing as well. Christians in the U.S. just do not have the same level of freedom that they used to experience.
For example, school teachers in Florida say that they are being forced to hide in closets to pray after a controversial court ruling. All expressions of Christian faith are being ruthlessly pushed out of the public sphere by very powerful interest groups.
Calls for government repression of Christianity in the United States have grown louder than ever before. The Huffington Post even published a deeply disturbing article that calls evangelical Christianity the number one source of domestic terrorism in the United States and that calls on the Secret Service and the FBI to investigate and "infiltrate" pro-life and evangelical Christian groups.
Not only that, but many of the hottest best selling books in recent years have publicly mocked Christianity....
Just consider the titles of a few recent New York Times bestsellers.....
*"God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything" by journalist Christopher Hitchens.
*"The End of Faith" by atheist author Sam Harris.
*"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins.
But this anti-Christian sentiment is just not held by a few elitists. The reality is that it has spread to much of the general population.
For example, the following are the titles of just a few anti-Christian threads on one of the most popular political discussion forums on the Internet....
"Dirty, Filthy, Christians": Treatise On The Most Dangerous Death Cult In Human History
How can we destroy Christians?
Christians should not participate in politics
Why Christians are so ******* lame...
Attention Heterosexuals! Repent! Jesus Can Finally Make You Gay!
Christian are sub-humans
The truth is that hatred for Christians and Christianity is rapidly increasing.
Jesus warned us that these days would come.
In Matthew 24:9, Jesus told us how the world will treat Christians in the end times....
"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me."
The times ahead of us are not referred to as "the Tribulation" for nothing. It will be an absolute bloodbath for Christians. The entire world system will be geared towards eliminating all traces of the true Christian faith. Members of the same family will even betray one another to the authorities.
The truth is that things are not going to get any easier for Christians from here on out. Someday soon there will be no place to hide from Christian persecution.
When that day arrives, what will you do?
The Frightening Rise Of Christian Persecution: Christians Around The World Are Being Shot, Burned, Hanged, Tortured And Stuffed Into Metal Shipping Containers
There is a widely quoted statistic that more Christians died for their faith in the 20th century than in the 19 centuries leading up to it. But as bad as the 20th century was, the 21st century is starting to make that look like a Sunday picnic. In every corner of the globe, Christians are being shot, burned, hanged, tortured and even stuffed into metal shipping containers. Christian clergy are being marked for assassination around the world, hundreds of churches are being burned to the ground along with scores of homes and businesses owned by Christians. Dozens of nations across the globe have now passed strict anti-conversion laws in an attempt to stifle the spread of Christianity. In the countries where Christians are not yet facing physical persecution, they still must deal with open discrimination, lawsuits and increasing ridicule. Christianity is now the most hated and most persecuted religion on the plant. The reality is that the words that Jesus spoke in John 15:18 ring truer today than ever: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."
Keep those words in mind as you read the following shocking reports of Christian persecution from all over the world....
China
Chinese authorities have conducted a crackdown on "illegal" Christian churches in recent months that church leaders are calling the harshest in years. Christians in China are required to worship in "churches" run by state-controlled organizations, and Christians who attempt to worship on their own are brutally persecuted.
Recently, hundreds of government police and hired thugs descended on a megachurch that served approximately 50,000 worshippers, smashing doors and windows, seizing Bibles and sending dozens of worshippers to hospitals with serious injuries. The co-pastors of the church are in prison and police vehicles remain parked on virtually every corner of the neighborhood where the church is located. Scenes such as this are regularly being repeated all over China as the Communist government seeks to eliminate all religion that is not government-sanctioned.
Eritrea
In a story that recently made headlines all over the world, thirty elderly women in Eritrea were arrested for simply praying together. But the truth is that this is just the latest episode in an ongoing persecution of Christians that is beyond brutal.
The Pakistan Christian TV website recently described the horrifc persecution of Christians in Eritrea this way....
Today some 3,000 Eritrean Christians are imprisoned for their faith. Some are in underground and solitary cells whilst some are in 'secret' prisons for the 'disappeared'. However, most are herded into unventilated shipping containers in the desert where dysentery and infectious diseases go untreated. Torture is routine.
The truth is that these unventilated shipping containers are extremely uncomfortable. The temperatures in these metal shipping containers can reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and in many instances Christians are not even let out of them to use the bathroom.
Assassinations Of Clergy
Increasingly, Christian clergy are being targeted for assassination all over the world. The following are just a few of the recent examples....
*A Russian priest that had been highly critical of Islam has been assassinated inside his own church.
*Leftist guerrillas in Colombia brutally executed a Christian pastor just outside his own home.
*Two masked members of the al-Shabaab Muslim militia shot and killed a Christian pastor in Somalia as he drove home from a worship service.
India
Persecution of Christians in India is getting so bad that India actually made International Christian Concern's Hall of Shame.
According to the ICC, 2008 was particularly bad, with "wave after wave of highly coordinated Hindu raids" that resulted in "the worst outbreak of anti-Christian violence in its recent history."
The statistics that the ICC quotes regarding the outbreak of persecution in India are sobering....
"In all, more than 100 Christians are confirmed dead, 4,000 homes have burned down, and over 50,000 Christians have fled their homes."
The following is just one example of what is going on in India. This story was originally posted by The Voice of the Martyrs....
----
On April 25, Pastor Mohan Babu and two other believers were severely beaten by 35 Hindu extremists for holding a Vacation Bible School (VBS) near Bangalore City, in Karnataka State. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts in India, the three-day VBS was organized by Ragigudda Baptist Church. VOM sources said, "Around 60 children from different backgrounds were attending the VBS. As they were worshiping, about 35 people belonging to a Hindu extremist group forcefully entered the hut chanting slogans and demolished the hut. The extremists mercilessly beat Mohan, Samuel and Krishna, alleging forceful conversion. The perpetrators chased the children without any courtesy and tore the Bibles. Mohan was severely injured on his lips and was profusely bleeding. The believers are living in fear and did not lodge complaint with the police."
----
Egypt
Hundreds of Muslim villagers in southern Egypt recently burned and looted scores of Christian-owned shops. Christians in Egypt live in a constant state of fear and thousands are being forced to relocate. In fact, the forced deportation of Egyptian Christians from their homes by the government in order to "protect" them is rapidly increasing.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, of course, strictly forbids the conversion of any Muslim to Christianity. The penalty for conversion is death. Back in 2008, The daughter of a man who works for Saudi Arabia's religious police became a Christian after she joined an Internet chat group. He responded by cutting out her tongue and burning her to death.
The United Kingdom and Europe
All across Europe, "anti-proselytising" laws are being passed. Not only that, but other laws are being adopted that force Christians to deny their beliefs. For example, the U.K. government is being forced by the European Commission to eliminate exemptions that allow churches to refuse to employ homosexual staff.
North Korea
North Korea is one of the most brutally repressive governments in the history of mankind. Tonight more than 200,000 Christians will try to stay warm in horrific North Korean labor camps.
Christians there are considered little more than dogs as the following story from The Voice Of The Martyrs illustrates.....
----
The young brown-eyed girl looked up at her mother. What would she decide?
Earlier that morning, the young girl's mother, their pastor, and twenty-six others in her North Korean village of GokSan were bound and taken before a screaming crowd of Communists.
One of the guards ordered Pastor Kim and the other Christians, "Deny Christ, or you will die." The words chilled her. How could they ask her to deny Jesus? She knew in her heart he was real. They all quietly refused.
Then the Communist guard shouted directly at the adult Christians, "Deny Christ, or we will hang your children." The young girl looked up at her mother. She gripped her and knowing how much her mom loved her. her mother then leaned down. With confidence and peace she whispered, "Today, my love, I will see you in heaven."
All of the children were hanged.
The remaining believers were then brought out onto the pavement and forced to lie down in front of a huge steamroller. The Communists gave them one last chance. "Deny this Jesus or you will be crushed." The Christians had already given up their children; there was no turning back.
As the driver started the heavy piece of equipment, the singing from the villagers started softly. "More love, O Christ, to thee, more love to thee."
----
United States
Even with everything that has happened, the United States still offers Christians more freedom than virtually anywhere else on earth. But that is quickly changing as well. Christians in the U.S. just do not have the same level of freedom that they used to experience.
For example, school teachers in Florida say that they are being forced to hide in closets to pray after a controversial court ruling. All expressions of Christian faith are being ruthlessly pushed out of the public sphere by very powerful interest groups.
Calls for government repression of Christianity in the United States have grown louder than ever before. The Huffington Post even published a deeply disturbing article that calls evangelical Christianity the number one source of domestic terrorism in the United States and that calls on the Secret Service and the FBI to investigate and "infiltrate" pro-life and evangelical Christian groups.
Not only that, but many of the hottest best selling books in recent years have publicly mocked Christianity....
Just consider the titles of a few recent New York Times bestsellers.....
*"God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything" by journalist Christopher Hitchens.
*"The End of Faith" by atheist author Sam Harris.
*"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins.
But this anti-Christian sentiment is just not held by a few elitists. The reality is that it has spread to much of the general population.
For example, the following are the titles of just a few anti-Christian threads on one of the most popular political discussion forums on the Internet....
"Dirty, Filthy, Christians": Treatise On The Most Dangerous Death Cult In Human History
How can we destroy Christians?
Christians should not participate in politics
Why Christians are so ******* lame...
Attention Heterosexuals! Repent! Jesus Can Finally Make You Gay!
Christian are sub-humans
The truth is that hatred for Christians and Christianity is rapidly increasing.
Jesus warned us that these days would come.
In Matthew 24:9, Jesus told us how the world will treat Christians in the end times....
"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me."
The times ahead of us are not referred to as "the Tribulation" for nothing. It will be an absolute bloodbath for Christians. The entire world system will be geared towards eliminating all traces of the true Christian faith. Members of the same family will even betray one another to the authorities.
The truth is that things are not going to get any easier for Christians from here on out. Someday soon there will be no place to hide from Christian persecution.
When that day arrives, what will you do?
Send the ACLU a Christmas Card
Let's spread a little Christmas cheer this year. I recommend sending a Christmas card to the ACLU. Heck, send more than one; and tell your friends.Send them a religious card, and mark the envelope "In God We Trust."
Their address is:
ACLU
125 Broad Street
18th floor
New York, NY 10004
Let's drive them crazy like they do us all year.
Thanks Mary!
Bishop slams carols "Away in a Manger," "Come All Ye Faithful"
LONDON — A leading Church of England bishop has slammed a number of the world’s favorite Christmas carols, saying some have “nonsense” words that are embarrassing and others reek of “Victorian behavior control.”Full Article
Bishop Nick Baines of Croydon said “all sorts of fantasies have grown up around Christmas” that leave many people thinking of the celebration as “nothing more than some sort of fairy story.”
Via
Merry Christmas
'Twas the month before ChristmasWhen all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
You see the PC Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - now called "winter holiday."
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About shepherds and wise men and angels and things.
"It might hurt people's feelings," the teachers would say
December 25th is just a "holiday."
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
CDs from Madonna, an X-BOX, an i-Pod
They couldn't help it, they just had to get it.
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, now Darden, now Sharpton, and Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton.
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace.
The true gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate "Winter Break" under your "Dream Tree"
Sipping your Starbucks, please listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout "MERRY CHRISTMAS," not "Happy Holiday!"
James David Manning, PhD Recieves a Visit from Homeland Security
Our friend Mary tells me that James David Manning, PhD received a visit from Homeland Security Secret Service Officials, on Monday, 16 November, 2009 to investigate Dr. Manning's statements in the video called “Tea Party Please Go Birth Certificate Viral.”
A little intimidation going on here? I guess the administration thought he was getting too close to the truth, or perhaps they just don't like a black man speaking against Obama. Either way, it is typical Chicago style thug politics, and it is wrong.
Watch the video, because there is clearly something in there that we aren't supposed to see.
A little intimidation going on here? I guess the administration thought he was getting too close to the truth, or perhaps they just don't like a black man speaking against Obama. Either way, it is typical Chicago style thug politics, and it is wrong.
Watch the video, because there is clearly something in there that we aren't supposed to see.
One Nation Under God
This is an incredible painting by Jon McNaughton. This painting represents McNaughton's response to criticism of "One Nation Under God."
Read the explanation below the painting and then view the painting. You can move the mouse over any person and the right side of the screen gives a description of that person. Just move the mouse, don't click.
http://www.mcnaughtonart.com/artwork/view_zoom/?artpiece_id=353
Thanks Craig!
Read the explanation below the painting and then view the painting. You can move the mouse over any person and the right side of the screen gives a description of that person. Just move the mouse, don't click.
http://www.mcnaughtonart.com/artwork/view_zoom/?artpiece_id=353
Thanks Craig!
Protest Planned in Frankfort Kentucky - Taking Back Christmas
I recieved the following from our friend Mica Sims:Pastor Jeff Fugate of Clays Mill Road Baptist Church in Lexington is known for opposing the Governor on expanded gambling; Now you can add Holiday Tree to that list.
Recently, the Governor dubbed the State’s traditional Christmas tree a “holiday” tree to be, as he says, inclusive. Now, Pastor Fugate invites you to “Christmas Caroling at the Capitol”. The event is expected to draw thousands to the Capitol to take a stand for Christ which is why we celebrate Christmas.
The Governor said, "What is important is to remember what this time of year is all about — family and caring for those less fortunate." That is not what Christmas is all about though these things are included – Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus!
Christmas Caroling at the Capitol
When – Dec. 7th 6:30 PM EST
Where – Front steps of State Capitol, Frankfort
Rain Date – Dec. 8th 6:30 PM
For more information you may contact Pastor Fugate at 859-533-2208 or email him at pastorfugate@msn.com
The Mistaken Faiths of Our Age
By Rev. Robert A. Sirico
Thanks Greg!
In the midst of financial crisis, Pope Benedict made a statement that immediately hit the headlines. He said "with the collapse of big banks we see that money disappears, is nothing and all these things that appear real are in fact of secondary importance." He further warned against attempting to build one's life "only on things that are visible, such as success, career, money... The only solid reality is the word of God."Via
His comments were extension of the Gospel message applied in perilous times. In times of plenty, there is a grave temptation to see in material goods the salvation of our lives. We cling to them, and we discover our disordered attachments in economic bad times. We can go further to observe that this is not only a problem in wealthy societies. Greed and godless materialism are also features of poor societies as well, though they are expressed in a different form.
Benedict also wrote about another form of materialism that has revealed itself in this financial crisis: the belief that the state can solve all problems. As the crisis deepened, there were ever more calls on the head of the Federal Reserve and the Department of Treasury to do something magical to raise home prices, to lift stocks, to make bankrupt institutions liquid again, and to make the credit crisis disappear. We looked to visible things to save other visible things.
This was an act of mistaken faith. The state has no magic buttons it can push to make this happen. The forces of economics alive in the world are as much an intrinsic part of reality as gravity, and the laws of physics obey no government or central bank. Somehow people have a hard time accepting this fact. The belief in salvation by the state has been cultivated for centuries by intellectuals who stopped believing that universe is in God's hands. The state became their alternate creative force that can do and know all things. This was not only a problem for communism and Nazism; it is also a problem in all rich countries.
No more evidence is necessary than to point to the election and the debates surrounding it. Many people were looking to the two candidates to provide all answers and solve all problems. Their answers, as we might expect, were some or another version of "expand the state's activities in one or another area of life."
It is long past time that we fundamentally question the belief that public authority is capable of miracles. If we look at the present crisis, we can easily find evidence that it was precisely a variety of government interventions that brought the crisis about. It was the perfect storm of intervention in many ways, and the problems are very deep, beginning with the inflationary policy of the central bank dating back decades. Issues more recent in time include the push for looser credit to fuel the housing boom, the efforts to prevent housing prices from falling, the attempts to "save" lenders who got in trouble, and the draconian interventions in capital markets that included even a ban on short selling. None of these attempts fixed the problem; indeed, many economists believe that they made them worse.
The root problem, however, is not a matter of economics but theology and ethics. The loss of faith in God led to a new and profoundly distorted faith in the state as the savior of the world. The loss in an ethic of life led to a disrespect for the truth of freedom itself, which is the ethical foundation of the market economy. Freedom can be a visible thing but its roots are in an invisible theological outlook that affirms that the universe and mankind have a transcendent origin and purpose. Let us turn to God and pray for conversion away from false faiths toward eternal truths.
Rev. Robert A. Sirico is president of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Thanks Greg!
