BMAT Moral Action Committee Watchman Report # 5 11/14/2004

More "Values Issues" approved! much more needed. (Center For Reclaiming America)

* Marriage was not the only moral victory on November 2. * Sixty-five percent of Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment to the state constitution requiring parental notification prior to a minor’s abortion. * A voter initiative calling for police leniency on prostitution in Berkeley, California, failed to pass by a margin of 66-34 in Berkeley, California.* Oregon voters rejected an initiative for expanded public access to medical marijuana.

North Carolina Judge Wants Secular Oath (Fox News) * For more than two centuries, North Carolina courts have invoked the name of God and sworn in witnesses on the Holy Bible. So when Davidson County District Court Judge James Honeycutt tried to introduce a secular oath involving no hand on the Bible and no "so help me God," the clerk of the court objected.

"None of my clerks will be delivering this oath," said Davidson county court clerk Brian Shipwash. "The judge has the authority to deliver the oath. And if this is the way [he] wishes to swear people in (using this improper procedure,) he's going to have to do it himself."

Uzbek Authorities Raid Baptist Church (Barbara Baker-Compass News) * Police in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent raided the Bethany Baptist Church during Sunday worship on October 17, 2004--declaring the service an "illegal religious meeting" and demanding the pastor promise to stop all the church’s activities, writes Barbara G. Baker of Compass Direct. Pastor Nikolai Shevchenko reportedly declined to do so.

Taxpayer’s Money Fund Gay Agenda In Public Schools (Agape-Press)

Support for the homosexual agenda is already solid throughout the professional education organizations, such as the National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, American Association of School Administrators, and the National Association of School Psychologists.

The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) has also made it clear that it supports the normalization of homosexuality within the public school system. Across the nation, outside homosexual pressure groups are constantly pushing schools to create an environment in which the "gay" lifestyle is celebrated. If the celebration of homosexuality is one side of the public school coin, the other side will be the denigration of opposing views. And when those contrary views are rooted in Christian beliefs, the antagonism that arises from "gay" sympathizers will be even more vigorous.

For more than 30 years homosexual activists have been demanding that our Judeo-Christian culture capitulate and embrace [their] view of human sexuality, marriage and family. If Americans ever accept these demands, they can expect to live in a culture that will be turned upside down -- literally unhinged from the sane moorings instituted by the God of heaven. If homosexuality is accepted in principle, the sexual activities associated with it will be fully included in public school education classes. Frightening stories are already arising that give a chilling glimpse into what would be in store for public school children. Fortunately, while the groundwork for these changes has been laid, it is not yet a done deal. But Americans who believe there is something inherently abnormal, unnatural and immoral about homosexuality had better stand up right now.

If the public schools are lost to homosexual activists, our children and grandchildren will be thrown into a queer new world. And there's nothing gay about that.

QUOTEWORTHY: --- "We go forward in the service of our country, by the will of God." -- President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1941

Christian Arrested While Ministering At Abortion Clinic In Richmond, VA. (Life and Liberty Ministries)--On Friday, November 5, Officer Howard Noyse of the Richmond Police Department arrested Fred Neal, a Christian, as he preached truth on the public sidewalk at Richmond Medical Center for Women. Fred's charge was "disorderly conduct". This is a favorite "catch-all" charge used when no law has been violated. This is another instance in a long history of harassment by this officer who is on the payroll of RMCW. For several years this police officer has been moonlighting at the clinic. In recent days Officer Howard Noyse has been threatening Christians on a regular basis with arrest if they speak out to those entering the abortion clinic.

For the second year in a row children between ages 5-11 in Carrier Mills, IL have been encouraged by their teachers and principals to try their hand at cross-dressing. The school has promoted something many have taken to calling "opposite sex day," prompting a deluge of questions from concerned parents.

Why would government school officials use public funds to promote an activity that intentionally confuses young children about their sexual identity?

Why was it allowed to happen a second time when parents were assured it would not be repeated after the previous year's uproar? Exactly how reckless are the administrators of this government run school system?

Iran Supports Al-Qaida Terrorists (© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com)

Iran is covertly supporting al-Qaida-aligned terrorists in Iraq, not just anti-American Shiite insurgents, U.S. defense and intelligence sources say with certainty. The acknowledgment of the long-held suspicion as certainty raises the stakes in Iraq and the Persian Gulf as President Bush begins his second term and Iran, with its nuclear aspirations, moves to the front burner as an international crisis in the making.

Buttiglione to embark on European religious ‘crusade’ (By Richard Carter-EU observer )

Rocco Buttiglione, the Italian who was forced to step down as a candidate for the European Commission after making controversial statements about homosexuality and the role of women, is about to embark on a Europe-wide campaign to promote Christian values in public life. Brussels-(Honor Mahony--EU-Observer) The EU expressed solidarity with Palestinians as reports about Yassir Arafat's state of health emerged.

African Priests Will No Longer Train in the West (Prophecy News Watch Kade Hawkins) Anglican Church leaders in Africa have decided they will no longer send priests to the United States and Europe for training, so as not to expose them to teachings that condone same-sex "marriage" and ordination of homosexuals.

A Christian organization has appealed to Saudi Arabia to show mercy to an Indian Christian convicted of "spreading Christianity" in the Islamic kingdom. Brian O'Connor of Karnataka was arrested in Saudi Arabia on charges of spreading Christianity. He was sentenced to 10 months in prison and 300 lashes. Appealing to King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud "to generously give clemency to O'Connor", AICU president John Dayal has also sought the intervention of Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam in the matter

Texas Textbooks will Teach Truth about Marriage In a victory for pro-family advocates, the Texas State Board of Education has voted to require textbooks to define marriage as a lifelong union between a man and a woman.

The ramifications of this decision extend far beyond Texas, as publishers tend to defer to the curriculum standards set by the Lone Star State, which is the nation's second-largest buyer of textbooks.

Board member Terri Leo, a Republican, objected to what she called "asexual stealth phrases" such as references to "individuals" who marry, and using the term "married partners" instead of "husband and wife." She charged that the proposed new books violated Texas law, which bans homosexual "marriage" and grants no legal recognition to gay "civil unions."

Gay activists cried foul, claiming that conservatives have included their "ideology and agenda" into school textbooks. But the truth is that such activists are themselves attempting to overturn the time-honored definition of marriage that has been honored by societies and cultures for millennia.

Christians must be more active now. we must pray for our nation and leaders more now. This recent victory has bought us "just a little time." and clearly we have no time for rest. Please pray for God’s favor on the Baptist Missionary Association Of Texas-Moral Action Committee (BMAT-MAC) as we are in preparation to address the many issues that threaten our Christian freedoms.

Howard Wilson hwilson@texasmoralaction.org