Boy Scouts; raising funds outside ACLU Virginia headquarters
(© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com)A Boy Scout troop that routinely sells popcorn prior to the holidays is taking its fund-raiser to the enemy this year as it hawks the treat in front of the ACLU. According to Tom McKenna, chairman of Troop 828's executive committee, the boys did stake out a spot outside the ACLU office in downtown Richmond, Va., from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, mid December.
The troop is chartered by St. Joseph's parish in Richmond.
Philly Court Orders Four Christians to Trial
(Allie Martin December 15, 2004 AgapePress) Emergency Appeal Likely Attorney Contends Reading Scripture in Public Landed Them in Jail By Allie Martin December 15, 2004 (AgapePress) -An attorney with a pro-family ministry says a judge's decision on Tuesday, ordering four Christians in Philadelphia to stand trial for witnessing at a homosexual pride event, is comparable to the atmosphere of the civil rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s.
The attorney says the charges were dropped against the remaining seven because they were not seen quoting scripture on the videotape.
In Philadelphia, it appears the public reading of scripture will land a person in jail. Scott Shields, criminal defense attorney for the 'Philadelphia 11', stated after the ruling that "the message of this court is that if you preach from the Scriptures at a gay and lesbian event, you are committing a hate crime...
This case is historic, and is the first reported case in America where the Bible is being used to form the evidentiary basis for a hate crime. Now, here in the cradle of liberty and the birthplace of our nation, it is a crime to be openly Christian."
Morality & Media
(American Values By Gary Bauer)------Like oil and water, it seems that morality and the media just don't mix.A new study by our friends at the Parents Television Council and the National Religious Broadcasters found that depictions of religion by network television shows were overwhelmingly negative, despite the central role of faith to most Americans. NBC was clearly the worst offender, and by a wide margin, with 9.5 negative portrayals of faith for every positive depiction.
But sadly, even though many conservatives may prefer Fox News, the Fox entertainment network was second, followed by WB, ABC, UPN, and CBS.
Among other findings, the study concluded that negative references to clergy were twice as prevalent as positive references and the depictions were more likely to be negative if there was a reference to a particular denomination. A show with a Christian minister might be positive, but an episode with a Baptist pastor or a Catholic priest was more likely to be negative. Fortunately, most Americans don't get their values from Hollywood and that's a big reason why John Kerry remains the junior senator from Massachusetts.
Wearing the Truth to Court
( Pete Winn, associate editor Citizen Link )What would prompt a sitting judge to wear a robe emblazoned with the Ten Commandments? The truth—and nothing but the truth, he tells CitizenLink. A Covington County, Ala., circuit judge making headlines nationwide for wearing a robe embroidered with the Ten Commandments to court told CitizenLink there's a simple reason he did it. "I am a Christian," Judge M. Ashley McKathan explained. "I have done it because I strongly believe that there is a connection between law and truth—and that you can't divorce the two and get justice."
Montana Representative Harassed for Pro-Life Proposal
(Citizen Link) A Montana state representative has become the target of harassment after announcing plans to introduce pro-life legislation, the Billings Gazette reported. Roger Koopman, a Bozeman Republican, is author of a bill that would require death certificates for babies aborted prior to 20 weeks -- current law already requires such certificates when a baby dies after 20 weeks.After Koopman announced his plans, he began to receive phony pizza deliveries and harassing phone calls -- which were reported to the authorities. While some feel the proposed legislation might make women feel bad, Koopman hopes it will help women understand the ramifications of deciding to abort a pre-born baby.
TAKE ACTION: No matter where you live, let Rep. Koopman know you support his efforts to tell the truth about abortion. You can send him an e-mail at this address. koopman@imt.net
Let's face it: Secularism is a religion. Let's treat it as such.
(David Klinghoffer Christianity Today) A 2004 survey of religion and politics revealed a religious minority that constitutes at least 7.5 percent of the American population. It referred to this informal denomination as "Secular." Sponsored by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, the poll shows the fairly uniform political orientation of secularists: Only 21 percent regard themselves as politically conservative. A large majority, 79 percent,(of the 7.5%) favor what the survey terms "gay rights" and support legal abortion.The secular church is populous and dynamic, with a membership far exceeding that figure of 7.5 percent. Many individuals who identify nominally as Jews or Christians in fact are devout secularists.
All this would be fine—after all, America is a big country with plenty of room for every spiritual predilection—but for the tendency of secularists to use aggressive means in advancing their political agenda and spreading their faith. Consider state education, where the secular church has ensured that its creation account (Evolution) alone be taught. According to the Discovery Institute, Ohio, Minnesota, and New Mexico are exceptions to this rule, now requiring students to know about scientific evidence critical of Darwinian evolution. Everywhere else, evangelism for this secular doctrine is a staple of 10th-grade biology class.
The prejudice on behalf of the secular faith emanating from the media is likewise hard to ignore. HBO's Bill Maher, raised Catholic but later converted to a harsh secularism, is among the frankest of news and entertainment industry figures in his contempt for competing religions, notably Christianity. The host of Real Time with Bill Maher speaks of himself as "spreading the anti-gospel."
Americans outside the secular fold need to develop responses to the encroachments of secularism in the public square. Mutual understanding is key. But it's not the entire solution. So that everyone can know where everyone else stands, it's time to start identifying the secular faithful as such. The word Secular should be capitalized, indicating a distinctive philosophical orientation. So, just as Mel Gibson is always referred to as a Catholic filmmaker, Michael Moore should be identified as a Secular one.
The influence of Secular institutions on education needs to be reexamined. Young children are plainly being targeted for conversion to Secularism, whether in schools or otherwise. Finally, since raising public awareness is the best way to counter conversionary efforts, it would be helpful if a nonprofit organization were established to educate the citizenry about the tendency of the Secular Church to overstep that precious line that is supposed to keep our public institutions free of undue church influence. Such an organization would be dedicated to protecting American civil liberties. You could call it the American Civil Liberties Union. Oh wait, no, that's taken. David Klinghoffer is a columnist for the Jewish Forward.
Two Pastors Found Guilty of Slandering Islam in Australia
(By Steve Little CBN News )An Australian legal tribunal has found two Christian pastors guilty of vilifying Islam. The pastors say they are the victims of an unjust law that muzzles free speech.
The judge ruled that a seminar on Islam, held by pastor's Daniel Scot and Danny Nalliah, was hostile and demeaning to Muslims. But Scot and Nalliah say they will keep fighting, by appealing their case in federal court.
They hope a judge will strike down Victoria state's Racial and Religious Tolerance Act.
Tolerance isn’t always a good thing
[AP] ...Leaders of the 1.5-million-member American Baptist Convention say the ongoing controversy over homosexuality threatens to split the denomination. A pastoral statement to "preserve unity," released this month after a meeting of American Baptist leaders, said they have agreed to "voluntarily refrain from" naming sexually active homosexuals to national and regional positions.The church leaders also said they will not participate in same-sex marriage ceremonies, but at the same time will shun "homophobic behavior" and listen to those with "differing viewpoints." Liberal policy on homosexuals in some American Baptist congregations was one reason cited by the Southern Baptist Convention for ending 99 years of affiliation with the Baptist World Alliance.
So Much For The City Of Brotherly Love!
(Life and Liberty Ministries . Com)If indeed the Philadelphia 4 are convicted and sentenced to hard time, Christians need to march on the Philadelphia courthouse, encircle it, blow the trumpets and prepare to watch God work a miracle like He did at Jericho. We should do this not just for the injustice to the four Philadelphia Christians, but because no one in America – not Christians or non-Christians, not black or white, not homosexual or heterosexual – will truly be free.
We will be living in a country where people can be imprisoned arbitrarily for breaking no law other than the law of "political correctness." If we're going to save freedom in America, it may take a miracle.
Christian patriots should do something about Philadelphia!
Howard Wilson hwilson@texasmoralaction.org