God and history will judge the pastors for failing to stand up for marriage and family
By Mary Rettig
September 27, 2005
(AgapePress) - A Christian radio talk-show host in California says God and history will judge the pastors in his state for failing to stand up for marriage and family. Paul McGuire, whose show is broadcast throughout the state and in other parts of the U.S., has recently been asking California mega-church pastors why they have remained silent on the issue of homosexual marriage while a bill allowing it has made its way through the state legislature.
There are some 25 mega-churches across the state, McGuire points out, and so far he says he has heard almost no outcry from the pastors of these largest congregations over the passage of a homosexual marriage bill in the state legislature. The Christian community leaders' failure to dissent has led him to a disturbing conclusion.
"I think that the pastors in California are intimidated," the radio host observes. "I think that they're frightened ... scared because it's a very liberal state, and they want to be politically correct. They want to be accepted by the papers and the media here; and, as such, on any of the key moral issues -- whether it's stem-cell research or abortion or gay marriage -- they are almost universally silent."
McGuire says he frequently gets e-mail messages and phone calls from the members of large California churches, and many of these express frustration and anger at many church leaders' apparent unwillingness to speak out on pro-family issues. "Their congregants are outraged about their pastors' silence, and they are extremely upset," he notes, "but they don't feel that the pastors are accessible. They don't feel that the pastors will listen to them."
When California's mega-church pastors say nothing, particularly after all the media attention that has been focused on homosexual marriage and other key pro-family concerns, McGuire feels these church leaders are conspicuous by their absence. He says he is trying to hold these Christian leaders accountable and use a sort of "peer pressure" to get them to open their mouths and speak out against the evil that is prevalent in their state.
Christian Radio Host Urges California Pastors to Break Silence on Pro-Family Issues
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Liberal Groups using scare tactics to derail marriage protection amendment
Advocates of Same-Sex 'Marriage' Muddying Florida's Waters, Says Attorney
Traditional Marriage Supporters Gathering Signatures to Get Amendment on 2006 Ballot
By Allie Martin and Jody Brown
September 27, 2005
(AgapePress) - The ACLU, along with other liberal groups, is being accused of using scare tactics to try and derail a proposed constitutional amendment in Florida protecting traditional marriage.
Florida4Marriage.org is sponsor of the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. The proposed amendment states: "Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."
Supporters have thus far gathered -- and forwarded to the Florida Supreme Court -- more than 70,000 signatures from voters to put the initiative on the 2006 ballot. More than 600,000 signatures must be collected by February 1, 2006, in order for the measure to make it onto the ballot, but the stated goal by supporters is more than one million.
However, groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and others have banded together in opposition to the amendment. Those groups claim the measure would strip unmarried same-sex couples of all legal protections. But Liberty Counsel president Mat Staver says that is not the case.
Mat Staver
"This is an amendment that is designed to preserve and protect marriage as one man and one woman," Staver explains. "It is designed to prohibit same-sex 'marriage,' polygamy, or polyamory -- like group marriages -- or marriage substitutes like mimicking marriage under a different name. It is an amendment, pure and simple, that will preserve marriage as one man and one woman."
An ACLU of Florida spokesman contends that supporters of the amendment are trying to "hoodwink the people" into believing it is only about marriage. But in reality, says Staver, advocates of homosexual marriage know the initiative will pass if it makes it to the ballot -- just as similar measures have passed in many other states in recent months. Their only hope, he says, is to misrepresent the facts, derail the amendment, and take away voters' opportunity to vote on the measure.
"The reason why the ACLU is trying to derail the amendment at this stage, they've actually admitted in their brief, is because when it goes to the voters it will indeed pass. It has passed every other state that has voted on marriage, and it will certainly pass in Florida," Staver predicts. "They don't want the voters to vote on marriage, and so they're trying to use the court to stop the people from exercising their right to vote."
But that will not happen, says the Orlando-based attorney. "We will vote and we will protect marriage between one man and one woman because it is best for the family and for Florida's children," Staver states.
Under Florida's law, any amendment to the state constitution must be reviewed by the state's Supreme Court to ensure it addresses a single subject and that the title and summary are clear and unambiguous. A brief filed last week by the ACLU and others opposing the amendment argues that the initiative violates the single-subject rule. They say it forces voters to decide both whether they want to ban same-sex couples from marriage and whether they want to ban same-sex couples from other types of legal recognition for their relationships.
This past Sunday (September 25) was "Marriage Protection Sunday" in Florida. Churches of all denominations participated by providing information tables where individuals could sign petitions in support of the amendment. Petitions in both English and Spanish and for insertion into church bulletins are available on the Internet at Florida4Marriage.org, website for the Florida Coalition to Protect Marriage.
Advocates of Same-Sex 'Marriage' Muddying Florida's Waters, Says Attorney
Traditional Marriage Supporters Gathering Signatures to Get Amendment on 2006 Ballot
By Allie Martin and Jody Brown
September 27, 2005
(AgapePress) - The ACLU, along with other liberal groups, is being accused of using scare tactics to try and derail a proposed constitutional amendment in Florida protecting traditional marriage.
Florida4Marriage.org is sponsor of the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. The proposed amendment states: "Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."
Supporters have thus far gathered -- and forwarded to the Florida Supreme Court -- more than 70,000 signatures from voters to put the initiative on the 2006 ballot. More than 600,000 signatures must be collected by February 1, 2006, in order for the measure to make it onto the ballot, but the stated goal by supporters is more than one million.
However, groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and others have banded together in opposition to the amendment. Those groups claim the measure would strip unmarried same-sex couples of all legal protections. But Liberty Counsel president Mat Staver says that is not the case.
Mat Staver
"This is an amendment that is designed to preserve and protect marriage as one man and one woman," Staver explains. "It is designed to prohibit same-sex 'marriage,' polygamy, or polyamory -- like group marriages -- or marriage substitutes like mimicking marriage under a different name. It is an amendment, pure and simple, that will preserve marriage as one man and one woman."
An ACLU of Florida spokesman contends that supporters of the amendment are trying to "hoodwink the people" into believing it is only about marriage. But in reality, says Staver, advocates of homosexual marriage know the initiative will pass if it makes it to the ballot -- just as similar measures have passed in many other states in recent months. Their only hope, he says, is to misrepresent the facts, derail the amendment, and take away voters' opportunity to vote on the measure.
"The reason why the ACLU is trying to derail the amendment at this stage, they've actually admitted in their brief, is because when it goes to the voters it will indeed pass. It has passed every other state that has voted on marriage, and it will certainly pass in Florida," Staver predicts. "They don't want the voters to vote on marriage, and so they're trying to use the court to stop the people from exercising their right to vote."
But that will not happen, says the Orlando-based attorney. "We will vote and we will protect marriage between one man and one woman because it is best for the family and for Florida's children," Staver states.
Under Florida's law, any amendment to the state constitution must be reviewed by the state's Supreme Court to ensure it addresses a single subject and that the title and summary are clear and unambiguous. A brief filed last week by the ACLU and others opposing the amendment argues that the initiative violates the single-subject rule. They say it forces voters to decide both whether they want to ban same-sex couples from marriage and whether they want to ban same-sex couples from other types of legal recognition for their relationships.
This past Sunday (September 25) was "Marriage Protection Sunday" in Florida. Churches of all denominations participated by providing information tables where individuals could sign petitions in support of the amendment. Petitions in both English and Spanish and for insertion into church bulletins are available on the Internet at Florida4Marriage.org, website for the Florida Coalition to Protect Marriage.
Advocates of Same-Sex 'Marriage' Muddying Florida's Waters, Says Attorney
Sunday, September 25, 2005
New Age beliefs taught in public school
September 25. 2005 11:04AM
The Associated Press
A Christian group says a stress-reduction classes for students at a Raleigh elementary school promoted "New Age" beliefs and were school-sponsored religious activities that violated the First Amendment.
Called2Action, a local activist organization, has sent a letter to Wake County Schools Superintendent Bill McNeal and school board members asking them to make sure this kind of "spiritual and religious program" doesn't happen again.
"For a Christian parent, you've got some areas of concern that they're teaching things opposite to your faith," said Steve Noble, chairman of Called2Action. "But what's even beyond that is it's violating the (First Amendment) establishment clause."
The complaint was being reviewed by the school district's attorneys, said Michael Evans, a Wake schools' spokesman.
Called2Action said it received complaints from a mother whose children were asked to do breathing exercises, chant and use their "life forces" last month at Partnership Elementary School. The classes were conducted by Emily Gunter, founder of the Rites of Passage Youth Empowerment Foundation in Durham.
Her foundation's Web site says its mission is "to bring peace to our world through the personal empowerment and spiritual development of the Youth."
The Web site also notes that Gunter just returned from a spiritual pilgrimage in the Himalayas of Tibet and Nepal, where she wrote her newest book, "A Rite of Passage to Spiritual Enlightenment: Living with Compassion."
Gunter did not immediately return a phone message left Sunday.
A Florida legal firm contacted by Called2Action issued a legal memorandum that said Gunter's "conscious breathing" activity is a New Age religious and spiritual activity associated with Hindu religious faiths. The memo adds that Gunter was engaging in a program of religious meditation that violated the First Amendment by making the school proselytize the children in New Age beliefs.
"If a person had taught to pray to Jesus Christ to reduce stress, that would have been stopped," Noble said.
Calls to officials at Partnership Elementary weren't returned Friday.
The Dispatch - Serving the Lexington, North Carolina Area
The Associated Press
A Christian group says a stress-reduction classes for students at a Raleigh elementary school promoted "New Age" beliefs and were school-sponsored religious activities that violated the First Amendment.
Called2Action, a local activist organization, has sent a letter to Wake County Schools Superintendent Bill McNeal and school board members asking them to make sure this kind of "spiritual and religious program" doesn't happen again.
"For a Christian parent, you've got some areas of concern that they're teaching things opposite to your faith," said Steve Noble, chairman of Called2Action. "But what's even beyond that is it's violating the (First Amendment) establishment clause."
The complaint was being reviewed by the school district's attorneys, said Michael Evans, a Wake schools' spokesman.
Called2Action said it received complaints from a mother whose children were asked to do breathing exercises, chant and use their "life forces" last month at Partnership Elementary School. The classes were conducted by Emily Gunter, founder of the Rites of Passage Youth Empowerment Foundation in Durham.
Her foundation's Web site says its mission is "to bring peace to our world through the personal empowerment and spiritual development of the Youth."
The Web site also notes that Gunter just returned from a spiritual pilgrimage in the Himalayas of Tibet and Nepal, where she wrote her newest book, "A Rite of Passage to Spiritual Enlightenment: Living with Compassion."
Gunter did not immediately return a phone message left Sunday.
A Florida legal firm contacted by Called2Action issued a legal memorandum that said Gunter's "conscious breathing" activity is a New Age religious and spiritual activity associated with Hindu religious faiths. The memo adds that Gunter was engaging in a program of religious meditation that violated the First Amendment by making the school proselytize the children in New Age beliefs.
"If a person had taught to pray to Jesus Christ to reduce stress, that would have been stopped," Noble said.
Calls to officials at Partnership Elementary weren't returned Friday.
The Dispatch - Serving the Lexington, North Carolina Area
School's Sexually Explicit Required Reading
Parent Demands Alternate to 'Pornographic' Literature Assignment
By Jim Brown
September 23, 2005
(AgapePress) - Some required reading at a Florida high school has come under scrutiny from parents who say the material is pornographic.
Students in the International Baccalaureate Program at De Land High School are being asked to read a book called Cracking India, a novel by Bapsi Sidwha. The story is told by a little girl who grows from age four to eight during her narrative and who, at one point in the story, is involved in oral sex with her older male cousin.
When parent Vicki Reed objected to the book and asked that her daughter be given an alternate reading assignment, she was initially denied. However, school administrators finally granted the mother's request. She says some in her school community have misunderstood her motivations.
"There's criticism that says I'm trying to be a book banner, or trying to decide everybody else's moral beliefs, and that's not in fact true," Reed says. "I do believe, though, that this material contains information that is way too graphic and way too, in my mind, pornographic for children under 18 -- period."
And Reed says she is not the only parent who is concerned with Cracking India's presence in the classroom. "I've received many phone calls from parents with the same kind of objections," she notes, "but now it's gotten to the point that other parents have also confiscated the book. So there are several children in the class now that are looking to do alternate assignments."
However, the Florida mom has not found the honors program instructor at the high school to be particularly helpful in the matter. "I have to say, even though an alternate assignment's being given, the teacher is certainly not going out of her way for this alternate assignment," the parent says.
Nevertheless, Reed insists the book's sexual content made it inappropriate for her daughter and, in her opinion, inappropriate for use as a high school course required reading assignment. She now plans to ask the local school board to have Cracking India barred from classroom use completely.
Fla. Mom Cracks Down on School's Sexually Explicit Required Reading
By Jim Brown
September 23, 2005
(AgapePress) - Some required reading at a Florida high school has come under scrutiny from parents who say the material is pornographic.
Students in the International Baccalaureate Program at De Land High School are being asked to read a book called Cracking India, a novel by Bapsi Sidwha. The story is told by a little girl who grows from age four to eight during her narrative and who, at one point in the story, is involved in oral sex with her older male cousin.
When parent Vicki Reed objected to the book and asked that her daughter be given an alternate reading assignment, she was initially denied. However, school administrators finally granted the mother's request. She says some in her school community have misunderstood her motivations.
"There's criticism that says I'm trying to be a book banner, or trying to decide everybody else's moral beliefs, and that's not in fact true," Reed says. "I do believe, though, that this material contains information that is way too graphic and way too, in my mind, pornographic for children under 18 -- period."
And Reed says she is not the only parent who is concerned with Cracking India's presence in the classroom. "I've received many phone calls from parents with the same kind of objections," she notes, "but now it's gotten to the point that other parents have also confiscated the book. So there are several children in the class now that are looking to do alternate assignments."
However, the Florida mom has not found the honors program instructor at the high school to be particularly helpful in the matter. "I have to say, even though an alternate assignment's being given, the teacher is certainly not going out of her way for this alternate assignment," the parent says.
Nevertheless, Reed insists the book's sexual content made it inappropriate for her daughter and, in her opinion, inappropriate for use as a high school course required reading assignment. She now plans to ask the local school board to have Cracking India barred from classroom use completely.
Fla. Mom Cracks Down on School's Sexually Explicit Required Reading
New Stats Reveal Dangerous Trend in Teen Promiscuity
By Jim Brown
September 23, 2005
(AgapePress) - New statistics on the promiscuity of American teenagers indicate there is a great deal of work to be done in teaching young people to remain sexually pure. The National Center for Health Statistics has released a report that says more than half of American youth ages 15 to 19 have engaged in oral sex, and 70 percent of the 18- and 19-year-olds surveyed admitted to engaging in such activity.
Bill Albert, communications director for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (NCPTC), says parents need to understand that they influence their teens' decisions about sex more than any other source. "We ask parents that they don't let peers and popular culture be the only shaping forces when it comes to their children's decisions about sex," he notes, "and we encourage them to be both direct and broad in what they discuss."
Albert says even as the National Center for Health Statistics data suggests, it is important for parents to talk with their teens and, "even though it may not be comfortable for parents, we might have to broaden the scope of what we discuss and be very specific." And that includes communicating the abstinence message with clarity, he points out.
"One of the things that this [report] underscores is that even those teenagers who say they have not had sexual intercourse are putting themselves at risk for contracting STDs by having oral sex," the NCPTC spokesman points out. For many teens, he notes, oral sex is an activity that is happening in the "on-deck circle" as opposed to after reaching "third base."
A Kaiser Family Foundation survey a few years ago revealed that many young people are unclear about whether oral sex puts them at risk for sexually transmitted diseases. Research has shown that diseases such as Herpes I and II, syphilis, gonorrhea and, to a lesser degree, chlamydia and HIV/AIDS can be transferred through oral sex. Still, some 25 percent of teens in the Kaiser survey did not think an STD could be spread through oral sex.
Albert notes that while the rate of teenage promiscuity is extremely high, it has not increased dramatically since 1995. Nevertheless, he asserts, the new data from the National Center for Health Statistics should be a wakeup call to parents -- a warning that they and other youth educators must do a better job of talking to kids about sex and encouraging them to abstain from sexual activity, including oral sex, until marriage.
News from Agape Press
September 23, 2005
(AgapePress) - New statistics on the promiscuity of American teenagers indicate there is a great deal of work to be done in teaching young people to remain sexually pure. The National Center for Health Statistics has released a report that says more than half of American youth ages 15 to 19 have engaged in oral sex, and 70 percent of the 18- and 19-year-olds surveyed admitted to engaging in such activity.
Bill Albert, communications director for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (NCPTC), says parents need to understand that they influence their teens' decisions about sex more than any other source. "We ask parents that they don't let peers and popular culture be the only shaping forces when it comes to their children's decisions about sex," he notes, "and we encourage them to be both direct and broad in what they discuss."
Albert says even as the National Center for Health Statistics data suggests, it is important for parents to talk with their teens and, "even though it may not be comfortable for parents, we might have to broaden the scope of what we discuss and be very specific." And that includes communicating the abstinence message with clarity, he points out.
"One of the things that this [report] underscores is that even those teenagers who say they have not had sexual intercourse are putting themselves at risk for contracting STDs by having oral sex," the NCPTC spokesman points out. For many teens, he notes, oral sex is an activity that is happening in the "on-deck circle" as opposed to after reaching "third base."
A Kaiser Family Foundation survey a few years ago revealed that many young people are unclear about whether oral sex puts them at risk for sexually transmitted diseases. Research has shown that diseases such as Herpes I and II, syphilis, gonorrhea and, to a lesser degree, chlamydia and HIV/AIDS can be transferred through oral sex. Still, some 25 percent of teens in the Kaiser survey did not think an STD could be spread through oral sex.
Albert notes that while the rate of teenage promiscuity is extremely high, it has not increased dramatically since 1995. Nevertheless, he asserts, the new data from the National Center for Health Statistics should be a wakeup call to parents -- a warning that they and other youth educators must do a better job of talking to kids about sex and encouraging them to abstain from sexual activity, including oral sex, until marriage.
News from Agape Press
Friday, September 23, 2005
Bad "Flight Plan": Film Defames Air Marshals, Flight Attendants
September 22, 2005
Schlussel: Bad "Flight Plan": Jodie Foster Film Defames Air Marshals, Flight Attendants
Debbie Schlussel draws attention to yet another exercise in Hollywood dhimmitude: an airplane-terror flick in which the terrorists are not the Muslims who are on the plane, but an air marshal and a flight attendant. Yes, this is what we have seen all over the world: crazed stewardesses storming cockpits and hijacking airplanes, demanding a respite from slinging chintzy pretzel packs at the sardine-packed passengers.
Meanwhile, we have yet to see a film that dramatizes the reality the world faces today, of convinced jihadist ideologues carefully planning and committing violence for their politico-religous goals.
It's been four years of bad news for flight attendants.
First, 9/11 happened. Then, they were laid off. With airline bankruptcies like Northwest's, they are being laid off again.
Now, in another blow, the movie, "Flight Plan," is hitting theaters, tomorrow. Starring Jodie Foster, it's an outrageous piece of propaganda and incredible display of the irresponsible.
I'm embarrassed to say that a very distant cousin of mine--Charles J.D. Schlissel--is executive producer of this outrage. The J.D. must stand for "Just Despicable." If you're a freedom-loving American like me, the rotten tricks of this movie will disgust you.
If you want to sicken yourself and see "Flight Plan," stop reading here. But if you want to save ten bucks, keep going.
SPOILER ALERT
Throughout "Flight Plan," we are given hints--very strong hints--that four Muslim Arabs are the terrorists on the plane. But in the end--breaking a cardinal rule of thrillers--the hints have no pay-off.
Instead, the terrorists are the flight's air marshal and a flight attendant.
That is an outrage for a number of reasons. Two of those reasons are Betty Ong and Madeleine Amy Sweeney. Both were among the many flight attendants who gave their lives on 9/11.
They weren't terrorists. They were American heroes. Instead of calling their families to say good-bye, they contacted ground crews and identified the hijackers. It was because of them that authorities were able to identify Mohammad Atta and his 18 thugs as Al Qaeda.
Other flight attendants were brutally murdered by the hijackers, who slit their throats.
And now Jodie Foster and Charles J. D. Schlissel have the chutzpah to portray these low-paid workers as terrorists?!
Sickening.
Dhimmi Watch: Schlussel: Bad "Flight Plan": Jodie Foster Film Defames Air Marshals, Flight Attendants
Schlussel: Bad "Flight Plan": Jodie Foster Film Defames Air Marshals, Flight Attendants
Debbie Schlussel draws attention to yet another exercise in Hollywood dhimmitude: an airplane-terror flick in which the terrorists are not the Muslims who are on the plane, but an air marshal and a flight attendant. Yes, this is what we have seen all over the world: crazed stewardesses storming cockpits and hijacking airplanes, demanding a respite from slinging chintzy pretzel packs at the sardine-packed passengers.
Meanwhile, we have yet to see a film that dramatizes the reality the world faces today, of convinced jihadist ideologues carefully planning and committing violence for their politico-religous goals.
It's been four years of bad news for flight attendants.
First, 9/11 happened. Then, they were laid off. With airline bankruptcies like Northwest's, they are being laid off again.
Now, in another blow, the movie, "Flight Plan," is hitting theaters, tomorrow. Starring Jodie Foster, it's an outrageous piece of propaganda and incredible display of the irresponsible.
I'm embarrassed to say that a very distant cousin of mine--Charles J.D. Schlissel--is executive producer of this outrage. The J.D. must stand for "Just Despicable." If you're a freedom-loving American like me, the rotten tricks of this movie will disgust you.
If you want to sicken yourself and see "Flight Plan," stop reading here. But if you want to save ten bucks, keep going.
SPOILER ALERT
Throughout "Flight Plan," we are given hints--very strong hints--that four Muslim Arabs are the terrorists on the plane. But in the end--breaking a cardinal rule of thrillers--the hints have no pay-off.
Instead, the terrorists are the flight's air marshal and a flight attendant.
That is an outrage for a number of reasons. Two of those reasons are Betty Ong and Madeleine Amy Sweeney. Both were among the many flight attendants who gave their lives on 9/11.
They weren't terrorists. They were American heroes. Instead of calling their families to say good-bye, they contacted ground crews and identified the hijackers. It was because of them that authorities were able to identify Mohammad Atta and his 18 thugs as Al Qaeda.
Other flight attendants were brutally murdered by the hijackers, who slit their throats.
And now Jodie Foster and Charles J. D. Schlissel have the chutzpah to portray these low-paid workers as terrorists?!
Sickening.
Dhimmi Watch: Schlussel: Bad "Flight Plan": Jodie Foster Film Defames Air Marshals, Flight Attendants
Thursday, September 22, 2005
'Ally Week' Enemy to Parental Values
By Ed Thomas
September 22, 2005
(AgapePress) - A campaign called "Ally Week" is being promoted across the United States in schools this week by the National Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Pro-family leaders are also pointing to the week-long observance as the kind of doorway into schools that the pro-homosexual movement is constantly seeking.
The GLSEN website urges high school Gay-Straight Alliance clubs to use Ally Week to identify and support student allies, who will sign a pledge to intervene against bullying and harassment of members. GLSEN suggests making the event a fun time with games, speakers, and educational activities throughout the week.
Victoria Cobb is executive director of the Family Foundation of Virginia, one of many pro-family groups trying to clue in parents about campaigns like this one in their children's schools -- many of which the parents may not even be aware. Cobb says pro-homosexual activist programs are allowed into schools under the guise of making them safer, but such programs "actually present a curriculum or an agenda that is wholly against what parents want to be teaching at home, and it really is a direct counter of the efforts that parents make to teach their children values."
The Family Foundation spokeswoman points out that Ally Week encourages Gay-Straight Alliance clubs to recruit fellow students, purportedly to protect them from harassment. However, she asserts, "Ally Week is yet another example of the all-out assault on our values by the homosexual community through our public schools."
While the stated goal of Ally Week is to end bullying and harassment of "gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender" (GLBT) students at schools by signing up allies and having them involved in certain activities, Cobb contends that "the reality is, it's a week of indoctrination and misinformation."
The pro-family advocate advises lobbying for uniform state policies on school access to keep these types of programs from sneaking in past parents, as one way to fight the homosexual agenda in schools. Another is for pro-family groups to "blow the whistle" on the presence of such programs in schools so parents can stay informed.
Parents need to be aware of campaigns like Ally Week and take them seriously, Cobb asserts, because these efforts are designed to make students question and reject the values they are taught at home.
News from Agape Press
September 22, 2005
(AgapePress) - A campaign called "Ally Week" is being promoted across the United States in schools this week by the National Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Pro-family leaders are also pointing to the week-long observance as the kind of doorway into schools that the pro-homosexual movement is constantly seeking.
The GLSEN website urges high school Gay-Straight Alliance clubs to use Ally Week to identify and support student allies, who will sign a pledge to intervene against bullying and harassment of members. GLSEN suggests making the event a fun time with games, speakers, and educational activities throughout the week.
Victoria Cobb is executive director of the Family Foundation of Virginia, one of many pro-family groups trying to clue in parents about campaigns like this one in their children's schools -- many of which the parents may not even be aware. Cobb says pro-homosexual activist programs are allowed into schools under the guise of making them safer, but such programs "actually present a curriculum or an agenda that is wholly against what parents want to be teaching at home, and it really is a direct counter of the efforts that parents make to teach their children values."
The Family Foundation spokeswoman points out that Ally Week encourages Gay-Straight Alliance clubs to recruit fellow students, purportedly to protect them from harassment. However, she asserts, "Ally Week is yet another example of the all-out assault on our values by the homosexual community through our public schools."
While the stated goal of Ally Week is to end bullying and harassment of "gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender" (GLBT) students at schools by signing up allies and having them involved in certain activities, Cobb contends that "the reality is, it's a week of indoctrination and misinformation."
The pro-family advocate advises lobbying for uniform state policies on school access to keep these types of programs from sneaking in past parents, as one way to fight the homosexual agenda in schools. Another is for pro-family groups to "blow the whistle" on the presence of such programs in schools so parents can stay informed.
Parents need to be aware of campaigns like Ally Week and take them seriously, Cobb asserts, because these efforts are designed to make students question and reject the values they are taught at home.
News from Agape Press
Monday, September 19, 2005
Another Good Reason to Homeschool: Teachers Permit ‘F-word’ in Class
By David M. Bresnahan (09/13/05)
Public schools continue to deteriorate at a rapid pace, and an equally rapid growth of children being educated outside the public schools is a good indicator that parents are not happy.
At the start of the current school year the Daily Mail, a newspaper in the U.K., came out with a story about high school students who have been given permission to use any foul language they wish in school, including the “f-word.”
The Weavers School in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire has informed students that they may use expletives up to five times per class. The Daily Mail story “You can use the f-word in class (but only five times)” is a sad commentary on the deterioration of our society (see story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=360685&in_page_id=1770).
The school principal, or headmaster, Alan Large was quoted as saying: “The reality is that the f-word is part of these young adults’ everyday language.”
He told the media that this policy is intended to teach the children. I am having a great deal of difficulty understanding his logic.
When I tell people that I homeschool my children, the most common question I get is: “What about social interaction?”
My children do not need that kind of social interaction. The amount of vulgarity going on in public schools is at an all-time high. Placing my children in such an environment is no different than allowing someone to throw a bucket of garbage at them repeatedly throughout the day.
My kids know about bad language, and they have heard it. Keeping them from that environment does not harm them. It helps them to see that they can live their life without resorting to such a poor means of communication.
My wife and I took both my 10-year-old and 12-year-old boys to Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox defeat the White Sox a few weeks ago in celebration their birthdays. I was really pleased to see that there were signs and announcements made over the public address system regarding the family-friendly policy of the park.
There is no smoking and no vulgar language allowed at the ballpark. If we can have that sort of policy at a sports facility, why on earth would a school tolerate bad language there? Because kids swear? That makes no sense. Spectators at ballparks swear, but Fenway has successfully put a stop to that and it seems to me that the ballpark is a better place because of it. The fans seemed to be having a pretty good time the day we were there.
The only way schools can improve the behavior of the children entrusted to them is to raise their standards, not lower them. It is not surprising that homeschoolers and those in private schools continue to increase in numbers.
Another Good Reason to Homeschool: Teachers Permit F-word in Class - Guest
Public schools continue to deteriorate at a rapid pace, and an equally rapid growth of children being educated outside the public schools is a good indicator that parents are not happy.
At the start of the current school year the Daily Mail, a newspaper in the U.K., came out with a story about high school students who have been given permission to use any foul language they wish in school, including the “f-word.”
The Weavers School in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire has informed students that they may use expletives up to five times per class. The Daily Mail story “You can use the f-word in class (but only five times)” is a sad commentary on the deterioration of our society (see story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=360685&in_page_id=1770).
The school principal, or headmaster, Alan Large was quoted as saying: “The reality is that the f-word is part of these young adults’ everyday language.”
He told the media that this policy is intended to teach the children. I am having a great deal of difficulty understanding his logic.
When I tell people that I homeschool my children, the most common question I get is: “What about social interaction?”
My children do not need that kind of social interaction. The amount of vulgarity going on in public schools is at an all-time high. Placing my children in such an environment is no different than allowing someone to throw a bucket of garbage at them repeatedly throughout the day.
My kids know about bad language, and they have heard it. Keeping them from that environment does not harm them. It helps them to see that they can live their life without resorting to such a poor means of communication.
My wife and I took both my 10-year-old and 12-year-old boys to Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox defeat the White Sox a few weeks ago in celebration their birthdays. I was really pleased to see that there were signs and announcements made over the public address system regarding the family-friendly policy of the park.
There is no smoking and no vulgar language allowed at the ballpark. If we can have that sort of policy at a sports facility, why on earth would a school tolerate bad language there? Because kids swear? That makes no sense. Spectators at ballparks swear, but Fenway has successfully put a stop to that and it seems to me that the ballpark is a better place because of it. The fans seemed to be having a pretty good time the day we were there.
The only way schools can improve the behavior of the children entrusted to them is to raise their standards, not lower them. It is not surprising that homeschoolers and those in private schools continue to increase in numbers.
Another Good Reason to Homeschool: Teachers Permit F-word in Class - Guest
� Church Closure Worrying: UK Christian Group
By Alison Hunter
Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
September 13, 2005
The United Kingdom based Christian Solidarity Worldwide has described the reported closure of the popular Full Gospel Assembly church in Rangoon as worrying.
Reports emerged last week that the church had been ordered by the authorities to cease all its activities including its weekly services.
Benedict Rogers, Research and Advocacy Officer, for the organisation’s South Asia office described the closure as a disturbing development in a pattern of religious persecution in the country.
"In general, religious persecution in Burma has been directed more intensely at Christians in the ethnic nationality states, in particular Chin, Kachin, Karen and Karenni. It is not, however, the first time churches in Rangoon have been closed."
But some sources in Rangoon told Mizzima churches and Christian organisations in the capital who did not engage in political activities experienced little governmental interference.
The minister of a long-standing catholic church said, "Things here are normal and we have not had any problems. If all we do is worship and deal only with religion we have no problems," he said adding that churches closed in the capital may have been targeted for their involvement in pro-democracy activities.
The Burmese military have a long history of engaging in religious persecution particularly among Christian and Muslim communities in several states and border areas.
� Church Closure Worrying: UK Christian Group
Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
September 13, 2005
The United Kingdom based Christian Solidarity Worldwide has described the reported closure of the popular Full Gospel Assembly church in Rangoon as worrying.
Reports emerged last week that the church had been ordered by the authorities to cease all its activities including its weekly services.
Benedict Rogers, Research and Advocacy Officer, for the organisation’s South Asia office described the closure as a disturbing development in a pattern of religious persecution in the country.
"In general, religious persecution in Burma has been directed more intensely at Christians in the ethnic nationality states, in particular Chin, Kachin, Karen and Karenni. It is not, however, the first time churches in Rangoon have been closed."
But some sources in Rangoon told Mizzima churches and Christian organisations in the capital who did not engage in political activities experienced little governmental interference.
The minister of a long-standing catholic church said, "Things here are normal and we have not had any problems. If all we do is worship and deal only with religion we have no problems," he said adding that churches closed in the capital may have been targeted for their involvement in pro-democracy activities.
The Burmese military have a long history of engaging in religious persecution particularly among Christian and Muslim communities in several states and border areas.
� Church Closure Worrying: UK Christian Group
Faith is the basis of the things that science documents for us
2005-09-18 / Knight Ridder / By Issac J. Bailey
God created the world in six days.
But were those six, 24-hour days?
According to scientists, the average day 4 billion years ago was only six hours long because a hotter Earth, which resembled common-day Mars, was spinning faster on its axis. It has since cooled, and the spinning has slowed, creating longer days.
According to faith, God doesn't operate in time as we understand it. How could he? He is the past, present and future all at once. A thousand years to him doesn't mean much.
In that context, even decades of suffering on Earth shouldn't seem all that daunting, considering we have an eternity with which to experience joy.
God spoke, and the universe was created.But did it appear in the blink of an eye, fully formed?Or, if we'd had front-row seats to the creation, would it have looked like a "big bang," one in which an unimaginably loud and large explosion hurled all the matter and energy in the universe throughout space for the first time, shaping stars, galaxies and planets?
Science tells us that's what happened when the universe formed. But it can't prove exactly why the explosion occurred. They tell us the "big-bang theory" proves the universe is finite, that it wasn't always here, that there was a beginning, about 15 billion years ago our time. They tell us the universe is still being stretched as the energy from the big bang continues making its way through space.
Faith tells us God is infinite, that he was here before there was a here.
The ongoing debate pitting science versus religion is beyond useless.
Science is based on hard facts, the kind that can be studied and restudied and tweaked, the kind that can be disproved or confirmed by using the correct mathematical equations or biological realities. That's why evolution and the big-bang theory make sense. We'd have to ignore the similar genetic makeup of human beings and other species - in some cases they are more than 95 percent alike - and such things as microwaves and 4-billion-year-old rocks to belittle or dismiss science.But science doesn't have all the answers. Theories are tweaked or changed when more credible, verifiable evidence is discovered, and only then.Science one day may be able to tell us which combination of genes makes which of us most susceptible to which disease and can tell us much about the how of our evolution over eons.
Faith tells us why we are here. And why we matter.
Taiwan News Online
God created the world in six days.
But were those six, 24-hour days?
According to scientists, the average day 4 billion years ago was only six hours long because a hotter Earth, which resembled common-day Mars, was spinning faster on its axis. It has since cooled, and the spinning has slowed, creating longer days.
According to faith, God doesn't operate in time as we understand it. How could he? He is the past, present and future all at once. A thousand years to him doesn't mean much.
In that context, even decades of suffering on Earth shouldn't seem all that daunting, considering we have an eternity with which to experience joy.
God spoke, and the universe was created.But did it appear in the blink of an eye, fully formed?Or, if we'd had front-row seats to the creation, would it have looked like a "big bang," one in which an unimaginably loud and large explosion hurled all the matter and energy in the universe throughout space for the first time, shaping stars, galaxies and planets?
Science tells us that's what happened when the universe formed. But it can't prove exactly why the explosion occurred. They tell us the "big-bang theory" proves the universe is finite, that it wasn't always here, that there was a beginning, about 15 billion years ago our time. They tell us the universe is still being stretched as the energy from the big bang continues making its way through space.
Faith tells us God is infinite, that he was here before there was a here.
The ongoing debate pitting science versus religion is beyond useless.
Science is based on hard facts, the kind that can be studied and restudied and tweaked, the kind that can be disproved or confirmed by using the correct mathematical equations or biological realities. That's why evolution and the big-bang theory make sense. We'd have to ignore the similar genetic makeup of human beings and other species - in some cases they are more than 95 percent alike - and such things as microwaves and 4-billion-year-old rocks to belittle or dismiss science.But science doesn't have all the answers. Theories are tweaked or changed when more credible, verifiable evidence is discovered, and only then.Science one day may be able to tell us which combination of genes makes which of us most susceptible to which disease and can tell us much about the how of our evolution over eons.
Faith tells us why we are here. And why we matter.
Taiwan News Online
Homeschooling As A Better Alternative To Public School
September 19, 2005
Chris Liakos
Hundreds of thousands of families have made the decision to homeschool. According to Christine Scheller, an estimated three to four percent of the school age population, approximately two million students, participate in homeschool (Scheller 47). While the reasons for individual decisions to homeschool may vary, many parents cite serious concerns about the academic failures of the public school system and the on-campus social exposure of students to the use of tobacco, drugs, alcohol, and sexually explicit behaviors. The homeschool environment promises a more wholesome atmosphere and academic progress that can be monitored closely by parent instructors with a vested interest in the student's learning outcome. *Although a homeschool program may not meet the needs of every student, it is becoming recognized as a decidedly superior alternative to the public school system for many.*
Some may believe that the homeschool alternative is a relatively new idea; a brief review of history, however, will reveal a number of famous historic figures who were the products of homeschool educations. Among these individuals were Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Charles Dickens and Mark Twain (Jones and Gloeckner 13). In fact, homeschool classrooms were the source of educational opportunity even after the advent of public education often because schools were not readily accessible to families living in rural settings. While the idea is not new, the reasons for contemporary interest in the home-based classroom are a product of the modern world.
It may also be argued that while the problems of the modern world have breathed new life into the idea of homeschooling, the same modern world has made this alternative viable for more and more families. Access to public libraries, academic publishers and affordable technology including computers and access to the Internet are among the many resources and tools available to homeschooling families. It is, however, more than that; the educational marketplace has also seen the development of a wide variety of materials developed specifically for the homeschool classroom. Homeschooling families have effective access to all the materials available through the public school system, as well as to many not available to the public school teacher and student whether this is the result of lack of funding or bureaucratic approval.
Homeschool environments afford family educators greater freedom related to both content and calendar. While many home educator parents elect to parallel the general organization of the public school system, they are also at liberty to invest additional time in an area of interest or timeliness, to plan “real world” field trips that illustrate or enhance a lesson, or to accelerate, decelerate or otherwise modify lesson plans, worksheets, and other presentation materials. The liberty to do make choices in content, to manage the educational calendar, and to adjust according to the needs of the individual student make homeschooling advantageous for students across the spectrum, whether gifted, mainstream or learning disabled.
Homeschool families broadly report that students within these programs are not only the beneficiaries, they are invested in the educational process. Rather than memorizing for test recall and regurgitation, homeschool students are more engaged in their educations, more interested in the subjects at hand, and are likely to retain more information and develop a more substantial knowledge base than the peers who are situated in the public school environment.
Students further benefit from socialization in a more wholesome setting; a setting in which students are socialized to the standards established by parents through the home-based classroom, and the extracurricular activities approved and monitored by those parents. The home environment is a shield from unnecessary exposure to the public school dramas of teenage sex and pregnancy, use of tobacco and illicit drugs, the stress of peer pressure and the pursuit of popularity. It is difficult, if not impossible, for the public school system to keep these distractions out of the institutions which are supposed to be devoted to academic learning. Homeschool students are, however, not without social interaction. They are often involved in sporting events, community service volunteerism, and church sponsored activities. According to a survey by Jones and Gloeckner, homeschoolers can be verified as socially healthy and compatible with their same age peers:
Admission officers were asked how they expected homeschooled graduates to cope socially in their first year of college compared to traditional high school graduates. This question revealed that 43.6 percent of the admission officers expected homeschooled graduates to cope socially as well as traditional high school graduates their first year of college. (18)
Surveys are not scientific studies, and are highly subjective; even so, this is an interesting finding in light of recent news reports suggesting that many university admissions officers are not only accepting homeschool graduates, they are seeking these homeschoolers out in recruitment efforts.
America’s school system once brought learning opportunity to the general population, raising up a more educated public, but it can no longer claim that greatness. The news is replete with stories of young people who cannot read being issued high school diplomas, students who cannot compute basic math problems unable to compete for college admissions and ultimately for technology based jobs, a shocking prevalence of teenage pregnancy, drug use and campus-based violence. The very system that brought hope to people for a better future is now failing those people. Whether responsibility rests with the school system’s very design, the people who populate it, or some combination of these other factors, the result is that a growing number of people have made an alternative educational choice.
The homeschooling alternative is without its own set of challenges and sacrifices. Homeschool families must provide intensive parent supervision, organize and teach a wide variety of subject areas often to children across a broad range of ages, individualize their programs, and plan for extracurricular activities. They must also support the cost of these endeavors over and above the property taxes they pay to support public sector education, and without any tax relief otherwise. There is also some degree of media vulnerability within the homeschool movement. Perhaps because this movement represents a shift within society away from government based supervision and toward the personal accountability of families for the education of children within those families, examples of individual failures are given substantial media coverage; by contrast, the general population seems to have accepted the failures of the public schools. People may shake their heads in disappointment, but hardly seem outraged by the daily exposures of American kids to the very behaviors that are likely to ruin their individual lives and further erode the fabric of our culture and society. When these failures occur within the homeschooling community, whether related to questions of truancy, parent educator qualification, curriculum choice or the influence of religious beliefs in the development of the educational program, they are portrayed as far more shocking. A call for “government supervision” is typically not far behind; the same government supervision that has failed our public system of education.
Despite the challenges and sacrifices that come hand in hand with the decision to homeschool, it remains a viable alternative to public education; for many parent educators, it is decidedly the superior option. The freedom of parents to select curriculum, to modify or adapt it as necessary for an individual student, the opportunity to expose children to experiences in the field, and the wholesome environment in which the homeschool education can take place make homeschooling the choice of these families. As parents and students continue to discover that the government-run public school system does not suit them, many will make the decision to homeschool.
OpinionEditorials.com � Homeschooling As A Better Alternative To Public School - Liakos
Chris Liakos
Hundreds of thousands of families have made the decision to homeschool. According to Christine Scheller, an estimated three to four percent of the school age population, approximately two million students, participate in homeschool (Scheller 47). While the reasons for individual decisions to homeschool may vary, many parents cite serious concerns about the academic failures of the public school system and the on-campus social exposure of students to the use of tobacco, drugs, alcohol, and sexually explicit behaviors. The homeschool environment promises a more wholesome atmosphere and academic progress that can be monitored closely by parent instructors with a vested interest in the student's learning outcome. *Although a homeschool program may not meet the needs of every student, it is becoming recognized as a decidedly superior alternative to the public school system for many.*
Some may believe that the homeschool alternative is a relatively new idea; a brief review of history, however, will reveal a number of famous historic figures who were the products of homeschool educations. Among these individuals were Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Charles Dickens and Mark Twain (Jones and Gloeckner 13). In fact, homeschool classrooms were the source of educational opportunity even after the advent of public education often because schools were not readily accessible to families living in rural settings. While the idea is not new, the reasons for contemporary interest in the home-based classroom are a product of the modern world.
It may also be argued that while the problems of the modern world have breathed new life into the idea of homeschooling, the same modern world has made this alternative viable for more and more families. Access to public libraries, academic publishers and affordable technology including computers and access to the Internet are among the many resources and tools available to homeschooling families. It is, however, more than that; the educational marketplace has also seen the development of a wide variety of materials developed specifically for the homeschool classroom. Homeschooling families have effective access to all the materials available through the public school system, as well as to many not available to the public school teacher and student whether this is the result of lack of funding or bureaucratic approval.
Homeschool environments afford family educators greater freedom related to both content and calendar. While many home educator parents elect to parallel the general organization of the public school system, they are also at liberty to invest additional time in an area of interest or timeliness, to plan “real world” field trips that illustrate or enhance a lesson, or to accelerate, decelerate or otherwise modify lesson plans, worksheets, and other presentation materials. The liberty to do make choices in content, to manage the educational calendar, and to adjust according to the needs of the individual student make homeschooling advantageous for students across the spectrum, whether gifted, mainstream or learning disabled.
Homeschool families broadly report that students within these programs are not only the beneficiaries, they are invested in the educational process. Rather than memorizing for test recall and regurgitation, homeschool students are more engaged in their educations, more interested in the subjects at hand, and are likely to retain more information and develop a more substantial knowledge base than the peers who are situated in the public school environment.
Students further benefit from socialization in a more wholesome setting; a setting in which students are socialized to the standards established by parents through the home-based classroom, and the extracurricular activities approved and monitored by those parents. The home environment is a shield from unnecessary exposure to the public school dramas of teenage sex and pregnancy, use of tobacco and illicit drugs, the stress of peer pressure and the pursuit of popularity. It is difficult, if not impossible, for the public school system to keep these distractions out of the institutions which are supposed to be devoted to academic learning. Homeschool students are, however, not without social interaction. They are often involved in sporting events, community service volunteerism, and church sponsored activities. According to a survey by Jones and Gloeckner, homeschoolers can be verified as socially healthy and compatible with their same age peers:
Admission officers were asked how they expected homeschooled graduates to cope socially in their first year of college compared to traditional high school graduates. This question revealed that 43.6 percent of the admission officers expected homeschooled graduates to cope socially as well as traditional high school graduates their first year of college. (18)
Surveys are not scientific studies, and are highly subjective; even so, this is an interesting finding in light of recent news reports suggesting that many university admissions officers are not only accepting homeschool graduates, they are seeking these homeschoolers out in recruitment efforts.
America’s school system once brought learning opportunity to the general population, raising up a more educated public, but it can no longer claim that greatness. The news is replete with stories of young people who cannot read being issued high school diplomas, students who cannot compute basic math problems unable to compete for college admissions and ultimately for technology based jobs, a shocking prevalence of teenage pregnancy, drug use and campus-based violence. The very system that brought hope to people for a better future is now failing those people. Whether responsibility rests with the school system’s very design, the people who populate it, or some combination of these other factors, the result is that a growing number of people have made an alternative educational choice.
The homeschooling alternative is without its own set of challenges and sacrifices. Homeschool families must provide intensive parent supervision, organize and teach a wide variety of subject areas often to children across a broad range of ages, individualize their programs, and plan for extracurricular activities. They must also support the cost of these endeavors over and above the property taxes they pay to support public sector education, and without any tax relief otherwise. There is also some degree of media vulnerability within the homeschool movement. Perhaps because this movement represents a shift within society away from government based supervision and toward the personal accountability of families for the education of children within those families, examples of individual failures are given substantial media coverage; by contrast, the general population seems to have accepted the failures of the public schools. People may shake their heads in disappointment, but hardly seem outraged by the daily exposures of American kids to the very behaviors that are likely to ruin their individual lives and further erode the fabric of our culture and society. When these failures occur within the homeschooling community, whether related to questions of truancy, parent educator qualification, curriculum choice or the influence of religious beliefs in the development of the educational program, they are portrayed as far more shocking. A call for “government supervision” is typically not far behind; the same government supervision that has failed our public system of education.
Despite the challenges and sacrifices that come hand in hand with the decision to homeschool, it remains a viable alternative to public education; for many parent educators, it is decidedly the superior option. The freedom of parents to select curriculum, to modify or adapt it as necessary for an individual student, the opportunity to expose children to experiences in the field, and the wholesome environment in which the homeschool education can take place make homeschooling the choice of these families. As parents and students continue to discover that the government-run public school system does not suit them, many will make the decision to homeschool.
OpinionEditorials.com � Homeschooling As A Better Alternative To Public School - Liakos
Consumer Advocate: Animal Rights Group's Offensive Methods Insult Religion
By Mary Rettig
September 12, 2005
(AgapePress) - David Martosko, director of research at the Center for Consumer Freedom, says People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is using tactics that offend and show contempt for many religions, especially Judaism and Christianity.
Martosko says PETA historically has demonstrated that it apparently has had no problem with giving offense. However, he says the group seems in recent years to be going out of its way to offend people of faith -- particularly mainstream Christians.
For example, CCF's research director notes, in the last year the animal rights group has "held mock crucifixions, where they would supposedly crucify fellow PETA activists who were wearing pig masks, and that sort of thing." Also, he notes, the organization has "erected billboards in parts of the United States that showed pictures of a small piglet along with the message that 'He died for your sins.'"
In addition, Martosko says one long-running PETA campaign claims Jesus was a vegetarian -- an assertion that the researcher feels is a deliberate distortion of scripture. He contends that PETA activists are using religious icons and ideas to wage what he calls a "vegan holy war," and they are not above twisting God's Word to do it.
The CCF spokesman says PETA "willfully omits lots of information from scripture -- claiming, for instance, that Jesus was a vegetarian while leaving out the episodes where Christ ate fish and also leaving out information about him being a faithful Jew, in which case he would clearly have had to eat lamb during the Passover."
The Center for Consumer Freedom has printed a booklet called "Holy Cows," which is designed to show Christians, Jews, Muslims, and people of other faiths how PETA has distorted their beliefs to push animal rights. Martosko says PETA is working to take away Americans' right to choose what they eat, and the fact that they are manipulating the Bible and other religions' writings to do it is particularly disturbing.
News from Agape Press
September 12, 2005
(AgapePress) - David Martosko, director of research at the Center for Consumer Freedom, says People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is using tactics that offend and show contempt for many religions, especially Judaism and Christianity.
Martosko says PETA historically has demonstrated that it apparently has had no problem with giving offense. However, he says the group seems in recent years to be going out of its way to offend people of faith -- particularly mainstream Christians.
For example, CCF's research director notes, in the last year the animal rights group has "held mock crucifixions, where they would supposedly crucify fellow PETA activists who were wearing pig masks, and that sort of thing." Also, he notes, the organization has "erected billboards in parts of the United States that showed pictures of a small piglet along with the message that 'He died for your sins.'"
In addition, Martosko says one long-running PETA campaign claims Jesus was a vegetarian -- an assertion that the researcher feels is a deliberate distortion of scripture. He contends that PETA activists are using religious icons and ideas to wage what he calls a "vegan holy war," and they are not above twisting God's Word to do it.
The CCF spokesman says PETA "willfully omits lots of information from scripture -- claiming, for instance, that Jesus was a vegetarian while leaving out the episodes where Christ ate fish and also leaving out information about him being a faithful Jew, in which case he would clearly have had to eat lamb during the Passover."
The Center for Consumer Freedom has printed a booklet called "Holy Cows," which is designed to show Christians, Jews, Muslims, and people of other faiths how PETA has distorted their beliefs to push animal rights. Martosko says PETA is working to take away Americans' right to choose what they eat, and the fact that they are manipulating the Bible and other religions' writings to do it is particularly disturbing.
News from Agape Press
Study Debunks Criticisms of Abstinence Ed Program
By Jim Brown
September 12, 2005
(AgapePress) - A new study indicates a community-based abstinence program in Cleveland, Ohio, is paying positive dividends for some of the city's middle-school students. The research showed that the program, called "For Keeps," not only increased students' knowledge and changed their attitudes and intentions about sex -- it also changed their behavior.
The study, which looked at more than 2,000 Cleveland middle-school students, found that "For Keeps" helped Cleveland 7th- and 8th-graders reduce their number of sexual episodes and sexual partners. That is gratifying information to Mary Ann Mosack, executive director of Operation Keepsake, which runs the abstinence-based sex education program. Any drop in those numbers is good news because, she notes, "You have to start somewhere."
In fact, Mosack asserts, "When we have students who are living in a sex-saturated culture, if you can begin to change their behavior in the right direction, that's success. And so we're not surprised because we believe our message resonates."
The head of Operation Keepsake feels the findings of the study help to vindicate that contention. "Those who oppose abstinence-until-marriage sex education believe that we're ineffective with sexually active teens," she says, "but this certainly shows that they did hear the message."
Mosack believes part of the reason the program works is because it helps students focus on making choices that are in their own best interests in the long term. "One of our key, iconic kind of concepts is that decisions determine destiny," she explains.
What Operation Keepsake's abstinence education program does, Mosack points out, is focus teens -- including sexually active teens -- on the consequences of their decision-making. "So helping students at a young age actually connect the dots between choices they make today and their future, we believe, is really helpful," she says.
"For Keeps" is currently in use in 130 schools in the Greater Cleveland area.
News from Agape Press
September 12, 2005
(AgapePress) - A new study indicates a community-based abstinence program in Cleveland, Ohio, is paying positive dividends for some of the city's middle-school students. The research showed that the program, called "For Keeps," not only increased students' knowledge and changed their attitudes and intentions about sex -- it also changed their behavior.
The study, which looked at more than 2,000 Cleveland middle-school students, found that "For Keeps" helped Cleveland 7th- and 8th-graders reduce their number of sexual episodes and sexual partners. That is gratifying information to Mary Ann Mosack, executive director of Operation Keepsake, which runs the abstinence-based sex education program. Any drop in those numbers is good news because, she notes, "You have to start somewhere."
In fact, Mosack asserts, "When we have students who are living in a sex-saturated culture, if you can begin to change their behavior in the right direction, that's success. And so we're not surprised because we believe our message resonates."
The head of Operation Keepsake feels the findings of the study help to vindicate that contention. "Those who oppose abstinence-until-marriage sex education believe that we're ineffective with sexually active teens," she says, "but this certainly shows that they did hear the message."
Mosack believes part of the reason the program works is because it helps students focus on making choices that are in their own best interests in the long term. "One of our key, iconic kind of concepts is that decisions determine destiny," she explains.
What Operation Keepsake's abstinence education program does, Mosack points out, is focus teens -- including sexually active teens -- on the consequences of their decision-making. "So helping students at a young age actually connect the dots between choices they make today and their future, we believe, is really helpful," she says.
"For Keeps" is currently in use in 130 schools in the Greater Cleveland area.
News from Agape Press
Porn Common Among Child Molesters
By AFA Journal
September 12, 2005
(AgapePress) - The possession of child pornography by child molesters is becoming a common phenomenon, according to a study released by the New Hampshire Crimes Against Children Research Center.
After interviewing police investigators regarding a possible link between possessing child pornography and acting on it, researchers found 40 percent of porn users to be molesters. Once again, this trend of perversion is connected to the Internet.
"We have never found one case of child sexual abuse where the predator did not use or have in his possession pornography," says Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values, who works with law enforcement to end pornography.
Burress points out how important it is for parents to know that predators use the Internet to seduce their children. Therefore, parents need to monitor what their children do online. For example, he advises parents to prohibit Internet access in their children's bedrooms.
In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is working to combat the rise in possession and distribution of child pornography -- acts deemed illegal under federal laws. The DOJ has responded by funding the CyberTipline (cybertipline.com), which is operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. It allows citizens to report suspected possession of child pornography.
The department has also created regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces to assist state and local law enforcement in the effort to protect children from sexual exploitation. (Example: Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force)
News from Agape Press
September 12, 2005
(AgapePress) - The possession of child pornography by child molesters is becoming a common phenomenon, according to a study released by the New Hampshire Crimes Against Children Research Center.
After interviewing police investigators regarding a possible link between possessing child pornography and acting on it, researchers found 40 percent of porn users to be molesters. Once again, this trend of perversion is connected to the Internet.
"We have never found one case of child sexual abuse where the predator did not use or have in his possession pornography," says Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values, who works with law enforcement to end pornography.
Burress points out how important it is for parents to know that predators use the Internet to seduce their children. Therefore, parents need to monitor what their children do online. For example, he advises parents to prohibit Internet access in their children's bedrooms.
In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is working to combat the rise in possession and distribution of child pornography -- acts deemed illegal under federal laws. The DOJ has responded by funding the CyberTipline (cybertipline.com), which is operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. It allows citizens to report suspected possession of child pornography.
The department has also created regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces to assist state and local law enforcement in the effort to protect children from sexual exploitation. (Example: Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force)
News from Agape Press
Roberts Told 'Don't Take the Bait'
Chief Justice Nominee Begins Hearing Before Senate Judiciary Committee
By Jody Brown and Bill Fancher
September 12, 2005
(AgapePress) - Hearings on the nomination of John G. Roberts as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court began today (Monday). Early on, he was offered some wise counsel by the former attorney general of Texas, who now sits on the Senate committee conducting the hearing.
Shortly after sitting down to begin his opening hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Roberts was given a bit of advice from John Cornyn: "Don't take the bait," he was told by the senator from Texas. "Decline to answer any question that you feel would compromise your ability to do your job."
Cornyn was laying the groundwork for the type of questions likely to come from several Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee, who are expected to probe for Roberts' stance on cases and issues that could possibly come before the Supreme Court. The Texas lawmaker acknowledged that the senators have a right to ask whatever questions they wish -- and admitted that perhaps all on the committee were "curious" to know how he might rule in future cases.
“But just because we are curious does not mean that our curiosity should be satisfied," Cornyn added.
And the senator reminded Judge Roberts that every single Supreme Court Justice in the past -- most recently, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who now sits on the high court -- has declined to answer questions during their confirmation hearings whenever they felt their impartiality and independence might be threatened. "You have no obligation to tell us how you will rule on any issue that might come before you if you sit on the Supreme Court," Cornyn said.
"It boils down to a question of impartiality and fairness," the senator continued. "One characteristic of good judges is that they keep an open-mind on issues that are likely to come before them. If you pledge today to rule a certain way on an issue, how can parties to future cases ever believe they have had a fair day in court?"
In a column for National Review, Cornyn suggests some committee members will ask questions they know full well Roberts cannot answer in an attempt to "create the false impression that Judge Roberts is not being forthcoming" with the nation.
"But for the reasons noted by Justice Ginsburg herself," he writes, "it would be unfair to Judge Roberts to suggest that he has not been forthcoming simply for following his ethical obligation."
Call for a Fair Hearing
Cornyn believes Roberts is worthy of confirmation -- and of a fair hearing. "I think we have a duty to the American people and to the memory of [Roberts'] former boss, the late Chief Justice [William] Rehnquist, to conduct the confirmation hearings in a dignified and respectful way that shows due regard for the pursuit of truth rather than misrepresentation."
The senator from the Lone Star State is not alone in his call for impartiality during the hearings. Describing Roberts as a "man of integrity" with "impeccable legal credentials," Concerned Women for America's Wendy Wright addresses the expected onslaught of inquiry from the Democratic side of the aisle.
"Americans must demand that senators' unjustified demands aren't allowed to subvert the confirmation process and deny confirmation of qualified nominees," says CWA's executive vice president. "Senators should restrain themselves from demanding comments from Judge Roberts on political issues of potential upcoming cases. An independent judiciary is one that is not politicized."
Andrea Lafferty of Traditional Values Coalition agrees on that last note. "Judge Roberts is a Constitutionalist who understands that judges are not legislators, nor are they in charge of the executive branch of government," she says. "He believes judges are to interpret the law, not create law. He has respect for the two other branches of government, and he understands that each branch has its role in our republican form of government."
Lafferty urges the Senate Judiciary Committee to move quickly on Roberts' nomination so it can move to the Senate floor for an up-or-down vote. Roberts, she says, "deserves to be confirmed" as the 17th chief justice of the Supreme Court.
Become Prayer Warriors
Aside from the Roberts nomination, President Bush still must select someone to replace the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor. As he considers that selection -- and perhaps others before he leaves the White House -- one Christian leader is calling on believers to do their part to get the right persons on the high court.
"The most important thing that [Christians] can do now is pray," says Rob Schenck of the National Clergy Council. "It's the president who makes the selection; it's the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate as a whole that will confirm or reject that selection. But we are left with the most powerful influence of all -- and that is, to pray that God's will be done throughout the process."
Many choices hang in the balance, says Schenck. "What the president does in the next few days -- and what the Senate does over the next few weeks -- will determine whether Roe v. Wade is overturned; whether traditional marriage is upheld in this country; and whether we remain one nation under God, or whether we shake an angry fist in His face," he says.
News from Agape Press
By Jody Brown and Bill Fancher
September 12, 2005
(AgapePress) - Hearings on the nomination of John G. Roberts as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court began today (Monday). Early on, he was offered some wise counsel by the former attorney general of Texas, who now sits on the Senate committee conducting the hearing.
Shortly after sitting down to begin his opening hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Roberts was given a bit of advice from John Cornyn: "Don't take the bait," he was told by the senator from Texas. "Decline to answer any question that you feel would compromise your ability to do your job."
Cornyn was laying the groundwork for the type of questions likely to come from several Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee, who are expected to probe for Roberts' stance on cases and issues that could possibly come before the Supreme Court. The Texas lawmaker acknowledged that the senators have a right to ask whatever questions they wish -- and admitted that perhaps all on the committee were "curious" to know how he might rule in future cases.
“But just because we are curious does not mean that our curiosity should be satisfied," Cornyn added.
And the senator reminded Judge Roberts that every single Supreme Court Justice in the past -- most recently, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who now sits on the high court -- has declined to answer questions during their confirmation hearings whenever they felt their impartiality and independence might be threatened. "You have no obligation to tell us how you will rule on any issue that might come before you if you sit on the Supreme Court," Cornyn said.
"It boils down to a question of impartiality and fairness," the senator continued. "One characteristic of good judges is that they keep an open-mind on issues that are likely to come before them. If you pledge today to rule a certain way on an issue, how can parties to future cases ever believe they have had a fair day in court?"
In a column for National Review, Cornyn suggests some committee members will ask questions they know full well Roberts cannot answer in an attempt to "create the false impression that Judge Roberts is not being forthcoming" with the nation.
"But for the reasons noted by Justice Ginsburg herself," he writes, "it would be unfair to Judge Roberts to suggest that he has not been forthcoming simply for following his ethical obligation."
Call for a Fair Hearing
Cornyn believes Roberts is worthy of confirmation -- and of a fair hearing. "I think we have a duty to the American people and to the memory of [Roberts'] former boss, the late Chief Justice [William] Rehnquist, to conduct the confirmation hearings in a dignified and respectful way that shows due regard for the pursuit of truth rather than misrepresentation."
The senator from the Lone Star State is not alone in his call for impartiality during the hearings. Describing Roberts as a "man of integrity" with "impeccable legal credentials," Concerned Women for America's Wendy Wright addresses the expected onslaught of inquiry from the Democratic side of the aisle.
"Americans must demand that senators' unjustified demands aren't allowed to subvert the confirmation process and deny confirmation of qualified nominees," says CWA's executive vice president. "Senators should restrain themselves from demanding comments from Judge Roberts on political issues of potential upcoming cases. An independent judiciary is one that is not politicized."
Andrea Lafferty of Traditional Values Coalition agrees on that last note. "Judge Roberts is a Constitutionalist who understands that judges are not legislators, nor are they in charge of the executive branch of government," she says. "He believes judges are to interpret the law, not create law. He has respect for the two other branches of government, and he understands that each branch has its role in our republican form of government."
Lafferty urges the Senate Judiciary Committee to move quickly on Roberts' nomination so it can move to the Senate floor for an up-or-down vote. Roberts, she says, "deserves to be confirmed" as the 17th chief justice of the Supreme Court.
Become Prayer Warriors
Aside from the Roberts nomination, President Bush still must select someone to replace the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor. As he considers that selection -- and perhaps others before he leaves the White House -- one Christian leader is calling on believers to do their part to get the right persons on the high court.
"The most important thing that [Christians] can do now is pray," says Rob Schenck of the National Clergy Council. "It's the president who makes the selection; it's the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate as a whole that will confirm or reject that selection. But we are left with the most powerful influence of all -- and that is, to pray that God's will be done throughout the process."
Many choices hang in the balance, says Schenck. "What the president does in the next few days -- and what the Senate does over the next few weeks -- will determine whether Roe v. Wade is overturned; whether traditional marriage is upheld in this country; and whether we remain one nation under God, or whether we shake an angry fist in His face," he says.
News from Agape Press
Roberts Told 'Don't Take the Bait'
Chief Justice Nominee Begins Hearing Before Senate Judiciary Committee
By Jody Brown and Bill Fancher
September 12, 2005
(AgapePress) - Hearings on the nomination of John G. Roberts as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court began today (Monday). Early on, he was offered some wise counsel by the former attorney general of Texas, who now sits on the Senate committee conducting the hearing.
Shortly after sitting down to begin his opening hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Roberts was given a bit of advice from John Cornyn: "Don't take the bait," he was told by the senator from Texas. "Decline to answer any question that you feel would compromise your ability to do your job."
Cornyn was laying the groundwork for the type of questions likely to come from several Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee, who are expected to probe for Roberts' stance on cases and issues that could possibly come before the Supreme Court. The Texas lawmaker acknowledged that the senators have a right to ask whatever questions they wish -- and admitted that perhaps all on the committee were "curious" to know how he might rule in future cases.
“But just because we are curious does not mean that our curiosity should be satisfied," Cornyn added.
And the senator reminded Judge Roberts that every single Supreme Court Justice in the past -- most recently, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who now sits on the high court -- has declined to answer questions during their confirmation hearings whenever they felt their impartiality and independence might be threatened. "You have no obligation to tell us how you will rule on any issue that might come before you if you sit on the Supreme Court," Cornyn said.
"It boils down to a question of impartiality and fairness," the senator continued. "One characteristic of good judges is that they keep an open-mind on issues that are likely to come before them. If you pledge today to rule a certain way on an issue, how can parties to future cases ever believe they have had a fair day in court?"
In a column for National Review, Cornyn suggests some committee members will ask questions they know full well Roberts cannot answer in an attempt to "create the false impression that Judge Roberts is not being forthcoming" with the nation.
"But for the reasons noted by Justice Ginsburg herself," he writes, "it would be unfair to Judge Roberts to suggest that he has not been forthcoming simply for following his ethical obligation."
Call for a Fair Hearing
Cornyn believes Roberts is worthy of confirmation -- and of a fair hearing. "I think we have a duty to the American people and to the memory of [Roberts'] former boss, the late Chief Justice [William] Rehnquist, to conduct the confirmation hearings in a dignified and respectful way that shows due regard for the pursuit of truth rather than misrepresentation."
The senator from the Lone Star State is not alone in his call for impartiality during the hearings. Describing Roberts as a "man of integrity" with "impeccable legal credentials," Concerned Women for America's Wendy Wright addresses the expected onslaught of inquiry from the Democratic side of the aisle.
"Americans must demand that senators' unjustified demands aren't allowed to subvert the confirmation process and deny confirmation of qualified nominees," says CWA's executive vice president. "Senators should restrain themselves from demanding comments from Judge Roberts on political issues of potential upcoming cases. An independent judiciary is one that is not politicized."
Andrea Lafferty of Traditional Values Coalition agrees on that last note. "Judge Roberts is a Constitutionalist who understands that judges are not legislators, nor are they in charge of the executive branch of government," she says. "He believes judges are to interpret the law, not create law. He has respect for the two other branches of government, and he understands that each branch has its role in our republican form of government."
Lafferty urges the Senate Judiciary Committee to move quickly on Roberts' nomination so it can move to the Senate floor for an up-or-down vote. Roberts, she says, "deserves to be confirmed" as the 17th chief justice of the Supreme Court.
Become Prayer Warriors
Aside from the Roberts nomination, President Bush still must select someone to replace the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor. As he considers that selection -- and perhaps others before he leaves the White House -- one Christian leader is calling on believers to do their part to get the right persons on the high court.
"The most important thing that [Christians] can do now is pray," says Rob Schenck of the National Clergy Council. "It's the president who makes the selection; it's the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate as a whole that will confirm or reject that selection. But we are left with the most powerful influence of all -- and that is, to pray that God's will be done throughout the process."
Many choices hang in the balance, says Schenck. "What the president does in the next few days -- and what the Senate does over the next few weeks -- will determine whether Roe v. Wade is overturned; whether traditional marriage is upheld in this country; and whether we remain one nation under God, or whether we shake an angry fist in His face," he says.
News from Agape Press
By Jody Brown and Bill Fancher
September 12, 2005
(AgapePress) - Hearings on the nomination of John G. Roberts as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court began today (Monday). Early on, he was offered some wise counsel by the former attorney general of Texas, who now sits on the Senate committee conducting the hearing.
Shortly after sitting down to begin his opening hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Roberts was given a bit of advice from John Cornyn: "Don't take the bait," he was told by the senator from Texas. "Decline to answer any question that you feel would compromise your ability to do your job."
Cornyn was laying the groundwork for the type of questions likely to come from several Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee, who are expected to probe for Roberts' stance on cases and issues that could possibly come before the Supreme Court. The Texas lawmaker acknowledged that the senators have a right to ask whatever questions they wish -- and admitted that perhaps all on the committee were "curious" to know how he might rule in future cases.
“But just because we are curious does not mean that our curiosity should be satisfied," Cornyn added.
And the senator reminded Judge Roberts that every single Supreme Court Justice in the past -- most recently, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who now sits on the high court -- has declined to answer questions during their confirmation hearings whenever they felt their impartiality and independence might be threatened. "You have no obligation to tell us how you will rule on any issue that might come before you if you sit on the Supreme Court," Cornyn said.
"It boils down to a question of impartiality and fairness," the senator continued. "One characteristic of good judges is that they keep an open-mind on issues that are likely to come before them. If you pledge today to rule a certain way on an issue, how can parties to future cases ever believe they have had a fair day in court?"
In a column for National Review, Cornyn suggests some committee members will ask questions they know full well Roberts cannot answer in an attempt to "create the false impression that Judge Roberts is not being forthcoming" with the nation.
"But for the reasons noted by Justice Ginsburg herself," he writes, "it would be unfair to Judge Roberts to suggest that he has not been forthcoming simply for following his ethical obligation."
Call for a Fair Hearing
Cornyn believes Roberts is worthy of confirmation -- and of a fair hearing. "I think we have a duty to the American people and to the memory of [Roberts'] former boss, the late Chief Justice [William] Rehnquist, to conduct the confirmation hearings in a dignified and respectful way that shows due regard for the pursuit of truth rather than misrepresentation."
The senator from the Lone Star State is not alone in his call for impartiality during the hearings. Describing Roberts as a "man of integrity" with "impeccable legal credentials," Concerned Women for America's Wendy Wright addresses the expected onslaught of inquiry from the Democratic side of the aisle.
"Americans must demand that senators' unjustified demands aren't allowed to subvert the confirmation process and deny confirmation of qualified nominees," says CWA's executive vice president. "Senators should restrain themselves from demanding comments from Judge Roberts on political issues of potential upcoming cases. An independent judiciary is one that is not politicized."
Andrea Lafferty of Traditional Values Coalition agrees on that last note. "Judge Roberts is a Constitutionalist who understands that judges are not legislators, nor are they in charge of the executive branch of government," she says. "He believes judges are to interpret the law, not create law. He has respect for the two other branches of government, and he understands that each branch has its role in our republican form of government."
Lafferty urges the Senate Judiciary Committee to move quickly on Roberts' nomination so it can move to the Senate floor for an up-or-down vote. Roberts, she says, "deserves to be confirmed" as the 17th chief justice of the Supreme Court.
Become Prayer Warriors
Aside from the Roberts nomination, President Bush still must select someone to replace the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor. As he considers that selection -- and perhaps others before he leaves the White House -- one Christian leader is calling on believers to do their part to get the right persons on the high court.
"The most important thing that [Christians] can do now is pray," says Rob Schenck of the National Clergy Council. "It's the president who makes the selection; it's the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate as a whole that will confirm or reject that selection. But we are left with the most powerful influence of all -- and that is, to pray that God's will be done throughout the process."
Many choices hang in the balance, says Schenck. "What the president does in the next few days -- and what the Senate does over the next few weeks -- will determine whether Roe v. Wade is overturned; whether traditional marriage is upheld in this country; and whether we remain one nation under God, or whether we shake an angry fist in His face," he says.
News from Agape Press
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Succeeding at Failure
By Jane Jimenez
September 7, 2005
(AgapePress) - Timken High School in Canton, Ohio, has succeeded in setting a new record. Sixty-five of the girls attending Timken are pregnant.
This record is matched by another startling local statistic. According to the Canton Health Department, out of 586 babies born through July at local hospitals, 104 of the babies had mothers between the ages of 11 and 19.
Nationally, last week, radio and television talking heads picked up this story and ran with it. Outrageous, they shouted. Outrageous! What a dismal record of failure!
Failure? Really?
Think about it. Timken girls and boys have succeeded at one thing. They have succeeded in absorbing the messages of modern American culture and incorporating those messages into their lives.
Reality television validates casual sex between "consenting" guys and gals. So Timken guys and gals consented.
Popular entertainment idols jump in and out of bed so fast that we lose count. So Timken teens played like they are stars of the silver screen.
"Sexperts" insist that teens are incapable of resisting sexual temptations. So Timken teens didn't.
"Sexucators" go into classrooms and use false promises of "protection" and "safe sex" to downplay the true failure rates of condoms. Sex is fun, not risky. So Timken teens reach for promises of good times.
Rap and sports heroes brag about the number of women they conquer ... and leave. So Timken males fade into the background as the girls are counted by statisticians.
And sadly, American culture runs away from defining marriage as an expected standard for raising children. So Timken teens will be unmarried parents.
If you consider what we are teaching our children, it appears that Timken teens have simply excelled at learning what they have been taught. They are not alone.
Stella is a pregnant teen who doesn't attend Timken. She and her boyfriend were really "serious." So they had sex. Now he's gone and Stella is pregnant.
Sure, her feelings are hurt at being dumped by her boyfriend. But Stella likes being pregnant. She looks forward to being a mother and having a baby to hold. And maybe, just maybe, her boyfriend will come back.
Next week, Stella's friends and family are throwing her a baby shower. Her aunt has brought over a baby bed and stroller. And everyone is getting excited, anticipating her approaching due date.
Statisticians will count Stella as an unfortunate unwed pregnant teen. But in the real world where Stella lives, she is making a family using the pattern she has been given.
She had sex because she was serious with her boyfriend. And she is having a baby because she is pregnant. Stella has grown up in a world where babies enter our lives as casually as new cars and prom dresses.
If you talk with Stella and her friends ... and I suspect the young girls of Timken high ... they have the same eternal dream of women going back thousands of years. They long to be mothers and raise children. And they are.
They have learned what "sexucators" have been teaching. Babies are no longer the expected product of a married couple committed to each other for life. Marriage, sex, love, infatuation, fun, babies and families ... all of it is up for grabs ... depending on the mood of the day and the luck of the dice.
Is it failure when 65 girls at Timken High School are pregnant? Not if they have succeeded in learning what we have been teaching them.
News from Agape Press
September 7, 2005
(AgapePress) - Timken High School in Canton, Ohio, has succeeded in setting a new record. Sixty-five of the girls attending Timken are pregnant.
This record is matched by another startling local statistic. According to the Canton Health Department, out of 586 babies born through July at local hospitals, 104 of the babies had mothers between the ages of 11 and 19.
Nationally, last week, radio and television talking heads picked up this story and ran with it. Outrageous, they shouted. Outrageous! What a dismal record of failure!
Failure? Really?
Think about it. Timken girls and boys have succeeded at one thing. They have succeeded in absorbing the messages of modern American culture and incorporating those messages into their lives.
Reality television validates casual sex between "consenting" guys and gals. So Timken guys and gals consented.
Popular entertainment idols jump in and out of bed so fast that we lose count. So Timken teens played like they are stars of the silver screen.
"Sexperts" insist that teens are incapable of resisting sexual temptations. So Timken teens didn't.
"Sexucators" go into classrooms and use false promises of "protection" and "safe sex" to downplay the true failure rates of condoms. Sex is fun, not risky. So Timken teens reach for promises of good times.
Rap and sports heroes brag about the number of women they conquer ... and leave. So Timken males fade into the background as the girls are counted by statisticians.
And sadly, American culture runs away from defining marriage as an expected standard for raising children. So Timken teens will be unmarried parents.
If you consider what we are teaching our children, it appears that Timken teens have simply excelled at learning what they have been taught. They are not alone.
Stella is a pregnant teen who doesn't attend Timken. She and her boyfriend were really "serious." So they had sex. Now he's gone and Stella is pregnant.
Sure, her feelings are hurt at being dumped by her boyfriend. But Stella likes being pregnant. She looks forward to being a mother and having a baby to hold. And maybe, just maybe, her boyfriend will come back.
Next week, Stella's friends and family are throwing her a baby shower. Her aunt has brought over a baby bed and stroller. And everyone is getting excited, anticipating her approaching due date.
Statisticians will count Stella as an unfortunate unwed pregnant teen. But in the real world where Stella lives, she is making a family using the pattern she has been given.
She had sex because she was serious with her boyfriend. And she is having a baby because she is pregnant. Stella has grown up in a world where babies enter our lives as casually as new cars and prom dresses.
If you talk with Stella and her friends ... and I suspect the young girls of Timken high ... they have the same eternal dream of women going back thousands of years. They long to be mothers and raise children. And they are.
They have learned what "sexucators" have been teaching. Babies are no longer the expected product of a married couple committed to each other for life. Marriage, sex, love, infatuation, fun, babies and families ... all of it is up for grabs ... depending on the mood of the day and the luck of the dice.
Is it failure when 65 girls at Timken High School are pregnant? Not if they have succeeded in learning what we have been teaching them.
News from Agape Press
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
PALESTINIAN CHRISTIAN HOUSES TORCHED AS MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN TENSIONS FLARE
Bethlehem, 6 Sept. (AKI) - Samir Qumsieh is an angry man. For him and fellow Palestinian Christians last Sunday's attack in Taybeh, northeast of Ramallah - eight houses petrol-bombed, people beaten up and cars vandalised - is the latest in a series of Muslim assaults. This time the culprits have been identified - 15 Muslim youths from the neighbouring West Bank village of Dir Jarir - but after spending several hours in police detention they were set free. The reason for the Palestinian authorities' decision: "To cool things down, we were told" says Qumsieh.
Qumsieh, who runs the only Christian private TV channel in the West Bank, the Bethlehem-based al-Mahed, or "The Nativity" explained in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI) the sequence of events that led to Sunday's incident.
"The youths are relatives of a Dir Jarir woman killed last Thursday by her own Muslim family - a "honour killing" to punish her for the shame of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy," he says.
Seeking more revenge, the family then organised an expedition against the man they allege was responsible for making the woman pregnant: the Christian owner of a Taybeh tailoring workshop where she worked. Palestinian Authority police forces arrived in time to prevent the man's lynching, but not the torchings of the houses, and the destruction of the cars.
The Taybeh villagers, who are mostly Christian, in part accept that the police were delayed because they had to wait for permission from the Israeli military to leave Ramallah and enter the village. But to them the fact that the Muslim aggressors have been released while the Christian tailor-shop owner is still being held, at best symbolises the PA's indifference to the plight of Palestinian Christians, at worst shows it is taking sides against them.
"Many cases like this are happening and the time has come for Abu Maazen (PA president Mahmoud Abbas) to take a decisive stand," says Qumsieh, who together with other prominent Christian Palestinians wrote a letter to the PA president in February listing their grievances.
"We have had no reply and our anger and our fear are growing," he says.
Christians, who represent less than two percent of the Palestinian population in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, are facing what Qumsieh calls a campaign of "religious racism." Since 2003 he has registered more than 100 attacks against the community including murders, rapes and extortion. "Some people lay the blame on Islamic extremists, but this is only part of the truth."
The most common attacks are perpetrated by what he calls "the Muslim land mafia," it involves targeting Christian land or homeowners and threatening them, with the aim of forcing them off their property. Qumsieh believes PA officials are involved in this practice. "It was the situation under [former PA president] Arafat and it is the situation under Abu Maazen," he says.
Christian Palestinians, while a tiny minority, consider themselves an integral part of the Palestian population and of a future Palestinian state, says Qumsieh, who believes his TV station is playing a vital role in reaching out across the religious divide.
Founded in 1996 al-Mahed, located near Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, is the only TV station in the Arab world that transmits Christian Masses and services - for Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholics and several other denominations. "But we also broadcast Muslim prayers on Friday for Muslim worshippers who cannot attend mosque," explains Qumsieh, who says that some other Islamic programmes are in the pipeline.
During the Israeli army's siege of the Church of the Nativity in 2000, when Palestinian militants sought refuge in the building, al-Mahed was the only local station to cover the six-week long standoff. It has withstood Israeli incursions and Yasser Arafat even pulled the plug on the station for twenty days when it criticised the Palestinian leader's autocratic policies.
"But our biggest enemy is a shortage of funds. We need support to continue the work we are doing, yet no one seems interested," Qumsieh notes.
PALESTINIANS: HOUSES TORCHED AS MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN TENSIONS FLARE
Qumsieh, who runs the only Christian private TV channel in the West Bank, the Bethlehem-based al-Mahed, or "The Nativity" explained in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI) the sequence of events that led to Sunday's incident.
"The youths are relatives of a Dir Jarir woman killed last Thursday by her own Muslim family - a "honour killing" to punish her for the shame of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy," he says.
Seeking more revenge, the family then organised an expedition against the man they allege was responsible for making the woman pregnant: the Christian owner of a Taybeh tailoring workshop where she worked. Palestinian Authority police forces arrived in time to prevent the man's lynching, but not the torchings of the houses, and the destruction of the cars.
The Taybeh villagers, who are mostly Christian, in part accept that the police were delayed because they had to wait for permission from the Israeli military to leave Ramallah and enter the village. But to them the fact that the Muslim aggressors have been released while the Christian tailor-shop owner is still being held, at best symbolises the PA's indifference to the plight of Palestinian Christians, at worst shows it is taking sides against them.
"Many cases like this are happening and the time has come for Abu Maazen (PA president Mahmoud Abbas) to take a decisive stand," says Qumsieh, who together with other prominent Christian Palestinians wrote a letter to the PA president in February listing their grievances.
"We have had no reply and our anger and our fear are growing," he says.
Christians, who represent less than two percent of the Palestinian population in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, are facing what Qumsieh calls a campaign of "religious racism." Since 2003 he has registered more than 100 attacks against the community including murders, rapes and extortion. "Some people lay the blame on Islamic extremists, but this is only part of the truth."
The most common attacks are perpetrated by what he calls "the Muslim land mafia," it involves targeting Christian land or homeowners and threatening them, with the aim of forcing them off their property. Qumsieh believes PA officials are involved in this practice. "It was the situation under [former PA president] Arafat and it is the situation under Abu Maazen," he says.
Christian Palestinians, while a tiny minority, consider themselves an integral part of the Palestian population and of a future Palestinian state, says Qumsieh, who believes his TV station is playing a vital role in reaching out across the religious divide.
Founded in 1996 al-Mahed, located near Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, is the only TV station in the Arab world that transmits Christian Masses and services - for Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholics and several other denominations. "But we also broadcast Muslim prayers on Friday for Muslim worshippers who cannot attend mosque," explains Qumsieh, who says that some other Islamic programmes are in the pipeline.
During the Israeli army's siege of the Church of the Nativity in 2000, when Palestinian militants sought refuge in the building, al-Mahed was the only local station to cover the six-week long standoff. It has withstood Israeli incursions and Yasser Arafat even pulled the plug on the station for twenty days when it criticised the Palestinian leader's autocratic policies.
"But our biggest enemy is a shortage of funds. We need support to continue the work we are doing, yet no one seems interested," Qumsieh notes.
PALESTINIANS: HOUSES TORCHED AS MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN TENSIONS FLARE
Principal credits prayer for his school's A rating
A group of moms began praying, and students' test scores improved, he says.
Lois K. Solomon
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
September 6, 2005
BOCA RATON -- Students may have worked hard, but it was God who led Boca Raton High School to its A grade from the state and numerous other accomplishments, Principal Geoff McKee said.
McKee, a public-school principal for the past four years, came under fire last year for his references to God in his meetings with teachers.
But he says he also received accolades from Christians across the country, who, he said, prayed for the school's success.
McKee, 42, believes the widespread prayer efforts achieved a miracle for the formerly C-rated school, which received B's in 2003 and 2004. He said the school district had anticipated a D for Boca Raton High last year after students took diagnostic exams designed to predict scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test later in the year.
Upon hearing that news, McKee said he called on the local branch of an international Christian group, Moms in Touch, to pray for students to do well on the exams, and the group complied.
"There was a lot of prayer for the school and staff to achieve their God-given potential," said Moms in Touch member Lori Degler, whose two children attend Boca Raton High. "We give credit to hard work, but it's spurred on by the spirit of the Lord."
Moms in Touch was not the only group to pray for Boca High. McKee said churches, local and national Christian radio stations and campus groups also voiced their support.
"I never felt so bathed in prayer as I did last year," McKee said. "The outcome would have been different. It wouldn't have been as great a year."
Superintendent Art Johnson said McKee is free to express his beliefs as long as he does not try to convert teachers or students.
"His beliefs are a credit to him as a man and a human being, and I will leave those in the personal realm," Johnson said.
McKee credits several school improvements to prayer: The dropout and truancy rates and number of fights decreased, enrollment in Advanced Placement classes doubled and sports teams won five district titles, up from two the previous year.
Still, some students say McKee's emphasis on the power of prayer minimizes the amount of studying and practicing they did.
"Praying helps, but all the hard work changed things for the better," senior Jessica Summers said.
"You can't totally depend on prayer to help you achieve," senior Emily Kirkland said. "A lot of people would be offended by that."
McKee believes the Holy Spirit, angels and meditation lead people to act to fulfill God's intentions, which include students enjoying school and excelling in their studies.
When students gave up information on stolen objects and upcoming fights last year, McKee said they were satisfying God's will.
"God gave us the power to study effectively and test well," McKee said. "One hundred percent of my success is attributable to God."
Principal credits prayer for his school's A rating - OrlandoSentinel.com: State News
Lois K. Solomon
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
September 6, 2005
BOCA RATON -- Students may have worked hard, but it was God who led Boca Raton High School to its A grade from the state and numerous other accomplishments, Principal Geoff McKee said.
McKee, a public-school principal for the past four years, came under fire last year for his references to God in his meetings with teachers.
But he says he also received accolades from Christians across the country, who, he said, prayed for the school's success.
McKee, 42, believes the widespread prayer efforts achieved a miracle for the formerly C-rated school, which received B's in 2003 and 2004. He said the school district had anticipated a D for Boca Raton High last year after students took diagnostic exams designed to predict scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test later in the year.
Upon hearing that news, McKee said he called on the local branch of an international Christian group, Moms in Touch, to pray for students to do well on the exams, and the group complied.
"There was a lot of prayer for the school and staff to achieve their God-given potential," said Moms in Touch member Lori Degler, whose two children attend Boca Raton High. "We give credit to hard work, but it's spurred on by the spirit of the Lord."
Moms in Touch was not the only group to pray for Boca High. McKee said churches, local and national Christian radio stations and campus groups also voiced their support.
"I never felt so bathed in prayer as I did last year," McKee said. "The outcome would have been different. It wouldn't have been as great a year."
Superintendent Art Johnson said McKee is free to express his beliefs as long as he does not try to convert teachers or students.
"His beliefs are a credit to him as a man and a human being, and I will leave those in the personal realm," Johnson said.
McKee credits several school improvements to prayer: The dropout and truancy rates and number of fights decreased, enrollment in Advanced Placement classes doubled and sports teams won five district titles, up from two the previous year.
Still, some students say McKee's emphasis on the power of prayer minimizes the amount of studying and practicing they did.
"Praying helps, but all the hard work changed things for the better," senior Jessica Summers said.
"You can't totally depend on prayer to help you achieve," senior Emily Kirkland said. "A lot of people would be offended by that."
McKee believes the Holy Spirit, angels and meditation lead people to act to fulfill God's intentions, which include students enjoying school and excelling in their studies.
When students gave up information on stolen objects and upcoming fights last year, McKee said they were satisfying God's will.
"God gave us the power to study effectively and test well," McKee said. "One hundred percent of my success is attributable to God."
Principal credits prayer for his school's A rating - OrlandoSentinel.com: State News
Time for Jesus Inc.: Christian offerings go mainstream
By Jesse Noyes
Sunday, September 4, 2005
The Christian video game industry has a heavy cross to bear.
A small customer base, even smaller development budgets and competition from a mainstream market that sells violent games by the truckload has traditionally meant spiritual gaming barely registered a blip on the national radar.
But a growing mainstream fascination with divine entertainment has a variety of companies hoping to cash in big on Christian video games.
``Right now the . . . industry is just ready to explode,'' said Ralph Bagley, chief spokesman for the Christian Game Developers Association and often called the ``Godfather'' of Christian video games.
Christian game developers will flood the market in coming months with new products that offer a godly alternative to the blood and gore games prevalent in the marketplace.
``I have been just amazed at the secular game industry and the level of shocking imagery,'' Bagley said. ``People want high-quality alternatives.''
If the success of the Christian markets in other forms of entertainment are any indication, religiously based video games ascending from niche market to mass consumption would be no miracle.
Last year's box office hit ``The Passion of the Christ'' showed America's fascination with the story of Jesus after it raked in over $300 million nationwide. Christian books like ``The Purpose Driven Life'' and the post-apocalyptic ``Left Behind'' series have flown off the shelves of mainstream retail outlets.
Even music has turned into a lucrative market for religious groups. The Christian market regularly outperforms the country, Latin and classical music industries.
The band Casting Crowns has sold more than 1 million records without a mainstream hit. Their strategy: targeting church groups to promote such songs as ``If We Are The Body,'' ``Love Them Like Jesus'' and ``Father, Spirit, Jesus.''
Evangelical Christians are beginning to exert their power in mass entertainment, said Nancy Ammerman, professor of sociology of religion at Boston University.
For complete article, link below:
BostonHerald.com - Business News: Time for Jesus Inc.: Christian offerings go mainstream
Sunday, September 4, 2005
The Christian video game industry has a heavy cross to bear.
A small customer base, even smaller development budgets and competition from a mainstream market that sells violent games by the truckload has traditionally meant spiritual gaming barely registered a blip on the national radar.
But a growing mainstream fascination with divine entertainment has a variety of companies hoping to cash in big on Christian video games.
``Right now the . . . industry is just ready to explode,'' said Ralph Bagley, chief spokesman for the Christian Game Developers Association and often called the ``Godfather'' of Christian video games.
Christian game developers will flood the market in coming months with new products that offer a godly alternative to the blood and gore games prevalent in the marketplace.
``I have been just amazed at the secular game industry and the level of shocking imagery,'' Bagley said. ``People want high-quality alternatives.''
If the success of the Christian markets in other forms of entertainment are any indication, religiously based video games ascending from niche market to mass consumption would be no miracle.
Last year's box office hit ``The Passion of the Christ'' showed America's fascination with the story of Jesus after it raked in over $300 million nationwide. Christian books like ``The Purpose Driven Life'' and the post-apocalyptic ``Left Behind'' series have flown off the shelves of mainstream retail outlets.
Even music has turned into a lucrative market for religious groups. The Christian market regularly outperforms the country, Latin and classical music industries.
The band Casting Crowns has sold more than 1 million records without a mainstream hit. Their strategy: targeting church groups to promote such songs as ``If We Are The Body,'' ``Love Them Like Jesus'' and ``Father, Spirit, Jesus.''
Evangelical Christians are beginning to exert their power in mass entertainment, said Nancy Ammerman, professor of sociology of religion at Boston University.
For complete article, link below:
BostonHerald.com - Business News: Time for Jesus Inc.: Christian offerings go mainstream
Straw man
"A straw man or man of straw is a dummy in the shape of a human created by stuffing straw into clothes. Straw men are used as scarecrows, combat-training targets or swordsmiths test-targets, effigies to be burned, and as rodeo dummies to distract bulls.
As a rhetorical term, 'straw man' describes a point of view that was created in order to be easily defeated in argument; the creator of a 'straw man' argument does not accurately reflect the best arguments of his or her opponents, but instead sidesteps or mischaracterizes them so as to make the opposing view appear weak or ridiculous."
Straw man - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
As a rhetorical term, 'straw man' describes a point of view that was created in order to be easily defeated in argument; the creator of a 'straw man' argument does not accurately reflect the best arguments of his or her opponents, but instead sidesteps or mischaracterizes them so as to make the opposing view appear weak or ridiculous."
Straw man - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Islamic Militants Force Churches to Close
By CWNews
CWNews.com – There is more bad news, from the island of Java, Indonesia. There, Islamic militants have forced 35 churches near the city of Bandung to shut their doors in the past month.
The attacks began after a meeting of the country's top Islamic clerical group in late July. Muslim leaders complained to the Indonesian Islamic Council about the growth of Christianity in western Java.
The Council then issued an edict: it said religious pluralism is un-Islamic and that non-Muslims do not have the same rights as Muslims.
Islamic Militants Force Churches to Close
CWNews.com – There is more bad news, from the island of Java, Indonesia. There, Islamic militants have forced 35 churches near the city of Bandung to shut their doors in the past month.
The attacks began after a meeting of the country's top Islamic clerical group in late July. Muslim leaders complained to the Indonesian Islamic Council about the growth of Christianity in western Java.
The Council then issued an edict: it said religious pluralism is un-Islamic and that non-Muslims do not have the same rights as Muslims.
Islamic Militants Force Churches to Close
Katrina: Natural Disaster or Divine Judgment?
Published Friday, 02 September 2005
by William P. Welty, Ph.D.
There's an old American proverb that goes like this: If you throw a rock into the middle of a pack of dogs, the one that yelps is the one that got hit. Something along that train of thought has been bouncing all around the internet this past week. It seems a whole pot load of folk are linking Hurricane Katrina to the disciplinary judgment of God on the United States due to president Dubya's backing of the evacuation of Gaza last month. Here's a sampling of stuff about that....
Standing with former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush, President George W. Bush discusses the plans to help people affected by Hurricane Katrina in the Oval Office Sept. 1, 2005. While these men were actively involved in the negotiations to divide Israel’s covenant land the United States experienced nine of the ten costliest insurance events in U.S. history; six of the seven costliest hurricanes in U.S. history; three of the four largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history; nine of the top ten natural disasters in U.S. history ranked by FEMA relief costs; and the two largest terrorism events in U.S. history. – White House Photo by Paul Morse. Uh, oh yeah, and thanks to Bill Koenig and wife....
On Chance vs. Nature
As any ol' Calvinist will tell you, there ain't no such thing as chance. The word "chance" doesn't even appear once in the original languages of the Bible. Like my rabbi friends tell me, "coincidence" is not a kosher word.
The closest thing to the idea of a "chance" event you'll ever find in the Bible—and it's still a zillion miles away at that—is a comment by those lovable ol' Philistines of Samuel's day.
Those of you who read the Tanakh regularly know the story. The ark of the covenant had been captured by the folk who had been occupying Gaza. Oops. I meant Philistia. My mistake. All of this happened several millenia before President Dubya and Mr. Sharon took office...
Uh, anyway, back to the story.
The Philistines were enjoying a wonderful time being visited by the wrath of God. I won't take the time right now to exegete the passage in detail, except to say that I'm totally convinced that the good Lord showed a remarkable sense of humor when he afflicted the Philistine idolatrous priests and leaders of their people with hemorrhoids as an inducement to surrender the ark of the covenant back to the Israelis. Think of the Philistines gaining a pain in the ass because they were being a pain in the ass to Israel and you won't be far off the mark...
But I will note that when the Philistines sent the ark back to Israel, they put it on top of a cart that was pulled by an ox that had been forced to abandon its young. The Philistines decided to put the God of Israel to the test as they sent the cart off to Israel: If the ox turned one way, reasoned the Philistines, the disasters afflicted on them would be considered to have come from the judgment of God. If the ox turned another way, they would consider the disasters to be only "natural" events.
The ox opted for the "this-was-from-the-hand-of-God" route.
Samplings from The Freeman List
Bernard Shapiro publishes The Freeman List and The Maccabean Online, internet compilations that arguably may be called the finest digests of all things Israeli. The man's daily emailings—uh, make that many times per day emailings, if I'm going to be really honest—include essays by some of the finest minds around the world.
In just one of his emailings this morning, Bernard Shapiro included a cross section of communications from both the Jewish and from the Christian communities situated around the globe, all of which commented on the opinion that the disciplinary hand of God is at work in the destruction wreaked on New Orleans, Louisiana this past week. Here's a sampling of what Mr. Shapiro published:
"No question that they are directly related."...DC
----------------------------------------------------
On August 15, 10,000 patriotic Jews were expelled from their homes and made refugees in their own country. This was done to fulfill the dictates of the US-sponsored Road Map to Peace.
There are approximately 6 million people in Israel.
10,000 divided by 6,000,000 equals 0.00167
Two weeks later, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in the southern United States, and laid waste and complete desolation to the City of New Orleans. New Orleans has a population of 500,000. US News agencies are openly calling those displaced by the hurricane "refugees."
There are approximately 300 million people in the United States.
500,000 divided by 300,000,000 equals 0.00167
Coincidence?
----------------------------------------------------
Bernard, one of our intercessors had a vision of this disaster about two weeks ago. She was unable to sleep after that having seen all the destruction. As she saw the vision she knew that it was coming in because the Jews were removed from Gush Katif. We shared it with all of our intercessors across the states, so none of us were at all surprised.
Our President and Condi Rice are treading on very thin ice right now. All of our people, Fair Havens Missions, who are all across the states, knows that this came as a result of our national leadership touching His Land and the apple of His eye, the Jews. This is also payback for speaking a Palestinian State in to existance, and for all the pressure applied, and the arm twisting and threats behind the scenes. As we have all watched this we are seeing a parallel between the two situations, incident for incident, only here on a much larger scale. We are all writing both President Bush and Condi Rice calling for them to repent while there is still time.
Bernard it just tears our heart apart when we even think about what has been done to your people. We have sent thousands of dollars to Christian Friends of Israeli Communities to buy security and emergency medical equipment for some of those communities that they are destroying. We have done the same to help with the Aliyah. I have lost track of the number of Jews we have helped to bring in to Israel from the FSU. And then see our very own President take an axe to it all. I just want you and your people to know that we are so sorry for all that they have done to your people. We would have given anything to stop it or even now to reverse all that has happened.
Thanks for listening,
Pastor Myrna Middleton
----------------------------------------------------
I believe wholeheartedly that Katrina is a direct result of the expulsion of the Jews from Gaza.
I warned Bush when he first came into office to not make the same mistake that his Dad did to the Jews or he would go down in history shameful and possibly bring judgement on America as he now is doing.
Bush's three most influential religious advisers are strong proponents of Replacement Theology and that is why he thinks he can treat Israel the way he does.
Bush started out somewhat right in what he was doing until he stood with the enemies of Israel and declared that the Holy Land would be divided. I said then to my wife that everything that he was doing was fixing to go south on him as it has.
Such as the Abu Graib prison scandal , no WMD's etc. and now when the expulsion of the Jews from the heart of the Holy Land was completed God stood back and let Satan deal a severe blow to lives and the economy in the Gulf. Isn't it strange that where the storm hit is in my opinion one of the worst if not the worst dens of sin in the U.S. . It seems that those states had their economy tied completely to the rewards of Satan (Gambling) and now what you hear most the Politicians moan about losing 500 thousand dollars a day from gambling taxes. (When will people look up to God?)
With blessings and prayers for Israel,
Rev. John D. Shook
----------------------------------------------------
Two More Views from the Christian Community
You'll recall that in our Islam Commentary for 1 September, (just yesterday!), I noted that Bill Koenig runs an international internet news agency called WorldWatchDaily. Mr. Koenig has written and published a fascinating book entitled Eye to Eye: Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel. The thesis of Mr. Koenig's work is that natural disasters that have struck the United States of late, including Hurricane Katrina, are a direct result of the judgment of God on America due to its stupid and self-destructive Middle East policies. What's fascinating to me about Koenig's work is that the book has been out for some time now. And his historical records go back to the administration of President Goerge Bush, Sr., which began back in the 1980's! Here's a reminder of what Koenig's web site says about the book:
Eye to Eye: Facing the Consequences
of Dividing Israel
By William Koenig - 384 pages
America is now experiencing the consequences of Middle East policies, which have been opposed to God’s Word and to the preservation of His covenant land. Ever since the Madrid Conference of October 1991, the United States participation in Israel’s destiny has been flawed when put in context of Holy Scripture. The event of September 11, 2001, was a national wake-up call.
If the US continues to sponsor the Road Map, affirming a “land for peace” approach, America can expect to experience the further lifting of the Lord’s protective hand in an even greater measure.
“I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” (Joel 3:2) It is a fact that Israel’s very existence is in grave danger, because of our nation’s sponsorship of “land for peace” plans, which have led her to the brink of war.
What is happening in the world, and especially in the Middle East, these days is truly remarkable. But then again, Bible believers shouldn’t be surprised, because the Old Testament prophet, Zechariah, pre-warned us about these times over 2,500 years ago.
In Eye to Eye – Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel, the book documents what happens the same day or within 24 hours of Israel being pressured to divide her land. Here are a few examples found in these pages:
There were 29 record-setting catastrophes or major events during President George H. W. Bush and President Bill Clinton’s presidencies.
There were 24 record-setting catastrophes or major events during President George W. Bush’s first 42 months in office.
There were eight periods of disruption in the United States following the 9-11 terror events from October 1, 2001 to January 9, 2004 when President George W. Bush attempted to divide Israel’s land.
Europe began experiencing its hottest summer in 500 years and record-setting weather the week the Quartet's Road Map was delivered in 2003.
There were 31 major suicide bombings in Israel from December 1, 2001 to November 10, 2004, that occurred at the same time President George W. Bush or one of his top-level staff and/or one of Israel’s top officials were working with the U.S. on either a cease-fire agreement, a peace deal, publicly stating Israel’s approval of a Palestinian state, or Israel was about to evacuate property.
The book also documents what happened to previous American Presidents (beginning with the Presidency of Richard Nixon to the present) and Middle East leaders who were actively involved in the Middle East peace process during their time in office and/or afterwards.
Eye to Eye is a profound example that the God of Israel is very serious about His covenant land and that those who continue to pressure Israel to divide her land will experience even greater consequences.
What do these major-record setting events have in common?
Nine of the ten costliest insurance events in U.S. history
Six of the seven costliest hurricanes in U.S. history
Three of the four largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history
Nine of the top ten natural disasters in U.S. history ranked by FEMA relief costs
The two largest terrorism events in U.S. history
All of these major catastrophes transpired on the very same day or within 24-hours of U.S. presidents Bush, Clinton and Bush applying pressure on Israel to trade her land for promises of “peace and security,” sponsoring major “land for peace” meetings, making major public statements pertaining to Israel’s covenant land and /or calling for a Palestinian state.
Are each one of these major record-setting events just a coincidence or awe-inspiring signs that God is actively involved in the affairs of Israel?
In this book, Bill Koenig provides undeniable facts and conclusive evidence showing that indeed the leaders of the United States and the world are on a collision course with God over Israel’s covenant land.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:9)
----------------------------------------------------
Yesterday I also noted that Koenig isn't the only person who's been writing of late about the connection between American-based catastrophes and abandonment by U.S. foreign policy of its support of Israel's right to hegemony over Ha-Aretz. I also reprinted an essay by John McTernan that was published in March, that had this to say:
"In the Crosshairs of Judgment?"
by John McTernan
In October of 1991, former President George Bush (Sr.) put the United States directly in a confrontation with the holy God of Israel. It began with the Madrid Peace Process, which was a plan for Israel to give away parts of the covenant land for peace. The plan included Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
At the exact time President Bush was initiating the Madrid Peace Process, the Perfect Storm developed in the North Atlantic and came 1,000 miles the “wrong” way and sent 30-foot waves smashing against the President’s home in Kennebunkport, Maine! When the President returned from Madrid, he went to Kennebunkport to oversee the rebuilding of his damaged home.
From this day until the present, awesome destructive events have hit the United States on the very day our government has pressured Israel to divide the covenant land. Powerful earthquakes, hurricanes, massive flooding, raging forest fires, incredible tornado storms, the September 11 attacks, and stock market crashes have occurred precisely on these days. The two most destructive events in U.S. history, Hurricane Andrew and the Northridge Earthquake, both occurred at the exact time Israel was being pressured by the United States to divide the land.
These disasters can be viewed as warning judgments to bring to the nation’s attention that we are on a collision course with the God of Israel over His covenant land. There have been over 60 incredible events to hit the U.S. since the beginning of the Madrid Peace Process. These occurred during the terms of Bush (Sr.), Bill Clinton and the current President Bush. It does not matter to God if the President is a Democrat or Republican. When the U.S. pressures Israel to divide the land, the warning judgments occur.
Every time Yassar Arafat came to the United States for the purpose of dividing Israel, awesome events happened. These disasters took place at the exact time he was in the United States. Arafat would bring a curse with him. Between September 1993 and November 2001, Arafat visited the U.S. 14 times. On the very days he came, three hurricanes hit; one awesome tornado storm; President Clinton’s sex scandal broke; record flooding; record forest fires; four stock market crashes; and one plane crash killing 265 people.
The warning judgments have continued right up through the beginning of 2005. In August and September 2004, four hurricanes struck the state of Florida. Within a six-week period of time, Hurricanes Charlie, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne slammed into Florida. Never in history had four hurricanes hit one state like this. The hurricanes hit the west coast, east coast and panhandle of Florida. It is estimated that the combined damage from the hurricanes was $40 billion.
All of these hurricanes had an Israel connection. In early August 2004, President Bush sent envoys to Israel to help Israel withdraw from the settlements in Gaza. The President was putting enormous pressure on Israel to withdraw its citizens from Gaza before the November election. Israel was being asked to evacuate 23 settlements while 25 counties in Florida were declared disaster areas. A great irony was the President’s brother was governor of the devastated state!!
Hurricane Charlie hit on August 13, at the very time the President was pledging one billion dollars to pay for the evacuation of Jews from Gaza. At this same time he was also approving disaster relief to the tune of $3.9 billion for Florida. The newspaper headlines at the time read: “Jews to Evacuate Gaza,” while the next day the headlines were: “2.9 Million to evacuate Florida!” The pressure the U.S. was placing on Israel over Gaza was being multiplied 1,000 times in America! This was all happening simultaneously.
When President Bush made his acceptance speech for the Republican nomination to run for a second term as President, Hurricane Frances was slamming into Florida. On August 31, under pressure from the U.S., Israel agreed to increase the size of the Gaza evacuations. On this very day, Hurricane Frances increased to an awesome Category 4 and 2.8 million were advised to evacuate Florida.
On September 14, Israel began to set up procedures to evacuate Jews from Gaza. There was talk of armed resistance in Gaza and potential civil war in Israel over the evacuations. On this day Hurricane Ivan slammed into Florida. The hurricane did $10 billion in damage. As the hurricane approached, several million people had to evacuate from an area that included New Orleans to the west coast of Florida. Ivan even came ashore on the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.
President Bush gave a major foreign policy speech to the U.N. General Assembly on September 21. In his speech he had the following to say about Israel:
“Israel should impose a settlement freeze, dismantle unauthorized outposts, end the daily humiliation of the Palestinian people, and avoid any actions that prejudice final negotiations.”1
On this day, Hurricane Jeanne began to turn toward the U.S. The hurricane was traveling east-northeastward, but turned to head directly west toward Florida. Jeanne would weaken but hit Florida on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. All four of the hurricanes hit at the exact time the U.S. was putting enormous pressure on Israel to evacuate Jews from Gaza. The pressure the U.S. put on Israel resulted in $40 billion in damage, thousands of homes destroyed or damaged, billions in lost crops and millions of people evacuated from their homes.
On November 11, Yassar Arafat died. Mahmoud Abbas was elected to replace Arafat in January 2005. Immediately, President Bush sent congratulations to Abbas and said the road map to peace would go forward. The President’s road map meant Israel was to give up covenant land to a Palestinian state. He even invited Abbas to the White House.
Like Arafat before him, Abbas continued the call for the destruction of the State of Israel. On December 30 he was hoisted on the shoulders of Zakaria Zbeida, a notorious terrorist who Israel was trying to locate and arrest. On December 31, he called for Israel to withdraw to the 1949 border, and said he wanted Jerusalem as the capital.
He also declared the right of Palestinian return to the land of Israel which would destroy the nation. And, on January 4, he declared that Israel was the “Zionist enemy.”2 In his victory speech, Abbas said that the election was “a victory for Yasser Arafat and the entire Palestinian people.” He added, “The small jihad (holy war) is over and the big jihad has begun.”3
Even with all these statements, the President still invited Abbas to the White House and claimed the road map for peace was going forward. In the past, such action brought disasters upon the United States and this time was no different.
The President said:
“The United States stands ready to help the Palestinian people realize their aspirations…. We look forward to working with him and the Palestinian people to address these challenges and to advance the cause of Middle East peace consistent with the vision I set forth on June 24, 2002, of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.”4
While the Palestinian elections were taking place and the President was praising Abbas and even inviting him to the White House, awesome storms were striking the western section of the United States. According to William Patzert, NASA climatologist, the western U.S. was experiencing its worst weather in 119 years. Heavy rains in California were triggering killer mudslides. And there were snowfalls in Nevada of up to 19 feet.5
The storms were not limited to California. Along the Ohio River, hundreds of Ohio and West Virginia residents had evacuated their homes and stacked sandbags. The river was nearly four feet above flood stage in Ohio and was about seven feet above flood stage in West Virginia. The incredible rains have caused alarm among meteorologists because of so many rivers near flood stage at this time of the year. This could set the stage for massive flooding in the spring.
At the very time the President was inviting Abbas to the White House and talking about the road map to peace, the U.S. was being hit with the worst weather in 119 years. On the front page of the January 11, 2005 USA Today the following headlines were prominent— “California Rocked by Storm” and “Bush Offers to Meet Abbas.” If all this happened when Abbas was merely invited to the White House, what will happen if he actually steps foot on U.S. soil?
Is the United States in the crosshairs of judgment? You decide.
______________
Notes:
1“President Bush Speaks to the United Nations General Assembly,” (speech transcript, September 21, 2004) accessed 1/25/05 at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/09/20040921-3.html.
2Charles Krauthammer, “Arafat’s Heir,” Washington Post, 1/7/05, p. A19.
3Khaled Abu Toameh, “Abbas’s First Victory Speech,” Mideast.Jpost.com. Accessed 1/25/05 at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename:JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid:1105240992348&p=1101615860782.
4From William Koenig, “Koenig’s Eye View from the White House” (newsletter), January 14, 2005. Accessed 1/26/05 at http://www.watch.org/resources/newsletters/koenig-11405.html.
5Ibid.
Katrina: Natural Disaster or Divine Judgment?
by William P. Welty, Ph.D.
There's an old American proverb that goes like this: If you throw a rock into the middle of a pack of dogs, the one that yelps is the one that got hit. Something along that train of thought has been bouncing all around the internet this past week. It seems a whole pot load of folk are linking Hurricane Katrina to the disciplinary judgment of God on the United States due to president Dubya's backing of the evacuation of Gaza last month. Here's a sampling of stuff about that....
Standing with former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush, President George W. Bush discusses the plans to help people affected by Hurricane Katrina in the Oval Office Sept. 1, 2005. While these men were actively involved in the negotiations to divide Israel’s covenant land the United States experienced nine of the ten costliest insurance events in U.S. history; six of the seven costliest hurricanes in U.S. history; three of the four largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history; nine of the top ten natural disasters in U.S. history ranked by FEMA relief costs; and the two largest terrorism events in U.S. history. – White House Photo by Paul Morse. Uh, oh yeah, and thanks to Bill Koenig and wife....
On Chance vs. Nature
As any ol' Calvinist will tell you, there ain't no such thing as chance. The word "chance" doesn't even appear once in the original languages of the Bible. Like my rabbi friends tell me, "coincidence" is not a kosher word.
The closest thing to the idea of a "chance" event you'll ever find in the Bible—and it's still a zillion miles away at that—is a comment by those lovable ol' Philistines of Samuel's day.
Those of you who read the Tanakh regularly know the story. The ark of the covenant had been captured by the folk who had been occupying Gaza. Oops. I meant Philistia. My mistake. All of this happened several millenia before President Dubya and Mr. Sharon took office...
Uh, anyway, back to the story.
The Philistines were enjoying a wonderful time being visited by the wrath of God. I won't take the time right now to exegete the passage in detail, except to say that I'm totally convinced that the good Lord showed a remarkable sense of humor when he afflicted the Philistine idolatrous priests and leaders of their people with hemorrhoids as an inducement to surrender the ark of the covenant back to the Israelis. Think of the Philistines gaining a pain in the ass because they were being a pain in the ass to Israel and you won't be far off the mark...
But I will note that when the Philistines sent the ark back to Israel, they put it on top of a cart that was pulled by an ox that had been forced to abandon its young. The Philistines decided to put the God of Israel to the test as they sent the cart off to Israel: If the ox turned one way, reasoned the Philistines, the disasters afflicted on them would be considered to have come from the judgment of God. If the ox turned another way, they would consider the disasters to be only "natural" events.
The ox opted for the "this-was-from-the-hand-of-God" route.
Samplings from The Freeman List
Bernard Shapiro publishes The Freeman List and The Maccabean Online, internet compilations that arguably may be called the finest digests of all things Israeli. The man's daily emailings—uh, make that many times per day emailings, if I'm going to be really honest—include essays by some of the finest minds around the world.
In just one of his emailings this morning, Bernard Shapiro included a cross section of communications from both the Jewish and from the Christian communities situated around the globe, all of which commented on the opinion that the disciplinary hand of God is at work in the destruction wreaked on New Orleans, Louisiana this past week. Here's a sampling of what Mr. Shapiro published:
"No question that they are directly related."...DC
----------------------------------------------------
On August 15, 10,000 patriotic Jews were expelled from their homes and made refugees in their own country. This was done to fulfill the dictates of the US-sponsored Road Map to Peace.
There are approximately 6 million people in Israel.
10,000 divided by 6,000,000 equals 0.00167
Two weeks later, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in the southern United States, and laid waste and complete desolation to the City of New Orleans. New Orleans has a population of 500,000. US News agencies are openly calling those displaced by the hurricane "refugees."
There are approximately 300 million people in the United States.
500,000 divided by 300,000,000 equals 0.00167
Coincidence?
----------------------------------------------------
Bernard, one of our intercessors had a vision of this disaster about two weeks ago. She was unable to sleep after that having seen all the destruction. As she saw the vision she knew that it was coming in because the Jews were removed from Gush Katif. We shared it with all of our intercessors across the states, so none of us were at all surprised.
Our President and Condi Rice are treading on very thin ice right now. All of our people, Fair Havens Missions, who are all across the states, knows that this came as a result of our national leadership touching His Land and the apple of His eye, the Jews. This is also payback for speaking a Palestinian State in to existance, and for all the pressure applied, and the arm twisting and threats behind the scenes. As we have all watched this we are seeing a parallel between the two situations, incident for incident, only here on a much larger scale. We are all writing both President Bush and Condi Rice calling for them to repent while there is still time.
Bernard it just tears our heart apart when we even think about what has been done to your people. We have sent thousands of dollars to Christian Friends of Israeli Communities to buy security and emergency medical equipment for some of those communities that they are destroying. We have done the same to help with the Aliyah. I have lost track of the number of Jews we have helped to bring in to Israel from the FSU. And then see our very own President take an axe to it all. I just want you and your people to know that we are so sorry for all that they have done to your people. We would have given anything to stop it or even now to reverse all that has happened.
Thanks for listening,
Pastor Myrna Middleton
----------------------------------------------------
I believe wholeheartedly that Katrina is a direct result of the expulsion of the Jews from Gaza.
I warned Bush when he first came into office to not make the same mistake that his Dad did to the Jews or he would go down in history shameful and possibly bring judgement on America as he now is doing.
Bush's three most influential religious advisers are strong proponents of Replacement Theology and that is why he thinks he can treat Israel the way he does.
Bush started out somewhat right in what he was doing until he stood with the enemies of Israel and declared that the Holy Land would be divided. I said then to my wife that everything that he was doing was fixing to go south on him as it has.
Such as the Abu Graib prison scandal , no WMD's etc. and now when the expulsion of the Jews from the heart of the Holy Land was completed God stood back and let Satan deal a severe blow to lives and the economy in the Gulf. Isn't it strange that where the storm hit is in my opinion one of the worst if not the worst dens of sin in the U.S. . It seems that those states had their economy tied completely to the rewards of Satan (Gambling) and now what you hear most the Politicians moan about losing 500 thousand dollars a day from gambling taxes. (When will people look up to God?)
With blessings and prayers for Israel,
Rev. John D. Shook
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Two More Views from the Christian Community
You'll recall that in our Islam Commentary for 1 September, (just yesterday!), I noted that Bill Koenig runs an international internet news agency called WorldWatchDaily. Mr. Koenig has written and published a fascinating book entitled Eye to Eye: Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel. The thesis of Mr. Koenig's work is that natural disasters that have struck the United States of late, including Hurricane Katrina, are a direct result of the judgment of God on America due to its stupid and self-destructive Middle East policies. What's fascinating to me about Koenig's work is that the book has been out for some time now. And his historical records go back to the administration of President Goerge Bush, Sr., which began back in the 1980's! Here's a reminder of what Koenig's web site says about the book:
Eye to Eye: Facing the Consequences
of Dividing Israel
By William Koenig - 384 pages
America is now experiencing the consequences of Middle East policies, which have been opposed to God’s Word and to the preservation of His covenant land. Ever since the Madrid Conference of October 1991, the United States participation in Israel’s destiny has been flawed when put in context of Holy Scripture. The event of September 11, 2001, was a national wake-up call.
If the US continues to sponsor the Road Map, affirming a “land for peace” approach, America can expect to experience the further lifting of the Lord’s protective hand in an even greater measure.
“I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” (Joel 3:2) It is a fact that Israel’s very existence is in grave danger, because of our nation’s sponsorship of “land for peace” plans, which have led her to the brink of war.
What is happening in the world, and especially in the Middle East, these days is truly remarkable. But then again, Bible believers shouldn’t be surprised, because the Old Testament prophet, Zechariah, pre-warned us about these times over 2,500 years ago.
In Eye to Eye – Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel, the book documents what happens the same day or within 24 hours of Israel being pressured to divide her land. Here are a few examples found in these pages:
There were 29 record-setting catastrophes or major events during President George H. W. Bush and President Bill Clinton’s presidencies.
There were 24 record-setting catastrophes or major events during President George W. Bush’s first 42 months in office.
There were eight periods of disruption in the United States following the 9-11 terror events from October 1, 2001 to January 9, 2004 when President George W. Bush attempted to divide Israel’s land.
Europe began experiencing its hottest summer in 500 years and record-setting weather the week the Quartet's Road Map was delivered in 2003.
There were 31 major suicide bombings in Israel from December 1, 2001 to November 10, 2004, that occurred at the same time President George W. Bush or one of his top-level staff and/or one of Israel’s top officials were working with the U.S. on either a cease-fire agreement, a peace deal, publicly stating Israel’s approval of a Palestinian state, or Israel was about to evacuate property.
The book also documents what happened to previous American Presidents (beginning with the Presidency of Richard Nixon to the present) and Middle East leaders who were actively involved in the Middle East peace process during their time in office and/or afterwards.
Eye to Eye is a profound example that the God of Israel is very serious about His covenant land and that those who continue to pressure Israel to divide her land will experience even greater consequences.
What do these major-record setting events have in common?
Nine of the ten costliest insurance events in U.S. history
Six of the seven costliest hurricanes in U.S. history
Three of the four largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history
Nine of the top ten natural disasters in U.S. history ranked by FEMA relief costs
The two largest terrorism events in U.S. history
All of these major catastrophes transpired on the very same day or within 24-hours of U.S. presidents Bush, Clinton and Bush applying pressure on Israel to trade her land for promises of “peace and security,” sponsoring major “land for peace” meetings, making major public statements pertaining to Israel’s covenant land and /or calling for a Palestinian state.
Are each one of these major record-setting events just a coincidence or awe-inspiring signs that God is actively involved in the affairs of Israel?
In this book, Bill Koenig provides undeniable facts and conclusive evidence showing that indeed the leaders of the United States and the world are on a collision course with God over Israel’s covenant land.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:9)
----------------------------------------------------
Yesterday I also noted that Koenig isn't the only person who's been writing of late about the connection between American-based catastrophes and abandonment by U.S. foreign policy of its support of Israel's right to hegemony over Ha-Aretz. I also reprinted an essay by John McTernan that was published in March, that had this to say:
"In the Crosshairs of Judgment?"
by John McTernan
In October of 1991, former President George Bush (Sr.) put the United States directly in a confrontation with the holy God of Israel. It began with the Madrid Peace Process, which was a plan for Israel to give away parts of the covenant land for peace. The plan included Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
At the exact time President Bush was initiating the Madrid Peace Process, the Perfect Storm developed in the North Atlantic and came 1,000 miles the “wrong” way and sent 30-foot waves smashing against the President’s home in Kennebunkport, Maine! When the President returned from Madrid, he went to Kennebunkport to oversee the rebuilding of his damaged home.
From this day until the present, awesome destructive events have hit the United States on the very day our government has pressured Israel to divide the covenant land. Powerful earthquakes, hurricanes, massive flooding, raging forest fires, incredible tornado storms, the September 11 attacks, and stock market crashes have occurred precisely on these days. The two most destructive events in U.S. history, Hurricane Andrew and the Northridge Earthquake, both occurred at the exact time Israel was being pressured by the United States to divide the land.
These disasters can be viewed as warning judgments to bring to the nation’s attention that we are on a collision course with the God of Israel over His covenant land. There have been over 60 incredible events to hit the U.S. since the beginning of the Madrid Peace Process. These occurred during the terms of Bush (Sr.), Bill Clinton and the current President Bush. It does not matter to God if the President is a Democrat or Republican. When the U.S. pressures Israel to divide the land, the warning judgments occur.
Every time Yassar Arafat came to the United States for the purpose of dividing Israel, awesome events happened. These disasters took place at the exact time he was in the United States. Arafat would bring a curse with him. Between September 1993 and November 2001, Arafat visited the U.S. 14 times. On the very days he came, three hurricanes hit; one awesome tornado storm; President Clinton’s sex scandal broke; record flooding; record forest fires; four stock market crashes; and one plane crash killing 265 people.
The warning judgments have continued right up through the beginning of 2005. In August and September 2004, four hurricanes struck the state of Florida. Within a six-week period of time, Hurricanes Charlie, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne slammed into Florida. Never in history had four hurricanes hit one state like this. The hurricanes hit the west coast, east coast and panhandle of Florida. It is estimated that the combined damage from the hurricanes was $40 billion.
All of these hurricanes had an Israel connection. In early August 2004, President Bush sent envoys to Israel to help Israel withdraw from the settlements in Gaza. The President was putting enormous pressure on Israel to withdraw its citizens from Gaza before the November election. Israel was being asked to evacuate 23 settlements while 25 counties in Florida were declared disaster areas. A great irony was the President’s brother was governor of the devastated state!!
Hurricane Charlie hit on August 13, at the very time the President was pledging one billion dollars to pay for the evacuation of Jews from Gaza. At this same time he was also approving disaster relief to the tune of $3.9 billion for Florida. The newspaper headlines at the time read: “Jews to Evacuate Gaza,” while the next day the headlines were: “2.9 Million to evacuate Florida!” The pressure the U.S. was placing on Israel over Gaza was being multiplied 1,000 times in America! This was all happening simultaneously.
When President Bush made his acceptance speech for the Republican nomination to run for a second term as President, Hurricane Frances was slamming into Florida. On August 31, under pressure from the U.S., Israel agreed to increase the size of the Gaza evacuations. On this very day, Hurricane Frances increased to an awesome Category 4 and 2.8 million were advised to evacuate Florida.
On September 14, Israel began to set up procedures to evacuate Jews from Gaza. There was talk of armed resistance in Gaza and potential civil war in Israel over the evacuations. On this day Hurricane Ivan slammed into Florida. The hurricane did $10 billion in damage. As the hurricane approached, several million people had to evacuate from an area that included New Orleans to the west coast of Florida. Ivan even came ashore on the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.
President Bush gave a major foreign policy speech to the U.N. General Assembly on September 21. In his speech he had the following to say about Israel:
“Israel should impose a settlement freeze, dismantle unauthorized outposts, end the daily humiliation of the Palestinian people, and avoid any actions that prejudice final negotiations.”1
On this day, Hurricane Jeanne began to turn toward the U.S. The hurricane was traveling east-northeastward, but turned to head directly west toward Florida. Jeanne would weaken but hit Florida on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. All four of the hurricanes hit at the exact time the U.S. was putting enormous pressure on Israel to evacuate Jews from Gaza. The pressure the U.S. put on Israel resulted in $40 billion in damage, thousands of homes destroyed or damaged, billions in lost crops and millions of people evacuated from their homes.
On November 11, Yassar Arafat died. Mahmoud Abbas was elected to replace Arafat in January 2005. Immediately, President Bush sent congratulations to Abbas and said the road map to peace would go forward. The President’s road map meant Israel was to give up covenant land to a Palestinian state. He even invited Abbas to the White House.
Like Arafat before him, Abbas continued the call for the destruction of the State of Israel. On December 30 he was hoisted on the shoulders of Zakaria Zbeida, a notorious terrorist who Israel was trying to locate and arrest. On December 31, he called for Israel to withdraw to the 1949 border, and said he wanted Jerusalem as the capital.
He also declared the right of Palestinian return to the land of Israel which would destroy the nation. And, on January 4, he declared that Israel was the “Zionist enemy.”2 In his victory speech, Abbas said that the election was “a victory for Yasser Arafat and the entire Palestinian people.” He added, “The small jihad (holy war) is over and the big jihad has begun.”3
Even with all these statements, the President still invited Abbas to the White House and claimed the road map for peace was going forward. In the past, such action brought disasters upon the United States and this time was no different.
The President said:
“The United States stands ready to help the Palestinian people realize their aspirations…. We look forward to working with him and the Palestinian people to address these challenges and to advance the cause of Middle East peace consistent with the vision I set forth on June 24, 2002, of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.”4
While the Palestinian elections were taking place and the President was praising Abbas and even inviting him to the White House, awesome storms were striking the western section of the United States. According to William Patzert, NASA climatologist, the western U.S. was experiencing its worst weather in 119 years. Heavy rains in California were triggering killer mudslides. And there were snowfalls in Nevada of up to 19 feet.5
The storms were not limited to California. Along the Ohio River, hundreds of Ohio and West Virginia residents had evacuated their homes and stacked sandbags. The river was nearly four feet above flood stage in Ohio and was about seven feet above flood stage in West Virginia. The incredible rains have caused alarm among meteorologists because of so many rivers near flood stage at this time of the year. This could set the stage for massive flooding in the spring.
At the very time the President was inviting Abbas to the White House and talking about the road map to peace, the U.S. was being hit with the worst weather in 119 years. On the front page of the January 11, 2005 USA Today the following headlines were prominent— “California Rocked by Storm” and “Bush Offers to Meet Abbas.” If all this happened when Abbas was merely invited to the White House, what will happen if he actually steps foot on U.S. soil?
Is the United States in the crosshairs of judgment? You decide.
______________
Notes:
1“President Bush Speaks to the United Nations General Assembly,” (speech transcript, September 21, 2004) accessed 1/25/05 at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/09/20040921-3.html.
2Charles Krauthammer, “Arafat’s Heir,” Washington Post, 1/7/05, p. A19.
3Khaled Abu Toameh, “Abbas’s First Victory Speech,” Mideast.Jpost.com. Accessed 1/25/05 at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename:JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid:1105240992348&p=1101615860782.
4From William Koenig, “Koenig’s Eye View from the White House” (newsletter), January 14, 2005. Accessed 1/26/05 at http://www.watch.org/resources/newsletters/koenig-11405.html.
5Ibid.
Katrina: Natural Disaster or Divine Judgment?
Monday, September 05, 2005
Korean Christians Show Support for Israel
By Peter Darg
From Seoul, Korea
CWNews
August 26 , 2005
CWNews.com – Christians worldwide are praying for the nation of Israel. There is a spiritual link between Korean Christians and Israel. The Israeli pullout from Gaza and northern Samaria has been difficult for Jews and for Christians worldwide. Many believe it strengthens Israel's enemies and will lead to greater violence. So some Christians are taking an extra step to show public support for Israel.
The Orient and the Middle East came together in Seoul, Korea as nearly 500 pastors from Korean churches joined with Jewish political leaders from Jerusalem for a two-day Summit called Asia II. This gathering of Jews and Christians was intended, as was the first, to open a dialog between the two faiths.
Korean Christian members of the National Assembly spoke and held meetings with their counterparts from the Israeli Parliament. Many of the Korean pastors have a Bible-view understanding of Israel, but knew less about the contemporary situation. They wanted to pray effectively. By the end of this conference, the delegates knew a great deal more, so they could fully support a joint declaration, a resolution.
The resolution was explained by Josh Reinstein, who is with the Christian Caucus Israel Parliament. He said, “The resolution states that lobby groups would be formed and press on the respective governments in Asia, so that there will be a movement. A movement to move the respective embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a city that is important to all men and women of faith. Also, to lobby their governments not to vote on biased resolutions in the U.N. And put extreme pressure on politicians that give money toward the Palestinian Authority, to monitor it, to be sure it does not go towards terrorism.”
The declaration committed Korean churches to take a much stronger stand in support of Israel, than they had in the past. That would include promoting tourism, trade and spiritual ties with the Jewish State.
This objective has long been in the heart of a Philippines woman, Marissa Albert, who organized the Asia Summits.
She said, “No peace can be founded on the absence of the knowledge on which that peace is based. The fact is that Jerusalem is the City of Peace originally: Jeru-shalom meaning peace. Any division, from a vision of peace connected to Jerusalem, would divide any individual or any church that hopes to aspire to be at peace with the total vision of God.”
Organizers anticipate holding more Summits in Asia next year. And are expanding the conferences to South Africa and Europe, as well
Korean Christians Show Support for Israel
From Seoul, Korea
CWNews
August 26 , 2005
CWNews.com – Christians worldwide are praying for the nation of Israel. There is a spiritual link between Korean Christians and Israel. The Israeli pullout from Gaza and northern Samaria has been difficult for Jews and for Christians worldwide. Many believe it strengthens Israel's enemies and will lead to greater violence. So some Christians are taking an extra step to show public support for Israel.
The Orient and the Middle East came together in Seoul, Korea as nearly 500 pastors from Korean churches joined with Jewish political leaders from Jerusalem for a two-day Summit called Asia II. This gathering of Jews and Christians was intended, as was the first, to open a dialog between the two faiths.
Korean Christian members of the National Assembly spoke and held meetings with their counterparts from the Israeli Parliament. Many of the Korean pastors have a Bible-view understanding of Israel, but knew less about the contemporary situation. They wanted to pray effectively. By the end of this conference, the delegates knew a great deal more, so they could fully support a joint declaration, a resolution.
The resolution was explained by Josh Reinstein, who is with the Christian Caucus Israel Parliament. He said, “The resolution states that lobby groups would be formed and press on the respective governments in Asia, so that there will be a movement. A movement to move the respective embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a city that is important to all men and women of faith. Also, to lobby their governments not to vote on biased resolutions in the U.N. And put extreme pressure on politicians that give money toward the Palestinian Authority, to monitor it, to be sure it does not go towards terrorism.”
The declaration committed Korean churches to take a much stronger stand in support of Israel, than they had in the past. That would include promoting tourism, trade and spiritual ties with the Jewish State.
This objective has long been in the heart of a Philippines woman, Marissa Albert, who organized the Asia Summits.
She said, “No peace can be founded on the absence of the knowledge on which that peace is based. The fact is that Jerusalem is the City of Peace originally: Jeru-shalom meaning peace. Any division, from a vision of peace connected to Jerusalem, would divide any individual or any church that hopes to aspire to be at peace with the total vision of God.”
Organizers anticipate holding more Summits in Asia next year. And are expanding the conferences to South Africa and Europe, as well
Korean Christians Show Support for Israel
Friday, September 02, 2005
Home Schooling Survives Opposition as Growing Numbers Opt In
Home Schooling Survives Opposition as Growing Numbers Opt In
By Jim Brown
September 2, 2005
(AgapePress) - Mike Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), is hailing the measurable success and growth of the home-schooling movement in America, even amid the challenges that movement has faced and still faces. Of all those challenges, he points to increasing government regulation as the largest hurdle home-schooling families will have to encounter in the coming years.
Some convincing facts in support of home schooling are available to parents weighing that option for their families. For instance, on college entrance exams like the SAT and ACT, home-school students score much higher than their public-school counterparts. And on the average standardized achievement test, home-school kids continue to score 20 to 30 percentile points higher than other students.
However, Smith points out that achievement tests are by no means the toughest thing home-school students have to confront today. He says home-educated kids and their parents are laboring under burdensome regulations in many parts of the country, often being required to file copious paperwork and lesson plan documentation according to rigorous and complicated guidelines.
Meanwhile, the HSLDA spokesman notes, home-school advocates have met with legislative stonewalling while some state officials tried to create even more obstacles for home-schooling families. "In both New York and Pennsylvania," he asserts, "we've been rejected three years running now to get some good legislation through; and this year we found that in the states of Montana and Idaho and several other states, there was some negative legislation introduced, trying to tighten up on home education."
Fortunately, Smith says, "the home schoolers turned out en masse, and that didn't happen." But he emphasizes that government oversight of home schooling has only increased over time and poses an ongoing challenge for home-educating families to remain vigilant.
According to Smith, religious and moral convictions continue to be the main reasons increasing numbers of American families are choosing to home school their children. Still, he says many home-schooling parents with gifted or special needs children also made that choice because they felt individualized instruction was the best way to go.
However, another major factor contributing to the rise of home education, the HSLDA president contends, is parents' reactions to negativity in many public school settings. "We're getting a lot more folks that are pulling kids out of public school," he says. "Our applications are showing that we're getting tons of folks who are not going to send their children back to public education. Now, they don't indicate necessarily that they're dissatisfied; but we know that if they were satisfied they'd be leaving them there in that public school setting."
For many parents, Smith says, the reason "could be academics, it could be the children are being hazed or teased, or it could be problem with a teacher. There's just a myriad of issues." But in large part, the home-education advocate adds, the phenomenal growth of the movement is due to the fact that more people are now becoming aware of and familiar with home schooling and are realizing that it is a choice available to them.
News from Agape Press
By Jim Brown
September 2, 2005
(AgapePress) - Mike Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), is hailing the measurable success and growth of the home-schooling movement in America, even amid the challenges that movement has faced and still faces. Of all those challenges, he points to increasing government regulation as the largest hurdle home-schooling families will have to encounter in the coming years.
Some convincing facts in support of home schooling are available to parents weighing that option for their families. For instance, on college entrance exams like the SAT and ACT, home-school students score much higher than their public-school counterparts. And on the average standardized achievement test, home-school kids continue to score 20 to 30 percentile points higher than other students.
However, Smith points out that achievement tests are by no means the toughest thing home-school students have to confront today. He says home-educated kids and their parents are laboring under burdensome regulations in many parts of the country, often being required to file copious paperwork and lesson plan documentation according to rigorous and complicated guidelines.
Meanwhile, the HSLDA spokesman notes, home-school advocates have met with legislative stonewalling while some state officials tried to create even more obstacles for home-schooling families. "In both New York and Pennsylvania," he asserts, "we've been rejected three years running now to get some good legislation through; and this year we found that in the states of Montana and Idaho and several other states, there was some negative legislation introduced, trying to tighten up on home education."
Fortunately, Smith says, "the home schoolers turned out en masse, and that didn't happen." But he emphasizes that government oversight of home schooling has only increased over time and poses an ongoing challenge for home-educating families to remain vigilant.
According to Smith, religious and moral convictions continue to be the main reasons increasing numbers of American families are choosing to home school their children. Still, he says many home-schooling parents with gifted or special needs children also made that choice because they felt individualized instruction was the best way to go.
However, another major factor contributing to the rise of home education, the HSLDA president contends, is parents' reactions to negativity in many public school settings. "We're getting a lot more folks that are pulling kids out of public school," he says. "Our applications are showing that we're getting tons of folks who are not going to send their children back to public education. Now, they don't indicate necessarily that they're dissatisfied; but we know that if they were satisfied they'd be leaving them there in that public school setting."
For many parents, Smith says, the reason "could be academics, it could be the children are being hazed or teased, or it could be problem with a teacher. There's just a myriad of issues." But in large part, the home-education advocate adds, the phenomenal growth of the movement is due to the fact that more people are now becoming aware of and familiar with home schooling and are realizing that it is a choice available to them.
News from Agape Press
Approval of Homosexual 'Marriage' Bill Outrages Traditional Marriage Defenders
By Fred Jackson and Jenni Parker
September 2, 2005
(AgapePress) - A pro-family group is reacting with horror to a California Senate vote yesterday (Thursday) approving a bill that would legalize homosexual "marriage" licenses. By a vote of 21-15, the state Senate passed AB 849, which replaces the phrase "a man and a woman" in California marriage laws with the term "two persons." All 21 voting in favor of the bill were Democrats.
The VoteYesMarriage.com coalition, which is aiming to put a state constitutional amendment on next year's ballot to protect marriage rights as being reserved for a man and a woman, is blasting the high-profile "gay marriage" bill. At a news conference outside the State Capitol in Sacramento, coalition spokesman Randy Thomasson, a proponent of the Voters' Right to Protect Marriage Initiative, blasted the approval of AB 849 as "a mark of a dictatorship, not of a democracy."
Thomasson is president of the Campaign for Children and Families (CCF), which has been helping to lead the statewide opposition to the "gay marriage license" bill for the past nine months. He says the vote to approve the legislation is in direct contradiction to Proposition 22, a measure passed in 2000 by a 61 percent margin, which said only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.
In addition, Thomasson is charging the Senate with violating the California State Constitution, Article 2, Section 10(c) of which specifically prohibits the legislature from repealing voter-approved initiatives. He is now calling on citizens to urge their elected officials in the legislature to reject the bill and for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to break his silence on the issue.
"How can God bless California when our lawmakers do this?" the CCF spokesman wonders. He predicts that the Senate's "corrupt deed" of approving a bill that functionally repeals Proposition 22 and violates the state constitution "will energize voters to sign the www.VoteYesMarriage.com petition a month from now, to protect marriage rights for one man and one woman."
The full California Assembly must vote on the measure before it can go to Governor Schwarzenegger to be signed into law. This concurrence vote could be held anytime before the September 9 legislative deadline. While the Assembly vote is far from certain, Thomasson says he is urging the governor to speak up and announce that he will veto the legislation "because it unconstitutionally repeals the people's vote on marriage."
Thomasson is also urging pro-family citizens across the state to make their views on protecting traditional marriage heard. "Every Californian who believes marriage is for a man and a woman must rise up today and demand that their state assembly member oppose AB 849," he says.
Lobbyist Vows to Keep California Lawmakers Feet to the Fire
Benjamin Lopez, legislative analyst and lobbyist for the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC), says his group intends to fight the bill through every stage of the political process left in the legislative session, continuing its aggressive lobby efforts in the Assembly leading up to the concurrence vote.
"We intend to keep Assembly members' feet to the fire," Lopez notes. "They all claim they represent their districts and vote with the voice of their constituents behind them. Well, here is their final chance to prove it. If they support marriage for one man and one woman, like their constituents voted, they will vote against AB 849."
The TVC lobbyist sees the radical homosexual community and its allies as determined to impose on the people of California what he calls "their twisted, out-of-step, out-of-mainstream, unnatural notion of marriage and family" at any cost. He is disappointed with the Democrats in the state Senate, of whom he remarks that the fate of marriage in the state was in their hands, and "they chose to jump in bed with the homosexual community."
Apparently, Lopez asserts, the Senate Democrats felt the people of California were wrong in voting to protect traditional marriage. And somehow, he says, the lawmakers "have the notion that they must take it upon themselves to piously correct the voters' mistake" by approving AB 849, a move the legislative analyst calls "the height of arrogance."
If a majority of the State Assembly members do likewise, Lopez says they will be doing their constituents a disservice in "catering to the demands of the homosexual community" and will be voting against those they claim they represent. "If supporters of same-sex marriage are so confident that the public supports homosexual marriage," he asks, "why don't they go public? Why don't they let the people vote on the issue?"
The activists pushing for homosexual marriage rights will not do this, Lopez asserts, because they know very well they would lose. So instead, he says, they must resort to liberal legislators and rogue judges to forcibly implement same-sex marriage.
News from Agape Press
September 2, 2005
(AgapePress) - A pro-family group is reacting with horror to a California Senate vote yesterday (Thursday) approving a bill that would legalize homosexual "marriage" licenses. By a vote of 21-15, the state Senate passed AB 849, which replaces the phrase "a man and a woman" in California marriage laws with the term "two persons." All 21 voting in favor of the bill were Democrats.
The VoteYesMarriage.com coalition, which is aiming to put a state constitutional amendment on next year's ballot to protect marriage rights as being reserved for a man and a woman, is blasting the high-profile "gay marriage" bill. At a news conference outside the State Capitol in Sacramento, coalition spokesman Randy Thomasson, a proponent of the Voters' Right to Protect Marriage Initiative, blasted the approval of AB 849 as "a mark of a dictatorship, not of a democracy."
Thomasson is president of the Campaign for Children and Families (CCF), which has been helping to lead the statewide opposition to the "gay marriage license" bill for the past nine months. He says the vote to approve the legislation is in direct contradiction to Proposition 22, a measure passed in 2000 by a 61 percent margin, which said only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.
In addition, Thomasson is charging the Senate with violating the California State Constitution, Article 2, Section 10(c) of which specifically prohibits the legislature from repealing voter-approved initiatives. He is now calling on citizens to urge their elected officials in the legislature to reject the bill and for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to break his silence on the issue.
"How can God bless California when our lawmakers do this?" the CCF spokesman wonders. He predicts that the Senate's "corrupt deed" of approving a bill that functionally repeals Proposition 22 and violates the state constitution "will energize voters to sign the www.VoteYesMarriage.com petition a month from now, to protect marriage rights for one man and one woman."
The full California Assembly must vote on the measure before it can go to Governor Schwarzenegger to be signed into law. This concurrence vote could be held anytime before the September 9 legislative deadline. While the Assembly vote is far from certain, Thomasson says he is urging the governor to speak up and announce that he will veto the legislation "because it unconstitutionally repeals the people's vote on marriage."
Thomasson is also urging pro-family citizens across the state to make their views on protecting traditional marriage heard. "Every Californian who believes marriage is for a man and a woman must rise up today and demand that their state assembly member oppose AB 849," he says.
Lobbyist Vows to Keep California Lawmakers Feet to the Fire
Benjamin Lopez, legislative analyst and lobbyist for the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC), says his group intends to fight the bill through every stage of the political process left in the legislative session, continuing its aggressive lobby efforts in the Assembly leading up to the concurrence vote.
"We intend to keep Assembly members' feet to the fire," Lopez notes. "They all claim they represent their districts and vote with the voice of their constituents behind them. Well, here is their final chance to prove it. If they support marriage for one man and one woman, like their constituents voted, they will vote against AB 849."
The TVC lobbyist sees the radical homosexual community and its allies as determined to impose on the people of California what he calls "their twisted, out-of-step, out-of-mainstream, unnatural notion of marriage and family" at any cost. He is disappointed with the Democrats in the state Senate, of whom he remarks that the fate of marriage in the state was in their hands, and "they chose to jump in bed with the homosexual community."
Apparently, Lopez asserts, the Senate Democrats felt the people of California were wrong in voting to protect traditional marriage. And somehow, he says, the lawmakers "have the notion that they must take it upon themselves to piously correct the voters' mistake" by approving AB 849, a move the legislative analyst calls "the height of arrogance."
If a majority of the State Assembly members do likewise, Lopez says they will be doing their constituents a disservice in "catering to the demands of the homosexual community" and will be voting against those they claim they represent. "If supporters of same-sex marriage are so confident that the public supports homosexual marriage," he asks, "why don't they go public? Why don't they let the people vote on the issue?"
The activists pushing for homosexual marriage rights will not do this, Lopez asserts, because they know very well they would lose. So instead, he says, they must resort to liberal legislators and rogue judges to forcibly implement same-sex marriage.
News from Agape Press
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