By BRUCE MUTSVAIRO, Associated Press Writer
Wed Mar 15, 2:35 PM ET
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - The camera focuses on two gay men kissing in a park. Later, a topless woman emerges from the sea and walks onto a crowded beach. For would-be immigrants to the Netherlands, this film is a test of their readiness to participate in the liberal Dutch culture.
If they can't stomach it, no need to apply.
Despite whether they find the film offensive, applicants must buy a copy and watch it if they hope to pass the Netherlands' new entrance examination.
The test — the first of its kind in the world — became compulsory Wednesday, and was made available at 138 Dutch embassies.
Taking the exam costs $420. The price for a preparation package that includes the film, a CD ROM and a picture album of famous Dutch people is $75.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060315/ap_on_re_eu/netherlands_testing_immigrants
Friday, March 17, 2006
Board Ignores Parents and Their Concerns Over Campus GSA Clubs
By Jim Brown
March 16, 2006
(AgapePress) - A Virginia school board has thumbed its nose at parents in Richmond who are pushing for a ban on "Gay Straight Alliances" and other student clubs that promote teen sexual activity.
Parents and citizens collected more than 700 petitions of registered voters in Chesterfield County, asking that GSAs and other sex-based clubs be banned from public schools. Fifteen opponents of the clubs addressed the board on Tuesday night (March 14), including an attorney from Florida-based Liberty Counsel, who affirmed the board's authority to prohibit sex-based clubs based on the federal Equal Access Act.
However, the board voted 5-0 to approve a new policy that falls short of banning homosexual student clubs. Kevin Hoeft with the group Concerned Citizens of Chesterfield County calls the outcome "devastating."
"There are mechanisms in that policy to prohibit any clubs that have sexually explicit speech or that violate the board's policies or Virginia law,," Hoeft notes, "but we are really doubtful as to whether the school board and the superintendent's office [are] going to remove these sex-based clubs from our schools."
Last year a homoerotic author was scheduled to speak to a local high school's Gay Straight Alliance, but after parents noted his books contained sexually explicit content, the event was cancelled.
The spokesman for the citizens group says the board is naïve to think the GSA clubs are not about risky sexual behavior. "If they do have an awareness of the potential danger, they are not taking the appropriate action to protect our students by getting rid of these clubs," he says.
Hoeft says he will be monitoring how the school board responds when local Gay Straight Alliances take part in the National Day of Silence, an event designed to increase the acceptance of homosexual sex among young people.
Board Ignores Parents and Their Concerns Over Campus GSA Clubs
March 16, 2006
(AgapePress) - A Virginia school board has thumbed its nose at parents in Richmond who are pushing for a ban on "Gay Straight Alliances" and other student clubs that promote teen sexual activity.
Parents and citizens collected more than 700 petitions of registered voters in Chesterfield County, asking that GSAs and other sex-based clubs be banned from public schools. Fifteen opponents of the clubs addressed the board on Tuesday night (March 14), including an attorney from Florida-based Liberty Counsel, who affirmed the board's authority to prohibit sex-based clubs based on the federal Equal Access Act.
However, the board voted 5-0 to approve a new policy that falls short of banning homosexual student clubs. Kevin Hoeft with the group Concerned Citizens of Chesterfield County calls the outcome "devastating."
"There are mechanisms in that policy to prohibit any clubs that have sexually explicit speech or that violate the board's policies or Virginia law,," Hoeft notes, "but we are really doubtful as to whether the school board and the superintendent's office [are] going to remove these sex-based clubs from our schools."
Last year a homoerotic author was scheduled to speak to a local high school's Gay Straight Alliance, but after parents noted his books contained sexually explicit content, the event was cancelled.
The spokesman for the citizens group says the board is naïve to think the GSA clubs are not about risky sexual behavior. "If they do have an awareness of the potential danger, they are not taking the appropriate action to protect our students by getting rid of these clubs," he says.
Hoeft says he will be monitoring how the school board responds when local Gay Straight Alliances take part in the National Day of Silence, an event designed to increase the acceptance of homosexual sex among young people.
Board Ignores Parents and Their Concerns Over Campus GSA Clubs
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Homosexual Activists in Europe, Canada Using Gov't to Silence Opposition
Will It Eventually Happen in the U.S.?
Ed Vitagliano
March 15, 2006
(AgapePress) - For decades homosexual activists claimed that they were oppressed by societies that wanted them to remain silent and in the closet. Now that homosexuals are experiencing cultural acceptance unheard of in Western Civilization since the time of ancient Greece, they are no longer unseen nor unheard. In fact, the homosexual community has obtained a seat at the table of political power.
In Europe and Canada, those sympathetic to the homosexual movement are using the coercive power of government to silence those who oppose their agenda.
Pro-family groups in the U.S., meanwhile, are pointing to these other countries with increasing urgency, warning that what is happening in Europe and Canada is already starting to happen here. (See earlier article)
Trouble Across the Pond
In Europe, as the politically correct view of homosexuality takes root within the legal system, the Christian view is increasingly coming under pressure.
For example, when the Rev. Peter Forster, Anglican Bishop of Chester, England, told his town's newspaper that homosexuals can leave their lifestyle by getting professional medical help, he got an unexpected visit from the police. Law enforcement officials went to Forster's residence after a complaint was filed that charged him with a hate crime.
At least one homosexual group called Forster's remarks "evil." Martin Reynolds, the communications director for the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, told the Daily Telegraph (London), "These are irresponsible remarks that could inflame latent homophobia."
The police investigated the complaint but decided against any further action -- but only because the British law against inciting racial hatred has not yet been extended to include sexual orientation.
Pro-family advocate and author Lynette Burrows also learned the hard way, when she criticized homosexual adoption in a live radio interview in Cambridge, England. According to the Daily Telegraph, after a member of the listening public complained, police initiated an investigation -- claiming that her comments may have constituted a "homophobic incident."
"I was astounded," Burrows said of the inquiry. When she told the female investigator that England was a free country that protected freedom of speech, the policewoman told her "it was not a crime but that she had to record these incidents. They were leaning on me, letting me know that the police had an interest in my views. I think it is sinister and completely unacceptable."
The same pressure is being brought to bear elsewhere in Europe: Catholic Cardinal Gustaaf Joos of Belgium faces a lawsuit over his comments, published in a magazine, about the Christian view of homosexuality; in Spain Cardinal Antonio Varela of Madrid also faces a lawsuit for preaching against homosexuality in a sermon; and in Ireland Catholic clergy who distribute their church's publications against same-sex marriage were told they could face prosecution under Ireland's hate crime laws.
Meanwhile, as the European Union (EU) continues to attempt to oversee more and more of the daily lives of member nations, the clash between homosexual and religious rights becomes inevitable as well.
In January, for example, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning "homophobia" and demanding that member nations introduce and then implement laws granting special rights for homosexuals in employment.
According to a story from the Rainbow Network, the resolution, which passed on a 469-149 vote, called on the European Commission to begin proceedings against countries that refuse to pass such laws.
Naturally, the passage of the resolution was applauded by homosexuals, one of whom thanked Christians for their inaction as the resolution came up. "Another positive point is that the lunatic fringe was apparently very silent," boasted Joke Swiebel, a homosexual activist and former member of the European Parliament. "It does not pay anymore to shout against gays and lesbians in the Parliament itself."
Nuttiness North of the Border
In Canada, pro-family groups and other conservatives suffered a serious defeat when that nation legalized same-sex marriage last year. But government pressure against those who dare speak up against homosexuality has been building for several years.
For example, in 2001 William Whatcott produced and distributed a flyer warning of the medical and spiritual dangers of the homosexual lifestyle, but that landed him in legal hot water after four homosexuals got the flyer out of their mailboxes and read it. They considered it "hate speech," and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal agreed. Whatcott was ordered to pay more than $17,000 to the homosexuals.
Meanwhile, the Knights of Columbus, a men's organization affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, was fined $2,000 by the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal after the Knights refused to allow two lesbians to rent a hall for a same-sex "wedding." While the tribunal gave the Knights of Columbus a pass on the basis of religious objections, the fine was issued because of the lesbians' "humiliation" in having to find another location -- even though it was the lesbians themselves who made the matter public by informing the press.
However, the lesbians were not satisfied with the ruling, and said they will appeal. Their attorney, Barbara Findlay, said, "This is going to be the first real legal test of the [same-sex marriage law]. We want the court to make the call -- how far does freedom of religion extend under the charter? Where do we draw the line?"
The legal line may be irrelevant for David Hauser, the Knights of Columbus member who was responsible for nixing the lesbians' nuptial celebration at the hall. As it turned out, according to a story on LifeSiteNews.com, Hauser got fired from his job at Costco soon afterwards, and he alleges it was because of the fracas.
His reason for thinking so? One of the lesbians who filed the discrimination allegation is actually a coworker of Hauser, and he said many of the people in management at his former place of employment are openly homosexual.
Ironically, other Christians are finding themselves on the wrong side of the law. Nondiscrimination statutes and hate crime laws -- declared by activists to be absolutely necessary in order to protect the homosexual community -- are now weapons in the hands of those who would silence Christianity.
Scott Brockie, a Christian printer, was fined $5,000 in 2000 by the Ontario Human Rights Commission because he refused, on the basis of his religious convictions, to print materials for a homosexual group. The Commission told him he must also print anything else the group wanted.
Even though an appellate court gave Brockie a partial victory -- he was told he did not have to print any more homosexual-themed materials -- the original fine was upheld. Moreover, the entire appeal process left him more than $100,000 in debt. Then the Human Rights Commission filed and won a motion that Brockie pay its legal costs. That saddled him with $40,000 more in debt.
But even when a Christian promotes his beliefs on his own time, in a manner unconnected with his job, the results can be devastating. Chris Kempling, a counselor at the Quesnel School District in British Columbia, granted an interview to CBC Radio in 2003 -- while at home during his Christmas vacation.
In the interview, Kempling, who is a licensed psychologist with a doctorate in that field, explained about his specialty: counseling homosexuals who want to leave the lifestyle.
Kempling was suspended for three months by the school district, but when he tried to bring a religious discrimination complaint against the school, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal refused him a hearing.
In response, Rev. Tristan Emmanuel, an outspoken defender of the traditional family in Canada, told LifeSiteNews.com, "The [British Columbia] Human Right's Tribunal decision has made it clear that it's not about tolerance -- it's about the suppression of all opposition -- a type of jihad against free speech and freedom of religion."
Freedom of religion, in fact, continues to face pressure in Canada just as it is in Europe. According to the National Catholic Register, Catholic Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary ran afoul of the pro-homosexual establishment when he opposed same-sex "marriage" in a diocesan letter. Two homosexuals formerly charged the bishop with "discrimination."
In his own defense, Bishop Henry argued, "My rights to freedom of religion and free speech have been violated. Those that support same-sex marriage want to shut the churches out of this important debate. Those who favor same-sex marriage have been given full opportunity to state their views on this issue. But now they are saying that anyone who speaks out against same-sex marriage is discriminating against homosexuals."
For Christians north of the border, perhaps the most odious law was the homosexual hate crime measure, Bill C-250, which was passed by the legislature in 2004. As World magazine's Lynn Vincent explained, C-250 makes it "illegal to publish, distribute, mail, import, or speak any communication that could be perceived as promoting or inciting 'hate' against 'identifiable groups,'" which includes homosexuals.
"Everyone who, by communicating statements, other than in private conversation, willfully promotes hatred against any identifiable group is guilty of ... an indictable offence," the law says. Punishment includes imprisonment for up to two years.
Although an exemption was made in the law for religious groups, Christians in Canada fear courts will close the loophole, since the exemption only applies if a person expresses his religious opinion "in good faith."
Vincent stated that "at least one Saskatchewan court has already held that certain Bible passages expose homosexuals to hatred."
In light of the passage of C-250, at least one attorney in Canada is advising churches to consider "avoiding public criticisms of identifiable groups" and "limiting opinions to private conversations."
If churches followed that legal advice, it would appear to sound the death knell for Christian witness in Canada. But then, it also appears to be what homosexual activists want. Those who have come out of the closet want to start stuffing Christians into a closet of their own.
Homosexual Activists in Europe, Canada Using Gov't to Silence Opposition
Ed Vitagliano
March 15, 2006
(AgapePress) - For decades homosexual activists claimed that they were oppressed by societies that wanted them to remain silent and in the closet. Now that homosexuals are experiencing cultural acceptance unheard of in Western Civilization since the time of ancient Greece, they are no longer unseen nor unheard. In fact, the homosexual community has obtained a seat at the table of political power.
In Europe and Canada, those sympathetic to the homosexual movement are using the coercive power of government to silence those who oppose their agenda.
Pro-family groups in the U.S., meanwhile, are pointing to these other countries with increasing urgency, warning that what is happening in Europe and Canada is already starting to happen here. (See earlier article)
Trouble Across the Pond
In Europe, as the politically correct view of homosexuality takes root within the legal system, the Christian view is increasingly coming under pressure.
For example, when the Rev. Peter Forster, Anglican Bishop of Chester, England, told his town's newspaper that homosexuals can leave their lifestyle by getting professional medical help, he got an unexpected visit from the police. Law enforcement officials went to Forster's residence after a complaint was filed that charged him with a hate crime.
At least one homosexual group called Forster's remarks "evil." Martin Reynolds, the communications director for the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, told the Daily Telegraph (London), "These are irresponsible remarks that could inflame latent homophobia."
The police investigated the complaint but decided against any further action -- but only because the British law against inciting racial hatred has not yet been extended to include sexual orientation.
Pro-family advocate and author Lynette Burrows also learned the hard way, when she criticized homosexual adoption in a live radio interview in Cambridge, England. According to the Daily Telegraph, after a member of the listening public complained, police initiated an investigation -- claiming that her comments may have constituted a "homophobic incident."
"I was astounded," Burrows said of the inquiry. When she told the female investigator that England was a free country that protected freedom of speech, the policewoman told her "it was not a crime but that she had to record these incidents. They were leaning on me, letting me know that the police had an interest in my views. I think it is sinister and completely unacceptable."
The same pressure is being brought to bear elsewhere in Europe: Catholic Cardinal Gustaaf Joos of Belgium faces a lawsuit over his comments, published in a magazine, about the Christian view of homosexuality; in Spain Cardinal Antonio Varela of Madrid also faces a lawsuit for preaching against homosexuality in a sermon; and in Ireland Catholic clergy who distribute their church's publications against same-sex marriage were told they could face prosecution under Ireland's hate crime laws.
Meanwhile, as the European Union (EU) continues to attempt to oversee more and more of the daily lives of member nations, the clash between homosexual and religious rights becomes inevitable as well.
In January, for example, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning "homophobia" and demanding that member nations introduce and then implement laws granting special rights for homosexuals in employment.
According to a story from the Rainbow Network, the resolution, which passed on a 469-149 vote, called on the European Commission to begin proceedings against countries that refuse to pass such laws.
Naturally, the passage of the resolution was applauded by homosexuals, one of whom thanked Christians for their inaction as the resolution came up. "Another positive point is that the lunatic fringe was apparently very silent," boasted Joke Swiebel, a homosexual activist and former member of the European Parliament. "It does not pay anymore to shout against gays and lesbians in the Parliament itself."
Nuttiness North of the Border
In Canada, pro-family groups and other conservatives suffered a serious defeat when that nation legalized same-sex marriage last year. But government pressure against those who dare speak up against homosexuality has been building for several years.
For example, in 2001 William Whatcott produced and distributed a flyer warning of the medical and spiritual dangers of the homosexual lifestyle, but that landed him in legal hot water after four homosexuals got the flyer out of their mailboxes and read it. They considered it "hate speech," and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal agreed. Whatcott was ordered to pay more than $17,000 to the homosexuals.
Meanwhile, the Knights of Columbus, a men's organization affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, was fined $2,000 by the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal after the Knights refused to allow two lesbians to rent a hall for a same-sex "wedding." While the tribunal gave the Knights of Columbus a pass on the basis of religious objections, the fine was issued because of the lesbians' "humiliation" in having to find another location -- even though it was the lesbians themselves who made the matter public by informing the press.
However, the lesbians were not satisfied with the ruling, and said they will appeal. Their attorney, Barbara Findlay, said, "This is going to be the first real legal test of the [same-sex marriage law]. We want the court to make the call -- how far does freedom of religion extend under the charter? Where do we draw the line?"
The legal line may be irrelevant for David Hauser, the Knights of Columbus member who was responsible for nixing the lesbians' nuptial celebration at the hall. As it turned out, according to a story on LifeSiteNews.com, Hauser got fired from his job at Costco soon afterwards, and he alleges it was because of the fracas.
His reason for thinking so? One of the lesbians who filed the discrimination allegation is actually a coworker of Hauser, and he said many of the people in management at his former place of employment are openly homosexual.
Ironically, other Christians are finding themselves on the wrong side of the law. Nondiscrimination statutes and hate crime laws -- declared by activists to be absolutely necessary in order to protect the homosexual community -- are now weapons in the hands of those who would silence Christianity.
Scott Brockie, a Christian printer, was fined $5,000 in 2000 by the Ontario Human Rights Commission because he refused, on the basis of his religious convictions, to print materials for a homosexual group. The Commission told him he must also print anything else the group wanted.
Even though an appellate court gave Brockie a partial victory -- he was told he did not have to print any more homosexual-themed materials -- the original fine was upheld. Moreover, the entire appeal process left him more than $100,000 in debt. Then the Human Rights Commission filed and won a motion that Brockie pay its legal costs. That saddled him with $40,000 more in debt.
But even when a Christian promotes his beliefs on his own time, in a manner unconnected with his job, the results can be devastating. Chris Kempling, a counselor at the Quesnel School District in British Columbia, granted an interview to CBC Radio in 2003 -- while at home during his Christmas vacation.
In the interview, Kempling, who is a licensed psychologist with a doctorate in that field, explained about his specialty: counseling homosexuals who want to leave the lifestyle.
Kempling was suspended for three months by the school district, but when he tried to bring a religious discrimination complaint against the school, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal refused him a hearing.
In response, Rev. Tristan Emmanuel, an outspoken defender of the traditional family in Canada, told LifeSiteNews.com, "The [British Columbia] Human Right's Tribunal decision has made it clear that it's not about tolerance -- it's about the suppression of all opposition -- a type of jihad against free speech and freedom of religion."
Freedom of religion, in fact, continues to face pressure in Canada just as it is in Europe. According to the National Catholic Register, Catholic Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary ran afoul of the pro-homosexual establishment when he opposed same-sex "marriage" in a diocesan letter. Two homosexuals formerly charged the bishop with "discrimination."
In his own defense, Bishop Henry argued, "My rights to freedom of religion and free speech have been violated. Those that support same-sex marriage want to shut the churches out of this important debate. Those who favor same-sex marriage have been given full opportunity to state their views on this issue. But now they are saying that anyone who speaks out against same-sex marriage is discriminating against homosexuals."
For Christians north of the border, perhaps the most odious law was the homosexual hate crime measure, Bill C-250, which was passed by the legislature in 2004. As World magazine's Lynn Vincent explained, C-250 makes it "illegal to publish, distribute, mail, import, or speak any communication that could be perceived as promoting or inciting 'hate' against 'identifiable groups,'" which includes homosexuals.
"Everyone who, by communicating statements, other than in private conversation, willfully promotes hatred against any identifiable group is guilty of ... an indictable offence," the law says. Punishment includes imprisonment for up to two years.
Although an exemption was made in the law for religious groups, Christians in Canada fear courts will close the loophole, since the exemption only applies if a person expresses his religious opinion "in good faith."
Vincent stated that "at least one Saskatchewan court has already held that certain Bible passages expose homosexuals to hatred."
In light of the passage of C-250, at least one attorney in Canada is advising churches to consider "avoiding public criticisms of identifiable groups" and "limiting opinions to private conversations."
If churches followed that legal advice, it would appear to sound the death knell for Christian witness in Canada. But then, it also appears to be what homosexual activists want. Those who have come out of the closet want to start stuffing Christians into a closet of their own.
Homosexual Activists in Europe, Canada Using Gov't to Silence Opposition
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Gay Straight Clubs About Promotion, Not Protection
By Jim Brown
March 13, 2006
(AgapePress) - A pro-family advocate says leaders of Gay Straight Alliance clubs in schools falsely claim their main focus is fighting discrimination. She contends those clubs are more concerned about getting young people involved in homosexuality.
Last week a private high school in Santa Monica, California, held a "Free Queer Movie Night" that was sponsored by its Gay Straight Alliance club. At the event, the GSA screened a sexually explicit film about a lesbian relationship involving a German Jew and a Nazi sympathizer during World War II. According to Linda Harvey of the Ohio-based pro-family group Mission America, such events are standard fare for GSA clubs in both private and public schools.
"Movie nights are real popular -- and they are almost always movies about two young people who are homosexual who begin having a homosexual relationship," Harvey shares. "And they're almost all rated R or worse." She adds that the typical homosexual club will network with other homosexual teens in the area, either from other high school clubs or even middle schools.
The pro-family activist contends it is extremely dishonest for GSAs to claim they exist merely to promote tolerance and diversity when, in fact, they are promoting homosexuality immorality to young people. She notes that a brief search of websites like GSANetwork.org or SafeSchoolsCoalition.org supports her contention.
"You can quickly find out that these clubs are about homosexual sex -- about getting kids connected with people who are already involved in sexual activity, about promoting the books, the movies, and all of the contacts that are very sexual in nature," Harvey says. "That is very disingenuous -- and there is a problem here, in that people need to do the research and stand up and say what the truth is."
Harvey says many school board members and administrators do not want to fight the presence of GSA clubs because such efforts have largely been unsuccessful across the country.
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/132006e.asp
March 13, 2006
(AgapePress) - A pro-family advocate says leaders of Gay Straight Alliance clubs in schools falsely claim their main focus is fighting discrimination. She contends those clubs are more concerned about getting young people involved in homosexuality.
Last week a private high school in Santa Monica, California, held a "Free Queer Movie Night" that was sponsored by its Gay Straight Alliance club. At the event, the GSA screened a sexually explicit film about a lesbian relationship involving a German Jew and a Nazi sympathizer during World War II. According to Linda Harvey of the Ohio-based pro-family group Mission America, such events are standard fare for GSA clubs in both private and public schools.
"Movie nights are real popular -- and they are almost always movies about two young people who are homosexual who begin having a homosexual relationship," Harvey shares. "And they're almost all rated R or worse." She adds that the typical homosexual club will network with other homosexual teens in the area, either from other high school clubs or even middle schools.
The pro-family activist contends it is extremely dishonest for GSAs to claim they exist merely to promote tolerance and diversity when, in fact, they are promoting homosexuality immorality to young people. She notes that a brief search of websites like GSANetwork.org or SafeSchoolsCoalition.org supports her contention.
"You can quickly find out that these clubs are about homosexual sex -- about getting kids connected with people who are already involved in sexual activity, about promoting the books, the movies, and all of the contacts that are very sexual in nature," Harvey says. "That is very disingenuous -- and there is a problem here, in that people need to do the research and stand up and say what the truth is."
Harvey says many school board members and administrators do not want to fight the presence of GSA clubs because such efforts have largely been unsuccessful across the country.
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/132006e.asp
Krekar claims Islam will win
JihadWatch.org
Norway's most controversial refugee, Mullah Krekar, told an Oslo newspaper on Monday that there's a war going on between "the West" and Islam. He said he's sure that Islam will win, and he also had praise for suspected terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.
"We're the ones who will change you," Krekar told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet in his first interview since an uproar broke out over cartoons deemed offensive to Muslims.
"Just look at the development within Europe, where the number of Muslims is expanding like mosquitoes," Krekar said. "Every western woman in the EU is producing an average of 1.4 children. Every Muslim woman in the same countries are producing 3.5 children.
"By 2050, 30 percent of the population in Europe will be Muslim."
He claimed that "our way of thinking... will prove more powerful than yours." He loosely defined "western thinking" as formed by the values held by leaders of western or non-islamic nations. Its "materialism, egoism and wildness" has altered Christianity, he claimed.
Krekar, who's been supported by the Norwegian government since arriving as a refugee from northern Iraq in the early 1990s, now faces deportation after violating the terms of his refugee status and being deemed a threat to national security.
Bin Laden 'a good man'
Krekar told Dagbladet that he favours Islamic rule where political and religious leaders are one and the same. One such leader he respects, he said, is Osama bin Laden.
"Osama bin Laden is a good person," Krekar said. He claimed Osama bin Laden is considered a terrorist simply because he lacks his own state.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/010579.php
Norway's most controversial refugee, Mullah Krekar, told an Oslo newspaper on Monday that there's a war going on between "the West" and Islam. He said he's sure that Islam will win, and he also had praise for suspected terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.
"We're the ones who will change you," Krekar told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet in his first interview since an uproar broke out over cartoons deemed offensive to Muslims.
"Just look at the development within Europe, where the number of Muslims is expanding like mosquitoes," Krekar said. "Every western woman in the EU is producing an average of 1.4 children. Every Muslim woman in the same countries are producing 3.5 children.
"By 2050, 30 percent of the population in Europe will be Muslim."
He claimed that "our way of thinking... will prove more powerful than yours." He loosely defined "western thinking" as formed by the values held by leaders of western or non-islamic nations. Its "materialism, egoism and wildness" has altered Christianity, he claimed.
Krekar, who's been supported by the Norwegian government since arriving as a refugee from northern Iraq in the early 1990s, now faces deportation after violating the terms of his refugee status and being deemed a threat to national security.
Bin Laden 'a good man'
Krekar told Dagbladet that he favours Islamic rule where political and religious leaders are one and the same. One such leader he respects, he said, is Osama bin Laden.
"Osama bin Laden is a good person," Krekar said. He claimed Osama bin Laden is considered a terrorist simply because he lacks his own state.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/010579.php
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Origins 101: Worldviews Begin With Beginnings
Feature by Rusty Benson
March 8, 2006
(AgapePress) - Nearly a century-and-a-half after Darwin's Origins of the Species was published, and 75 years after the Scopes trial, the argument over life's origins still inflames contentious debate.
Today three distinct theories of origins compete for public affirmation. Darwinian Evolution remains entrenched as the orthodox position of the cultural ruling class. Once challenged by Creationism, Evolution's latest contender is a theory known as Intelligent Design (ID).
As in the past, the debate regularly surfaces in the context of which theory or theories should be taught in public schools.
In El Tejon, California, Americans United for Separation of Church and State bullied a school district into promising that it would never again offer a "course that promoted or endorses creationism, creation science or intelligent design." However, in Kansas the State Board of Education recently approved a set of science standards that question evolution.
Even President Bush has weighed in on the issue saying, "Both sides should be properly taught so people can understand what the debate is about."
So far that hasn't happened. The result is a largely confused public.
The following is offered as a synopsis of Creationism, Darwinian Evolution and Intelligent Design. For a more in-depth study of these theories and the implications of each, see the suggested resources listed at the conclusion of this article.
Creationism
Also called Creation Science, this theory attempts to defend the biblical account of the origins of the universe. Creationists freely admit that their presuppositions are different than evolutionists', and thus, their interpretation of the archeological evidence is often different.
In addition, creationists frequently use independent data from the fossil record and from radiometric and carbon-14 dating to make their case.
Variations of Creationism include the Young Earth Theory (closest to the literal Genesis account), the Gap Theory and the Day-age Theory.
Darwinian Evolution
Charles Darwin was a 19th century British naturalist who first offered a plausible naturalistic theory for the origin of life in his book On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.
According to Darwin's theory, the universe is without a beginning and life on earth evolved over a span of three to four billion years by the process of natural selection. Natural selection, according to Understanding the Times by David Noebel, is "the process that through competition and other factors such as mutations, predators, geography, and time naturally and randomly allows only those life forms best suited to survive to live and reproduce."
Concerning the status of man in the evolutionary process, George Gaylord Simpson, paleontologist and evolutionist, bluntly stated: "Man is the result of a purposeless and natural process that did not have him in mind. He was not planned. He is a state of matter, a form of life, a sort of animal and a species of the Order Primates, akin nearly or remotely to all of life and indeed to all that is material."
Intelligent Design (ID)
The heart of the theory of ID, according to Nancy Pearcey, author of the landmark book Total Truth, is that design in nature can be empirically detected.
She writes that ID "formalizes ordinary intuition." For example, we instantly recognize the difference in a landscape formed by wind, rain and erosion and one that includes Mt. Rushmore. That difference is the clear evidence of a designer. It's the same kind of observable science that enables an archeologist to distinguish between a rock and an arrowhead.
In presenting their case, proponents of ID often point to recent scientific research in three areas:
(1) The inner working of cells: Scientists are learning that living cells are like a complex assembly line in which each part serves a perfectly timed, specific purpose. If the whole system is not complete and functioning flawlessly, it cannot perform at all. ID proponents argue that this kind of irreducible complexity is clear evidence of a designer.
(2) The origin of the universe: ID proponents say that life is only possible when thousands of variants such as gravitational, nuclear and electromagnetic forces are meticulously set and balanced. Again, they claim this is the perfect working of a designer's plan.
(3) The architecture of DNA: DNA is seen as the most convincing evidence of the work of design. It is often described as remarkably computer-like, with the DNA code analogous to software that directs the DNA molecule (hardware). This information is embedded in the DNA molecule, but is separate from the matter that makes up the molecule itself. The question becomes: "Where did the information come from?" Answer: an intelligent designer.
Winner Take All
What's at stake in the debate? In short, everything. "Whatever a culture adopts as its creation story shapes everything else," Pearcey writes.
If evolution continues as our culture's official orthodoxy, Christians can only expect the complete secularization in all areas from education to entertainment, from philosophy to politics. And with the natural implications that human beings are neither accountable nor responsible, the future is likely to be one in which raw power rules.
But don't give up too quickly. Although it faces an uphill battle, acceptance of ID as a viable theory of origins is growing. At a minimum that could result in the re-establishment of the discarded idea that human life has inherent meaning and purpose. And that could change everything.
News from Agape Press
March 8, 2006
(AgapePress) - Nearly a century-and-a-half after Darwin's Origins of the Species was published, and 75 years after the Scopes trial, the argument over life's origins still inflames contentious debate.
Today three distinct theories of origins compete for public affirmation. Darwinian Evolution remains entrenched as the orthodox position of the cultural ruling class. Once challenged by Creationism, Evolution's latest contender is a theory known as Intelligent Design (ID).
As in the past, the debate regularly surfaces in the context of which theory or theories should be taught in public schools.
In El Tejon, California, Americans United for Separation of Church and State bullied a school district into promising that it would never again offer a "course that promoted or endorses creationism, creation science or intelligent design." However, in Kansas the State Board of Education recently approved a set of science standards that question evolution.
Even President Bush has weighed in on the issue saying, "Both sides should be properly taught so people can understand what the debate is about."
So far that hasn't happened. The result is a largely confused public.
The following is offered as a synopsis of Creationism, Darwinian Evolution and Intelligent Design. For a more in-depth study of these theories and the implications of each, see the suggested resources listed at the conclusion of this article.
Creationism
Also called Creation Science, this theory attempts to defend the biblical account of the origins of the universe. Creationists freely admit that their presuppositions are different than evolutionists', and thus, their interpretation of the archeological evidence is often different.
In addition, creationists frequently use independent data from the fossil record and from radiometric and carbon-14 dating to make their case.
Variations of Creationism include the Young Earth Theory (closest to the literal Genesis account), the Gap Theory and the Day-age Theory.
Darwinian Evolution
Charles Darwin was a 19th century British naturalist who first offered a plausible naturalistic theory for the origin of life in his book On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.
According to Darwin's theory, the universe is without a beginning and life on earth evolved over a span of three to four billion years by the process of natural selection. Natural selection, according to Understanding the Times by David Noebel, is "the process that through competition and other factors such as mutations, predators, geography, and time naturally and randomly allows only those life forms best suited to survive to live and reproduce."
Concerning the status of man in the evolutionary process, George Gaylord Simpson, paleontologist and evolutionist, bluntly stated: "Man is the result of a purposeless and natural process that did not have him in mind. He was not planned. He is a state of matter, a form of life, a sort of animal and a species of the Order Primates, akin nearly or remotely to all of life and indeed to all that is material."
Intelligent Design (ID)
The heart of the theory of ID, according to Nancy Pearcey, author of the landmark book Total Truth, is that design in nature can be empirically detected.
She writes that ID "formalizes ordinary intuition." For example, we instantly recognize the difference in a landscape formed by wind, rain and erosion and one that includes Mt. Rushmore. That difference is the clear evidence of a designer. It's the same kind of observable science that enables an archeologist to distinguish between a rock and an arrowhead.
In presenting their case, proponents of ID often point to recent scientific research in three areas:
(1) The inner working of cells: Scientists are learning that living cells are like a complex assembly line in which each part serves a perfectly timed, specific purpose. If the whole system is not complete and functioning flawlessly, it cannot perform at all. ID proponents argue that this kind of irreducible complexity is clear evidence of a designer.
(2) The origin of the universe: ID proponents say that life is only possible when thousands of variants such as gravitational, nuclear and electromagnetic forces are meticulously set and balanced. Again, they claim this is the perfect working of a designer's plan.
(3) The architecture of DNA: DNA is seen as the most convincing evidence of the work of design. It is often described as remarkably computer-like, with the DNA code analogous to software that directs the DNA molecule (hardware). This information is embedded in the DNA molecule, but is separate from the matter that makes up the molecule itself. The question becomes: "Where did the information come from?" Answer: an intelligent designer.
Winner Take All
What's at stake in the debate? In short, everything. "Whatever a culture adopts as its creation story shapes everything else," Pearcey writes.
If evolution continues as our culture's official orthodoxy, Christians can only expect the complete secularization in all areas from education to entertainment, from philosophy to politics. And with the natural implications that human beings are neither accountable nor responsible, the future is likely to be one in which raw power rules.
But don't give up too quickly. Although it faces an uphill battle, acceptance of ID as a viable theory of origins is growing. At a minimum that could result in the re-establishment of the discarded idea that human life has inherent meaning and purpose. And that could change everything.
News from Agape Press
World Watch List Rankings
Agape Press
Open Doors USA has released its annual "World Watch List" of 50 nations where Christians face the most intense hostility and harsh treatment because of their faith. The list ranks countries according to the intensity of persecution Christians face for actively pursuing their faith; and for the fourth straight year, the communist nation of North Korea tops that list.
Open Doors USA president Carl Moeller says North Korea is the most repressive nation in the world, and Christians bear the brunt of that repression. It is believed that tens of thousands of believers are suffering in North Korean prison camps, where these people of faith endure all manner of abuses and torture.
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/82006c.asp
Open Doors USA
Open Doors USA has released its annual "World Watch List" of 50 nations where Christians face the most intense hostility and harsh treatment because of their faith. The list ranks countries according to the intensity of persecution Christians face for actively pursuing their faith; and for the fourth straight year, the communist nation of North Korea tops that list.
Open Doors USA president Carl Moeller says North Korea is the most repressive nation in the world, and Christians bear the brunt of that repression. It is believed that tens of thousands of believers are suffering in North Korean prison camps, where these people of faith endure all manner of abuses and torture.
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/82006c.asp
Open Doors USA
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Families Sue to Opt Their Kids Out of School-Mandated Pro-Homosexual Seminar
By Jim Brown
February 28, 2006
(AgapePress) - A federal judge has prohibited students from opting out of mandatory pro-homosexual diversity training in one Kentucky school system. District Judge David Bunning says students in Boyd County Schools have no religious or free-speech right to opt out of a yearly seminar aimed at preventing anti-homosexual harassment.
The diversity training for staff members and middle school and high school students is the result of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of a Gay-Straight Alliance Club that is now permitted to meet on campus. Kevin Theriot with the Alliance Defense Fund is representing three families that have filed a lawsuit challenging the mandatory diversity training.
Although Judge Bunning's ruling is distressing, Theriot says, he notes that his clients have won half of the concessions they sought through the lawsuit. "They had a policy before we filed the lawsuit that said that a student couldn't tell another student that homosexual behavior is wrong," he explains. "After we filed the lawsuit, they changed the policy."
The attorney says that policy that initially barred students from telling classmates that homosexuality is morally wrong "actually was part of the training that was given to students in the Boyd County Schools-mandated seminar."
Also, Theriot maintains, school officials "were trying to convince students that homosexual behavior is something that can't be controlled, and that it's something you're born with, and it's just like having a handicap," or "just like being born of a different race." Of course, the ADF-affiliated lawyer adds, these notions are "completely contrary to the religious beliefs of our clients."
The required pro-homosexual diversity training ends next year, but for now, the federal court ruling in place gives Boyd County Schools staff, middle school and high school students disagreeing with its content no option to sit out. Theriot is currently considering whether to appeal Judge Bunning's decision to the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Families Sue to Opt Their Kids Out of School-Mandated Pro-Homosexual Seminar
February 28, 2006
(AgapePress) - A federal judge has prohibited students from opting out of mandatory pro-homosexual diversity training in one Kentucky school system. District Judge David Bunning says students in Boyd County Schools have no religious or free-speech right to opt out of a yearly seminar aimed at preventing anti-homosexual harassment.
The diversity training for staff members and middle school and high school students is the result of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of a Gay-Straight Alliance Club that is now permitted to meet on campus. Kevin Theriot with the Alliance Defense Fund is representing three families that have filed a lawsuit challenging the mandatory diversity training.
Although Judge Bunning's ruling is distressing, Theriot says, he notes that his clients have won half of the concessions they sought through the lawsuit. "They had a policy before we filed the lawsuit that said that a student couldn't tell another student that homosexual behavior is wrong," he explains. "After we filed the lawsuit, they changed the policy."
The attorney says that policy that initially barred students from telling classmates that homosexuality is morally wrong "actually was part of the training that was given to students in the Boyd County Schools-mandated seminar."
Also, Theriot maintains, school officials "were trying to convince students that homosexual behavior is something that can't be controlled, and that it's something you're born with, and it's just like having a handicap," or "just like being born of a different race." Of course, the ADF-affiliated lawyer adds, these notions are "completely contrary to the religious beliefs of our clients."
The required pro-homosexual diversity training ends next year, but for now, the federal court ruling in place gives Boyd County Schools staff, middle school and high school students disagreeing with its content no option to sit out. Theriot is currently considering whether to appeal Judge Bunning's decision to the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Families Sue to Opt Their Kids Out of School-Mandated Pro-Homosexual Seminar
Porn Industry Stoops to New Low
By James L. Lambert
February 28, 2006
(AgapePress) - In what is further evidence of the porn industry's disdain of Christianity, an Internet-based sex toy company has begun selling items modeled after religious icons.
Web-based Divine Productions goes out of its way to promote products that clearly offend and mock Christianity and the Catholic Church. Through its website, the company is offering sex toys [named after Christian icons].
Gene McConnell is director of Authentic Relationships International, an organization that reaches out to men and women who are struggling with addiction to pornography. "It is clear that [porn] providers like this have to expose their customers to more destructive ideas to get their customers to come back for more," he says.
The distributor sells its products by using religious imagery and terminology to make fun of biblical characters, among them Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Judas, and Moses. Company advertising employs slogans such as: "Let Judas make a martyr out of you"; "help Moses part the ---- sea"; or "find out what it means to be truly touched by God" by using "God's immaculate --- ."
McConnell believes Divine Productions "is using sex to communicate hate to the religious community."
Nationally, the handful of organizations that regularly battle the porn industry and its message of obscenity -- groups like Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America, American Family Association, National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families, Alliance Defense Fund, and Citizens for Community Values -- are, for the most part, religious-based or have close ties to the Christian faith community. Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder of Liberty University and senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church (Lynchburg, VA) -- and a friend to many of the leaders of these groups -- says ridicule of the Church "is something that has happened since the time of Christ."
"When our beliefs are ridiculed," says Falwell, "Christians are admonished in the Bible to pray for our enemies instead of burning building and killing people." The well-known evangelist was referring to the worldwide protests by Muslim extremists over the comic character of Mohammed in a Denmark newspaper.
Syndicated radio talk-show host Paul McGuire says "it is amazing to the me that major media groups do not see this as a frontal assault on Christianity." And like Falwell, the Crawford Broadcasting host does not suggest any type of retaliation by believers. "However bad as it is, as Christians our response should be one of love [to these pornographers] -- and also one of forgiveness."
Porn Industry Stoops to New Low
February 28, 2006
(AgapePress) - In what is further evidence of the porn industry's disdain of Christianity, an Internet-based sex toy company has begun selling items modeled after religious icons.
Web-based Divine Productions goes out of its way to promote products that clearly offend and mock Christianity and the Catholic Church. Through its website, the company is offering sex toys [named after Christian icons].
Gene McConnell is director of Authentic Relationships International, an organization that reaches out to men and women who are struggling with addiction to pornography. "It is clear that [porn] providers like this have to expose their customers to more destructive ideas to get their customers to come back for more," he says.
The distributor sells its products by using religious imagery and terminology to make fun of biblical characters, among them Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Judas, and Moses. Company advertising employs slogans such as: "Let Judas make a martyr out of you"; "help Moses part the ---- sea"; or "find out what it means to be truly touched by God" by using "God's immaculate --- ."
McConnell believes Divine Productions "is using sex to communicate hate to the religious community."
Nationally, the handful of organizations that regularly battle the porn industry and its message of obscenity -- groups like Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America, American Family Association, National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families, Alliance Defense Fund, and Citizens for Community Values -- are, for the most part, religious-based or have close ties to the Christian faith community. Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder of Liberty University and senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church (Lynchburg, VA) -- and a friend to many of the leaders of these groups -- says ridicule of the Church "is something that has happened since the time of Christ."
"When our beliefs are ridiculed," says Falwell, "Christians are admonished in the Bible to pray for our enemies instead of burning building and killing people." The well-known evangelist was referring to the worldwide protests by Muslim extremists over the comic character of Mohammed in a Denmark newspaper.
Syndicated radio talk-show host Paul McGuire says "it is amazing to the me that major media groups do not see this as a frontal assault on Christianity." And like Falwell, the Crawford Broadcasting host does not suggest any type of retaliation by believers. "However bad as it is, as Christians our response should be one of love [to these pornographers] -- and also one of forgiveness."
Porn Industry Stoops to New Low
Medical Records Link Abortion With Death
By AFA Journal
February 28, 2006
(AgapePress) - Several new studies reveal an unprecedented accuracy in linking women's medical records to their death certificates when comparing abortion and childbirth mortality rates. Such findings could possibly change the application of the 33-year-old Roe v. Wade ruling -- which legalized abortion -- while alerting medical professionals to common risk factors associated with abortion and death.
One of the studies, which is part of a series, was completed by researchers from the National Research and Development Center for Welfare and Health in Finland. Its findings disputed the age-old presumption that abortion is linked to fewer deaths than is childbirth -- that is, when a woman's pregnancy history is examined linking her medical records to her death certificate.
With proper identification of pregnancy history, the death rate associated with abortion was found to be three times higher than the rate associated with childbirth.
According to Walter Weber, an attorney with the American Center for Law & Justice who specializes in abortion law, the findings provided by these studies set a new basis for state regulation of abortion even within the realm of Roe v. Wade.
"The claim that abortion was safer than childbirth, at least early in pregnancy, was accepted as a crucial fact in Roe v. Wade," Weber said, but is now being challenged by these recent findings.
In addition, a similar study conducted over a 13-year period by the same research center revealed a direct correlation between abortion and death specifically from suicide, accidents, and homicide. Once again, medical records were linked that signified a relationship between the cause of death and abortion. Some of the findings include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Female deaths from suicide, accidents, and homicide were 248 percent higher in the year following an abortion when compared to deaths among women who had not been pregnant the previous year.
- Women who had an abortion were six times as likely to commit suicide than women who gave birth the previous year.
- The results of a 1997 Finland-based study were confirmed, which found women who had had an abortion were 3.5 times more likely to die in the following year as compared to women who gave birth.
There is no certainty as to how these studies and their findings will affect the availability of abortion, but it will definitely heighten the social, legal, and medical debates that surround it.
Medical Records Link Abortion With Death
February 28, 2006
(AgapePress) - Several new studies reveal an unprecedented accuracy in linking women's medical records to their death certificates when comparing abortion and childbirth mortality rates. Such findings could possibly change the application of the 33-year-old Roe v. Wade ruling -- which legalized abortion -- while alerting medical professionals to common risk factors associated with abortion and death.
One of the studies, which is part of a series, was completed by researchers from the National Research and Development Center for Welfare and Health in Finland. Its findings disputed the age-old presumption that abortion is linked to fewer deaths than is childbirth -- that is, when a woman's pregnancy history is examined linking her medical records to her death certificate.
With proper identification of pregnancy history, the death rate associated with abortion was found to be three times higher than the rate associated with childbirth.
According to Walter Weber, an attorney with the American Center for Law & Justice who specializes in abortion law, the findings provided by these studies set a new basis for state regulation of abortion even within the realm of Roe v. Wade.
"The claim that abortion was safer than childbirth, at least early in pregnancy, was accepted as a crucial fact in Roe v. Wade," Weber said, but is now being challenged by these recent findings.
In addition, a similar study conducted over a 13-year period by the same research center revealed a direct correlation between abortion and death specifically from suicide, accidents, and homicide. Once again, medical records were linked that signified a relationship between the cause of death and abortion. Some of the findings include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Female deaths from suicide, accidents, and homicide were 248 percent higher in the year following an abortion when compared to deaths among women who had not been pregnant the previous year.
- Women who had an abortion were six times as likely to commit suicide than women who gave birth the previous year.
- The results of a 1997 Finland-based study were confirmed, which found women who had had an abortion were 3.5 times more likely to die in the following year as compared to women who gave birth.
There is no certainty as to how these studies and their findings will affect the availability of abortion, but it will definitely heighten the social, legal, and medical debates that surround it.
Medical Records Link Abortion With Death
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