News: Seeds of Persecution

Today's growing hostility toward those who follow God

See also Why hate crimes laws would ban Biblical Christianity

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"The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." Tertullian, 1st century AD

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January 2008

Evangelical Comfort Zone Comes to an End: "The period of widespread indifference toward those who take the Bible literally and believe in God, the Creator of the universe, seems to have come to an end....” See CHANGE! New world, New ways, New minds, New gods

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December 2008

Dozens of Christmas Displays Vandalized, Pastor Assaulted: "...a 50-year-old figure of the Baby Jesus was stolen from a Washington Park [Ohio] display and later found hanging from a ceiling fan at the alleged thief’s apartment.... [Louisiana:] a 38-year-old man and two teenagers were arrested for vandalizing Christmas lawn displays at five different homes.... [Tennessee:] A 50-year-old statue of a shepherd was decapitated at a Nativity center.... [Texas:] A Nativity scene....was splattered with red paint....Pastor James Dennis Warman was struck repeatedly in the head by two assailants on Dec. 7. He is now in a medically induced coma and not able to speak, and he may have brain damage..." See Ban Truth - Reap Tyranny

September 2008

Five Chaplains Lose Jobs for Praying 'In Jesus' Name': "Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is defending why his administration forced the sudden resignation of five Virginia State Police Chaplains because they prayed publicly 'in Jesus' name.' Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty single-handedly created then enforced a strict 'non-sectarian' prayer policy at all public gatherings, censoring and excluding Christian prayers, then accepted the resignation of five chaplains who refused to deny Jesus or violate their conscience by watering down their prayers."

British Muslims Offended by Christians Praying during Ramadan: "A Christian group in Oxford has apologised to the city’s Muslims for having the audacity to organise a day of prayer during Ramadan. Oxford's Muslims found it ‘ill-conceived and insensitive’, not to mention ‘grossly insulting and inflammatory’.

      "The Muslim Education Centre of Oxford (MECO) has accused the Evangelical group ‘Open Doors UK’ of preaching ‘evangelical propaganda’. Do not Muslims preach Islamic propaganda? Do the Christians in Oxford complain about this? Would the Muslims of Oxford apologise or even care if the Christians did complain about it?" See Why "Hate crime" laws would ban Biblical Christianity

July 2008

Muslim-led UN Resolution Draws Attention: The Organization of the Islamic Conference "put forward what's called a '[Combating] Defamation of Religions' resolution which would amend the U.N.'s Declaration of Human Rights and would make it a criminal act and violation of international law to 'defame another religion.'... [It] only mentions one religion by name: Islam. '...there's nothing about preventing the defamation of Christianity... which means if you were spreading the gospel, it would be deemed defamatory towards Islam and would be [considered] a crime.'  ...that is similar to the tactic used by homosexual activists in Canada and Europe to silence Christians. ...

      '"If you look at the resolution,' he continues, 'it would literally change the entire scope of human rights law on an international basis. They would encourage [all other nations] -- after the resolution is passed by the member states, which are all the countries in the U.N -- to pass laws that would mandate [that] you could not speak out against another religion."

      If this becomes an international standard, it will fast divide genuine Christian from the cultural Christian. Only those who truly love God will risk their lives and comforts for the privilege of following Jesus and sharing His gospel. See Biblical versus Cultural Christianity

Offend a homosexual... Go to prison for 5 years: "Christians will face prison for speaking out against homosexuality if Brazil's Senate passes a bill approved unanimously by its House of Representatives.... The bill also seeks to penalize private and public school administrators with up to three years in prison if they refuse to hire openly 'gay' teachers. According to the CNA, the measure will force prison time for any 'moral, ethical, philosophical or psychological expression that questions homosexual practices.'... '[A] priest, a pastor, a teacher or even an average citizen who says in a sermon, a classroom or public conversation that homosexual acts are sinful, disordered or an illness could be denounced and detained.'

      "...the president of Brazil said 'opposing' homosexuality makes you a sick person, and he believes such thoughts need to be criminalized.... Brazilian chief Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva... held the First National Conference of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals to condemn the biblical belief that homosexuality is wrong.... Calling for 'the criminalization of homophobia,' he said opposition to homosexuality is 'perhaps the most perverse disease impregnated in the human head.' He said 'prejudiced' people need to 'open their minds and clean them.'" See Why "Hate crime" laws would ban Biblical Christianity

 

Evangelicals Support Conversion Code: "The World Council of Churches... said Wednesday that the process was formally joined by the World Evangelical Alliance.... WCC said the code of conduct should serve as an 'advocacy tool in discussions with governments considering anti-conversion laws (and) help to advance the cause of religious freedom.' The rules should also address concerns in other religions about Christians seeking converts, and inspire those faiths to 'consider their own codes of conduct.'... The council noted, however, that none of the partners involved intend -- nor have the means -- to impose the code of conduct on their constituencies, but they all trust that it will be able to ‘impact hearts and minds’ and allow for ‘moral and peer pressure.’” See UNESCO's Declaration on the Role of Religion and The Evangelical Manifesto

May 2008

Bible bonfires inside Israel: "Messianic 'Jews for Jesus', who are closely linked with Evangelical Christian groups from America and now number up to 15,000 inside Israel, called for an official investigation after orthodox students from a yeshiva in the town of Or Yehuda allegedly dumped and burnt hundreds of copies of the New Testament. These had been distributed to Ethiopian immigrant families in the town. At first, the action was defended.... as 'purging the evil among us', but he was quick to backtrack. Ultimately, he blamed 'three or four' hotheaded students for a 'spontaneous act' which led to an international public relations disaster. ...

     "...a group of religious Zionist rabbis called for a boycott of this year's International Bible Quiz after discovering that one of the four finalists from Israel, Bat-El Levi, an 11th-grader from Jerusalem's Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood, was a messianic Jew." See Persecution

March 2008

Canada orders ministry by Christians shut down: "The Canadian government has ordered a Christian ministry that teaches doctrine and the differences between Christians and cults shut down because its reference materials were 'critical' of the beliefs of those who are not Christian....

     "'Canada is no longer a Christian nation,' she said. 'And watch out America!.' The issue of the ministry's charities license in Canada, allowing it to operate as a ministry, came up during a routine audit of the ministry's finances...."

      Though the main issue seems to be tax-deductible status, the growing hostility toward Biblical truth may should concern every Christian. We don't fit the world's vision of a unifying global spirituality. See Marching toward Global Solidarity and Why hate crimes laws would ban Biblical Christianity

 

When preaching becomes a crime: "In 1774, a young James Madison, while traveling through Culpeper County in Virginia – well before he became our fourth president – passed by a jail where a number of Baptist preachers had been incarcerated for nothing more than preaching without an official government license. One of these 'criminals' preached from a window of the jail to any who would listen. Madison would never forget the dedication of those brave preachers – nor the audacity of the officials who had jailed them...." See Why "Hate crime" laws would ban Biblical Christianity 

February 2008

Texas Governor Urges Protection for Boy Scouts of America: "Texas Gov. Rick Perry, an Eagle Scout himself, is now the father of an Eagle Scout.... He described the Boy Scouts organization as a moral beacon for the rest of the country, adding that's why it has become a target for the secular left.... '...the Boy Scouts of America, with its clearly-stated belief in God, adherence to a strict moral code and steadfast focus on shaping young men, is the trophy buck that the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and their friends would like to hang above the fireplace,' Perry said ....

     "The scouts have won court battles against the ACLU, which attempted to force the organization to accept homosexual scout masters and abandon adherence to a belief in God. 'Now, the secular left has shifted its attacks to public entities that have sponsored scout events at city parks, public schools, even the Department of Defense,' Perry said. 'They have gone after anyone with access to public funds to prevent them from providing space to the Boy Scouts.  ...they are winning some of these lawsuits.... In some instances, just the threat of a lawsuit has compelled certain public organizations to close their doors to the scouts. In other instances, city officials sympathetic to the secular agenda are creating new policies that ban access to city facilities for scouts.'

       "In one instance, the Boy Scouts were evicted from a facility in Philadelphia that they had rented for one dollar a year for almost a century. The city told the scouts they would have to pay fair market value -- $300,000 a year -- unless the Boy Scouts renounced its policy on excluding openly homosexual scoutmasters. The scouts declined and were forced from the building. '...The scouts actually built that facility more than 80 years ago and gave it to the city for free.'" See Ban Truth - Reap Tyranny

 

California Irony: Cathedral City Calls Church Message a "Nuisance": "A small church has found itself facing the wrath of local government for a simple yet profound message painted on its roof.... Pastor Nimmons took his message outside the church walls, painting the word 'Eternity' in large letters on the roof of the church. Pastor Nimmons' intent was to encourage passers-by to consider where they would spend eternity....

     "'By its own definition, this sign ordinance is directed toward business advertisements for goods or services, which this message plainly is not.'" See Why "Hate crime" laws would ban Biblical Christianity

January 2008

Brampton, Ontario - Shades of Stalinist Russia [Canada]: "...bureaucrats in Toronto's western-most suburb decided to have a look at the way churches, mosques, temples, and other 'places of worship' have traditionally been exempted from paying property taxes.  ...soon a study was launched on 'Places of Worship'. It was all done very quietly....

     "...to this day, Brampton hasn't produced a copy for public perusal.... But last summer, someone with a bit of sympathy for the churches leaked a copy. A draft of the report - the one that doesn't even officially exist - is about a hundred pages long.... [It indicates that--]

   • All 'non-worship space' owned by religious organizations (offices, kitchens, nurseries, fellowship halls, parking lots, etc) would become subject to property taxes. Only the sanctuary space [or the altar] would be tax exempt...

   • The study recommends a redefinition of what constitutes 'places of worship' - including a removal of provisions expressly allowing church properties to be used for 'community services' such as day care centres, soup kitchens, etc.

   • There is a recommendation for major restrictions on new church start-ups...

   • The study sets a stated goal of having only one 'place of worship' for every 10-thousand residents....

   • And the real shades of Stalinist Russia come with the proposed regulations on 'house churches.'

     "Regularly-scheduled private gatherings in homes would be restricted to no more than 20 people - children included....

     "What if I don't like the particular 'place of worship' that the City of Brampton designates for my neighbourhood?" See Ban Truth - Reap Tyranny

December 2007

University mandates 'Merry ----mas' as holiday greeting: "The controversy began when the [Southwestern Oklahoma State University] director of human resources recently visited various departments and said that decorations featuring the word 'Christmas' in any areas of the university must be immediately removed.' ... 'He also instructed the employees not to say 'Christmas' while on the job. As a result the employees cannot respond 'Merry Christmas' to other employees or visitors to the University.'...

    "[University President] Hays blamed it on 'an attempt to be respectful of the diverse religious population at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.'... 'This censorship specifically includes exchanging greetings of 'Merry Christmas' among employees or with non-employees, whether initiated by a university employee or not,' Liberty Counsel said. ....'Moreover, the free speech rights of employees at the university are infringed when their speech is censored solely because of a religious viewpoint or perceived religious viewpoint.'" See Why "Hate crime" laws would ban Biblical Christianity

 

Colorado Gunman Killed Himself: "Murray shot and killed sisters Stephanie and Rachael Works, ages 18 and 16, and wounded their father, who was in or near their car in the parking lot of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado....

    "...some answers may be found from a warning Murray posted online just 90 minutes before he went to New Life Church. The message attributed to Matthew Murray -- using the screen name 'nghtmrchld26' -- mirrored the wording of a warning posted in 1999 by Eric Harris... [Columbine High School]. 'I'm coming for EVERYONE soon and I WILL be armed to the @.%$ teeth and I WILL shoot to kill,' the posting... read....

     "Murray... titled his entry, 'You Christians brought this on yourselves.'... In earlier postings, 'nghtmrchld26' railed against the Rev. Ted Haggard, founder of New Life Church... fired last year after a former male prostitute alleged he had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with him.... One post, called 'My YWAM Horror Story,' complained about being removed from the Arvada youth mission program. 'Why was I told that I couldn't be a missionary because I wasn't `social enough'? I was told that I was `an introvert... The authoritarianism and hypocrisy is outrageous.'" See Why "Hate crime" laws would ban Biblical Christianity and The Fall and Rise of Human Violence

November 2007

County investigates sheriff for supporting Christmas: "A county sheriff who had publicly expressed frustration with 'politically correct' antagonism from secular America toward the religious foundations of Christmas now is under investigation for his thoughts.... County Sheriff Jim Alderden's opinions were expressed in his 'Bulls-Eye' website column recently.... 'The fact that we are even engaged in a discourse of whether Christmas trees and Christian symbols of faith should be allowed on city property is absurd.... One major U.S. city's airport, he noted, was installing footbaths for Muslims, but refused to allow Christmas trees." See Tolerance as a Tool for Transformation

 

One smack too many: "Opponents of New Zealand's new anti-smacking [spanking] law are fearful that the case of a woman facing possible arrest if she were found to have smacked her child a third time, is an indication of worse things to come. The Wellington woman... said she and her family had been traumatised by two separate incidents, the first involving Child, Youth and Family (CYF) and the second the police. ... 'Now that we are in the system, it doesn't matter whether we are guilty or not. If the police officers don't like us for any reason, they have the power to separate our family.'

     "The first episode occurred earlier in the year, after the school called CYF when a teacher reported that the woman had smacked her child on the hand before school. A few months later three policemen turned up, apparently in response to a complaint from a neighbour. The woman admitted smacking her child on the backside for misbehaving on the trampoline. ...when she asked what would happen if they paid a second visit for just pulling her child off the tramp, she alleged they told her she would be arrested ... because she still used physical force.... [A friend said] she was a 'great mother' who really loved her children." See What can parents do

August 2007

Ohio bans the name of Jesus from the statehouse: "When Pastor Keith Hamblen of Calvary Bible Church in Lima prayed 'in Jesus’ name' on the floor of the Ohio Statehouse, Democratic minority leader Chris Redfern stomped off the floor in protest. Catering oh so tenderly to the religious pluralists in the House, the Republican majority leader is willing to offend Christians. ...

     "'I have received several legitimate complaints from members recently about the disregard for the guest minister guidelines, more specifically the increasing tendency of guest invocators to use language referring to a particular deity,” the Republican majority speaker John Husted said in a memorandum to all Ohio House members. 'If a prayer is not received in writing and approved by the Clerk’s Office... the guest invocator will be asked not to deliver the prayer." See Why "Hate crime" laws would ban Biblical Christianity

Evangelical Pastor told to Leave Israel: "Interior Ministry officials said the decision was made following suspicions that Cantrell was involved in missionary work. The pastor categorically denied the allegations as baseless. Cantrell, who has been active in raising money for Israel as well as working on behalf of Soviet Jews, had resided in Israel on a special clergy visa during his work for Bridges for Peace, but then went back to a regular tourist visa, which needed to be renewed every three or six months, he said. ... The issue underscored the delicate balancing act evangelical Christian supporters of Israel face...." See Persecution

July 2007

Banning Jihad Watch: "Many reported that the ban on Jihad Watch was explained with the assertion that Jihad Watch contained 'hate speech.' This was true even in some Federal Government offices. Jihad Watch was also blocked, readers informed me, on the computers of the State of Connecticut; the City of Chicago; Bank of America; Fidelity Investments; Site Coach; GE IT; JPMorgan Chase; Defense Finance and Accounting Services....

     "If it were merely a matter of filtering out controversial material, sites that treat some of the same material from a different perspective -- particularly pro-jihad sites -- would also have been banned. But they evidently have not been. Jihad Watch is dedicated to the defense of human rights for all against those who would impose Islamic law, with its institutionalized discrimination against women and religious minorities. There is no 'hatred' in this, except when we report the words of hatred and supremacism of the Islamic jihadists.... The politicized nature of Internet censorship should surprise no one." See Ban Truth - Reap Tyranny and the next link:

May 2007

Bible drawn into sex publication controversy: "More than 800 Hong Kong residents have called on authorities to reclassify the Bible as 'indecent' due to its sexual and violent content, following an uproar over a sex column in a university student journal. ... .If the Bible is similarly classified as 'indecent' by authorities, only those over 18 could buy the holy book and it would need to be sealed in a wrapper with a statutory warning notice....'"

 

From an angry atheist: The Baptizing of America by James Rudin: "A specter is haunting America, and it is not socialism and certainly not communism. It is the specter of Americans kneeling in submission to a particular interpretation of a religion that has become an ideology, an all-encompassing way of life. It is the specter of our nation ruled by the extreme Christian right, who would make the United States a 'Christian nation' where their version of God's law supersedes all human law—including the Constitution. That, more than any other force in the world today, is the immediate and profound threat to our republic." See Why "Hate crime" laws would ban Biblical Christianity

April 2007

Students punished for opposing 'gay' advocacy Dozens of 1st Amendment lawsuits being considered against administrators: "Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of students in several Sacramento area school districts are being penalized by school officials for objecting to the homosexual advocacy 'Day of Silence.'... That is an event promoted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network organization, which advocates for the homosexual lifestyle and promotes educating children in that choice. During that event, students go around school during the day without speaking, and they hand out cards stating they are protesting the 'discrimination' against the homosexual lifestyle.... Snider said an estimated 3,000-4,000 Sacramento area students remained out of class to protest the GLSEN event.... 'A lot of students were suspended.... Others were just kicked out [of school] and told to go home for the day. I'm not certain that is legal. You can't just kick students out.'"

Another Cross in Limbo Awaiting Court Decision: "The monument, originally erected in 1934 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars to honor the 'dead of all wars,' features of a cross planted at the top of a hill in the Mojave National Preserve.... The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California challenged the memorial, arguing that it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which instructs Congress to 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.'" [Notice how the ACLU turns that "freedom" upside down!]  See The Old Rugged Cross

 

Whitewashing Jihad in the Schools: "Last month, New Jersey's Burlington Township High School held its own mock terrorism drill. 'You perform as you practice,' Superintendent Chris Manno told the Burlington County Times. 'We need to practice under conditions as real as possible in order to evaluate our procedures and plans so that they're as effective as possible.' But the 'real as possible' conditions included no bomb-vest-donning jihadists shouting 'Allahu Akbar.'...

     "Remember the jihad-sympathizing admonition included in the NEA's touchy-feely, post-9/11 curriculum: 'Do not suggest that any group is responsible' for the terrorist attacks, parents and teachers were advised. But feel free to conjure up homeschooling 'wackos' and Christian 'New Crusaders' to avoid offending the Muslim lobby.

     "Here is a 'real as possible' scenario. Last month, you'll recall, counterterrorism officials sent cautionary bulletins to police departments nationwide warning that suspected members of extremist groups have signed up as school bus drivers in the United States. The 'extremists' being investigated by the FBI and other agencies are foreigners who have been able to 'purchase buses and acquire licenses.' Who are these 'extremists'? Hint: They are not Presbyterian or Lutheran or Catholic homeschooling wackos.....

     "In Indonesia last month, a theological school was reportedly attacked by religious terrorists in Jakarta. The school was evangelical Christian. The terrorists were Muslim. In southern Thailand, attackers hurled explosives and opened fire on an Islamic school, killing three students.... And in the name of winning Iraqis over to their blood-stained cause this week, a suicide truck bomber carrying food supplies killed eight Iraqi schoolgirls and a baby..."

 

Hostage drill at NJ school features mock 'Christian terrorists': "...a recent hostage drill at a New Jersey high school, which portrayed conservative Christians as terrorists, is reflective of a dangerous philosophy that has become prevalent in many parts of America, where it is having negative effects on education. A local paper reports that a drill at Burlington Township High School in New Jersey involved police portraying mock gunmen, described as 'members of a right-wing fundamentalist group called the 'New Crusaders' who don't believe in the separation of church and state.' The fake gunmen were said to have been 'seeking justice because the daughter of one [member] had been expelled for praying before class.'"

     It's amazing to see hostility of the world toward Jesus and His followers -- and the readiness to attribute the brutality of militant Islam to Christianity! Yet, a very similar event happened a couple of years ago. See Homeland Security links Homeschoolers to Terrorists

 

Homeschooler flees state custody: "Melissa Busekros, the schoolgirl taken by police and placed in a psychiatric hospital because she was diagnosed with a 'school phobia' and was being homeschooled, has fled state custody to make a midnight trip back to her own family.... 'At 3 a.m., in Erlangen, Germany, Melissa reached her home to the surprise of her entire family." See Victory in Christ

 

Second family worried police may storm their home and carry off their children as they did to the Busekros family: "For over two months, 15 year-old homeschooled Melissa Busekros has been in the custody of Germany's Jugendamt, an organization created by National Socialist (Nazi) chancellor Adolf Hitler in 1939 to supervise and control families politically after he banned homeschooling in 1938 as subversive to indoctrinating German youth in the Nazi ideology. The Jugendamt ordered Melissa to undergo psychiatric treatment for 'school phobia,' and has placed her in a foster home and location unknown to her parents who are allowed to see their daughter only once a week. .....

      "'The father was showing the videotape to the daughter when another worker within the room for the visit came over and slammed the computer shut, called the police, and had him escorted off the property,' Joel Thornton.... 'They're only allowed 1 hour visit a week, and they ended this visit and made him leave. The father was trying to give Melissa some insight about what the world outside was saying.... He wanted her to see what was being said, but particularly what this youth officer was saying about her not wanting to go home, even though she basically requests to everyone she talks to that she wants to go home.'

      "Thornton... was going to meet with 4 other homeschooling families in the Dresden area this weekend, and also with the Brause family, which lost legal custody of their children to the Jugendamt." See Homeschooling Under Fire

March 2007

Melissa - HomeSchooled teen in Germany begs for help to go home to family: "'I was taken away from my family on the first February 2007 and brought with more than 15 police men to the psychiatry in Nuremberg. There I was 2 weeks, I was brought there because I was homeschooled 2 ½ years. Now I am in a foster-family and I am allowed to see my parents only a week.' Those visits... are held at a public building since she is being held against her will at a foster home the location of which is kept secret from her parents.... Melissa's parents Hubert and Gundrun Busekros are... very thankful for the prayer support from all over the world. Although they are permitted to call her a couple of times a week, they have lost their custody rights." See Brussels Journal Editor Threatened with Prosecution over Homeschooling

 

Fifteen year old German homeschooler forcibly admitted into a mental institution: "On the first of February this year, the Busekros’ oldest daughter was torn from her family by force, thanks to a judge’s ruling: Compulsory admittance to the Klinikum Nuremberg-Nord, a psychiatric clinic for children and young people and loss of parental custody." See the next link:

 

Uregent update and call for prayer support: "..the OLG appeals court in Germany upheld the decision of the lower court against the Busekros family. The court also held that Hubert and Gudrun must undergo psychiatric evaluation. The family, while willing to do this to see Melissa returned home, genuinely fears that all of this will be used against them to take their remaining children away from them. An additional fear is that Melissa will be returned to the psychiatric clinic system in Germany and 'disappear.' This would leave the family with no way to know where Melissa is or how she is doing. She could become a ward of the State and completely lost to her family.

     "The pressure on this family, which has been incredible for the past month, has just increased to levels that are beyond imagination. Please pray for their peace and wisdom as they continue to fight to hold their family together in this hostile environment." See Threatened with Prosecution over Homeschooling

 

Christian belief a 'hate crime' under plan: "...that plan would invert American justice, and instead of requiring evidence it would leave it to someone who claims to be offended to determine whether a 'crime' has been committed. 'Truth is not allowed as evidence in hate crimes trials.'… A homosexual can claim emotional damage from hearing Scripture that describes his lifestyle as an abomination. He can press charges against the pastor or broadcaster who merely reads the Bible in public. The 'hater' can be fined thousands of dollars and even imprisoned!'" See The War on Hate Bans Christian Values

February 2007

Men jailed for being on public sidewalk... handing out Bibles: "Two men who are members of Gideons International, the Christian organization that is famous for, among other ministries, placing Bibles in motels and giving them to children, have been arrested after trying to hand out Bibles on a public sidewalk in Florida...." See Ban Truth - Reap Tyranny

January 2007

Warnings about Christians are what is intolerant: "...a Court of Appeal in Australia set aside a ruling of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) and ordered a retrial in the case of two Christian pastors. The VCAT had ruled that Daniel Scot and Daniel Nalliah’s statements critical of Islam were likely to incite hatred....

     "...the highest court in Saskatchewan province ruled that Hugh Owens would not, after all, have to pay $1,500 Canadian to three men offended by his newspaper ad citing Bible verses against sodomy. And in the U.K.... 74-year-old Edward Atkinson was sent to jail for sending graphic pictures of aborted fetuses to a hospital....

     "There was better news for free speech in the United States in 2006. The same month as Atkinson was sentenced to jail (and, for good measure, taken off the National Health Service hip replacement waiting list -- [a foretaste of the planned global community where food and health care would be tied to compliance with PC attitudinal guidelines]), a federal district court judge in Pennsylvania... upheld the right of Pastor Jim Grove to speak against homosexuality to participants arriving at a PrideFest in Harrisburg.

      "And a whole crop of religious-liberty cases around Christmas—the school bus driver on Long Island forbidden to wear a Santa Claus hat, the Seattle airport authority that responded to a rabbi’s request for a menorah by taking down their Christmas trees, the first-grader told he couldn’t sing a Christmas song at show-and-tell—seem to have been resolved in favor of free speech and religious liberty by public outcry.... It doesn’t seem like it’s Christians who are 'intolerant of criticism,' does it?...

      "Christianity played a crucial role in the establishment of the civil liberties we enjoy. And Christians are on the front lines defending those liberties today." See Ban Truth - Reap Tyranny

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December 2006

School Can't Stop Child's Singing of 'Proselytizing' Song: "U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson in Trenton, N.J., sustained a civil liberties challenge to the Frenchtown Elementary School District Board of Education's refusal to let 8-year-old Olivia Turton perform 'Awesome God' in the after-school 'Frenchtown Idol' contest....

      "Wolfson found the school board's decision to exclude 'Awesome God,' despite the contest's general tolerance for songs with religious themes, constituted viewpoint discrimination. As for the board's argument that it was the song's proselytizing nature that made it objectionable, Wolfson found that the contest rules did not disqualify songs with messages exhorting the audience to action. ... Lastly, Wolfson found that the board's viewpoint discrimination could not be justified by the Establishment Clause." See Don't mention Jesus

November

Casey Ran as 'Pro-Life...Seeks "Sexual Orientation" Hate Crime Law: "Within 24 hours of winning the bitter Pennsylvanian Senate race against incumbent Republican Rick Santorum, Democrat Senator-elect Bob Casey, Jr. let his real agendas show through. ... Casey was immediately and unabashedly backed in his election bid by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a pro-gay activist group.... Casey thanked HRC the day after the election saying, 'HRC got behind my campaign early and has been a tremendous help. I look forward to working with HRC’s incredible staff and membership, especially to advance hate-crimes legislation in the Senate.'...

      "Adding sexual orientation verbage to hate-crime legislation is a threat to the First Amendment rights of all Americans who oppose homosexuality. Gramley said, '...we know what hate-crimes legislation that includes 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity' can mean to Christians. In 2004 we witnessed 11 Christians being arrested and charged with a hate crime for simply reading Scripture and singing choruses at a homosexual event.'" See The Mainstream Media - Forging a New Global Consciousness

 

Company policies vary on the right to wear a crucifix: "As the furor continued over [British Airline]'s decision to ban a Heathrow worker from wearing a crucifix other firms supported the company's stand.... Many firms cited health and safety regulations as their reason for not allowing crosses to be worn. However, Sikh bangles were often permitted....

     "Meanwhile, the airline is developing a Muslim uniform for its staff. 'Two ground staff at Heathrow wanted to pursue their religion and we would support that,' he said."

     If this sounds irrational and unfair, remember the reason. See Persecution

October

Bible-Reading Student Gets Lesson in Litigation: "Amber Mangum was a frequent reader during lunch breaks at her Prince George's County middle school, silently soaking up the adventures of Harry Potter and other tales in the spare minutes before afternoon classes. The habit was never viewed as a problem... until the book she was reading was the Bible. A vice principal at Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Laurel last month ordered Amber, then 12, to stop reading the Bible or face punishment." See Don't mention Jesus

'Radical homosexuals' want to coerce compliance: "A decision by the city of Berkeley, Calif., to deprive the Sea Scouts of a traditional benefit because their parent organization holds a religious belief that does not allow homosexuals or atheists in positions of leadership is being challenged before the U.S. Supreme Court." See Ban truth - Reap Tyranny

September

Ministry backs down on school prayer: "Opponents of the New Zealand Education Ministry’s controversial new guidelines on religion and prayer in schools are relieved that the ministry has decided not to push ahead with them. Under the guidelines, it was suggested that schools should give advance notice of assemblies featuring prayers and hymns and seek written consent from parents who wanted their children to take part in voluntary religious activities. See Ban truth - Reap Tyranny

 

Chaplain convicted of saying prayers 'in Jesus' name': "A military jury today convicted a Navy chaplain of a misdemeanor count of disobeying his commanding officer for wearing his uniform while delivering a prayer 'in Jesus' name' at an assembly in front of the White House.

     "'But I had prior written permission to wear my uniform if it was a religious observance...." Lt. Gordon James Klingenschmitt told WND.... Klingenschmitt, who raised immediate concerns with this superiors when the Navy issued a new order that prayers could only be 'non-sectarian,' also has alleged he was punished for raising those concerns, and later notifying Congress and President Bush of the situation...." See No Rights for Resisters

June

Federal Appeals Court Rules Against Cross: "...the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on June 21, 2006, that the majestic 30-foot cross atop Mt. Soledad in San Diego must be removed by August 1, or the city will face $5,000 per day fines.... The attorney fighting to remove the cross is James McElroy, a Planned Parenthood attorney who spent over a decade suing pro-lifers.... 'Our nation’s landmarks that give assent to our Christian Heritage are rapidly facing extinction,' said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, who grew up not far from the historic cross." See Ban truth - Reap Tyranny

 

Banned: "Schoolgirls are forced to take off chastity rings - or be ordered out of lessons.... It is only a band of silver, imprinted with a Bible verse, worn by a schoolgirl. But the decision by one of the country's top state schools to ban American-style 'purity rings' - increasingly worn by Christian teenagers to symbolise a pledge not to have sex before marriage - has prompted not just a standoff with local parents, but a debate over religious expression and sex education....'

     "There are Muslim girls in the school who are allowed to wear the headcovering, although that isn't part of the school uniform, and Sikh girls who are allowed the wear the bangle although that isn't part of the uniform. It's a discriminatory policy...."

 

Facing the Giants: "...a low-budget movie about a burned-out and depressed football coach whose life takes a miraculous turn for the better. What makes the difference? Faith in Jesus Christ. But that encounter with God was enough for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to give the movie... a PG rating.... This movie, which Hollywood thinks is 'heavily laden with messages from one religion,' apparently had to be red-flagged....

     "MPAA did not red flag Prince of Egypt or The Lion King, despite their obvious spiritual elements. So is it religion or Christianity that made the otherwise squeaky clean Facing the Giants a PG movie? There was a time in our country when faith in Christ was seen as a source of strength, not a threat to children." See The Rising World Religion

May

Churches work on conversion plan: "The Vatican and the world's largest alliance of Christian churches plan to seek a common code for religious conversions.... Religious freedom and missionary outreach by Christian groups have become increasingly sensitive topics as many Muslims perceive their faith as under threat by the West and nations such as China struggle to maintain state controls on churches.

     "'How can we - anxious to maintain, develop and nurture good relations with people of other faiths - deal with this highly complex issue that sometimes threatens the fiber of living together?' said the Rev. Hans Ucko, head of the interreligious relations office for the World Council of Churches. ... Members of other faiths, including Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims, also plan to attend the meeting....

     "The biggest challenges to the project will be highlighted by who will be absent: Pentecostal and evangelical-style congregations that often lead the drive for conversions.... The details of the conversion code will take shape in the coming years, said Ucko, but it will explore 'the dos and don'ts' of trying to spread Christianity among other faiths. ... Critics claim the laws will be used to target Christian missionaries, who are often the target of denunciations from Hindu nationalists." See the next link:

 

repeat  U.N. religious summit speakers decry efforts at conversion: "The Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders [2000 AD] failed to accomplish one of its main objectives in four days of meetings but evidenced widespread opposition to efforts at religious conversion. The summit, held partly at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York, was attended by about 800 religious leaders and 1,000 observers from nearly 100 countries.

     "...pronouncements were voiced by speakers from different religious traditions against attempts to convert people to other religions, and they met with strong affirmation.... Evangelicals especially would be targets for such sentiments, since they have sent missionaries throughout the world to proclaim the message of salvation exclusively by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

     "On numerous occasions, there were 'very negative comments regarding proselytization,' said Ken Welborn of the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board. Such declarations were met by 'vigorous applause,' said Richard Cizik.... 'That view was held by most of those at the conference.... What I think was also unfortunate was that the representatives of Christianity were joining that same call to denounce proselytizing, in particular Joan Brown Campbell [former general secretary of the National Council of Churches]." See Persecution

April

Ohio St. Drops Harassment Charges Against Conservative Librarian: "The librarian, a devout Quaker, had been under investigation by the school for suggesting that freshmen students read conservative books. Three professors -- two of whom are openly homosexual -- objected to the librarian's suggestions, particularly Kupelian's book, which they described as 'hate literature' and 'homophobic tripe' that 'threatened' them and made them feel 'unsafe' on campus.

     "After a faculty vote supporting the professors' allegations, the school put Savage under investigation for sexual harassment. Librarian Scott Savage serves on a committee designed to pick books for incoming OSU students.... While other committee members suggested a series of liberal books, Savage recommended that some conservative books be added to the list...." See Re-inventing the World

 

Texas School District Caves to Parents' Call to Shut Down Bible Club: "'...what we have here is a district that is doing everything in its power to discriminate against these kids...' According to the Liberty Legal spokesman, the district does not impose fees and rental agreements on other student clubs. But because Students Standing Strong is a religious group, he says, the district is 'just hunting and looking for some way to throw hurdles in their way.'...

     "'The small group of parents is complaining because this group is so successful and it's a Christian group,' he explains. 'And they're asking the school district to stop them, which is against the law.' But instead of standing up to the parents and explaining that the district does not discriminate against any clubs, Christian or not...[the district] is 'going along and trying to figure out ways to discriminate.'"

Evangelical teens rally in S.F.: "More than 25,000 evangelical Christian youth landed Friday in San Francisco for a two-day rally at AT&T Park against 'the virtue terrorism' of popular culture, and they were greeted by an official city condemnation and a clutch of protesters who said their event amounted to a 'fascist mega-pep rally.' ..."

     "Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, who told counterprotesters at City Hall on Friday that while such fundamentalists may be small in number, 'they're loud, they're obnoxious, they're disgusting, and they should get out of San Francisco.'" 

    What would happen if a Christian leader made a similar public statement about the annual lewd and loud "Gay Rights" demonstrations?

 

Crisis Pregnancy Centers Targeted in 'Crackdown on Deceit': "... the new bill would direct the FTC to 'create rules that prohibit any organization from advertising services with the intent to deceive the public into believing that the organization is a provider of abortion services if it does not, in fact, provide abortion services.'" See Ban truth - Reap Tyranny

March

Grandmother Gets Help Asserting Preschooler's Right to Share His Faith: "Thanks to the efforts of a persistent grandmother and advice from a pro-family legal group, a four-year-old student at a Head Start program in one Oregon city can now talk about his faith with classmates. An instructor had initially muzzled the youngster's religious speech at school. ... [AFA lawyer, Steve Crampton] noted, 'The school is wrong. As the United States Supreme Court has observed, '[t]here is a crucial difference between government speech endorsing religion, which the Establishment Clause forbids, and private speech endorsing religion,' which the Constitution's free Speech and free exercise clauses protect." See Don't Mention Jesus

February 2006

Intern fired for sharing faith: "A straight-A student, Escobar was complimented regularly by the DCFS for her work. But she came under scrutiny for sharing her faith with co-workers during lunch breaks and after-hours, and for changing into a shirt with a religious message – 'Found' – after signing out for the day.... Escobar was directed to stop sharing her faith, even during breaks and after work hours. Also, the university ordered her to sign a document admitting she had 'an inability to separate her religious beliefs from her role' as an intern. She refused to sign the document, arguing she couldn't agree to such a sweeping prohibition that included her religious practice during non-working hours."

Christian Group Kicked Off UK Campus over 'PC' Demands: "A Christian faith group at a major university in England has been thrown off campus for refusing to open up its membership to all faiths and beliefs.... Although the group, which has 100-plus members, says all students are welcome to attend meetings, it insists that it is well within its rights to restrict membership to people who profess faith in Jesus Christ.

    "The union also objected to demands to remove the words 'men' and 'women' from its charter in order not to offend transsexuals....

    "Birmingham University currently had 13 faith-based student societies, five of them Christian. (The five are Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Adventist and a social justice group called Fusion.) No other group had a problem making the changes." Conform to Truth, not to the world!

December 2005

Letter to The President of the United States... from Chaplain Klingenschmitt: "...74 Congressmen, 4 Senators, 65 chaplains citing religious discrimination, and over 160,000 Americans have asked you to sign an Executive Order, not to establish a new law, but to enforce the law upheld since 1860....
      "...I face sudden termination (without retirement), and my family faces eviction from military housing... because I dared to pray publicly in Jesus name...

      "The Navy calls this Pluralism but lately its become government-enforced religious conformity to one civic religion that punishes religious diversity, and denies equal opportunity to all faiths....
      "Mr. President, all our service-members (and especially our chaplains) make extraordinary sacrifices to grant religious liberty to foreigners overseas. Shall we now deny the same basic religious freedom to Americans in uniform?" See He Paid The Price

November

The Universist Movement presents DEISM - The Union of Reason and Spirituality: "This website is designed to provide information on Deism and be a resource for other freethinkers (from Atheists to Transcendentalists) in our mutual struggle against the religious dogmas that have too long held humanity back." It matches UN plans for re-learning:  The Re-establishment of Peacetime Society and Religious Education

 

European Union lowercases 'Christ': "A new grammar rule devised by the European Union in Brussels stipulates the word 'Christ' shall be spelled with a lowercase 'c.'.... [T]he new guidelines also indicate the Dutch word for 'Jews' (Joden) is to be spelled with a capital 'J' when referring to nationality and with a lower-case 'j' when referring to the religion. ... [T]he title of Javier Solana, secretary general of the EU, was still to be spelled with capital letters." See Ban truth - Reap Tyranny

October

These Courses Are Condemned lighter-than-air classes from public schools.... A proposed English class, 'Christian Morality in American Literature,' included readings from Mark Twain, Stephen Crane and Nathaniel Hawthorne, but it was judged unworthy because, according to the university, it 'does not offer a non-biased approach to the subject matter.'

     "So what does a nonbiased class look like? The university has deemed acceptable such public-school courses as 'Feminine Perspectives in Literature'.... A history course, 'Christianity's Influence on America,' was rejected by the university because its focus was 'too narrow'.... But... the course seems downright all-encompassing when compared with approved classes at other schools, like 'Modern Irish History'." See Establishing a Global Spirituality

 

Churches Protest Proposed Religious Law in Romania: "Romanian religious minorities are concerned that a draft law that their government intends to pass before the end of the year will give too much undefined power to the state over religious affairs in the country. They are also concerned that the proposed law will give too many privileges to eighteen state-recognized 'religious denominations,' while some smaller groups would be unable to even call themselves 'churches.'" Persecution  

September

College bars Christian from sharing faith: "Officials at Ulster County Community College in Stone Ridge, N.Y., told Greg Davis of Indian Lake, N.Y., that he needed to file a facilities use permit application to speak about his faith with students in a public, grassy area on campus in October 2003. But when he did so, his application was denied because the school claimed his desired religious expression does not constitute a 'cultural, educational, social or recreational' activity....

     "The Constitution does not say that speech is only free if it meets certain arbitrary categories developed by public officials,' said Kellum."

August

UC System Sued for Alleged Discrimination Against Christian-Based Education: "The suit accuses the university system of violating the free-speech rights of Christian students. 'The University of California, in reviewing courses, has objected to a 'biased' English text because it emphasizes Christian themes.... It has objected to a history text that emphasizes the role of Christianity in history. It has objected to a social studies text that emphasizes the Christian heritage of America." See Establishing a Global Spirituality

July

Liberal Media Lashes Out at Christians: "The culture wars have turned nastier than ever. And if conservative Christians are offended by being called insane, stupid, sinister -- or even the next incarnation of fascist storm troopers -- they'd better get used to it....

     "Also in Harper's was 'Feeling the Hate with the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB),' an article by Chris Hedges.... Hedges wrote: 'But fascism... would not return wearing swastikas and brown shirts. Its ideological inheritors would cloak themselves in the language of the Bible; they would come carrying crosses and chanting the Pledge of Allegiance.'...

     "Bill Maher... seems to have a deeply-rooted disdain for religious folk in general. On MSNBC's Scarborough Country, he told host Joe Scarborough: 'I think religion is a neurological disorder.'"

      Brock Chisholm, first head of the UN's World Health Organization, would agree. See The Re-establishment of Peacetime Society

Media mind control in the war on terror: "Why is it that when we try to send a package to Iraq or Afghanistan to our troops we are asked by our post office if there are any religious materials inside (specifically any Bibles)? Our own government won’t let us send Bibles to our kids because it might offend some local in a country that we just paid for in our own sweat and blood. The media has never addressed this issue, but if someone claims that some form of disrespect happened to Quarans (issued by our government, by the way) in Guantanamo Bay, then it is on the news for days—and echoed by the liberals in congress for weeks." See Brainwashing in America

Anti-Christian Discimination is Wrong: "Allstate Insurance... fired Christian conservative J. Matt Barber--'because an outside organization had complained about an article he had written on his own time.'" Next link leads to his article:

June

How the most misquoted Bible verse is destroying America: "How many times have you heard someone say, 'Judge not lest you be judged'? The statement has become the great American open-mindedness mantra when anyone has the courage to declare that someone else’s belief, actions or lifestyle is morally amiss....

     "When Jesus condemned judging, he wasn’t at all implying we should never make judgments about anyone.… What Jesus condemns is a critical and judgmental spirit, an unholy sense of superiority. Jesus commanded us to examine ourselves first for the problems we so easily see in others. Only then can we help remove the speck in another’s eye—which, incidentally, assumes that a problem exists and must be confronted." See When to judge or not to judge

 

Prohibition of Bible Reading at Recess Results in Lawsuit: "A Tennessee elementary school is being sued for barring a ten-year-old boy from reading his Bible during recess. ... The young student was recently prohibited from reading his Bible with a few friends on the playground at Karns Elementary School in Knoxville. The school claims recess is not 'free time,' but in fact instructional time -- and thus, the Bible reading during recess violates the so-called separation of church and state. ...

     "'He was under the impression that they were telling him there he was something wrong with his Christian faith -- that there was something wrong with him reading his Bible,' Pope explains. 'He was, in fact, treated like a second-class citizen.'" John 15:20-21

May

The Zero Tolerance for God POLICE Surfaces Again: "Against the First Amendment of our Constitution and all logic, a Knox County School District's Elementary principal reportedly corralled a 10 year old student and banned him from reading his Bible during recess when he and his friends invested their free time in studying the tenets of their faith.....

    "In the never ending striving for political correctness sandwiched between slices of misinformation, a great injustice was done.

     '"The first amendment establishes freedom from religious persecution regardless of age,' explained Mr. Laursen. 'As an agent of the government this principal over-stepped his authority when he ordered his charge not to read the Bible during his free time just because a parent believed it inappropriate." See Zero Tolerance For Non-Compliance

March

'Mein Kampf' becomes bestseller in Turkey: "Eighty years after Adolf Hitler published his autobiographical manifesto, 'Mein Kampf,' the book that launched European Nazism, is climbing the best-seller charts in Muslim Turkey. ...While most Turkish publishers of 'Mein Kampf' say they are merely pursuing the profit motive, others admit that anti-Semitic and anti-American feelings are fueling demand." See When Iron Gates Yield

 

Will Religion Be the Death of Us? (Spoken by Glen Hiemstra, the founder of Futurist.com and a leading facilitator and speaker on Vision 2025, a worldwide movement for social change) "The past two years have featured what seems to be a dramatic increase in religious fanaticism. Recent events have highlighted this trend, including a bitter fights in the U.S. over a statue of the ten commandments in a public court house placed there by a judge and removed by the order of other judges.... Religious extremism is as old as religions, but what makes this new religiously inspired extremism so dangerous is the amplifying effects of modern weapons, communications and travel." See Consensus, Change & Community & Re-Inventing the Church

 

Colorado to dump Christian prof: "While University of Colorado officials defend controversial professor Ward Churchill in the name of free speech, an evangelical Christian professor at the school claims he's about to be dismissed for religious or political reasons. Professor Phil Mitchell, who has a doctorate in American social history from the university, says he recently was informed his contract would not be renewed after this year.... 

     "Mitchell, winner in 1998 of the prestigious SOAR Award for teacher of the year... was berated as a racist. 'That would have come as a surprise to my black children,' said Mitchell, who has nine children, two of them adopted African-Americans." Matthew 24:9

February 2005

Christians have neurological disorder: "Television personality Bill Maher... says Christians and others who are religious suffer from a neurological disorder that 'stops people from thinking.' ...'We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I do believe that. I think that religion stops people from thinking. I think it justifies crazies. I think flying planes into a building was a faith-based initiative. I think religion is a neurological disorder. If you look at it logically, it's something that was drilled into your head when you were a small child. It certainly was drilled into mine at that age. And you really can't be responsible when you are a kid for what adults put into your head."

     "The former host of 'Politically Incorrect' said the lack of enlightenment of so many Americans means the nation actually has more in common with its enemies than one might think. Said Maher: 'When you look at beliefs in such things as, do you go to heaven, is there a devil, we have more in common with Turkey and Iran and Syria than we do with European nations and Canada and nations that, yes, I would consider more enlightened than us.... The future does not belong to the evangelicals." Actually, it does. See Eternity

 

FBI examines pastor’s sermons on abortion & homosexuality: "One [FBI] guy opened a file,' [Pastor] Steele said. “And he said, ‘This is pertaining to a sermon that you preached on Memorial Day.’

     "On Memorial Day 2004, Steele was in the middle of preaching a sermon series he called 'Life Issues' dealing with controversial cultural issues from a biblical perspective. One such sermon was about abortion....

      "As a pastor I believe that as Christians we are called to speak the truth no matter what.... And we have to continue to speak that truth in love to all people and to share the message of Christ because it’s the only message that's going to change the lives of people.” Called to Total Commitment