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FYI
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MORIEL
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beginning with the Jews and nominal (non-
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More Moriel Info
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Jacob Prasch Itinerary: USA
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Calvary Chapel East - Albuquerque, NM - w/ Thomas Ice & Roger Oakland
Thursday - Saturday, July 19th - 22nd
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Moriel Prophecy Conference: Israel, Islam & Reality - Yavapai College - Prescott, AZ
Speakers: David Hocking, John Higgins, Walid Shoebat, Jack Hibbs, & Jacob Prasch - Thursday - Saturday, July 26 - 28th
Calvary Chapel Mountain Vista - Surprise, AZ
Sunday July 29th - 10:00 AM
The Day The Lord Is Near - Calvary Chapel Chino Hills - Chino, CA
Friday - Sunday, Aug 3rd - 5th, 2007
Maranatha Chapel - San Diego, CA
Saturday Aug 4th - 6:00 PM, Sunday August 5th - 8:30, 10:30 AM
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Be Alert!
Published by Moriel Ministries
July 21, 2007
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Shalom in Christ Jesus,
Persecution of believers in Jesus the Messiah is
clearly growing daily and globally, especially now in
the Western nations that traditionally (because of the
gospel) have seen very little of what the Communist,
Islamic and third world pagan nations have long
suffered (at least since the Protestant
Reformation).
My fear has long been that persecution would break
out in the West before the return of Christ, as there is
no statement in the Word of God that declares
otherwise. Many have connected the tribulation period
with persecution in the West but that is not necessarily
so as the spread of the gospel in traditional places of
persecution like China for example could actually
result in an eventual lowering of persecution while the
falling way in United States could bring about a
sudden increase in a relatively short period of time if
the Lord tarries. Please understand that this is just a
hypothesis for an example and not a prophecy. If the
church here in America is already incapable of
standing against the insidious seductions of the
serpent, how much more the outright attack of the
dragon? ----
BE/\LERT!
Read Full Post on the Be
Alert! Blog
Acts of the Apostles 14:21-23
After they had preached the gospel to that city and had
made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to
Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the
disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith,
and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter
the kingdom of God." When they had appointed elders
for them in every church, having prayed with fasting,
they commended them to the Lord in whom they had
believed.
Revelation 1:9
I, John, who also [am] your brother, and fellow-partner
in the tribulation, and in the reign and endurance, of
Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos,
because of the word of God, and because of the
testimony of Jesus Christ;
John 16:32 -33
"Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for
you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to
leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the
Father is with Me. "These things I have spoken to you,
so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you
have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the
world."
Philippians 1:27-30
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the
gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you
or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are
standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving
together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed
by your opponents--which is a sign of destruction for
them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.
For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not
only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me,
and now hear to be in me.
Revelation 6:9-11
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath
the altar the souls of those who had been slain
because of the word of God, and because of the
testimony which they had maintained; and they cried
out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy
and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging
our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" And there
was given to each of them a white robe; and they were
told that they should rest for a little while longer, until
the number of their fellow servants and their brethren
who were to be killed even as they had been, would
be completed also.
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1) Report: Christians crucified by terrorists in Iraq
Believers in Jesus said to be nailed to crosses, tied
with ropes, set ablaze
WORLDNETDAILY - July 19, 2007
Christians in Iraq, including converts from Islam and
people involved in mixed-faith marriages, are being
crucified by Muslim terrorists, according to a Dutch
member of Parliament studying the war-torn country.
Several Iraqi Christians "are nailed to a cross and
their arms are tied up with ropes. The ropes are put
on fire," Joel Voordewind told BosNewsLife, an online
news agency focusing on Christians and Jews in
difficult circumstances.
According to the site, Voordewind described how a
person, who "survived" a crucifixion, "even showed
holes in his hands," apparently from nails.
Voordewind said victims of the crucifixions are "in
most cases Christian converts who abandoned Islam
or people who, religiously speaking, are involved in
mixed marriages."
He did not specify how many Christians have been
crucified in recent weeks and months, as an official
report is expected soon. Voordewind is slated to
present his findings to Dutch Minister of Foreign
Affairs Maxime Verhagen within the next few days.
The report comes as thousands of Christians are
said to be fleeing Iraq due to ongoing threats and
violence against them. Just yesterday, over 80 people
were killed in bomb blasts in the northern Iraqi city of
Kirkuk. Most of the casualties resulted from a suicide
truck bomb which detonated near the offices of the
Kurdish political party led by Iraq's President Jalal
Talabani.
BosNewsLife says Voordewind was part of a Dutch
delegation visiting several countries in the Mideast,
including Syria, where several lawmakers held talks
with the terrorist group Hamas.
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2) Insurgent group steps up its campaign against Baghdad's Christians
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS - By Hannah Allam and
Leila Fadel - June 7, 2007
BAGHDAD, Iraq - An al-Qaida-affiliated insurgent
group is giving Christians in Baghdad a stark set of
options: Convert to Islam, marry your daughters to our
fighters, pay an Islamic tax or leave with only the
clothes on your back.
A U.S. military official said American forces became
aware of the threats only last month and now have
erected barriers around the largest Christian enclave
in Baghdad's Dora neighborhood in an effort to protect
its residents.
Christians in Baghdad refuse to discuss the threats
for fear of retribution. But in Syria, where thousands of
Iraqi Christians have fled, tales abound of families
that were killed or driven from their homes because
they either refused or couldn't afford to pay the jizya, a
tax usually levied on non-Muslim men of military age
that's been part of Islam for more than 1,000 years. - - -
As Iraq has descended into chaos, - - - , many
Christians have fled, joining an estimated 2.2 million
exiles, including 1.4 million Iraqis now estimated to be
living in Syria. At least 19,000 Iraqi Christians have
registered in Damascus with the United Nations
refugee agency, and thousands more are thought to
have sought shelter there, but have yet to register.
A Christian Iraqi legislator estimated Tuesday that a
half-million Christians have fled Iraq since 2004. - - - -
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3) Typhoon No. 5: China sweeping Christians out
Biggest expulsion of missionaries since 1954
WORLDNETDAILY - July 14, 2007
More than 100 foreign Christians in China have been
accused of being involved in illegal activities and have
been expelled in just a 90-day period, the biggest
assault on the presence of Christianity in China since
1954, according to a new report from the Voice of the
Martyrs.
Most of those who have been expelled are from the
United States, South Korea, Singapore, Canada,
Australia or Israel, and had been working in or visiting
Zinjiang, Beijing, Tibet and Shandong, according to
the VOM report.
A Christian who had worked in Xinjiang for 10 years
told a VOM source that more than 60 foreign religious
workers, many who had served people in the area for
more than 15 years, were expelled from Zinjiang
alone.
As WND reported a week earlier, officials also are
reporting an increase in arrests of Chinese house-
church pastors and leaders, who have been accused
of being "suspects using evil cults to obstruct the
enforcement of the law."
VOM reported that the campaign against Christians is
called Typhoon No. 5, and "is part of the Chinese
government's efforts to prevent foreign Christians from
engaging in mission activities before the Beijing
Olympics in 2008." - - -
"This is the largest expulsion of foreign missionaries
since 1954 when the Chinese Communist
government expelled all foreign religious workers after
taking power in 1949," reported a VOM source. "At
least five different mission agencies and sources
within the Chinese government report that in February,
the government launched a massive expulsion
campaign against foreign Christians."
"In spite of the public face of religious freedom the
Chinese government tries to convey through its state
run system, the arrests of Chinese Christians, and
now the expulsion of active Christian visitors is a
demonstration of their true nature," said Tom White,
executive director for Voice of the Martyrs. - - - -
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4) 2008 Olympics prep causes Christians to fear
Image concerns may be fueling China's crackdown on
believers
WORLDNETDAILY - July 4, 2007
China's concern over its international image, which
will be in a global spotlight when the 2008 Olympics
are held there, may be fueling a crackdown on
Christians, according to the Voice of the Martyrs, which
is reporting a new round of persecution there.
Earlier, WND documented reports from VOM, which
monitors and publicizes instances of persecution of
Christians worldwide, that a Christian was jailed in
China for no more than walking near the construction
site of a hotel being prepared for the 2008 games.
Now officials are reporting that in just the past few
weeks, the increasing attacks have included the
arrests of several house-church leaders who were
accused of being "suspects using evil cults to obstruct
the enforcement of the law."
VOM is reporting a Chinese church organization has
confirmed that authorities told family members of the
detained pastors "any religious activities without
permission from the government Religious Affairs
Bureau are regarded as evil cult activities."
Meanwhile, as WND reported earlier, an estimated
3,000 people are being added daily to the Christian
church in China, mostly the house-churches that do
not register with the government and therefore are
considered part of those "evil cult activities." - - - -
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5) Turkey: State Prosecutor Demands Christians' Acquittal
Accusers, he says, have provided no evidence that
converts 'insulted' Turkey or Islam.
COMPASS DIRECT - July 19, 2007
ISTANBUL - A Turkish state prosecutor demanded
acquittal yesterday for two Turkish Christians on trial
for "insulting Turkishness" under the nation's
controversial Article 301. State Prosecutor Ahmet
Demirhuyuk told the Silivri Criminal Court on
Wednesday (July 18) that there was "not a single
concrete, credible piece of evidence" to support the
accusations filed against Hakan Tastan and Turan
Topal, former Muslims who converted to Christianity
more than a decade ago. In remarks to the court, the
state prosecutor said the accusers have provided no
evidence that the two men had cursed Turkey and
Islam and then tried to force them to accept
Christianity. Rather, Demirhuyuk said, the plaintiffs
have given contradictory explanations of their
claims. "There is absolutely no system or practice to
consider it a crime for Christians to learn or spread
their religion, or to gather for worship," Demirhuyuk
said. "Exactly the contrary, within the scope of freedom
of religion and belief, everyone is guaranteed the right
under the Constitution and laws [of Turkey] to live and
spread his chosen faith."
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6) Egyptian Christian escapes deportation
Man had feared torture under Islamic law in homeland
WORLDNETDAILY - July 10, 2007
An Egyptian Christian will remain in the United States
for now, because even though he may have no such
right, "he most assuredly has a right not to be
tortured," a federal court ruled.
The decision came in the case of Sameh Khouzam,
38, who has been in the U.S. for about nine years,
according to spokesman Sam Grace of Coptic News.
His supporters feared he would face sure torture
under Egypt's Islamic law, and U.S. District Judge
Thomas Vanaskie agreed that was possible.
"Judge Vanaskie found that there was a compelling
case for the argument that deportation would cause
irreparable harm and that the record bore out that if
Sameh was returned to Egypt, he probably would face
torture," Grace told WND. - - -
Because of technicalities, Grace said, Khouzam has
remained in custody, but a team of lawyers is working
on obtaining his release.
Grace said Christians in Egypt are simple hostages.
"We live in a time that is really as bad if not worse than
the time of the martyrs," he told WND.
Multitudes of Christians have been attacked, and
many killed, yet not one Muslim ever has been
convicted in the attacks.
"The why is very simple, because Sharia law says the
blood of the Muslim should not be shed for the blood
of an unbeliever," he said.
Grace said since Egypt's constitution concludes laws
derive from the Quran, persecution of Christians is not
only allowed but endorsed by the government.
"In the last 10 years, more than 5,000 Christians have
been massacred in Egypt," he told WND. "Hundreds
of businesses and homes first have been looted, then
burned and destroyed. Churches have been burned
and destroyed.
Grace told WND that attacks, lootings and burnings
are common in Egypt on Fridays, after the local imam
preaches violence against Christians at his mosque.
"The life of a Christian in Egypt is now worth zero.
Every Muslim now knows killing a Christian [is not
prosecuted]," he said. - - -
Khouzam spent nearly eight years in immigration
custody when he first arrived in the U.S. because
Egyptian officials said he had killed someone before
leaving Egypt. He denied the accusation.
According to reports from his supporters, the scenario
happened this way:
Khouzam was resisting police demands to convert to
Islam, so authorities abducted his mother and said
she would not be released unless he converted. He
made that promise, but when he was pulled in front of
a Muslim woman, to whom he was ordered to be
married as part of his conversion, he resisted.
The woman's mother tried to hit him with a vase but
he blocked the attack and cut a tendon in his hand.
While being treated for the injury, Khouzam climbed
out an open bathroom window and escaped from the
hospital, running for the airport where some friends
helped him get a ticket to the U.S.
According to federal documents, it was confirmed by
officials at John F. Kennedy International Airport in
New York City that Khouzam arrived with a bandaged
hand, a wound he blamed on a fight with the woman.
She was the one who allegedly was killed, police
said, an incident for which Khouzam was convicted in
Egypt even though he wasn't present.
Khouzam only recently was freed from prison and
started work with a Pennsylvania company before his
detention on the deportation order. - - - -
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8) Iran: Police storm Christian's home
One believer imprisoned, possessions confiscated
WORLDNETDAILY - June 23, 2007
Earlier this year WND reported on plans by Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to "pave the path
for the glorious reappearance of Imam Mahdi," and
now confirmed reports from Voice of the Martyrs
reveals that the persecution of Christians in Iran is
intensifying.
WND reported that Ahmadinejad is urging Iranians to
prepare for the coming of the Mahdi by turning the
country into a mighty and advanced Islamic society
and by avoiding the corruption and excesses of the
West. Shiites believe the 12th imam disappeared as a
child in the year 941, but when he returns he will reign
on earth for seven years, before bringing about a final
judgment and the end of the world.
Voice of the Martyrs, which makes available a
newsletter providing updates on the persecution of
Christians around the world, says in a new report
Christians in Iran "are being detained, interrogated
and in one case, imprisoned because of their faith in
Jesus Christ."
"This new wave of persecution is coming against
Christians that meet to worship God in the privacy of
their homes," VOM said its sources revealed. "We
have confirmed reports that several believers have
been interrogated and one house was stormed by an
elite police team that confiscated a computer, several
CDs and Christian materials. A Christian was
arrested in this attack, and remains in prison."
"Clearly, Iran's government is alarmed at the growth of
the Christian faith there," said Todd Nettleton, a
spokesman for the ministry that serves persecuted
Christians worldwide.
"This is a key time for the church in Iran. We call on
Iran's government to release this Christian believer
who is being held, and we call on Christians around
the world to pray for our brothers and sisters in Iran,"
he said.
The organization also asked for prayer for Iranian
believers to "remain steadfast in their faith despite this
new wave of persecution."
Experts monitoring such persecution say that
Christians make up a tiny percentage of the people of
Iran, where the government "officially" allows
Christians to practice their faith but in reality
intervenes and harasses Christians regularly.
For example, Christians are not allowed to print
literature, including Sunday bulletins, and converts
from Islam to Christianity are labeled apostate and
subject to the death penalty. Christian pastors are
under constant surveillance, and many are forced to
sign documents saying they will not allow Muslims to
be in their worship services.
As WND's earlier report detailed, official Iranian radio
broadcast a lengthy series on the imminent
appearance of a messianic figure who will defeat
Islam's enemies and impose Islamic Shiite rule over
the entire world - even speculating on specific dates
the so-called "Mahdi" will be revealed.
"Be joyous my heart, miracles of the Messiah will
soon be here," reads a poem used to conclude the
first broadcast. "The scent of breaths of the One we
know comes from near. Grieve not of sorrow and
melancholy, as assured I was --- last night that a
Savior will come, it's clear." - - - -
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9) Gaza's forgotten Christians
'The people are under siege from the sky, land and
sea'
ISRAEL TODAY MAGAZINE - By Nicole Jansezian -
June 19, 2007
Caught amid the infighting between Hamas and Fatah
and Israel's retaliation for rockets launched at its
southern towns lies an easily overlooked segment of
the population: Christians number only 2,000 among
1.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip - less than 1
percent of the population.
Evangelical Christians are even fewer.
"We are a minority of minorities," Hanna Massad,
pastor of Gaza Baptist Church, told Israel Today. "It is
really difficult. The Christian community here is 2,000
including Catholic, Greek Orthodox and evangelical
Christians."
Gaza Baptist Church, the only evangelical church in
the Strip, ministers to 150 to 200 people.
In recent fighting, an Israeli missile landed on a
Hamas office, shattering all the windows in Massad's
house just 300 feet away. No one was injured, but the
consequences of a war they are not involved in are
continually getting closer to home. - - -
Massad said living in Gaza is like being in a big
prison. Many people have died because they haven't
been able get over the border in time for proper
medical treatment in Israel or Egypt.
"The people are under siege from the sky, land and
sea," he said, adding that medical supplies and food
are often delayed getting to the Strip. "Unemployment
is 72 percent. Militant Muslims are against us, and
some Christians are not with us because we are
evangelical." - - - -
Also
Catholic compound ransacked in Gaza
ASSOCIATED PRESS - June 18, 2007
A school and convent belonging to the Gaza Strip's tiny
Roman Catholic community were ransacked, burned
and looted during clashes around a major security
headquarters, the head of the community said
Monday.
Crosses were broken, a statue of Jesus was
damaged, and prayer books were burnt at the Rosary
Sisters School and nearby convent, said Father
Manuel Musallem, head of Gaza's Latin church.
The damage took place on Thursday, but wasn't
reported until days later because of the chaos that has
prevailed since Islamic Hamas gunmen wrested
power in Gaza, Musallem said. The religious
compound is located near a key security headquarters
Hamas captured Thursday on the final day of its Gaza
takeover. - - -
Seven computers were removed, but three were
brought back after the vandalism was reported to the
deposed prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh.
Haniyeh condemned the attack on the religious
compound and President Mahmoud Abbas of the rival
Fatah movement said in statement late Sunday that
the "barbaric" attack was the act of Hamas' militia.
"There may be some in Hamas who wanted to cause
strife between Muslims and Christians," Musallem
said.
Hamas lawmaker Salah Bardawil denied that Hamas
had a hand in the vandalism.
"The Christians are our brothers in Gaza and
everywhere, and we will protect their holy places and
school, as we do our Islamic schools," he said. "But
there are some dirty elements who work to harm
Hamas' image ... and relations, but this will not
happen." - - - -
Read Full Report
A school and convent belonging to the Gaza Strip's tiny
Roman Catholic community were ransacked, burned
and looted during clashes around a major security
headquarters, the head of the community said
Monday.
Crosses were broken, a statue of Jesus was
damaged, and prayer books were burnt at the Rosary
Sisters School and nearby convent, said Father
Manuel Musallem, head of Gaza's Latin church.
The damage took place on Thursday, but wasn't
reported until days later because of the chaos that has
prevailed since Islamic Hamas gunmen wrested
power in Gaza, Musallem said. The religious
compound is located near a key security headquarters
Hamas captured Thursday on the final day of its Gaza
takeover. - - -
Seven computers were removed, but three were
brought back after the vandalism was reported to the
deposed prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh.
Haniyeh condemned the attack on the religious
compound and President Mahmoud Abbas of the rival
Fatah movement said in statement late Sunday that
the "barbaric" attack was the act of Hamas' militia.
"There may be some in Hamas who wanted to cause
strife between Muslims and Christians," Musallem
said.
Hamas lawmaker Salah Bardawil denied that Hamas
had a hand in the vandalism.
"The Christians are our brothers in Gaza and
everywhere, and we will protect their holy places and
school, as we do our Islamic schools," he said. "But
there are some dirty elements who work to harm
Hamas' image ... and relations, but this will not
happen." - - - -
Read Full Report
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10) Christians warned: Accept Islamic law
'New Hamas rule means real changes,' missionaries
to be 'dealt with harshly'
WORLDNETDAILY - By Aaron Klein - June 19, 2007
JERUSALEM - Christians can continue living safely in
the Gaza Strip only if they accept Islamic law, including
a ban on alcohol and on women roaming publicly
without proper head coverings, an Islamist militant
leader in Gaza told WND in an exclusive interview.
The militant leader said Christians in Gaza who
engage in "missionary activity" will be "dealt with
harshly."
The threats come two days after a church and
Christian school in Gaza was attacked following the
seizure of power in the territory by the Hamas terror
group.
"I expect our Christian neighbors to understand the
new Hamas rule means real changes. They must be
ready for Islamic rule if they want to live in peace in
Gaza," said Sheik Abu Saqer, leader of Jihadia
Salafiya, an Islamic outreach movement that recently
announced the opening of a "military wing" to enforce
Muslim law in Gaza.
Jihadia Salafiya is suspected of attacking a United
Nations school in Gaza last month, after the school
allowed boys and girls to participate in the same
sporting event. One person was killed in that attack.
"The situation has now changed 180 degrees in
Gaza," said Abu Saqer, speaking from Gaza
yesterday.
"Jihadia Salafiya and other Islamic movements will
ensure Christian schools and institutions show
publicly what they are teaching to be sure they are not
carrying out missionary activity. No more alcohol on
the streets. All women, including non-Muslims, need
to understand they must be covered at all times while
in public," Abu Asqer told WND. - - - -
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11) Eight Arrested in Pakistan for Ten Christians Murdered
SALEM VOICE MINISTRIES NEWS - July 1, 2007 -
Lahore (Pakistan) - Eight Islamic militants have been
arrested in Pakistan on July 1st for the attack towards
Christian school children and nurses on August 2002,
in which 10 people were killed.
Masood Aziz, the senior police officer said, "The
suspecting militants were caught by special police of
Lahore city".
"We catched them when we were plotting another
attack, for we had information about militants planning
a serious terrorist attack in the province of
Baluchistan," he told.
"The militants were supplying suicide bombers and
explosive devices to Taliban fighters in neighbouring
Afghanistan," an officer said to Rev. Paul Ciniraj, the
Director of the Salem Voice Ministries and the SVM
News Service. "They were led by the banned militant
groups named Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Al-Furqan,
based in Quetta of Baluchistan," police officer added. -
- - -
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12) Hindu persecution campaign targets pastor
Beating leaves Christian in hospital, threats could
keep him from home
WORLDNETDAILY - June 16, 2007
Another Christian has been victimized by a growing
campaign by Hindus to persecute Christians, with a
beating that left Pastor Pabitra Kata hospitalized and a
series of threats that may, in fact, keep him out of his
home, according to a new report from Voice of the
Martyrs. - - -
The recent attack involved an estimated 35 Hindu
radicals and happened while he was returning from
the home of a convert he'd been ministering to,
according to VOM contacts in India.
"He was beaten with thick sticks, kicked on his jaw
and face and dragged on the road," according to
statements obtained by VOM from witnesses. "He was
screaming because of the pain and praying out loud,
asking God to forgive the attackers.
"He was bleeding profusely from his jaw and ear, and
was unable to see. In spite of his painful cries, the
attackers continued striking him until the police arrived
and stopped the beating," the sources
reported.
He remains alive only because of that reluctant
intervention, because VOM sources reported that after
the attack it was discovered the extremists planned to
murder him, then make a false report claiming he had
died in an automobile accident.
The pastor, who had come to Christ in 1999 from a
background of Hindu extremism, has brought a
number of people in his region to Christ since that
time, VOM sources reported. At the same time, he was
being threatened with "dire consequences" for being a
Christian, the news from VOM confirmed.
The report said the police who actually halted the
attack, when they discovered what was happening, did
not take the pastor to the hospital. "Instead they made
him sit in a veranda overnight and threatened to arrest
him for 'forcibly converting Hindus,'" the sources for
VOM reported.
The police are believed to be members of the "radical
Swami Laxmanananda" group of Hindu extremists,
one of the most powerful anti-Christian sects in
Hinduism, the VOM reported.
Following the unsuccessful attempt to kill him, the
extremists have threatened to destroy his house and
church, and attack his family. - - - -
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13) Vietnam: Christians martyred under communist rule
2 more deaths in crackdown on house church
movement
WORLDNETDAILY - June 9, 2007
Two more members of a mostly-Christian population
in the Central Highlands of Vietnam have died at the
hands of authorities, according to a U.S.-based
foundation whose leaders recently issued a plea to
President Bush to ask Vietnamese President Nguyen
Minh Triet about such tragedies when the two meet
later this month.
The death toll from the communist government's
persecution of Christians there actually is rising by
three, but one of the deaths happened some time
ago, only to be reported recently. The two other deaths
have happened just in recent weeks, according to
officials with the the Montagnard Foundation.
As WND reported, that group just days ago sent an
open letter to Bush asking him to pressure the
president of Vietnam to stop the "persecution, torture,
killings and imprisonment" of the Degar Montagnards,
a group of people who sided with the U.S. during the
Vietnam war and have been persecuted since.
The foundation said an estimated 350 Degar
Montagnards are imprisoned for standing up for
human rights, spreading Christianity, or fleeing to
Cambodia. "These prisoners are subjected to torture,
including electric shock treatment, and withheld food
and medical care," the foundation said.
Its new report documented the death on May 29, 2007,
of Dieu Suoi, a Christian who was tortured by police
and prison officials. He was arrested in
2005 "because he was a house church Christian who
refused to join the official church," the foundation said.
He was beaten with batons and shocked, then
imprisoned.
His health deteriorated in prison, and on May 27,
police returned him to his family, who insisted he be
hospitalized because he had been beaten so badly
they hardly recognized him. Suoi, 30, died in two days,
the report said.
Another death happened just a few weeks earlier,
when Sui H'Krong, 55, a Christian woman, died at her
home after she was released from a hospital after
surgery.
She had gone to a doctor in March because of
stomach pains, but was referred immediately to a
hospital where she was taken directly in to surgery.
"After the surgical operation was done, Dr. La Van
Thang told her he could not find anything wrong," the
report said. She was sent home, where her health
quickly failed and she died.
"Her family fears that she was experimented on and
did not receive proper medical care," the foundation
report said.
The third report that just came in involved Y-Kuot
Enuol, 41, who was arrested in 2001 and subjected to
torture for several years in prison. After his death in
late 2004, "security police threatened his family not to
tell anyone about what had happened --- or they too
will also be tortured and killed by the police," the
foundation report said. - - - -
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14) 'Free my brother,' ex-North Korean pleads
Campaign to pressure officials to release Christian
begun
WORLDNETDAILY - July 13, 2007
An international campaign is being launched by the
Voice of the Martyrs to generate worldwide pressure
on North Korean officials who have ordered a man
executed for being a Christian.
Son Jong Hoon told a news conference in
Washington, D.C., that his life's goal now is to save
his brother, Son Jong Nam, a former North Korean
Army officer turned underground evangelist.
"I pray to God for my brother's safety," he said,
describing the horrors of the basement jail cell where
Son Jong Nam has been held, beaten and tortured
since his most recent arrest.
"I plead to the kind and compassionate citizens of the
United States and around the world to join me in my
cause," Son Jong Hoon said in remarks prepared for
the news conference. "I appeal to you. Just think how
sad and desperate you would be if your own brother or
sister, son or daughter, husband or wife, father or
mother were in jail awaiting death."
The Voice of the Martyrs, an international organization
that assists persecuted Christians around the world,
is asking people in the United States and other
nations to write letters and send e-mails to North
Korean, United Nations and U.S. State Department
officials, and send the prisoner a note through a
program set up on its website that allows
individualized letters. - - -
"Jesus said ministering to a prisoner was like
ministering to Himself. Every letter and e-mail can
make a difference," Nettleton said. - - - -
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15) US: Proposal could fine pharmacists $500,000
Christians ordered to provide abortifacients on
demand
WORLDNETDAILY - June 8, 2007
Democrats in Congress have proposed a plan to fine
pharmacies up to $500,000 if the pharmacists follow
their conscience and decline to dispense abortifacient
chemicals.
"Pharmacists are professionals, not vending
machines," said Wendy Wright, president of
Concerned Women for America. "The FDA has been
known to make mistakes in approving drugs, and
doctors have made mistakes in prescribing.
Pharmacists provide a line of defense to ensure that
patients' lives and health are protected and can make
patients aware of ethical concerns.
"Yet this bill would punish pharmacists up to
$500,000 for acting on their ethical duty," she
said.
The new plan, called the "Access to Birth Control Act,"
is being pushed forward by U.S. Rep. Carolyn
Maloney, D-N.Y., and Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-
N.J.
The CWFA said the bill would simply repeal a
pharmacist's fundamental right to make ethical
decisions. It already has been referred to the U.S.
House Committee on Energy and Commerce for
action.
"This bill would force pharmacists to distribute the
controversial morning-after pill, --- trampling on any
professional or ethical concerns," the organization
said.
The congressional description of the bill is fairly
innocuous: "To establish certain duties for
pharmacies to ensure provision of Food and Drug
Administration-approved contraception, and for other
purposes."
But a reading of the proposal
reveals it would require a pharmacy to provide the
abortion-causing drugs to a customer whether or not
they are even in stock.
If the pharmacy stocks the chemicals, they would be
provided "without delay." If they are not on hand, the
pharmacy must find another pharmacy "of the
customer's choice" for a referral, or get the chemicals
and "notify the customer when the contraceptive
arrives."
"The pharmacy shall ensure that its employees to do
not --- interfere with or obstruct the delivery of services
relating to a request for contraception," the proposal
says.
"Access to birth control is a women's health issue, a
private matter and a constitutional right. No one - not
pharmacists, politicians, or religious leaders - should
be able to tamper with that right," Maloney
said.
Among the groups supporting the requirement are
NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood.
The law also allows "any person aggrieved" to file a
civil lawsuit for "appropriate relief, including actual and
punitive damages, injunctive relief, and a reasonable
attorney's fee and cost."
But Christian pharmacists already have taken stands
that have cost them their jobs against providing what
amounts to an abortion-causing drug.
Four Walgreens pharmacists were put on unpaid
leave in an earlier case in Illinois. - - -
"They are being let go because they couldn't in good
conscience dispense the drugs," - - -
Pharmacists For Life
International, a group that opposes abortion, cites
a study showing seven of 10 pharmacists believe they
have a right to conscience in refusing to fill
prescriptions for drugs that violate their moral, ethical
or religious beliefs. - - - -
Also
The Bill PDF File
110TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. ll
To establish certain duties for pharmacies to ensure
provision of Food and
Drug Administration-approved contraception, and for
other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Mrs. MALONEY of New York introduced the following
bill; which was referred
to the Committee on [No Committee Stated]
A BILL
To establish certain duties for pharmacies to ensure
provision
of Food and Drug Administration-approved
contraception,
and for other purposes.
Link To Bill
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16) US: Kennedy cramming hate crimes into defense bill
'Shameless attempt to push homosexual agenda ---
by exploiting soldiers'
WORLDNETDAILY - By Bob Unruh - July 17, 2007
Sen. Edward Kennedy's "hate crimes" plan - feared by
Christian leaders as a way to censor biblical
condemnations of homosexuality - has been
proposed as an amendment to a defense spending
bill, a maneuver opponents are calling "shameless"
and "manipulative."
The Kennedy plan, which earlier was introduced as
separate legislation, would classify gender and
sexual orientation as specially protected classes of
people under federal law. Opponents say it would
require law enforcement personnel to
become "thought police" to determine whether a crime
already addressed by existing law could be
prosecuted under an enhanced standard of "hate
crime."
The White House already has suggested the proposal
is unneeded and a veto would be in order if it is
approved. But Kennedy has proposed inserting it into
the defense appropriations plan, which Bush wants to
pass.
"The maneuver is one clearly calculated to put the
president in the position of ending up vetoing a
defense appropriation," Mathew Staver of Liberty
Counsel told WND.
Joe Glover of the Family Policy Network said the move
is "shockingly manipulative."
"It is a shameless attempt to push the homosexual
agenda on the American people by exploiting
American soldiers who are currently in harm's way
around the world," he said.
Many dismiss the idea Christian pastors and others
who oppose homosexual behavior on biblical
grounds would end up being punished for their beliefs
and thoughts, including the ACLU. The organization
issued a statement endorsing the plan to amend the
defense spending bill to include the hate crimes
legislation.
"The serious problem of crime directed at members of
society because of their race, color, religion, gender,
national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or
disability merits legislative action," the ACLU said.
And the ACLU noted a clause protecting "free speech"
in the proposal makes it clear it would be applied only
to actual crimes, not thoughts.
However, WND columnist Janet Folger wrote the idea
of arresting people for stating their religious beliefs
that homosexuality is wrong is no longer something
that "may" happen in the future.
"Here's the Cliff Notes of what so called 'hate crime'
legislation has already done IN AMERICA," she
wrote. "This is no longer up for debate. Here are the
facts."
Madison, Wisconsin. David Ott, a former homosexual,
was arrested for a "hate crime" for sharing his
testimony with a homosexual at a gas station. He
faced a $10,000 fine and one year behind bars. Seven
thousand dollars in legal fees later, [he] was ordered
to attend re-education classes at the University of
Wisconsin conducted by a lesbian.
St. Petersburg, Florida. Five Christians including two
pastors were arrested at a homosexual rally for
stepping onto the public sidewalk instead staying
caged in their officially designated "free speech zone."
Elmira, New York. The Elmira police arrested seven
Christians for praying in a public park where a
homosexual festival was getting started.
Crystal Lake, Illinois. Two 16 year old girls are facing
felony "hate crime" charges for the content of their
flyers.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Arlene Elshinnawy, a 75-
year-old grandmother of three, and Linda Beckman, a
70-year-old grandmother of 10 (along with nine
others), were arrested for sharing their faith on the
public sidewalk. - - - -
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17) US: Christian tracts censored at tribute to vets
County-sponsored July 4th event orders pastor out of
public park
WORLDNETDAILY - July 7, 2007
A Maryland church pastor attending a July 4th
community band concert and fireworks in a city park to
honor veterans is reporting he was told by officials to
leave, because he was handing out Gospel tracts.
Dennis L. Watson, an associate minister at Pleasant
View Baptist Church, initially revealed his experience
at the publicly funded festival in North East, Md., on a
website for a men's group, called Men of Valor.
He called it a "slap in the face" to the veterans whose
heroics were being honored at the "Salute to Cecil
County Veterans" because of the fervent belief of
those who founded the United States that "We have no
king but King Jesus."
"The reason that I mention this is because as I took
the opportunity to pass out tracts at the event I was
asked to stop because a public park that the taxpayers
of Cecil County [paid for] and for which our soldiers
have died was considered rented property and not a
public venue for that night," he wrote.
Cecil County manager Alfred Wein told WND that it
was a separate group that obtained permission to
use the city park, and therefore it was a private event.
However, when told that the county had allocated
$2,500 from its tax budget for the event, he said he
would have to check.
City officials in North East referred WND to a mail box
set up for the committee that ran the event, and
telephone calls to Carol England, identified by the city
as the director of the event, went unreturned. - - - -
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18) US: Now praying gets 7 Christians arrested
Cops call holding Bibles while lying
prostrate 'disturbing peace'
WORLDNETDAILY - By Bob Unruh - July 7, 2007
Christians have been arrested recently at "gay"
festivals for nothing more than having a protest sign
that is "wider than their torso," but now police have
gone even further, targeting Bible-carrying ministers
for praying on public property and for standing on a
public sidewalk near a "gay" festival.
One of the new cases comes from Elmira,
N.Y., where
police arrested seven Christians who went into a
public park where a "gay" fest was beginning and
started to pray, faces down, while holding their
Bibles.
They were cited for "disturbing the peace," and
Assistant Police Chief Mike Robertson told WND that
the seven are accused of a "combination" of
allegations under that statute, which includes
the "intent" to cause a public inconvenience,
any "disturbance" of a meeting of persons, obstructing
vehicular or pedestrian traffic, or taking part in "any act
that serves no legitimate purpose."
The second such case arose in Wichita, Kan.,
where
police arrested Spirit One Christian Center Pastor
Mark Holick, who had received permission earlier
from officers to be on the public sidewalk adjacent to
the park where the festival was occurring but then was
arrested doing exactly that.
Julian Raven, a street preacher, told WND his group of
seven assembled to pray for three hours the night
before Elmira's recent "pride" festival in promotion of
the homosexual lifestyle.
"We have a legal right to be at an event held in a public
square. We're not a hate group," he said. "We're
Christians and we're going to be there to pray."
He said he contacted police, who told him he had no
free speech rights in the public park.
"The female officer, she said, 'You're not going to
cross the street. You're not going to enter the park and
you're not going to share your religion with anybody in
this park,'" he told WND.
"When she said that, for the first time in my life as a
Christian, I felt now my freedom of speech is
threatened or challenged," he said. "I was being told I
could not share my religion with anybody in that park."
Raven said he told the officer "she was violating the
Constitution that she had sworn to uphold, and she
was very agitated and adamant, and couldn't look me
straight in the eye."
Raven asked for the justification for such a threat and
was not given a response.
He said his team of Christians then went into the park,
holding Bibles over their heads to signify their
subservience to God's Word, and lay on their faces to
pray.
Within three minutes, police officers had put handcuffs
on the seven, to the cheers of the homosexual crowd,
he said.
He said a court date is pending for the seven July 23. -
- - -
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19) US: Protesting pastors jailed - signs wider than torsos
Police at homos-x-fest use girth to enforce free-
speech limitations
WORLDNETDAILY - By Jay Baggett - June 30, 2007
St. Petersburg, Fla., officials made good on
their plan
to limit free speech at the city's homosexual festival
this weekend by arresting five Christians for carrying
signs "wider than their torsos" outside the officially
designated protest area.
Pastor Billy Ball, Assistant Pastor Doug Pitts, Frankie
Primavera and Josh Pettigrew, all of Faith Baptist
Church in Primrose, Ga., were arrested today after
leaving the area set aside by city officials for protest
activities. Bill Holt, of Lighthouse Baptist Church in
Jefferson, Ga., was also taken into custody.
According to Lighthouse Pastor Kevin Whitman, the
five men were told by police their signs were not
allowed outside the protest area because they were
wider than their torsos. When the men refused to put
them away, they were arrested for violating a
controversial city ordinance that governs permitted
events.
"We had police officers tell us bigger people could
carry bigger signs than smaller people - it all
depended on how big your torso was," said Whitman,
who, with several others, returned to the officially
designated protest area rather than face arrest.
"Our signs were just standard foam-poster board," he
said. "Nothing big - maybe six inches wider than our
torsos. If we had just rotated them, the police would
have been OK with them. But then, you couldn't read
the message."
As WND reported, St. Petersburg officials, following
disturbances at a previous homosexual pride festival,
implemented rules governing outdoor events that set
aside "free speech zones," where protesters are
allowed.
The resulting ordinance came under fire by the
American Civil Liberties Union and the Alliance
Defense Fund for being too broad. It allows the city to
create prior restraints of speech on an event-by-event
basis, with virtually no predictable limits. It also
criminalizes certain free speech behavior around
public events and authorizes the police to enforce
breaches of permits - the penalty for such breaches
being arrest. - - - -
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20) US: Louisiana cops can help if speech annoys
City ordinance used to silence Christian's message
WORLDNETDAILY - July 6, 2007
A town in Louisiana has begun using a
vaguely written
ordinance aimed at preventing public disturbances to
stifle the biblical message of a Christian who wanted
to present his beliefs on a public street.
In the case of John Netherland, authorities in the
town
of Zachary have warned he would be arrested if
his
verbal message in any way "annoys" someone else,
according to the Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona-
based group that defends religious liberty.
Attorneys with the organization have filed a lawsuit and
are seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent city
police from arresting Netherland, who wants to
present his religious message on a public sidewalk
outside of a bar.
Citing an ordinance prohibiting speech that
is "annoying" or "offensive," an officer had threatened
Netherland with arrest.
"Christian expression is not second-class speech
and should not be treated as such," said Kevin
Theriot, the ADF's senior counsel. "Unfortunately,
that's exactly what happened when a policeman for
the city of Zachary threatened a Christian with arrest
and prosecution simply because the expression was
religious and some people might not like it.
"The Constitution prohibits government officials from
singling out religious speech for censorship," he said.
In November, Netherland was on a public easement
about 75 feet from the bar when a police officer first
told him to move to the far side of the public property.
The officer then told him he would be arrested anyway
for "disturbing the peace." - - - -
Also
US: Cops use handcuffs to choke free speech
Police keep arresting citizens despite court rulings to
acquit
WORLDNETDAILY - By Chelsea Schilling - July 4,
2007
Pro-life protesters are taking their case to federal court
because they claim York, Pa., police
repeatedly violated their free speech rights while they
were handing out tracts and preaching outside the
city's Planned Parenthood clinic .
John McTernan, Edward D. Snell, John Wood and
Luanne Ferguson have filed a civil suit against York
police for being "chilled, frustrated and deterred in the
exercise of their First Amendment activities due to the
city's policy of ignoring First Amendment rights."
Their complaint states, "By denying plaintiffs the right
to access public streets with other like-minded
people, [York police] denied plaintiffs the right of
assembly on account of the content of their message."
Attorney Dennis Boyle represents the pro-life
advocates in the case.
"Essentially we have a series of arrests by the York
City Police Department that have gone to the state,
and the pro-life people have been found not guilty in
the state court system," he said. "So we've filed a
federal court suit to prevent these unlawful arrests
from continuing. It is just the police officers basically
trying to make life inconvenient for the pro-life people
here." - - - -
Read Full Report
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21) Double Standards in America: Activist's church mixes politics, religion
Ed. Comment: I guess its ok for a liberal anti-
nomian
church to have a leading Democratic contender for the
US Presidency come speak but have the pastor at a
conservative Bible-believing church tell the truth about
a candidate (Republican at that) and the IRS comes
knocking at your
door.
America has become a myth!
BE/\LERT!
WORLDNETDAILY - June 28, 2007
The Internet's leading evangelist, Bill Keller of
LivePrayer.com, is suggesting that the Rev. Barry Lynn
of Americans United for Separation of Church and
State sic the Internal Revenue Service on his own
church, the United Church of Christ.
That's because that tax-exempt organization last
weekend opened the podium of its general synod
meetings to Democratic presidential candidate
Barack Obama.
While in the podium, Obama lambasted the "religious
right" for "hijacking" Christianity. "Faith got hijacked
partly because of the so-called leaders of the
Christian right, who've been all too eager to exploit
what divides us," he said.
Lynn earlier had asked the IRS to investigate the
Florida ministry of Keller, who hosts the Live Prayer TV
program as well as LivePrayer.com, for his comments
about Mormonism.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
said it has written to request the review of Keller's
comments that a "vote for Mitt Romney [is a vote] for
Satan."
"Americans United asserts that Bill Keller Ministries
seems to have violated federal tax law when its online
division, Liveprayer.com, ran articles warning readers
that a vote for Romney is a vote for Satan," the activist
organization had said.
Lynn, the executive director of the group, urged an
investigation into what the group called a "blatant
example of religiously based partisan politicking."
Now Keller has noted that the UCC, which "has openly
gay clergy, supports gay marriage, and the killing of
babies" has allowed Obama to criticize
evangelicals "who are foolish enough to believe what
the Bible says." - - - -
Related
US: ACLU sues city over Jesus painting
ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Michael Kunzelman - July 3,
2007
NEW ORLEANS - The American Civil Liberties Union
sued the city of Slidell on Tuesday for displaying a
painting of Jesus in a courthouse lobby, saying it
violates the constitutional separation of church and
state.
The ACLU sued after the Slidell City Court refused to
voluntarily remove the picture and a message below it
that reads: "To Know Peace, Obey These Laws." The
ACLU says the portrait - an image of Jesus presenting
the New Testament - is a religious icon of the Eastern
Orthodox branch of Christianity.
"We did not file this lawsuit because the ACLU is anti-
religion ... We did file this lawsuit because we believe
this display is clearly in violation of the law," said
Vincent Booth, president and acting executive director
of the Louisiana ACLU chapter.
The suit was filed on behalf of an unidentified person
who complained to the ACLU about the picture.
Named as defendants were the city of Slidell, St.
Tammany Parish and City Judge James Lamz. St.
Tammany Parish is being sued because it partially
funds the court, the ACLU said. - - - -
Read Full Report
US: Rejected church plans cost city $1.2
million
Officials cited desire for tax revenue when building
project vetoed
WORLDNETDAILY - July 19, 2007
The city of Lake Elsinore, Calif., whose officials said
they preferred tax revenue to worship services when
they rejected a church's building plans, now has paid
the Elsinore Christian Center $1.205 million for that
decision.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled in the
church's favor in 2006, and the case was pending
before the U.S. Supreme Court when the city asked to
settle the dispute, according to officials with Advocates
for Faith and Freedom, a national non-profit law firm
working to protect religious liberties.
The appellate ruling found that the city violated the
federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized
Persons Act of 2000, which codifies the First
Amendment and provides that governments cannot
use land use regulations, such as zoning, to place
a "substantial burden" on churches unless there is
compelling state interest.
"Elsinore Christian Center stands as a great example
nationally to religious organizations and churches that
significant protection against religious discrimination
by zoning and municipal officials is available," said
Robert Tyler, general counsel for Advocates for Faith
and Freedom.
"Churches across the country collectively spend
millions of dollars every year trying to get discretionary
land use permits only to be rejected by the
discriminatory and subjective whims of zoning
officials - a quandary that has now met its match," he
said. - - - -
Read Full Report
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22) U.K. schoolgirl loses 'virginity ring' court battle
Lydia Playfoot says ring should be exempt from
school ban on jewelry
REUTERS - July 17, 2007
LONDON - A teenager whose teachers had stopped
her wearing a "purity ring" at school to symbolize her
commitment to virginity has lost a High Court fight
against the ban.
Lydia Playfoot, 16, says her silver ring is an
expression of her faith and had argued in court that it
should be exempt from school regulations banning
the wearing of jewelry.
"I am very disappointed by the decision this morning
by the High Court not to allow me to wear my purity
ring to school as an expression of my Christian faith
not to have s-x outside marriage," Playfoot said in a
statement Monday.
"I believe that the judge's decision will mean that
slowly, over time, people such as school governors,
employers, political organizations and others will be
allowed to stop Christians from publicly expressing
and practicing their faith."
Playfoot's legal challenge was the latest in a series of
disputes in British schools in recent years over the
right of pupils to wear religious symbols or clothing,
such as crucifixes and veils. - - - -
Related
Don't teach that marriage is best say
academics
THE EVENING STANDARD of LONDON - May 30,
2007
Academics are calling for teachers to be banned from
promoting marriage in the classroom.
They say homosexuality must be given equal status to
stop the spread of "bigoted" attitudes in schools and
university campuses.
Current Government guidance on s-x education says
children must be taught "the importance of marriage
for family life".
Teachers are also permitted to voice their opposition
to homosexuality if it stems from personal or religious
conviction.
This allows faith schools to teach that same- s-x
relationships are at odds with their religion.
But members of the University and College Union -
representing 120,000 lecturers - are calling for a
change in the law to stop teachers telling children that
marriage is superior to gay partnerships.
This would apply to all teachers, including staff in faith
schools. - - - -
Read Full Report
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23) PC mandate gone wild: Christian books yanked from U.S. prisons
Rule to keep radical Islamic texts from prisoners, but
feds decide to limit literature of all religions
WORLDNETDAILY - June 11, 2007
Hundreds of Christian books are disappearing off the
shelves of U.S. prisons under a federal directive
intended to prevent violent inmates from receiving
radical Islamic texts, prompting a lawsuit.
Instead of focusing on Muslim books, the directive
restricts literature from all religions, the Associated
Press reported. The post-9/11 order, which only now
is being implemented, allows the prison libraries to
stock only 100 to 150 books for each religion.
Three inmates at the federal prison camp in Otisville,
N.Y., have filed suit, claiming violation of their
constitutional rights.
Inmate John Okon told U.S. District Judge Laura
Taylor Swain the set of books removed from the
prison were used to minister to new converts. - - -
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Feldman explained to the
judge the rule limiting books was the result of a review
by the Department of Justice in April 2004 of how
prisons choose Muslims providers of religious
services.
The reason for the delay is unclear, the AP reported,
but prison officials said they needed time to look over
a long list of books.
As WND reported, prisons have proven to be a fertile
recruiting ground for al-Qaida, spawning the likes of
shoebomber Richard Reid and alleged dirty bomber
Jose Padilla.
Christian prison chaplains say Islam is so popular
with inmates they are having a hard time competing
with Muslim chaplains for their souls. Blacks are
being converted by the cell block. The FBI worries
blacks could be the next face of terror in America.
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24) Germany silences pro-lifers, homeschoolers, creationists
Crime is 'incitement of the people,' court rules in
ordering prison term
WORLDNETDAILY - By Chelsea Schilling - June 28,
2007
A 55-year-old Lutheran pastor has been found guilty
of "volksverhetzung" or "incitement of the people" by a
German court and will spend a year in jail after an
Erlangen court claimed he made a statement denying
the Holocaust suffered by the Jews at the hands of
Nazi-Germany during World War II.
Johannes Lerle compared Germany's abortion rate of
150,000 annually to the murder of Jews in Auschwitz
during the Holocaust.
According to Life Site, though the pastor has been
jailed for anti-abortion activities in the past, his current
one-year jail term stemmed specifically from charges
of Holocaust denial and not from his statements
comparing abortion to the Nazi Holocaust, as it claims
news sources erroneously reported.
However, Lerle has faced prison time in the past for
voicing his opposition to abortion.
"Previously, he had been jailed for eight months for
calling abortionists 'professional killers.' An allegation
which the court ruled to be slanderous because the
court says the unborn are not human," an anonymous
pro-life activist in Germany told Salem Voice
Ministries.
"Berlin is Germany's abortion capital. For every 1,000
babies born in Berlin, 344 were killed in their mother's
womb," Pro-life With Christ reports. "In the city with 3.4
million inhabitants 10,024 babies were aborted [in
2006]."
However, such figures fail to account for the
substantial number of unrecorded abortions - which
are estimated to be equal to the total number of
reported abortions.
Other high-profile religious leaders have also
condemned Germany's growing acceptance of
abortion. According to a BBC report, the Roman
Catholic Church publicly condemned government
plans to allow the sale of abortion pill RU-486 in 1998.
Archbishop of Cologne Joachim Meissner made a
comparison between taking the abortion pill and the
use of gas in the Holocaust. - - - -
Related
Chief Rabbinate Finalizes Ban on Christian Women's
Conference
ARUTZ SHEVA - By Hillel Fendel - May 21, 2007
The Chief Rabbinate of Israel, after hearing more
testimony, reiterated its ban on Jewish participation in
the Christian-sponsored conferences in Jerusalem
this week.
The rabbinate's Committee to Stop Missionary
Dissemination met for a second time on Thursday,
this time with MK Benny Elon, the Chairman of the
Knesset Christian Allies Caucus. Though Elon
demonstrated his opposition to working with
missionaries and the care his groups take to ensure
that no missionary work is tolerated, the rabbis
reaffirmed the previous ban. - - -
The rabbis ruled that in light of the incessant
missionary onslaught by many Christian evangelical
groups, events of this nature that "strive to create a
partnership between famous Christian preachers and
leaders of organizations that have worldwide
missionary programs to missionize as many Jews as
possible --- have been banned in the past by Torah
giants throughout the generations, and they are
forbidden." - - - -
Read Full Report
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25) Professor: 'Religion' behind tenure dispute
Intelligent Design scientist faults university evolution
ideology
WORLDNETDAILY - July 13, 2007
A scientist who believes the theory of intelligent
design helps explain life's origins is appealing to
state officials to save his job at Iowa State University,
where his tenure was rejected because of
his "personal religious and ideological beliefs."
Guillermo Gonzalez is appealing his case to the Iowa
State Board of Regents after university officials turned
away his request for reconsideration.
A story in World Magazine quoted professor Eli
Rosenberg, chairman of the physics and astronomy
department at the school, insisting intelligent
design "was not an overriding factor" in the decision
but that it "played into" the process.
Proponents of intelligent design say it draws on recent
discoveries in physics, biochemistry and related
disciplines that indicate some features of the natural
world are best explained as the product of an
intelligent cause rather than an undirected process
such as natural selection. Advocates include
scientists at numerous universities and science
organizations worldwide.
World magazine also reported astronomy professor
Curtis Struck said he was not surprised by the denial,
because Gonzales "includes some things in his
astronomy resume that other people regard as taking
a coincidence too far." His reference apparently was to
the issue of intelligent design.
Gonzales also was targeted earlier by ISU faculty
members, who in 2005 drafted a statement and
petition against intelligent design in the science
curriculum. It collected 120 signatures.
John West, associate director of the Discovery
Institute's Center for Science & Culture, where
Gonzalez is a senior fellow, said the tenure denial
is "clearly a result of the vicious attacks he's had to
endure from Darwinists and various atheists for
presenting a scientific argument for the intelligent
design of the universe based on the empirical
evidence from physics and astronomy." - - - -
Also
US: Christian group locked out of university
WORLDNETDAILY - July 14, 2007
A lawsuit has been filed against the University of
Florida, accusing officials there of discriminating
against a student organization because its members
must be Christian men.
The action was filed this week by the Christian Legal
Society and the Alliance Defense Fund over the
university's stance regarding the Christian fraternity
Beta Upsilon Chi. - - -
"University officials refuse to recognize BYX as a
registered student group because the group limits its
membership to Christian men, but the school does
not apply a similar standard to other student
organizations," the groups said. - - -
The fraternity, which also calls itself "Brothers Under
Christ," seeks to teach male college students what it
means to be Christian men. The university refused to
offer the group recognition, alleging the group's
requirement that members be Christian men
is "discrimination."
"The university recognizes the Women's Chorale and
Men's Ice Hockey even though they are single-sex
organizations," said Tracey. "Why then is the university
telling this fraternity it cannot limit its membership to
Christian men?" - - -
"Many registered organizations are similarly situated
to BYX in that they limit membership and/or leadership
on the basis of sex. For example, The Sedoctaves is a
women's a cappella singing group. --- Progressive
Black Men is a professional service organization for
African-American men --- UF also recognizes
numerous single-sex club sports teams, such as
Florida's Elite Ultimate Lades (a women's ultimate
Frisbee club), Men's Lacrosse, and Men's Ice Hockey,"
the complaint noted.
Officials with the two legal groups said they just
recently completed the same argument with the
University of Georgia. - - - -
Read Full Report
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Contact Information
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| Editor |
| Scott Brisk |
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