Moriel Ministries Be Alert!
July 3, 2008
 
Sun into darkness & Moon into blood
America, Australia, Britain and Canada: The West is no longer free from Persecution. Take this as a WAKE UP CALL for a sleeping church.
Flashing Alert
Joel 2:31
"The sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood
Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

Mark 13:9  
"But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.



Islam vs The West
Joel 1:1-5
The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:
Hear this, O elders,
And listen, all inhabitants of the land.
Has anything like this happened in your days
Or in your fathers' days?
Tell your sons about it,
And let your sons tell their sons,
And their sons the next generation.
What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten;
And what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten;
And what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten.
Awake, drunkards, and weep;
And wail, all you wine drinkers,
On account of the sweet wine
That is cut off from your mouth.


Blood Red Moon
Shalom in Christ Jesus, 
Red Alert
Violent persecution of Christians is coming to America, Australia, Britain, Canada and all the Western nations. The kind of persecution we see in countries like North Korea. However, real persecution is already here in these countries and it is growing exponentionally to wake a sleeping church deceived into being concerned with the things of this world.
 
I can say this without any hesitation because the fruit bears it. The reason these nations became so great in the first place was a believing church and the reason they are decaying is that the church has decayed.
 
Daily I ask myself if what I am observing can be real, as it seems more like a nightmare. The signs of Christ's soon return are everywhere yet most professing Christians either, ignore it as an uncomfortable rash that they hope will "just go away" while others openly scoff at it. The apostle Peter in his second letter however foretold this idea:
 
Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." - 2 Peter 3:3-4
 
However, this reality will not go away and afflictions and tribulations are one thing that cannot be ignored for long. That is why these are coming, as an act of mercy from our loving God to wake up His slumbering people. This kind of mercy I do not long for nor do I look forward to it, but I know it must come because a century of wars, rumors of wars, amazing prosperity, great depression, plagues, famines and terror have done nothing to awaken the prosperous church in the West.

The scriptures tell us in the Last Days there will be great signs in the heavens. The book of Genesis teaches that the lights in the heavens are for demarking signs and seasons as well as time. I do not doubt the literal darkening of the sun and the moon before Christ returns but a deeper picture emerges when one interprets this verse through Judeo-Christian Midrash. That is, the light of The Son of God (Christ's light) will be darkened as those through whom it is reflected (the church) are persecuted. Hence, "The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes." (Joel 2:31)

For more on this see Four 'blood-red' total lunar eclipses will fall on Passover and Sukkot in 2014 and 2015, the same back-to-back occurrences at the time of 1492, 1948 and 1967 (additionally: Solar eclipses of 2008, 2009 and 2010 - and their connection to the month of Av) and Be Alert! Passover - Tabernacles Blood Red Moon Signs of 1949 & 1967 to Occur in 2014-15

This alert focuses on how close to home real persecution is hitting and how soon a publication such as this one could be illegal. It will be evident how ridiculous the so-called revivals occurring in places like Lakeland, Florida are when in one state over in Alabama, Christian parents are having their child taken away by the State just because they are Christian and a "Christian upbringing" has been deemed child abuse by an activist judge.
 
That however, is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. It is the days of Lot as violent 'Sodomites' are on the warpath to destroy any rights one has to speak Biblical truth. Add to that radical Islam and every other special interest under the Sun and true Christianity will be deemed a "plague" the world must rid itself.
 
Nevertheless, the Word of God already tells us these things, yet through Christ, the church will be resurrected, and the remnant raptured in victory. That is what our hope should centered on, not on the things of this world, which are fading away.
 
BE/\LERT!
Scott Brisk
 
My Daughter Libby
Alabama Monument

DANGEROUS OPINIONS Blog - By Brian Snider - Posted March 7, 2008

A short movie about our five year custody battle. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't lived through it. . . .
 

Ed. Note:
Shortly before sending out this alert I received an email from the stepfather of Libby who put this video together. Upon viewing it, I made the decision to move this up to the first article as it so articulates the incredible evil taking place in America and other Western nations while much of the church and nation/media is apparently oblivious.


View Video Here
Brian's blog Homepage

For contest to this video, see this blog posting:
Religion Joins Custody Cases, to Judges' Unease
NEW YORK TIMES [NYTimes Group/Sulzberger] - By Neela Banerjee - February 13, 2008
See Here


In This Issue
1) My Daughter Libby
2) Canadian Government to pastor: Renounce your faith!
3) Canada orders ministry by Christians shut down
4) Canada: Huge Christian Ministry to Disabled Fined $23,000 For Rejecting Homosexual Employee
5) Canada: Mark Steyn Human Rights Tribunal "Show Trial" Opens in Vancouver
6) US: Criminal crackdown targeting Christians
7) Colorado: Biblical message now criminalized - Penalties created for those who criticize homosexuality
8) Dobson editing radio show to avoid 'hate crimes' laws
9) US: Bible citation costs couple jobs, home
10) Ohio: Quoting Scripture banned in library community room
11) UK: Christian registrar 'threatened with sack' after refusing to conduct gay marriages
12) UK: Christian preachers face arrest in Birmingham
13) You can't preach the Bible here, this is a Muslim area
14) Bishop warns of no-go zones for non-Muslims
15) Islamic fanatics are openly using the internet to recruit children in Britain, says Civitas
16) Terrorise the non-believers, orders 'Bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe'
17) Study: 3 in 4 U.S. mosques preach anti-West extremism
18) Salem, Mass. - Witch City judge: Preaching is 'disorderly conduct'
19) Australia: Christians Arrested for Preaching the Gospel in Brisbane
20) US: Street preacher claims police harassment
21) Crackdown on biblical speech challenged
22) Protesting 'gay' promo draws threats
23) Christian 6th-grader warned: Stop wearing pro-life T-shirts
24) Christians ordered to pay big bucks - for praying!
25) New York State: Church pursues felony over anointing with oil
26) Blog Posts
Moriel Links
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Canadian Government to pastor: Renounce your faith!
Canadian Martyr
Now banned from expressing moral opposition to homosexuality
WORLDNETDAILY - June 9, 2008

Ed. Note: The picture to the right is a photo of a painting of a Canadian Catholic Missionary burned at the stake that is hanging in Cath�drale Marie-Reine-du-Monde (Cathedral-Basilica of Mary, Queen of the World) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Moriel does not view Roman Catholicism as true Biblical Christianity and those in it who do understand the truth "must come out of her" or are in need of evangelism. For an understanding of persecution in situations such as these see the commentary Understanding Persecution of Christians in Name

A Canadian human rights tribunal ordered a Christian pastor to renounce his faith and never again express moral opposition to homosexuality, according to a new report.

In a decision dated May 30 in the penalty phase of the quasi-judicial proceedings run by the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal, evangelical pastor Stephen Boisson was banned from expressing his biblical perspective of homosexuality and ordered to pay $5,000 for "damages for pain and suffering" as well as apologize to the activist who complained of being hurt.

According to a report from Pete Vere at the Catholic Exchange, the penalty could foreshadow the possible fate of the Rev. Alphonse de Valk, who also cited the biblical perspective on homosexuality in the nation's debate over same-sex "marriage" and now faces HRC charges.

Boisson wrote a letter to the editor of his local Red Deer, Alberta, newspaper in 2002 denouncing the advance of homosexual activism as "wicked" and stating: "Children as young as five and six years of age are being subjected to psychologically and physiologically damaging pro-homosexual literature and guidance in the public school system; all under the fraudulent guise of equal rights."

The activist, local teacher Darren Lund, filed a complaint, and the guilty verdict from Lori G. Andreachuk, a lawyer, was handed down Nov. 30, 2007. The latest decision involved the penalty phase of the trial.

"While agreeing that Boisson's letter was not a criminal act, the government tribunal nevertheless ordered the Christian pastor to [stop expressing his opinion]," Vere reported.

Andreachuk noted that Lund, who brought the complaint, wasn't, in fact, injured.

"In this case there is no specific individual who can be compensated as there is no direct victim who has come forward," she wrote.

However, that did not stop her from ordering the payment anyway.

And as for the future, she wrote:

"Mr. Boissoin and The Concerned Christian Coalition Inc. shall cease publishing in newspapers, by e-mail, on the radio, in public speeches, or on the Internet, in future, disparaging remarks about gays and homosexuals. Further, they shall not and are prohibited from making disparaging remarks in the future about . . . Lund or . . . Lund's witnesses relating to their involvement in this complaint. Further, all disparaging remarks versus homosexuals are directed to be removed from current Web sites and publications of Mr. Boissoin and The Concerned Christian Coalition Inc.," the lawyer opined.

Andreachuk also ordered Boissoin to apologize for the original letter in the Red Deer Advocate and told the two "offenders" to pay $5,000.

The apology letter, Vere said, "threatens civil liberties in Canada, according to Ezra Levant, an author and lawyer who himself was targeted by an HRC attack."

"[The] government now believes that if it can't convince a Christian pastor that he's wrong, it will just order him to condemn himself?" Levant wrote on his blog. "Other than tribunals in Stalin's Soviet Union and Mao's China, where is this Orwellian 'order' considered to be justice?"

"This is like a Third World jail-house confession - where accused criminals are forced to sign false statements of guilt," Levant wrote. "We don't even 'order' murderers to apologize to their victims' families. Because we know that a forced apology is meaningless. But not if your point is to degrade Christian pastors."

"In essence, the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal is ordering to the minister to renounce his Christian faith, since his opposition to homosexuality is based upon the Judeo-Christian Bible," Vere wrote.

WND reported recently about de Valk, the target of a Human Rights Commission case over his biblical references regarding homosexuality. - - -

An extended audio recording between Vere and van Dusen is posted on YouTube.

A second part of the interview also is posted.

Original Report Here
Canada orders ministry by Christians shut down
MacGregor Ministries WORLDNETDAILY - By Bob Unruh - March 21, 2008
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, WND has learned.

So what used to be called MacGregor Ministries with offerings in how to recognize and eliminate "faulty fads" in Christian churches has been re-created in the United States, and now operates under the name MM Outreach Media Ministries.

Lorri MacGregor, who has dedicated her life to explaining the straight and narrow of Christian beliefs since she found her way out of the Jehovah's Witness system years ago, told WND Canada's version of a "hate crimes" law prevented their work from continuing as it had for nearly 30 years.

"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, which was uneventful.

"The auditor that originally looked at our books told us her supervisor had said she wanted us shut down," Mrs. MacGregor told WND. "Canada has very strong hate laws."

She said the ministry points out the differences between Christianity and various cult beliefs, but also with respect, and never as a proponent. She said the work always is in response to a question or issue.

"When a group such as Jehovah's Witnesses said of our doctrine we're worshipping a freakish three-headed God (the Trinity), we should be able to respond," she said. "We say, 'Here's the doctrine of the Trinity and here is where it is in the Scripture.'"

That, however, violates Canada's hate crimes laws, and the ministry was ordered to either make wholesale changes in its presentations, or shut down.

"There was nothing we could do that would please them," she said. "They wanted us every time we criticized something to say, 'So Christianity is equal to Buddhism, Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses--- Just decide for yourself.'"

"We cannot do that," she said of the work she and her husband, Keith, have spent their lives assembling.

"She gave us an ultimatum that we needed to say that all religions are equal, Lorri MacGregor was to stop writing our magazine on the cults, we were to remove our websites and stop selling any products to help [teach about] the cults, and any future DVDs that we do on the Bible must not be persuasive," the couple alerted friends in an e-mail. "We could not live under those restrictions."

"We chose to shut down the ministry and we are in Washington to sign papers to start up a U.S. corporation and also start the long process of applyign for 501(c)3 status in the U.S. We have been told that within five to 10 years, the U.S. government will be in the same position as the Canadian government and t hey will also go after Christian apologetics groups," the alert continued.

"It was a no-win situation. We didn't want to see our charity money eaten up by lawyers," Mrs. MacGregor told WND. "It was heart-wrenching."

"We wrote on Feb. 7 and voluntarily revoked our [license] ourselves," she said. "We said this auditor requires us to compromise our Christian faith, which we cannot do."

The ministry entered into the expense of relocating its corporate structure into the United States, and is in the process of applying for that nation's tax-exempt status offered mission organizations.

"You're not allowed in Canada to speak in a persuasive way about your own faith," she said. - - -

"They said if we were just preaching our own Gospel, and weren't criticizing anybody else, we could continue," she said. "If you're going to defend the Gospel, you've got to criticize sometimes."

For example, the ministry addresses the issue of "fads," including a "creeping Eastern mysticism" appearing in some churches, "turning meaningful prayer meetings into mind-emptying rituals called contemplative prayer promising experiences of a spiritual nature." - - -

WND previously has reported how proposals are being made in Canada to raise taxes and fees on churches dramatically, as well as ban them from meeting in some locations.

WND also has reported on how many Biblical standards of behavior are under attack by the "bastardized courts" of Canada, where activists who claim they have "hurt feelings" are demanding - and getting - penalties imposed against those who oppose the homosexual lifestyle.

It also has reported on the times that "hate crimes" legislation for the United States has been considered in Congress.
Read Full Report

Here is a Statement from MM Outreach Media Ministries regarding the current situation.

* Emphasis Added
Canada: Huge Christian Ministry to Disabled Fined $23,000 For Rejecting Homosexual Employee
Human Rights ruling also mandates all managers and employees receive a pro-homosexuality "human rights training program"
LIFESITENEWS.com - April 25, 2008
TORONTO - In what is being described as "another blow to religious liberty" in Canada, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has ordered a Christian organization to cease using an employment contract which has staff promise they will not engage in "homosexual relationships."  Moreover, the ruling demands that the organization pay $23,000, plus two years wages and benefits to a woman who signed onto the contract and then entered a homosexual relationship and was subsequently dismissed.

In an April 15 ruling, released today, the Tribunal ruled against Christian Horizons, an Evangelical Christian Ministry that provides care and residential services to 1,400 developmentally disabled individuals with over 180 residential homes across Ontario, and 2,500 employees.  

The ruling which was decided by a single adjudicator - Michael Gottheil - ruled further that all managers and employees receive a pro-homosexuality "human rights training program".  Christian Horizons was also ordered to "develop and adopt an anti-discrimination and an anti-harassment policy" and "review of its employment policies, in consultation with the Commission" and report to the Commission on its progress, to ensure that such policies comply with the Code.

The ruling also stated, "No later than six months from the date of this decision, the respondent, Christian Horizons shall submit a report to the Tribunal outlining the steps it proposes to take to ensure that its employment policies are in compliance with the Code".

Connie Heintz, an employee who signed onto the "morality statement" as a condition of employment, promised not to engage in "homosexual relationships", among other anti-Christian activities such as "extra-marital sexual relationships (adultery)", "pre-marital sexual relationships (fornication)", "viewing or reading pornographic material" and "lying".

When Heintz entered into a homosexual relationship and her employers came to know of it, she claims she was subject to a poisoned work environment and threatened with loss of her job.  She quit her job in 2000. - - -

The ruling is available online here

To contact the Premier of Ontario about repeated Human Rights rulings violating freedom of religion and conscience:Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario

To contact individual Members of the Legislature

Original Report Here
Mark Steyn Human Rights Tribunal "Show Trial" Opens in Vancouver
Ezra Levant says, this isn't a real court. This is a kangaroo court, with three leftist activists as panellists"
LIFESITENEWS.com - By Hilary White - June 3, 2008
VANCOUVER - The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal has had its first day of hearings in the case being brought against syndicated columnist and author Mark Steyn, and Maclean's magazine that published an excerpt from his book, "America Alone".

The lawyer for the complainants, Faisal Joseph, opened his statements yesterday saying that the article, "The future belongs to Islam," published by Maclean's in October 2006, depicted Muslims as "a violent people" who hold traditional Canadian values "in contempt". Their religion he said, was portrayed as "inhuman" and "violent". - - -

The complainants, Mohamed Elmasry, an imam and president of the Canadian Islamic Congress and Naiyer Habib, after failing to bring their complaints to the legitimate courts, complained to the Canadian, Ontario and B.C. human rights authorities after the Toronto-based magazine published the article.

Elmasry has a reputation in Canada as an Islamic extremist after appearing on the Michael Coren Show in Toronto in 2004 and stating that anyone in Israel over the age of 18 was a justifiable target of Palestinian attacks. He later apologized for his remarks calling them his "biggest mistake" in 30 years of public life.

The opposition to the entire proceeding, however, is growing and the tribunal today and yesterday has attracted enormous media attention in Canada and the US for its attack on freedom of speech and a free press. - - -

A small cadre of supporters of Mark Steyn were also outside the court house brandishing blank signs that they said were symbolic of the attempt to force Steyn and Maclean's to "shut up". One protester said, referring to the hate crimes provisions in the Human Rights Acts, "We politicise our judiciary with this kind of law, because everything a writer writes is potentially going to hold somebody up to contempt". "It's a dangerous law, because if we silence writers, all kinds of implications flow from that." - - - -
Read Full Report
US: Criminal crackdown targeting Christians
Censoring The WORD
'Biggest danger is to religious conscience of business owners'
WORLDNETDAILY - By Bob Unruh - June 16, 2008
When a Christian pastor in Canada wrote a commentary on the Bible's perspective on homosexuality, a government commission ordered him to renounce his faith and apologize. When a family-owned photography studio in New Mexico refused, on religious grounds, to take pictures at a same-sex ceremony, the fine for such "discrimination" was $6,600. Now the experts say Colorado is joining in the repression of the practice of Christianity.

"Getting beyond the bathroom and locker room issue, the biggest danger this law poses is to the religious or moral consciences of small business owners who may object to doing business with people whose lifestyle they do not want to promote," Bruce Hausknecht, a spokesman with Focus on the Family, told WND about Colorado's new law, SB200.

WND reported earlier when the chief of Focus on the Family, James Dobson, criticized Gov. Bill Ritter for signing the law because of its dangerous implications for anyone who provides a "public accommodation" because they no longer will be able to discriminate based on sexual orientation or even "perception."

"Who would have believed that the Colorado state legislature and its governor would have made it fully legal for men to enter and use women's restrooms and locker-room facilities without notice or explanation?" Dobson said at the time.

"Henceforth, every woman and little girl will have to fear that a predator, bisexual, cross-dresser or even a homosexual or heterosexual male might walk in and relieve himself in their presence," Dobson said.

The governor's office has declined to respond to WND requests for comment on the issue, which also is creating controversy in Montgomery County, Md., where a public vote is scheduled this fall on an administrative plan to open restrooms and locker rooms to those who perceive themselves to be that particular sex.

Hausknecht said there are a number of concerns generated by the law, but he believes the most significant is the same issue that already has played out in New Mexico, resulting in a fine of $6,600 for a family owned small business.

In that case, the state's Human Rights Commission ordered the fine imposed against Elane Photography LLC, run by owners Jon and Elaine Huguenin.

They had declined, on religious grounds, to take photographs at a same-sex ceremony, and one of the people involved in that stunt, Vanessa Willock, then filed a complaint with the state.

Lawyers working on behalf of the photography studio were appalled.

"The Constitution prohibits the state from forcing unwilling people to promote a message they disagree with and thereby violate their conscience," said Jordan Lorence, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, which is working on an appeal.

"The commission's decision shows stunning disregard for our client's First Amendment rights," he said.

"SB200 creates the same legal scenario that we saw in New Mexico this year, where a Christian couple operating a small photographer studio were dragged before the NM Human Rights Commission and fined $6,600 for refusing, on religious grounds, to photograph as same-sex commitment ceremony," Hausknecht told WND. "SB200's definition of 'public accommodations' is broad enough to include any and all businesses, and we fear that we will be seeing these types of cases fairly soon here in Colorado.

"The fiscal note attached to SB200 indicated that the legislature was anticipating 30 complaints and three court cases per year. I predict that small business run by religious owners will see the brunt of those complaints and cases as this bill pans out," he said.

There are groups who fear the law will do far more than that.

"American RTL [Right to Life] Action is a political 527 group headquartered a half-block from the Colorado capitol, and we're not going to hire someone cohabitating outside of marriage, let alone a homosexual," said Steve Curtis, the group's president and former chairman of the Colorado Republican Party. "SB200 also makes it a crime for us to publish biblical teaching on immorality, so we are prepared to violate this anti-Christian government censorship. The liberals always said what homosexuals do in private could never affect anyone else; of course that was always a lie; they're trying to criminalize traditional Christianity. The fight is on."

Hausknecht said such a dire view of a ban on even publishing biblical teachings may not be supported clearly by the law, although its provisions regarding "discrimination" against same-sex behavior still have yet to be tested.

He said the law is divided into sections, and the definition for public accommodations is not the same throughout the law. Publishing houses such as Focus, the nearby International Bible Society and even the Navpress publishing empire located a few miles away, probably would not be covered under a "public accommodations" section defining those as "any inn, tavern, or hotel, . . . for the benefit, use, or accommodation of those seeking health, recreation, or rest, and any restaurant, eating house, public conveyance on land or water, bathhouse, barber shop, theater, and music hall."

There is some small risk to publishers under another section, he said, but, "by far the greater risk under that 'publishing' section would be the advertising or promotion of an event at a facility that would indicate or imply that it was not inclusive of all sexual orientations."

Others, however, fear the worst already has arrived in Colorado.

Pastor Bob Enyart, a Denver-area activist on Christian issues, said he fears significant levels of censorship are coming to churches, and soon.

"There are free speech rights to condemn cohabitation, homosexuality, state that homosexuals should not marry, should not adopt children," Enyart said. "It's now illegal in Colorado for anyone involved in a facility or business of public accommodation to give any communication that would advocate discrimination based on marital status or sexual orientation."

He said he expects the law to be only "lightly" enforced until "it just becomes an entrenched part of our legal framework."
Original Report Here
Colorado: Biblical message now criminalized
Future Church Meeting Hall?
Penalties created for those who criticize homosexuality outside church walls
WORLDNETDAILY - By Bob Unruh - June 12, 2008
A new Colorado law is helping homosexual activists achieve their goal of forcing Christians to teach biblical condemnation of homosexuality only behind the closed doors of their sanctuaries.

The as-yet untested state law promotes sexual identity "perception" to the level of skin color under state discrimination laws.

Some opponents are calling it a "bona fide censorship law," and top analysts for Focus on the Family, the Christian publishing and broadcast powerhouse, are expressing concern over the "mischief" they expect to follow the signing by Gov. Bill Ritter.

As WND reported, Ritter, a Democrat, struck gender-specific restrooms and locker rooms statewide when he signed the plan into law in May.

The law makes it illegal to deny a person access to public accommodations, including restrooms and locker rooms, based on gender identity or the "perception" of gender identity.

"Who would have believed that the Colorado state legislature and its governor would have made it fully legal for men to enter and use women's restrooms and locker-room facilities without notice or explanation?" said James Dobson, founder of Focus.

"Henceforth, every woman and little girl will have to fear that a predator, bisexual, cross-dresser or even a homosexual or heterosexual male might walk in and relieve himself in their presence," Dobson said.

But now an analyst for Focus, Bruce Hausknecht, has told WND there are other, significant, potential ramifications hidden in the fine print of the new law.

The law provides an exemption allowing religious groups to continue teaching, inside their doors, the Bible's condemnation of homosexuality. But the exemption itself is ultimately harmful to the church, Hausknecht contends.

"It tends to marginalize the church," he said. "They'll say, 'It's just a church.' It will allow gay activists to continue to marginalize Christians. They'll say, 'Keep it within your four walls. That's all.'"

But there's further possible mischief that can result from a ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation or "perception" when deciding "full and equal enjoyment of facilities, accommodations" and other factors, he said.

Religious publishers, he acknowledged, could be accused under the law for publishing biblical condemnation of homosexuality. Colorado Springs, where Focus in located, also is home to the huge Christian publishing operations of NavPress and the International Bible Society.

"There are those who simply by publishing Christian materials could find themselves charged with a violation of this statute," he said.

A spokesman for Ritter did not respond to a WND request for comment.

The actual impact of the new ban on people responsible for "public accommodations" expressing beliefs that do not support homosexuality are unclear at this point, largely because charges haven't been brought and challenges weighed regarding the law and its potential impact on First Amendment guarantees of freedom exercise of religion.

However, Hausknecht warned there is "danger" in those waters for any church that provides any service to its community.

It is possible the law's anti-"discrimination" demands could be triggered when outside groups come in to use a church meeting room, auditorium or recreation facility. For the safety of the churches, perhaps outsiders will have to sign a document stating agreement with the church's religious beliefs before being allowed in, he said.

The targets of complaints likely won't be churches themselves, but more likely church schools, programs that offer services to communities and the like, critics of the law said.

"The intent of the homosexual activists who put this law in [was to] marginalize the church, keep it inside the sanctuary," Hausknecht said.

Worse yet is that many small or medium size churches will have to go out of their way, including halting programs, to avoid a potential conflict, because they don't have the resources to wage a war over their beliefs, he added.

"It's a lot easier to avoid the conflict than incur the costs of fighting," he said.

Pastor Bob Enyart, a Denver-area activist on Christian issues, agreed with Focus' concerns over what appears to be a newly minted state discrimination against Christian beliefs. But he went further.

"WND reported on Canada banning opposition to homosexuality; likewise, Colorado's SB200 has 'forbidden' much publishing of Christian teaching on homosexuality, cohabitation, etc.," he said.

"This censorship aspect of the law has been utterly ignored," he said.

"The law exempts churches, but that's not good, that's an insult. I.E., bigotry is allowed only in churches. Whereas every other place of public accommodation including bookstores, retail & wholesale businesses, etc. cannot sell or even 'give away' anything that would advocate discrimination [against] gay adoption, homosexual marriage, etc.," Enyart said.

He cited one part of the new law:
Section 8. 24-34-701. Publishing of discriminative matter forbidden. No person, being the owner, lessee, proprietor, manager, superintendent, agent, or employee of any place of public accommodation... shall publish, issue, circulate, send, distribute, give away, or display in any way, manner, or shape or by any means or method, except as provided in this section, any communication, paper, poster, folder, manuscript, book, pamphlet, writing, print, letter, notice, or advertisement of any kind, nature, or description THAT is intended or calculated to discriminate or actually discriminates against. . . SEXUAL ORIENTATION, marital status. . . in the matter of furnishing or neglecting or refusing to furnish to them or any one of them any lodging, housing, schooling, or tuition or any accommodation, right [marriage], privilege [adoption], advantage, or convenience. . . on account of. . . SEXUAL ORIENTATION, marital status. . . [which] is unwelcome or objectionable or not acceptable, desired, or solicited."

The Old Testament condemns homosexuality as an "abomination," Enyart told WND. The New Testament includes a reference in 1st Timothy calling for the use of laws against crimes such as murder and homosexuality.

"There are free speech rights to condemn cohabitation, homosexuality, state that homosexuals should not marry, should not adopt children," Enyart said. "It's now illegal in Colorado for anyone involved in a facility or business of public accommodation to give any communication that would advocate discrimination based on marital status or sexual orientation."

He said many people simply choose not to believe what's happening.

"I have a hard time believing [it myself]," said Enyart.

He said he expects the law to be only "lightly" enforced until "it just becomes an entrenched part of our legal framework. They're not going to go out and arrest somebody for selling a Bible at Barnes and Noble."

But then in a few years, watch out, he said. - - - -
Read Full Report
Dobson editing radio show to avoid 'hate crimes' laws
Focus working to meet demands of 'human rights laws'
WORLDNETDAILY - By Bob Unruh - March 28, 2008
"Hate crimes" laws were defeated in Congress just a few months ago. Just a few weeks ago, Frank Wright of the National Religious Broadcasters Association warned, "We must be one in Christ to face the days ahead" because "hate crimes" laws would create untold new liability for Christians.

Now a major Christian ministry has confirmed that such "hate crimes" laws already are setting limits on what it can broadcast.

The issue is "hate crimes" laws in Canada, and they are affecting U.S. Christian ministries that broadcast into that nation.

WND reported just a week ago on a Christian ministry based in Canada that essentially was ordered shut down under that nation's "hate crimes" laws which prevent Christians from expressing Biblical opinions on a wide range of issues. - - -

Now comes confirmation from the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, one of the largest Christian publishing and broadcasting organizations in the nation, that it has been reviewing, and if necessary editing, its broadcasts to avoid complications with Canadian "hate crimes" laws.

In a statement attributed to Gary Booker, director of global content creation for Focus, the organization confirmed that broadcast standards have a "dynamic nature." - - -

"Parameters regarding what can be said (and how it should be said) are communicated by Focus on the Family Canada to our content producers here at Focus on the Family in the U.S. To the best of our ability, programming is then produced with Canadian law in mind," Focus continued. - - -

WND previously reported when the the Canadian Family Action Coalition confirmed activists who claim they have "hurt feelings" are demanding and getting penalties imposed against those who oppose the homosexual lifestyle. - - - -
Read Full Report
Bible citation costs couple jobs, home
Apartment managers evicted, fired for being 'too religious'
WORLDNETDAILY - June 20, 2008
For eight years Daniel and Sharon Dixon, apartment managers in Lake City, Fla., displayed in the apartment complex's management office a stained glass depiction of flowers with the words "Consider the lilies . . .  Matthew 6:28" written in the lower left corner - an act for which they were suddenly fired from their management jobs and evicted from their apartment. - - -

The Dixons managed and provided maintenance for the Thornwood Terrace Apartments, a government-subsidized complex owned and operated by the Hallmark Companies and Hallmark Management. The couple was permitted to live in the complex as part of their compensation.

Last September a regional manager for Hallmark, Christina Saunders, visited the complex in anticipation of a government inspection and saw the glass artwork. According to a Liberty Counsel release, Saunders asked Sharon if the words on the artwork referenced the Bible. After Sharon confirmed they did, Saunders instructed her to take it down.

Sharon replied that she needed to consult her husband and co-manager, Daniel, and left the office to find him.

When the couple returned, Saunders had already removed the artwork, entered the Dixons' apartment without their permission and deposited the artwork there. According to the press release, she then said Sharon and Daniel were "too religious," fired them and demanded they vacate their apartment within 72 hours. - - -

The Dixon's story moved to court today, as Liberty Counsel filed a suit in the Jacksonville federal court on the couple's behalf, claiming the Dixons were discriminated against on the basis of their religious beliefs. - - -

The Agency for Workforce Innovation, however, which ruled in the Dixons' favor in their request for unemployment compensation, agreed that the termination was not based on job performance, finding that though the Dixons were charged with insubordination, "no information has been submitted which substantiates misconduct" and "the discharge was for reasons other than misconduct connected with the work." - - - -
Original Report Here
Ohio: Quoting Scripture banned in library community room
Banning The BOOK
'What next? Will board keep patrons from reading Bible?'
WORLDNETDAILY - June 10, 2008
Quoting from the Bible has been banned in a community room at the public library in Clermont County, Ohio, and now a couple who sought to use the facility for a financial planning seminar has brought a court case. - - -

The couple asked for permission to use a public facility at the library to hold a financial planning seminar with the Institute for Principled Policy.

Under the use policy for the facility, the meetings rooms there "are available to all community groups and non-profit organizations engaged in activities that further the Library's mission to be responsive to community needs and to be an integral part of our community," according to the lawsuit. - - -

However, when Cathy Vandergriff asked in person to use a meeting room for a financial planning meeting, the conversation with the library employee took an unwelcome turn.

"When Mrs. Vandergriff indicated that the seminar would be a free ministry to the general public, the employee asked if she would be quoting the Bible in the presentation. Mrs. Vandergriff answered that she would be using the Bible, and the employee informed her that the Library's Policy would therefore not permit her to use the meeting room," the ADF said.

When she followed up with a written request for the use of the facility, an employee again warned about the ban on quoting from the Bible, and the written rejection soon followed. It carried the hand-written notation: "Contact Mr. Vandergriff will be quoting bible versus [sic] explained our meeting room policy."

The ADF's complaint, filed last week in U.S. District Court in Ohio, requests a declaratory judgment, preliminary and permanent injunctions and damages and costs for the action.

"The . . . Clermont Public Library Board of Trustees . . . is prohibiting plaintiffs from engaging in expressive activities in a generally available public forum solely due to the religious viewpoint of those activities," the ADF said.

The library did not return a WND message requesting comment.

The complaint cites alleged violations of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution including the right to free exercise of religion, and the 14th Amendment's equal protection and due process clauses.

"The library has no compelling reason that would justify excluding plaintiffs from these generally available public facilities solely on the basis of the religious nature of plaintiffs' speech," the complaint said. - - - -
Read Full Report
UK: Christian registrar 'threatened with sack' after refusing to conduct gay marriages
LONDON DAILY MAIL [Associated Newspapers/DMGT] - By Paul Sims - May 21, 2008
A registrar was threatened with the sack for refusing to preside over homosexual marriages, a tribunal heard yesterday.

Lillian Ladele, 47, claims council bosses bullied her after she told them of her religious objections to same-sex civil partnerships.

In a landmark legal action, she is suing Islington Council in North London for discrimination and victimisation on grounds of her Christianity.

The case could determine whether employees can be required to act against their consciences.

Until last December, the country's 1,700 registrars of births, marriages and deaths were permitted to opt out of civil partnership ceremonies.

But their employment status changed with the introduction of the Statistics and Registration Act. Now designated as local government workers, they must carry out town hall orders.

She told the hearing in central London that colleagues denied her rights as a Christian and grew increasingly 'hostile' towards her over her refusal to marry couples of the same sex. . .

"I hold the orthodox Christian view that marriage is the union of one man and one woman for life to the exclusion of all others and that this is the God-ordained place for sexual relations,'"she said. . .

"Regardless of my feelings for the participants, I feel unable to directly facilitate the formation of a union that I sincerely believe is contrary to God's law. . .

Miss Ladele said her pay was slashed by bosses who ignored her concerns. . .

Her line manager and superintendent registrar, Helen Mendez-Childs, then allegedly banned her from performing marriage ceremonies altogether. . . .
Read Full Report
UK: Christian preachers face arrest in Birmingham
LONDON SUNDAY TELEGRAPH [Barclay] - By David Harrison - June 1, 2008
A police community support officer ordered two Christian preachers to stop handing out gospel leaflets in a predominantly Muslim area of Birmingham.

The evangelists say they were threatened with arrest for committing a "hate crime" and were told they risked being beaten up if they returned. The incident will fuel fears that "no-go areas" for Christians are emerging in British towns and cities, as the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester, claimed in The Sunday Telegraph this year.

Arthur Cunningham, 48, and Joseph Abraham, 65, both full-time evangelical ministers, have launched legal action against West Midlands Police, claiming the officer infringed their right to profess their religion.

Mr Abraham said: "I couldn't believe this was happening in Britain. The Bishop of Rochester was criticised by the Church of England recently when he said there were no-go areas in Britain but he was right; there are certainly no-go areas for Christians who want to share the gospel."

Last night, Christian campaigners described the officer's behaviour as "deeply alarming".

The preachers, both ministers in Birmingham, were handing out leaflets on Alum Rock Road in February when they started talking to four Asian youths.

A police community support officer (PCSO) interrupted the conversation and began questioning the ministers about their beliefs.

They said when the officer realised they were American, although both have lived in Britain for many years, he launched a tirade against President Bush and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr Cunningham said: "I told him that this had nothing to do with the gospel we were preaching but he became very aggressive.

"He said we were in a Muslim area and were not allowed to spread our Christian message. He said we were committing a hate crime by telling the youths to leave Islam and said that he was going to take us to the police station."

The preacher refused to give the PCSO his address because he felt the officer's manner was "threatening and intimidating".

The ministers claim he also advised them not to return to the area. As he walked away, the PCSO said: "You have been warned. If you come back here and get beaten up, well you have been warned".

West Midlands Police, who refused to apologise, said the incident had been "fully investigated" and the officer would be given training in understanding hate crime and communication.
Original Report Here
You can't preach the Bible here, this is a Muslim area
(What a community policeman told two Christians)
LONDON DAILY MAIL [Associated Newspapers/DMGT] - By Steve Doughty and Andy Dolan - June 2, 2008
Two Christian preachers were stopped from handing out Bible extracts by police because they were in a Muslim area, it was claimed yesterday.

They say they were told by a Muslim police community support officer that they could not preach there and that attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity was a hate crime.

The community officer is also said to have told the two men: 'You have been warned. If you come back here and get beat up, well, you have been warned.'

A police constable who was present during the incident in the Alum Rock area of Birmingham is also alleged to have told the preachers not to return to the district.

It comes amid growing concern over the development of Islamic 'no-go areas'.

The preachers, Americans Arthur Cunningham and Joseph Abraham, are demanding an apology and compensation from West Midlands Police.

They say their treatment breaks the Human Rights Act, which guarantees freedom of religious expression. - - -

Mr Abraham, 65, who was born a Muslim in Egypt and is a convert to Christianity, said: 'He told us we were trying to convert Muslims to Christianity and that that was a hate crime.

'He was very intimidating and it concerns me that somebody holding his views can become a police officer, albeit at PCSO level.'

Mr Cunningham, 48, a fellow American Baptist missionary, said: 'He realised we were Americans and then started ranting at us about George Bush and American foreign policy.

'He said we were in a Muslim area and were not allowed to spread our Christian message. He said he was going to take us to the police station.'  - - - -
Read Full Report
Bishop warns of no-go zones for non-Muslims
Rev Michael Nazir-AliLONDON SUNDAY TELEGRAPH [Barclay] - By Jonathan Wynne-Jones - January 6, 2008
Islamic extremists have created "no-go" areas across Britain where it is too dangerous for non-Muslims to enter, one of the Church of England's most senior bishops warns today.

The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester and the Church's only Asian bishop, says that people of a different race or faith face physical attack if they live or work in communities dominated by a strict Muslim ideology.

The Muslim Council of Britain today described his comments as "frantic scaremongering", while William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, said the bishop had "probably put it too strongly".

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said the idea of no-go areas was "a gross caricature of reality".

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Bishop Nazir-Ali compares the threat to the use of intimidation by the far-Right, and says that it is becoming increasingly difficult for Christianity to be the nation's public religion in a multifaith, multicultural society.

His comments come as a poll of the General Synod - the Church's parliament - shows that its senior leaders, including bishops, also believe that Britain is being damaged by large-scale immigration.

Bishop Nazir-Ali, who was born in Pakistan, gives warning that attempts are being made to give Britain an increasingly Islamic character by introducing the call to prayer and wider use of sharia law, a legal system based on the Koran. - - - -
Read Full Report

Also

'UK Islamists creating no-go areas'
PRESS ASSOCIATION - January 6, 2008
Islamic extremism in Britain is creating communities which are "no-go areas" for non-Muslims, a senior Church of England bishop warns.
Bishop of Rochester The Rt Rev Dr Michael Nazir-Ali says non-Muslims face a hostile reception in places dominated by the ideology of Islamic radicals. - - -
Dr Nazir-Ali questions whether elements of Sharia law are applicable in Britain and confronts directly the use of loudspeakers on mosques to spread the call to prayer.
He writes: ". . . there has been a worldwide resurgence of the ideology of Islamic extremism. One of the results of this has been to further alienate the young from the nation in which they were growing up and also to turn already separate communities into "no-go" areas where adherence to this ideology has become a mark of acceptability."
Shadow home secretary Tory David Davis said the Government's actions risked creating a "voluntary apartheid".
He said: "Bishop Nazir-Ali has drawn attention to a deeply serious problem. The Government's confused and counter-productive approach risks creating a number of closed societies instead of one open, cohesive one - a voluntary apartheid. It generates the risk of encouraging radicalisation and creating home-grown terrorism."
Read Full Report
Islamic fanatics are openly using the internet to recruit children in Britain, says Civitas
Islamic Fanatic Preacher Abu Qatada
LONDON DAILY MAIL [Associated Newspapers/DMGT] - By James Slack - June 10, 2008
Islamic extremists in Britain are openly trying to recruit children via the internet, a report warns.

They are using websites which carry messages of hate from terror suspects, according to the respected Civitas think-tank. . .

Extremists are no longer delivering hate-filled sermons and distributing propaganda on street corners, but instead use pro-jihadist websites.

Some of these carry calls for the flag of Islam to 'fly over Downing Street', and urge militants to attack Jews and Christians.

Most worrying are sections of the sites dedicated to the radicalisation of children.

One message from controversial preacher Omar Bakri  -  now exiled to Lebanon  -  says children should be brought up to spread Islam through jihad. . .

In the most inflammatory recordings, speakers tell their Muslim listeners that they are obliged to fight non-Muslims.

In one recorded talk on www.islambase.co.uk, Abu Hamza tells listeners that the Jews and Christians should be fought until they accept living under Muslim rule.

He says: 'You should take the means to do it. If you cannot do it, our children (can).'

Izzadeen, jailed for four-and-a-half years in April for terrorism offences, says: 'What is my identity? Am I a British Muslim?

'No, brothers . . . his allegiance is to the Queen; his allegiance is to a red book  -  the passport; his allegiance is to the Job Seeker's Allowance and the income support.

'No, brothers  -  that's not the Muslim. The Muslim  -  his allegiance is to Allah and the nebi (prophet) and to the Muslims.' . . .

Currently, those responsible for extremist websites can be prosecuted for glorifying terrorism, but prosecutions have tended to focus on speeches made in public  -  not distributed via the Web. . . .
Read Full Report
Terrorise the non-believers, orders 'Bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe' after he is freed on bail
Europe 9-11
LONDON DAILY MAIL [Associated Newspapers/DMGT] - By Stephen Wright - June 19, 2008
Suspected Al Qaeda leader Abu Qatada is celebrating his release from prison with the release of a book in which he urges Muslims to commit terrorist attacks in the West.

In the 71-page tract, published in English translation on the internet, he repeatedly claims that fighting jihad, holy war, is obligatory for all Muslims and urges them to 'terrorise' non-believers.

Security sources say his clear incitement to violence makes a mockery of the decision to set him free.

The preacher of hate, who has been described as Osama Bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, was released on bail from Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire on Tuesday after the blocking of his deportation to Jordan, where he is wanted on terror charges.

A judge ruled there were no grounds to keep him in jail, but the Special Immigration Appeals Commission imposed unprecedented conditions on his release, including a stipulation that he observe a 22-hour curfew and wear an electronic tag.

He will be under round-the-clock surveillance in a MI5 safehouse and is specifically banned from contacting Bin Laden. - - -

He says Muslims should ' prepare to terrorise the enemies of Allah and incite believers to fight'. - - - -
Read Full Report
Study: 3 in 4 U.S. mosques preach anti-West extremism
Intifada NYC
Secret survey exposes widespread radicalism
WORLDNETDAILY - February 23, 2008
An undercover survey of more than 100 mosques and Islamic schools in America has exposed widespread radicalism, including the alarming finding that 3 in 4 Islamic centers are hotbeds of anti-Western extremism, WND has learned.

The Mapping Sharia in America Project, sponsored by the Washington-based Center for Security Policy, has trained former counterintelligence and counterterrorism agents from the FBI, CIA and U.S. military, who are skilled in Arabic and Urdu, to conduct undercover reconnaissance at some 2,300 mosques and Islamic centers and schools across the country.

"So far of 100 mapped, 75 should be on a watchlist," an official familiar with the project said.

Many of the Islamic centers are operating under the auspices of the Saudi Arabian government and U.S. front groups for the radical Muslim Brotherhood based in Egypt.

Frank Gaffney, a former Pentagon official who runs the Center for Security Policy, says the results of the survey have not yet been published. But he confirmed that "the vast majority" are inciting insurrection and jihad through sermons by Saudi-trained imams and anti-Western literature, videos and textbooks.

The project, headed by David Yerushalmi, a lawyer and expert on sharia law, has finished collecting data from the first cohort of 102 mosques and schools. Preliminary findings indicate that almost 80 percent of the group exhibit a high level of sharia-compliance and jihadi threat, including:

  • Ultra-orthodox worship in which women are separated from men in the prayer hall and must enter the mosque from a separate, usually back, entrance; and are required to wear hijabs.
  • Sermons that preach women are inferior to men and can be beaten for disobedience; that non-Muslims, particularly Jews, are infidels and inferior to Muslims; that jihad or support of jihad is not only a Muslim's duty but the noblest way, and suicide bombers and other so-called "martyrs" are worthy of the highest praise; and that an Islamic caliphate should one day encompass the U.S.
  • Solicitation of financial support for jihad.
  • Bookstores that sell books, CDs and DVDs promoting jihad and glorifying martyrdom.

Though not all mosques in America are radicalized, many have tended to serve as safe havens and meeting points for Islamic terrorist groups. Experts say there are at least 40 episodes of extremists and terrorists being connected to mosques in the past decade alone.

Some of the 9/11 hijackers, in fact, received aid and counsel from one of the largest mosques in the Washington, D.C., area. Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center is one of the mosques indentified by undercover investigators as a hive of terrorist activity and other extremism.

It was founded and is currently run by leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. Imams there preach what is called "jihad qital," which means physical jihad, and incite violence and hatred against the U.S.

Dar al-Hijrah's ultimate goal, investigators say, is to turn the U.S. into an Islamic state governed by sharia law.

Another D.C.-area mosque, the ADAMS Center, was founded and financed by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, and has been one of the top distributors of Wahhabist anti-Semitic and anti-Christian dogma.

Even with such radical mosques operating in its backyard, the U.S. government has not undertaken its own systematic investigation of U.S. mosques.

In contrast, European Union security officials are analyzing member-state mosques, examining the training and funding sources of imams, in a large-scale project.

Some U.S. lawmakers want the U.S. to conduct its own investigation.

"We have too many mosques in this country," said Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y. "There are too many people who are sympathetic to radical Islam. We should be looking at them more carefully."
Original Report Here
Salem, Mass. - Witch City judge: Preaching is 'disorderly conduct'
Arrested for Preaching in America
Street minister to challenge conviction for Halloween message
WORLDNETDAILY - March 10, 2008
A judge in Salem, Mass., which calls itself "Witch City," has found a street preacher guilty of disorderly conduct for preaching the Gospel on Halloween night 2007.

Ben DuPre, an attorney with former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore's Foundation for Moral Law, represented Michael Marcavage and told WND an appeal will be filed.

"We're surprised and disappointed," he said today after the brief trial and court verdict. "Basically, because the crowd was so big and boisterous he sided with the cops [who grabbed a megaphone from Marcavage and arrested him.]"

"He suppressed Michael's ability to preach the Gospel. We're confident on appeal cooler heads will prevail," he said.

He previously told WND the city of Salem should not be arresting people based on the content of their message.

"The police should have been protecting Mr. Marcavage's right to speak instead of targeting him for the Christian content of his speech. Preaching the Gospel is not disorderly conduct, even on Halloween night," he said.

Moore's organization, a religious-liberties legal group, is defending Marcavage because prosecutors insist his calm delivery of a biblical warning against sin was considered disorderly conduct, even though the boisterous behavior of others at the same time was not halted.

Marcavage's exact behavior was captured on video, which is available on this YouTube link.

Marcavage earlier had been charged with using an amplified megaphone to deliver the message of love and hope, but that charge was dropped after lawyers documented his arrest at 8:30 p.m. and pointed out Salem laws allow such amplification until 10 p.m.

"Halloween night in Salem is like Mardi Gras in New Orleans," DuPre told WND. "It's a big sin-fest. That's, of course, why Michael went there. He feels called to deliver the message of the Gospel."

The city boasts on its own website: "Of course, Salem has become known as The Witch City! The Salem Witch Museum , the Witch Dungeon Museum and The Witch History Museum take you back in history to 1692, yet, present-day popularization of the witchcraft hysteria doesn't reveal anything about the large number of modern Witches living in Salem today."

DuPre said the exhortations to turn from sin may not have been welcomed by the festival attendees, but such speech is just what the First Amendment is supposed to protect.

The officers arrested him by grabbing his megaphone and throwing him to the ground, the video reveals. - - - -
Read Full Report
Australia: Christians Arrested for Preaching the Gospel in Brisbane
OPERATION 513 > Battle Log > Gold Coast Team - By Josh Mitchell - April 13, 2008
Well Sunday was one of those amazing days when a Sovereign God allows you to stand firm in the Gospel, we started with a small team this week due to team members being away and Josh and I were back to back preaching while Chris worked the Bible table, Josh was first up preaching and started out with an interesting sermon on the reasons people don't wash which was quite amusing and he related it to reasons people reject God.

I followed up by preaching on humanistic world views vs. the Christian world view. I covered morality, ethics and human responsibility focussing on the illogical evolutionary position marketed at schools and universities today.

Then I went into the Law and Gospel and engaged a group on English tourists in the Law presentation. These guys were convicted of sin, and completely taken in by the Gospel presentation. They took Bibles from us, and were visibly impacted by the message of grace. These guys were very repentant, and we need to pray that God grants them Saving Faith.

Josh stepped up to preach again and people were buying us drinks and thanking us for sharing the Gospel which was really encouraging, but things took a drastic nose dive. Josh had started preaching to a group of Goth's, when a Police officer gave us a nice shiny set of handcuffs each to put on and then arrested us, we were taken to the local Police station, searched and all of our belongings confiscated and charged with 2 separate offenses. (This was quite interesting as I have been preaching in Surfers for over 2 years and have verbal permission from the local GC law enforcement)

After our arrest we were driven to Southport watch house and placed in a holding cell, I was then taken out of the cell. Josh meanwhile remained, and I began to be heckled by the Police Sgt on prayer. Then he asked if I would like to be placed in a cell with a child rapist, and see where my God is then.

I replied, "I would like that, if it can be arranged" and continued, "It's funny how we are all guilty of breaking God's law, and have no issues with that, but we are quick to judge others if the offense is deemed bad enough in mans eyes."

I was lead off to be fingerprinted and photographed, and shared Law and grace with the officer responsible for this task. He told me he was a back-slidden Christian (even though that's an oxymoron) and became very convicted. He really opened up to me and said his mum always spoke him about the things of God. I reminded him that if he does not repent of his sins and believe the Gospel he will spend eternity in hell. He said he understands and thanked me for being so upfront (he even said he could not believe that I was in here).

I was returned to a different cell than before and prayed for the Police officers and people that heard the Gospel today, until Josh joined me. When my brother Josh arrived we went straight into prayer and the Lord was quick to answer.

Others joined us in the cell and we were able to witness to them extensively (thank you lord) I can really say I felt only joy and peace in this situation, and I am so thankful to God for placing a man like Josh at my side to share in chains for Christ. Our ordeal was well worth it.

Christian's WAKE UP, stop living your life for yourself, and start sharing the Gospel Biblically. If you have the absolute honour of being persecuted for what you believe, REJOICE, our sufferings are nothing, sin is a terrible thing. Look at what it cost God, look to the cross of Christ, how can we sit here as Christians and do nothing?

How can we preach softened FALSE GOSPELS? How can we read our Bibles and not want to plead with people to be reconciled to God? If you have never suffered for sharing the Gospel, are you actually sharing the Biblical Gospel? How will they hear without a preacher? How will they know of the hope that resides in us? The Gospel is the power of God for salvation! Are we going to grow fat feeding on His promises while sinners are sinking into hell? I don't believe any true Christians will excuse themselves from there duty, if you are unsure read 1 John and examine yourselves. - - - -
Read Full Report
US: Street preacher claims police harassment
'I got the distinct impression they wanted me to move'
WORLDNETDAILY - April 19, 2008
ARKANSAS: A man who wants to spread the word about Jesus in his town of Alma, Ark., says he was intimidated by officials from the local school district as well as police officers when they approached him on a public sidewalk and told him to find another place to preach.

Daniel Guyeski, who told WND he feels called to preach to his community, said a vice principal from Alma High School first warned him against speaking on the sidewalk, then two police officers approached him and made a suggestion.

"I got the distinct impression they wanted me to move," he told WND. He said he felt intimidated and left, instead of continuing his gospel message.

Police officials confirmed to WND they contacted Guyeski, but that he was on a public sidewalk and was doing nothing wrong. . .

Guyeski told WND he was preaching on the public sidewalk across the street of Alma High School when an assistant principal approached him and told him to move down the road, to a location near a fire station, and he complied.

Then, however, he told WND that officers from Alma's police department approached him, demanded his identification and then after the vice principal approached the group, told him, "You need to find a better time and place to preach."

"I was just doing some open-air evangelism," he said. . .

Chief White said Guyeski was on a public sidewalk, but officers approached him because he was "waving his arms."

"We asked him to not impede with traffic," he said, and school officials said they, "did not want him on campus." . . .

Guyeski said he was in consultations about legal representation over the situation.

WND reported earlier when two members of The Gideons International were arrested while handing out Bibles on a public sidewalk near a Florida school over complaints from the school. The charges eventually were dropped.
Read Full Report
Crackdown on biblical speech challenged
Case cites approval of 'fags' slogan, ban on 'Romans 1:27'
WORLDNETDAILY - April 2, 2008
A brief has been filed with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California again challenging a school district's policy that allows such slogans as "Stop the Hate," "fags," "queers," "that's so gay" and even "I Kiss Boys," but bans "Romans 1:27."

The case stems from punishment handed down by the Poway Unified School District for student Chase Harper, who was a sophomore in 2004 when the school recognized the "Day of Silence," an annual promotion in public schools of the homosexual lifestyle.

The event, scheduled this year for April 25, is targeted for exposure by a campaign assembled by a multitude of Christian organizations.

"It's outrageous that our neighborhood schools would allow homosexual activism to intrude into the classroom," said Buddy Smith of the American Family Association, one of a long list of organizations asking parents to keep their students home from school on that day.

"'Day of Silence' is about coercing students to repudiate traditional morality. It's time for Christian parents to draw the line - if your children will be exposed to this DOS propaganda in their school, then keep them home for the day," he said.

The "Day of Silence" promotion is intended, ostensibly, to make students "aware" of the "discrimination" suffered by homosexuals in society, by having students remain silent for the day. Such events typically are organized by a school's "Gay-Straight Alliance" group, but the event has been promoted for its previous 11 years by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

The case over Harper's expression of his opinion developed in Poway High School in 2004. The district, which operates 23 schools in San Diego and 11 in Poway, serves about 33,000 students. But when Harper wore a T-shirt with two slogans: "Be ashamed. Our school has embraced what God has condemned" and "Homosexuality is shameful. Romans 1:27," he was ordered either to take the shirt off or spend the day in the school office, where he was photographed, questioned and challenged by a police officer.

The Bible verse reads, in the New American Standard version, "And in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error."

A school administrator then told Harper he should "leave his faith in the car."

The 9th Circuit initially ruled the school may have been justified in its censorship, but in March 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the decision. - - - -
Read Full Report
Protesting 'gay' promo draws threats
Student warned of 'failing grade' if absent from 'Day of Silence'
WORLDNETDAILY - April 16, 2008
A coalition of Christian organizations is encouraging students to stay home when their schools recognize the "Day of Silence" homosexual-lifestyle promotion this year - and the reaction has started coming in.

Liberty Counsel reports it has had complaints from parents and students about a wide range of misbehaviors or misrepresentations presented by schools.

For example, in one school district a principal told a father if his son was not at school on the "Day of Silence," the student would be given a failing grade for the year. In Indiana, parents were told by public school officials it was "against the law" for them to cancel the program or excuse absences that day. And in Iowa, a school board member said a student refusing to speak throughout a school day was no more disruptive than a "Christian wearing a cross."

"When it comes to the Day of Silence, silence is not an option," said Mathew D. Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel and dean of Liberty University's School of Law.

"Students have the right not to remain silent. Students can refuse to attend school. They may mount a counter-protest in support of purity and the traditional family. While schools may be required to allow clubs to meet on campus, schools do not have to promote the Day of Silence. Students to not have the right to remain silent when called upon by teachers," Staver said.

Liberty Counsel has assembled a legal memorandum that explains how to protect schools from being "hijacked" by the agenda of the event, which is promoted by the homosexual advocacy organization Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network.

The memo advises that student conduct causing a substantial disruption or material interference with school activities is not protected under the First Amendment.

Liberty Counsel said that in Oklahoma, a high school graduate was told by her former principal if he did not allow the Day of Silence he could not allow the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In South Dakota, a student was told her absence on that day would impose a requirement that she write a paper explaining why she did not participate.

The event encourages students to remain silent in recognition of "discrimination" against homosexuals. It's scheduled  this year for April 25, although some schools are recognizing it on a different day. - - - -
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Christian 6th-grader warned: Stop wearing pro-life T-shirts
'It's scary to stand up to people in authority,' says mom of boy on mission
WORLDNETDAILY - June 3, 2008
A 12-year-old 6th-grader in Hutchinson, Minn., committed to an unusually brave mission for the month of April: he intended to wear T-shirts with a pro-life message to his middle school every day for a month.

His courage, however, was met with resistance. According to the boy's attorney, his principal and teachers told him "not to wear the T-shirts, publicly singled him out for ridicule in front of his classmates, removed him from class, sent him to the principal's office, forced him to turn his pro-life T-shirt inside out, and threatened him with suspension if he did not stop wearing the offending pro-life T-shirts."

Over the course of his one-month quest, the boy, identified only as K.B., was reprimanded by the school a dozen times.

"We're a Christian family," his mother told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "He knows (abortion) is the termination of life. He knows that it's wrong. He should have the right to wear the shirt to express that. Even if he's the only person at the school who believes that, he should still be able to wear that shirt under the Constitution, and they've taken that away from him." . . .

Lawyers from the Thomas More Law Center, a non-profit law firm whose purpose is to provide "legal representation without charge to defend and protect Christians and their religious beliefs in the public square," has now filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court to defend K.B.'s Constitutional rights.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Law Center, commented, "This courageous young Christian was ridiculed and threatened by teachers for expressing his deeply held beliefs. These school officials clearly violated the U.S. Constitution and the school's own written dress policy, which specifically states it is not intended to abridge the rights of students to express political or religious messages." . . . .
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Christians ordered to pay big bucks - for praying!
Lawyer plans appeal of convictions for disorderly conduct at 'gay' fest
WORLDNETDAILY - March 1, 2008
Lawyers for a team of Christians convicted of disorderly conduct for praying at a "gay" fest in a public park in Elmira, N.Y., are promising an appeal of the verdict that left them with $100 fines.

Joel Oster, of the Alliance Defense Fund, said an appeal will be filed in Chemung County court for Julian and Gloria Raven, Maurice Kienenberger and Walter Quick, all of Elmira, who were ordered to pay $95 apiece in court costs in addition to the $100 fines.

Oster told the Star-Gazette newspaper that the police in the United States simply are not supposed to arrest people if someone else may be upset by their message.

The Supreme Court has ruled in cases involving "sit-in" protests, he said, that authorities cannot arrest blacks just because they were making white people angry.

"The police have a duty to protect the speaker," he told the court, according to the Star-Gazette.

"Choosing to exercise your First Amendment rights in a public place is not a crime," Oster said just before going into the trial.

At issue is the arrest of seven Christians at a "gay pride" event in Wisner Park in Elmira in 2007. Julian and Gloria Raven and several others entered the park to pray silently for the participants of the event celebrating homosexual behavior. Charges against three later were dropped, and only the four went to trial.

Officials with the ADF noted that the materials advertising the event said everyone was invited and it was open to the public. "The group did not draw a disorderly response from event participants," the ADF said. - - - -
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New York State: Church pursues felony over anointing with oil
Woman accused of damages estimated at $2,875 while praying
WORLDNETDAILY - By Bob Unruh - April 1, 2008
ELMIRA: A United Church of Christ congregation in upstate New York is pursuing a felony criminal mischief charge against a Christian who allegedly protested a homosexual festival by anointing its church building with cooking or baking oil.

A status hearing was held today in the case brought by the Park Church of Elmira, N.Y., against Holly Somers. Prosecutors confirmed Somers had been charged but not yet indicted and there had been discussions with a public defender representing her.

It is the second criminal case to emerge from the city's promotional event for "gay" pride in 2007. WND previously reported a case against four Christians fined for praying in Wisner Park, the public park adjacent to Park Church, during the pride festival.

A notice of appeal now has been filed in that case by the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance that defends the right to hear and speak the truth. . .

That case stems from a visit by seven Christians to the "gay" pride event. They were convicted of "disorderly conduct" even though the police officer who arrested them testified their actions were peaceful.

Charges against three of the defendants were dropped, but Elmira City Judge Thomas Ramich concluded Julian and Gloria Raven, Maurice Kienenberger and Walter Quick were guilty of disorderly conduct and fined them $100 apiece, plus court costs.

The new case cites Somers as a defendant and alleges she caused $2,875 in damages to the windows and window frames, doors and door frames "as well as the stone and masonry work" at the church by allegedly anointing those points with oil. . .

The Park Church lists its affiliation with the UCC and provides a link to the denomination, which has pages of Web information on its programs on behalf of homosexuals. . . . .
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Blog Posts
Cross
Due to the overwhelming amount of Christian persecution realated news. These  related articles are posted on the blog.

Even the Leaders Think the Homosexual Activist Movement in Canada is Going Too Far
Blog Post Link

'Gays' shut down discussion of faith
Psychiatrists pull symposium on 'The Religious Dimension'
Blog Post Link


Court scolds city for 'hostility' toward church

Federal judge finds fault with planners seeking to zone out house of worship
Blog Post Link

U.S. Military honchos 'suppress' chaplain's Baptist services
Was told being 'born again' has 'no place' in Army life
Blog Post Link

'Demonic' grunts, barks confront prayer warriors
Film reveals vitriol, hatred directed at pro-life activists
Blog Post Link
 
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