Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

WILL NEW U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO PUSH RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ?

Tony Perkins at the Family Research Center thinks so.   [my bolding] 

. . .  But with the announcement by President Trump this morning that Tillerson is out and CIA Director Mike Pompeo is in, there is now hope for change at the agency that has few if any rivals in being at cross purposes with American values and principles.

When Rex Tillerson was first announced as the president's pick for Secretary of State, I communicated my concern privately and publicly. I said that the State Department needed a strong change agent like Trump, and there was no way based upon Tillerson's record that he would do enough to roll back the harmful cultural imperialism which had been pushed in the State Department during the Obama administration, and to restore our promotion of international religious freedom to where it should be. And under Tillerson's leadership, not much did change in these areas. Religious freedom and human rights for all continues to take a backseat to the LGBT agenda as LGBT-promoting acting ambassadors remain in place around the world and our tax dollars still go to non-government organizations (NGOs) aligned with groups like George Soros' Open Society and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Now that Tillerson is on his way out, and CIA Director Mike Pompeo has been tapped to take the helm, there is hope for the United States to once again lead the world toward the promotion of religious freedom and the protection of human rights. I believe Mike Pompeo is the agent of change the State Department needs, and he has the president's ear. He cares about religious freedom, and about restoring the United States to its historically-esteemed role of human rights defender -- not cultural imperialist. And with Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Brownback also in place, the United States is perhaps better poised than any other time in recent memory to significantly make inroads in promoting religious freedom worldwide.

IT'S TIME WASHINGTON SENT A MESSAGE TO EGYPT TO PROTECT ITS CHRISTIANS

Egypt receives $1.5 billion dollars of U.S. miitary and economic aid a year.  The Egyptian government is not serious about protecting Egyptian Christians.  Withholding aid money until Egypt protects its Christians makes total sense.   We need to press Trump to initiate a vigorous freedom of religion foreign policy. As John Stonestreet writes:

[Egyptian Christian] Copts have been, at best, second-class citizens since the 1952 coup that created the modern Egyptian state.  Repression, discrimination, and violence have all been part and parcel of their existence.

While the Egyptian government obviously didn’t attack the worshippers at St. Peter’s or attack Christians in Minya, the Egyptian government is largely indifferent to the fate of its Christian citizens.

Actually, it’s even worse than that. Mistreating Copts was the way that Egypt’s rulers, including the present one, have burnished their Islamic identity. And, until recently, virtually no one, especially in the West, said “boo!” about it. The sad truth is that Copts had to start dying in significant numbers for anyone to take notice, and that “anyone” includes their brethren in the West.   [more...]

QUICK TAKES

-- Good idea of the day - relocate a number of federal bureaucracies out of D.C. and to the Midwest

-- Free speech is not a Dutch value: Geert Wilders convicted of hate speech.   Charlie Cooke: "Cherish the First Amendment, Americans.  It's exceptional."

-- French government votes to criminalize prolife websites

-- A major reason for Trump's victory - the progressives went too far in denying religious liberty and created a backlash.

FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE FLORISTS - THE THREAT TO PASTORS' RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN IOWA!

This is truly chilling.    John Stonestreet for Breakpoint reports:

LISTEN NOW | DOWNLOAD

Text:

In 2007, Iowa enacted a law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The law applies to what are known as “public accommodations.”

Now federal law typically considers “public accommodations” to be facilities like restaurants, hotels, movie theaters, retail establishments, and parks.

But recently, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission added something atypical to that list: church services.

ANASTASIA LIN - A TRUE BEAUTY

Jay Nordlinger writes in a short article the following about Anastasia Lin - 

Anastasia Lin is an extraordinary beauty queen. She is also an actress. And a human-rights advocate.

Last year, she was crowned Miss World Canada. But the international competition was held in China — and the dictatorship blocked her from coming. They declared her “persona non grata.”

She earned that designation from these monsters: She has spoken out against their crimes — their persecution, their killing, their organ-harvesting — and has acted in films depicting those crimes.

After she was crowned Miss World Canada, her father, who still lives in China, was subjected to terrible pressure. Evil is the regime that breaks up families, or tries to. Evil is the regime that holds a population in the grip of lies, and tries to smash any truth-teller.

At the Oslo Freedom Forum, I recorded a Q&A with Anastasia Lin. For that podcast, go here.  She has profound things to say about, among other subjects, the West’s constant appeasement of the Chinese Communist Party.

Do we have to be complicit in the CCP’s crimes? No. It’s that we choose to.

NC GOV SAYS LGBT GROUP 'MORE POWERFUL THAN NRA'...

From Breitbart:

The embattled governor of North Carolina says the anti-Christian Human Rights Campaign is more powerful than the National Rifle Association, which is arguably the most powerful issue group in the United States.

Republican Governor Pat McCrory tells NBC that the powerful gay group has “…millions of dollars, which makes me want overturn [Citizens] United, because I don’t know who their donors are, either. But they are putting on a lot of pressure, instead of having a good dialogue.”

McCrory said, “I don’t think the government should be telling the private sector what their restroom and shower law should be, to allow a man into a woman’s restroom or shower facility at a YMCA, for example.”

McCrory is under continued assault from a highly organized and very rich coterie of homosexual organizations and their friends in business and the entertainment world for his defense of women and girls who do not want biological men urinating and showering with them.  

"FREEDOM OF RELIGION" VS. "FREEDOM OF WORSHIP"

There's a world of difference between "freedom of religion" and "freedom of worship."  Secularists and leftists have subtly substituted freedom of worship for freedom of religion.  Today the Family Research Council notes a small victory in rectifying the matter with regard to the Department of Homeland Security.  FRC writes:

For seven years, the White House seems to have done a virtual find/replace for every administration policy. Where “freedom of religion” used to be, a more restrictive “freedom of worship” is now -- including the text of the U.S. citizenship test. As part of the naturalization exam that prospective immigrants take, it seems Homeland Security made a few edits to the First Amendment. And Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) was not amused.

Back in June, Lankford sent a letter to DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson calling on the agency to correct the error. “The freedom of religion is much more than just the freedom of worship,” he argues. “Worship confines you to a location. Freedom of religion is the right to exercise your religious beliefs -- it is the ability for Americans to live out their faith or to choose to have no faith at all.” It may seem like a minor change, but it’s had major consequences on Christian businesses, charities, service members, athletes, celebrities, teachers and othershurt by this narrow understanding of our First Freedom. Under the president’s term, the administration would have us pack up our Christian symbols, our biblical beliefs, and our free speech, and stash them in the church, where they could be quarantined. Senator Lankford thinks America should embrace the proud tradition of religious expression -- not suppress it. And fortunately, DHS finally agrees.

On Thursday, ten months after the Oklahoma leader’s first request, DHS issued a notice to the public that they’re updating their material -- including the test -- to reflect the “freedom of religion.” It was a rare victory in two terms of frustration over America’s freedom to believe.

“I applaud the Department of Homeland Security for listening to me and deciding to change their material to reflect our First Amendment right of freedom of religion,” Senator Lankford said. “The ‘freedom of religion’ language reflects our right to live a life of faith at all times, while the ‘freedom of worship’ reflects a right simply confined to a particular space and location. We live in a great nation that allows individuals to live out their faith, or have no faith at all. To protect freedom and diversity, we must carefully articulate this right throughout the federal government.”

Hats off to Senator Lankford for making religious freedom the priority it should be!

RABIDLY ANTI-CHRISTIAN LEFT ATTACKS HEIDI CRUZ

Heidi Cruz, wife of GOP Presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz, made statements today regarding the Judeo-Christian foundation of this country that rankled the militant secularists.

David French writes:

The scandal du jour, from the ignorant, anti-Christian sectors of the Left, comes courtesy of a brief excerpt of a radio interview with Heidi Cruz, Ted Cruz’s wife:

For those who don’t have 92 seconds to listen, here are the quotes that caused Ken Meyer at Mediaite to call Cruz’s statements a bizarre rant:

We are at a cultural crossroads in our country, and if we can be in this race to show this country the face of the God that we serve — this Christian God that we serve is the foundation of our country, our country was built on Judeo-Christian values, we are a nation of freedom of religion, but the God of Christianity is the God of freedom, of individual liberty, of choice and of consequence.

Jon Green, a regional field director for Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign, also found this excerpt offensive:

I think that’s something that this country really needs to be reminded of, is that Christians are loving people, are nonjudgmental people, but there is right and wrong, we have a country of law and order, there are consequences to actions and we must all live peaceably in our own faiths under the Constitution. And Ted is uniquely able to deliver on that combination of the law and religion.

Green comments:

Thomas Jefferson envisioned a wall of separation between Church and State. Ted Cruz envisions that wall being torn down entirely. He’s not judging, he just thinks people who disagree are wrong and bad.

In reality, Heidi Cruz’s comment represents a standard (and accurate) expression not just of Evangelical beliefs, but also of American history. Christians aspire to “show the face of God” in all that we do — by imitating as much as we can our Savior, Jesus Christ. We fail often, but we’re better for the effort. As for Cruz’s statement that our nation was built on “Judeo-Christian values,”

 

CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY JAILING CHRISTIAN HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYERS

Some Christian lawyers are simply disappearing!   Full story here.   

Update 9/4/15:  

Timothy C. Morgan, writing for Christianity Today magazine titled his article,  "Leading Lawyer Defending Crosses in 'China's Jerusalem' Jailed Before Meeting US Ambassador."  Morgan writes:

China has arrested the leader of “Lawyers for Protection of the Cross.” The group defends churches whose crosses have been forcibly removed amid a government campaign to strip skylines of Christian symbols.

Zhang Kai is the latest of more than 250 attorneys, pastors, and human rights activists detained or arrested since July in connection with the 400 to 1,200 crossremovals in the eastern province of Zhejiang, a Christian stronghold.

On August 25, police in Wenzhou, a coastal city known as “China’s Jerusalem,” jumped a wall at Xialing Church and arrested Zhang Kai and his intern, Liu Peng. The arrests occurred on the eve of a scheduled meeting with David Saperstein, the US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

“These detentions fit into the disturbing pattern of state intimidation of public-interest lawyers, internet activists, journalists, [and] religious leaders,” Saperstein said to news media. “Other people that I have met, or tried to, have suffered harassment of some kind. [The US government] demands the immediate release of these activists, who boldly underline the precariousness of religious life in China.”

According to China Aid, Zhang and Liu are being held for six months in a so-called “black jail,” one of several detention facilities outside the established penal system. Torture is common in such centers, where prisoners may be held without trial, China Aid said.

SCHOOL BAND TOLD TO STOP PERFORMING "HOW GREAT THOU ART"

Todd Starnes has the story.  The town comes up with a way to defy the federal judge's order.

Update: HotAir builds on Starnes' report and adds a video:

 Jazz Shaw of Hot Air comments further:

People often scoff at the idea of a “slippery slope” in politics, but this is probably one of the prime examples of how real the premise can be. When the courts decided to ban prayer in school it opened the door to a virtual extermination of religion on school grounds. It’s simply ludicrous to believe that there is some threat being posed by a school band playing the instrumental version of a hymn. It also reinforces the politically correct idea that, beyond freedom of religion, your freedom of speech somehow includes the idea that you are protected against hearing any speech you disagree with. If we found a school where children of other faiths were being forced to participate in a prayer to a different god than the one they worship, I’d be right on board with criticizing them. But the idea that you can never be exposed to a different religion is insane.

And while we’re on the subject, how did we wind up at the point where it simply applies to schools? The basis for that argument was that the schools were funded with taxpayer money, but wouldn’t the same rationale then be applied to any government function on all government property? How is it that the President can attend the National Prayer Breakfast every year? For that matter, when the current president was inaugurated, how is it that we could have an invocation, a benediction and the playing of the Battle Hymn of the Republic on government property? There’s a big disconnect in these rulings and this Mississippi judge is a prime symptom of what’s gone wrong.

CURRENT CHINESE CRACKDOWN ON RELIGION THE MOST SEVERE SINCE THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

I have great respect for Dr. Bob Fu, the president and founder of  China Aid, a watchdog organization monitoring religious freedom in China.  On July 24,  Fu testified before Congress

Others that spoke at the hearing, led by Congressmen Chris Smith, (R-N.J.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), included Anastasia Lin, actress, human rights advocate and Miss World Canada 2015; Rebiya Kadeer, president of the World Uyghur Congress; and Losang Gyatso, service chief of Voice of America’s Tibetan service.

Fu’s full testimony, and the testimony of the other witnesses, along with a video of the hearing can be found here.   Bob Fu began his testimony this way:  [my emphases]

This is the third year of President Xi Jinping’s Administration in China, whose policies and actions have raised alarm, and in some cases astonished the international community. Domestically, Xi has purged his political rivals through a “selective anti-corruption campaign” and monopolized power within the leadership of the Communist party, the government and the military. In foreign policy, Xi has adopted a dangerous and aggressive agenda, challenging existing international law and creating his own when deemed necessary, including the national security law, which is being viewed by may as a pretext for human rights abuses. This antagonistic and arrogant approach to governance over the past two and half years has earned Xi the nickname “Chairman Mao Junior” and “Xi-tler.”

In the past two years, human rights and rule of law in China have rapidly deteriorated. The number of dissidents taken into police custody, arrested and convicted since Xi took power has exceeded the total number that occurred during the 10-year reign of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. Chinese citizens who peacefully criticize the government or defend the rights of citizens; lawyers who dare to represent “sensitive cases” without cooperating with the government; and activists who assemble in a peaceful manner, attempt to request the government’s permission to establish a nongovernmental organization (NGO), or peacefully protest against government policies or judicial injustices are subsequently “invited to drink tea,” summoned for interrogation, detained or arrested, and eventually tried in a corrupt judicial system. To be sure, the Chinese government has intensified its harassment of NGOs, civil society organizations, law firms representing human rights cases, charitable organizations, and political organizations such as the “New Citizen Movement.”

During the Xi Administration, and particularly in the past 18 months, religious freedom abuses have reached a level not seen since the Cultural Revolution. Not only have house churches continued to experience intensifying persecution, but now “Three-Self” churches, that is, government-sanctioned churches are being subjected to government-sponsored persecution campaigns. The Chinese government’s persecution of Tibetan Buddhists, Uyghur Muslims, and Falun Gong practitioners has also worsened. The Chinese government perceives religious practitioners as being guided by “foreign influence” and has subsequently pursued absolute control over religious communities.

GOVERNOR BOBBY JINDAL PUSHES LOUISIANA LAW TO PROTECT TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE PROPONENTS

Update 5/18/15 - New Survey Finds Two-Thirds of Louisianans Support Marriage and Conscience Act

 (Original post) - From Family Research Council, May 11, 2015:  (Emphases are mine)

There are plenty of Americans out there who don't understand why Louisiana is pushing the Marriage and Conscience Act. I have two words for them: Donald Verrilli. Late last month, the President's Solicitor General should have had every state scrambling to do what my home state is attempting: preventing on a small scale what the Obama administration wants to do on a national one. During the oral arguments at the Supreme Court, Verrilli admitted that one of the side effects of redefining marriage may be to punish the entities that believe otherwise -- even if they're religious!

The easiest way for the government to put the squeeze on these institutions is by stripping their tax exempt status -- which is just one of the things that Louisiana's Marriage and Conscience Acts would outlaw. "The central thrust of the bill guarantees that the state of Louisiana will not make tax determinations based on a person or organization's beliefs about marriage," Austin Nimocks explains.

"In other words, if a church believes that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, the Marriage and Conscience Act simply ensures that the government cannot functionally defund and eliminate that church's existence by withdrawing its nonprofit status."

Governor Bobby Jindal (R-La.) has been a staunch defender of the measure -- and the religious liberty it defends -- and spoke over the weekend about the bill's importance. Asked why he was focusing on this bill and not economic growth, Jindal fired back that the two issues aren't "mutually exclusive." "In Louisiana, we don't believe in discrimination against anybody. In terms of economics, look, our economy has grown twice as fast as the national economy. Our job creation three times as fast as the national economy. We actually right now have more people working than ever before, our highest ever per capita income ranking... So I think that we can have religious liberty and economic growth..."

The bill, he explained, simply says "the state of Louisiana cannot discriminate against those families, individuals or businesses that have a traditional view of marriage. To me, this is common sense. A business owner shouldn't have to choose between their sincerely held religious beliefs and being able to operate their businesses. They shouldn't have to lose their licenses, pay thousands of dollars in fines. The religious freedom act had a strong, bipartisan majority. I'm hopeful this bill will as well. We can have religious liberty and tolerance."

"I’M A FLORIST, BUT I REFUSED TO DO FLOWERS FOR MY GAY FRIEND'S WEDDING"

I'm familiar with this story, as are most of you.  But the fact that Barronelle Stutzman published this article in the Washington Post May 12th struck me as significant. In her article Stutzman spells out the vicious attack made against her and which continues.   A fair-minded person has to ask, " Is this America?" - And by the way, what does it say about the integrity and "friendship" of her alleged gay friend?  I don't think he comes off well at all.  Stutzman writes:

I’ve been a florist in Richmond, Wash., for more than 30 years. In that time, I’ve developed close relationships with many of my clients.

One of my favorites was Rob Ingersoll. Ingersoll came in often and we’d talk. Like me, he had an artistic eye. I’d try to create really special arrangements for him. I knew he was gay, but it didn’t matter — I enjoyed his company and his creativity.

Then he asked me to create the floral arrangements for his wedding. I love Rob, and I’d always been happy to design for his special days. But there’s something different about a wedding.

Every person in the creative professions regularly has to make decisions about where they lend their artistic talents and which events they will participate in.  For me, it’s never about the person who walks into the shop, but about the message I’m communicating when someone asks me to “say it with flowers.”

FEDERAL COERCION

Bosch Fawstin cartoon:

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN CHINA HAS REACHED ALL TIME HIGH

Angie Chui writes in the UK publication Christian Today:

 T
he persecution of Christians has reached an all time high in China and the government is contributing to the suffering of the faithful, according to the 2014 annual report released last week by Christian human rights organisation China Aid.

Based on the report, there were 572 documented cases of persecution against individuals from different religions last year compared to 143 cases in 2013, equating to a 300 per cent increase.

The report told of government sanctioned modifications or demolitions of Christian property under the guise of eradicating illegal structures.

"The increase in government-sanctioned persecution against religious practitioners and human rights lawyers and advocates reflects the overall political transformation that is occurring within the Communist Party in China (CPC), namely an orchestrated effort to consolidate power and suppress dissent and any perceived threats to the Chinese government, including the growth of religion in China," China Aid stated.

As for the number of religious practitioners who suffered from abuse, 17,884 reported being persecuted in 2014 compared to the previous year's 7,424. The number of persecuted church leaders also rose to 2,682, compared to 800 in 2013.

Based on the statistics, one of the most alarming changes reported was the huge increase in the number of 'dissidents' sentenced by the government, from just 12 people in 2013, to a total of 1,274 individuals in 2014.

GROUPTHINK AND THE CROSS

Jay Nordlinger makes an acute observation:

Lately, as many of us often do, I’ve been writing about groupthink, mob hatred, the herd mentality, going with the flow, and the difficulty of being truly independent.  (Go here, for example.)  I’m not sure you’ll find a starker example than in Mark 15:

And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself, and come down from the cross.

Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.

And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

Even when you’re dying on the cross, as those two criminals were, you have to be with the in crowd?  You have to be cool?  Even then you can’t depart from the herd?  The pull to join in, to go with the flow, to hate who and what the mob hates, must be very, very strong. 

Me:  The pull to go with the flow is strong.  We all know that, and have experienced it, and most likely have been guilty.  I have.  Maybe going forward things will be different.   Maybe the present hysterical attack on Biblical morality will sort out "Christians" into those who choose to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Christ versus those who turn away to "fit in" and promote rebellious "freedoms."   It could be that the moral splendor of Christian faith will once again serve as a beacon and magnet for those tired of social and moral chaos, even as it did in the early church.  

QUESTIONS FOR INDIANA'S CRITICS: (OR, WHAT WILL THE FUTURE OF THE INGRAINING OF HOMOSEXUALITY IN AMERICA LOOK LIKE?)

Ross Douthat poses serious questions for "Progressives" to answer given their vision of ingraining homosexuality in America to the extent of legislating against any opposing views.  He asks:

1) Should religious colleges whose rules or honor codes or covenants explicitly ask students and/or teachers to refrain from sex outside of heterosexual wedlock eventually lose their accreditation unless they change the policy to accommodate gay relationships? At the very least, should they lose their tax-exempt status, as Bob Jones University did over its ban on interracial dating?

2) What about the status of religious colleges and schools or non-profits that don’t have such official rules about student or teacher conduct, but nonetheless somehow instantiate or at least nod to a traditional view of marriage at some level — in the content of their curricula, the design of their benefit package, the rules for their wedding venues, their denominational affiliation? Should their tax-exempt status be reconsidered? Absent a change in their respective faith’s stance on homosexuality, for instance, should Catholic high schools or Classical Christian academies or Orthodox Jewish schools be eligible for 501(c)3 status at all?

3) Have the various colleges and universities that have done so been correct to withdraw recognition from religious student groups that require their leaders to be chaste until (heterosexual) marriage? Should all of secular higher education take the same approach to religious conservatives? And then further, irrespective of leadership policies, do religious bodies that publicly endorse a traditional Judeo-Christian-Islamic view of sexual ethics deserve a place on secular campuses at all? Should the Harvard chaplaincy, for instance, admit ministers to its ranks whose churches or faiths do not allow them to perform same-sex marriages? Should the chaplaincy of a public university?

THE LIBERAL AGENDA IS BASED ON FAKE NEWS

A huge need exists to wise up to leftist lies and propaganda.  Rush Limbaugh correctly states:  "The Liberal Agenda is Based on Fake News."   

RUSH: "Hands up, don't shoot" did not happen. There were no rapes by frat houses and frat boys at the University of Virginia. Lena Dunham cannot prove that she was raped by a conservative at Oberlin College where she reputedly attended. The Duke lacrosse case was totally manufactured and made up. It did not happen. And on and on and on. Eric Garner in New York was not killed by a cop chokehold. He died of a heart attack on the way to the hospital. But never mind.

There is no discrimination against homosexuals in Indiana. All of this is drummed up and fake. Every one of these stories is fake. And when they are exposed as fake, such as the Rolling Stone University of Virginia rape story, when they are exposed as fake, how does the journalist responsible for the fakery and his or her accomplices in the rest of the Drive-By Media respond?

They say, "It may be, it may be fake. But it doesn't matter because we know it's happening elsewhere. We know rape is happening all over this country campus after campus after campus. It may not have happened there, it may not have happened in this case at the University of Virginia. But we know it's happening, and we have raised everybody's consciousness level about it, and so it was good."

And once again we're drawn back to the nature of the evidence when it comes to liberalism, irrelevant. The seriousness of the charge. In this case, the seriousness of the charge is that men are raping women on college campuses all the time, every day, and it's gotten out of hand. Another fake premise is that white cops are murdering and executing innocent black children every day in America. It's gotten out of hand. We gotta stop it. But it doesn't happen, and it hasn't happened.

And now we are off on another totally manufactured, made-up, fake story that there is rampant, wanton, Christian discrimination against loving homosexuals all over Indiana. It isn't true. You've heard about the story. The local TV affiliate, the ABC Eyewitness News affiliate walks into a pizza store 30 minutes south of Indianapolis. They just walk in. There's no reason. The store hasn't made any news. Nobody inside the store said anything. The media is going door-to-door. . . .  

They are shopping and hoping to find what they claim is discrimination and bigotry. So they walk into this pizza store after failing to find a business that meet their needs. They're just going door-to-door and they walk in, they finally find a naive woman who admits, "No, we wouldn't cater a gay wedding because of our Christian views." Never mind they never have, they've never been asked to, they've never said no, they've never refused to cater. It was totally made up, but that's not the story. The media's making it the story, but it's what happens after the Drive-By Media person goes into the business and concocts this fake story. It's what happens afterwards that is really fake.

Incidentally, regarding the pizza store that could not reopen and received numerous death threats (Memories Pizza), Dana Loesch conducted an interview and invited donations at GoFundMe.   As of 10:00 PM on April 2, 2015 over 13,000 people had contributed a total of over $395,000.  I am sure I will need to update that figure.

HUCKABEE ON INDIANA LAW: "THIS IS A MANUFACTURED CRISIS BY THE LEFT"

 

Huckabee:  "I'm watching these major corporations fold up like a cheap tent in a wind storm and it breaks my heart to see it. . .   I was in China last year, I was governor of Arkansas 10 and a half years; the people --  including the CEO of WalMart -- who said Arkansas shouldn't pass this law,  I'm wondering: I know Arkansas very well, and I know China a little bit.  WalMart does a lot of business in China and there is a lot more discrimination going on in Arkansas than there is in Arkansas."

**

Miscellaneous quotes:

Ed Whelan - H.L. Mencken famously defined puritanism as the “haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” Progressivism, it seems, should be defined as the “haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be making a decision you disapprove of—and the fervent use of government power to prevent and punish such a decision.”

Peter Steinfels - The whole point of freedom of religion is that it protects an extraordinary gamut of differing, frequently conflicting cosmologies, spiritual disciplines, and moral codes.  They may include refusing to fight in defense of the nation, rejecting certain foodstuffs or medical treatments, discouraging young people from secondary or higher education, honoring celibacy or condemning a variety of sexual practices, sacrificing animals, drinking alcohol, or ingesting hallucinogens for ritual purposes, prescribing certain head coverings or hairstyles despite school or occupational rules, insisting on distinct roles for men and women, withdrawing from friends and family for lives of silence and seclusion, marching in prayer through neighborhoods on holy days, preaching on street corners or otherwise trying to convert others to these persuasions. 

CUT HIS MIC OFF

Via Kathryn Jean Lopez who observes:  "A perfectly reasonable argument, shut down. This is where we are? This is where we want to be?"

 

Me:  Ryan Anderson isn't given a chance to complete his thought.  Since Anderson is the most articulate spokesperson who knows the law and knows the threat to religious freedom, I guess we shouldn't be surprised he would be cut off.   What's surprising is that MSNBC had him on in the first place.

- National Review Online offers an editorial:  "Liberals Against Religious Liberty in Indiana"  

- Andrew T. Walker - "Indiana's RFRA: Eight Theses"   Excellent overview and summation

Update: Ed Schultz brought Ryan Anderson back on his program, but Schultz still wouldn't allow Anderson to finish his thoughts and accused Anderson of not being capable of having a civil discussion.  Wow...   The truth is that Anderson is terrific.   Who is Ryan Anderson?  Click here or click "continue reading" below

 

- Good Q&A with Anderson on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. - This is a MUST READ.  I may put it up on a separate blog post.  Click here.

- On the Daily Signal Ryan Anderson talks about getting cut off by Ed. Schultz:

 

GEORGE WILL'S OBSERVATIONS ON THE INDIANA RELIGIOUS FREEDOM BROUHAHA

 

Will offers sensible observations:

“There is nothing more tiresome in modern American life,” says columnist George Will, “than the indignation sweepstakes we get in all the time to see who can be most angry about this and that.” And the sweepstakes are on in Indiana. Responding to the outrage surrounding the Hoosier State’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Will noted on Tuesday’s Special Report, “Tim Cook, CEO of Apple thinks Indiana is a horrible place. He opened marketing and retailing operations in Saudi Arabia two months before a man was sentenced to 450 lashes for being gay. The selective indignation is itself wonderful. “There are obviously two important principles at stake here,” Will continued. “One is, the government should rarely, and only with extreme difficulty, compel people to take actions contrary to their consciences. The other is that when you open your doors to commerce you open them to everybody. That’s a simple thing. It goes back to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the public accommodations section, which is surely a great moment in American history. You can work this out, but the indignation isn’t helping.”

THOUSANDS PROTEST RELIGIOUS FREEDOM LAW IN INDIANA

Update 3/30/15  - Rush Limbaugh weighs in on Religious Freedom and the state of Indiana 

- The Family Research Council declares "Today We Are All Hoosiers" and asks people to sign a petition in support of Indiana Governor Mike Pence.

- David French at National Review Online offers an experienced perspective: 

After litigating religious liberty issues for more than 20 years, I’m used to utter hysteria erupting on the Left when Christians try to assert conventional and traditional religious liberty rights. . . 

So what’s really going on here? A toxic combination of anti-Christian bigotry and sexual revolution radicalism. It is simply uninformed and bigoted to believe that Christians are somehow lurking in the shadows, ready to deny food, shelter, and basic services to their gay fellow citizens — blocked from such vicious actions only by the strong arm of the state. In my entire life as an Evangelical, I’ve never met a fellow Christian who wouldn’t gladly serve a gay customer. If there are exceptions to that nearly-universal rule, they are so marginal (and marginalized) in the Christian community that they’re irrelevant not only to Christendom but also to the body politic.

But the Left, ever-vigilant against group-based slights on behalf of favored constituencies, is only too eager to label orthodox Christians as threats to the public. This bigotry has a purpose. It serves to demonize the last significant constituency standing in the way of sexual revolution radicalism. After all, unless you demonize your opposition, the general public will have little appetite for forcing Christians to pay for abortion pills, forcing Christian groups to open up to atheist leadership, or forcing Christian bakers or photographers to help celebrate events they find morally offensive. After all, there’s no clamor for requiring Kosher delis to stock pork or requiring gay lawyers to represent the Westboro Baptist Church. While RFRAs protect people of all faiths, from peyote-smoking Native Americans to Bible-toting florists, the Left’s outrage is narrowly targeted — against the Christian people whose livelihoods they seek to ruin, whose consciences they seek to appropriate, and whose organizations they seek to disrupt. #BoycottIndiana isn’t a cry for freedom. It’s nothing more than an online mob, seeking to bully those it hates.

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/416176/want-evidence-hysterical-anti-christian-bigotry-look-no-further-boycottindiana-david

Update 3/29/15 - Indiana Governor Mike Pence appeared on ABC's "This Week" - 

CHRISTIAN MILITARY CHAPLAINS SOMETIMES CENSORED

From Chuck Holton of CBN News:

 

FORT BENNING, Ga. -- "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was once a term used to refer to homosexuals in the military. Now, however, the term is more often being applied to Christians in uniform.

Military chaplains are feeling the pressure to conform to the new reality, as some label biblical values "hate speech."

Chaplains have been an integral part of the military throughout our nation's history, bringing hope to the living and comfort to the dying.

Now some chaplains are coming under fire from official government policy and must choose between their consciences and their commander's orders.leave the military."

GLEANINGS

 - - J. Budziszewski:       The Religion of the Modern University

The undeclared religion of the modern university is practical atheism. You are allowed to believe in some kind of God, but not the kind of God who makes a difference to anything. You are allowed to have some kind of faith, but not the kind of faith that interacts with reason. What threatens practical atheists is the classical Christian view that God matters to everything, and that sound faith expands the possibilities of reason itself.  

 - - David J. Hebert in a review of How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life  by Russ Roberts:   What We All Desire

The second theme of this book is a sort of self-help book on how to be happy. In this respect, this book is quite simply amazing. Roberts reminds us that Smith says that we all “naturally desire, not only to be loved, but to be lovely.” Unpacking this simple sentence, Smith is saying that we all want to be appreciated, desired, and praised. We want people to take us seriously and pay attention to the things that we say, to want our presence, and to enjoy our company. Second, we want to be worthy of being loved honestly by “being respectable, honorable, blameless, generous, and kind.” In other words, we want to have a good reputation – a good rapport, if you will. 

- - Mike Huckabee:    Secular Oppression of Religion

 On CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday he argued that forcing people of faith to accept gay marriage is like forcing Jews to serve "bacon-wrapped shrimp in their deli." Both foods are violations of Jewish kosher rules.

"We're so sensitive to make sure we don't offend certain religions, but then we act like Christians can't have the convictions that they have had for over 2,000 years," Huckabee said.  

"I would like to think that there's room in America for people who have different points of views without screaming, shouting, and wanting to shut their businesses down," he said. -  

 - - Humor

"Life is short, smile while you still have your teeth."

 Police were called to a day care center where a 3 year old was resisting a rest.

 Acupuncture is a jab well done.  That's the point of it.  Don't these silly puns needle you?

 I'd give up chocolate but I'm not a quitter.

LEFTIST INTOLERANCE OF CHRISTIAN HIGHER EDUCATION

- Update 2/10/15:  Gordon College not in danger of losing accreditation  but there still seems be a question.  (See also the National Review Online editorial.)

- Original post:

David French draws attention to the persecution of Gordon College.    As leftists go after restaurants (Chick-Fil-A) or craft stores (Hobby Lobby), on the basis of the Left's sexual orthodoxy, the right takes action. But not many know about isolated colleges in the northeast being hounded and persecuted and under threat of losing their accreditation because it has a policy they believe sex should be in marriage only.  

French suggestrs a remedy:

The new conservative congressional majority must put the Department of Education on notice that it will not be permitted to “recognize” any accrediting agency that seeks to impose an ideological litmus test on private, religious colleges. If the New England Association has given Gordon College a year to toe the leftist line, Congress should give the Department of Education and the New England Association six months to reaffirm its regulatory requirement to respect Gordon’s religious mission.

COUNSELING MINORS WISHING TO BE FREE FROM GAY ORIENTATION BARRED IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Family Research Council Opposes DC City Council Vote 
December 02, 2014   [Bolding is my own]

Washington, D.C. - Today, Family Research Council (FRC) voiced opposition to the District of Columbia City Council's vote to bar licensed mental health providers from participating in sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) with minors in the nation's capital. Similar laws have previously been enacted in California and New Jersey, but stalled in the legislatures in more than twelve other states.

Peter Sprigg, Senior Fellow for Policy Studies at FRC, testified against the bill at a DC City Council committee hearing in June. Following passage of the bill today, he issued the following statement:

"The DC City Council disregarded powerful testimony by therapists who debunked misconceptions about sexual reorientation therapy and by clients who had benefited from it.

"This new law is an outrageous assault upon the freedom of speech of therapists, the freedom of religion of clients who seek help in living lives consistent with their faith, and the privacy of the therapist-client relationship.

"Laws like the ones in California, New Jersey, and now in DC are completely unprecedented. Never before has a state outlawed a form of mental health counseling based not upon the techniques used, but solely upon the goal which the client seeks to achieve. This is a shocking violation of the longstanding ethical principle of client autonomy.

"There is no scientific research demonstrating that sexual orientation change efforts cause harm to minors-none. States and jurisdictions should respect the privacy of the therapist-client relationship, not impose restrictions that prevent young people from getting the help that some so desperately want," Sprigg concluded.

JOHN STONESTREET - "WHY IS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM SO IMPORTANT?"

This is one of the best talks I've ever heard on religious liberty.  I'm grateful to MH for sending me the link to the audio recording - LISTEN NOW | DOWNLOAD

 

Here is a partial summary from "BreakPoint This Week" (which, though helpful, doesn't obviate the need to listen to the talk itself -- which is stunning):  

 

In today's public square, there are few topics as critical as religious freedom. Affecting virtually every sphere of American life, the consequences of how religious freedom is understood are far-reaching. During this week's broadcast, you'll hear an address John Stonestreet gave to early October's religious freedom summit at Cedarville University on how to preserve this first freedom. 

The prime challenge of being the Church in today’s culture, says John, is responding to the enormous pressure to conform. The acceptance of a counter-Christian way of thinking about life and the world has created an environment that demands hard thinking and faithful action from Christians.

Here’s what that cultural pressure looks like. First, John says, it takes the form of a growing disdain for religion. “It used to be acceptable to express religious belief,” he explains. “Now it’s acceptable to express hatred for religious belief in the public square.” We see this in the popularity of leading atheist attack dogs like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris and legal groups demanding the removal of religion from public life.

But during the last few years, a new front of attack on religious liberty has emerged. Where previous generations considered the right to freely exercise religion their foremost freedom, much of modern America has come to embrace a new first freedom: sexual expression.

“We have, at least on a cultural level,” says John, “come to believe that the most important thing about an individual is their sexuality—either their sexual orientation or their sexual preferences.”

How do we respond to these cultural attitude shift? First of all, we need to reject the urge to fit in and give up our convictions under of pressure.

THOUSANDS STAND WITH PASTORS TARGETED BY HOUSTON MAYOR

 

Paul Strand of CBN News reports:

Thousands gathered in a Houston church Sunday evening and many more watched online to defend the right of pastors to be free of government intimidation.

The gathering came after Houston Mayor Annise Parker, a lesbian, and fellow officials subpoenaed the sermons of five pastors.

Host Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, told the crowd at Houston's Grace Community Church that more than 700 churches and 3,000 home groups had signed up to take part in the "I Stand Sunday" event via the webcast.

"I stand here today with you that I may speak, preach and teach on the issues that deal with society, the issues that the Bible speaks about," Pastor Hernan Castano of Iglesia Rios de Aceite, one of the "Houston Five" -- as the pastors have become known -- said.

Mayor Parker became upset with church-organized opposition to a pro-gay, pro-transgender city ordinance. In a legal move, she had called for local pastors' sermons to be subpoenaed.

Erik Stanley, a senior legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, has been representing the pastors.

"These subpoenas are just one front in a rapidly developing conflict. And the philosophy underlying this conflict is that sexual liberty trumps everything, including religious liberty," Stanley said.

CITY OF HOUSTON DEMANDS PASTORS TURN OVER THEIR SERMONS

I find this demand totally unconstitutional and utterly disturbing.  Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council says,

A church should not be required to have the government sign off on their pastor's sermons.

Yet, that's just what's happening in Houston, Texas. Mayor Annise Parker has issued an unprecedented legal demand that several key pastors turn over sermons, emails, and text messages, even communications with members of their congregations, under the threat of fines imprisonment or both.  [emphasis in original]  The pastors that have been targeted are pastors who have spoken out against Parker's LGBT special rights ordinance.

Mayor Parker has breached the wall of separation between the state and the church. This attack on religious freedom and the freedom of speech should be universally repudiated by all Americans who value our constitutional freedoms.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote that "religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions." The pulpit is to be governed only by the Word of God, and the chilling effect of government scrutiny of our pastors is unconstitutional, and unconscionable. Mayor Parker's use of her bully pulpit to silence pulpit freedom must be stopped in its tracks.

Please sign our petition to stand unapologetically with the Houston pastors and their churches, and call for the City of Houston to retract their demands and issue a clear statement in support of the free speech of all people.

** For more see

      - Fox News' Todd Starnes' initial report.

      - "The Blaze" has an extensive report.

      - The Faith & Freedom report, which concludes:  Contact Houston Mayor Annise Parker and demand that she stop bullying pastors and infringing on their religious liberties!

Mayor Annise D. Parker
City of Houston 
P.O. Box 1562 Houston, TX 77251 
Phone (713) 837-0311 
Email: [email protected]

REEDOM OF RELIGION OVERSEAS GETS U.S. SENATE ENDORSEMENT

From Tony Perkins at the Family Research Council:

Most conservatives can probably count on one hand the number of times a Republican bill has gotten 100% Democratic support. Yesterday was one of those rare moments, as Senators on both sides of the aisle embraced Sen. Roy Blunt's (R-Mo.) bill to protect religious liberty abroad. While Iraq, Syria, and Egypt explode in faith-based turmoil, the plight of Jews, Catholics, and Christians has gone virtually unnoticed by the Western World (with the exception of the occasional hashtag campaign).

As tragic as Meriam Ibrahim's story has been, her imprisonment has helped raise the urgency of America's involvement overseas. With the State Department slow to respond to her crisis -- which until recently, included a death sentence and flogging for her Christian faith -- the void once filled by the U.S. is painfully apparent. As FRC's Leanna Baumer explains, the Senate took an encouraging step forward in forcing the State Department to prioritize the freedom of religion in diplomatic efforts by passing its Near East and South Central Asia Religious Freedom Act.

After a year of idling in the Senate, conservatives finally broke through the negotiations and resolved any concerns about cost. By creating a special envoy, Congress is cutting through some of the State Department's bureaucracy and providing the rapid response necessary to beat back these attacks on human rights. Passing this measure was a priority for FRC as we explained the importance in a letter to members of Congress, "Providing a representative to the Near East and South Central Asia who focused exclusively on these issues, is a direct way to communicate that these egregious acts of religious violence are morally unacceptable and at odds with the strategic interests of the United States."

The bills of Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Va.), who led this campaign to passage in the House, and Sen. Blunt would take a critical step toward protecting the vulnerable religious minorities in each of these volatile countries. In reopening the debate last year, Rep. Wolf pointed back to the President's own comments on religious persecution. "We can't say 'never again' and then allow it to happen again, and as a president of the United States, I don't intend to abandon people or turn a blind eye to slaughter.'" "I wish," Wolf added, "and more importantly the suffering people of [the world] wish, we had seen an ounce of that moral clarity and conviction since you took office."

Never has there been a greater need for freedom's voice to speak into the darkness of religious oppression. We're grateful that members of both parties see the need to push for that moral clarity -- before it's too late.

MERIAM IBRAHIM, THE CHRISTIAN MOTHER IMPRISONED IN SUDAN AND SENTENCED TO DIE FOR APOSTASY, HAS BEEN FREED

Update 6/24/14   10:30 PM - Meriam cannot leave the country!!  The British Daily Mail reports in an exclusive story that she is being charged with fraud.  Reporter Dan Bates writes:

. . . Meriam Ibrahim has been accused of falsifying travel documents as she tried to leave the African country hours after the death penalty was dropped against her.

It is understood that the authorities told her she should have used the Muslim name she had when she was born, not the Christian name she uses after choosing to worship that faith.

It is not clear if her husband Daniel Wani, who is from Manchester in New Hampshire, has also been charged with any offenses.

The new allegations are a huge setback to Meriam's hopes of leaving Sudan and a further sign that the Sudanese government is playing twisted games over her release.

Meriam, a doctor, is on bail which was put up by a friend. She cannot leave Sudan until this matter is resolved as part of her bail conditions.

It came as campaigners working to free the mother-of-two attacked the U.S. Department of State for its ‘shameful’ response to helping her.

Tina Ramirez, founder of religious freedom organization Hardwired, called for Congress to investigate the 'incredibly negligent' handling of Meriam Ibrahim’s case.

Meriam and her husband were detained at the airport of the Sudanese capital Khartoum when they tried to leave the country with their son Martin, 21 months, and daughter Maya, one month.

Meriam was only freed on Monday after nine months in jail, during which she was shackled to the floor while she gave birth to Maya.

As noted, Tina Ramiraz of Hardwired, accuses the State Department of incredible negligence.  Read the whole news report to understand why.  Note also the reporter's chilling observation:

In a worrying twist, Meriam and Daniel were taken into custody by the feared National Intelligence and Security Services, MailOnline has confirmed.

NISS does not operate through the courts if it claims to be working on a matter of national security and can detain people indefinitely, Hardwired said.

The organisation was described as ‘Agents of Fear’ in a damning report by human rights campaigners Amnesty which outlined a catalogue of abuses they had carried out.

NISS is also notorious for taking prisoners to secret 'ghost houses' where they are tortured. . . 

We need to pray this family safely released and out of Sudan!  

(Original Post) - The following CBN News video interview offers  lots of insights into the freeing of Meriam Ibrahim.  Noteworthy is that Ibrahim was represented by Muslim lawyers who demonstrated tremendous courage in so doing.   Also noteworthy has been the negligence of the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum.   As Tony Perkins points out, "where the Obama administration has fallen short, House and Senate conservatives have not. Congressmen from Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), Chris Smith (R-N.J.), and Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) to Senators Cruz, Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) were doing the heavy lifting -- while not a single White House official met with the Sudanese ambassador."  

 

Perkins also notes that,

If the State Department isn't busy bringing Meriam home or dealing with the imploding Middle East, what exactly is it doing? According to Secretary Kerry, he's "working hard to… have lesbian, bisexual, and transgender ambassadors." Like his boss, Kerry foreign policy seems to be a foreign concept for this administration, whose only real overseas "progress" is bullying other nations into accepting this President's twisted sexual agenda.

During last week's LGBT pep rally at the State Department, Kerry's rah-rah moment was saying that if confirmed, Ted Osius would be the sixth openly homosexual ambassador. "… We now have hundreds of LGBT individuals in our bureaus at State, USAID, and at posts all around the world." Of course, what Kerry neglected to mention is that many of those posts are in complete and utter turmoil -- in large part because the Obama administration is too obsessed with its homosexual agenda to focus on the real priority of protecting America's national interests. It all confirms what former Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote in his book -- the only time he sensed passion from the President about any issue involving the military was overturning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Last week I read of the disturbing fanatical gay foreign policy of the Obama Administration when it cut U.S. aid to Uganda because it refuses to bow down to imperialist U.S. government pressures to remove restrictions on homosexual practice in the country.  I read:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday cut aid to Uganda, imposed visa restrictions and canceled a regional military exercise in response to a Ugandan law that imposes harsh penalties on homosexuality.

The White House said in a statement the measures were intended to "reinforce our support for human rights of all Ugandans regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."

Homosexuality is taboo in most African countries and illegal in 37, including in Uganda where it has been a crime since British rule.  [more . . .]

Which leads one to ask why the Obama administration doesn't cut aid to countries that persecute Christians?  Why doesn't it, at the very least, advocate for freedom of religion and speak up on behalf of imprisoned Christians?  Why the Johnny one-note imperialist commitment to homosexual acceptance worldwide and failure to address human rights more broadly?

The news of Ibrahim's release has brought to my attention the good work of Hardwired, an organization I had not heard of before. 

MAGGIE GALLAGHER'S THOUGHTS ON PUTIN

I found Gallagher's thoughts on Putin's Russia novel and arresting.  Is she way off the beam or could she be correct?  On other matters (such as traditional marriage) she is spot on.  Is Putin really fighting the relativism of the West?   Gallagher writes:

Friends are sending me copies of Putin’s speech. It is extremely clear to me that Putin is trying to create a Russian resistance to Western decadence, melding a revived Russian Christianity with Islamic moral values to create an alternative to the emerging non-pluralism of the West.

The West’s new pluralism was in evidence recently at a public university in Ireland when it kicked out the venerable Legion of Mary for distributing “anti-gay” pamphlets suggesting that Catholics should dedicate themselves to a life of interior chastity and which included the line “I’m a child of God, don’t call me gay.”

The university explained: “NUIG has a pluralist ethos and will not condone the production and dissemination of any material by students which discriminates against other students.  Discrimination or implied or direct harassment, on the basis of sexual orientation and/or religion, is contrary to Irish and European law.”

But you don’t have to look any further than the Center for American Progress for the American version, in which panelists agree that religious-liberty exemptions constitute “slavery.” . . .

Me: That Western elite thought has caved in to accepting, and even celebrating, homosexual behavior is widely recognized.  Is Russia self-c0nsciously resisting Western decadence as Gallagher suggests?  If true, is that not remarkable?

SUPREME COURT WILL HEAR HOBBY LOBBY'S RELIGIOUS FREEDOM OBJECTIONS TO OBAMACARE

Good!  Mark Sherman at Breitbart reports:  (HT: Drudge)

The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to referee another dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law, whether businesses can use religious objections to escape a requirement to cover birth control for employees.

The justices said they will take up an issue that has divided the lower courts in the face of roughly 40 lawsuits from for-profit companies asking to be spared from having to cover some or all forms of contraception.

The court will consider two cases. One involves Hobby Lobby Inc., an Oklahoma City-based arts and crafts chain with 13,000 full-time employees. Hobby Lobby won in the lower courts.

The other case is an appeal from Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp., a Pennsylvania company that employs 950 people in making wood cabinets. Lower courts rejected the company's claims.

The court said the cases will be combined for arguments, probably in late March. A decision should come by late June.

The cases center on a provision of the health care law that requires most employers that offer health insurance to their workers to provide a range of preventive health benefits, including contraception.

In both instances, the Christian families that own the companies say that insuring some forms of contraception violates their religious beliefs.  [more . . .]

RESTORE MILITARY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM COALITION (RMRF)

I just learned of the RMRF Coalition which attempts, as the title indicates, to "restore military religious freedom."  I have put up many blog posts in the past detailing egregious incidents curtailing religious freedom in our military.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On September 12, 2013, Members of the Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition (RMRF) met with senior U.S. Air Force officials at the Pentagon to discuss the escalation of religious liberty infringements not just in the U.S. Air Force but across the military.

Air Force officials also accepted over 170,000 petitions appealing to Secretary of Defense Hagel to protect the religious liberties of service members. A second petition with nearly 50,000 signers appealed to the U.S. Air Force to stop the persecution of and possible legal action against Senior Master Sgt. Philip Monk at Lackland Air Force base. The officials also received a copy of the coalition's report documenting dozens of other religious liberty violations of service members.

See the website for more information.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Undermines Freedom By Banning Sexual Orientation Therapy

When I heard the news, my first reaction was "Christie doesn't know the facts and is a victim of homosexual activist propaganda."  The Family Research Council comments:

Family Research Council (FRC) today voiced disappointment with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's decision to sign into law Assembly Bill 3371, which forbids licensed professional counselors in the state to "engage in sexual orientation change efforts with a person under 18 years of age."

A similar bill in California has been put on hold by the federal courts after its constitutionality was challenged in two lawsuits (now pending on appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals). U. S. District Court Judge William B. Shubb, in the case of Welch v. Brown, declared that "because it appears that [California's] SB 1172 is content-and viewpoint-based and unlikely to withstand strict scrutiny, plaintiffs have established that they are likely to prevail on the merits of their claim that SB 1172 violates their rights to freedom of speech under the First Amendment."

Family Research Council's Senior Fellow for Policy Studies Peter Sprigg made the following remarks:

"The New Jersey bill strips away a core ethical principle of the counseling profession-the right of the client to set his or her own goals for therapy. Under this bill, even if a young person, the person's parents, and the therapist all agree on the goal of seeking a change in sexual orientation, the iron hand of the state will forbid it. This law tramples on the rights of minors, parents, and therapists alike.

"Gov. Christie has accepted a distorted view of what the research shows. There is abundant evidence that therapy can be effective in helping some people to achieve a personal goal of changing their sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. The claims of harm resulting from such therapy are, on the other hand, almost entirely anecdotal. And any weighing of risks and rewards must include consideration of the risks associated with homosexual conduct itself, such as high rates of depression and anxiety; high rates of tobacco, alcohol and substance use; a higher prevalence of certain cancers; and among men, high rates of sexually transmitted diseases."

Connie Mackey, President of FRCAction PAC, made the following comments on the political implications of the governor's decision:

"Governor Christie's poorly informed decision not only undermines the rights of minors, parents and therapists but I predict that it will also ultimately undermine any of his national political ambitions.   

"Values voters are looking for candidates who will lead the way to preserve the right to live out one's faith.  Unfortunately, Governor Christie has decided to join with those seeking to restrict the free speech rights of those deemed to hold politically incorrect views. His endorsement of this shocking invasion into the privacy of the relationship between therapist and client should cost him the support of libertarians as well," concluded Mackey.

INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM POOH-POOHED AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

George Weigle talks about the mentality regnant in the U.S. State Department and the Obama administration saying:

In his June 13 testimony before the National Security Subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Governmental Reform, Dr. Thomas Farr of Georgetown’s Berkley Center described the failures of U.S. international religious freedom policy over the past decade and a half and suggested some of the structural reasons for that failure: lack of strategic integration, such that religious freedom doesn’t “fit” with other U.S. foreign policy objectives; resistance in the Department of State to the very idea of an international religious freedom policy and a special ambassador for promoting religious freedom; little or no leadership from presidents and secretaries of state. 

And the dismal result? According to Dr. Farr, “it would be difficult to name a single country in the world over the past fifteen years where American religious freedom policy has helped reduce religious persecution or to increase religious freedom in any substantial or sustained way.”

MEDIA AND POLITICAL ELITE WILL SOON CALL ANY OPPOSITON TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE "HATE SPEECH"

I find it scary and a portent of a very dark future when a formerly fairly civil, level-headed Democrat  characterizes anyone employing Biblical arguments against same-sex marriage in public as "shameful" and "obscene."  At least that's how I interpret Erick Mataxes' report of Lanny Davis' views.  Read on:

Listen Now | Download A few years ago, Lanny Davis, former strategist for Bill Clinton, called on members of Congress to sign a civility pledge. “I will be civil in my public discourse and behavior,” the pledge read. “I will be respectful of others whether or not I agree with them. I will stand against incivility when I see it.” Well, I have to wonder whether Davis signed the pledge himself, because just a few days ago he wrote some deeply uncivil things in his column, titled “Purple Nation,” about people who don't share his opinion about same-sex “marriage.” Davis was responding to a letter by N. Michael Nunn, a member of the Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. Nunn wrote that for the Temple to officiate over unions of homosexual couples and call such relationships “sanctified” “is unacceptable to a sound mind.” “Homosexuality,” Nunn added, “is explicitly condemned in Scripture.” It “has been categorically and passionately rejected by all classical Jewish legal and ethical thinkers as a cardinal vice in the same category as incest, murder and idolatry.” Nunn addressed this letter to fellow Jews who oppose allowing same-sex “marriage” ceremonies to take place in their Temple. Well, in his column, Davis called these comments “shameful” and “obscene.” He even compared Nunn's words to the writings of the fanatic Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini! That in itself is out of bounds, because Nunn and many of his fellow congregants are Persian Jews, some of whom may have been persecuted by the Khomeini regime. It's worth noting Davis did not respond to Nunn's assertion that Scripture condemns homosexuality—because the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, DOES condemn homosexual behavior, along with a host of other sexual behaviors. And Davis surely knows this.

MILITARY CENSORS CHRISTIAN CHAPLAIN, ATHEISTS CALL FOR PUNISHMENT

See what you think of the following news report.  If it doesn't make you angry, you don't have an appropriate appreciation for  the role of chaplains in the U.S. military or the free speech protections afforded by the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  What is particularly galling is the collusion between the Defense Department and President Obama in kowtowing to militant atheist groups.   Can anyone imagine Ronald Reagan kowtowing to atheists?   Ken Klukowski writes:  (HT: Drudge)

A Christian chaplain in the military is being officially censored for engaging in free speech, and anti-Christian activists are demanding he be punished.  

Lt. Col. Kenneth Reyes is a Christian chaplain currently serving in the U.S. Air Force. He is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. As an ordained clergyman whose duties are to provide religious instruction and spiritual counseling, he has a page on the base’s website called “Chaplain’s Corner.”

Reyes recently wrote an essay entitled, “No Atheists in Foxholes: Chaplains Gave All in World War II.” This common saying is attributed to a Catholic priest in World War II, made famous when President Dwight D. Eisenhower said during a 1954 speech: "I am delighted that our veterans are sponsoring a movement to increase our awareness of God in our daily lives. In battle, they learned a great truth that there are no atheists in the foxholes."

As reported by Fox News’s Todd Starnes, when Reyes referenced this famous line in his essay, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) contacted the base commander, Col. Brian Duffy, demanding he take action on Reyes’s “anti-secular diatribe.”

MRFF’s letter says that by Reyes’s “use of the bigoted, religious supremacist phrase, ‘no atheists in foxholes,’ he defiles the dignity of service members.” They accuse him of violating military regulations.

TENTH CIRCUIT GRANTS HOBBY LOBBY FULL COURT HEARING

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty released the following encouraging press release:

For Immediate Release: March 29, 2013
Media Contact: Jeff Gasser, [email protected], (202) 349-7201

WASHINGTON, DC – On Friday, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals granted Hobby Lobby’s petition for en banc hearing, agreeing to place Hobby Lobby’s appeal before the entire court rather than the usual three-judge panel. The full court will consider whether to halt enforcement of the HHS mandate, which forces Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., a Christian-owned-and-operated business, to provide and pay for emergency contraceptives, such as the “morning-after pill” and “week-after pill”, in violation of the religious beliefs of its owners, the Green family. The court also announced it will expedite oral arguments, with a hearing date expected soon.

“We are grateful that the court granted Hobby Lobby’s petition,” said Kyle Duncan, General Counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. “Full court review is reserved only for the most serious legal questions. This case asks whether the First Amendment protects everyone’s right to religious freedom, or whether it leaves out religious business owners like the Greens.”

In December, a two-judge panel of the 10th Circuit denied Hobby Lobby’s request to temporarily stop enforcement of the abortion pill mandate. Now, nine 10th Circuit judges will hear Hobby Lobby’s case. Arguments are expected to take place this Spring.

There are now 52 separate lawsuits challenging the HHS mandate, which is a regulation under the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”). The Becket Fund led the charge against the unconstitutional HHS mandate, and along with Hobby Lobby represents: Wheaton College, East Texas Baptist University, Houston Baptist University, Belmont Abbey College, Colorado Christian University, the Eternal Word Television Network and Ave Maria University.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty  is a non-profit, public-interest law firm dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions—from Anglicans to Zoroastrians. For 18 years its attorneys are recognized as experts in the field of church-state law. For more information or to arrange an interview with an attorney, please contact Jeff Gasser, Communications Associate, at [email protected], or call 202.349.7201.

Additional Resources:

Tenth Circuit Order Granting En Banc Hearing
Hobby Lobby Case Page
HHS Mandate Information Central

TODAY'S WASHINGTON UPDATE FROM THE FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL

FRC reports:

Going DUMB on DOMA

 

Today was the second historic hearing at the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the future of marriage in America. Today, they heard a challenge to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA is not new to FRC because we helped lead the efforts for it in the 90s. The Defense of Marriage Act specified that states would not have to recognize same-sex "marriages" from other states and defined marriage for all federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman. Only the latter provision has been challenged in court, but advocates for redefining marriage have been simultaneously trying to repeal the entire law in Congress.

The legal arguments today were complicated by the fact that President Obama and his Justice Department have chosen to abdicate their responsibility to defend federal laws in court, and have instead joined in declaring DOMA unconstitutional. This forced the House of Representatives, in the form of its "Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group" (BLAG), to intervene to defend the law. FRC's Senior Fellows Chris Gacek and Ken Klukowski, both attorneys, were at the Supreme Court for the oral arguments, and Chris said not to believe media spin that DOMA took a total beating. He reported that Paul Clement, the former U.S. Solicitor General hired by the House BLAG to defend DOMA, gave the strongest performance of any attorney in the two days of arguments.

No amount of legal footwork by those seeking redefinition of marriage can change the fact that society needs children, and children need a mom and a dad. It's not just about love between adults, it's about civilization. That's a compelling reason for both California and the federal government to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and for the Supreme Court to uphold both Proposition 8 and DOMA.

There is Life Beyond DC!

Conservatives are rightly dismayed by many of the actions of the current Administration, but this week we can celebrate some true victories in North Dakota--victories achieved in large part due to the leadership and energy of two of FRC's top pro-life advocates coming alongside state leaders.

After testifying multiple times, over a period of several weeks, before various committees of the North Dakota legislature, Dr. David Prentice and Anna Higgins, JD, effectively educated that state's lawmakers who ultimately voted to "ban abortions performed solely for the purpose of gender selection and genetic abnormalities" and to "ban abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat." Legislators approved another measure that "requires admitting and staff privileges at a nearby hospital for any physician who performs abortions in North Dakota" so that the courts can decide what kind of "precise restriction" there is on doctors who perform abortions. These precedent-setting bills have been signed into law by Governor Jack Dalrymple (R-N.D.).

Dr. Prentice, the world's leading expert on adult stem cell research, and Anna, who directs FRC's Center for Human Dignity, convincingly and persuasively spoke for the sanctity of unborn life and the well-being of mothers. I'm honored to lead a team of passionate and articulate professionals like David and Anna, who are helping change America, one state at a time.

Florida Atlantic University in Hot Water over "Jesus Stomping" Case

These days it can be difficult to live out your Christian faith on college campuses. On one Florida University campus, it is especially difficult for students whose grade point average depends on their willingness to stomp on Jesus. Ask Florida Atlantic University Junior Ryan Rotela. When Rotela refused to participate in a classroom assignment that would involve jumping on a sheet of paper bearing Jesus' name, as a way to "discuss the importance of symbols in culture," he was immediately suspended from class and brought up on academic charges after reporting this activity to university officials. Rotela did not want to participate in the exercise, as it violated his religious beliefs.

The University finally backed down yesterday but only after Liberty Institute threatened legal action and Fox News reporter Todd Starnes brought this latest incident of religious persecution to the attention of millions. Liberty Institute, which represented Rotela, declared victory in this case, as officials from Florida Atlantic University apologized and removed the academic charges from his record. Hiram Sasser, Director of Litigation, at Liberty Institute, was thankful. Sasser said, "Decades ago, the Supreme Court ruled that students do not leave their First Amendment rights at the school house gate: That is still true today."

In addition to that victory, Florida Governor Rick Scott has asked the state's university system to look into this incident and to ensure that this type of lesson will not take place again. Scott said, in a letter to the chancellor, "The professor's lesson was offensive, and even intolerant, to Christians and those of all faiths who deserve to be respected as Americans entitled to religious freedom." Bravo to Ryan for standing firm in his faith even in the face of harassment and threats. You have inspired millions to keep standing firm for their biblical beliefs and First Amendment rights.

** FRC has been at the forefront of the recent Supreme Court oral arguments. Don't miss my appearance on Fox News' "America Live with Megyn Kelly," as I debated why the U.S. Supreme Court should uphold natural marriage. You can watch the clip below. Also, don't miss my appearance on Fox Business' "Lou Dobbs Tonight," at 7:00 p.m. (ET), as well as Ken Klukowski's appearance on PBS' "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," at 6:15 p.m. (ET).

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY UNDER FIRE AROUND THE WORLD

Elizabeth Kendal, a member of the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (AEA RLC), monitors situations around the world ignored by mainstream media in the West.  That the West no longer cares about religious liberty is shameful and depressing.  Kendal's work represents a mighty call to prayer.

Below is the latest installation of Kendal's reporting which offers updates on Sudan, Burma, Egypt, Eritrea, the EU, Iran, and Vietnam.  I've been bowled over by this report. 

I value the way she begins:

'Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer . . . ' (Psalm 10:15a ESV), the 'arm' being the machinery of action that facilitates evil: military and economic supply lines; power structures, relationships and networks; forums that disseminate ideologies of death. Lord, break them all!


* SUDAN (RLPB 194), where the Nuba and other African tribes across the 'new south' (Abyei, Sth Kordfan and Blue Nile) are facing genocide at the hands of the Islamist and racist, Arab-supremacist regime in Khartoum. 

UPDATE: On Friday 25 January some 350 African Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) presented their appeal to the African Union (AU) for action concerning the 'war in South Kordofan and Blue Nile'. Meanwhile, senior leaders of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), including Yassir Arman and Malik Agar, met with the US envoy Princeton Lyman in Washington to appeal for action to prevent genocide. Lyman, however, merely exhorted them to renounce violence and lay down their arms, adding that the Obama administration leans towards a political resolution and believes 'the ongoing tracks are acceptable'. Well, God does not find the situation acceptable! So let us put our trust in God, not humanity, and pray Psalm 10, that HE will intervene in Sudan.

* BURMA (RLPB 192), where the Buddhist and racist, Burman-supremacist regime in Naypyidaw has launched a full-scale war against the Christian Kachin, deploying helicopter gunships and bomber jets against civilians in Laiza.

UPDATE: Guy Horton of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, says the fighting is unlike anything he has previously witnessed in Burma (see video interview). He writes from northern Kachin State: 'The churches are open on a 24-hour basis. The people pray for deliverance from a conflict where Kachin soldiers, with the support of tens of thousands of civilians, are fighting for survival against an army several times their number.' He notes that the Kachin people are 'bonded by their Christian faith', adding that they are targeted by the Burmese army precisely because of 'their religion and their ethnicity. The law of genocide thus applies.' Horton reports: 'Kachin fixed defensive positions protecting civilians are probably unsustainable. Confronted with jet bombers, artillery, heavy mortars and overwhelming numbers of ground troops, Kachin soldiers may be unable to protect their civilians in the long- or even medium-term.' He expects not a mere humanitarian disaster but 'appalling human rights violations' and regards the West's silence as 'complicity with evil'. (For more detail see Religious Liberty Monitoring.) Pray Psalm 10 for Burma.

SUDAN: racial-religious genocide in 'new south'. 'Worse than Darfur' -- but who cares?

From Elizabeth Kendal of Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin:  (January 22, 2013)

In 1992, during its war against South Sudan, Khartoum declared a jihad against the 'rebellious' Nuba: the African tribes of the north's Nuba Mountains who along with the southerners were resisting Islamisation and racist Arab supremacy. A government-sponsored fatwa legitimised the jihad by labelling Muslim 'rebels' as 'apostates' and Christians as 'kaffirs [infidels / unbelievers] standing as a bulwark against the spread of Islam', and affirming that 'Islam has granted the freedom of killing both categories'. Nothing has changed -- same genocidal regime, same racial and religious hatred, same jihad, same aim: genocide.

Reporting on the situation across Sudan's 'new south' -- Abyei, South Kordofan and Blue Nile -- Dr Mukesh Kapila, the former UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator in Sudan (2003-04) laments: 'The ethnic cleansing is largely complete.  . . . Rebel areas are depopulated and largely empty.' He says that in Blue Nile, some 450,000 people have been affected with fields and villages being razed as Sudanese radio calls for the region to be 'combed' and cleansed of Africans who are de-humanised as 'black plastic bags'. He reports that in South Kordofan -- where soldiers have been ordered to 'sweep out the trash' (i.e. the Africans) and 'eat them alive' -- displaced families have retreated to remote cave networks where food is scarce. Whilst many are determined to remain, saying 'This is our country', others are simply too weak to attempt the long trek south. It is a journey that is itself incredibly dangerous, for Khartoum wants the Nuba not just gone, but dead -- unable to return.  A delegation from HART (Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust) recently confirmed that on 12 December 2012 1700 civilians from Ulu Payam (Kirmuk County) left for South Sudan, only to be attacked en route by SAF (Sudan Armed Forces) ground troops. Many were killed and many children scattered, with only 700 of the original 1700 arriving in Maban, South Sudan.

Dr Kapila adds: 'What I've seen in the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile is all that I've seen in Darfur, plus the addition of modern technology. Ten years after, we have precision guided missiles, land mines which I don't remember seeing in Darfur, anti-personnel bombs, cluster bombs which I did not see in Darfur, we see MiG fighters which I don't remember seeing in Darfur, and we have a much more precision-guided approach with distance over the horizon artillery. So this is not just another Darfur; quite possibly, it is worse than Darfur.'

Human Rights Watch estimates that a total of 900,000 African (non-Arab) Sudanese are now affected. Having razed the farms and villages, the regime maintains a blockade on humanitarian aid, using starvation as a weapon of mass destruction. This has long been the regime's preferred method of mass killing: engineering a famine and just waiting as the population turns skeletal and quietly drops into the dust. Khartoum has a long history of this type of warfare -- indeed President Omar el-Bashir has perfected mass murder and his conscience is untroubled. Despite this, the US administration has assured Khartoum that it is not seeking regime change but rather normalising relations. This is because the US believes friendship with Khartoum is in its geo-strategic interests on the spurious grounds that it thinks Khartoum could be helpful in the fight against terrorism. In truth, the West's interests would be better served if it feared the LORD!

Bishop Andudu Adam Elnail of the Anglican Cathedral in Kadugli only survived the ethnic-cleansing of Kadugli (the capital of South Kordofan) because he was receiving medical treatment in the US when Kadugli was invaded and ethnically cleansed in June 2011. This week Bishop Andudu and Dr Kapila will attend the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa to lobby for action to end the suffering in Sudan's 'new south'. They have identified Friday 25 January 2013 'Heads of State meeting on Sudan' as a key test of the AU's 'credibility'. Bishop Andudu is praying the AU will soon take action and send humanitarian aid, implement a ceasefire and  send a delegation to the conflict areas. 'That [would] be very helpful,' he said.

HISTORICAL NOTE: In 1913 the newly formed Sudan United Mission (SUM) Australia-New Zealand began sending pioneer missionaries into the Nuba Mountains. The first 'Sudanese Church of Christ in the Nuba Mountains' was planted in 1914. By 1936 there were 33 Australian and New Zealand SUM missionaries working in the Nuba Mountains alongside others who had arrived from various missions (in particular Church Missionary Society) and from the USA. After Sudan became independent in 1956 under a repressive Muslim, Arabist government, the missionaries, sensing their time was limited, redoubled their efforts in Bible translation. By the time the missionaries were forced to leave in 1962, Australian SUM (now Pioneers) missionaries had translated the New Testament into five Nuba languages. Today the Nuba are predominantly Christian. Germany, the USA, New Zealand and particularly Australia, all have strong spiritual ties (does that imply responsibilities?) to the people of the Nuba Mountains. May this centenary year be the year the battle is turned back. Remember - our struggle is not primarily against flesh and blood. (Ephesians 6:12)

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT THE LORD OF HOSTS WILL --

* intervene in Sudan, so that 'the wicked will be caught in the schemes that they have devised' (Psalm 10:2b ESV).

* 'Break the arm [the machinery of action] of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none' (v15); may the machinery of evil -- the government in Khartoum, the Sudan Armed Forces, the military hardware -- be disrupted so that forces of liberty, justice and equality might be able to rise against it.

* show Omar el-Bashir and all who wield power in Khartoum (vv3-13) that YAHWEH reigns and is King forever (v16).

* see the suffering of the victims (Ps 10:14), hear their cry (v17a), strengthen their hearts (v17b) and provide them with justice (v18a) 'so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more' (v18b).


SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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RACIAL-RELIGIOUS GENOCIDE IN SUDAN'S 'NEW SOUTH'

According to Dr Mukesh Kapila, the former UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator in Sudan (2003-04), the ethnic cleansing of Sudan's 'new south' -- Abyei, South Kordofan and Blue Nile -- 'is largely complete'. He comments that due to advances in technology, this war is 'worse than Darfur'. Displaced Africans (non-Arabs) unable to reach the massively over-populated refugee camps in South Sudan have retreated to remote caves. Having destroyed their food supply, the Arab-Islamist regime is blockading all humanitarian aid and using starvation as a weapon of mass destruction. These Africans are predominantly Christian. Christianity in the Nuba Mountains dates back nearly a century to when pioneer missionaries from Sudan United Mission Australia-New Zealand planted the first church there in 1914. Please pray for the Lord to intervene in Sudan.

CAN WE STILL PRAY AT GOVERNMENT MEETINGS?

From the Family Research Center (FRC):  [I have highlighted in bold print certain sentences to help introduce the subject under discussion}

On January 7, the director of FRC's Center for Religious Liberty, Ken Klukowski, filed a compelling brief with the U.S. Supreme Court concerning efforts to prevent prayer at the beginning of government meetings (whether they be municipal, county, state, or federal).

Signed by 49 Members of Congress, including the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, the document makes a convincing argument that prayers before government meetings are constitutional and a matter of religious liberty for all Americans. You can read the brief in its entirety here.

FRC filed the brief on behalf of the Members to support the Alliance Defending Freedom's petition to the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Town of Greece v. Galloway. In Galloway, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that the use of public prayer before town meetings in the town of Greece, New York was an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment.

The Second Circuit Court maintained that a prayer is unconstitutional if it contains frequent Christian references or if those saying the prayer say "we" when offering it. Also, the Second Circuit Court ruled that government-meeting prayers are unconstitutional if too few prayers in a given venue are offered by non-Christians. Ironically, this was despite the town of Greece's highly inclusive policy that allowed even practicing Wiccans and atheists to offer civic prayers.

In the brief, Klukowski argues:

Since its creation, the United States House of Representatives has begun its daily sessions with prayer. Both chambers of the First Congress passed resolutions to hire a salaried chaplain, whose foremost duty is to open each session with a formal invocation seeking the blessing of God on the people's elected Representatives as those leaders discharge their official duties ... These (congressional signatories) regard legislative prayer as important for policymaking bodies, both to solemnize official occasions and to seek God's blessing, wisdom, and guidance in making consequential decisions. Each Member also represents municipalities, school districts, and counties--not unlike Petitioner Town of Greece--and part of a sovereign State, each of which is governed by a body that practices legislative prayer at the outset of its meetings and sessions.

FRC President Tony Perkins, noting the importance of the case, said:

The Founders understood that religion is good for society, and defended "the free exercise thereof." Family Research Council is honored that 49 Members of Congress, including the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, have chosen FRC to present their arguments to the nation's highest Court. We hope the Supreme Court will reject the freedom-threatening Second Circuit opinion in this case, and reverse it.

FRC's friends at the Alliance Defending Freedom have compiled a list of all relevant briefs, including FRC's and that of a group of distinguished theologians.

As we go forward advancing our cherished religious liberty in this effort, we ask for your prayers, both for wisdom for us and for a sound outcome from the nation's senior jurists.

Sincerely,

Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice-President
Family Research Council

HOBBY LOBBY STANDS ON THE FIRST AMENDMENT, REFUSING TO COMPARTMENTALIZE RELIGION

And Hobby Lobby is absolutely right!   The Obama administration refuses to see the point, in effect delimiting  "freedom of religion" to mean only "freedom of worship."  There's a huge difference between "freedom of religion and "freedom of worship."  Businesses that want to run on biblical principles, reflecting a Christian ethos, should not be forced to give out "morning after" pills if it goes against their conscience. Kathryn Lopez writes:

“It’s more than just work,” Mart Green, treasurer of Hobby Lobby and CEO of Mardel, a Christian bookstore chain, says in a video explaining why his family simply cannot and will not comply with the Department of Health and Human Services mandate insisting they provide abortion drugs to their employees. As of yesterday, Hobby Lobby, the arts and crafts chain, is in violation of federal law. Barack Obama’s Department of Justice has been arguing that religious liberty doesn’t have the role in the life of a business. But the Green family knows that their business lives cannot be cut off from their lives as Christians. And so the business makes decisions seeking to strengthen family, seeking to lives integrated lives, as Mart Green explains:

 

The Green family provides a real lesson to a culture that has become all too content compartmentalizing religion. And now by government mandate …

The Family Research Council has commented on the Holly Lobby dispute with the coercive Obama administration.   Pull quote:

The HHS Mandate is a gross violation of the religious beliefs of the Green family. The issue before the courts here is whether the Greens religious-liberty rights include running their secular, for-profit business consistent with their religious beliefs. In other words, is religious liberty just what you do in church on a Sunday morning, or does it include what you do during the week at your job?  [more....]

MORSI'S PROPOSED EGYPTIAN CONSTITUTION: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM OUT THE WINDOW

Read Samuel Tadros'  succinct analysis here.

PASTOR RICK WARREN - RELIGIOUS LIBERTY WILL BE THE CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE OF THE NEXT DECADE

Warren is absolutely right.  He plans a national congress on religious liberty in June.  Read more about it here (plus video).

AMERICAN ANIMALIST ASSOCIATION CONFUSES PLURALISM WITH ANTI-RELIGION

From the Family Research Council:

One Nation Under [Censored]

The new Congress hasn't even been sworn in yet, but that hasn't stopped atheist groups from lobbying the incoming freshman. Less than 24 hours after the elections, the American Humanist Association was already warning new representatives about any involvement with the Congressional Prayer Caucus (CPC). "Incoming House members should know that approximately one in five of their constituents are not religiously affiliated, and even more insist on maintaining the wall of separation between church and state."

The letter, posted here, accuses the Congressional Prayer Caucus as relegating people who don't pray as "second-class citizens"--a ridiculous allegation, in part because the CPC is about a lot more than prayer. Just last week, the bipartisan group published a special booklet outlining all of their projects from the 112^th Congress, which show that secularists--not the CPC--are the real threat.

Congressman Randy Forbes (R-Va.), a good friend of FRC's and co-chair of the CPC, was on "Fox & Friends" this morning to talk about the Association's letter. "They don't want anyone in government to be able to even mention or say anything related to God, faith, or religion. And they don't want anyone in the church to say anything about government. That's clearly not the intention of the First Amendment and the Constitution as most of us know it!"

Note:  I got the term "Animalist" from Vishal Mangalwadi whom I heard use the term  "secular animalism" (for "secular humanism") in a radio interview in July, 2012.  Indian-born Mangalwadi recently authored  The Book That Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization. 

An important review of the book may be found here.
The broad-brush thesis of this book is this: without the Judeo-Christian worldview, there would be no Western civilisation as we know it. The Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament have contributed more to the development of the West than any other single factor.

In over 400 information-rich pages the Indian-born scholar documents how the Bible directly and profoundly contributed to the rise of the West. And not only has the West benefited immeasurably - so too has the rest of the world. Indeed, he argues that the "Bible was the force that created modern India" as well.  [more. . .]

--  See my previous post on Mangalwadi here which contains strong endorsements of the book from outstanding Christian thinkers including Chuck Colson, Dallas Willard, Ravi Zacharias, and David Lyle Jeffrey.

SAUDI ARABIA: CONVERT FLEES; HELPERS TO FACE COURT

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin
-- Interpol and Swedish authorities aid Saudi Embassy to hunt convert.

By Elizabeth Kendal

Since late July Saudi media have been buzzing with reports that a 28-year-old Saudi woman has embraced Christianity and fled the country, staying initially in a church in Lebanon before moving on to Sweden. According to the Saudi Gazette, the woman, Maryam, appeared on an Arabic TV channel saying she was tired of performing prayers and fasting during Ramadan -- rituals that never brought her any benefit. She also criticised Saudi Arabia's Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. She claimed to have been converted through a dream and said that though she was raised to hate Judaism and Christianity she has come to love those religions since finding peace in Christianity.

The woman's father said his daughter was working in an insurance company in Al-Khobar (in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province) when her boss, a Lebanese Christian man named Henna Sarkees (50), influenced her and ultimately encouraged her to leave Islam. According to Saudi investigators, a second man, a Saudi national, helped the woman obtain false documents and leave the country. The woman's family have pressed charges against the two men because apostasy (leaving Islam) is an Islamic capital offence and a Saudi woman is not allowed to get a passport without the permission of her male guardian. The men will face court on Saturday 15 September.

RELIGIOUS WORSHIP VS. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Nancy Pelosi wants to keep religion within the walls of a church.  John Stonestreet at Breakpoint writes:

CNS News broke the story late last month: At a recent press conference held to discuss the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a.k.a., “Obamacare”), a reporter asked former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a critical question:

“One of the services that health care plans have to offer free of charge [under the HHS mandate] are sterilizations… do you agree with the federal government mandating—”

At this point, Congresswoman Pelosi cut the reporter off and responded, “You know what, I told you before, let’s go to church and talk about our religion. Right here we’re talking about public policy as it affects women…”

Stonestreet responds:[my emphasis]

“Let’s go to church and talk about our religion,” Congresswoman Pelosi said. The message is clear: If you’re concerned about the well-being of young women, and aren’t sure that free sterilization without parental consent is a good idea, you’re just trying to shoehorn your religion into the public debate, where it doesn’t belong. Go back to church and be quiet.

As Chuck Colson warned two years ago, and as we’ve been pointing out ever since, the current administration has been advancing an entirely new definition of religious liberty—one which must bow to any perceived sexual freedoms and which must remain within the walls of our church buildings.

As Matthew Lee Anderson of MereOrthodoxy.com points out in our interview this weekend on BreakPoint This Week, it’s more than religious freedom being pushed out of the public square. When it’s pushed out, secular institutions, including government, become increasingly hostile towards it.

Our freedom to express and exercise our religion in the public square is quickly being sterilized—without our consent.

AIR FORCE TAKES SECULARISM UNDER ITS WING

From the Family Research Council -

In the new report by FRC and Liberty Institute, we counted 644 incidents of religious hostility in the last decade. And thanks to a memo from outgoing Air Force General Norton Schwartz, we just found #645. Days before retiring, Gen. Schwartz took a parting shot at religious expression by warning commanders that they proselytize at their own peril. In the second section of his 27-page memo, Gen. Schwartz orders officers and supervisors to "avoid the actual or apparent use of their position to promote their personal religious beliefs to their subordinates or to extend preferential treatment for any religion." Failure to adhere, writes Gen. Schwartz, "can form the basis for adverse action [e.g. court martial] under the Uniform Code of Military Justice."

The Air Force had already accumulated quite a record of Christian intolerance. First, it suspended a 20-year-old class on "Just War Theory" because it included scriptural references. Next came the stripping of "God" from the Rapid Capabilities motto and the purging of Bibles from Air Force Inn checklists. At Christmas, the Academy ordered cadets to stop promoting a Christian charity for needy kids. Leaders even removed an article from a Squadron Office School curriculum for referencing chapel. Now, it seems the goal of religious "neutrality" has become an excuse for faith-based hostility.

As FRC's new Executive Vice President, Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin (U.S. Army-Ret.), pointed out this morning, it's very unusual to see the severity of a punishment spelled out in memos. Clearly, this was designed to have a chilling effect. And since Gen. Schwartz refused to even define "proselytizing," leaders will have the freedom to interpret the term however they see fit. What's more, it doesn't clarify whether this rule applies equally to all faith groups or specifically targets Christians. Either way, it will almost certainly lead to a wave of self-censorship from commanders who are fearful of crossing the Air Force's blurry lines.

In the meantime, atheist groups are already seizing on Schwartz's memo as validation for their cause. But, as I told Fox News, a secular nation was never what the Founders intended. And our military--which ironically was designed to protect religious liberty--deserves better. For a national snapshot of faith-based intolerance, check out the joint report at ReligiousHostilty.org.