An atheist group has filed a lawsuit because a community torn apart by violence came together to pray in public. This is only one in a long line of lawsuits designed to eliminate Christians from the public domain. The fact the court even agrees to hear them tells you how corrupt many of our courts have become. They have absolutely no legal grounds for filing the lawsuit. They say they are offended by seeing people praying in public, though I suspect they may want the violence to continue and may be afraid that the violence will stop if people pray together. The federal court ruled that public prayer is unconstitutional. Can you believe that? Now atheist organizations are trying to prevent the Supreme Court from taking the case. What in the Constitution bans public prayer. This is only one in a long line of frivolous lawsuits to harass and intimidate Christians to be silent. They know the power of prayer and fear it so they want to stop it any way they can. We need to restore judges to the bench who will enforce the laws which protect freedom of speech and freedom of religion, as well as all other laws that protect the rights of churches, organizations, and private individuals. Lower level judges are usually elected. While a judge’s political affiliation does not appear on the ballot, it is easy to find. Higher level judges are appointed, so it is important to elect officials who will appoint judges that will enforce the law and not make laws from the bench.
Archive for the ‘Freedom of Religion’ Category
Freedom of Religion-D-Z
Although President Obama toted his church connection during his election campaign, he showed nothing but contempt for the church while in office. He launched a continuous attack against the church. He pushed a widespread increase in laws aimed at trapping churches in violation of IRS rules. President Biden also has toted his church connection but continued the attacks against the church. While large churches can hire professional accountants and legal advisers to help them avoid the pitfalls, small churches cannot and must depend on volunteers who cannot keep up with the constant stream of new laws governing church accounting. An increasing number of pastors are being jailed and heavy fines levied against churches forcing them to close because of violations of IRS rules. In addition, the IRS deliberately held up applications from organizations seeking non-profit status to prevent them from speaking out before the 2012 election. The city of New York and others have declared that churches can no longer use public facilities for religious services under the pretext that it would give the appearance that the city endorses religion. The Supreme Court, packed with liberal judges following two appointments by President Obama upheld the New York City ban. In addition, the ACLU has pressured many schools and government facilities to deny churches use of their facilities by implying that it was illegal even though there was nothing in the law against it. Other schools and government facilities have taken it upon themselves to deny churches access to their facilities, under the pretext that it would be illegal to allow them to use the facilities. Such arguments do not hold any water. Many organizations routinely use public schools and other public facilities and nothing is ever said about the city endorsing those organizations. To deny churches use of public facilities simply because they are Christian is outright discrimination against Christians. Christians pay taxes that support those facilities like everyone else. Those churches were paying rental fees the same as everyone else so it was not a free service provided by the schools and the churches got no special treatment.
Freedom of Religion-D-Y
In recent years, federal, State, and local governments have increasingly sought to remove God from the public square. Manger scenes have been barred from being on government property and the Ten Commandments has been barred from display in schools, and in court and legislative buildings under the pretext that it would appear to indorse religion. They also have tried to ban songs and displays of Christian themes while they allow Muslim and humanist religious songs and displays. They know and fear how much Christ can affect the culture. That doesn’t prevent churches and individual Christians from doing so on their own property or the private property of others, willing to let you use it. Christmas is a wonderful time to tell everyone the God has come in Christ to redeem His people. When I was young, a lot of people put up displays with all kinds of themes from Christian to Santa Claus, to just cartoon displays with a Christmas theme. After I was married, my wife and I used to go around at Christmas time to see them. Such displays are increasingly rare. More people are switching to simple light displays. My wife and I still go out to see them but it isn’t like it used to be. While a lot of people like to see light displays at Christmas, in response to the increasing darkness in our society, it provides only momentary relief. My wife and I have never had much money to spare because you don’t get rich ministering to the poor, but I have tried to have a display whenever possible. It has ranged from a small picture of a manger scene in my window facing the street, like I have now, to a 4×8 foot board out front displaying the manger scene, to a glassed-in porch covered on all three sides with a scene of the manger in front, flanked on one side by a scene of the wisemen, and on the other by a scene of the shepherds, to tell the Christmas story. We didn’t have lights because it would have run up the electric bill, but it was visible during the day. It gets people to wondering. Why have a display of a baby in a stable? What does it mean? It will get them to asking about the meaning of Christmas, and hopefully get them to research it. If you can include a sign or even a limited range radio broadcast like synchronized light displays have that include Christmas carols and an explanation of the Christmas story, it will help let them know that hope is more than a momentary thrill of seeing a nice light display, it resides in the arrival of Christ who has conquered the darkness that lies in men’s souls. Every year for over 14 years, our church has had a display of manger scenes that are donated by local residents. It includes over 500 displays and one year had over 700. People walk through the church and view the displays while hymns tell the Christmas story and church members are available to answer questions. Hundreds of people walk through the church viewing the displays. Many have no church connection but just like to see something interesting and are exposed to the real meaning of Christmas. For those interested in creating a manger scene, I have a booklet with outlines that can be used to make a coloring book for the kids, a picture of the manger scene to decorate the house, or can be used to cut out figures from black paper to cover a window that can be seen from the street, available on request.
Eleventh Sunday of Kingdomtide-Nov 20
Freedom and Domination-The prophets were very clear about responsibility. The saying had been, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge”, implying that the children suffered due to the sins of their parents. While all mankind suffers because of the sins of Adam and Eve, it is because we choose to follow their example and choose our way over God’s way. God gave the law to direct our behavior towards what God had intended but our desire is to obey the letter of the law while getting around it to get our way if possible. Since our heart seeks to disobey, even when we outwardly obey, our heart isn’t in it and we are rebelling against God’s law, and the penalty for sin is death. The people later demanded a king like the other nations but God warned them that the king would tax them and conscript their sons and daughters for his benefit and would lead them away from God. In fact, that is what the kings did. The prophets reminded the people that “the soul that sins will die”. Each man is responsible for his own behavior. Men want to have someone else in charge to make decisions and take the heat for bad decisions. When we appoint leaders over us, we are authorizing them to make decisions on our behalf. We then become responsible for their decisions. If they don’t do what we want, we should remove them if we can. If we can remove them and do not, we are consenting to their decisions. When leaders take power by force and try to force us to do something that violates God’s will, we must decide whether we will obey them or obey God. We cannot claim we violated God’s law because man told us to, because no man has the authority to override God’s commands. Ultimately, God will hold us accountable for our behavior and will hold them accountable for theirs.
Tenth Sunday of Kingdomtide-Nov 13-A
Church and State-A Liberal politicians cry out when Christians call for protecting life, saying that the Constitution requires a separation of church and State. It does but not like they say. The Constitution prohibits the government from passing laws restricting the free exercise of religion. It does not prohibit the church from voicing its opinion on religious matters. Speaking one’s views on the value of life falls under the Constitution’s protection of free speech. You do not lose the protection of the Constitution simply because you are a Christian. Without God, man seeks only his own best interest. He can say that he wants what is best for everyone, but when it comes to doing it, he puts his interest before everyone else’s. That creates conflict as every man seeks his own interest. If four people have one pie, they cannot all have all of it. God calls us to seek what is best for everyone. True Christians and Jews recognize that and put God’s law before man’s law when the two conflict. Dictators fear true Christians and Jews because the dictator cannot force them to disobey God. There are many that believe they are Christians and Jews and may even attend church or synagogue, but when forced to choose, they choose to obey man and not God. Many who attended Christian churches supported Hitler when he came to power or at least stood by and did nothing when he exterminated the Jews, those who were crippled, and the mentally deficient, because they knew what Hitler would do to them if they opposed him. They put their own interest ahead of God’s law and preferred to play it safe. Many Christians did choose to obey God and spoke out against Hitler, and Hitler put many of them in prison or killed them. Dictators may severely punish those who stand up for God, but God’s people know that the rewards in the end are well worth it. The church today faces a similar choice. It can remain silent as it did in Germany, or it can choose to stand up for God.
personal notes
Ezekial 33:1-9 states that if a watchman sees the enemy coming and sounds the alarm, but the people do not heed it, they shall die in their sin and their blood shall be on their heads because they did not heed the warning. However, if the watchman sees the enemy coming but does not sound the alarm, then the people will die in their sin, but God will require their blood at the watchman’s hand. There are those today who seek to call evil good and call good evil. They seek to proclaim their evil openly and threaten and seek to silence those who try to expose them. If the pastors who are called to warn their people of danger are silent, their people will perish but God will require their blood at the pastor’s hand. This is a time when the watchmen cannot afford to be silent. Too much is at stake. There is soon coming a time in America when pastors may risk their lives proclaiming the truth, unless the they speak out while they still can. Some say that it will never happen here, but that is what they thought in Russia, China, Germany, and Cuba. That is the normal today in many places like Africa, India, and Pakistan, as well as Egypt, Iran, and Afghanistan. However, pastors can not do it alone. Every Christian who knows the truth must speak up as well. Not just when they vote, but in their everyday conversations.
Freedom of Religion-A-G
Liberals have sought to infiltrate and control what is taught in our public schools and universities, as well as the media, because they know that is where children learn about the world around them. As a result, liberal administrators are seeking to banish Christians and any beliefs that run contrary to their liberal ideas from our public schools and universities and have sought to impose their liberal beliefs on students without their parent’s knowledge or consent. Schools no longer seek to educate students to analyze problems and seek solutions based on facts, but are trying to turn children against Christian beliefs and indoctrinate them in their liberal beliefs. In addition, it has sought to control Christian schools and universities through threats and intimidation. Christians must recognize the threat and seek to reach children with the truth and expose liberal lies. Christians cannot expect that their children are immune to the lies and threats of the liberal school administrations. Churches must actively teach their children the truth and expose the lies in the media and their schools. While liberals portray Christians as accepting falsehoods on faith, the liberals base their arguments on feelings with little or no basis in fact and it is Christians whose beliefs are supported by facts. However, Christians cannot resist the liberal lies without access to the facts and liberals are doing everything possible to suppress the facts.
Freedom of Religion-A-F
The Biden Administration has changed the definition of sex in the non-dis crimination laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity and started excluding schools from the school lunch program who do not comply with their radical gender privileges including restroom use, dress codes, hiring, and pronoun use. Schools cannot get federal funds to feed needy children unless they comply with the radical Gay agenda. Alliance Defending Freedom took them to court and got them to agree to provide a religious exemption to all religious schools when it conflicts with their beliefs, but their mandate still applies to other schools that don’t have an explicit statement of faith opposing Gay practices. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Constitution, and we should not have to go to court to access our rights.
Freedom of Religion-A-E
President Biden is threatening to withhold funds from Christian schools unless they allow Gay and transgender teaching in their classes. Those funds are paid for by taxes paid by all taxpayers, Christians as well as non-Christians, and are used for meals, transportation, and other non-instruction services provided to students that attend both private schools and public schools. Since the Supreme Court just ruled that the government can’t withhold funds from schools solely because they are Christian, the administration is seeking other excuses to withhold funds in open defiance of the laws of this country. Conservatives, especially Christians, believe that the rule of law protects everyone equally. As a result, they are under attack from many fronts today. Liberals from all areas including abortion providers, Gay privilege advocates, socialist government workers, and many others see individual rights as a threat which prevents them from imposing their beliefs on you. Liberal judges and politicians know that Christians won’t accept their beliefs voluntarily, so they try to use the government to force their beliefs on us with no regard for the Constitution or the laws of this land. Christians are being persecuted throughout the United States for practicing their beliefs and even exercising their rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Liberals have done all they can to remove the Ten Commandments from the public square, asserting that their wealth and political power give them the right to determine the law of the land. President Trump worked hard to restore the Constitutional rights of citizens and the rule of law to our country. He was limited by the limits placed on the power granted the President, however he was also hindered by the barrage of threats and lies which liberals use to intimidate those who try to expose them.
Freedom of Religion-F-2
I received a note from one of my friends in Pakistan. He lives near Lahore City and is a Bible student who is doing evangelism there. He asked for a pastor to come help them and direct the work there. Pakistan is a Muslim country and Christians are under great persecution. He stated that 80% of the Christians there are slaves. They are working to purchase families out of slavery and provide them with work so they can repay their purchase price and support themselves afterward. Some Christians are fleeing the country but neighboring countries do not want them and will not help them so many have nowhere to go. Since Afghanistan, on their northern border, has fallen under control of Muslim extremists, Christians are increasingly afraid of attacks from their northern neighbor.