The response has been typical of those who call for tolerance. When they oppose something, they spread lies, make threats, and try to intimidate others to get their way, like unruly children. They say that tolerating religious freedom will give people the right to discriminate and open the way for widespread discrimination against them. It doesn’t matter to them that they are discriminating against others by promoting their beliefs while preventing others from practicing theirs. Liberty is a two-way street. If Gays can practice what they believe, others should be able to do the same. While Gays single out Christians, opposition to the Gay lifestyle is widespread among all organized religions, including Muslims, Hindu, and Buddhists, as well as a lot of atheists. President Biden is pushing Congress to pass a law that would strip away any protection for those who support the traditional family and open the door for Gays to force their lifestyle on others.
Freedom of Religion-B-W
Our nation was founded on religious freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution showing it was of the highest concern among the founding Fathers. In our day, it has been repeatedly violated by corrupt judges and legislators who openly scorn the Constitution. President Obama sought to force insurance companies under Obamacare to include benefits for abortions in spite of the fact that the Law authorizing Obamacare expressly forbit any provisions including abortion. He then attempted to force doctors and hospitals to perform abortions even if their faith expressly condemned abortion. Our God given right to express our faith is under attack and Christians need to stand with those who face persecution to protect their right to not violate their conscience. President Trump was able to get Congress to pass a religious freedom restoration law to ensure that it remained the law even if the Constitution was ignored. However, the federal law only applies to the federal government, not the States. As a result, 30 States have passed a similar law to protect their citizens and other States are considering them. Hobby Lobby won their case against being forced to provide drugs inducing abortions in their health care coverage as a result of the law. The fight over the law has revealed a lot about those who call for tolerance today. The laws are designed to protect Christians from being forced to go against their conscience in matters of faith. That such laws are needed shows how corrupt our nation has become. President Biden is showing his contempt for law by seeking to force doctors and hospitals to perform abortions in violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRAS) and the laws of States which have laws protecting freedom of religious belief.
Pentecost Sunday-May 19
The Holy Spirit cleanses our hearts like a fire refines gold. As a kid, my brother and I collected the lead tire balances that fell off cars along the road and would melt them in our furnace downstairs. After the lead melted, the impurities floated to the top. We then waited until the impurities burst into flames and burned off so that we would have pure lead before pouring it into molds. In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps cleanse our lives of those things that will hinder our witness through the trials and troubles we experience, and our changed life will witness to the Holy Spirit within us. One day, believers will stand before God and their works will be tried as with fire and those works that bore no fruit will be destroyed, though the believer will be saved. Only those works that produce fruit will remain.
Gay Rights-VI-Q
VI-J Our society continues to face a constant threat from Gay Rights groups. Though President Trump repealed the Obama pro-transgender decree, Gay Rights groups continue to threaten schools to get them to implement it. In addition, many liberal school boards are implementing them on their own in order to confuse and corrupt our children. Parents are being ignored by schools that promote transgenderism without telling them and do not tell them when their child begins to explore it. In fact, schools and children’s services are often hostile to parents who try to interfere. Teachers who refuse to implement the programs or even use the child’s preferred pronoun face severe punishment, including being fired. In addition, children are being deliberately confused as to their sexual identity through the programs being promoted through the schools and libraries in order to recruit them for the Gay life style. As free Americans, we have the ballot box to elect public officials who will resist such pressure and we can refuse to approve tax levies if they continue to promote the Gay lifestyle. We also have the right to protest and petition to oppose such things. If we do not use those tools now, we will lose them in the future. It is important for concerned citizens to stop this now.
Gay Rights-V-G
The most serious threat comes from those who are transitioning. Chemical transitioning is expensive. Since it adds chemicals to the body which are foreign to its makeup, it creates problems with the body’s functions, as well as opening the person up to all kinds of physical ailments which would hamper their combat readiness and require costly medical treatment. Soldiers are given a physical to determine if they are physically able to handle training and combat, and it is foolish to enable them to undergo treatment that would jeopardize that capability. Sex adjustment surgery is an elective surgery and is very expensive. In addition, it does not change who the person is. A woman may change to look like a man but it does not change her muscle or bone structure which are not as adapted for strength as are those of a man, leaving her at a disadvantage in a combat situation. While proponents claim that it is necessary to prevent them from committing suicide, studies show it does not reduce the risk of suicide and may actually increase the likelihood of them committing suicide. The White House continues to push the Dept of Health and Human Services to increase efforts to ban conversion therapy (helping confused kids sort out their sexual feelings) and increase access to transgenders, including children, for sex therapy including sex blockers and adjustment surgeries. Kids who faced that confusion in the past usually worked out their confusion over time on their own or with professional help but today they are pushed to transition with no attempt to help them sort out their confusion. As a result, transitioning often does not solve their confusion, it often compounds it.
Gay Rights-V-F
Government officials have gotten out of control and many no longer care what their constituents want, they are intent on satisfying the backers that finance their election campaigns. The Canadian legislature passed the “Youth and Family Act” in 2017 that added sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of things judges can consider in determining if parents are abusive. Indiana introduced a bill where a judge could charge parents with child abuse if parents opposed their child’s sexual orientation or gender identity, and could take the child away. While that sounds far-fetched to many, an Ohio judge did take a child from its parents in 2018 and granted custody to the grandparents because the parents did not approve of their child’s gender identity. Child protection agencies are becoming increasingly hostile to parental rights and are giving more power to children to determine their future when they are too young to make such decisions. Planned Parenthood pushed an amendment to the State constitution through a State-wide vote. The amendment contained a small clause buried in it which makes it illegal for anyone, including parents of a minor, from interfering with their child’s decision to obtain medical care, to prevent interference if the child wants to have an abortion and the law can be used to prevent interference in the child obtaining gender transition drugs and surgeries as well.
Ascension Sunday-May 12
Sunday before Pentecost- Focus on mission-Ascension Sunday reminds us of Christ’s ascent to heaven and is the prelude to Pentecost when the church should be launching its summer evangelistic efforts. Before it starts, the church should be clear on it’s mission. After Jesus rose from the dead and showed Himself to His disciples, He appeared to them in Galilee-Matt. 28: 16-20 He gathered them and told them to go and make disciples of all nations, and to teach them all that He commanded them. During Pentecost, we concentrate on winning the lost. We are to seek the lost and lead them to the Lord. Once they receive Christ, we are to baptize them, symbolically illustrating their death and resurrection in Christ. During Kingdomtide we will focus on making disciples when we seek to teach them to do all that Christ has commanded us. That involves active training, not the passive attendance which is common in many churches today. Now is a good time to finalize plans for a summer campaign to reach those who do not know Christ. Every church board should open every meeting with the questions “What can we do to win souls?”.
Schools-5-A
In 2018, Missouri passed a law to allow schools to use instruction hours instead of days of school to allow flexible schedules including four day weeks. They claim it will help retain teachers and save money though no proof has been given to support those assertions. Parents have strongly resisted it because it would force them to get daycare for their children on the fifth day because most parents have to work five days a week. While some companies are experimenting with flexible work schedules for employees, most working parents do not have the option of flexible scheduling. The main problem lies in the increasing number of single parent families and families where both parents work. While other States have discussed changing the school schedules, such as going to school all year. None have gained much traction
Schools-2R
There has been an ongoing fight since the voucher program began about whether public funds should go to private schools. The issue hinges on whether the State should support religious schools. Opponents claim religious schools should not get vouchers because the State cannot support religious instruction but if that is the case, they cannot support the public schools either because they teach Humanism which is really a religion because it meets all the criteria for a religion. The fact that most opponents and supporters miss is that it is not supporting the schools as such, it is providing funds for the student to go to the school of their choice. To say they cannot use it for religious schools is to discriminate against Christians. Parents should be free to send their children to the school of their choice. The Supreme Court has ruled that the government cannot bar Christian schools from receiving government funds simply because they are Christian. Public schools are paid for from public taxes while Christian schools must depend on tuition from students and donations from supporters. Those who send their kids to Christian schools must not only pay taxes to support public schools, but tuition for their children as well. As a result, many church members cannot afford to send their kids to Christian schools so Christian schools cannot compete with the public schools. Vouchers given to parents to take to the school of their choice would level the playing field and enable more church members to send their kids to Christian schools. By giving each student, a voucher for a certain amount, parents can choose the school that is best for their child. If parents want to send their child to a more expensive school, they can pay extra, but many Christian schools actually cost less than public schools. (see “Truly in the World But, Not of it” part B, published by Lulu Press under “Education” for a full discussion of vouchers.)