Free Republic

Butternut Squash Soup is calling, but Joel Hunter stands glued to CNN in his living room in rainy Orlando. Lunch can wait another minute, because details about President Barack Obama's meeting with a foreign leader might be coming. When the news anchor switches topics, Hunter, satisfied, quickly joins his wife, Becky, at their glass dinner table. One of Hunter's megachurch staffers gleefully picks on his boss, recalling when Hunter sat next to boxing legend Muhammad Ali at Obama's inauguration: "You should've given him a little nudge on the shoulder, just to say you've been in a fight with Ali." "Oh...

Ready for a day to honor blasphemy? According to press reports, September 30 is set as the observance of the first-ever International Blasphemy Day. This could be interesting. The choice of September 30 looks back to that date in the year 2005, when the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad's face sparked outcry and protests in the Muslim world and threats toward the West. Now, as Religion News Service reports, the Center for Inquiry is planning a day of observances to mark the occasion. Ron Lindsay, a lawyer who serves as president of the Council for Inquiry International, said...

The Day of Atonement: Removal of Sin's Cause and Reconciliation to God We have already seen—through the symbolism involved in the Passover—that Christ's shed blood atones for our past sins. In fact, atonement means reconciliation. The Day of Atonement symbolizes the reconciliation of God and all humanity. If we are reconciled to God through Christ's sacrifice, why do we need another Holy Day to teach us about reconciliation? If we are already reconciled, why do we need to fast, as commanded on the Day of Atonement? (Leviticus 23:27; Acts 27:9). What is this day's specific significance in God's master plan...

TORONTO—You’ve never seen Jesus like this before: dripping red nail polish around the nails in his feet and hands, an irreverent riff on the crucifixion wounds. The provocative title of the painting: “Jesus Does His Nails.” Blasphemous? Absolutely. Deliberately provocative? You bet. It is part of an upcoming art exhibit in Washington that will mark the first-ever International Blasphemy Day next Wednesday (Sept. 30) at the Center for Inquiry DC near Capitol Hill. Artist Dana Ellyn says her “Blasphemy” paintings are a tongue-in-cheek expression of her lack of belief in God and religion. The self-described “agnostic atheist”—she doesn’t believe in...

A court in Columbus was supposed to take up one of the matters involving Rifqa today, but a magistrate judge decided Monday to set both cases -- a criminal case and a dependency case -- for a hearing Oct. 27, said Ohio lawyer Kort W. Gatterdam. Gatterdam is representing Rifqa in the criminal matter. That case was prompted by a filing by Rifqa's father, Mohamed Bary, asking a judge to declare his daughter incorrigible for repeatedly being disobedient. Gatterdam said he filed a motion to dismiss that case this morning. In the mean time, Rifqa, 17, remains in Florida. A...

The presiding bishop of the nation's largest Lutheran denomination warned Wednesday that withholding financial support to protest a recent gay clergy vote would be "devastating" to the church. Bishop Mark Hanson laid out his concerns in a letter to leaders of the 4.7 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which is based in Chicago. The ELCA churchwide assembly voted last month to allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy, dropping a requirement that gay clergy remain celibate. The Rev. Mark Chavez, director of Lutheran CORE, said the gay clergy vote was the devastating event — "a...

Some 2 million students are expected to gather around their school flagpoles Wednesday morning for the 20th annual See You at the Pole event. Youth from elementary age through college will pray for their schools, communities and nation at student-led events that leaders hope will serve as a springboard for a national spiritual awakening. "Historically, youth have been at the forefront of moral and spiritual awakening in our country," said Doug Clark, director for field ministries for the National Network of Youth Ministries and a spokesman for See You at the Pole (SYATP).

What Islamic Terrorism??? Fate of 17-Year-Old Fathima Sealed byPaul L. Williams, Ph.D. thelastcrusade.org The lawyers for Aysha and Mohamed Bary, the parents of Fathima Rifqa Bary, the 17 year-old Muslim girl who converted to Christianity, assured Orange County District Court today that there is no such thing as honor killing in Islam. Romin Iqbal assured Circuit Judge Daniel Dawson that such killings are “cultural and tribal” and are not related to “the Islamic religious practice.” No one in court took issue with Iqbal’s statement, despite the fact that Islamic law clearly calls for the killing of anyone who abandons...

The assault on Christianity in the UK continues, but at the same time Islam continues to grow stronger. The UK is quickly heading towards disaster and they need to put on the breaks before it is too late. At the end of the article, I have posted some interesting comments about this that were left on an Islamic site. UK Nurse to Lose Job for Wearing Cross CAIRO — A devout Christian nurse is being ordered to remove a cross or face suspension, The Sun reported Monday, September 21.

The Nightmare of Christianity By Max Blumenthal September 9, 2009 The following is an excerpt from Max Blumenthal's new book, Republican Gommorah: Inside the Movement That Shattered the Party, published by Nation Books. A few miles down the road from Colorado Springs [a home to James Dobson's Focus on the Family], in the quiet bedroom community of Eldredge, a deeply disturbed young man named Matthew Murray followed the unfolding debacle at New Life Church [once under the stewardship of Pastor Ted Haggard] with an interest that bordered on obsession. Murray, a sallow-faced, bespectacled 24-year-old, had been indelibly scarred by a...

Once again we see just how backwards things in the UK are. Last week the Manchester Council was calling for an upcoming anti-Islam protest to be canceled. Now two Christians have been arrested for discussing Islam with a Muslim. Apparently non-Muslims there now have restrictions on their free speech, while Muslims can openly call for holy war.

A Christian couple have been charged with a criminal offence after taking part in what they regarded as a reasonable discussion about religion with guests at their hotel. Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang were arrested after a Muslim woman complained to police that she had been offended by their comments. They have been charged under public order laws with using ‘threatening, abusive or insulting words’ that were ‘religiously aggravated’. The couple, whose trial has been set for December, face a fine of up to £5,000 and a criminal record if they are convicted. Although the facts are disputed, it is thought...

This morning I posted an article about Pastor Brian McLaren, who has disgraced Christianity by celebrating Islam and fasting for the month of Ramadan. A couple of weeks ago, I had read about this and I wrote him this email. Mr. McLaren, I was reading your article, and Eboo Patel's article, about the two of you being fasting partners.

A vision on the Blessed Virgin Mary has appeared on the wall of a building in downtown Apia, the capital of Samoa. This just weeks after a huge convention of Catholics filled the streets of Apia for a conference and march. Followed by prayers for the "road switch" which occurred on Sept 7th when they switched from driving on the Right Hand side to the Left.

In line with the ACORN videos, I thought that I would go to a “respected” website and encourage its commenters to reveal themselves. Instead, I found a thread at the Volokh conspiracy that needs no incitement of disdain and hatred. The essay was by David Bernstein entitled: American Jews, Liberalism, and the Democratic Party ... These are Liberals and Libertarians speaking to each other. All comments are cut and pasted, not edited in any way. Please note that these a comments appended to a single essay in a highly respected blog hosted by law professors. A more telling combination of...

"Tolerant" Muslims in Pakistan have once again gone on a rampage against Christians there. But hey, lets increase our financial aid to them, because what Muslims do to Christians just does not matter. Christian held for blasphemy ‘commits suicide’ * Provincial minority affairs minister says body bore torture marks * Asma Jahangir blames police for Fanish Masih’s death

Now that popular conservatism has given itself over so avidly to racial resentment, it's curious to remember how hard the right once tried to scrub itself of the lingering taint of prejudice. Indeed, for a decade and a half the Christian right -- until recently the most powerful and visible grassroots conservative movement -- struggled mightily to escape its own bigoted history. In his 1996 book Active Faith, Ralph Reed acknowledged that Christian conservatives had been on the wrong side of the civil rights movement. "The white evangelical church carries a shameful legacy of racism and the historical baggage of...

With Western Civilization under such vicious attack by secular humanism, it is extremely important to understand how Western Civilization came into being. And more importantly -- what civilization is being left to our children.

The Wall Street Journal may be an unusual venue for theological debate, but this past weekend's edition featured just that - a theological debate of sorts. The "of sorts" is a necessary qualifier in this instance, because The Wall Street Journal's debate was not, as advertised, a debate between an atheist and a believer. Instead, it was a debate between two different species of atheists. The paper's "Weekend Journal" section front page for the September 12-13, 2009 edition featured articles by Richard Dawkins and Karen Armstrong set in opposing columns. The paper headlined the feature as "Man vs. God: Two...

<p>Paul L. Williams, Ph.D.</p> <p>If you think Muslims and Christians share similar values and that Islam should be welcomed into the United States and Europe, you might want to catch the latest headlines from Yemen.</p> <p>A 12-year-old Yemeni girl, who was forced into marriage by her parents, died during a painful childbirth that also killed her baby, a children's rights group said Monday.</p>

ISLAM & PROSTITUTION = IN CHRISTIAN VALUES = OUT thelastcrusade.org In our vibrant American Democracy every citizen has the right to his personal beliefs. Americans, private citizens, and political figures alike, are free to choose their friends and enemies according to their world-view or personal agenda. These rights have served the nation well since the founding of the Republic and must be respected. However, it is critical that the beliefs and personal/political agendas of our elected officials be clearly defined and made known to those who have placed them in positions of power. It is unreasonable to allow our lawmakers...

Fr. Matteo Ricci Related articles: Paul's Missionary Journeys & Last VoyageThursdayThursdayThursday Venice, Italy, Sep 12, 2009 / 06:13 pm (CNA).- A new documentary on the life of Fr. Matteo Ricci, a pioneering Jesuit missionary to China, was screened at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday. The film is part of a revival of interest in Ricci, whom Pope Benedict XVI has called a model for a “fruitful meeting” between civilizations.The movie, directed by Italian filmmaker Gjon Kolndrekaj, was shot in China and Italy.Political and religious dignitaries from both countries attended the screening, ANSA reports. They included the Patriarch of...

What is meant by laws of nature? Presumably it is the business of science to uncover them. Yet few people, and few scientists, ever unpack the term. Many would be surprised to know that there are deep controversies among philosophers about the meaning of "laws of nature." Creationists have the high ground in this arena...

Rifqa Bary, the teenage girl who converted to Christianity from Islam and then fled for her life after her father threatened to kill her, faces daunting obstacles in her quest to be free. As a high-profile apostate, she is Islamists' highest value target right now. And on top of that, she faces a Leftist media that is complicit with those who want to see her dead or institutionalized. Witness the outrageous treatment that Newsweek gave to her story in its September 9 issue, and especially to Jamal Jivanjee, Rifqa's friend and confidante. Newsweek reporter Arian Campo-Flores, said Jivanjee, asked him...

The Gates of Hell Seem to be Prevailing, but Why? By Pastor Phil Magnan San Diego, Ca. Sept. 9th, 2009, I have been advocating against the immoral practice of abortion, homosexuality and many other issues of morality for 20 years. I certainly had hoped through our efforts that the world would have turned out better, than where we are going now. Sadly, we as a nation are turning away from the living God and giving ourselves over to greater wickedness, apostasy and depravity. Now to be clear, our main focus was to alert and educate churches as to what is...

In 1916 a church asked the Salt Lake City Council to allow them to build a huge cross, "the symbol of Christianity," on Ensign Peak. "We would like to construct it of cement, re-enforced with steel, of sufficient dimensions that it can be readily seen from every part of the city," the request read. That request came from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The cross was to honor the Mormon pioneers. Even though the proposal was approved by the City Council, the monument was never built. Today, there are no crosses on Mormon temples. Yet two are...

Most of my regular readers will obviously remember the articles posted here about the Dove World Outreach Center, which had posted anti-Islamic signs in the Church's front yard. Most recently some members of the Church were even sent home from school for wearing "Islam is of the Devil" tee shirts. Here is an exclusive interview with Dove's Dr. Terry Jones - Senior Pastor. Christopher Logan: Good morning Pastor Jones. Pastor, recently your Church has made headlines by placing Islam is of the Devil signs on the front lawn of the Church. What was your reasoning for this, what threat do...

Hello everyone, I hope that you are enjoying a wonderful holiday weekend. I am new here and posting to get your thoughts on a piece that I have written recently regarding my take on the state of the nation from a historic and biblically submissive perspective. If this is your cup of tea, I would greatly appreciate your checking out the following excerpt and then, if you like, click on the accompanying link to continue reading and post your thoughts. I greatly appreciate any thoughts or feedback that you might provide. Thanks for your time and kind consideration! Here is...

…and its consequences upon sectarian teachings. Folks, OK, so me and my tables. Blame it on a personal idiosyncrasy that favors tabular data organization. But before we go deeper into it, consider this statement: if we were to suddenly lose every single manuscript of the New Testament, we will be able to rebuild it almost word-for-word from the written words of the Fathers of the Church alone. This fact has holds some profound consequences, as we will see further below. But now, the table, the source also being The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict:Early Patristic Quotations of the New...

Let’s question the “common-sense” double-standard. Folks, I was reading this article published today in Time Magazine online, entitled, The Burial Box of Jesus' Brother: A Case Against Fraud, because the controversy has been around for a while and of course, because of the significance of the artifact were the claims to its authenticity be proven beyond reasonable doubt. Nevertheless, the introductory paragraph disappointed me, although I am already used to this case of disappointment coming from the so-called mainstream experts. Check it out: The world of biblical archaeology was stirred in 2002 by the unveiling of a limestone burial box...

Lunch time rolls around for me at work and it is time for me to grab up some grub, get a cold diet coke, and close the door to my office to work on this blog or to read up on the Volunteers for a little while. It's the 30 minutes or so of solitude in an otherwise crazy hectic day for me. So today as I sit down to eat a spicey italian from Subway I am in a football frenzy. It is just 2 days till the Big Orange hit the field and so I journy over to...

By Christopher Logan I have frequently spoken to Islamic apologists who say that their Muslim "friends" respect Jesus. They probably do, but it is not in the same way that Christians do. In the view of Muslims, Jesus is coming back as a Muslim and he will break the cross (destroy Christianity) and be a slave to Islam. He will also abolish the jizya, which will leave Jews and Christians with only two options. To convert to Islam or die.

Rifqa Bary, the young woman who fled Ohio fearing for her life, after converting from Islam to Christianity, told of her Muslim father's words: "If you have this Jesus in your heart, you are dead to me. I will kill you." "I will kill you"- the same words spoken to Mohammed Hijazi by his Muslim father in 2008. Watch this important video. "From the Gaza strip to neighboring Egypt, his father is promising to kill him for becoming a believer." "Now he's on the run with his wife and little baby." "Mohammed Hijazi's father always taught him to hate Christians....

The leftist/Islamic alliance is pulling out all the stops to blunt the impact of the word of a 17-year-old girl, Rifqa Bary -- who converted from Islam to Christianity and fled from her family after her father threatened to kill her. In Islam, apostasy carries the sentence of death. And -- according to Bary -- her father was intent on carrying it out. The Leftist/Islamic spin machine was slow on the uptake. They assumed that Rifqa would be sent back to Ohio at her jurisdiction hearing last Friday. But she wasn’t. The candor and integrity of this girl’s desperate plea...

Those who argue that all religions are essentially the same reveal the fact that they know little about these very different belief systems. The worldview of Christianity is, for example, radically different from the belief structure of Buddhism (some forms of which may actually claim to resist the very idea of beliefs). These differences in belief systems are apparent in Lisa Miller's recent article for Newsweek. As she explains, "A million-plus Hindus live in the United States, a fraction of the billion who live on Earth. But recent poll data show that conceptually, at least, we are slowly becoming more...

Rifqa Bary, the Ohio girl who converted from Islam to Christianity and fled from her family in fear for her life, prevailed. She will not be sent back to her father who threatened her life. But she got no help from the mainstream media. Either they didn't report her story or when they did, they printed half-truths and deceptions to whitewash Islam. The media demonized Christianity ("brainwashed by a cult") while inaccurately reporting the facts in order to avoid reporting about the violent ideology of Islam. They have become almost as depraved as the murderers they cover for. And in...

The ongoing de-Christianization of Kosovo continues and unlike the past frenzy of the anti-Serbian mass media in the West, we mainly have a deadly silence about the reality of Kosovo and the continuing Albanianization of this land. However, how is it “just” and “moral” to persecute minorities and to alienate them from mainstream society; and then to illegally recognize this land without the full consensus of the international community? How ironic it is that the same United States of America and the United Kingdom, two nations who were in the forefront of covertly manipulating the mass media; remain mainly silent...

Considering that top Christian leaders in the UK actually backed the opening of the Sharia Courts there, I guess that this should come as no surprise. The slow suicide continues. CROSS BAN FOR CHURCH SCHOOLGIRL Young Lauren banned from wearing her necklace By Emily Fox A CHURCH of England school has ordered a pupil to remove her necklace with a cross even though children of other faiths can wear religious jewellery.

On National Day of Prayer, You kept silent, But today you showed us where your heart is!

I have a canteen sitting on a bookshelf in my office. It is a reminder of what I carry with me each and every day. The canteen belongs to a friend. I have seen him use it on several occasions and always thought it was a rather smart item to possess. There have been moments when he and I were somewhere outside and the canteen that he carried held the only available water source – our life source; thus a smart item to carry around. This weekend, I was with a friend who I deeply admire. Her spirituality is real...

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who assumed office in 2004, is warning that evangelization threatens the stability of his island nation. Citing “aggressive preaching” and criticizing the “wave of revival, megachurches, and tele-evangelism” he sees in the United States, the Buddhist prime minister-- and Catholic high school alumnus-- said that “the most dangerous fault line is race and religion.” An estimated 4% of the nation’s 4.6 million inhabitants are Catholic; 43% are Buddhist, and 15% are Muslim.

Fathima Rifqa Bary, a 17 year old girl from Columbus, Ohio is hoping a Florida court will protect her from her devoutly Muslim parents, who have threatened her with death... because she has become a Christian. Tomorrow Rifqa will argue for her life in front of a Florida judge. Pamela Geller from the blog Atlas Shrugs has been following this story closely and joins EC to discuss how Rifqa's case is unique, not in the fact that she has been marked for death by her family, but in that she has escaped and is telling her story publicly... and the...

A recent survey was conducted among clergy of mostly non-evangelical churches. The survey found that a full 51% of those clergy support legalized abortion. Also according to the survey: "Two-thirds of mainline clergy disagree that "the Bible is the inerrant word of God, both in matters of faith and in historic, geographical, and other secular matters." Which serves to explain these other findings: * Sixty-five percent support either same-sex marriage or civil unions. * Fifty-four percent do not support the teaching of creationism alongside evolution in public school biology classes. * Forty-three percent disagree that evolution is the best explanation...

This past week two of the most oft-used names among the talking heads of cable news shows were Congressman Barney Frank and Jesus Christ. I’m sure this is the first time Barney and Jesus have been mentioned on the same television show: Barney Frank for fighting back against his constituents who are angry about the prospect of government-run healthcare, and Jesus Christ because suddenly leftists want to use Jesus’ name to justify laws they think are moral obligations. On Wednesday and Thursday Congressman Frank was featured on every show from Sean Hannity to Rachel Maddow and everyone in between. Of...

LISTEN TO THE REAL REVEREND JESSE ON THE INTERNET OR A RADIO STATION IN YOUR AREA......BOND Action, Inc...Educating, Motivating and Rallying Americans! The Jesse Lee Peterson Radio Show Streamed live online from 6-9 a.m. PST / 9-12 a.m. EST. Call in the same times usually. For Live Questions or Comments Call 1-888-77-JESSE(5-3773) You can email comments and questions to radio@bondaction.org For more information on getting The Jesse Lee Peterson Show picked up on a station in your local area call Ermias Alemayehu at 1-877-WE ACT77 (932-2877)

Hebrews 5:8 8Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered Guess what? Life is messy, it is hard, and it can be painful at times. However it is at these times that we find out how deep our faith is. It is during the height of our struggle that we will truly find where our strength lies. We learn from our mistakes, and that is the key. These hardships that are placed in our path are not the atonements for past sin, as much as they as opportunities for us to change course, see truths that...

2. What are the dates of these documents? The crucifixion of Christ took place, it is generally agreed, about AD 30. According to Luke iii. I, the activity of John the Baptist, which immediately preceded the commencement of our Lord's public ministry, is dated in 'the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar'. Now, Tiberius became emperor in August, AD 14, and according to the method of computation current in Syria, which Luke would have followed, his fifteenth year commenced in September or October, AD a7.1 The fourth Gospel mentions three Passovers after this time; the third Passover from that date would...

Here is a video of this past Friday's hate speech by the NY Muslims of RevolutionMuslim.com. This week their spokesperson kindly tells us that the time will come when the cross will be broken and non-Muslims will have no choice but to convert to Islam, as Sharia Law will rule the world.

On a political forum I happened to run across one of the peculiar arguments some use against people of faith. Some have complained about invocations of the name of the Creator in political matters, or even requests for prayers for our country. The argument goes something like this: “Your religion says to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s. There is supposed to be separation of church and state in this country.” For some reason, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (separation of church and state) has come to mean...

his list is based on responses to a Gallup Poll that asked a cross-section of Americans if religion is an “important part” of their lives. 1. Mississippi 85% 2. Alabama 82% 3. South Carolina 80% 4. Tennessee 79% 5. Louisiana 78% 6. Arkansas 78% 7. Georgia 76% 8. North Carolina 76% 9. Oklahoma 75% 10. Kentucky & Texas (tie) 74% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HUMAN EVENTS is the news source President Reagan called his "favorite newspaper" and we still hold high the Reaganesque principles of free enterprise, limited government and, above all, a staunch, unwavering defense of American freedom.