Free Republic

From the Sister Paula Website: Paula Nielsen is a true pioneer. She has lived as a transgendered woman since 1963, in the days when she had to carry around a letter from a prominent physician to avoid arrest. She worked as church secretary in the early years of Portland Metropolitan Community Church. She wrote for some of Portland’s first gay newspapers in the 1970’s. During the ‘80’s and much of the ‘90’s she had a regular nightclub act at the legendary Portland venue Darcelle XV. In 1987 Paula began broadcasting her public access cable show. She has since made appearances...

This winter, as the Rev. Joel Osteen graces the pages of People Magazine, the familiar image of the old-school, anti-gay televangelist is rapidly being replaced by a new iconography: a younger generation of mega-church leaders with upbeat and inviting messages. Unfortunately, while this generation's tone may seem less harsh, many of their mega-churches still enforce policies of exclusion and teach theologies that label Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people as sick, sinful, and in need of change. An "American Family Outing" is taking shape in the spring of 2008 so LGBT families can talk with mega-church leaders and congregation...

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday said Iran bore no hatred towards the United States as he held talks with American Christians in a rare official contact with visitors from Tehran's arch enemy. State television showed Ahmadinejad meeting with a dozen American representatives from various Christian orders who are in Iran for a week-long visit to promote peace and dialogue between the foes. "The Iranian nation does not have any feeling of hatred and opposition towards the American people and we believe that all people are respectful and given the common grounds people have, they could achieve peace and justice," Ahmadinejad...

Under pressure to crack down on a Maoist rebellion, Manmohan Singh, India’s prime minister, will review counter-insurgency plans at a meeting with state chief ministers to be held on April 13. In the wake of a recent hijacking of a train by Maoists in the northern state of Jharkand and the storming of a jail in neighbouring Bihar, Mr Singh has been criticised for failing to prevent the collapse of local government in vast swathes of the country. Thirteen state governments met in New Delhi on Friday to thrash out a strategy to combat Maoist guerrillas operating with increasing impunity...

NEW DELHI, July 8: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers as they are commonly known, are providing military training to the Maoist rebels of Nepal in Bihar near the Nepalese borders. Some French trainers have also been hired, a Maoist rebel leader revealed to the South Asia Tribune.

JALPAIGURI (Indo-Nepal-Bhutan-Bangladesh Border), July 24: Over 165 Maoist cadres are being trained in Bhutan at present, as Bhutan has been included in the future Maoist country, ‘Dandkaranya Desam’. The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and Kamtapur Liberation Organization (KLO) are imparting the training. A senior leader of the Standing Committee of a Maoist outfit confirmed this to the South Asia Tribune.

The installation of a new leader of the predominantly homosexual Metropolitan Community Church, held at the Washington Cathedral yesterday, was to be accompanied by the announcement of a new program called "Focus on the Human Family," but attorney's for Dr. James Dobson's "Focus on the Family" intervened to protect the Christian ministry's trademarked name. The Reverend Nancy Wilson was installed as the Presiding Bishop as scheduled, but not before MCC committed to removing the "Focus on the Human Family" name from its website. The service's program followed the original theme of "Unfinished World, Unfinished Calling," but references to the disputed...

Agency’s Houston center evacuated as Hurricane Rita approaches NASA ordered the evacuation of its Johnson Space Center in Houston on Wednesday and turned over control of the international space station to its Russian partners as Hurricane Rita barreled across the Gulf of Mexico. Space agency officials said the center would be closed on Thursday and Friday, with "ride-out teams" staying behind to keep watch on critical systems. Rita is expected to make landfall near Houston by Saturday.

More than 10,000 Nepalese have been killed by Maoist's terrorism for nearly 10 years. Unfortunately there is evidence India has been supporting the terrorists. New Delhi's intelligence service, RAW (Research & Analysis Wing) has been supporting the terrorists perhaps because New Delhi may have designs on Nepal's territory and wants to see more instability. The professed goal of the insurgency, now nearly 10 years old, is the establishment of a totalitarian state, ala Pol Pot's Cambodia. For this, in their view, it is necessary to begin from "ground zero". For the fulfillment of their objectives it is necessary, in their...

A gay clergywoman is to make history when she takes part in the country's first same-sex wedding by marrying her long-term partner. The Rev Debbie Gatson, 46, will join two other gay couples who plan to tie the knot in Brighton on December 21. Ms Gatson, of the Metropolitan Community Church, will marry her partner of 16 years, Elaine Cook, 53, who has two grown-up children from a previous heterosexual marriage. The ceremony has been made possible by the new Civil Partnership Bill which comes into force on December 5. There is a 15-day period before any ceremonies can take...

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Leaders of San Francisco's gay community expressed sadness over the death of Pope John Paul II, but said they felt isolated from the church by what they say was his anti-homosexual reign. And the pope's successor is unlikely to institute any major changes that could bring disaffected gay Catholics back into the faith, they said. "His death hit me, even though I don't like anything he stood for," 39-year-old Darryl Kalbaugh said from behind a cash register at a stationery shop called "Does Your Mother Know" in the gay Castro District. A few blocks away, in...

Why should Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh worry about absolute monarchy in Nepal? Well, for one because events in Kathmandu could impact the power of Maoists in the Himalayan kingdom. And here lies the rub. For some time now, it has been established that Nepal Maoists have developed linkages — in terms of personnel, fire-power and operations — with Naxalites in India. And therein lies the problem. As Naxalites strike, seemingly at will in a huge swath between Bihar and the Tamil Nadu border, police are getting jittery about the fallout of Nepal. Chhattisgarh's director general of police last week...

At an hour when many of their friends are sitting down to Sunday brunch, the congregates of Berkeley’s New Spirit Community Church hunt for spiritual nourishment. With the choir pumping out upbeat songs and the casually dressed congregates bouncing along, the hour-and-a-half service stylistically resembles those of other small upstart Protestant denominations leading a nationwide religious revival. But New Spirit is a different breed. Many of those swaying arm-in-arm to the songs are same-sex couples. One lesbian pair slow danced in the aisle as the pianist played “From A Distance,” a song made famous by Bette Midler. “The whole point...

NEW DELHI/ VARANASI: The militants, who killed 17 Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) jawans in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, looted seven self-loading rifles and three AK-47 rifles, besides ammunition. State DGP V K B Nair rushed to the spot. According to the IG, Varanasi zone, Dev Raj Nagar — who was camping in Naugarh area to monitor the combing operation — the incident took place around 7.30 am when the police party was on patrol. Naxalites had placed the explosive under a culvert in the forest, about two km away from Chandraprabha dam. They set it off by remote control. The...

Kathmandu, Nepal's rebels may be teaming up with Maoist guerrillas in the Indian state of Bihar for joint attacks on security forces. The People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) says it is a joint force comprising Maoists from Nepal and the outlawed Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) of Bihar. The outfit was reportedly behind the attack on an Indian police post Tuesday night. Around 250 to 300 people attacked the Simraini police picket in Bagaha district, about 8-10 metres from the India-Nepal border, around midnight, heavily outnumbering the 13 policemen posted there at that time. The attackers, using loudspeakers, described themselves as...

Ferndale mayor, minister plan mass gay wedding The Associated Press 5/27/2004, 9:21 a.m. ET FERNDALE, Mich. (AP) — Mayor Robert Porter and a minister plan to officiate at the mass wedding of up to a dozen gay couples outside City Hall next week to demonstrate support for legalizing same-sex marriage in Michigan. Porter said he is taking part in the ceremony June 5 at the request of the Rev. Mark Bidwell of the Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit, located in Ferndale. The mayor said he hopes his presence sends a message that gay people should be allowed to marry legally....

Predominantly Gay Metropolitan Community Churches Teams Up With R Family Vacations Wedding ceremonies and interfaith services performed aboard inaugural cruise 03.29.04 DALLAS, TEXAS -- R Family Vacations, the first travel company devoted to gay and lesbian family vacations, has teamed up with Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC), the world's largest and oldest church group with an affirming ministry to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) communities. MCC will perform wedding ceremonies and offer worship services aboard R Family Vacations' historic inaugural cruise in July. "We are honored to partner with MCC -- their support of gay and lesbian families...

Communist guerrillas calling for a boycott of the Indian national elections are suspected of triggering a land mine that killed at least 26 policemen in the eastern state of Jharkhand. The policemen were blown up last night as they travelled in a truck and a jeep on a dirt road in the Saranda Forest. Police had raided a suspected guerrilla hideout in the dense jungle and were leaving the forest when the land mine went off, said a spokesman. The attack took place on the eve of deputy prime minister, Lal Krishna Advani campaigning in Jharkhand. Despite the attack, he...

Prominent conservatives are warning that the debate over civil marriage could soon move into the religious arena and change the way churches treat marriage. Same-sex couples are already looking ahead to May when they can obtain civil marriage licenses in Massachusetts. And just in the last two weeks, officials in San Francisco have handed out marriage licenses to more than 3,000 homosexual couples - allegedly in violation of the California Constitution and a voter-approved referendum. Religious marriage poses a different set of circumstances since churches and similar institutions are protected by the Constitution. But conservatives of various religious denominations told...

THE success of Royal Bhutan Army’s operation against Indian insurgents operating from its territory has encouraged the Vajpayee government to mount pressure on Nepal for a similar strike on hideouts of Indian Maoists across the Indo-Nepal border. The issue was taken up by Union Home Secretary N Gopalaswami at his two-day interaction with Nepalese counterpart Ananta Raj Pandey that ended on Wednesday. Mr Gopalaswami is said to have offered technical assistance by the Indian forces in the proposed military crackdown by the Royal Nepalese Army on Maoist hideouts bordering Terai region in UP, Purnea in Bihar and Siliguri in West...

With Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu narrowly escaping an attempt on his life on Wednesday, October 1, the spotlight is once again on the Naxalites, their ideology, and their violent movement. We present a brief primer: Who are the Naxalites? The Naxalites, also sometimes called the Naxals, is a loose term used to define groups waging a violent struggle on behalf of landless labourers and tribal people against landlords and others. The Naxalites say they are fighting oppression and exploitation to create a classless society. Their opponents say the Naxalites are terrorists oppressing people in the name of...

KATHMANDU : India has called for intelligence cooperation with Nepal to check the common threat posed by Maoist rebels. "Maoists are not only the problem of Nepal , but they also pose a threat to India as well," Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shyam Saran said at an interaction programme here Saturday. He said effective intelligence cooperation between Nepal and India is essential in order to track the top Maoist leaders, including Baburam Bhattarai and Prachanda, if they are hiding in India . "We have clear evidence which suggests there are links between Nepalese Maoist outfits and the Indian terrorist groups...

Fallen AngelUnder the Reverend Michael Piazza, the world's largest gay and lesbian church soared, only to tumble into divisiveness and anger BY J.D. SPARKS ––––––––People flocked by the hundreds to Cathedral of Hope to hear the sermons of senior pastor Michael Piazza. –––––––– Preparation for Sunday-morning services at the Cathedral of Hope resembles backstage on opening night of a Broadway production. The halls bustle with activity as volunteer coordinators and staff tick off their to-do lists. Everything must be perfect, from preparing urns of coffee to ushering in latecomers to ordering multimedia presentations that flash headlines, film clips and still...

Letter to a young church Did a gay L.A. congregation lure Bush into a trap?It is immensely satisfying seeing the Bush administration squeezed in a vise between the mouthfoamers at the widely read, rabidly right-wing website WorldNetDaily and a Christian church that ministers to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people. The vise is of their own making, of course, with the Bushies cynically pushing their compassionate conservative pap while playing to a party base that is anything but compassionate. It’s hilarious to watch them caught red-handed now and then, scrambling not to offend anyone but losing points on all sides....

The series of claymore mine blasts triggered by the outlawed People's War that nearly killed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in October has provoked the central government to set up a special security unit to check the Naxalites. The decision followed a Union home ministry report that said Left-wing extremist groups are responsible for the second largest number of violent incidents and killings in India. Terrorism in Kashmir takes the top slot. A senior government official told rediff.com that the special security unit will be raised out of the Central Reserve Police Force. "We will give special training...

At today's White House news briefing, WND asked presidential press secretary Scott McClellan about President Bush having sent a congratulatory letter to a denomination founded by homosexual activists that performs more than 6,000 same-sex "weddings" each year, not long after endorsing "Marriage Protection Week." WND: Scott, WorldNetDaily reports that just after the president proclaimed marriage to be "a union between a man and a woman," the Metropolitan Community Churches, which perform 6,000 same-sex nuptial ceremonies a year, received a letter from the president congratulating them for "encouraging the celebration of faith and sharing of God's love." And my question: Since...

Not long after he endorsed "Marriage Protection Week," President Bush sent a letter of congratulations to a denomination founded by homosexual activists that performs more than 6,000 same-sex "weddings" each year. The president wrote to the founding congregation in Los Angeles of the Metropolitan Community Churches, led by leading homosexual activist Rev. Troy D. Perry, on the occasion of its 35th anniversary. Rev. Troy Perry, left, and partner Phillip De Blieck were granted a marriage license in Toronto in July (Photo: Toronto Star) "By encouraging the celebration of faith and sharing of God's love and boundless mercy, churches like yours...

During the last year, Communist terrorist organisations have registered an unusual increase of 36 per cent in their activities. The precision with which mines were blasted with the intention to take Chandrababu Naidu’s life speaks a lot about the preparedness of the People’s War Group (PWG). Since the 1917 October revolution, violence has been an inseparable part of the Communist ‘practical party line’. From Stalin and Mao to EMS and Jyoti Basu, violence has always been the hallmark of Communist parties’ growth even as banners inscribed with the words ‘Peace, Harmony, People’s power, Condemn the Bourgeois, Long Live the Revolution’...

PATNA, India -- Suspected communist rebels detonated a land mine under a passing police vehicle in eastern India on Monday, killing 12 officers, police said. The attack took place in hilly terrain in Rohtas district, 125 miles west of Patna, the capital of the eastern Indian state of Bihar, said Ritu Raj, the deputy inspector-general of police. Raj said militants of the outlawed Maoist Communist Center were suspected in the attack since the area is their stronghold. Other details were not immediately available. The rebels work closely with the People's War Group, another guerrilla group, and are active in five...

The communist movement is long dead in India, and yet a large number of Maoists continue to thrive there. They have little hope of ever getting to the level where policies are made, and make no pretense of programmatic work; violence is their stock in trade. According to a recent report by New Delhi's Institute for Conflict Management (ICM), violent incidents committed by the Maoists and related deaths have climbed steadily in the past two years. As before, India's Maoism is an international movement: the difference now is that the international connections are exclusively to violent Mafia-like outfits, including gun-running...

No doubt this is a sin-sick world we live in, yet it still amazes me how wicked and debased America continues to become. You better brace yourselves for this one folks. In my recent WND commentary, "Was Jesus 'gay?'," I addressed the "gay friendly" theology of the Metropolitan Community Church – one of the largest growing networks of homosexual churches worldwide catering to the "gay, lesbian and transgendered communities." In 2003, the MCC's website claims it will have over 70,000 members spanning 17 countries. The commentary exposed the twisted teachings of the MCC and its homosexual founder, the Reverend Troy...

World's Largest Gay Congregation Votes For Independence Dallas' Cathedral of Hope Breaks From UFMCC POSTED: 9:24 a.m. CDT July 28, 2003 UPDATED: 9:30 a.m. CDT July 28, 2003 FORT WORTH, Texas -- The world's largest gay congregation has voted to become an independent church. On Sunday, the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas voted to leave the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. Earlier this month, the Rev. Michael Piazza gave up his ministry credentials after a complaint was filed against him regarding finances at the church. He continues on as dean and co-pastor of the church.

Close co-operation and exchange of information between Nepal and India was the need of the hour to tackle the Maoist threat, Indian Ambassador in Nepal Shyam Saran has said. Underlining India's stand against terrorism, Saran said India will not allow any activity directed against Nepal in its soil and admitted that the Nepalese Maoists were establishing links with terrorist groups, including PWG and MCC, which are operating in India. "We have evidence to prove that the Maoists were involved in drawing action plans with terror organisations in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa," the envoy was quoted by The Himalayan Times...

Activists of the banned Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) dynamited the newly constructed building of Govardhanana police station on the Indo-Nepal border in Bihar's west Champaran district late on Friday night, police said none was injured in the attack as police personnel had not been deployed in the newly constructed building. About fifty heavily armed MCC activists blew up the building and while retreating left behind Naxalite literature. The borders of the district had been sealed and combing operations launched to nab the MCC ultras, the police said.

Incidents of traffic disruption, bomb throwing and firing today marked the first day of the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) sponsored two-day bandh, called to protest against the Hazaribagh district Sessions Court’s verdict awarding death punishment to three MCCI activists in the Beltu massacre case in which 14 persons were killed in 2001. DGP R.R. Prasad told The Indian Express that police had to resort to firing to disperse protestors who blasted tracks between Thapar and Barkakana. Asked if there were any casualties, he said: ‘‘We don’t know yet.’’ Later, an exchange of fire between police and agitationists at...

In eastern India, suspected Maoist rebels have triggered a series of explosions on rail tracks, causing three trains to derail. Rail officials say the derailments occurred before dawn Tuesday after suspected Maoist rebels blew up train tracks at different locations in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. Slowing-moving local trains derailed but passengers were not harmed. A senior official in Central Railways, Radhesham Varshney, made a statement on Indian television. He says five or six bombs had been planted along the rail tracks, but not all the bombs had exploded. He says huge stretches of track have been ripped apart....

Two Maoist guerrilla groups active in India's Jharkhand state (bordered by West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Chhattisgarh) are planning a merger to strengthen their base and counter an intensified police offensive, the Times of India reports. The Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) and People's War Group (PWG), both banned rebel groups, are expected to merge by October or November this year, Indian intelligence officials say. Security officials believe the merger indicates the pressure the rebel groups have been under due to increased police action. "Top leaders and commanders of both groups have been either killed or arrested in police action," an...

The first day of a 48-hour shutdown called by Maoist guerrillas to denounce the death sentence handed down to three of its activists badly affected railway services in Jharkhand on Tuesday. Fearing attacks by the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC), officials deserted three railway stations, police sources here said. Several other trains, including those transporting coal, were diverted while some long-distance trains were cancelled, officials said. The MCC called the strike to protest the death sentence awarded by a court last month to three of its activists for massacring 14 people in a village called Beltu in April 2000. Maoist guerrillas...

Dean Of Largest Gay, Lesbian Church Surrenders Ministry Credentials Reverend To Remain As Dean Of Cathedral, Co-Pastor POSTED: 7:52 a.m. CDT July 14, 2003 UPDATED: 9:48 a.m. CDT July 14, 2003 DALLAS -- The dean of the world's largest gay and lesbian church in the world has surrendered his ministry credentials. The Rev. Michael Piazza of the New Cathedral of Hope in Dallas will remain as Dean of the Cathedral and co-pastor with the Rev. Dr. Mona West. Back in April, a complaint was filed against Piazza. The complaint has never been made public and church board members say...

One of the fastest growing churches among homosexuals in America and around the world is the Metropolitan Community Church – a "Christian" church specifically for "gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered communities." The MCC was originally started by openly homosexual ex-Baptist minister, Troy Perry, who after the discovery and disclosure of his homosexuality, losing his license as a minister, a divorce and estrangement from his wife and children, as well as a failed suicide attempt, "rediscovered" his rainbow-colored vocation and ministry. From his Los Angeles living room in 1968, Perry and his initial 12 members began their "gay church." According to...

Editor's note: This commentary contains language and descriptions of sexual activities which will be offensive and disturbing to some readers. Allyson Smith contributed to this article. By Stephen Bennett © 2002 WorldNetDaily.com No doubt this is a sin-sick world we live in, yet it still amazes me how wicked and debased America continues to become. You better brace yourselves for this one folks. In my recent WND commentary, "Was Jesus 'gay?'," I addressed the "gay friendly" theology of the Metropolitan Community Church – one of the largest growing networks of homosexual churches worldwide catering to the "gay, lesbian and transgendered communities." In...