Free Republic

Bible Ignorance, Clergy Corruption and the Inquisition in England before the Reformation Bible Illiteracy as the Cause of Widespread Corruption and Deadly Censorship By Julio Severo In plain 21th century and specially in the pro-life and conservative movement, it makes no sense to defend the Inquisition, a highly divisive subject contributing nothing to the pro-family cause. But since 2013 I have seen the Inquisition, which tortured and murdered Jews and Protestants, being passionately excused and even defended by some Catholics. See "Can a Pro-Life Activist Defend The Inquisition?" in 2013 and "Neocons, the Inquisition, Russophobia and Lies" in 2015....

Soros, Birchers fight constitutional fix to limit Obama, Congress Convention of States March 16, 2015 A nationwide drive by mostly conservative states to throttle President Obama and Washington's grab for more power and taxes is running into an odd left-right combo of opposition: Liberal financier George Soros and the conservative John Birch Society. Documents provided to Secrets show that the Soros-backed Montana Budget and Policy Center recently urged the state's lawmakers to reject the so-called "convention of states" pushed by advocates such as radio talk show host Mark Levin as a way to pass constitutional amendments limiting the power...

This week, Virginia’s General Assembly considered applying under Article V of the U.S. Constitution for a convention to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The final “no” vote from Virginia may seriously take the winds out of the sails of the effort nationwide. Virginia is home turf for both Mark Levin and Michael Farris, key proponents of a “Convention of the States” campaign. However, some have been introducing an Article V Convention year after year in Richmond, so it may very well return next year. The decision was a highly controversial, high-stakes contest of two completely alternate understandings of what...

“The Obama administration is basically saying there is no right to home school anywhere,” said Michael Farris, founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association. “It’s an utter repudiation of parental liberty and religious liberty.”

Sobering Thoughts from the Romeike Case By Michael Farris, J.D., LL.M. HSLDA Founder and Chairman Having immersed myself for about eight days in writing a brief for the Romeike family (a German homeschooling family who fled to the United States for political asylum), I wanted to share some insights I gained into the view of our own government toward the rights of homeschooling parents in general. You will benefit from some context. The U.S. law of asylum allows a refugee to stay in the United States permanently if he can show that he is being persecuted for one of several...

Already we are seeing the Socialist, Marxist cogs in the change wheel manipulating away our freedoms and money. Congress and this President have wasted no time from the executive orders to the manipulative speeches and attachments on the ‘stimulus’ bill that insult and betray the American people. Don’t you love the endless speeches and statements by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Obama regarding the URGENT need to pass the stimulus bill or our country will go down in heaping flames? Naturally, we all understand the EXTREME emergency choices added to the bill such as $650 million for digital TV coupons;...

Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy is a fairly accomplished jurist, but he might want to get himself a good lawyer -- and perhaps a few more bodyguards. Conservative leaders meeting in Washington yesterday for a discussion of "Remedies to Judicial Tyranny" decided that Kennedy, a Ronald Reagan appointee, should be impeached, or worse. Phyllis Schlafly, doyenne of American conservatism, said Kennedy's opinion forbidding capital punishment for juveniles "is a good ground of impeachment." To cheers and applause from those gathered at a downtown Marriott for a conference on "Confronting the Judicial War on Faith," Schlafly said that Kennedy had...

Energised by last year's election victory which mobilised the Christian Conservative vote, the American Right has been confidently pushing a moral agenda which puts education at the heart of a battle to change US culture. Patrick Henry students are committed to transforming America Sitting in a noisy but strangely tidy student canteen, Naomi Laine outlines her political vision. "My intention is to impact the culture [of America]," she says. "The people are the most important component of a society, and so that's where the battle for the minds needs to be waged." Naomi sounds like a well-seasoned politician. But she...

Dear HSLDA members and friends: HSLDA Chairman and General Counsel Mike Farris is scheduled to appear on Fox News tomorrow, Thursday, August 5th at 11:40am ET. * The U.S. Department of Education's National Center of Education Statistics estimates that there were 1.1 million homeschool children in 2003. This is a 29% increase from the last NCES estimate of 850,000 in 1999. Everyone agrees that homeschooling is growing rapidly and homeschool graduates are succeeding in all walks of life. Homeschooling is a trend which is here to stay. Mike Farris plans to comment on the growth and success of homeschooling in...

College for the Home-Schooled Is Shaping Leaders for the Right By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK URCELLVILLE, Va. — As one of 12 siblings taught at home by their parents in St. Croix Falls, Wis., Abram Olmstead knew he would fit right in at Patrick Henry College, the first college primarily for evangelical Christian home-schoolers. But what really sold him was the school's pipeline into conservative politics. Of the nearly 100 interns working in the White House this semester, 7 are from the roughly 240 students enrolled in the four-year-old Patrick Henry College, in Purcellville. An eighth intern works for the president's...

Christian Right Talks of Bolting GOP in 2004 Phil Brennan, NewsMax.com Tuesday, May 6, 2003 Leaders of the Christian right are thinking of bolting the Republican Party in 2004. Such a move would deal a severe blow to President Bush’s re-election effort. Though Christian voters played a pivotal role in electing Bush in his razor-thin victory over Al Gore, NewsMax has learned that major figures in the evangelical movement, including James Dobson, are talking about withholding support from the Republican Party. Conservative religious activists cite the latest insult: the Republican Party’s failure to rally behind Sen. Rick Santorum, whose comments...

Last spring, the Rev. Donald E. Wildmon of Tupelo, Miss., decided to hold a summit meeting of the Christian conservative movement. Mr. Wildmon felt the movement was losing the culture war, he recalled in an interview on Friday. Since plunging into political activism nearly 30 years ago, Christian conservatives had helped Republicans take control of Washington but did not have enough to show for it, Mr. Wildmon said. At the same time, the election of Republican politicians had drained some of the motivation out of its grass-roots constituents. So Mr. Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association and a crusader...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Shortly before and after President Bush signed the ban on partial-birth abortions Wednesday, two groups of pro-life advocates met with him privately in the Oval Office. They tell of a man who strongly and openly supports the pro-life cause and does so because of a deeply felt Christian faith. Chuck Colson, who founded a national prison ministry, met with President Bush before the bill signing event. "We had a wonderful conversation, celebrating one of the most significant days of his presidency and a great day for all who believe in the sanctity of life," Colson said....

Homeschoolers may become to conservative Republicans what labor unions are to DemocratsYOU'VE HEARD A LOT RECENTLY ABOUT THE tightening presidential race for 2004. The huge lead George W. Bush had just three or four months ago, according to some usually reliable polls, has vanished. With almost 13 months still separating us from the next election, of course, all such speculation is pretty squishy; but nobody likes to see a big advantage melt away. What you may not have heard much about is a potent weapon increasingly available to conservative political candidates. That weapon, to be sure, is by no means...

A unique online course gives Christian students the opportunity to study the original intent of the Constitution and to compare and contrast that to decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court. The online course, called "Constitutional Law for Christian Students," is taught by Dr. Mike Farris, president of Patrick Henry College in Virginia. Farris says his aim is for students to understand both what America's founders intended and what he calls the current "mess" found in the nation's courts. Farris says regrettably few Americans today are well-versed in even the basics of the legal restrictions and guarantees provided in the U.S....

The U.S. Constitution: Partially Revived on June 25, 2003 On June 25, 2003, President Bush signed the "Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003". "Over the years thousands of homeschool families have been victimized by social workers operating on nothing more than a tip from an unknown stranger," said Michael Farris, General Counsel for Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). "Such aggressiveness, in a system which presumes guilt, can result in needless pain and anxiety for families," said Farris. In November 2001, HSLDA reminded the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Select Education of this forgotten...

The U.S. Constitution: Partially Revived on June 25, 2003 July 4, 2003 by Ed Ward, MD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On June 25, 2003, President Bush signed the "Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003". "Over the years thousands of homeschool families have been victimized by social workers operating on nothing more than a tip from an unknown stranger," said Michael Farris, General Counsel for Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). "Such aggressiveness, in a system which presumes guilt, can result in needless pain and anxiety for families," said Farris. In November 2001, HSLDA reminded the House Committee on Education and...

BRIEF AMICUS CURIAE OF THE CENTER FOR THE ORIGINAL INTENT OF THE CONSTITUTION IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENTINTEREST OF AMICUS IN THIS CASE * The Center for the Original Intent of the Constitution (COIC) operates under the auspices of Patrick Henry College. The COIC contends that the interpretation of the Constitution according to the original intent of the Founders provides the only sure safeguard for the preservation of limited government and individual rights. The COIC exists to systematically research and advocate constitutional interpretation according to the principle of original intent. Our Founders established a federal government with limited and enumerated powers....

Mike Farris Addresses Social Workers at National Conference On April 1, 2003, Home School Legal Defense Association Co-founder and Chairman Michael Farris addressed a national gathering of social workers in St. Louis, Missouri. Gateways to Prevention, the 14th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, hosted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration of Children and Families, was designed for "child protection workers and administrators, social workers … and others committed to ensuring the protection of children" according to the conference website. Farris was invited by Bush administration officials to discuss Home School Legal Defense Association's...