First of all to the kid from Kansas--Hal Lindsey has never claimed to be a prophet, and therefore, cannot be a false prophet. He has speculated on future scenarios and world players, but always with the caveat that this is his opinion. I am acquainted with Hal and have personally challenged him about some of his licentious behavior, I cannot fault his Christian doctrine nor the expanse of his intellect. He's a great teacher, and more like the watchman on the wall, sounding the alarm as he sees "signs of the times." So kid, get off his back and do your heretic hunting elsewhere. I know you can't prove that he said, thus and so is going to occur, and then it didn't. That just never happened! Let me encourage you to quit looking so intensely at the faults in man, but rather look to the Faultless Man. Then you won't be so dissappointed.
Malador--re: the subject at hand. Of course, we are being persecuted for our faith and it will only intensify. It comes with the territory. If we could twist our head all the way around, we could see the big red target that got printed on our backs when we accepted Jesus. I am comforted when I remind myself that "greater is He that is in me, than He that is in the world!"
Disappointed in Ashcroft and Bush? You bet! Bush is a baby Christian, but Ashcroft should know better. After all, he is a Assemblies of God minister. Romans 13, however, does say that if you're not doing anything bad, you should not be afraid of law enforcement. That was written to a people under the tyranny of Roman dictators who had no constitution to protect them. So I'm not afraid. Let them listen to what I have to say in public or in private--they will soon get bored or get saved. I agree that the Bible does say that we are to obey God, rather than man. That verse assumes that the laws of the two entities are in direct conflict. Then we must choose God's law. I submit to you that, in my opinion, that the only time we can refuse to obey the law of man is when ordered to take the life of another (except in war or capital punishment) or when ordered to renounce my faith in God. Even the U.S. Penal Code provides the defense of duress for most other crimes, unless you put your safety above another's.
What I'm not saying is to surrender to Big Brother policies. Squack loudly and clearly and freep away. Isn't it grand that we can still do this on November 25, 2001, in the good old US of A?