Ragbag Headliners

Canadian Gov't Nullifies 'Gay Marriages' For Non-Canadians

A report says the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Canada has served notice that thousands of same-sex couples who flocked to Canada from abroad since 2004 to get married are not legally wed.

The Globe and Mail newspaper says the reversal in policy was revealed in a document the government filed in a divorce case involving two lesbians.  The two women -- one from Florida and the other from England -- went to Canada in 2005 and got "married." The couple has been told they cannot divorce because they were never legally married.

According to the document filed by the Harper Justice department, the marriage of the two lesbians is not legal in Canada since they could not have been lawfully wed in Florida and England at the time.

Homosexual marriage was legalized in Canada in 2004.  The Globe and Mail reports that since then, approximately 5,000 of the 15,000 same-sex marriages that have taken place have involved couples from the United States or other countries.

The Justice department's position document also notes that couples who come to Canada to be married must live in the country for at least a year before they can obtain a divorce.

Defenders of same-gender marriage in Canada are saying the government's decision "reflects intolerance" and has given the country an international black eye. –One News Now

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Church Deems 'Today's NIV' Inaccurate

A Houston mega-church is joining other congregations in turning their thumbs down to the 2011 NIV due to "accuracy concerns."

Houston First Baptist Church had considered replacing the NIVs used throughout the church with a more recent translation, but the 2011 version it had its eye on was one under scrutiny. Spokesman Steven Murray tells OneNewsNow it came time for Pastor Gregge Matte to make a choice.

"Late last year, as we saw the changes that were made to the NIV and we looked at our supply of Bibles that we place in our worship center seat-backs that we make available for people who may not have one, our inventory was running down, and we learned that the NIV 1984 would no longer be produced," he accounts.

The 2011 NIV actually began as Today's New International Version (TNIV), but changes were softened a bit after a public and academic uproar. That was in part due to a change in references to homosexuality and a step toward gender-neutral language.

"When they looked at the body of changes that were made to the NIV this past year, that was one of them. But by no means was it the only one," Murray explains.

In the final analysis, the church decided to dump the 2011 NIV and go with the Holman Christian Standard Bible instead. Pastor Matte says he wanted their Bible "to be as accurate as possible to the literal intent of the authors." -One News Now

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Men Arrested For Reading Bible

A California apologist notes that officials of one city had no grounds for arresting three Christians for reading out loud from the Bible.

Arraignments were postponed for two Christians who were arrested outside a Department of Motor Vehicles office in Hemet for reading their Bible. Brett Coronado, who was an assistant pastor at Calvary Chapel, Hemet, and Mark Mackey, who worked in the church's evangelism ministry, each face one misdemeanor count for creating a disturbance. Defense attorneys asked the court to postpone the hearing until March 2.

 

The two men were arrested for reading from the Bible to roughly 50 individuals waiting in line outside the DMV. A security guard told Mackey to stop, and when Mackey refused, a police officer was called and Mackey was arrested. Coronado and another church elder then asked the police officer what law Mackey broke, but instead of an answer, they were arrested as well. Lenny Esposito, president of Come Reason Ministries, argues that there was no legitimate cause for the arrest.

"From a legal perspective, I think the officer mishandled the situation, and I don't know that he had grounds for arresting these individuals," he says.

Officials say Coronado and Mackey could not preach on state property without a permit. But attorneys for the two men say the First Amendment rights of their clients were violated, and Esposito believes the men will not face jail time.

"I don't think so,” he tells OneNewsNow. “I think they just wanted to shut them up and the terms will be dropped and they'll let them go." -One News Now

Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word

Political Correctness Is Perpetuating America’s Demise

The Holy Land has preserved churches and monuments that memorialize events in the life of Jesus. The truth is that we cannot be absolutely certain of the identity of these places. Tradition, Scripture, and reason are guides to indicate potential sites. For Christians the “holy sites” are not places to be worshipped, but an aid to understanding the events and teachings of the Bible.

Characters in the original scenes did not leave a pillar or stone to designate the location of an event. They were too busy with the cares of daily life. Nevertheless, knowledge of the background of Scripture is important to the interpretation of the events and instructions mentioned in the Bible.

Just how are the biblical locations identified with any degree of certainty when they were lost so long ago? Can tourists to the Holy Land be assured they are visiting real, identifiable sites or are they imaginary unsubstantiated locations used to satisfy a spiritual pilgrimage?

There are various avenues of research that can be used to identify traditional sites:

1) Literary sources, such as Josephus (1st century Jewish historian) and the church fathers often record distances from one location to another. These are invaluable for discovery. They may also remark how something is near a place previously identified.

2) Toponomy (study of place names) is often preserved in modern Arabic or Hebrew names.

3) Archaeology and geography are apt to paint a picture that match the biblical account.

4) Tradition, while it may be flawed, can be quite reliable. Sites became “holy” very early because eyewitnesses remembered traumatic events and where they took place.

The place of Jesus’ birth is clearly identified in the New Testament. It is a small village called Bethlehem, the city of David (Matthew 2:1, Luke 2:4-7, and I Samuel 20:6) Can ancient Bethlehem be identified with modern Bethlehem?

An impressive church built over the traditionally celebrated birthplace of Jesus, marks one of the holiest locations in Christianity. Early tradition identifies a cave in Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus. Both Justin Martyr and Origen (3rd century) acknowledged this spot as the place remembered to be the birthplace.

Over this same spot the Roman Emperor Constantine built a church in A.D. 327. Today, the original floor of Constantine’s church is preserved beneath the current floor in the entryway of the church. The emperor Hadrian (135), in an attempt to eradicate the memory of Christianity, planted a grove of olive trees dedicated to the god Adonis, lover of Venus, and established a worship center. This act demonstrates the site was remembered, even before Hadrian, and guaranteed the lasting memory of Jesus whom he so wanted to foil.

It was in this very area that Jerome, in the fourth century, worked on his famous translation of the Bible known as the Latin Vulgate. The Vulgate became the only Bible translation used by English speaking Christians for nearly 1000 years.

The deterioration of the church led Emperor Justinian to renovate the building in the sixth century. In fact, the church had to be razed and a new one built. This is the same church visited today. The present structure even survived the Persian invasion (AD 614), because they saw a mosaic depicting the magi as Persians. Impressed by the symbolism, they did not destroy the Bethlehem church and many other churches throughout the land were spared as well.

The conquering Crusaders came in 1099 and added a monastery on the north side while fortifying the compound. On Christmas Day in 1100, Baldwin’s coronation as the first king of Jerusalem took place in Bethlehem by the Byzantine (Greek Orthodox) Patriarch.

Over the years, control of the church and its functions was a tug-of-war between the Roman Catholics and the Greek Orthodox. Today, guards are on duty to prevent violence. Fires in 1834 and 1869 added to the deterioration and under the British mandate repairs were made to help preserve this holy site. Recent conflicts between Jews and Arabs took place in the church and some damage occurred. Today the Greek Orthodox, the Armenians, and the Franciscans (Catholics) share in caring for the Church of the Nativity.

Jesus’ birth changed world history in a way no one else ever has. Galatians 4:4 tells us “When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law…” Jesus birth brought an end to the so-called “400 silent years.” They were silent only in the sense that God gave no written revelation, but He certainly was at work preparing for the Messiah.

The Old Testament ends with the Persians in power and the New Testament begins with Rome governing the land. In between these ruling powers, the political struggles of the Jews shaped the landscape of the Holy Land in a way that affects the conflicts of modern Israelis and Arabs.

By Donald Brake-The Washington Times

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Donald L. Brake is the author of several books:

A Visual History of the English Bible: The Tumultuous Tale of The World’s Bestselling Book Baker Books, 2008 (a 2009 ECPA Christian Book Award finalist)

A Visual History of the King James Bible: The Dramatic Tale of the World’s Best-Known Translation, Baker Books, 2011

A Royal Monument of English Literature: The King James Bible 1611, Credo House Publishers, 2011 (http://www.credocommunications.net/KJV)

Is There Sex In Heaven?

A couple made a deal that whoever died first would come back and tell the other if there was sex after death. Their biggest fear was the possibility that there was really no heaven, and even worse, that there was no after-life at all.

After a long life together, the husband died first. True to his word, he contacted his wife.

"Marian ... Marian ... "

"Is that you, Bob?"

"Yes, darling, I've come back like we agreed."

"That's wonderful! So, tell me what it is like -- especially your sex life."

"Well, I get up in the morning, I have sex. I have breakfast and then it's off to the golf course. After a while, I have sex again, bathe in the warm sun, and then have sex a couple of more times. Then I have lunch -- you'd be proud of me, I now love and eat lots of greens. Another romp around the golf course, then have sex pretty much the rest of the afternoon. After supper, it's back to golf course again and more sex until late at night. I catch some much needed sleep and then the next day it starts all over again."

"Oh, Bob are you in Heaven?"

"No, I'm now a rabbit in Arizona!"

Author Unknown

Earth Must Have Another Moon, Say Astronomers

The way our planet temporarily captures asteroids suggests Earth should have at least one extra moon at any one time.

Maybe Frank should have sung "Fly Me to the Moons."

Scientists studying satellites orbiting the planet have come to an astounding conclusion: Earth has multiple moons at any given time, the MIT Technology Review reported.

Mikael Granvik, along with colleagues at the University of Hawaii, first discovered a mysterious body orbiting the Earth in 2006. The object -- or RH120 as it was known -- turned out to be a tiny asteroid just a few meters across. Moreover, it was a natural satellite just like our moon.

NEWS: Earth May Have Had Two Moons

Since then, the researchers have been studying how this "Earth-Moon" gravitational system captures bodies into its orbit while also modelling their frequency and duration. The asteroid RH120 for instance was captured in September 2006 and orbited the planet until June 2007.

But how often do these "temporary moons" actually occur? Quite often, the astronomers found.

"At any given time, there should be at least one natural Earth satellite of one-meter diameter orbiting the Earth," Granvik, Jeremie Vaubaillon and Robert Jedicke wrote in "The Population of Natural Earth Satellites," a paper published in online physics journal ArXiv.org.

In other words, at this very moment, our planet likely has a secret moon orbiting us (no word as to whether it's a blue moon). Such objects typically stay for about 10 months, making three revolutions around the planet.

NEWS: Subterranean Living May Await Moon and Mars Colonists

Given that these tiny captured orbitals are only a meter or two in diameter, it may seem a stretch to officially call them "moons" -- but the scientific implications of the discovery are vast. Outside of assisting private spaceflight and exploring deep space, the other major thing on NASA's list of things to do is send astronauts to an asteroid.

"The scientific potential of being able to first remotely characterize a meteoroid and then visit and bring it back to Earth would be unprecedented," the research team concluded.

Read more about Earth's second moon at the MIT Technology Review. -Discovery News

Journey Through History At The World's Largest, And Perhaps Oldest, B&B

Walk through the doors of the Chateau de Canisy and you travel through a tableau of time that spans a thousand years.  Though the castle is immense, it immediately embraces you in a way that makes you feel as though you have always been a participant in the panorama of history that unfolds before you.  Chateau de Canisy is a powerful, yet comfortable, journey from the Middle Ages to the present and beyond.

Scholars claim that WindsorCastle, just outside of London, is the oldest continuously occupied royal residence in the world.  Though this story is not about a royal family, it is about a chateau in Normandy, France that pre-dates Windsor and welcomes visitors to stay and enjoy living the lifestyle of an aristocrat.

When the Sire de Carbonnel left his fortress in the verdant Normandy countryside in Canisy in the 11th century to join the Duke of Normandy in battle, it began a story that has continued for nearly a 1,000 years.  Carbonnel went to war with William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; a defining event that altered the course of history.  Three decades later, Carbonnel participated in the first crusade in 1096.

Nearly 900 years after the Norman Conquest, in June of 1944, Normandy became the focal point of another pivotal moment in history, D-Day.  But the fortress survived, and during those nine centuries, Carbonnel’s stronghold underwent countless renovations, changing from a defensive fortification to an elegant residence.  Over that millennium, the chateau has been a window on the past linking the likes of figures such as Alexis de Tocqueville, Charlotte Corday and General Omar Bradley among others.

With its setting on 740 acres of lush green farmland, the Chateau de Canisy is a prodigious  structure with a significant historical presence.  That legacy is made even more meaningful today by the fact that the chateau claims an unbroken bloodline for 10 centuries and remains a family residence.

Count Denis de Kergorlay is the latest in the ancestral procession, but he has taken his ownership to another level of development.  To make his chateau vibrant in the 21st century, the count has opened Canisy to the public, allowing visitors the opportunity to experience chateau life for themselves.  He is quick to emphasize, however, that his home is not a hotel.  Don’t expect a front desk, bellmen, room service or elevators.  Rather Chateau de Canisy is a rare travel discovery that allows guests to enjoy the ambience of French aristocracy combined with the history of Normandy.

When in residence at Canisy, Kergorlay, who spends most of his time in Paris, loves to treat visitors to the intriguing history of his castle.  Everyone is welcomed with gracious hospitality, and all are treated as if they are lifelong friends or acquaintances.  It is not uncommon for first-timers to feel completely at home within moments after they arrive.

Though the Chateau de Canisy traces its origins to the Middle Ages, it underwent major changes in the 16th, 18th and 19th centuries.  The transformations and renovations have continued in the 21st century with the addition of a second pond, a newly landscaped park and a small petting zoo.

Located at the heart of the bocage of Normandy at the southern edge of the CotentinPeninsula, Canisy is rarely, if ever, found on maps of the region, deferring to its larger neighbor St. Lo which is five miles away.  Less than a five-minute walk from the castle is the tiny village of Canisy consisting of a parish church, a couple of boulangeries, several shops and a bank that line four streets radiating like spokes from a small roundabout.

Denis inherited Canisy in the 1970s while serving as the French cultural attaché in Thailand.  At the time, he had no great allegiance to the property and, unbelievable as it may sound, he was ready to turn it over to his younger brother.  However, when the Count’s brother informed him that he planned to turn it into a monastery, Kergorlay reconsidered and kept his castle.

For a while the chateau became an elaborate party house as Denis and his Parisian “friends of Canisy” frequently enjoyed spirited weekends and holidays at the massive residence.  As time went on however, the Count’s Aunt Brigitte, who had lived much of her life at the chateau, and who was watching from a third story window in 1940 when the Germans crossed the courtyard and confiscated the property, began teaching her nephew about the historic significance of Canisy.

Count de Kergorlay took the lessons to heart.  The “friends of Canisy” gave way to extensive renovations which eventually restored the chateau into its present state of grandeur.  As Brigitte continued her tutoring project, Denis’ wife, Marie-Christine, began redecorating each of the 17 rooms and suites featuring individual themes from different periods of French history.

While the Chateau de Canisy remains a private residence for the Kergorlay family, the count has developed a personal philosophy of opening his castle to the public as a way of creating a link the past while offering an opportunity for cultural exchange.

De Kergorlay has come a long way from those early days with the “friends of Canisy” and his youthful indifference to the chateau.  Today, he is President of the French Heritage Society, a prestigious American non-profit association dedicated to the preservation of French architecture and historical sites not only in France, but in the United States as well.

It is the count’s passion for restoration that drives him to continue making his chateau at Canisy a unique “living” museum.  With ancestral links that bring the pages of history alive through the likes of figures such as Marie Antoinette, Charlotte Corday, Alexis de Tocqueville and General Omar Bradley, the stories of Chateau de Canisy immerse you in a vibrant tapestry of the last millennium in France.   It’s time travel with all the comforts of home.

Chateau de Canisy: World's Oldest B&B

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Foot Note: Peabod is Bob Taylor, owner of Taylored Media Services in Charlotte, NC, founder of The Magellan Travel Club which creates and escorts customized tours to Switzerland, France and Italy for groups of 12 or more. Inquiries for groups can be made at Peabod@aol.com Taylored media has produced marketing videos for British Rail, Rail Europe, Switzerland Tourism, the Swedish Travel & Tourism Council, the Finnish Tourist Board, the Swiss Travel System and Japan Railways Group among others. As author of The Century Club book, Peabod is now attempting to travel to 100 countries or more during his lifetime. To date he has visited 67 countries. Suggest someplace new for Bob to visit; if you want to know where he has been, check his list on Facebook. Bob plans to write a sequel to his book when he reaches his goal of 100 countries.

Ragbag Headliners

Hawaiian Churches Denied Exemption

A court in Hawaii has refused to exempt churches from being forced to allow their property to be used for civil union ceremonies.

The Emmanuel Temple and the Lighthouse Outreach Center Assembly of God requested a restraining order to block a law that permits same-sex couples to enter civil unions. It exempts clergy from performing the ceremonies, which are the equivalent of marriage, but there is no provision to protect church property. They argued that they would face civil penalties and fines if they refused to rent their property for same-sex civil unions, but U.S. District Judge Michael Seabright denied the request.

Matt Barber of Liberty Counsel Action tells OneNewsNow that creates a clear conflict between government and the free exercise of religion.

"There is no exemption for religious institutions, for churches, houses of worship from being subject to fines and to sanctions as provided in the legislation for refusing to allow their houses of worship to be desecrated through the use of a so-called 'civil union' ceremony," he explains.

But the two churches were unsuccessful in blocking the law for that reason.

"It's unfortunate that this judge has refused to grant injunctive relief here to protect freedom of religious expression," Barber laments, "and this will indeed create a chilling effect on the free exercise of religion in the state of Hawaii -- and it sets a very bad example for the rest of the country."

At the very least, the attorney says the legislature needs to revisit the issue and make sure churches are protected from being forced to host civil union ceremonies. The law went into effect as scheduled on Sunday. –One News Now

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A Kuwaiti Prince Publicly Embraces Christ, Denounces Islam

As a missionary who has also worked among Muslims (12% of the population of Bulgaria is traditionally Muslim), I can certainly appreciate such news, and I know what it means for the convert from Islam to Christianity. Even though Islam in Bulgaria is rather of the more liberal variety, a conversion of a Muslim to Christianity still creates certain risks from his immediate family. For a member of the royal family of Kuwait, a nation that is officially Muslim and its legislation is Sharia-based, such conversion can easily mean death.

The Iranian Christian News Agency, Mohabat News, reports the news from an Arabic Christian agency, Al-Haqiqah, that Abdollah Al-sabah, a Kuwaiti prince, has publicly denounced his Muslim faith and has embraced Christianity. The agency broadcasted an audio file where the prince declared, “First of all, I totally agree with the distribution of this audio file and I now declare that if they kill me because of this audio file, then I’ll go into the presence of Jesus Christ and be with him for all eternity.”

He also said, “I’m satisfied with whatever they do to me, because the truth in the Bible has guided me to the right way.”

This comes to show that Christianity, although small and oppressed, is still very active and alive in the Middle East, if it can reach even members of the royal families in the region. Over the centuries Arabic and Persian Christians have taken active part in their societies, in some instances even working to turn their nations into more civilized and free nations than Islam would have them.

This small but vibrant Christianity has been attacked viciously in the last several years only in the areas which the United States had under their military control, or where the United States government has helped new regimes replace the old ones. The attacks against churches in Afghanistan and Iraq have been numerous under the new regimes, and the US military has been prohibited from helping the local Christians by the administrations of both Bush and Obama. Two years ago, the distribution of Bibles was banned in Iraq, and even the sale to the military of assault weapons with Bible verses on them was stopped. In Egypt, the new authorities helped and financed by the Obama administration and supported internationally by Hillary Clinton, encouraged pogroms against the traditional Christian minority in the country, the Copts.

It seems that one of the main strategic goals for the US military presence in the Middle East is the eradication of traditional Christianity there.

Which also gives us some foresight of one of the possible outcomes of a war with Iran and the occupation of Iranian territory. Iran has a large Christian minority which, while under oppression, is left relatively alone by the authorities. If Afghanistan and Iraq can teach us anything, a US military invasion will only lead to its extermination. That’s what so many evangelical voters who vote for neo-conservative war-mongers refuse to even consider.

The conversion of a Kuwaiti prince is important news. It is shameful that the American church is not there with its missionaries to complete the task but supports the war drums banging of the liberal-progressive government in Washington DC. –Godfather Politics

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Imprisoned Gays In Cameroon Send Message – As More Arrests Reported

Seven jailed gay men in Cameroon have issued a New Year’s message thanking all those who have supported them.

Also, Cameroonian activists have shared a photo of one of those jailed with the lawyer and activist Alice N’Kom.

The message reads:

Although you’ve accompanied us with a lot of sadness, you’ve especially shown us a lot of kindness, love and determination throughout this year. We exhort you to never give up in to the discouragement and to never weaken in your mobilization for us and for the LGBT cause. Because your support represents for LGBT in Cameroon in general and specially for us who are in prison… the HOPE. The HOPE to be one day, released from the PRISON in which we’ve been thrown, but also the HOPE that one day, LGBT people can walk quite freely in Cameroon, without any humiliation.

We wish you, from the bottom of our heart, to be of happy, healthy and that the coming year be full of promises and success.

Happy New Year.

On behalf of:

    Jean Claude Roger Mbede
    Singha Jonas
    Ndome Ndome Frankie
    Ombwa Joseph Magloire
    Tiomela Lontsie Emma
    Ntamack Nicolas
    Ntsama Séraphin

As reported here last month, Cameroon is extending anti-gay laws and, according to N’Kom, doing this quietly to try to avoid international attention — a clear sign that international focus on Cameroon’s repression of gay people is having an impact.

At least 10 men have been arrested and imprisoned for homosexuality in Cameroon last year, not only for what they allegedly did, but for who they are, or even appeared to be.

In November, ADEFHO and other groups announced that there is a government-organized campaign run by youth brigades to entrap gay men on the Internet.

Four more gay men were arrested at the end of December, Cameroon gay activists report.

N’Kom was threatened with arrest by a government representative a year ago. –Care 2

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Adult Stem Cells Save Man's Life

Thanks to adult stem cell research, a Baltimore cancer patient now has a new trachea -- and a senior fellow for life sciences says the approach shows great promise for the future.

The 30-year-old man was diagnosed with an inoperable tumor in his windpipe, according to Dr. David Prentice of the Family Research Council (FRC), and the patient was out of options.

"They tried chemotherapy and radiation, but they just couldn't get rid of this tumor," he reports. "They couldn't take it out because they had nothing to put back in in terms of his windpipe, and it was slowly going to choke him to death."

But Christopher Lyles found Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, an Italian who is a visiting professor at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Macchiarini had developed a technique using the patient's own bone marrow adult stem cells to build new tissue and save many lives. In this case, adult stem cells were used on a sort of scaffold.

"The cells started to grow. They realized they were supposed to be windpipe because that was the position they were in his chest," Dr. Prentice explains. "They grew a whole new windpipe for him."

The case adds to the more than 70 different ways in which adult stem cells have successfully been used in a medical treatment. Meanwhile, research using human embryos has produced no usable results.

Lyles is back home now, celebrating with his four-year-old daughter. –One News Now

"A Black Day for Austria"

An Austrian appellate court has upheld the conviction of Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, a Viennese housewife and anti-Jihad activist, for "denigrating religious beliefs" after giving a series of seminars about the dangers of radical Islam.

The December 20 ruling shows that while Judaism and Christianity can be disparaged with impunity in postmodern multicultural Austria, speaking the truth about Islam is subject to swift and hefty legal penalties.

Although the case has major implications for freedom of speech in Austria, as well as in Europe as a whole, it has received virtually no press coverage in the American mainstream media.

Sabaditsch-Wolff's Kafkaesque legal problems began in November 2009, when she presented a three-part seminar about Islam to the Freedom Education Institute, a political academy linked to the Austrian Freedom Party.

A glossy socialist weekly magazine, NEWS -- all in capital letters -- planted a journalist in the audience to secretly record the first two lectures. Lawyers for the leftwing publication then handed the transcripts over to the Viennese public prosecutor's office as evidence of hate speech against Islam, according to Section 283 of the Austrian Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch, StGB). Formal charges against Sabaditsch-Wolff were filed in September 2010; and her bench trial, presided on by one multicultural judge and no jury, began November 23, 2010.

On the first day of the trial, however, it quickly became clear that the case against Sabaditsch-Wolff was not as air-tight as prosecutors had made it out to be. The judge in the case, Bettina Neubauer, pointed out, for example, that only 30 minutes of the first seminar had actually been recorded.

Neubauer also noted that some of the statements attributed to Sabaditsch-Wolff were offhand comments made during breaks and not a formal part of the seminar. Moreover, only a few people heard these comments, not 30 or more -- the criterion under Austrian law for a statement being "public." In any event, Sabaditsch-Wolff says her comments were not made in a public forum because the seminars were held for a select group of people who had registered beforehand.

More importantly, many of the statements attributed to Sabaditsch-Wolff were actually quotes she made directly from the Koran and other Islamic religious texts. Fearing that the show trial would end in a mistrial, the judge abruptly suspended hearings until January 18, 2011, ostensibly to give him time to review the tape recordings, but also to give the prosecution more time to shore up its case.

On January 18, after realizing that the original charge would not hold up, the judge -- not the prosecutor -- informed Sabaditsch-Wolff that in addition to the initial charge of hate speech, she was now being charged with "denigrating religious symbols of a recognized religious group." 

Sabaditsch-Wolff's lawyer immediately demanded that the trial be postponed so that the defense could prepare a new strategy.

When the trial resumed on February 15, 2011, Sabaditsch-Wolff was exonerated of the first charge of "incitement" because the court found that here statements were not made in a "provocative" manner.

But Sabaditsch-Wolff was convicted of the second charge against her, namely "denigration of religious beliefs of a legally recognized religion," according to Section 188 of the Austrian Criminal Code.

The judge ruled that Sabaditsch-Wolff committed a crime by stating in her seminars about Islam that the Islamic prophet Mohammed was a pedophile (Sabaditsch-Wolff's actual words were "Mohammed had a thing for little girls.")

The judge rationalized that Mohammed's sexual contact with nine-year-old Aisha could not be considered pedophilia because Mohammed continued his marriage to Aisha until his death. According to this line of thinking, Mohammed had no exclusive desire for underage girls; he was also attracted to older females because Aisha was 18 years old when Mohammed died.

The judge ordered Sabaditsch-Wolff to pay a fine of €480 ($625) or an alternative sentence of 60 days in prison. Moreover, she was required to pay the costs of the trial. Although at first glance the fine may appear trivial -- the fine was reduced to 120 "day rates" of €4 each because Sabaditsch-Wolff is a housewife with no income -- the actual fine would have been far higher if she had had income.

Sabaditsch-Wolff appealed the conviction to the Provincial Appellate Court (Oberlandesgericht Wien) in Vienna, but that appeal was rejected on December 20. The court says she will go to prison if the fine is not paid within the next six months. She says she will take the case to the Strasbourg-based European Court for Human Rights.

After the trial, Sabaditsch-Wolff said her conviction represented "a black day for Austria." The Vienna Federation of Academics (Wiener Akademikerbund) said the ruling represented "politically and sentimentally motivated justice" and marked "the end of freedom of expression in Austria."

Sabaditsch-Wolff is not the only Austrian to run afoul of the country's anti-free speech laws. In January 2009, Susanne Winter, an Austrian politician and Member of Parliament, was convicted for the "crime" of saying that "in today's system" the Mohammed would be considered a "child molester," referring to his marriage to Aisha. Winter was also convicted of "incitement" for saying that Austria faces an "Islamic immigration tsunami." Winters was ordered to pay a fine of €24,000 ($31,000), and received a suspended three-month prison sentence. –Stonegate Institute

Note: Soeren Kern is Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Relations at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook.

Live Life Fully

Another year has passed
And we're all a little older.
Last summer felt hotter
This winter seems much colder.

There was a time not long ago
When life was quite a blast.
Now I fully understand
About 'living in the past'

We used to go to weddings,
Football games and lunches.
Now we go to funeral homes
And after-funeral brunches.

We used to have hangovers,
From parties that were gay.
Now we suffer body aches
And while the night away.

We used to go out dining,
And couldn't get our fill.
Now we ask for doggie bags,
Come home and take a pill.

We used to often travel
To places near and far.
Now we get sore asses
From riding in the car.

We used to go to nightclubs
And drink a little booze.
Now we stay home at night
And watch the evening news.

That, my friend is how life is,
And now my tale is told.
So, enjoy each day and live it up
Before you're too damned old!

~ Author Unknown ~

'Tis The Season For Christmas Phobia

Atheists must be the most fragile peaches in the basket.
 
They're always getting bruised by the slightest exposure to public displays that remind them of Christmas, God, the Ten Commandments -- or worst of all, Jesus.

Just as pathetic are the atheist enablers who are complicit in doing away with any reminders of America's Christian heritage, even secular symbols. For example, the Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston, South Carolina, recently decided that a visit by Santa Claus might upset nonbelievers. Perhaps they feared that it could lead to heart attacks, an Inquisition or perhaps even inspire local militant imams to issue a fatwa (death threat). You can never be sure what kind of chaos a visit by Santa could unleash.
 
After the public rebelled, the center said that Santa can squeeze down the center's chimney, but we'll have none of that overtly religious stuff such as crèches, angels, Christmas greetings -- anything that brings joy to the world.
 
On Nov. 18, the Christian legal group Liberty Counsel sent a letter [PDF] reminding Center Director Andrew S. Kraft, M.D., about how freedom of religion works in America under the Constitution and how his actions constitute viewpoint discrimination. Let's hope Dr. Kraft will grow a big heart like the Grinch did in Whoville.
 
The secular virus has been spreading for years in public and private zones. Shopping malls, which would go broke without Christmas, try their best to attract Christmas shoppers without mentioning Christmas. Hence, we get generic "happy holidays" and color schemes with blue and silver snowflakes cold enough to freeze the socks off Grandfather Frost. He's the former Soviet Union's made-up patron saint who took over giving gifts to children after the commissars bumped off St. Nicholas.  It's rumored (just starting it now) that the Christmas-phobic ACLU tacks up portraits of Grandfather Frost in back offices to inspire them during that darned holiday season that Dare Not Tell Its Name.
 
Driving the whole mess is the growing fear Not to Offend. The war on Christmas, part of the ongoing trend to eradicate anything Christian in the public square, is also driven by a profound misreading of the First Amendment, which says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
 
To the ACLU and other pro-atheist groups, that means the government must be hostile to any public expressions of belief that offend atheists.  That makes atheism the de facto official religion, something the Founders went out of their way to prevent.
 
Genuine conflicts do arise, and the courts have found ways to keep religiously themed items legal on public property -- as long as they fulfill a secular purpose.  In 1984, the Supreme Court in Lynch v. Donnelly ruled that the presence of a crèche amid other seasonal displays -- a Santa Claus house, a Christmas tree, and a "Seasons Greetings" banner -- erected by the city of Pawtuckett, Rhode Island, was not an unconstitutional establishment of religion.
 
The secular purpose?  Government was acknowledging the cultural significance of a traditional holiday celebrated by the vast majority of Americans.  In what became the "reindeer test," the Court said that religious elements are okay if secular elements are present. So if you dust off a Bambi, put a red nose on it and place it next to the baby Jesus, all is right with the world. Previous generations didn't need this kind of "cover," but we're in a different place now.
 
The court also noted that, "The Constitution does not require complete separation of church and state; it affirmatively mandates accommodation, not merely tolerance, of all religions, and forbids hostility toward any."
 
In early November, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case involving roadside cross memorials to fallen Utah state troopers. The American Civil Rights Union filed an amicus brief arguing for a new constitutional standard. The "Coercion Test" would evaluate whether a policy, practice, or action involves coercion in regard to religion. The framers meant to prohibit coercion, but they did not intend to prohibit voluntary, public, religious speech, or religious expression or symbolism, which do not involve coercion. This test might have helped the state-supported cancer center folks see that barring Santa was a silly idea.
 
In Allegheny County v. Greater Pittsburgh ACLU (1989), the Court clarified the holiday standard by forbidding stand-alone nativities but not Christmas trees or menorahs.  So the National Christmas Tree is safe -- for now. Wonder if the Ban Christmas crowd knows that a decorated fir is not really a Christmas tree unless crowned with a star or an angel?  Hillary Clinton's National Tree had a purple, sparkling planet atop it one year. Make of that what you will.
 
Please don't tell the ACLU about the stars and angels, though.  Grim-faced volunteers will be fanning out with ladders to grab them and fling them into the nearest dumpster to save us from the Reason for the Season.
 
Last year, atheists in Loudoun County, Virginia, upped the price of having a crèche at the county courthouse by erecting signs with diatribes against Christianity and belief in God. When you see this stuff, keep in mind that the devil can't create anything. He can only pervert what is good. And he's especially adept at enlisting atheists for his schemes, because, as Psalms 14 and 53 say, "the fool has said in his heart that there is no God."
 
Fortunately, since we're all prone to foolishness of one kind or another, that same God loves us anyway and gave us the ultimate gift, which is why we celebrate Christmas. –One News Now

Fun Pics

Cool Mailboxes

Hope That Backpack Has A Parachute

"Ahhh, It's So Warm And Cuddly On Here"

~ Photographer Unknown ~

Hanukkah 2012--The Real Meaning Behind The Festival Of Lights

Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah, come light the Menorah...
Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah, we'll all dance the horah...
Gather around the table, we'll give you a treat...
Lots of tasty chocolates, and latkes to eat...
Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah, come light the Menorah...

Happy Chaka Khan! Time to break out the Dreidels (spinning tops) and spin them faster than an ultracentrifuge.

For those who do not celebrate this lovely holiday, “I feel for you.” For those who truly want good things in life, the world truly does need “higher love.”

At sundown on Tuesday, December 20th, the Hebrews get ready to celebrate the festival of lights. From now through December 28th, Hanukkah spreads blue and white beauty and tradition to Jews scattered throughout the four corners of the world.

For the linguistically challenged, both spellings of the holiday have eight letters. Adding a "C" requires subtracting a "K." It is Chanukah or Hanukkah.

Regarding the holiday itself, it is time to dispel some myths. People like to pass on beautiful stories of miracles. People hear that the Jewish fighters only had enough oil for one day, and miracle of miracles, the oil magically lasted for eight days. For those with small children, have them leave the room so some hard truths can be discussed.

Santa Claus is not real, Palestinians are an invented fictional people, the secret formula for Coca Cola is (redacted), and the person who shot JFK was (redacted). Oh, and this oil lasting for eight days is the warm, fuzzy, sanitized story told to children.

So what is Hanukkah really?

Hanukkah is the Jewish version of July 4th. It is a Neocon’s fantasy. The Jews fought some Greeks in battle, and b*tchslapped them. That’s it.

Many people think of the Jewish people as long-suffering weaklings. This is partly due to Jewish comedians playing on stereotypes of angst-ridden and guilt-ridden leftist Jews afraid of their own shadows. Most Jews are actually not weak, sniveling crybabies begging our enemies to like us. This battered housewife syndrome of blaming the victim is a relatively new and unpleasant phenomenon.

Real Jewish history has revolved around military strength. With all due respect to the Greek people of today, back then they were the bad guys. They destroyed the first Holy Temple, but the Maccabees took care of them. Gorgias? Get out of here! Nicanor? Knock it off!

The second coming of Judah Maccabee is Paul Wolfowitz. Actually, the word Maccabee means "hammer," so perhaps the second coming is Charles Krauthammer. The lessons of Hanukkah apply perfectly to the Iraq War. If the world has any common sense, the Maccabee method of problem-solving will be applied to the mullahs in Iran immediately.

Back then, the Maccabees royally smacked the Greeks around, and they have not been a power since. Winning wars is why Jews are still here. For those troubled by this…deal with it.

Yet the actual celebration of Hanukkah is a tad bittersweet for those who are educated about this holiday. Jews won on the battlefield but lost the war.

What this means is that there was a major difference between how the Jews and the Greeks celebrated their holidays. Greeks celebrated holidays created in the wake of their military victories, which were many. Jewish tradition was to not name holidays after military successes. Jews did not glorify blood triumphs.

The Greeks ordered Jews to assimilate or be killed. Thankfully Jews never had to face that threat again. Just kidding. Jews were fighting for the right to remain independently Jewish, without forced assimilation into Greek culture. So after Judah Maccabbee and his brothers helped the people of Israel crush the Greeks in battle, the first thing they did was hoist a flag of victory and declare this military victory a Jewish holiday. So after fighting for the right to prevent assimilation, Jews adopted a Greek tradition anyway. Assimilation is still deadly to Judaism. To this day, some would argue that what Hitler failed to do to the Jews, Jews do internally through a 52% intermarriage rate.

Cynical people would say that the Jews broke the war rule because they were so used to losing that even they were shocked to have won. Concern existed that never again would the Jews win anything. This is nonsense. Others say that Jews needed to adopt different traditions to give provide flexibility in the future for those wishing to declare themselves Jewish without actually obeying any traditions.

Hanukkah is actually the least important holiday in the Jewish calendar. It is an excuse to party for eight days, or fourteen days if you count pre and post Hanukkah parties. The only reason Hanukkah gets any attention is because it occurs around the same time as Christmas.

Briefly returning to the Neocon aspect of this holiday, the true lesson of Hanukkah is a political one that the 70-80% of Jews desperate to sing Kumbaya with those hating our guts would do well to heed. The lesson of Hanukkah is simple. Force works. There is no dialogue or negotiation with those refusing to recognize your right to exist. Survival is not pretty. It often involves spilling large amount of blood. When your enemy is on their knees with their face bleeding, negotiation is possible.

The other lesson that comes from the Jews during this time is the idea of mercy. Jews did not rape the Greek women, chop heads and limbs off, enslave their people, or indiscriminately engage in deliberate cruelty. We defended ourselves. In keeping with the values that unite Jews and Americans to this day, both remain a people that use their power for noble and good purposes. America through its economic and military power, and American Jews through their sense of justice, help feed, clothe, protect, and defend others all around the word, many of whom are neither Jewish nor American.

Hanukkah is a celebration of serious life-saving accomplishments, but it is also a lighthearted holiday filled with food, alcohol, and candle lighting ceremonies around the world. Life for the Hebrew people has had much darkness, but for the next eight nights there is only light. Rituals and traditions vary among different sects and cultures of Jews, but they are all about 6000 years of blue and white history from Brooklyn to Jerusalem and everywhere else.

So as I light candles and hope that a certain young Republican Hebrew brunette shows up at my door wearing only a blue and white Hanukkah bow…(negotiations are ongoing)…I look forward to the next eight nights.

Happy Hanukkah everybody! Shalom!

Brooklyn born, Long Island raised, and now living in Los Angeles, Eric Golub is a politically conservative columnist, blogger, author, public speaker, satirist and comedian.

Eric is the author of the book trilogy "Ideological Bigotry, "Ideological Violence," and "Ideological Idiocy." Eric is 100% alcohol, tobacco, drug, and liberalism free. After years of dating liberals, he has finally seen the light and now only dates Republican Jewish women. His family is pleased over this. Republican, Jewish women, you may contact Eric above. –The Washington Times

AIDS Deaths And New Infections Continue To Fall In Most Parts Of The World

The number of people dying of AIDS around the world declined last year for the third year in a row, at the same time that the fraction of people getting treatment for the infection reached almost 50 percent.

Both facts are evidence that progress against the 30-year-old epidemic is gaining momentum, according to the United Nations’ annual report on the global AIDS epidemic, released Monday.

“Even in this time of financial crisis and a flattening of resources, we are seeing results,” said Michel Sidibe, director of UNAIDS, headquartered in Geneva. “Many things happened in 2011, and I think we can start thinking about the beginning of the end of the epidemic.”

The biggest advances have occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, where a massive rollout of antiretroviral drugs, increasing acceptance of male circumcision and changes in sexual behavior are driving new cases of infection to the lowest number in years.

However, because of the longer survival of infected people, the number living with AIDS around the world won’t fall for years. Last year, it stood at 34 million, up from 32.9 million in 2009 and an all-time high.

Perhaps the most dramatic achievement of 2010, the report says, was a 20 percent increase in the use of “antiretroviral therapy” in Africa over the prior year. A decade ago, the life-extending drugs were available in Africa only to members of the elite and a few ordinary people enrolled in clinical studies.

Today in low- and middle-income countries around the world, 47 percent of people who meet the clinical criteria for antiretroviral therapy are getting it — 6.6 million out of 14.2 million eligible. Much of that treatment is underwritten by the U.S. government through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, started by George W. Bush, and by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a charity principally funded by the United States and European countries.

Globally, about 2.7 million people became infected with HIV last year. That was 21 percent fewer than the number of new infections at the peak of the epidemic in 1997. (The decline has been even steeper in Africa.) Global AIDS mortality in 2010 was 1.8 million people, down from a peak of 2.2 million in 2006.

The big exception to the global trend is in the countries of the former Soviet Union and in Central Asia, where there has been a 250 percent increase in people with HIV from 2001 to 2010. Most of the infections there arise from intravenous drug use and male homosexual activity.

Part of the reason for the increase, according to the U.N. report, is that governments aren’t paying attention to the right risk groups. In Russia, of the $181 million spent on HIV prevention in 2008, only $8 million was directed to IV drug users, male homosexuals or commercial sex workers.

“In Russia, the resources just don’t go to the right interventions,” said Bernhard Schwartlander, UNAIDS’s chief epidemiologist.

In Africa, changes in sexual behavior — use of condoms, reduction in the number of sexual partners and a delay of the start of sexual activity — have been responsible for driving HIV incidence lower. The percentage of young men reporting multiple partners in the previous year fell in 11 of 19 African countries studied, and the fraction of boys and girls reporting sex before age 15 fell in eight.

This year, a study conducted mostly in Africa showed that when an HIV-infected person is on antiretroviral treatment, the chance of transmitting the virus to a sexual partner is reduced by 96 percent. That is because the drugs dramatically lower the amount of virus in blood and other body fluids.

That finding has led some to call for even greater investment in AIDS treatment in low-income countries with an eye toward controlling the disease and its economic burden. Today, about $16.6 billion a year is spent on AIDS, with slightly more than half of that money spent by the governments of low- and middle-income countries and the patients in them.

“Not only can we break the back of the epidemic, we can bend the cost curve,” Schwartlander said.

A look at three countries — Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Botswana — suggests that AIDS treatment is a tool for AIDS prevention.

All three countries showed a reduction in new infections since 1995 attributable to changes in sexual behavior. That decline in risky behavior leveled off in the past decade (and has increased somewhat in Lesotho), but AIDS incidence is once again falling. That is apparently the consequence of bringing treatment to hundreds of thousands of people.

The number of infections caused by mother-to-child transmission of the virus peaked in 2002 at 560,000 but fell to 390,000 last year as more infected women took antiretroviral drugs during their pregnancy and while breast feeding. Pregnant women’s use of the more expensive combination of drugs might have prevented 70,000 more infections, according to the report. –The Washington Post

A Different Point Of View

"I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel." -Philippians 1:12

What does the view look like to you when dealing with strife and suffering in your life? Do you turn inward, shut down, and simply put up walls between you and your friends and family? Perhaps you feel you've been treated unjustly and become bitter, seeking ways to lash out or extract payback against the world. Or maybe you simply develop a "woe is me" attitude, believing that God has somehow forgotten about you and things will never be better than they are now.

My friends, we've all been there. Yet there is another choice. We can choose trust. We can choose faith.

In this particular verse in Philippians, Paul is referencing the fact that, even as he's writing these words, he's sitting in chains in prison. Verse 13 continues, "So that it has become evident to the whole palace guard and to all the rest that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear." Indeed, that's the kind of an attitude that turns scars into stars.

When you choose to proclaim your positive faith in Christ, even in the midst of your suffering, there is no doubt that you will change the lives of others. Others around you will see your witness, your faith in action, and little seeds of faith will be planted in their hearts. When that happens, congratulations! God just used you to bring another lost soul into His fold!

* * *

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for using me for Your grand and glorious purpose! What an honor to be chosen by You to change the world. In Jesus' name, Amen.

* * *

Do you have difficulty trusting? Even trusting God? How do you feel when you allow your faith to overcome your fear? How does faith in Christ give you strength to face fearful situations?

By Jim Penner-Hour of Power (http://www.hourofpower.org/)

^^^*^^^

The Future Of The Crystal Cathedral

Ragbag Headliners

'Christ-A-Phobia' Dominating Calif. Park

A Christian activist suggests that a move by California atheists to counter Christmas shows their "frustrations" with Christian expression.

At Christmastime for the past few decades, Palisades Park in Santa Monica has been filled with nativity scenes that displayed Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. This year, however, the nativity scenes have been crowded out by atheist groups that have filled the park with signs that attack religion and wish passers-by a "Happy Solstice."

The Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee typically holds 14 out of the 21 display sites, but because of a new lottery system, the spaces were awarded to other groups, as the competition for spaces has been unusually high this year.

"It's clear that this is an irrational 'Christ-a-phobia,' if you will -- a hatred or fear of Christ that just makes them do these very irrational and petty things," comments Dr. Gary Cass of DefendChristians.org.

According to CBS News, secularist Damon Vix helped American Atheists Inc. and the Freedom From Religion Foundation obtain the spots that have been occupied by the Nativity Scenes Committee for 57 years.

"This just shows you the frustrations that non-Christians have -- especially these types of non-Christians -- that Christians have any right to express their point of view in a public forum," Cass concludes. –One News Now

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Policy Re: 'Transgenders' Trumps Religious Beliefs

Macy's is accused of firing an employee who objected to allowing a cross-dresser to use women's dressing rooms in one of its stores.

Natalie Johnson observed a man exiting a women's dressing room in one of San Antonio's several Macy's stores and politely told him he could not re-enter because it was for the exclusive use of women. Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel tells OneNewsNow the male customer -- who was wearing make-up and girl's clothing -- angrily responded that he was a "female."

"Then [he] contacted the management and said that this was an LGBT-friendly store," the attorney explains. "And to Natalie Johnson's surprise, management took the customer's position and affirmed that it is an LGBT-friendly store and said that according to their policy, 'transgendered' people can change in any dressing room they want."

Johnson pointed out to management the consequences of the policy and the potential danger to women and offensiveness of the policy, as well as that it violated her religious beliefs. She was fired.

"Natalie's situation represents what we're going to see around the country if we have this LBGT agenda continue to advance. It literally has become the theatre of the absurd," Staver offers.

"This policy at Macy's is fraught with problems -- it will alienate and offend the majority of their customers, particularly women," he continues. "They obviously do not, nor should they have to put up with, men using the women's fitting rooms."

Staver is hopeful customers of Macy's nationwide will contact the firm and ask officials to redraft the policy to a commonsense one -- that being that women's fitting rooms are for women and men's rooms for men. –One News Now

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School Punishes Religious Beliefs, Student Sues

A federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a Michigan public school student who was punished for telling his teacher he opposes homosexuality.

When his economics teacher, a homosexual activist, specifically asked Daniel Glowacki, a junior at the time, about his feelings on homosexuality, the student responded that as a Catholic, he is offended by the lifestyle. He was then threatened with suspension and ordered to leave the classroom. News of the incident spread nationwide, and Richard Thompson of the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) accounts that the reaction was rarely positive toward the student.

"A firestorm of protest and vilification of Daniel appeared in the homosexual Internet community, and it ultimately ended in the mother being so upset that she contacted the Thomas More Law Center," Thompson reports.

So the public-interest law firm is suing the teacher, Johnson ('Jay") McDowell, and the Howell Public School District because the school is supporting whatever agenda homosexual activists have.

"We're asking the court to declare that the policies of … Howell High School [are] unconstitutional. We're asking that there be an injunction entered that would prohibit further enforcement of those policies," the attorney explains.

Meanwhile, homosexual activists throughout the country have been hailing McDowell as a hero, while vilifying Daniel and his family as "bigots," referring to the student's religious objections as "hate speech." -One News Now

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What Schools Should Know At Christmas Time

In response to the constant pressure on schools to be politically correct during the holidays, The Rutherford Institute has issued its "Twelve Rules of Christmas."

Rutherford Institute President John Whitehead says many schools overreact and ban nativity displays, candy canes, and Christmas trees as the holiday approaches. They even rename Christmas programs "winter holiday" productions and forbid students and teachers from wearing red and green.

"The most recent [case] we received was a sixth grade class was asked … in a public school to make holiday cards to send to the troops, but they were told they could not use the words 'Merry Christmas' in the cards; they couldn't write that," Whitehead reports.

The legal firm posts The Twelve Rules of Christmas every year in an attempt to "clear up much of the misunderstanding" and bring common sense back to public schools during the Christmas season.

"No court has ruled that you cannot celebrate Christmas in the schools," the Institute president points out. "You can say 'Merry Christmas,' you can wear T-shirts with the slogan 'Jesus is the reason for the season,' [and] teachers can wear [Christmas] clothing and jewelry, as we show on our 12 rules."

The list also points out that public schools may teach students about the religious significance of the holiday, teachers are allowed to send Christmas cards to students' families, and schools can include Christmas music with religious themes in their choral programs. –One News Now

A State Mandated Christmas Bonus

As the holiday season reaches its zenith, I would like to highlight the fact that countries throughout the world that celebrate Christmas have issued a number of holiday related laws and regulations touching on an array of topics, such as toys, Christmas trees, pardons for criminals, and business operations, among others; my favorite among these is the seasonal bonus.

Mexico provides an illuminating example.  By this time, many Mexicans and those who self-identify as such, have enjoyed in the company of their friends and loved ones their fair share of tamales, menudo, pozole, and champurrado, among other seasonal treats.  And certainly, in the more lively homes, the holiday cheer has been brought about with tequila, mezcal (the drink with the worm), beer, wine (yes, Mexico makes wine and is home to the oldest winery in the American continent), and rompope (Mexican eggnog).  Some might have even moved on to pulque (see image below) to continue toasting the season. (This is an interesting article related to the cannibalistic origins pozole.)

The full Christmas cycle in Mexico starts on December 16th with a series of posadas that span over nine nights.  The posada of the 25th includes a piñata. (Others might dissent and argue that it starts on the 12th day of December, which is the day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, an autochthonous Madonna figure from Mexico who is referred to as the Patroness of Mexico and is associated with Mexico’s Independence.)  After the 25th of December, the celebration continues making its way towards the feast of Epiphany on January 6th (whether it is celebrated the night before or on the 6th, the protagonist is a rosca de reyes or king cake), which kicks off the Carnival season and culminates on February 2nd, on the feast of Candlemas.

Needless to say, over the course of a month of celebration, people spend a lot of money.  So, to keep up a jolly spirit for the long holiday season, lawmakers took a guess as to what might be most appreciated by the public.  In Mexico, the Ley Federal del Trabajo or Federal Labor Law, which was first issued on December 23, 1969, provides that:

Workers shall have the right to an annual aguinaldo (bonus) that shall be paid prior to the 20th day of December, equivalent to fifteen salary days, at least.

Those who have not fulfilled a year of services, irrespective of whether they are working or not on the day of the payment of the bonus, shall have the right to be paid the prorated amount, according to the time that s/he has labored, whichever it were. (Chapter 5, Article 87)

(Imagine that, a state mandated bonus!)  In Mexico, this is perhaps the only legal provision that stems from a religious holiday.  It is worth mentioning that article 130 of the Mexican Constitution of 1917, currently in force, provides for a full separation of church and state. The original language provided that the

Law does not acknowledge any legal status whatsoever of religious groups bearing the denomination of churches.  The ministers of cults shall be considered as persons who exercise a profession and shall be directly subject to the laws that are issued on the matter.  In order to exercise the ministry of any cult in Mexico, it is necessary to be Mexican by birth.  Ministers of cults shall never be able to, in a public or private reunion where a board is constituted, nor at acts of worship or religious propaganda, criticize the fundamental laws of the country, the authorities in particular or, in general, of the Government; they shall not have an active or passive vote, nor the right to assemble with political aims.

Since its promulgation, the provisions of article 130 have been modified; however, the spirit of secularism remains and can be seen here as it appears since the last amendment to the Constitution on October 13, 2011.  Even in its present form, the introductory clause to the article states that the “historical principle of the separation of the State and the churches guides the norms contained in the present article.”

Going back to the state-sanctioned holiday bonus, Mexico is not alone in the tradition of aguinaldos.  There are other Latin American countries with common legal heritages that share in this practice.  Although, in Mexico this bonus is only paid in December.  In countries like Argentina (Law 20.744, article 122), Bolivia (General Labor Law, Chapter V, article 57), Chile (Law 19.917, article 3),  Panama (Labor Code, Chapter III, article 142), and Venezuela (Organic Labor Law, Chapter III, articles 174-184), among others, a bonus is paid at least two or more times a year.  There are also other countries throughout the world that provide this “thirteenth salary.”  (Italy is one of those countries with its tredicesima mensilità.)

Nonetheless, the aguinaldo is a subsidy provided by the employer with the aim of ensuring that the December holiday celebrations be carried out with dignity.  The origins, however are uncertain.  The term aguinaldo as defined by the Dictionary of the Royal Academy of Spain states that it is either a gift that is given on Christmas or at the feast of Epiphany; a gift that is given at some other feast or occasion; a Christmas carol; or a wild tropical plant of the family Convolvulaceae, very common in Cuba, which blooms during the Christmas season.  So the closest definition would be that of a gift.  Some contend that the origins of the practice stem from ancient Rome and made their way down via Spain.  (Because in Chile this subsidy is provided on the 18th of December, it is called “aguinaldo dieciochero.”)

It is certainly nice that people who have such lavish traditions can count on the law to foster their celebration.

By Francisco Macías—Library of Congress