History Black And White

What a fitting text our Black History Committee has chosen for the theme of this Black History Sabbath and month—the words of our Lord Himself: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

One hundred-fifty years ago Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring: “And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons. . . . And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God”.

A century later, in a speech now immortalized by history, Martin Luther King, Jr., cried out to the masses gathered at the marbled foot of the Lincoln Memorial: “Free at last, free at last—thank God Almighty we are free at last!”

But the sad reality remains that fifty years later we are still not “free at last.” Not as Black Americans, not as white Americans, not as Latino Americans, not as Asian Americans, not as Native Americans, not as Adventist Americans. Shackled by social and cultural norms that still separate us, we gather today in worship. Shackled by ecclesiastical and judicatory norms that still divide the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United States, we gather today in worship. Shackled by the bondage of our addictions, our dysfunctions, our sins, we gather today in worship.

We gather today in worship because our only hope resides in the promise of Christ: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” What other hope can break the chains of our cultural and societal bondage? What other hope can break the chains to the tired arguments of the past that keep the Adventist Church in “separate but equal” division? What other hope can break the chains upon our souls?

On this Black History Sabbath that is surely more than about a history black and white, how fitting that the promise of Jesus is the prayer we are called to pray. “O Christ—have mercy on the church—have mercy on this people—and please, dear God, set us free, set us free at last.”

Amen.

By The Fourth Watch

Conception Of Birth

"For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the Earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Thy book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me when as yet there was not one of them." [Psalm 139:13-16]

Below is an amazing video on human life from conception to birth using the newest x-ray scanning technology that won its two inventors the Nobel Peace Prize. This is a remarkable video every person should see.

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Alexander Tsiaras : Conception to birth

An Arab In The Bar

The Arab told the bartender loud enough for all to hear that, he was buying everyone a drink except the Jewish fellow.

After the drinks were handed out, the Jew gave the Arab a big smile, waved at him, then said, "Thank you!" in an equally loud voice. This infuriated the Arab.

Once again, the Arab loudly ordered drinks for everyone except the Jew. But as before, this did not seem to bother the Jewish guy, who once again smiled, waved at the Arab, and loudly yelled "Thank you!".

The Arab asked the bartender, "What the hell is the matter with that Jew? I've ordered two rounds of drinks for everyone in the bar but him, and all the silly bugger did was to smile and thank me. Is he nuts?"

"Nope," replied the bartender. "He owns the place."

Author Unknown

Pope Benedict XVI Resigns

Few people are familiar with the prophecy of the Catholic Irish priest, Saint Malachy of Ireland, who was given a vision while he was in Rome in 1139 A.D. about the succession of Popes. After the vision, Malachy wrote a series of verses describing each Pope.

His prophecy predicted that the papal succession ends with Pope #267. Today's reigning Pope, Benedict XVI is Pope #267. However, the Benedictines added one additional Pope to the list making the total 268 altogether.

The question is: Will there really be another Pope after Benedict XVI, the present pope, the 267th Pope according to St. Malachy's prophecy? Or will Benedict XVI actually be the last Pope?

According to the latest news on February 12, 2013, which was aired by all major news media around the world, Pope Benedict XVI has resigned from his post as Pope as of February 28, 2013. This is the first time in the history of the Papacy and the Roman Catholic Church that a Pope has resigned.

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The "Prophecies" of Saint Malachy

— (This article is presented as a matter of record

and interest only, and NOT as fact) —

The most famous and best known prophecies about the popes are those attributed to St. Malachy, a medieval Irish priest and Kabbalist. In 1139 he went to Rome to give an account of the affairs of his diocese to the pope, Innocent II, who promised him two palliums for the metropolitan Sees of Armagh and Cashel. While at Rome, he received (according to the Abbot Cucherat) the strange vision of the future wherein was unfolded before his mind the long list of illustrious pontiffs who were to rule the Church until the end of time. The same author tells us that St. Malachy gave his manuscript to Innocent II to console him in the midst of his tribulations, and that the document remained unknown in the Roman Archives until its discovery in 1590 (Cucherat, "Proph. de la succession des papes", ch. xv). They were first published by Arnold de Wyon, and ever since there has been much discussion as to whether they are genuine predictions of St. Malachy or forgeries. The silence of 400 years on the part of so many learned authors who had written about the popes, and the silence of St. Bernard especially, who wrote the "Life of St. Malachy", is a strong argument against their authenticity, but it is not conclusive if we adopt Cucherat's theory that they were hidden in the Archives during those 400 years.

These short prophetical announcements, in number 112, indicate some noticeable trait of all future popes from Celestine II, who was elected in the year 1130, until the end of the world. They are enunciated under mystical titles. Those who have undertaken to interpret and explain these symbolical prophecies have succeeded in discovering some trait, allusion, point, or similitude in their application to the individual popes, either as to their country, their name, their coat of arms or insignia, their birth-place, their talent or learning, the title of their cardinalate, the dignities which they held etc. For example, the prophecy concerning Urban VIII is Lilium et Rosa (the lily and the rose); he was a native of Florence and on the arms of Florence figured a fleur-de-lis; he had three bees emblazoned on his escutcheon, and the bees gather honey from the lilies and roses. Again, the name accords often with some remarkable and rare circumstance in the pope's career; thus Peregrinus apostolicus (pilgrim pope), which designates Pius VI, appears to be verified by his journey when pope into Germany, by his long career as pope, and by his expatriation from Rome at the end of his pontificate. Those who have lived and followed the course of events in an intelligent manner during the pontificates of Pius IX, Leo XIII, and Pius X cannot fail to be impressed with the titles given to each by the prophecies of St. Malachy and their wonderful appropriateness: Crux de Cruce (Cross from a Cross) Pius IX; Lumen in caelo (Light in the Sky) Leo XIII; Ignis ardens (Burning Fire) Pius X. There is something more than coincidence in the designations given to these three popes so many hundred years before their time. We need not have recourse either to the family names, armorial bearings or cardinalatial titles, to see the fitness of their designations as given in the prophecies. The afflictions and crosses of Pius IX were more than fell to the lot of his predecessors; and the more aggravating of these crosses were brought on by the House of Savoy whose emblem was a cross. Leo XIII was a veritable luminary of the papacy. The present pope is truly a burning fire of zeal for the restoration of all things to Christ.

The last of these prophecies concerns the end of the world and is as follows: "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven- hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End." It has been noticed concerning Petrus Romanus, who according to St. Malachy's list is to be the last pope, that the prophecy does not say that no popes will intervene between him and his predecessor designated Gloria olivoe. It merely says that he is to be the last, so that we may suppose as many popes as we please before "Peter the Roman". Cornelius a Lapide refers to this prophecy in his commentary "On the Gospel of St. John" (C. xvi) and "On the Apocalypse" (cc. xvii-xx), and he endeavours to calculate according to it the remaining years of time (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913).

Foot Note: To View Popes before Malachy's Prophecies, The Prophecies of St. Malachy, and Partial List of "Jewish" Popes, please visit Bible Believers by clicking here

Pope Seeks Immunity Protection From Italian President

Italian newspapers are reporting today that Pope Benedict is to seek immunity and protection from Italian President Giorgio Napolitano on February 23 for allegations against the Pope of child sex crimes.

International Tribunal calls on Napolitano to “not collude in criminality”, and announces global campaign to occupy Vatican property and launch human rights inquiry in Italy

Rome (9 am local time):

Pope Benedict, Joseph Ratzinger, has scheduled a meeting with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano for Saturday, February 23 to discuss securing protection and immunity from prosecution from the Italian government, according to Italian media sources.

Ratzinger’s meeting follows upon the apparent receipt by the Vatican of a diplomatic note from an undisclosed European government on February 4, stating its intention to issue an arrest warrant for Ratzinger, who resigned from his pontificate less than a week later.

In response to the February 23 meeting, the International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State (ITCCS), through its field Secretary, Rev. Kevin Annett, has written to President Napolitano, asking him to refrain from assisting Ratzinger in evading justice. –By Stuart Wilde/StuartWilde/February 15, 2013

Roman Church Admits The Pope’s Guilt!!! – Syncrenicity Strikes!

 Exclusive Breaking News:

Roman Church admits the Pope’s Guilt: Joseph Ratzinger to Evade Justice and Hide out in the Vatican for his own legal immunity and “protection”

An Urgent Update from the International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State (ITCCS) – Brussels

Rome:

In a statement to Reuters today, Vatican officials announced that Joseph Ratzinger will remain a permanent resident of Vatican City after his resignation. Doing so will offer him legal protection from any attempt to prosecute him in connection with sexual abuse cases around the world, Church sources said today

“His continued presence in the Vatican is necessary, otherwise he might be defenseless”.

This startling admission of guilt by the church is also a direct obstruction of justice, and lends more weight to the charge by the ITCCS and others that the Vatican has arranged with the Italian government to shield Ratzinger from criminal prosecution, in violation of international laws ratified by Italy.

Commentary

The Vatican decided today to give permanent sanctuary to a proven war criminal by allowing Joseph Ratzinger to obstruct justice and evade prosecution for crimes against humanity. And the government of Italy is colluding in this abrogation of international law.

This decision validates our claims about the criminal conspiracy surrounding Ratzinger and his Vatican co-conspirators. It also makes it clear that the Vatican is a rogue power that is flaunting every law to conceal its own criminality.

In response, the ITCCS calls upon its affiliates and all people of conscience to use our upcoming Easter Reclamation Campaign to converge on Rome and the Vatican to force the extradition of Ratzinger from Vatican City, and place him and his accessories on trial for crimes against humanity.

Commencing Sunday, March 24, 2013, our activists and others will begin an escalating series of Catholic church occupations and seizures of church property to bring about Ratzinger’s extradition and reclaim stolen wealth from the criminal corporation known as Vatican Inc. – in the name of the legion of their victims, both living and dead.

.. and from Kevin Annett – The Rat Scurries Back to Vat!

Those whom the gods destroy, they first drive insane. Especially, it seems, in Rome.

Why would the oldest and wealthiest institution on our planet deliberately prove what its critics say about it, by first tossing their leader, a proven crook, out of his office after he’s threatened with arrest, and then giving him shelter to avoid prosecution? That’s the kind of panic and illogic displayed by a junior document-shredder, not a credible or wise body of men.

And that gives all of us hope.

Rome’s incredible admission that they can’t have the Pope stand trial has strengthened our cause and legitimacy enormously, proving that no matter how big is your guilty opponent, provoking him for long enough will cause him to destroy himself by his own fear and stupidity.

Protecting Ratzinger within the walls of the Vatican may halt justice for a moment, but it violates a basic rule of warfare, which is to never give your enemy a permanent focus for their attack. Ratzinger, the evil Emperor, now a permanent fixture in the Vatican? The absurdity of offering such an ongoing focus to the civilized world’s hatred of catholic criminality is also a sign that the church is adrift and improvising. But it also shows how genuinely worried is the Vtaican about the legal offensive mounted by our affiliates, lawyers for torture survivors, and the International Criminal Court.

The Vatican is pulling out all stops to keep Ratzinger out of court. Their loyal, one-man owned Italian media is assaulting the crap out of yours truly and our ITCCS these days, playing the “Deny, Distract and Discredit” strategy of any damage-controlling corporation.

Tottering Liz Windsor, aka Queen of England, is making a special and unprecedented trip to Rome on March 6 to kiss the ring, or other parts, of the new CEO of Vatican Inc. And Italian President Napolitano is meeting with President Obama today in Washington to undoubtedly line up more American backing for the Pontiff – not that Obama needs much encouraging, having stood loyally behind Ratzinger’s claim of “diplomatic immunity”.

But all to no avail, ultimately. When the Bloody Emperor stands naked, only our illusions keeps him protected and immune from the final accounting that is coming.

The tornado that followed my first exorcism outside the Vatican in 2009, and the lightning that struck it on the day of Benedict’s resignation, were not accidental. Joe Ratzinger should know from the history of his own former SS buddies that criminal institutions can run, but they can’t hide – even behind all the wealth and pomp in the world.

Prepare for Easter! Flush the Rat from the Vat!

By Tony Z/Syncrenicity/February 15, 2013

Scout Leaders Vow To Quit If 'Gay' Policy Reversed

Century-old organization 'will end up having money but no program'
 
He’s a fourth-generation Boy Scout leader, recipient of an award for distinguished leadership and a member of the Southern Region committee as well as an ad hoc member of the national committee.

But if the Boy Scouts of America’s national executive board follows through this week with a proposal to reverse a century-old policy and allow homosexuals in its ranks, Steve Elwart of Vicksburg, Miss., says he’s one of many Scout leaders throughout the leadership structure who will resign.

Elwart, a 30-year veteran of Scouting, explained to WND that with a model program already in place to protect Scouts from sexual abuse, his concern is not that pedophiles will infiltrate the organization if the policy is changed.

Calling that issue a “red herring,” his concern is more fundamental.

“Homosexuality is not a value I want to see imparted on my children,” he said. “And a lot of parents feel the same way, that homosexuality is not OK.”

Along with his regional committee position, Elwart said he will also resign as assistant scoutmaster of Troop 638 in Vicksburg, where he has served since 1987. He also is a former scoutmaster for the troop.

Elwart, a frequent contributor to WND, explained he will resign if the new policy is passed,  because by remaining, he would be “giving tacit agreement to the policy.”

The executive board is meeting Monday through Wednesday in Irving, Texas, the headquarters of the national organization.

Noting the culturally conservative rank-and-file membership of the Scouts, Elwart believes the executive board is poised to change the policy because of the loss of major corporate donors, who were pressured by homosexual-rights groups.

In contrast, he cited Boy Scouts founder Sir Robert Baden Powell’s philosophy of not asking for money, explaining he had an idea, and “money followed the idea.”

The Boy Scouts of America, a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, was founded in 1910.

“I’m afraid that if the BSA goes down this road, they may preserve some big money, but they will lose not only small contributors but the efforts of thousands of volunteers that do not want to be part of this,” Elwart said.

“They’ll end up with a lot of money but no program.”

As WND reported, the BSA’s new policy proposal coincides with a sudden drop in major corporate funding that began last summer after a gay-rights blogger for the Huffington Post published a collaborative report that named the donors and chastised them for violating their own policy of not discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation.

The Scouts count more than 2.7 million members and more than 1 million volunteers. The Scout troops, which are hosted by churches and other organizations, are organized into districts, based on geographic boundaries, which in turn are grouped into councils. The councils form 26 areas nationwide, which are further grouped into four regions. The BSA national council sets policy, offers national awards and organizes national jamborees.

Elwart said, based on his extensive communication in the past week with Scout leaders nationwide, the BSA national council’s proposal has created a firestorm

“Overwhelmingly, they do not like the change,” Elwart said of his colleagues. “A majority of them are considering retiring.”

He affirmed that his sample includes both volunteers and paid professionals from local unit leaders to leaders at the district, council and regional levels across the country.

‘Meeting the needs of families’

Last week, the national council in Irving announced it was considering allowing the local, chartered organizations that oversee Scouting to establish their own membership policy

Speaking for the National Council, Director of Public Relations Deron Smith explained that BSA members and parents “would be able to choose a local unit which best meets the needs of their families.”

But last July, an 11-member committee of professional scout executives and adult volunteers unanimously concluded after a two-year study that the policy of barring homosexuals should be maintained. The executive committee of the BSA national executive board then announced that while not all board members “may personally agree with this policy, and may choose a different direction for their own organizations, BSA leadership agrees this is the best policy for the organization and supports it for the BSA.”

Elwart thinks the proposed policy’s stipulation that each local unit can decide for themselves whether or not they want to receive homosexuals is not feasible.

“They’re trying to parse their words now,” he said.

The policy runs into trouble, Elwart argued, when local units come together for events such as summer camps and jamborees.

“For parents, even if their unit does not want homosexual Scouts in leadership or in the unit, they would have to isolate themselves from the rest of the Scouting program,” he said.

One practical issue, he said, would be the fact that Scout rules allow married leaders to share a tent on outings.

“Would we now let homosexual members share a tent?” he asked.

“I don’t want my grandkids exposed to that.”

Losing focus

Elwart and his wife are both recipients of the Silver Beaver award, the highest Scouting honor given by councils. In the Southern Region, Elwart once served as area training chairman, which encompasses youth protection.

He noted other organizations have tried to model the Scouts youth protection program, which teaches leaders the policies, guidelines and methods of protecting Scouts from sexual abuse.

Elwart pointed out the proposed policy also was voted down last June at the annual BSA national meeting, which included the members of the national and regional committees along with council and district leaders.

These are the rank-and-file leaders, he explained, in contrast to the national board that will decide the issue this week.

He describes the national board as “a completely different slice of Scouting, and from my personal experience, more politically correct.”

These are “good, well-meaning people,” Elwart said, “but they get so focused on the big picture items, like these major donors, that they forget the boy in the tent.” -By Art Moore/WND/February 3, 2013

About the Author: Art Moore entered the media world as a public relations assistant for the Seattle Mariners and a correspondent covering pro and college sports for Associated Press Radio. He reported for a daily newspaper and served as senior news writer for Christianity Today magazine before joining WND shortly after 9/11. He holds a master's degree in communications from Wheaton College Graduate School.

What Can We Do When Children Cannot Imagine A Better World?

I recently spoke to the middle school students at an alternative, independent, progressive school. I talked first to the 5th and 6th graders and next to the 7th and 8th graders. As I often do when I give presentations, I opened my talk by asking the kids what they thought were the biggest problems in the world. Like every group, their lists included such topics as global warming, poverty and war, along with many other issues.

Then I asked a question I hadn’t ever posed before. I asked if they could imagine a world without these problems. Only three children out of 40 raised their hands. I was stunned. These are children. Children are blessed with active imaginations, yet these kids couldn’t imagine a world without a laundry list of terrible problems and crises.

And so I asked them to close their eyes and imagine that they were very old, approaching the end of their lives. I told them that in their future the air and our rivers and lakes were clean; that while people still had conflicts, we no longer reacted with violence; that species were beginning to recover from the rapid extinctions that occurred earlier in their lives; that no one went to bed hungry because they lacked food to eat. I painted a bigger picture than this, but you get the point. Then I asked them to keep their eyes closed and raise their hands if they could imagine this world; all but a few raised their hands. I was relieved.

I did the same thing with the 7th and 8th graders. More raised their hands when asked if they could initially imagine a world without the list of problems they’d articulated, but this was still a minority of the group; and after the guided imagery, there were more hands left unraised than among the younger students.

It is extremely worrisome when young people cannot even imagine a world in which we solve our challenges. Without a belief in the possibility of a sustainable, just and peaceful future, it’s much harder to muster the effort to take part in change. I’ve written before about a creeping apathy among younger and younger kids, and I find this trend terribly unnerving. It’s so critical that we keep the fire of hope alive in our children; that we nourish their imaginations with a vision of a better world; that we remind them that we are living in less discriminatory, less violent and less cruel times than ever before in human history, and that what they do matters.

How can we do this? Here are some ways:

    Parents: To the best of your ability choose films and books for your young children that are hopeful, with heroic characters, and in which good prevails. Let your children know that they can and will make a positive difference in the world.

     Teachers: Make sure that your students know that what Martin Luther King, Jr. said is true: that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Teach them about the instances that illustrate the truth of King’s statement.

   Changemakers and Activists: Spread your good news! You are fighting injustice, destruction, and cruelty at every turn, and it would be easy to be endlessly angry and despondent. Make sure that your good work feeds your soul and that you share every success with joy and enthusiasm.

    People in the media: Share the good news as often as the bad. We need to know that change is possible, but most of the time what you share is the bad news, reinforcing a sense of cynicism, apathy, fear and hopelessness. We need you — our children need you — to keep their hope alive. –By Zoe Weil/Care2/January 6, 2013

About the Author: Zoe Weil is the president of the Institute for Humane Education, which offers the only graduate programs in comprehensive humane education, as well as online courses, workshops, and free resources. She is the author of Nautilus silver medal winner Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life; Above All, Be Kind; The Power and Promise of Humane Education; and Moonbeam gold medal winner Claude and Medea, about middle school students who become activists. She has given several acclaimed TEDx talks, including “The World Becomes What You Teach” and “Solutionaries” and blogs. Join her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @ZoeWeil.

Presented by HBO

Mea Maxima Culpa

It's Time To Hold Rome Accountable!

Papal Resignation: The Canon Law

It just shows you. Even an institution as ancient and traditional as the papacy still retains the ability to shock. Pope Benedict’s announcement today that he will resign for health reasons, effective February 28, seems to have taken everyone, including Vatican insiders, by surprise. It is the first papal resignation since the year 1415.

Canon law on papal resignation is surprisingly – or, come to think of it, unsurprisingly – brief. Canon 332(2) of the current Code of Canon Law* provides simply that “ If it happens that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that the resignation is made freely and properly manifested but not that it is accepted by anyone.” A leading commentary notes that Canon 332(2) does not specify the person or persons to whom a pope must manifest his resignation. Some scholars argue that the college of cardinals, as the body that elects the pope, is the proper recipient. But that’s not entirely clear; anyway, in Catholic understanding, the pope has authority to determine such matters for himself. Most likely, today’s announcement at a consistory, in which the Pope stressed that he was taking this step voluntarily and in full recognition of its gravity, will suffice. Anyway, the college of cardinals will no doubt have a chance to receive the resignation, if that action is required, before it elects Pope Benedict’s successor, most likely next month. - By Mark L. Movsesian/Center For Law & Religion Forum/February 11, 2013

*Code of Cannon Law Click Here

Nature Is Awesome!

Check out the video below of a baby Anna’s Hummingbird sitting next to the nest, getting fed by mom, saying goodbye to her/his sibling, and taking that very first flight!

You can also see the mother prodding her other baby with her beak, as if to say, “Come on! This is what birds do!”

The woman who shot the video in Silicon Valley, CA, reported that when she returned 4 hours later, both had left, and she saw one of the young ones at her feeder later in the afternoon. –By Judy Molland/Care2/June 14, 2012

 

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Hummingbird Baby leaves nest and flies for the first time!

The Emancipation Proclamation

January 1, 1863

A Transcription

By the President of the United States of America:

A Proclamation.

Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to wit:

"That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.

"That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be, in good faith, represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State, and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States."

Now, therefore I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do, on this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and in accordance with my purpose so to do publicly proclaimed for the full period of one hundred days, from the day first above mentioned, order and designate as the States and parts of States wherein the people thereof respectively, are this day in rebellion against the United States, the following, to wit:

Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, (except the Parishes of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St. James Ascension, Assumption, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Orleans, including the City of New Orleans) Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, (except the forty-eight counties designated as West Virginia, and also the counties of Berkley, Accomac, Northampton, Elizabeth City, York, Princess Ann, and Norfolk, including the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth[)], and which excepted parts, are for the present, left precisely as if this proclamation were not issued.

And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.

And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.

And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.

And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the eighty-seventh.

By the President: ABRAHAM LINCOLN
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.

The Bunny

One morning a blind bunny was hopping down the bunny trail and tripped over a large snake and fell kerplop right on his twitchy little nose.

'Oh please excuse me,' said the bunny. 'I didn't mean to trip over you, but I'm blind and can't see.'

'That's perfectly all right,' replied the snake. 'To be sure, it was my fault. I didn't mean to trip you, but I'm blind too, and I didn't see you coming. By the way, what kind of animal are you?'

'Well, I really don't know. Being blind, I've never seen myself. Maybe you could examine me and find out,' said the bunny.

So the snake felt the bunny all over, and he said, 'Well, you're soft and cuddly, and you have long silky ears, a little fluffy tail and a dear twitchy little nose. You must be a bunny rabbit!'

The bunny said, 'I can't thank you enough. But by the way, what kind of animal are you?'

The snake replied that he didn't know either, and the bunny agreed to examine him, and when the bunny was finished, the snake asked, 'Well, what kind of an animal am I?'

After having felt the snake all over, the bunny replied, 'You're cold, you're slippery, and you have no balls. You must be a POLITICIAN!'

Author Unknown

‘Gays Will Burn Christians At The Stake’ Says Pastor

Pastor Kevin Swanson of Generations Radio has decided to take a stand against the supposed evils of Colorado’s civil unions bill, warning that it will lead to legalized man/boy love and will result in gays burning Christians at the stake.

Frothed Swanson on his show this week:

You need to understand the agenda here. What’s happening is they want homosexuals to be able to be involved in adoption and foster care as much anybody else. So picture a nice little homeschool family, just trying to do the right thing. An anonymous tip comes in, social services swoops in, they grab the kids in the year 2022 and the kids get remanded into a home with homosexuals and these particular homosexuals happen to be tied into NAMBLA and other things. You know what’s going to happen. There will be proper indoctrination into a certain kind of worldview, shall we say.

Yeah. It’s a tragedy. It’s a tragedy. And I think there are a lot of concerned parents. There are concerned Catholic parents. There are concerned homeschool parents. And especially when you get a Regnerus study that comes out and says they’re ten times more likely to be touched sexually by a parent in a homosexual home than, you know, the normal American secular home. Wow. That’s frightening.

You’ll note Pastor Swanson also took time to cite the widely discredited propagandist Regnerus study which claimed to show having gay parents is bad for children; the faults with the methodology of the study have already been shown in great detail, but needless to say these claims are not supported by creditable research — yet the Religious Right continues to cite the study anyway, as they do their concerns over NAMBLA, the fringe association that for one brief moment at the conception of America’s gay rights movement tried to push for pederasty to be legalized.

NAMBLA today is little more than a few people and a postal address. Yet, apparently, this is the start of the revolution.

Swanson goes on to disgrace himself by butchering history: that gays felled the Roman Empire — apparently Pastor Swanson knows something history scholars don’t — and that a hundred years ago there were apparently only three homosexuals in existence (but what homosexuals they were!):

Just remember about 100 years ago, you had three homosexuals in the world as far as anybody really knew. There was a Canadian named Robert Ross, an Englishman named Oscar Wilde, an American named Walt Whitman. They led the charge in the early 1900′s and wound up in and out of the prison system and in court and so forth for a period of time. And again, there was only about three that anybody knew of and it was hardly anything that was mentioned among the established world at that time, that is in Europe, Canada and America. But you did have those three men, as far as history bears out, Robert Ross, Oscar Wilde and Walt Whitman were well-known for some level of homosexual activity, although they could not call themselves homosexuals at that time.

Swanson proceeds to blather that now the problem is “10,000 times if not 100,000 times worse.” Then he goes for the jugular of all those soft Christians out there who are, shock, accepting the reality of civil same-sex marriage:

Today, it might be a little different because you have a lot of quote-unquote apostate Christian churches that have adopted homosexuality and they will do their best to burn Christians at the stake or do what Nero did, I’m sure, in the years to come, because that’s sort of the history of homosexuals and what they have done ever since they were banging on the doors outside of Lot’s house.

Perhaps Swanson’s adducing of Lot in his little morality tale isn’t all that wise given how quick Lot was to offer up his virgin daughters to the rowdy mob at his door or, for that matter, how said daughters finally lost their virginity.

You may be forgiven for thinking this kind of ridiculous bleating means that the Colorado civil unions bill is in trouble, but there is actually reason to be very optimistic.

Colorado’s Senate Appropriations Committee this week passed the bill by a vote of 4-3. It now heads to a full floor vote where it is believed there is support enough to pass the legislation.

The real test will be the House where, as in previous years, opposition forces are already carping the bill that will lead to the persecution of Christians — that’s not in the text, though, in case you were wondering.

However, while in 2012 Republicans were able to mount an unprecedented procedural move that saw them close down the chamber so they didn’t have to debate the bill, this year’s reformed House sees Republican power heavily curtailed by a Democratic majority.

Governor John W. Hickenlooper has openly backed the bill and therefore it could become law as early as May of this year.

A 2006 voter approved constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 43, bans the recognition of same-sex marriage, however the text of the amendment did not prevent substantially similar institutions like civil unions.

There’s also the positive news that 17-year-old Zoe Mandelski filed on January 28 a proposal with the nonpartisan Legislative Council to begin the process of a referendum on legalizing marriage equality. The Legislative Council will hear the proposal on Monday, February 11. –By Steve Williams/Care2/February 4, 2013

Older And Wiser ...

"...I will keep on hoping for your help; I will praise you more and more." -Psalm 71:14, NLT

Winston Churchill, as well known for his wit and wisdom as he is for successfully leading Great Britain through World War II, once said about a colleague, "In those days he was wiser than he is now; he used to frequently take my advice."

Seeking advice from those older, wiser, or more experienced is always a smart tactic when confronting any obstacle in our lives. Not to do so sets us up for unnecessary failures and having to learn the hard way. God has designed our lives so that we must be dependent on others, just as we are dependent on him.

Prayer: When I encounter a problem, Lord, bring people into my life to help me. Help me, also, to help others with the wisdom you have given me. Thank you for designing me to need others, just as I need you every day. Amen.

Reflection: What comes to mind when you think about depending on another during a time of great challenge? What have you learned from another person that you can use to help others?

Hour of Power

Post-Christian Era? The Future Of Faith In America

Decades ago, Time Magazine declared on its cover "God is Dead." But today, a new book presents proof that for overwhelming numbers of Americans, God is very much alive.

Frank Newport, head of the respected pollster Gallup, has written a book called God is Alive and Well: the Future of Religion in America.

"We have well over 90 percent of Americans who in our survey questions say they believe in God," Newport told CBN News. "So right there is evidence that, at least in the minds of the majority of Americans, God is quite alive."

A Post-Christian Age?

The pollster's book delves into what Gallup has discovered doing more than 320,000 interviews in 2012 and with similar numbers in earlier years.

Some have declared this era a post-Christian age, but Newport said not according to Gallup's data.

"Seventy-five percent up to 80 percent of Americans are Christians," he stated. "Americans are religious and may actually be becoming more religious in the years ahead."

But Edwina Rogers, who leads the Secular Coalition for America, told CBN News, "I think the evidence shows just the opposite."  

For instance, this leader of one the nation's most active atheist and agnostic organizations pointed out there's a big difference between "churchgoers" and "believers."

"Of people who participate in religion and go every week, among the Protestants, you have about 30 percent who actually go and don't believe in God," she said.

Rogers cited her own experience as a non-believer going to church events in her home state of Alabama.

"I went a few times as an early teen with girlfriends," she said. "I liked the social side of it and got Coke and Lay's potato chips, things like that."

Rise of the Nones

Rogers pointed to research showing the number of non-theists and religiously unaffiliated has soared to 19 percent of Americans. And it's double that among the young, Americans under age 30.

"There are quite a number of 10, 12, 14, 15-year-olds who will just come out and say that they're atheists," she said.

Gallup's Newport acknowledged this growth.

"We call that the 'Rise of the Nones.' Now not n-u-n-s, like the Flying Nun, but n-o-n-e-s," Newport said. "In other words, people who say when we ask 'What is your religious identity,' they say they don't have any."

Newport agreed faith can take a beating in one's youth.

"Age 23 is the least religious age from 18 to death," he explained. "If you do a graph, that's the low point."

But he said faith and church attendance pick up as Americans marry, have children, and age. He also cited research that shows that path can lead to better health and well-being.

"Being more religious actually causes one to have higher well-being," he stated.

A Bright Future for Faith?

Newport believes as word of this gets around, it may make religion even more popular. And he has other reasons for seeing a bright future for faith.

For instance, those over 60 years of age are simply more religious, and baby boomers are beginning a senior explosion.

There's also a migration to states that are warmer and better off economically. Many are in the Bible Belt, and newcomers tend to pick up the regional culture, even its religiosity.

But Rogers looked at other nations and said she thinks America may follow them and lose its faith.

"We have countries in Europe like Estonia where you only have 16 percent of the people in that country who believe in God," she said.

Newport just doesn't buy that argument.

"I wouldn't say based on a look at all of our indicators that we're moving into a post-religious or post-Christian era," he stated.

Faith & Politics

When it comes to American politics, Newport and Rogers agree on a general truth: more religious equals Republican, non-religious equals Democrat.

Rogers pointed out that these "nones," ironically enough, "are considered the largest religion within the Democratic Party."

She brought up one telling event last year.

"The delegates down at the Democratic convention, they wanted no mention of God even put in their platform at all," she said.

But Newport said he thinks Democrats may fight harder for religious voters in the future. He pointed to words from President Barack Obama at a recent prayer breakfast in Washington.

"In his view, religion translates basically into Democratic positions on issues, like equality and compassion for the poor, and things like that," Newport recalled. "And that suggested to me the possibility that Democrats may begin to contest for the religious voter in the years ahead."

Rogers, a long-time GOP activist, said it's still about winning for the political parties. She's seen the Republicans courting the non-theists as younger people swell the unbelievers' ranks.

"They're looking at the demographics. They're looking at the trend," she stated. "They're seeing the growing numbers, especially under 30. And they would like to stay in business and win elections."

All these trends point to cross-currents in politics and life in America, where more than 90 percent of the people believe in God, but where one of the fastest growing groups is those who have no religion at all. -By Paul Strand/
CBN News Washington Sr. Correspondent/January 06, 2013

The Most Dangerous Place To Be An Atheist

Alexander Aan was just another bureaucrat holding down a desk at the Department of Planning until his Facebook Atheism page came to the notice of Indonesian authorities in Obama’s old stomping grounds. Now Aan is facing a five year jail sentence for using social media to spread the message that Allah does not exist.

Alexander is being charged with “defiling” Islam by using passages from the Koran to challenge the Islamic religion. And while the State Department and the media routinely go on the attack against any manifestation of what they call “Islamophobia,” it isn’t likely that they will be rushing to Aan’s defense. This isn’t exactly the first time that atheists have run afoul of the Islamic codes under which the Muslim world operates.

Two years ago, the Palestinian Authority arrested Waleed Hasayin on similar charges of blaspheming against Islam on Facebook. Waleed Hasayin had written that, “Muhammad was no different than barbaric thugs who slaughtered, robbed and raped women” and that “Islam has legitimized slavery, reinforced the gap between social classes and allowed stealing from the infidels, taking women in captivity during wars and sexual abuse of women slaves.”

For these and other truthful statements, he was arrested and his family demanded that he be sentenced to life in prison. He has since written a letter of apology in hopes of being released.

The regimes imprisoning Aan and Hasayin are funded by the United States. Indonesia is on the list of the top twenty countries benefiting from USAID funding and the Palestinian Authority, including its security forces and prisons, is mostly subsidized by American taxpayers. The arrests were accompanied by mob protests and violence reflecting populist Muslim hostility toward non-Muslims.

Underlying these individual incidents is a legal code that goes to the very definition of what it means to be a citizen of a Muslim country. Muslim countries recognize a limited set of legal religions. Non-Muslims who are members of legal religions have fewer rights and run the usual risks that come with being a minority group. Non-Muslims who are not members of official religions do not. This includes Muslim sects that the Islamic system does not recognize as legitimate. It includes Muslims who wish to convert to another religion, and it includes atheists who are not a recognized religious group.

Religious identity is linked to civic participation in public life in a way that most Americans are not aware of. It appears on identity cards, it is a basic requirement for doing anything from attending a university to getting married. Without membership in an officially recognized religious group, the atheist is a non-person.

But atheists no longer have to live in the Muslim world in order to be subject to Islamic rules. At Queen Mary, University of London, a public research university with roots going back nearly a thousand years, the Atheism, Secularism and Humanism Society attempted to hold a discussion on “Sharia Law and Human Rights.” The discussion came to an abrupt end when a man entered the room and warned that they would be murdered if they said anything critical about Mohammed.

The return of blasphemy laws to the United Kingdom has been slow, but not all that stealthy. At the University College London, the president of the Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Society resigned after the college student union backed a Muslim student association’s complaints about a cartoon strip of Mohammed having a drink that was posted on Facebook.

The steady flow of Muslim immigrants into London has turned it into Londonistan with nearly a tenth of the city answering the Call of the Mosque. In two decades their numbers will double and with 40 percent of British Muslims polling for Sharia, it’s not difficult to see that the trajectory for atheists in London is not a very promising one.

Atheists are a minority with legal protections in the West. Which is why the majority of the signatories on the Manifesto for a Secular Middle East and North Africa were activists who had left the Muslim world and were living in Europe or the United States. The impossibility of signing a similar manifesto while living full time in Iran or Pakistan went without saying.

But as the Muslim populations of Western countries continue to grow, they are becoming dangerous places for non-Muslims, including atheists. If a dialogue on the consequences of Islamic law can be shut down with threats of violence at University College London, then it’s hard to think of any place that it cannot be shut down.

We like to think of our cities as fundamentally different places than Tehran or Islamabad, but it’s the population that shapes the character and values of a city. Demographic change means cultural and religious change and as the norms of Tehran and Islamabad become the norms of London and Paris, religious minorities and irreligious minorities will both find themselves silenced.

The trajectory of persecution is not very difficult to calculate. In the UK, Muslims outnumber Jews six to one. In France, Muslims outnumber Jews ten to one, and in Sweden by as much as twenty-five to one. These are not just numbers; they also accurately chart the trajectory of religious persecution, with the Muslim persecution of Jews spiking horrifyingly in Sweden, high in France, but not as high in England. One reason why the situation is not yet as bad as in the United States is because Jews still outnumber Muslims at least two to one.

Muslim persecution of a hated minority group increases proportionally in relation to their numerical advantage. Atheists are a larger percentage of the population in Europe, but demographics are still catching up to them. In the United States the demographic race may already be done, as far as atheists are concerned.

In the United States approximately 0.7 percent of the population identifies as atheist and 0.8 percent of the population as Muslim. If these surveys are correct then the number of Muslims in the United States has already exceeded the number of atheists. While not a single member of Congress identifies as an atheist, two identify as Muslims.

The most dangerous place to be an atheist is in the Muslim world and as its boundaries broaden, so does the threat to the freedoms and civil liberties of all. –Daniel Greenfield/FrontPageMag/January 23, 2012

Ancient Afghan Papers Shed Light On Jewish Life

Cache of 1,000-year-old documents written by Afghan Jews provides great insight into medieval Jewish life in central Asia.

A cache of 1,000-year-old documents written by the Jewish community in Afghanistan and unveiled in Jerusalem on Thursday provides unprecedented insight into medieval Jewish community in central Asia.

"This is the first time we have a large collection of documents representing the culture of the Jews who lived there" at the beginning of the 11th century, said academic director of the National Library of Israel, Professor Haggai Ben-Shammai, according to AFP.

The collection was reportedly discovered by chance in a cave inhabited by foxes approximately two years ago in northern Afghanistan. The dry climate of the cave preserved the papers, keeping them in excellent condition.

The Afghan "Geniza," the Hebrew term for ritual Jewish disposal of documents with religious significance which cannot be thrown out but must be buried, contains hundreds of papers currently held by collectors and dealers around the world, AFP reported.

The national library displayed the 29 items it had acquired from the cache to the media on Thursday, after obtaining them from a dealer in Jerusalem.

Ben-Shammai said the collection is rich with documents, some in Arabic and some in Hebrew script in the Judaeo-Persian dialect, which was prevalent at the time, and also in Hebrew and Arabic.

In addition to being the first ever documentation of the religious, cultural and commercial life of the Jewish community in a central location on the trade route between China and the West, it also contains yet unseen commentary by 10th century commentator Saadia Gaon on the book of Isaiah.

"Until now, we had no documents testifying to the presence of Jews" in this part of the Persian cultural domain, Ben-Shammai said, according to AFP.

The library is preparing to make the documents available online in order to make them accessible worldwide. –By Rachel Hirshfeld/Israel National News/January 4, 2013

Soldiers Deck of Cards

Old Goats

A group of American tourists on a tour of the Netherlands stopped at a Dutch cheese farm. The tour guide led them through the cheese making process and explained that goat's milk was used in the production of cheese for which the Dutch have become well-known worldwide.

Then, the guide led the group to a lovely hillside where many goats were grazing. The guide commented: "When the goats are to old and no longer able to produce milk, they are brought to this pasture." The guide then asked, "What do you do in America with your old goats?"

An elderly gentleman in the tour group answered, "They send us on bus tours!"

Author Unknown

'Lost Tribe's' Return To Israel Fulfilling Prophecy?

A "lost tribe" has come home to Israel and the return could be part of biblical prophecy.

CBN News was at Ben Gurion Airport when more than 50 members of the Bnei Menashe tribe made history.

The group was just the first of a long-awaited migration. Nearly 2,000 tribe members live in Israel, but five years ago the government stopped their return.

"I feel like I'm home," one tribe member said.

Another told CBN New they were, "excited, overwhelmed. And unexplainably, you know, feeling in my heart. I feel like crying. I'm emotional, total loss for words."

A recent decision now permits all the Bnei Menashe, about 7,000, to return.

"The ten tribes may have been lost to us for many centuries, but they were never lost in terms of their identity," Michael Freund, with Shavei Israel, told CBN News.

Freund worked for years to help bring about this moment. He said he believes the Bnei Menashe return fulfills of biblical prophecy.

"The prophet Isaiah says 'al tera qui ka ani,' which means 'fear not for I am with you, God says," Freund explained. "'Me israch avi zerecha,'" which translates 'from the east I will bring your descendants.'"

"These are the descendants of Israel and they are coming back from the east," he said. "It is as if the headline of today was written by Isaiah the prophet 25 or 2,600 years ago. It's a phenomenal thing."

The Assyrian Empire exiled the tribe of Manassah almost 3,000 years ago.  Although they settled in northeast India, tribe members kept their Jewish roots for more than 2,000 years.

Several Christian organizations helped bring them home.

"In fact, the Hebrew prophets said when God gathered His Jewish people back from all the ends of the earth in the last days that there would be Gentiles helping and bringing them back," David Parsons, with the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, told CBN News.

"He said, 'I'll beckon to the Gentiles.' And so we have this invitation from God Himself to be involved in this aliya," he said.

Another 300 tribe members are scheduled to arrive in January, with thousands more yet to come. -By Chris Mitchell/CBN/January 06, 2013

Wings

The word “renaissance” comes from the French word for rebirth. It is usually used to refer to that period of time approximately 600 years ago when mankind freed itself from the restrictive policies of the church and began a new generation of ideas and innovation.

It is therefore used to describe any instance when something begins anew.

One of the more repugnant creatures of the world is the caterpillar (especially if they’ve started oozing out after you’ve stepped on it). Yet one of the most beautiful and mystifying creatures is the bright and brilliant butterfly. They are intimately connected by the word “renaissance” in the truest sense of the word.

Let’s see what happens inside that cocoon.

First our little friend, the caterpillar, eats as much as he can so that there’s plenty of “body” inside his furry skin. When he’s just about had enough to eat, he (or she) finds a quiet place where it won’t be disturbed. Some produce cocoons, others park themselves under a leaf. Then the magic begins.

The caterpillar begins to digest itself using the same juices it used to digest its food (sort of like your stomach digesting your intestines). When most of its body has been consumed in what you might call a larval near death experience, it begins to regenerate itself. It has shed its skin in preparation for the development of a leaner, thinner body and its colorful wings. It then pumps blood (yes, insect blood) into its wings and emerges from its slumber in the most dazzling-colored rebirth in nature.

Question is – why would God create a creature that has to die only to be reborn as something completely different?

Perhaps we can find the answer lies in the purpose of Creation.

We are here in this world to ingest good deeds (mitzvoth) into our bodies and souls, whether they are between man and our fellow man or between us and God. After we die our natural death, these deeds reconstitute our physical beings into the wings of angels and we experience the renaissance of the soul.

The more mitzvoth we’ve ingested, the more magnificent it’s wings.

Author Unknown

CofE Drops Opposition To Gay Bishops In Civil Partnerships

The Church of England has dropped its prohibition on gay clergy in civil partnerships becoming bishops.

The announcement, from the Church's House of Bishops, would allow gay clergy to become bishops if they promise to be celibate.

Conservative evangelical Anglicans say they will fight the move in the Church's ruling general synod.

The issue has split the church since 2003 amid a row over gay cleric Jeffrey John becoming Bishop of Reading.

Mr John, now Dean of St Albans, was forced to withdraw from the role shortly after having initially accepted it, following protests from traditionalists.

He was also a candidate for Bishop of Southwark in 2010 but was rejected. Evidence emerged that this was because of his sexual orientation.

The Church of England has already agreed to allow people in civil partnerships to become clergy, provided they promised they would remain celibate.

In July last year, the House of Bishops (HoB) said it would review this decision, made in 2005, to decide whether it could also relate to bishops.

In the list of decisions at its latest meeting in December, it has now confirmed that those conditions could now extend to bishops.

This amounts to a lifting of the moratorium on the appointment of clergy in civil partnerships as bishops, the Church Times said.

The Rt Rev Graham James, Bishop of Norwich, said on behalf of the House of Bishops that it would be "unjust" to exclude anyone for consideration for the role of bishop who was "seeking to live fully in conformity with the Church's teaching on sexual ethics or other areas of personal life and discipline".

He said: "All candidates for the episcopate undergo a searching examination of personal and family circumstances, given the level of public scrutiny associated with being a bishop in the Church of England.

"But these, along with the candidate's suitability for any particular role for which he is being considered, are for those responsible for the selection process to consider in each case."

BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said that, given the tension surrounding the issue of sexuality, the Church's decision to allow men in civil partnerships to become bishops represented a major concession and one with considerable symbolic significance.

Conservative evangelicals have warned they would be willing to bring in bishops from overseas to avoid serving under a gay bishop.

The Reverend Rod Thomas, chairman of the evangelical group Reform, said the idea of appointing people in civil partnerships as bishops had not been agreed or debated by the wider Church.

"That would be a major change in church doctrine and therefore not something that can be slipped out in the news, it is something that has got to be considered by the general synod."

He said there would be great divisions in the Church if clergy in a civil partnership were appointed as a bishop.
'Loving relationships'

Canon Chris Sugden from Anglican Mainstream said: "Since a decision to move from the current position would be a grave departure from the Church's doctrine and discipline; it should be made by Bishops in Synod not by Bishops alone. Otherwise it looks too much like salami-slicing away at the Church's teaching. "

The Rev Colin Coward is director of the Changing Attitude group, which campaigns for the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the Church. He said the church "has issued a statement which will be laughed at by the majority in this country."

Insisting on celibacy was wrong, he went on: "Jesus, the Holy Spirit, advocates deeply loving faithful committed relationships in which people express their love sexually, and that is Biblical teaching."

Worldwide, anger over the appointment of actively gay men and women as bishops, especially in the US, has stimulated the Gafcon movement, through which conservative Anglican provinces in Africa and elsewhere have begun to function independently of the official Anglican Communion.

Gafcon has condemned those who preach a "false gospel" which "claims God's blessing for same-sex unions over against the biblical teaching on holy matrimony". –BBC/January 2, 2013

Cardinal Donald Wuerl Discusses Importance of Religious Freedom

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, D.C., recently shared with The Christian Post his thoughts on religious freedom in the U.S. and the need for religious persons to secure that freedom in U.S. culture.

Wuerl is the author of the recently published book Seek First the Kingdom: Challenging the Culture By Living Our Faith.

CP: In your book Seek First the Kingdom, you mention a ceremony to unlock the doors of St. Mary County chapel. You liken that ceremony to how it is better to keep the doors of religious expression in public life open. How can Christians of all traditions help undo an American culture that seems to be once again "locking the doors" of religious freedoms?

Wuerl: The great American tradition is one of pluralism, not exclusive secularism. The strength of our country is reflected in the contributions that we all make to the common good. Faith-based entities have provided education, health care, social service and a host of other benefits to the nation, to the common good of all. We should not today begin to close the doors in favor of a rigid, narrow, exclusively secular outlook on life.

People of faith should be able to have confidence in their right to freely express and live their beliefs. Today they must be vigilant in asserting that right in the public square. On a personal level, Christians of all traditions should be engaged in the national debate and formation of policy around matters that are not denominational but go to the core of who we are. They can enter the public dialogue by communicating with their representatives, testifying before government bodies, and writing to media outlets with faith-informed outlooks. American culture can be changed if the faithful speak up for what they believe.

CP: How is the Catholic Church making its members aware of the growing issue of religious liberty and equipping them to tell "the rest of the story" in relation to the sanctity of marriage?

Wuerl: The church teaches and attempts to convince and persuade all of the truth of her position. It is important today, for example, to understand that marriage and family have deep roots in natural law, human experience and history. Words have meaning. We are not free to change the basic meaning of reality for political convenience. "Marriage" is the word that throughout human history has been used to designate the act of commitment of a man and a woman to join together in a partnership for life directed towards their mutual support and the generation and education of children. This is what marriage means and has always meant.

The Catholic Church has taken several practical steps to highlight the importance of religious liberty. For instance, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has established an Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty; my fellow Maryland-serving bishops and I released a statement in November 2011 calling attention to the perilous state of conscience rights in this country; and most recently, four Catholic bishops joined with leaders of numerous other religious communities in signing an open letter to all Americans highlighting the connection between religious liberty and the preservation of the traditional definition of marriage.

Similarly, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has created a website, "Marriage: Unique for a Reason" (marriageuniqueforareason.com), that explains fully the church's teaching on marriage. In addition, the Archdiocese of Washington publishes teaching material entitled, "Marriage Matters," which explains various facets of Catholic doctrine regarding marriage. The goal of all of this is to inform and support the faithful so they'll have the confidence to make their voices heard on a range of issues that also involve religious freedom.

CP: In Seek First the Kingdom, you write that the "right" of same-sex unions should be tempered with the right of conscience. However, conscience protections written into Illinois' Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act failed to protect Catholic Charities foster care services. In fighting for religious liberty, is asking for the right of conscience and religious exception enough to protect religious freedoms?

Wuerl: It should be, if those statutes are written in a way that truly respects religious liberty. Unfortunately, as in the case of Illinois, religious exemptions can be written so narrowly as to make them meaningless.

Recently, though, in a decision widely considered to be one of the most important rulings on religious liberty in decades, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the right of religious organizations to choose whom they appoint to teach their faith and carry out their mission. The case, Hosanna-Tabor Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the reinforcement of Constitutional protections for religious organizations come at a critical point in the cultural debate over religious freedom.

There is plenty of room for all of us to interact and participate in the life of this country. The freedom to be able to offer education, human services, and health care in accordance with our own identity as a church should not be denied us simply because there may be the perception of a political majority who favors a new understanding of the American tradition of pluralism.

Catholic programs and organizations serve everyone. No one is turned away because of their gender, sexuality, race, religion, ethnic background or social condition. However, there are some things that Catholics simply do not do. For example, when someone comes to a Catholic health care professional or facility seeking to abort their child, the church simply can not assist them – not because of questions of race, creed, ethnic background or social circumstances, but because it violates our belief that all life is sacred. It is not an act of discrimination to say, "We do not do that." It is a recognition of the sanctity of one's own conscience.

No one should be forced to violate one's conscience nor should anyone be forced out of service of the common good because there are some things their conscience tells them they cannot do. In the history of our country, we have always had room for people to exercise their conscience and still serve the common good.

CP: Following Cardinal-designate Dolan's September 2011 letter, how does the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty plan to address government policies that infringe on the exercise of religious freedom in adoption and health care services in 2012?

Wuerl: At the heart of our effort will be to teach and to help people understand that religious liberty is a foundational right in America. We have to remind people of the history of this "first freedom" and what the impact will be if it is lost.-By Stephanie Samuel/Christian Post/January 21, 2012

About Donald Wuerl: Wuerl serves on numerous national and international bodies within the Catholic Church. Cardinal Wuerl's titles include chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, chancellor of The Catholic University of America and chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committees on Doctrine and on Evangelization and Catechesis.

Be Happy

Life is Beautiful

Being Christian Is A Death Sentence

America needs to give shelter to persecuted believers from Muslim lands

Persecuted Christians are fleeing from the Middle East in increasing numbers. The United States should open its doors to them as a guaranteed safe haven.

America has long been a beacon of hope for the world’s refugees, and members of religious minorities in the Middle East are in increasing need of relief. They have never had things easy, facing both official and popular intolerance from the Muslim majorities among whom they live. But as the region becomes less stable, intolerance has turned to active persecution and violence.

The Christian population in Iraq is one of the most at risk. Around half of Iraqi Christians have fled the country since 2003, and those who remain expect growing challenges, given the U.S. military pullout. Christians have suffered periodic waves of violence, including bombings, assassinations and church burnings. When Iraq's government said in 2010 it would issue a license to carry firearms to any Christian family that wanted one, it was simply acknowledging the reality that followers of the faith had to arm or die.

Many Iraqi Christians have fled over the border to Syria, but the situation there is growing perilous. Syrian Christians, who make up 10 percent of the population, have tried for the most part to stay out of the politics of the rebellion. They worry that a victory by the protesters will usher in a new era of Islamist oppression, but they cannot side openly with dictator Bashar Assad for fear of reprisal should the regime be overthrown.

In Egypt, violence against the Coptic Christian minority is on the rise. Copts fear that should Islamists take power, they will see significant erosion in whatever rights they still have. The Muslim Brotherhood has attempted to ease these fears but has admitted that Copts would face a series of new restrictions under their prospective rule.

Pakistan’s 20 million Christians face a variety of threats, including forced conversion and attacks on churches and worshippers. The Pakistan Christian Congress has appealed to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to award them refugee status, but the U.N. so far has been reluctant to recognize there is a crisis. In Afghanistan, the situation is even worse. Kabul refuses to admit the existence of the few thousand Christians in the country. An Afghan Christian named Aman Ali was forced to flee to India with his family after he received numerous threats on his life. He applied for refugee status but was told by an official of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that his case didn’t fit its criteria. His is one of a large number of cases of UNHCR unwillingness to acknowledge that being a Christian is tantamount to being under a death sentence.

Christian refugees from Muslim-majority countries who can reach the United States should be given the same special status that asylum-seekers from communist countries were accorded during the Cold War. Precedent exists: The definition of a “refugee-escapee” in the 1957 Immigration and Nationality Act included not only those who had fled “from any Communist-dominated, or Communist-occupied area” but also those “from any country within the general area of the Middle East, and who cannot return to such area, or to such country, on account of race, religion or political opinion.” Christians and other religious minorities are increasingly unwelcome in the Muslim world; they should be given sanctuary in America. –Washington Times/December 22, 2011

Ragbag Headliners

Washington National Cathedral In D.C. To Perform Same-Sex Weddings

The Washington National Cathedral, a hub for the Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., announced that it will begin performing same-sex marriages immediately.

"Washington National Cathedral has a long history of advancing equality for people of all faiths and perspectives," said the church's dean, Reverend Gary Hall, in a statement. "The cathedral is called to serve as a gathering place for the nation in times of significance, but it is also rooted in its role as the most visible faith community within the Episcopal Church. For more than 30 years, the Episcopal Church has prayed and studied to discern the evidence of God's blessing in the lives of same-sex couples. It is now only fitting that the National Cathedral follow suit. We enthusiastically affirm each person as a beloved child of God — and doing so means including the full participation of gays and lesbian in the life of this spiritual home for the nation."

The Episcopal Church is a progressive Protestant denomination that has ordained gay and lesbian clergy since 1989, according to the Human Rights Campaign, and in 2003 the church made history by ordaining its first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson. In July 2012 the church provisionally approved union rites for same-sex couples and a nondiscrimination policy that covers transgender people. –By Sunnivie Brydum/Advocate/January 09 2013

Notable (and Hilarious) Examples Of The Christian Right's Failed Prophecies

The people who claim to be the conduits of God's will are scam artists.
The Christian right in America, like all organized religions, claims to have a correct and exclusive understanding of God's will. To hear them tell it, the almighty creator of the universe has strong opinions about corporate tax rates, firearm ownership and what consenting adults do with their genitals, and he's delegated them to speak on his behalf.

But if they want us to believe they have this authority, it seems only fair to consider their track record. After all, the Bible itself tells how to identify false prophets, saying that if they're not really speaking for God, their predictions won't come true -- a very sensible test!

It's a test that the American religious right should be worried about, because their history, to put it politely, doesn't inspire confidence. Many of the most powerful and influential members of their movement, including presidential candidates, media moguls and the founders of churches, have repeatedly claimed to have God-given visions of the future that proved to be completely and utterly wrong. Here are some of the more notable (and hilarious) examples of their prophetic blunders.

Failed doomsday predictions

The world-renowned Harold Camping was just the latest in a long line of Christian preachers who've made a profitable career out of erroneously predicting the apocalypse. If anything, Camping was only unusual in that he admitted his blunder after falling flat on his face (although he didn't offer to refund any of his followers who spent their life savings on spreading his message).

Other prominent Christian sects that have gotten it wrong are still around, in some cases recycling decades-old predictions as if they were brand-new. The Jehovah's Witnesses made a habit of erroneously predicting the apocalypse throughout the 20th century. One of their founders, J.F. Rutherford, wrote a book in 1920 called Millions Now Living Will Never Die, in which he claimed among other things that the patriarchs of Israel would be resurrected from the dead by the year 1925.

A little more recently, there was Hal Lindsay, author of such '70s-era classics as The Late Great Planet Earth and The 1980s: Countdown to Armageddon. Along the same lines, a Christian author named Edgar Whisenant wrote a popular book called 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988. Whisenant's book was influential: most infamously, Paul and Jan Crouch's Trinity Broadcast Network preempted their regular programming on Rosh Hashanah in 1988 to run a prerecorded tape of instructions for those who'd been left behind by the Rapture.

To be fair, when it comes to end-of-the-world hysteria, it's not just devotees of the Rapture and the Antichrist who've dropped the ball, so to speak. You probably remember that last year, the supposedly significant date of December 21, 2012 saw a surge of excitement and dread among New Age devotees, many of whom flocked to holy sites all around the world in the hopes of surviving whatever they believed was going to happen. (My favorite story was about the mountain of Bugarach in rural southern France: pilgrims believed that there were alien ships hiding out underneath, biding their time until Doomsday when they'd emerge and whisk people away from the planet.)

Pat Robertson's dubious prognostications

Pat Robertson, the one-time GOP presidential candidate and religious-right media mogul, has repeatedly tried to predict the future, with roughly the same accuracy as a dart-throwing monkey.

In 1980, Robertson predicted the start of World War III, telling his audience that God said the year would be full of "sorrow and bloodshed that will have no end soon, for the world is being torn apart, and my kingdom shall rise from the ruins of it." (source)

In his 1991 book The New World Order, Robertson forecast that U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller would be elected president. (source)

In 1998, Robertson threatened that, as punishment for flying rainbow flags during Disney World's annual Gay Days event, the city of Orlando would be struck by "earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor." (source)

In January 2006, Robertson predicted that the midterm elections would leave the Republicans in charge of Congress; that year turned out to be a historic Democratic sweep. (source)

In May 2006, Robertson said that the coast would be struck by multiple destructive hurricanes. In fact, no hurricanes made landfall in the U.S. that year. (source)

In January 2007, Robertson predicted there would be a terrorist attack on American soil that year, possibly nuclear, resulting in mass killings. (source)

In October 2008, Robertson predicted a war between Israel and Iran before the end of the year. (source)

Predictions of a Romney victory

The 2012 presidential election will be legendary for the number of Republican pundits who blew their calls in spectacular fashion by predicting a Romney landslide. But it wasn't just secular conservatives who got it so wrong: the religious right, too, was confident that God was on their side and would deliver them a miraculous victory. One of my favorite examples is an activist named James Goll, who claimed that in 2008 he had a prophetic vision about a savior from Michigan with a "big mitt" (get it?):

    Then the external voice of the Lord came to me saying, When the nation has been thrown a curve ball, I will have a man prepared who comes from the state of Michigan and he will have a big mitt capable of catching whatever is thrown his way.

There were others as well, like the Orthodox Jewish scholar who claimed that the "Bible Code" foretold a Romney victory. Although he stopped short of proclaiming it a divine revelation, religious-right darling Mike Huckabee got in on the act too, predicting in late October that Romney would decisively win Florida (and by extension, presumably, the election).

Obama's coming Antichrist reign

The counterpoint to the Romney-landslide prophesies are the religious-right pundits who warned darkly of the catastrophic consequences of an Obama reelection. For example, the preacher Dutch Sheets wrote about those who saw the election as "a sign of the end-times," whereas he merely believes it will bring "our most severe judgment to date." Columnist Erik Rush similarly argued that Obama's reelection lends credence to Armageddon dogma," and Sherry Shriner writes about how Obama is ushering in "one world government... as that old Bible on your shelf has foretold."

Technically, these aren't failed prophecies yet, since Obama still has four years to prove himself the Antichrist -- except that, in many cases, these are the same people who were predicting disaster and dictatorship if Obama won a first term. The blogger Libby Anne dug up hilarious proof of this, in the form of a 2008 press release from the Christian-right group Focus on the Family, titled "Letter from 2012 in Obama's America." Among the parade of horribles in this dystopia: the forcible disbanding of the Boy Scouts; an Iranian nuclear attack on Israel; coerced euthanasia; churches forced to conduct same-sex weddings; banning the Bible as hate speech, and more.

In fact, not a single thing the 2008 letter predicted came true. But this flat record of failure hasn't chastened the religious-right prophets who are, once again, predicting the apocalypse in the aftermath of electoral defeat.

Will gay marriage be the end of the family?

Many religious-right power brokers think so: Rick Santorum, for instance, predicted that marriage equality would "destroy the family" and also "destroy and undermine the church." Not to be outdone, evangelical spokesman James Dobson claimed that same-sex marriage would "destroy the Earth."

We have a reality check for these claims, however, which is states like Massachusetts where same-sex marriage has been legal for years. As Nate Silver has written, the states with marriage equality have some of the lowest divorce rates in the country. The institution of the family hasn't disintegrated there; nor have those states been swallowed by the depths of the earth.

Gays and immodest women cause natural disasters

Ever since Sodom and Gomorrah (which weren't destroyed for homosexuality according to the Bible), it's been a truism of the Christian right that God indiscriminately smites people with natural disasters whenever we do something he doesn't like. For example, Rick Perry's one-time campaign co-chair, the evangelical Pam Olsen, claimed that gay marriage causes floods, fires and tornadoes. Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Isaac have also been blamed on increasing acceptance of LGBT people. And in one of the weirder variants, an evangelical Christian named Cindy Jacobs claimed that mass bird kills were caused by the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Since it's always possible to claim, after the fact and with no evidence, that a natural disaster was caused by God's anger at some sin, these specific assertions are unprovable. However, the claim that sinful behavior in general causes destruction is eminently testable, and has been tested. In April 2010, Kazem Seddiqi, an Iranian cleric, said that immodestly dressed women cause earthquakes. This remark inspired "Boobquake," a tongue-in-cheek experiment where women wore "immodest" clothes for one day to note the seismological effects. There was no detectable change in the number of earthquakes on that day.

The imminent triumph of creationism

The "intelligent design" creationist movement, which arose in the late 1990s, claimed to be more strictly scientific and more respectable than the old-fashioned, Adam-and-Eve-riding-dinosaurs school of creationist thought. And they weren't shy about predicting that their ideas would soon take the scientific community by storm.

For instance, the so-called Wedge Document, a strategic memo written in 1998 by the pro-intelligent design Discovery Institute, listed as one of its five-year goals, "To see intelligent design theory as an accepted alternative in the sciences and scientific research being done from the perspective of design theory," and as one of its 20-year goals, "To see intelligent design theory as the dominant perspective in science." (It's pretty safe to say that the former goal has failed, although they still have five years to fulfill the latter one.) Similarly, intelligent-design advocate Nancy Pearcey wrote in 2005 about "why intelligent design will win," and creationist William A. Dembski wrote in 2004 that within 10 years, he expected a "Taliban-style collapse of Darwinism."

These goals turned out to be empty bluster. Intelligent design suffered a crushing blow when it was ruled unconstitutional to teach in public schools by a George W. Bush appointee, Judge John Jones, in the 2006 Dover trial, and since then the movement has largely faded into obscurity. But this is nothing new: creationists have been continually predicting the imminent demise of evolution since the mid-1800s.

You may notice that, other than the self-serving predictions of their own success, most of the religious right's prophecies are of disaster and calamity. They almost never forecast greater peace, increased prosperity or the advance of democracy and human rights. There's a good reason for this.

The religious right as a movement thrives on fear, because it depends on the unthinking obedience of its followers, and fearful people are far easier to shepherd and control. A person who fears the worst will follow anyone who promises security and relief from that fear: it's not difficult to persuade them to donate money, follow marching orders, or vote as instructed if it will turn back the imaginary evils that menace them.

This has been an effective strategy, but it means that secularists and progressives can win people over if we offer them freedom from fear. And the best way to do that is to point out that the prophets of doom have failed over and over again. Normally their followers are only too happy to count the hits and ignore the misses, but when the evidence is all collected in one place, the conclusion becomes much harder to ignore: the people who claim to be the conduits of God's will are scam artists, falsely claiming to know things they don't know. Whether they're intentionally lying or sincerely deluded makes no difference. –By Adam Lee/AlterNet/January 21, 2013

About the Author: Adam Lee is a writer and atheist activist living in New York City. Follow him on Twitter, or subscribe to his blog, Daylight Atheism.