One of the nation's top legal teams regarding civil and religious rights has stepped into a dispute stemming from last weekend's Arab Festival in Dearborn, Mich., where police are accused of enforcing Islamic law.
"Officers arrested four Christian missionaries and illegally confiscated their video cameras, which were recording the events surrounding their arrests," said a statement today from the Thomas More Law Center of Ann Arbor, Mich.
But the law-center announcement said the incident has been described as "police enforcement of Shariah law." The organization said it would represent the Christians.
"These Christian missionaries were exercising their constitutional rights to free speech and the free exercise of religion, but apparently the Constitution carries little weight in Dearborn, where the Muslim population seems to dominate the political apparatus," said Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center.
"It's apparent that these arrests were a retaliatory action over the embarrassing video of the strong-arm tactics used last year by festival security guards. This time, the first thing police officers did before making the arrests was to confiscate the video cameras in order to prevent a recording of what was actually happening," Thompson said.
Arrested on charges of breach of the peace were Negeen Mayel, Dr. Nabeel Qureshi, Paul Rezkalla and David Wood, the legal team said.
Mayel, an 18-year-old woman whose parents emigrated from Afghanistan and a recent convert from Islam to Christianity, also was charged with failure to obey a police officer's orders. She was approximately 100 feet away and videotaping a discussion with Muslims when her camera was seized, the law firm said.
"Contrary to the comments made by Police Chief Ron Haddad, our Constitution does not allow police to ban the right of free speech just because there are some hecklers. Not all police officers approve of the way their department treated these Christians," said Thompson.
The Christian missionaries reported police told them they would have to be five blocks away from the festival to give away copies of the Gospel of John.
The law center also is representing Pastor George Saeig, who was prohibited by the festival and police authorities from distributing religious material at last year's festival. That case is ongoing and a federal appeals court ruled prior to the 2010 event that handing out Christian literature in the proximity of the festival was allowed.
WND reported earlier that at least two people claim a crowd was cheering "Allahu akbar!" while the Christians were led away in handcuffs for doing nothing more than engaging in peaceful dialogue and videotaping the event.
The Arab event was June 18 in Dearborn, where an estimated 30,000 of the city's 98,000 residents are Muslim.
The American Arab Chamber of Commerce announced the event was expected to draw "over 300,000 people from across the country, Canada and the Middle East." The festival covers 14 blocks and is free and open to the public.
All the Christian missionaries are from a Christian group called Acts 17 Apologetics.
Qureshi said people at the festival recognized his group from its visit in 2009. Last year, the Acts 17 Apologetics team was escorted from the grounds while being allegedly assaulted by security personnel and several attendees. The following is the group's footage of the incident:
This year, Qureshi said some attendees who recognized them "would come up to us, accusing us, threatening us, saying we were racists, saying they were going to hurt us and yelling curses and insults at us."
However, he said his group was able to engage in civil conversations with many people who initiated discussion. But then the group was arrested by local police. Each of the four are now free on bond.
"Paul, David, Negeen and I went to the festival to see and comment on the situation," Qureshi wrote on his blog. "Thankfully, we recorded every second of our activity at the festival."
In Saieg's case, WND reported, a federal appeals court granted an emergency motion allowing him to hand out information about his faith at the same festival.
A three-judge panel from the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, citing the precedent that even a minimal loss of a fundamental right is irreparable, granted the motion requested by the Thomas More Law Center on behalf of the Sudanese Christian.
Words matter. Words often hold great meaning. That is especially true when it comes to the words of our founding documents like the Bill of Rights in our Constitution. Those words are especially cherished. Yet in the past year it appears the Obama administration has been changing one key word in that sacred scroll.
Last month the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2010 report revealed grave concern about both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rejecting the term “freedom of religion” for the term “freedom of worship” in public pronouncements. Why the change when the First Amendment talks specifically about our freedom of religion and not simply worship?
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof… – US Constitution
Last November Obama used the term “freedom of worship” at the memorial service for the victims of the Ft. Hood shooting. A few days later he did it again in speeches in both Japan and China. In December Hillary Clinton also used that terminology three times in a speech at Georgetown University and never once used the phrase “freedom of religion”. In January of this year Clinton used the “freedom of worship” term four times while addressing senators.
This change in phraseology could well be viewed by human rights defenders and officials in other countries as having concrete policy implications.” – U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2010 report
The response by many religious freedom advocates is fear of what this all means. Nina Shea, director of the Center for Religious Freedom and member of the Religious Freedom commission believes freedom of worship is limited to private beliefs and prayer but not public activity.
It excludes the right to raise your children in your faith; the right to have religious literature; the right to meet with co-religionists; the right to raise funds; the right to appoint or elect your religious leaders, and to carry out charitable activities, to evangelize, [and] to have religious education or seminary training. – Nina Shea
Some Christian based publications are also worried.
That’s not an inconsequential change: Freedom of worship means the ability to have church services, which is crucial, but leaves out protection for Christian schools, publications, and Christian compassionate ministries…’Freedom of religion’ means that ministries designed to help prisoners change their lives, or to help the poor enter the workforce, can teach what the Bible teaches. Under ‘freedom of worship,’ these ministries could become illegal, as they are in many parts of the world. This is a development to watch warily. – World Magazine
Some in the State Department argue the words “religion” and “worship” can be used interchangeably and there is nothing to worry about. Others aren’t so sure and see this change in terminology as a major shift by the Obama administration.
Those of us in the business of sniffing out rats know that this is a rhetorical shift to watch. – Tom Farr, Professor of Religion and World Affairs at Georgetown University and the former head of the State Department’s International Religious Freedom Office
This President clearly sees religion as a key part of foreign affairs when the Muslim world is involved especially. He is ultra-careful to not want to offend followers of Islam. We already know that the administration has rejected the term “radical Islam” or any similar language and refuses to admit religion plays a major roll in terrorism.
This new terminology of “freedom of worship” might be given as a sign to Muslim nations and places with Christian persecution like China that they are not going to crack down on religious persecution for minority religions in those countries. That could explain why Obama first used the term after a radical Muslim killed Americans at Ft. Hood. And it could also explain why he used the term in speeches in China and Japan.
I’m very fearful that by building bridges, we’re actually stepping away from this fundamental principle of religious freedom. … It is so critical for Western, especially American, leaders to articulate strong defense for religious freedom and explain what that means and how it undergirds our entire civilization. – Nina Shea
Shea has it right. I’m not sure who all the Obama administration is trying to build bridges with by a shift in terminology, but it it a dangerous shift. When Obama’s folk shift terminology that always means there has been a shift in policy. They (with the exception of Vice President Biden) choose their words very carefully. The administration needs to publicly proclaim what this new policy means for Americans and for religious freedom around the world.
I am very sorry to announce to those of you who were planning on attending some of our meetings over the next month that we have been denied entry to the USA and sadly will have to cancel all the meetings.
My whole family were detained for over 6 hours at the US border
yesterday (the USA side), questioned, photographed, fingerprinted
like criminals – and sent back to Canada. We were told we could
not come in to preach to a series of Christian groups like this –
even though their website clearly says we CAN – and I have already
been in TWICE THIS YEAR doing exactly the same thing. They let
me in then – but no more. They even fingerprinted my 15-year-old
daughter. None of us (except our 9 and 11-year olds) can even set
foot in the USA again without going to the US Consulate and getting
special permission. We literally are now in the “criminal” class
according to US Immigration.
All this because we were invited by church groups and Christian
groups across the USA to come preach a series of meetings.
They told me to do that I have to have an “R” visa. (These take
months and months to get – often never). This is not what their
website says. New Zealand is a “visa-waiver” country and Conference
speakers are specifically allowed into the US under those rules. I
asked them, “How then can a foreign preacher who is invited by a
Christian group to the USA ever get in to preach?” They said maybe
that is OK for one or two meetings, but not for a series.
So we cannot preach in churches across the nation – even though that is
exactly what they have let me in to do before. This is the first time I have
ever been denied entry to do that very thing. And now we are
all – very evidently – “criminals”. Never to darken the door again.
But, you know, at the end of the day, God is in control. I felt sure
then and I feel sure now that even though this was so distressing,
God was still speaking to us through it all. I believe He is the one
who is slamming the door shut on America right now – and doing
so in no uncertain terms. We have been praying and many others
have been praying for too long for this to have just been “man’s”
decision. I accept it as the voice of God. America is over for us.
WHERE to FROM HERE?
The most likely thing is a return “Down-Under” to New Zealand and
Australia. We have been away from home now – traveling and
ministering – for 18 months. Perhaps it is time for a return to what
the explorer Pedro Fernandez de Quiros called the “Great South
Land of the Holy Spirit.”
I just want to apologize again to all those who wanted to attend
our upcoming meetings. I am very sorry, my friends. Our family
is still pretty shaken by all of this, so we would certainly appreciate
your prayers at this time.
The four Christian missionaries arrested for disorderly conduct for preaching to a predominately Muslim crowd at the Dearborn International Arab Festival in June will stand trial after the judge refused to grant a motion filed by defense attorneys to dismiss the case.
The Thomas More Law Center, which is defending the missionaries, the ACLU of Michigan — two groups that rarely agree — and constitutional law professors told the Michigan Messenger that the arrests appear to violate the First Amendment.
Dearborn Police and Mayor John C. O'Reilly have accused us of screaming at Muslims, harassing them, and inciting a riot. What will they say in response to video proof that they are wrong?
November 27th, 2010, 17:58
quartertiller
Re: The End of Christian America
The actions and words by the oval office show the obvious disconnection with reality. Speaking as if speaking for the sum total of the country, when in fact his sub-conscious, unconscious, or conscious mind is "leaking" his own standing. If the guy is so intelligent, how does he assume to know what the collective population of America thinks?
When Apple unveiled its iPhone and welcomed techies everywhere invent creative apps, they probably didn‘t anticipate they’d find themselves embroiled in a battled over abortion and gay rights. But the fight over the Manhattan Declaration app continues to intensify.
In November, a petition from Change.org pushed Apple to pull the app, a pledge that “speaks in the defense of the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty,“ and calls on Christians to ”adhere firmly to their family convictions.”
The Christian group behind the app is now proposing an updated version they hope will be considered less controversial. Supporters of the app have also launched an ad campaign against Apple’s “censorship,“ labeling Apple CEO Steve Jobs ”Big Brother.”
But opponents of the app — including the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) — are pledging to oppose any app which suggests homosexuality and abortion are immoral:
The makers of the application say they have removed the quiz and will resubmit the application. But simply removing the quiz does nothing to address the underlying problem, which is that this application tells people to pledge to oppose equality for gay and lesbian couples.
Tell Apple to stay strong in the face of pressure to reinstate this application – and to stand behind its commitment to keep these hurtful attitudes out of its app store.
GLAAD also warns that not removing the Manhattan Declaration app could be bad for business.
But blog site Gawker suggests that whatever Apple decides to do — whether it will keep the new app or pull it like the last — the company will inevitably anger some significant group of customers, but says “the company only has itself to blame.”
March 5th, 2011, 05:47
vector7
Re: The End of Christian America
Our future if the Left continues to have their way in America
Owen and Eunice Johns at the High Court (Photo: Jane Mingay)
It’s official: Britain is no longer a Christian nation. In banning Eunice and Owen Johns, a devout Christian couple, from fostering children, Lord Justice Munby and Mr Justice Beatson declared that we live in a secular state, and that the Johns’ religious convictions disqualified them from raising citizens of that state. We’ve outgrown Christianity, the judges professed. Instead, we have graduated to the status of a multicultural nation, blessed by a plurality of faiths.
Ironically, the justices who have pronounced that Britain is no longer Christian did so in a court where witnesses swear on the Bible and invoke God’s help in telling the truth. I do not imagine that these judges leave out the first word in “God Save the Queen” – nor would they shun an invitation to the Royal wedding, which is happening not at a registry office but the centrepiece of official Christendom, Westminster Abbey.
In taking part in these traditions, the judges – and the rest of us – are no different from past generations. For Christianity is not merely a part of life here, a provider of schools, hospitals and orphanages. It is the backbone of our laws, the impetus for the charity, justice and tolerance that have long been characteristic of this country. Its grand principles have inspired citizens to extraordinary actions, such as William Wilberforce’s campaign against slavery, and to ordinary kindnesses, such as reading to hospital patients or delivering meals on wheels. When David Cameron speaks of our moral duty to our Arab brothers, or shares his vision for the Big Society, he taps not into narrow party allegiance, but into our common Christian heritage.
The Christians of an earlier era may not have known about multiculturalism, or predicted that it would be the signature tune of our times. Yet their faith gave them a moral imperative that demanded respect for others: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Without this moral underpinning, multiculturalism sags into a factionalism of competing demands and conflicting interests. Instead, the Gospel’s commandment inspires the Christian majority to accommodate Jewish, Muslim, atheist and Hindu minorities, without losing sight of the basic principle of mutual respect.
This, indeed, is one of the reasons why non-Christian believers are so passionate in wanting to protect Christianity as a presence in public life.
Jews, like Muslims, recognise that while Christians – and especially Anglicans – may enjoy a special status, their faith embraces all people as made, and loved, by God. The Act of Succession, which bans us Catholics from the throne, makes me angry; but like all members of a religious minority, I feel safer in a culture that cherishes spiritual values than in one that rubbishes them.
So it is not just Christians that the ruling in the Johns case will alarm and unsettle. As the judges wagged their fingers about the secularist principles that, they claim, define the nation (and which “ought to be, but seemingly are not, well understood”), they were not describing the status quo: a strong majority of Britons still consider themselves to be Christian. Instead, they were making clear their desire to steer this country in a direction of their own choosing – one that matches the views of an increasingly strident group that is determined to scrub Christianity from public life.
Its efforts to push the majority faith underground are evident everywhere, from our bus stops to our workplaces. The British Humanist Association is campaigning to discourage “cultural Christians” from identifying themselves as believers in the forthcoming census. Jo Johnson, a Tory MP, wants to drop the prayer that traditionally opens Parliamentary sessions. Companies like BA forbid their Christian staff from wearing crosses to work. Schools and offices present Christian holidays as secular breaks. And now devout Christians are to be prevented from becoming foster parents.
According to our learned judges, “the aphorism that ‘Christianity is part of the common law of England’ is now mere rhetoric”. How excruciatingly unjust.
Dozens of churches, from Park Hill Congregational in Denver to Hillview United Methodist in Boise, Idaho, and First United Lutheran in San Francisco to St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church in Honolulu, are planning to send "a message both here at home and to the Arab and Muslim world about our respect for Islam" with a time to read the Quran during worship this Sunday.
It's not just wrong, but dangerous, according to Christian trends analysts.
The aim of the program, which is promoted by social activists behind the Faith Shareda cottage industry of hate.
website, is to counter the message from Islamic activists who say opposition to their religion is the product of what they call So the Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First is calling on Christian clergy to read portions of the Quran during their services Sunday.
The readings, supporters say, will "counter the anti-Muslim bigotry and negative stereotypes that have erupted throughout the country in the past year and led to misconceptions, distrust and in some cases, violence."
Not so fast, says apprising.org religious trends analyst Ken Silva.
"I would think they need to have their spiritual heads examined. It's foolish to think that we're going to read something that originates with demons and read that in a Christian church," Silva said.
The action amounts to "spiritual treason," he asserted.
Pastors of participating churches declined to discuss their programs with WND.
But Silva said, "Second Corinthians 6:14-18 (the verse warning against partnering light with darkness) says we're forbidden to do that kind of thing. It's one thing to be friendly with someone in Islam, but it's a whole other thing in a Christian community to be reading something that is antithetical to Christianity and is hostile to Jesus Christ himself."
"I expect that of the mainline churches. Many of them have denied the essential Christian doctrines," Howse said. "They have denied the exclusivity of Jesus Christ. They have denied the inerrancy of Scripture; they've denied the inspiration of Scripture. So I'm not shocked that pagans would united with pagans."
His critique of what he sees as the failure of the mainline churches grew more severe.
"I'm not shocked that apostates would unite with apostates. I'm not shocked that people who practice the occult of Christian yoga or practice the occultism of contemplative prayer, which is another name for Transcendental Meditation," Howse said.
Howse said he believes Islam is also rooted in the occult.
"I am not shocked that an occultic religion of mainline liberal Christianity would lock arms with the occult of Islam. They're both steeped in the occult and paganism. So I'm not shocked by that at all," Howse said.
Howse also has a word of caution for evangelical Christians.
"If you're an evangelical, you better defend the exclusivity of Jesus Christ and the deity of Jesus Christ, the inspiration of Scripture and the inerrancy of Scripture. If you're not willing to defend that, then you really shouldn't be calling yourself a Christian," Howse said.
Neither the Interfaith Alliance nor Human Rights First responded to WND's repeated requests for interviews.
The Faith Shared website paints a different picture of the objectives. The site says that tensions between Islam and Christianity have grown in the past year.
"Tensions around Islam in America have erupted throughout the country in the past year, leading to misconceptions, distrust and in some cases violence. News stories on the rising tide of anti-Muslim bigotry and violence abound, with graphic and often searing images of the antagonists, the protagonists and the battlegrounds where they meet," the site said.
"All too often, media coverage simplistically pits Muslims against would-be Quran burners, neglecting any substantive representation of where the majority of Americans actually stand: a shared commitment to tolerance and freedom," the site read.
"We are committed to ensuring that the storyline changes dramatically in 2011 by helping to create an environment of mutual understanding and respect for each other’s faith traditions," the site said.
The Human Rights First site said the group simply wants to fight what members believe is rampant anti-Islamic prejudice.
"Faith Shared seeks to counter the anti-Muslim bigotry and negative stereotypes that have erupted throughout the country in the past year and led to misconceptions, distrust and in some cases, violence," the statement said.
"This countrywide, day-long event will engage faith leaders on the national and community levels in a conversation with their houses of worship, highlighting respect among people of different faiths," the site said.
The sites make those claims despite reports that the actual number of anti-Muslim incidents has gone down in the United States in the past 10 years.
Culture and Media Institute analyst Alana Goodman reports that anti-Muslim actions as a percentage of all anti-religious acts never went above 13 percent of the total number of anti-religious hate crimes.
"Since 2001, hate crimes against Muslims have decreased significantly, according to FBI statistics. After 2002, hate crimes against Muslims have not risen above 13 percent of all anti-religious crimes, and the most recent data from 2008 calculates them at 7.8 percent," Goodman's report stated.
Silva believes the real reason for the Shared Faith event is spiritual emptiness in the country.
"So many Christians talk to each other and they read other Christians rather than read the Scriptures themselves. There's a real move inside our country right now for an ecumenism and a syncretism trying to bring everyone together and it's rooted in contemplative spirituality," Silva observed.
"There's a deception that comes. They're under the impression that God is trying to bring all people together, and bring in God's dream for the world to make the world a better place," Silva continued.
"The Gospel has been changed from repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name to God wants to make the world a better place, get involved with where He's working and bring about His dream," Silva added.
"It's what Walter Martin would say spiritually obtuse Christians are easy marks for the more militant of the Muslims who are presenting this as some big Islamophobia," Silva said.
"We are not hateful to Muslims, but we are hostile to Islam because it enslaves people. We want people to be free," Silva said.
Howse says his warning to Bible-believing Christians is simple.
"Be aware of these people who have crept in secretly, unnoticed, with destructive heresies. I want to warn the church to be a 'Watchman on the Wall' for the 'Religious Trojan Horse' who is trying to draw people away from the faith," Howse said.
"Some of this deception is going to be so deceitful, so camouflaged, that we're going to be shocked at the Christian leaders who will follow it," Howse said.
It happened when Jack Van Impe Ministries launched a campaign to expose what it views as false teachings in Christianity and named several major ministry leaders.
Trinity Broadcasting Network halted broadcast of a Van Impe program over it, and Van Impe decided to take his broadcasting elsewhere.
"I Will Not Be Silenced! I will not allow anyone to tell me what I can and cannot preach," Van Impe said in a statement when TBN would not allow his program to air.
"When I see heretical teaching leading to apostasy, I will speak out," he said. "The Bible says 'All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:' (II Timothy 3:16). The Apostle Paul also gives instructions in Titus 1:9-11, 13 'Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers … Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake…Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.'"
Van Impe said he immediately called his media agents and told them, "I no longer wanted to air my program on Trinity Broadcasting Network; we will take the tremendous amount of money that we were spending there to obtain new stations that will allow us to continue to reach every square mile of America with the truths of the Bible without this network."
The dispute arose over the issue of advocating for "Chrislam" and other efforts that are designed to find "common ground" between Christians and Muslims. TBN declined to air one of Van Impe's programs that contained sharp criticisms of leaders such as Rick Warren of "The Purpose Driven Life" fame and Robert Schuller.
In a statement from Van Impe Ministries, Executive Director Ken Vancil said his organization rejected an effort by TBN to reinstate the programming and would work to develop alternative broadcast outlets where they were needed.
"We would not be able to minister effectively if we had to look over our shoulder wondering if a program was going to be censored because of mentioning a name," Vancil said. "While there is hurt over this incident, we hold no animosity towards TBN. Dr. Van Impe has often expressed his appreciation to Paul and Jan (Crouch, of TBN) and all that they have accomplished."
But he confirmed that Paul Crouch Sr. continued to "caution" him "regarding Dr. Van Impe's naming of names and publicly rebuking ministers and their teachings."
Other ministries have voiced criticism similar to Van Impe's.
Schimmel, who is best known for "They Sold Their Souls for Rock n Roll," which exposes satanic influences behind much of yesterday and today's popular music and how it negatively influences youth, suggested in a WND column, "Could it be that we are witnessing the formation of the prophesied one-world religion under the Antichrist? (Revelation 13:1-18) "
He cited Brian McLaren of the emerging church movement, who planned for an Islamic Ramadan celebration. And he mentioned Warren's agreement to address the Islamic Society of North America, which "the Department of Justice categorized two years ago as a co-conspirator in financing a foreign terrorist group!"
Another church leader, Tony Campolo, "a proponent of the so-called 'evangelical left' claimed that 'even if' Muslims 'don't convert, they are God's people,'" Schimmel wrote.
"Even more chilling is the fact that over 300 prominent Christian leaders signed a letter issued by the Yale Center for Faith and Culture claiming that world peace is dependent on Muslims and Christians recognizing 'Allah' and 'Yahweh' as the same God. This letter, titled 'Loving God and Neighbor Together,' was written in response to a signed document by 138 Muslim leaders titled 'A Common Word Between Us and You.' McLaren, Warren, Robert Schuller and Bill Hybels were just several of the signatories to this outright betrayal of Christ!" he said.
Lawmakers in the state of California are proposing a law that would require schools to portray lesbians, homosexuals, transsexuals and those who have chosen other alternative sexual lifestyles as positive role models to children in all public schools there.
"SB 48: The worst school sexual indoctrination ever" is how officials with SaveCalifornia.com describe the proposal, SB 48, sponsored by state Sen. Mark Leno.
Openly homosexual, Leno boasts on his website of founding a business with his "life partner, Douglas Jackson," who later died of AIDS complications.
That description as "worst" is considerable, considering the organization, SaveCalifornia.com, was a key player in the battle in the state in 2007 and 2008 over a variety of laws that now forbid any "adverse" portrayal of those alternative sexual choices in school, class, curriculum and by teachers...
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to give remarks
Contact: Jo Ann Webb, U.S. Department of Education Press Office, (202) 401-0316, press@ed.gov
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Press Office, (202) 690-6343
Event Date 1: June 06, 2011 08:30 am - 10:30 am
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will give remarks at the Department’s first-ever Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) youth summit at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 7, at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, D.C. The two-day summit, “Creating and Maintaining Safe and Supportive Environments for LGBT Youth,” will take place Monday-Tuesday, June 6-7.
Duncan will highlight the administration’s commitment to ensuring equal access to education for LGBT students as it does for all students. He also will discuss the Department’s Office for Civil Rights recently released guidance on the protection against harassment in an education setting based on gender, which includes gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender individuals. The guidance, which was sent to schools, colleges and universities in a “Dear Colleague” letter, explains educators’ legal obligations to protect students from harassment based on racial and national origin, gender and disability...
David Hansell, acting assistant secretary for the Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. (Photo: CNSNews.com/Penny Starr)
(CNSNews.com) - David Hansell, who runs the federal government’s Administration for Children and Families, told a group of high school students at the U.S. Department of Education’s “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT)” youth summit on Tuesday that the Obama administration is recruiting “LGBT parents” to adopt children.
“[O]f course, we’re also trying to recruit more foster and adoptive parents who are lesbian and gay,” Hansell said in a general session of the summit held at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, D.C. (As CNSNews.com previously reported, the Department of Education barred reporters from attending the summit’s breakout sessions, which were also held at the hotel.)...
The teachers are coming 'out' indoctrinating very young children in elementary schools
The bill is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation
It will also require teachers to instruct on the role of people with disabilities
"History should be honest," Gov. Brown said in a statement
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Democratic California Gov. Jerry Brown said Thursday he had signed a bill that will require public schools in the state to teach students about the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.
The bill, believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, will also require teachers to provide instruction on the role of people with disabilities.
"History should be honest," Brown said in a statement.
"This bill revises existing laws that prohibit discrimination in education and ensures that the important contributions of Americans from all backgrounds and walks of life are included in our history books. It represents an important step forward for our state, and I thank Senator Leno for his hard work on this historic legislation."
The governor was referring to the bill's author, Sen. Mark Leno, a San Francisco Democrat.
California law already requires state schools to teach about the contributions of Native Americans, African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, and Asian-Americans, among other groups.
"Today we are making history in California by ensuring that our textbooks and instructional materials no longer exclude the contributions of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) Americans," Sen. Leno said in a statement....
Linda Harvey, founder of Columbus, Ohio-based anti-gay Mission America, has now targeted a National Education Association affiliate for providing college scholarships for LGBT high school students.
Harvey, who in April claimed that “demonic manipulation” was making kids gay as she railed against the National Day of Silence, took to the airwaves to imply that an NEA affiliate teachers union was offering “financial incentives” for students “to be actively engaged in both the political goals of homosexuals as well as the risky behavior.”
Harvey combined anti-gay rhetoric with her stringent opposition to the rights of workers and organized labor:
The group’s website says they raise money for teen scholarships given to those kids who consider themselves homosexual....
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 12, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – President Barack Obama again vowed his fidelity to the homosexual lobby at a White House reception in honor of LGBT pride month, boasting that his administration has done more than any other president to advance their cause.
“This administration, under my direction has consistently said we cannot discriminate as a country against people on the basis of sexual orientation, and we have done more in the two-and-a-half years I have been in here than the previous 43 presidents to uphold that principle,” said Obama at a news conference June 29, the day of the reception, according to the Christian Post.
Nonetheless, the president performed an awkward tightrope walk for gay rights supporters at the White House, as he praised their efforts, while coyly acknowledging their frustration with his public stance against federal imposition of same-sex “marriage.”
“There are going to be times where you’re still frustrated with me. I know there are going to be times where you’re still frustrated at the pace of change. I understand that. I know I can count on you to let me know,” said Obama to laughter and cheers from the raucous crowd....
Local veterans and volunteer groups accuse Department of Veterans Affairs officials of censoring religious speech — including the word "God" - at Houston National Cemetery.
In one example cited in documents filed this week in federal court, cemetery director Arleen Ocasio reportedly told volunteers with the National Memorial Ladies that they had to stop telling families "God bless you" at funerals and that they had to remove the words "God bless" from condolence cards.
"It's just unfair that somebody would ask us to take God out of our vocabulary," said Cheryl Whitfield, founder of Houston National Memorial Ladies.
"I could've kept my mouth shut and let things happen, but when it comes to standing up for your belief in God and giving comfort to the families, I don't want to regret not saying anything," Whitfield said. "We all had to stand up for what we believe in."
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A group of atheists and agnostics filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday seeking to stop an evangelical Christian prayer event next month that was proposed and is endorsed by Texas' governor.
The Freedom from Religion Foundation argues in its lawsuit filed in Houston that Republican Gov. Rick Perry's day of prayer and fasting would violate the constitutional ban on the government endorsing a religion. The event, which is called The Response and is billed as Christian-only, is scheduled for Aug. 6 at Houston's Reliant Stadium.
The complaint alleges Perry violated the First Amendment's establishment clause by organizing, promoting and participating in the event.
"The answers for America's problems won't be found on our knees or in heaven, but by using our brains, our reason and in compassionate action," said Dan Barker, a co-director of the foundation. "Gov. Perry's distasteful use of his civil office to plan and dictate a religious course of action to 'all citizens' is deeply offensive to many citizens, as well as to our secular form of government."
The group, which unsuccessfully sued to stop a national day of prayer earlier this year, filed the case on behalf of 700 members in Texas and called on the court to stop Perry from participating in the meeting or using his office to promote or recognize it.
Perry held a conference call with ministers who will be participating in the event on Wednesday, according to his spokeswoman, Catherine Frazier.
She did not have any details on what was discussed, but said the lawsuit will not change Perry's plans.
"He believes it will serve as an important opportunity for Americans to gather together and pray to God, seeking his wisdom and guidance as our nation navigates the challenges before it." Frazier said.
A spokesman for the event, Eric Bearse, dismissed the foundation's claims.
"This kind of legal harassment is no surprise, but we will vigorously defend the right of Americans to assemble and pray and we will win," he said.
Perry invited the Obama administration, the nation's governors and Texas lawmakers to attend the event.
"Given the trials that beset our nation and world, from the global economic downturn to natural disasters, the lingering danger of terrorism and continued debasement of our culture, I believe it is time to convene the leaders from each of our United States in a day of prayer and fasting, like that described in the book of Joel," Perry said in his open invitation to attend the event on June 3.
The event is being sponsored by several evangelical Christian groups, including the American Family Association, which has been criticized by civil rights groups for promoting anti-homosexual and anti-Islamic positions on the roughly 200 radio stations it operates.
The foundation said it does not oppose politicians taking part in religious services, but that Perry crossed a line by initiating the event, using his position as governor to endorse and promote it and by using his official website to link to the organizer's website. The plaintiffs also contend that Perry's use of Texas' official state seal to endorse the event and his plans to issue an official proclamation violate the Constitution.
An appellate court in April dismissed the group's previous lawsuit against the Obama administration over the National Day of Prayer, on which people of all faiths were invited to take part. The three-judge panel ruled that the group could not prove that they had suffered any harm when the president issued a proclamation observing the day.
In the lawsuit against Perry, the foundation complained that it had suffered from Perry's official promotion of the event because a major billboard company denied the group's attempt to purchase advertising in the Houston area to protest the event.
July 16th, 2011, 23:25
Phil Fiord
Re: The End of Christian America
I want to note the Youtube thing above where the very young child equates being open minded to people who are different, to a new kind of vegetable. His implying homosexuality as a vegetable meant to try shows how young he really is despite being able to talk with good clarity. It is a much larger matter than that.
It seems not every child is ready to understand that a vegetable to try does not equate to matters that can define ones life choices.
That said, I am not opposed to people being who they are. All I personally ask is that we as people, let others find for themselves who they are and support people for honest choices for them-self. Not indoctrinate behaviors and lifestyles upon others. The same argument applies to any formative argument.
SAN ANTONIO - Up to 3,000 Muslims from around the state are expected to converge Sunday on Six Flags Fiesta Texas for "Muslim Family Day" to celebrate the end of Ramadan and spread the post-9/11 message that most Muslims are peaceful and mainstream.
Families from as far as Corpus Christi, Austin and Waco have committed to attending the event, sponsored by local chapters of the Muslim American Society and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Fiesta Texas will be open to the public that day as scheduled, a spokeswoman said. She stressed that the event is not sponsored by Six Flags.
The two groups are selling discounted tickets and parking passes for an event that aims to give Muslim families a festive way to mark Ramadan's end while sharing their culture and challenging stereotypes as the 10th anniversary of 9/11 nears.
Activities will include Muslim prayers, entertainment, socializing and meals in keeping with the faith's dietary laws.
The public is welcome to buy meal tickets for international cuisine from local Muslim restaurateurs, event planners said.
The interaction with the general public at a popular, high-traffic amusement park will go far in reducing anxieties between Muslims and the larger community, said Sarwat Husain, CAIR's local president.
"It's our community, too, and we are mainstream just like anybody else," she said. "It's also giving a boost to the Muslims for what they have been going through. The 10th anniversary of 9/11 is coming up, and already there is much fear going on. We have to get out of that. It's been 10 years."
The event reflects the gradual acceptance of local Muslims, said the Rev. Paul Ziese, a Lutheran minister active in interfaith work and past board president of the San Antonio Community of Congregations.
"I know for years many amusement parks have had special events for Christmas and other Christian holidays," he said.
"I think it's appropriate that a Muslim event be recognized. Muslims still feel a little bit on the fringe even though many groups are starting to welcome them."
Chuck and Stephanie Fromm already have been fined $300 for holding Bible studies for their friends at their home, and they face the potential for additional fines of $500 for each study held, according to a legal team taking their case to court.
The newest conflict over Bible studies in homes in America arose in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., where city officials say city code section 9-3.301 prohibits religious organizations in residential neighborhoods without a conditional-use permit, a sometimes very expensive procedure.
The code cites "churches, temples, synagogues, monasteries, religious retreats, and other places of religious worship and other fraternal and community service organizations."
"In a city so rich with religious history and tradition, this is particularly egregious. An informal gathering in a home cannot be treated with suspicion by the government, or worse than any other gathering of friends, just because it is religious. We cannot allow this to happen in America, and we will fight as long and as hard as it takes to restore this group's religious freedom."
WND has reported on similar issues in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and in Gilbert, Ariz.
In this case, the city is demanding that the home Bible study is banned because it is a "church," unless it purchases a 'Conditional Use Permit" from the city.
Pacific Justice said it has represented larger churches that have been required to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of the permit process on such items as engineering and traffic studies, architectural designs. The process includes public hearings and ultimately can result in a rejection by the city.
Pacific Justice says the Fromms already have been fined $300, and an appeal to the city was denied.
The organization points out that the city was founded as a Christian mission in the 1700s and is home to California's oldest building still in use, a chapel where Father Junipero Serra celebrated mass.
Pacific Justice said it is appealing the city's demands to California Superior Court in Orange County.
A report from the city's Dispatch newspaper said that Fromm, publisher of Worship Leader Magazine, wanted to hold Bible studies on Wednesdays that drew some 20 people, while similar studies on Sundays attracted up to 50 to their acreage that includes their home, a corral, a barn, a pool and a huge back yard.
The newspaper said city records showed someone complained, however, and a code enforcement officer first gave them a verbal warning and then issued citations in May and June.
"We don't like lawsuits, but we have to stand up for what's right. It's not just a personal issue," Stephanie Fromm told the newspaper. "Can you imagine anybody in any neighborhood, that one person can call and make it a living hell for someone else? That's wrong … and it's just sad."
A trial is scheduled for Oct. 7.
The case is similar to a previous dispute in San Diego County. There, officials apologized after a code-enforcement officer tried to shut down a Bible study.
An honors student at a Fort Worth, Texas, high school was sent to the principal’s office after he told a fellow student that he thought homosexuality is wrong. Fourteen-year-old Dakota Ary was in his German class “when the conversation shifted to religion and homosexuality in Germany,” reported Fox News. “At some point during the conversation, he turned to a friend and said that he was a Christian and ‘being a homosexual is wrong.’”
A short time later Dakota’s mother, Holly Pope, received a call from an assistant principal at Fort Worth’s Western Hills High School (left) informing her that her son would be serving an “in-school suspension,” along with a two-day full suspension, for his offense. “Dakota is a very well-grounded 14-year-old,” Pope told Fox News, adding that her son is not only an honors student, but plays on the school’s football team and is involved in his church’s youth group. “He’s been in church his whole life and he’s been taught to stand up for what he believes,” she added.
What the young man believes, however, apparently did not square with the opinions of his German teacher, who took exception to the comment. Dakota told Fox News that his comment “wasn’t directed to anyone except my friend who was sitting behind me.” Nonetheless, the teacher apparently heard the statement and “started yelling. He told me he was going to write me an infraction and send me to the office.”
According to a press release by Liberty Counsel, the conservative legal advocacy group representing Dakota in the case, the German teacher had previously “displayed a picture of two men kissing on a ‘World Wall’ and told the students that homosexuality is becoming more prevalent in the world and that they should just accept it. Many of the students were offended by the teacher’s actions and his continually bringing up the topic of homosexuality in a German language class.”
Finding themselves in the awkward position of having a student’s free speech guarantee collide with a politically correct stance they assumed they were required to endorse, Fort Worth Independent School District officials issued a statement explaining that they preferred not to comment “on specific employee or student-related issues. Suffice it to say that we are following district policy in our review of the circumstances and any resolution will likewise be in accordance with district policy.”
The morning after the incident, Dakota and his mother were joined by Matthew Krause, an attorney with Liberty Counsel, for a meeting with school officials, who quickly rescinded the two-day suspension, which freed the young man to participate in an upcoming football game.
“I told the school that he should never have been suspended for exercising his constitutional rights,” Krause explained to Fox News. “The principal is sincere in trying to do the right thing and hopefully they will tell the teacher, ‘Do not do that anymore.’ He won’t be pushing his agenda.”
Added Krause: “Just because you walk through the schoolhouse doors doesn’t mean you shed your First Amendment rights. Dakota wasn’t disrupting class. He wasn’t bullying or harassing anybody. He was just stating his personal opinion on a topic somebody else brought up and in a civil and respectful manner.”
Dakota’s mother said that she emphasized to her son the importance of treating his German teacher with respect, in spite of their differences of opinion on the issue of homosexuality. “He is your elder,” she said. “He is your teacher. What his beliefs are or what they are not — outside the school is none of our business.”
Liberty Counsel noted that several weeks ago it had defended award-winning Florida teacher Jerry Buell “after he was suspended for a comment he made outside of class on his personal Facebook page, expressing his disapproval of legalized homosexual marriage in New York” (Click to read The New American’s coverage of this story.) The group noted that following “a week-long ‘investigation,’ the Lake County School Board fully exonerated and reinstated Buell.”
Harry Mihet, a senior attorney with Liberty Counsel, said that the “double standard advocated by homosexual activists is mind boggling. Jerry Buell was suspended for opposing same-sex ‘marriage’ outside of class. This teacher in Texas is actually bullying his students into accepting the homosexual lifestyle inside the class. And yet it is his student, not him, that gets suspended.”
Liberty Counsel attorneys said they would continue to monitor the situation in Texas to ensure that the Fort Worth school district follows through on its promise to respect Dakota Ary’s First Amendment guarantees.