Nonbelievers sue over Pennsylvania House’s opening prayers

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Staff in Christian, News, North America // 0 Comments

(AP) – A group of people who don’t believe in God filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday seeking to change how prayers are handled before sessions of the state House of Representatives.

The lawsuit in Harrisburg federal court said House officials have denied their requests to make an opening invocation, arguing nonbelievers are treated like a disfavored minority who can be discriminated against.

“Like theists, the plaintiffs are capable of giving inspiring and moving invocations, similar to nontheistic invocations that have been given in other communities across the United States,” the lawsuit said. “There is just one significant difference between people whom the defendants allow to give opening invocations and the plaintiffs: the former believe in God, while the plaintiffs do not.” READ MORE

Washington Post: “Where In The Bible Does It Say You Can’t Be Transgender? Nowhere”

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Staff in Christian, News, North America // 0 Comments

An article that was published by the Washington Post on Friday entitled ‘Where in the Bibel does it say you can’t be transgender? Nowhere’, is predicated on an assumption that nowhere in the Bible does it say an individual can not be transgender, according to Eliel Curz, a journalist, and apparent amateur Biblical scholar.

Cruz writes, “What’s behind this animus toward transgender people in the Christian community? As I see it, it’s not the Bible.”

“There is not a single verse in scripture that discusses transgender identities. Yet these Christians have decided that trans identities are sinful, mostly through their lack of understanding of what being trans means,” writes Cruz.

Cruz then cites as an example a recent funeral director in Michigan who recently won a court case by suggesting his Christian religious faith would not allow him to employ a transgender person.

The article quoted the funeral director as saying, “the Bible teaches that it is wrong for a biological male to deny his sex by dressing as a woman.”

Cruz Then refers to Deuteronomy 22:5 writing: “When the funeral director says his beliefs come from the Bible, he seems to be referring to Deuteronomy 22:5, which says, “A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.”

Cruz adds: “That verse talks about cross-dressing. It is clear that the funeral director does not understand what it is to be transgender.” Cruz adds: “Being trans is not cross-dressing. It is embodying a gender that does not align with the one that was given at birth.”

Cruz suggests that to use Deuteronomy 22:5 as a means to condemn transgender gender identity would require a certain amount of ignorance of what all entails the overall broader concept of transgender identities, as well as an amount of laziness associated with the readers interpretation of the verse and context of the particular chapter the verse is found within.

The author then goes through a series of verses in the Book of Genesis, attempting to give alternative theories regarding the contextual content of the verse itself, and questions the overall effort the reader is giving to fully comprehending the particular verses cited.

Cruz concludes on the theory that, “The biological and psychological reality of transgender and intersex individuals needs to be the context in which Christians read scripture.”

NIGERIA: CHRISTIAN GROUP RAILS AGAINST JOHN KERRY FOR ‘DIVISIVE’ VISIT

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Staff in Africa, Christian, News // 0 Comments

A prominent Nigerian Christian group has accused the United States Secretary of State John Kerry of being, ‘discriminatory and divisive’ during his recent visit to the country which often sees many incidents involving the persecution of Christians.

Secretary of State Kerry visited the West African country on Monday and Tuesday and was hosted by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, the most senior Islamic cleric in the country, as reported by Newsweek.

Kerry also held diplomatic meetings with nineteen governors of Nigeria’s northern states, as well as with President Muhammadu Buhari, who is also a Muslim.

Reverend Supo Ayokunle, who is the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, said to reporters on Thursday that Secretary of State Kerry’s trip conveyed a “lack of respect for the heterogenous nature of Nigeria” and favored the country’s Islamic population “to the detriment of the Christian community,”Nigeria’sPremium Times reported.

Man Arrested In Shocking Killings Of Two Mississippi Christian Nuns

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Staff in Christian, News, North America, Videos // 0 Comments

A man has been arrested and charged with capital murder in the slayings of two Christian nuns who were found dead in their Mississippi home.

The shocking murders have rocked the small Mississippi town and surrounding communities where the two women worked and served the community, according to law enforcement officials.

Forty-six-year-old Rodney Earl Sanders, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, was charged with two counts of capital murder in the deaths of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, according to Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain on Friday, as reported by the Associated Press.

Local residents knew the nuns for their generosity and their commitment to helping and improving conditions for the poor and elderly, many residents are having trouble grappling with why anyone would want to harm them.

China Christian Activist Sentenced To 7 Years In Jail As Persecution Continues

Posted on August 28, 2016 by Staff in Asia, Christian, News // 1 Comment

A Chinese Christian religious activist church leader Hu Shigen was sentenced to a seven-year jail term for subversion, as the ongoing persecution of Christians is rapidly continuing in the communist country of China.

CCTV, which is a Chinese state-owned broadcaster, claims the Christian religious leader plead guilty to “damaging national security and harming social stability” in the trial that only lasted for merely a few hours, as reported by Christian Daily.

The Christian religious activist leader has been described by state media as the leader of an underground Christian church, which is aiming to draw the attention to Christian persecution accusations of the Chinese government.

Pope Francis to Canonize Hillary Clinton Nemesis Mother Teresa

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Staff in Christian, Democrats, News // 0 Comments

(Breitbart) – Next Sunday Pope Francis will declare Mother Teresa a saint, the very woman who fought Hillary Clinton tooth and nail for her abortion advocacy.

Before some 3,000 people at the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington DC Hilton Hotel in 1994—including pro-abortion Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Al and Tipper Gore—Mother Teresa spoke passionately about abortion, calling it the “greatest destroyer of peace today,” a “war against the child,” and “murder by the mother herself.”

“And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?” the nun continued.

“By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems,” she said. “Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.” READ MORE

Clemson stops man from praying on campus: ‘Not a free speech area’

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Staff in Christian, News, North America, Videos // 1 Comment

(Red Alert Politics) – A man was stopped by a Clemson University administrator for praying on campus, telling him and a Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) activist that “this is not a designated free speech area,” and asking them to leave the area. YAF’s blog The New Guard released the video today. 

The administrator, Shawn Jones who is the assistant director for client services, also called their praying “solicitation,” and demanded that they would need to fill out paperwork to continue. Clemson receives state and federal funding, and many see these restrictions as disregarding the First Amendment to the Constitution by limiting free speech to certain zones.

The Young Americans for Freedom member, Kyra Palange, asked the administrator, “by that, you mean there are free speech areas on campus and that the entire campus is not a free speech area?”

Jones responded, “that is correct.”READ MORE

Read more at http://redalertpolitics.com/2016/08/28/clemson-stops-man-praying-campus-not-free-speech-area-video/#BHhl1fArxFFYlXth.99

Mother Murders ‘Possessed’ Daughter Forcing Crucifix Down Throat

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Staff in Christian, News, North America // 0 Comments

On Monday afternoon an Oklahoma City judge denied bond during an arraignment for forty-nine-year-old Juanita Gomez, accused of first-degree murder in the death of her own thirty-three-year-old daughter.

The defendant used her time before the judge to complain about the conditions within the jail and spoke about not wanting to have a public defender, suggesting that she already had a lawyer of her own.

“Yes sir he believes in God like me,” said Juanita Gomez during her video arraignment to the judge. “Yes he’s the best in town.”

According to court documents, Oklahoma state law enforcement officers found Geneva lying in the home with a large crucifix laying on her chest, and with signs of severe head and face trauma.

Gomez told law enforcement investigators her daughter was possessed by the devil –  and that she admitted to punching her daughter repeatedly and forcing a crucifix and religious medallion down her throat, as reported by News 9 Oklahoma.

Gomez is already a convicted felon, having been convicted in 2009 on gun and drug-related charges and was convicted on a drug trafficking and gun possession charge, however, she only received a 10-year suspended sentence.

Experts Fear ISIS Terrorist Knifemen Will Target Western Church For Their Next Attack

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Staff in Christian, News, North America, War & Conflict // 1 Comment

(Mirror) – Counter-terror experts fear ISIS extremists armed with knives will target a Western church for their next attack.

Christian leaders are being warned to increase security and avoid wearing dog collars in public.

New counter terrorism advice is being urgently issued to vicars and churches across the UK this week over fears an attack on British religious institutions is now likely.

The new measures follow the murder of a priest by two ISIS terrorists in France last month, amid fears the same could now happen in the UK.

Experts warn that a terrorist attack on churches “is coming.” Places of worship in the UK, which are ‘easy targets’ for extremists, are now being urged to take precautions and beef up security.

A draft of the measures being issued and seen by Mirror Online – called Counter Terrorism Advice for Churches – urges religious leaders to prepare for incidents and to be on alert for attackers, who are likely to be armed with knives. READ MORE

Terrorist’s Vest Fails To Detonate In Attempted Church Suicide Bombing

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Staff in Asia, Christian, News, War & Conflict // 0 Comments

A seventeen-year-old suicide bomber attacked a pastor and attempted to detonate his explosive vest at a Roman Catholic church in North Sumatra, Indonesia however, the bomb strapped to the vest failed to detonate.

“We have seized a backpack from the perpetrator,” said National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar.

“The perpetrator is alive and injured and there are no casualties in this incident,” he continued, as reported by Christian Daily.

Egypt’s New Law on Churches Angers Christian Critics

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Staff in Africa, Christian, News // 0 Comments

(ABC) – Egypt’s lawmakers on Tuesday passed the country’s first law spelling out the rules for building a church, a step Christians have long hoped would free up construction that was often blocked by authorities. But angry critics in the community say the law will only enshrine the restrictions.

Church building has for decades been one of the most sensitive sectarian issues in Egypt, where 10 percent of the population of 90 million are Christians but where Muslim hardliners sharply oppose anything they see as undermining what they call the country’s “Islamic character.”

Local authorities often refuse to give building permits for new churches, fearing protests by Muslim ultraconservatives. Faced with refusals, Christians turned to building illegally or setting up churches in other buildings, which in many cases prompted riots and attacks by ultraconservatives. In contrast, building a mosque faces few restrictions. READ MORE

Muslims Can Wear Headscarves For Alabama IDs, Christians Can Not

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Staff in Christian, News, North America // 4 Comments

(Washington Post) – When Yvonne Allen went to renew her driver’s license, she wasn’t expecting to discuss the Bible. But she soon found herself trying to defend her Christian beliefs.

Allen takes literally the words of 1 Corinthians in the New Testament: “If a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off.” She never goes out in public without a colorful scarf wrapped around her hair.

But when she sat down for her driver’s license photo, that wasn’t okay with the clerk in Auburn, Ala. The clerk demanded that Allen take off her headscarf and, as Allen recalls it, when she started to refuse, the clerk asked her if she wears the scarf for religious reasons. “Yes, ma’am,” Allen said. READ MORE

Son Had 36 Bruises; Mom Quoted Bible As Defense

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Staff in Christian, News, North America // 2 Comments

(USA Today) – An Indiana mother who beat her 7-year-old son with a coat hanger is citing the state’s religious freedom law as a defense against felony child abuse charges, saying her choice of discipline comes straight from her evangelical Christian beliefs.

The Indianapolis woman quoted biblical Scripture in court documents. She said that a parent who “spares the rod, spoils the child,” and: “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.”

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act, enacted in 2015, says the government cannot intrude on a person’s religious liberty unless it can prove a compelling interest in imposing that burden, and can do so in the least restrictive way. READ MORE