Background and overview:

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The Fake Separation of Church and State Clause.  There is no separation of the church and state clause anywhere in the US Constitution, and there never has been.  Thomas Jefferson, who coined the phrase, was concerned that the United States would become the Church of England because of the strong and rapid growth of the Quakers.  Jefferson did not believe that the State could compel anyone to follow a particular religion or support a particular religion through taxation.  Jefferson was joined in this effort by another Virginian who would be President, James Madison.  However, it was not their intention to take Christianity out of the public square or the public education system.  Jefferson and Madison obviously did not believe that their Christian religion should be separated from the public square.

"Constitution Does Not Require Complete Separation Of Church & State" -- Lynch v.  Donnelly, 1984.  Justice William O. Douglas wrote the majority decision in the 1952 case of Zorach v. Clauson:  "The First Amendment, however, does not say that in every and all respects there shall be a separation of Church and State ... Otherwise, the state and religion would be aliens to each other — hostile, suspicious, and even unfriendly ... Municipalities would not be permitted to render police or fire protection to religious groups.  Policemen who helped parishioners into their places of worship would violate the Constitution.  Prayers in our legislative halls; the appeals to the Almighty in the messages of the Chief Executive; the proclamations making Thanksgiving Day a holiday; 'So Help Me God' in our courtroom oaths; — these and all other references to the Almighty that run through our laws, our public rituals, our ceremonies would be flouting the First Amendment.  A fastidious atheist or agnostic could even object to the supplication with which the Court opens each session: 'God save the United States and this Honorable Court ...'"

Could the Supreme Court bring Christmas back into the public square?  The Constitution's Establishment Clause states:  "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."  Those words did not prevent Congress from passing a law many years ago recognizing Christmas as a paid federal holiday.  However, the Supreme Court in the 1960s adopted a novel reinterpretation of those words, advocating strict separation between faith and public life that has plagued the law ever since.  In 1989 the high court considered the constitutionality of Christmas and Hanukkah displays in Pittsburgh, consisting of a Nativity scene in a county courthouse and a Christmas tree and menorah in the park outside.  In County of Allegheny v.  ACLU, a narrowly divided 5-4 Supreme Court adopted the "endorsement test."  The court found that government actions touching upon faith violate the Establishment Clause if a "reasonable observer" would conclude the government is endorsing religion.

Furious Bernie reveals he's the one not fit for public office.  Article VI of the Constitution flatly prohibits the use of a "religious test" to determine fitness for federal office.  Here's how the text reads (emphasis mine):  "...no religious test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or Public Trust under the United States" (capitalization as in original).  It's critically important to notice that last phrase:  "under the United States."  That's a reference to the federal government.  It is not a reference to State governments, which are allowed, even today, under the Founders' Constitution to use any religious test they want to.  Eight of them still do. [...] So religious tests at the state level were and still are perfectly constitutional, since Article VI has never been amended to extend its prohibition to the states.  But the Founders were quite adamant that no religious test would be used as a condition of serving in the federal government.

Taxing Churches Would Marry Church And State.  The American experiment was founded upon a very different conception of the relation of church and state.  The American founders and framers grounded religious free exercise (which is certainly more than holding certain beliefs and meeting, occasionally, to affirm them with others) in the rights of conscience — rights they took to be natural and inalienable.  In his "Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments" James Madison held that the duty to worship according to the dictates of one's conscience "is precedent both in order of time and degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society."  Every person who "becomes a member of a particular society" "must do it ... with a saving of his allegiance to the Universal Sovereign."  Consequently, "Religion is wholly exempt from" the authority of "Civil Society."  Moreover, "if religion be exempt from the authority of the Society at large, still less can it be subject to that of the Legislative Body."

Establishing a U.S. State Religion.  In direct contradiction of the First Amendment, which forbids the establishing of a state religion, the Obama administration is busily doing just that.  Meanwhile, it is attempting forced conversion of the reluctant, all the while targeting Christians and Orthodox Jews as people who are continually violating the establishment of religion clause. [...] It is establishing the faith of secular statism, a religion currently characterized by the tenets of radical progressivism.  Statism is rapidly becoming the only faith in America allowed to operate with complete freedom.  Remember the announcement at the 2012 Democrat National Convention that "government is the only thing we all belong to?" [...] It is but a short step from you all belong to the government to you all must do what the government decrees to you must, forsaking your own faith, bow before the god of the State.

Be Careful What You Wish For In the "Kim Davis" Case.  In 1802, Thomas Jefferson replied to a letter from the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut in which he outlined a concept for the First Amendment's application as it relates to religion.  According to Jefferson, the Amendment creates a "wall of separation between Church & State," to which "the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions."  While Jefferson's concept of a wall separating the Church and State has been used in a modern context by the Left to justify its radical purge of any and all religious artifacts from the public sector — particularly those of Christianity — Jefferson rather was simply warning about the power of government, compelled by a dominant sect of religion, to corrupt and oppress religious liberty of all worshipers.

Origins of Separation of Church and State.  The most frequently referenced American source for the contemporary usage of the separation phrase today is an 1802 letter written by President Thomas Jefferson to the Baptists of Danbury, Connecticut, in which he assured them that because of "the wall of separation between church and state" the government would not interfere with or inhibit their religious practices or expressions, whether occurring in private or public.  But in 1947, the Supreme Court reversed the traditional use of this phrase, for the first time allowing the government to interfere with and even prohibit religious practices and expressions, especially when occurring in public — a complete reversal of the historic meaning of the phrase and its usage both by Jefferson and those in previous centuries.

A Nation Adrift.  The moral fiber of a country, and the religious basis upon which the United States and European nations developed, is being replaced by a misguided faith in people. [...] In the 1840's Alexis de Tocqueville wrote:  "Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith."  Once established, liberty cannot be sustained without a just and moral society.

Nation must return God to schools, public square.  Any talk of "separation of church and state" was meant to keep the government out of the church.  The Founders never intended to keep the church out of the government.  They were godly men who prayed and attended church on a regular basis. [...] As the country grew and people moved west, the one book they always brought with them was the family Bible.  For many families, this was the only book they owned, and they read it daily and used it to teach their children how to read.  As schools were opened across the country, the Bible and moral values were an expected part of the instruction.  For nearly 200 years, this was the case.  Many schools opened their day with a morning prayer and Bible classes were encouraged if not required.

God in the State Constitutions.  The subject of God in the Constitution arises from time to time, and this site deals with the topic specifically elsewhere.  However, another question also arises: how is God referenced, if at all, in state constitutions?

All 50 State Constitutions Explicitly Thank God for His Benevolence.  Even the ACLU's own promotional materials overtly advocate unconstitutional religious discrimination:  "The message of the Establishment Clause [to the U.S. Constitution] is that religious activities must be treated differently from other activities to ensure against governmental support for religion," they claim.  As you're about to see, this is abject nonsense — a twisted constitutional misrepresentation as detached from reality as the east is from the west.  Secular "progressivism" depends upon deception as much as it relies upon revisionism.

Why Does Common Core Require Teaching Islam?  Should parents be penalized for demanding that their child be exempted from the required teaching of Islamic in Common Core curriculum?  Should a teach or public school administrator penalize parents and children for seeking exemption?  Parents are finding out the answers to these questions first hand.  To date, public school students are required to:
  •   Attend public school-sponsored trips to mosques, which also require non-Muslim girls to wear head scarves
  •   Question if the Holocaust was "merely a political scheme created to influence public emotion and gain"
  •   Learn Islamic indoctrination via vocabulary lessons, and world history (from an Islamic perspective), including the five pillars of Islam
  •   Pledge allegiance to the flag in Arabic
  •   Have school days off for "Muslim holy days"
  •   Proselytize to younger school children by creating a pamphlet about Islam to "introduce Islam to 3rd graders" by describing Allah as the same God of Christians and Jews
  •   Recite in class the Shahada ("There is No God but Allah") and kneel and learn to pray the Muslim call to prayer

Mount Soledad is saved. So why am I still worried?  [Scroll down]  It's stunning.  If a simple prayer is offered before a town meeting, they darkly warn that the First Amendment is all but revoked — even though America's founders offered hours of prayers as they wrote the Constitution.  If a veterans memorial is found to exist having a traditional religious symbol of sacrifice, secular activists sound the alarm as if the Spanish Inquisition is back in session — even though our tolerant founders allowed various kinds of religious imagery in public locations.  So the secularists started their own Inquisition.

Nationalizing American Churches and Institutions.  Conservatives broadly interpret the First Amendment as guaranteeing the right of people of faith to practice their religion privately and publically and to develop institutions which reflect their faith and religious principles.  They believe people of faith are guaranteed freedom to influence the public arenas of education, politics, law, business and the arts.  But for the Left, the First Amendment restricts the practice of religion, which is defined as a completely private matter.  Prayer and religious rituals are to be confined to the privacy of the home and church buildings.  Religion is seen as having absolutely no right to intrude itself into society at large.

News and commentary:

Pope Francis: 'Deniers of climate change' are 'foolish'.  Pope Francis has stated that "deniers of climate change" are "foolish" as they don't believe "research," and insisting that "climate change exists."  In comments made to CBS Evening News and aired April 24, the 87-year-old Pontiff decried those whom CBS's Norah O'Donnell described as "deniers of climate change."  [Advertisement]  "There are people who are foolish, and foolish even if you show them research, they don't believe it," responded Francis.  "Why?  Because they don't understand the situation or because of their interest, but climate change exists."  [Tweet]

The Editor says...
[#1] Nobody denies that the climate changes.  What many of us deny is that the use of hydrocarbons as fuel is the primary cause of that change.  We also believe that the elimination of hydrocarbon fuels would cause more harm than continuing the status quo.  [#2] "Climate change" is a talking point for socialism.  Promoting socialism is not the Pope's job.  [#3] Of all the topics the Pope could choose, given this nation-wide audience, that is what he selected?

New York City Council Opens Meeting by Praising Allah as the Supreme Lord of the World.  The New York City Council opened its Thursday meeting with an invocation praising Allah, recognized in Islam as the supreme deity.  Imam Abdoulazakou Traore of the Darou Salam Islamic Community Inc. led the council in prayer, beginning with an Arabic recitation followed by an English translation that expressed reverence for Allah as the "Lord of the world" and sought guidance for the city's lawmakers.  The New York City Community Affairs Bureau estimates the Muslim population in the city to be between 800,000 and 1,000,000, with other sources citing numbers as high as 1.4 million.  This demographic makes New York home to the largest Muslim population in the country, according to WiseVoter.

Republicans demand the Biden administration explain an 'outrageous' $37.7 million fine imposed on a Christian university.  House Republicans demand to know why the largest Christian school in the U.S. was slapped with a steep $37.7 million fine by the Biden administration.  They say the massive fine may based on 'political animus' and a tool of government weaponization being used by Biden's federal agency.  Grand Canyon University (GCU), the nation's largest Christian school, was allegedly fined for lying to 7,500 students about the cost of doctoral degrees in October 2023 to boost enrollment, according to the agency.

White House Forbids Kids From Using 'Religious' Symbols/Themes In Easter Egg Contest.  Joe Biden is fond of talking about being a Catholic, but he seems to have forgotten the meaning of the holy day of Easter.  Perhaps to him, it's just that day when the Easter Bunny has to chase him around to prevent him from getting lost and saying something stupid.  This year, they're holding an Easter egg design contest for the children of National Guard members.  The theme is supposed to be celebrating National Guard families.  But, guess what is forbidden in the designs?  Any religious mention of Easter on the egg.  The rules for the contest state that an Easter egg design submission "must not include any questionable content, religious symbols, overtly religious themes, or partisan political statements."  But it's a religious holiday and you're not supposed to be the government stomping on religious expression?

The Editor says...
Even a Biblically-illiterate Catholic knows that bunnies and eggs have nothing to do with religious expression.

Biden's pandering to a few terrorist sympathizers drives away millions of other voters.  In 2020, about five and a half million people voted in Michigan.  Biden won by about 155,000 votes.  Of those five and a half million who voted in Michigan, about 145,000 were Muslim.  About 100,000 of them voted for Biden.  Those 100,000 Michigan Muslims are now making a stink.  They're unhappy that Biden is permitting Israel to finish the war that Palestinian terrorists started on October 7.  They demand that Biden pressure Israel into a cease fire that would leave the terrorists free to murder, rape, behead, burn alive, and terrorize another day — and another year and another decade.  These terrorist sympathizers have instilled in Biden... well, terror.  Without Michigan, the math is very difficult for him to win reelection.  And he's already on the defensive there.

White House set to scale down ceremony for end of Ramadan.  The White House is preparing to host a much smaller ceremony for Ramadan amid Arab-American anger at Joe Biden and fears the event would be boycotted by prominent Muslims.  Traditionally, the president hosts hundreds of Muslim leaders from around the country for an Eid al-Fitr celebration, which marks the end of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Muslim calendar.  But the White House has discussed limiting invitations this year to a smaller group of administration officials and ambassadors from Muslim-majority nations, officials told Politico.

Joe Biden Marks Ramadan with Sympathies for Muslims and Their 'Immense Pain'.  President Joe Biden marked the beginning of Ramadan by issuing a statement recognizing the "moment of immense pain" for many Muslim Americans while affirming his efforts to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza.  Biden, who says he is pushing to establish a truce in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, wrote in the statement Sunday evening:  ["]Tonight — as the new crescent moon marks the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan — Jill and I extend our best wishes and prayers to Muslims across our country and around the world.  The sacred month is a time for reflection and renewal.  This year, it comes at a moment of immense pain.  The war in Gaza has inflicted terrible suffering on the Palestinian people.["]

American Christian pastors coerced congregants to take COVID jabs through covert "Faith4Vaccines" scheme.  In exchange for cash bribes from the government, thousands of American pastors pushed Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) "vaccines" on their congregants, many of whom are now chronically ill or dead as a result.  The report from America Out Loud explains that a government program called "Faith4Vaccines," which was birthed out of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) vaccine propaganda machine COVID-19 Community Corps, convinced money-grubbing "faith leaders" to sell out their flocks to Big Pharma.  The COVID-19 Community Corps has 86 founding members, most of them falling into the "faith leaders" category.  They include (but are not limited to):
  •   American Baptist Church
  •   Catholic Charities USA
  •   Episcopal Church
  •   National Association of Evangelicals
  •   Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
  •   New York Jewish Agenda

A political speech by a condescending old white man in an all-black church:
AG Merrick Garland Campaigns for Unsecure Elections, Slams 'Unnecessary' Voter ID.  Joe Biden's Attorney General, Merrick Garland, has made clear his intention to make America's elections less secure, describing efforts to secure them as "burdensome and unnecessary."  Garland made the remarks at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma, Alabama, during a commemoration of 'Bloody Sunday' when civil rights protesters were brutally attacked by police.  He also accused federal courts of weakening the 1965 Voting Rights Act by allowing various common sense voting restrictions such as presenting identification on arrival.

Democrats Promise Fraud and Insurrection.  The Democrat party is increasingly undemocratic.  Merrick Garland stood in front of a black church congregation in Selma, Alabama and attempted to rally them by ensuring that he would facilitate all manner of election fraud possible, proliferation of drop boxes, ensuring mail-in ballots are available and litigating any red-state actions toward securing elections.  He as much as admitted that the millions of illegals they're letting in will allow for the district maps to be redrawn to favor minorities.  That the massive influx of low-wage workers and the government provision of all their needs are direct attacks against minorities was probably lost on his audience.  Your Republican House passed the legislation to ensure the outcome that illegals could be counted in the census and therefore dilute the votes of American citizens.  If you are not here legally, you should not be counted in the census for this reason alone.

Doesn't the Pope have armed guards?
Pope Francis:  Military Disarmament Is a 'Moral Obligation.  Pope Francis said Sunday that military disarmament is not optional but constitutes a "moral obligation" for all nations.  Following his weekly Angelus address in Saint Peter's Square, the pontiff recalled that March 5 marks the second International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness.  "How many resources are wasted on military expenditure, which, because of the current situation, sadly continues to increase!" he told the estimated 20,000 tourists and pilgrims gathered in the square.  He went on to express his hope that "the international community will understand that disarmament is first and foremost a duty, and that disarmament is a moral obligation."  "Let's get this into our heads," he added.  "And this requires the courage of all members of the great family of nations to move from a balance of fear to a balance of trust."

Warning: State Take Over of Private, Religious and Home-Schools if HB1610 Becomes Law!  This bill requires all students to participate in standardized statewide assessments.  Make no mistake about this one: if this legislation is passed, it essentially allows the GOVT/STATE to control our private, religious, and home schools.  How?  By making the children who receive EFA funds take the STATE Standardized Test.  The Education Freedom Account (EFA) is one of the current school choice programs in NEW Hampshire.  It would mean that children who use the school choice (EFA) money to go to a private, religious, or home school would be forced to take the STATE Standardized test.  THIS IS A THREAT TO EVERY PRIVATE, RELIGIOUS, and HOME-SCHOOL family in New Hampshire!!  It MUST be STOPPED!  Currently, students who participate in the school choice program (EFA) can take the standardized test offered at their private, religious, or home school.  This legislation would change that.  All of these EFA students would have to take the STATE standardized test, which is COMMON CORE ALIGNED. In Indiana and Ohio, when children used their vouchers to attend private and religious schools and were forced to take the STATE standardized test, those schools began aligning their curriculum to Common Core.  This is a de facto takeover of our private and religious schools!

They Got Us, Right Where They Want Us.  [Scroll down]  The entire illegal immigrant pipeline, from the airports in Turkey and Dubai that are sending them to South America and Central America, to the Darien Gap, across the border and into our cities is being funded by Christian and Catholic NGOs.  When you learn about the betrayal Catholic and Christian NGOs have been committing, for decades, to the rights and privileges granted by America, you will go mad.  The recent failed federal "border control" [sic] bill included almost $2 billion to religious organizations to "help migrants," which often means helping migrants break the law.  Investigative reporter James O'Keefe recently exposed Catholic Community Services of Tucson, Arizona as facilitating the illegal entry of gang members into the country."

'Sanctuary' church puts up $15K bail to free migrant accused in Times Square police beatdown.  The sole migrant who had been held behind bars for the gang attack on two NYPD cops in Times Square is now also free after an activist Brooklyn priest posted his $15,000 bail, The Post has learned.  Yohenry Brito, 24, who was being held at Rikers Island on the Jan. 27 cop attack and is due to be arraigned on an assault indictment this week, walked out of jail Tuesday after Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Bay Ridge put up the money, the church's pastor said. "Our church is basically a sanctuary," the Rev. Juan Ruiz told The Post on Wednesday. "We assume that people are innocent until they are proven otherwise."  Ruiz also cited "the politically charged context" surrounding the case against Brito and the other migrants accused of ganging up on the cops, adding that "there is a lot more than what is being publicized.["]

Rabbi Files Lawsuit Against County Officials For Imposing Massive Fines Over Religious Gatherings.  A rabbi is suing Hawaii County after officials threatened to impose thousands of dollars in fines for holding religious meetings inside his home.  The lawsuit was filed by First Liberty Institute (FLI) Tuesday on behalf of Rabbi Levi Gerlitzky, who lives in Hawaii and runs the Chabad Jewish Center of the Big Island.  During the observance of the Sabbath, Gerlitzky would often host people in his home, sometimes nearly 30 people, but was told by county officials in February 2023 that he must get a permit to hold religious gatherings in his home, according to the complaint.

A Papacy Fit for the End Times.  [Scroll down]  The current pontiff, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who inaugurated the name Francis, has upended liturgy and tradition to bring the struggling Vatican II reforms across the finish line.  He has hastened the abolition of the Latin Mass and berated its practitioners in the United States as a "strong reactionary element."  That rhetoric is catnip to those intent upon targeting religious conservativism, with the FBI reporting that some enclaves of the ancient liturgy harbored anti-Semitic members of the "hard-right nationalist movement."  Aligning his pontificate with the globalist doctrine, Francis has established the new Synodal Church, giving it an ecumenical shape corresponding with the earthly fixations of climate activism, LGBTQ causes, replacement migration, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  This secular idolatry has mocked God's work and twisted church teachings on morality.  Those sitting in the pews can expect overbearing sermons on the evils of fossil fuels, excessive meat consumption, and pleas for almsgiving supporting border immigration policies eliminating national cultures.

Book review:  Open Borders Inc.: Who's Funding America's Destruction?  Six of the nine voluntary agencies resettling "refugees" in America are religious in nature.  In order of annual revenue, they are:
    Catholic Charities/US Conference of Catholic Bishops: $742.6 million
    Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services: $471.6 million
    Church World Services: $433.3 Million
    World Relief: $416.1 Million
    Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society: $186.1 million
    Episcopal Migration Ministries: $146.7 million
The work these agencies do is not charitable; they are paid for everyone they settle.  There used to be a program under which the agencies could settled refugees at their own expense, but it was canceled in the mid-1990s for lack of use.  Most "refugees" are chosen by the UN, which acknowledges that few of them are in immediate danger.  Little can be done to verify their stories, and some get into the program by paying bribes to UN agents.

Catholic NGOs Continue to Cash In.  Catholic Charities continues to profit from the destabilization of America after receiving millions more dollars from the government.  Four branches of Catholic Charities received a combined sum of over $15.5 million last week from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Shelter and Services Program.  The funds were disbursed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), with Catholic Charities in the diocese of San Diego receiving $12,793,700.  Catholic Charities in the diocese of Laredo received $1,322,015, while Catholic Charities in the archdiocese of Galveston-Houston obtained $882,388.  Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley received $512,196, and the diocese of El Paso, Texas, was granted $346,639.  In total, $77 million was allocated to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in this second round of funding distribution.  The initial allocation in June was significantly larger, with $291 million disbursed.  Catholic NGOs received nearly $40 million from the first distribution.

Clyburn Reminds Young Black Voters if They Don't Vote Biden "They Ain't Black".  An NBC article highlights South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn as one of the central players in the game of Biden.  As the article notes, Clyburn heads into the AME Church network, worried that young black voters might not support the game. [...] The AME network are the ballot counters, the precinct poll workers, spread throughout the various urban enclaves of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Virgina and both Carolinas.  It's a race-based coalition, dependent on conformity to achieve the objective.  Clyburn is worried the BLM segment of the process, the younger group, does not hold the enthusiasm needed to fulfill their role.  The AME network is prepared to be loyal to the agenda, but without the foot soldiers' things will be much more difficult, and many of those foot soldiers don't like the Biden outcomes.  The BLM group feel they are being taken for a ride, which they are, and the only outcome will be more of the same.

A political speech at an all-black church:
Biden Lies at Pulpit About His Role in Civil Rights and Attending Black Churches.  Joe Biden on Sunday continued to pander to the black community in Columbia, South Carolina ahead of the state's Democrat primary set for February 3.  81-year-old Biden participated in a political event at St.  John the Baptist Church on Sunday [1/28/2024].  He brazenly lied from the pulpit about his role in the civil rights movement and his history of attending black churches.  This is just weeks after he lied about 'starting the civil rights movement' during a stump speech at a black church in Charleston.

Pope Francis Calls on WEF to Promote 'Far-Sighted' Globalization.  Pope Francis has urged members of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting at Davos this week to promote "far-sighted and ethically sound" models of globalization.  The World Economic Forum "aims to guide and strengthen political will and mutual cooperation," the pontiff told them, and "provides an important opportunity for multi-stakeholder engagement to explore innovative and effective ways to build a better world."  The process of globalization has by now "clearly demonstrated the interdependence of the world's nations and peoples," the pope said, and thus has "a fundamentally moral dimension."

Archbishop Viganò: Bergoglio supports the efforts of Davos elites to establish the New World Order.  In Davos the masters and servants of the globalist elite gather:  characters who openly declare that they want to reduce the world's population through wars, famines and organized pestilence; characters who use the complicity of our rulers, international institutions, and especially high finance and media, which are totally in their hands.  How would Our Lord have spoken to the Sanhedrin of criminal subversives at the World Economic Forum?  What would all the Popes from Saint Peter to Pius XII have said to the participants of the Davos Forum?  Not what Bergoglio said, surely.  And this proves once again that the Argentine Jesuit is a servant of the globalist elite:  whether he does it out of self-interest or due to blackmail matters little.  Bergoglio explicitly supports the globalist coup and actively cooperates in the establishment of the New World Order.

This was a political speech disguised as a sermon, in an all-black church:
'Filled With Hate': Fani Willis Slams Marjorie Taylor Greene During Sunday Church Sermon.  Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis went after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) during a church sermon on Sunday — accusing the Georgia lawmaker of being "filled with hate."  Willis has faced numerous attacks from supporters and allies of former President Donald Trump as she works to prosecute him for his efforts to allegedly overturn the presidential election in the state.  Recently, she has been accused of having an affair with a member of her legal team and part of Trump's prosecution, Nathan Wade.  On Sunday, the district attorney spoke at Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta where she spoke of the struggles she's faced as she works on Trump's case.

Fani Goes to Church to Grandstand.  Over the past week, we've published reams about the allegations against Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis, who has decided to try to make herself famous by targeting former president Donald Trump with questionable charges. [...] It doesn't take a brilliant legal mind to think that Willis could be in some major trouble, but that hasn't stopped her from doubling down on defending her hiring decision — as well as pinning the blame exactly where you expect her to — while she spoke as the special guest at a historic Atlanta church on Sunday. [...] For starters, what part of MLK's legacy involves the political persecution of your enemies? [...] This speech — I don't dare call it a sermon because it was as self-serving as a speech can be — proves one thing:  that Willis is heavily lacking in self-awareness.  Also, none of the accounts that I read about her appearance at Big Bethel AME Church mentions her referencing scripture, though one report says she called out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) by name.  I don't know for sure if she used any scripture, but I do know that the Word of God wasn't prominent enough in her speech for the media to mention it.

Fani Willis and the corrupt mainstream media.  Last week contained more than one terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. [...] Fani Willis said nothing publicly on these matters until yesterday (Sunday, January 14th).  Speaking at length before the congregation at Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta, but without admitting to being in a relationship with Wade, and without mentioning him by name, Willis referred to Wade as a legal "superstar" who is uniquely qualified to be on her get-Trump team.  She also referred to Wade as "a great friend and a great lawyer."  In her speech, Willis read from a letter that she claimed to have penned to God during her trying week.  (Note to Ms. Willis and Big Bethel AME Church:  In these situations, the proper role of the church and the individual is truth and repentance, not allowing for, and the giving of, political speeches!)  Of course, in an attempt to defend herself, her office, Wade, and her get-Trump campaign, Ms. Willis also played the race card numerous times.

Christian prison ministry canceled for conflicting with state's diversity values: lawsuit.  A Christian instructor of a faith-based rehabilitation program intended for male inmates is challenging a Minnesota correctional facility's cancellation of the class over its complementarian teachings on marriage and gender.  Anthony Schmitt and his colleague, Bruce Robinson, taught a class called "The Quest for Authentic Manhood" from 2012 to 2023 at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St.  Cloud.  According to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota on Monday, Schmitt received an email on July 2023 from DOC Assistant Commissioner Jolene Rebertus informing him that he could no longer teach the class following a review of the curriculum.

What If the West Only Accepted Christian Refugees from the Muslim World?  For years now, a number of mostly Eastern European nations have been arguing that, if they are going to accept any refugees from the Muslim world, they prefer Christians.  Hungary, for example, has apparently been doing just that.  To this, the official western response has been to cry "racism!" Barack Obama, for instance, once called such a suggestion "shameful," loftily adding:  "That's not American.  That's not who we are.  We don't have religious tests to our compassion."  It was later revealed that his administration was doing precisely that — but in reverse:  discriminating against persecuted Christian asylum seekers, while favoring Muslims.  All emotionalism and name-calling aside — that is, the stuff of American politics — there are, in fact, several objective reasons why the West should give priority, if not exclusivity, to Christian refugees from the Muslim world — and some of these are actually to the benefit of western nations.

Congregants at Mother Emanuel AME Church chant "Four More Years!" to President Biden.  Guys!  I finally found the Christian Nationalism everyone has been warning us about!  Somebody alert David French!  [Indeed], call the FBI!  Watch as these religious fanatics in a church in South Carolina shout their support for their preferred candidate!  [Tweet]  Oh, wait.  They're supporting Biden.  Never mind, nothing to see here!  [Tweet]

Minneapolis City Council takes step to avoid conflicts with Islamic holidays.  The Minneapolis City Council took a closer look at publishing the new meeting calendar on Monday, following a mix-up last year that sparked controversy.  Last year, the day of Eid al-Fitr, or "Eid," the council was voting on rent control, which was a highly debated issue.  Three Muslim members were not able to vote because they were observing the holiday.  This allowed the remaining council members to vote "no" to continuing conversations about rent control.  The city clerk explained in a statement last year that the holiday "got missed" and there was not enough time to change the council meeting date under state law.

Amish Farm Raided by Government in Move Described as 'Lawless ... Patently Illegal'.  State employees, including members of the Pennsylvania State Police, raided Amos Miller's Lancaster County farm Thursday, reportedly as a result of an investigation into the farmer's supposed violations of state food safety codes.  The raid was conducted under the authority of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, along with the state police, according to the Lancaster Patriot.  Miller, the farmer, has been involved in a long dispute with both the state and federal governments over food and meat inspection and health safety guidelines after officials have accused him of selling dangerous food that doesn't meet inspection standards.

New York law attacks religious freedom.  A New York statute targeting Chick-fil-A for its Christian faith turns American history — and Constitutional law — upside down.  The "Rest Stop Restaurant Act" seeks to compel food service providers to stay open seven days a week in publicly-owned rest areas and other facilities, or be denied contracts to provide services.  This is not merely an attack on the faith of a private business chain; it is an open war against fundamental constitutional liberties.  Historically, American colonies widely implemented "Blue Laws" that forbade trade on the Sabbath day — Sundays.  Blue Laws compelled days of rest:  New York banned Sunday sales of goods in 1656, and enacted the first official "state Sabbath law" with the "Statute for Suppressing Immorality" of 1778. [...] New York's insulting effort to compel Sunday openings is constitutionally dead on arrival as it collides headlong into solid legal precedent.  Braunfeld and other precedents banned Jewish merchants from selling their goods on Sunday; now New York seeks to do the exact reverse.

The Democrat party: who are they?  Just who are the members of the Democrat/socialist/communist (D/s/c) Party?  How do their beliefs differ from those of normal Americans? [...] D/s/cs tend not to be overtly religious.  Their political beliefs are their faith, and in true communist style, there can be no greater power than the Party, which is their secular faith.  This largely explains their increasingly overt hostility toward, and persecution of, Christians.  This too is projection.  They see Christians as deadly threats, so believe Christians feel the same and will act on those feelings.  Thus has the FBI been surveilling Catholics who appreciate the Latin Mass, branding them "Radical Traditional Catholics."  Thus were innumerable Christians arrested for trying to attend church during Covid lockdowns.

New York to mandate certain restaurants be open Sundays.  New York State lawmakers are considering a bill that would require certain restaurants to be open seven days a week.  The recently proposed measure seems effectively targeted at some Chick-fil-A outlets and would mandate that restaurants at rest areas and transportation facilities be open for business every day of the week, yet would exclude local vendors and farmers markets.  Bill A08336 reads: "Allowing for retail space to go unused one seventh of the week or more is a disservice and unnecessary inconvenience to travelers who rely on these service areas."  This is at odds with Chick-fil-A's long-time policy of being closed on the Sabbath.  The chicken vendor's website states that S. Truett Cathy, company founder and devout Southern Baptist, believed it important to be closed on Sundays so that he and his employees "could set aside one day to rest, enjoy time with their families and loved ones, and worship if they choose."

Constitution Does Not Dictate That Satanic Displays Must Get Equal Time in Public Square.  In the very tiresome battles over whether one religious element can be in the public realm without being accompanied by other "religious" elements that someone, somewhere, claims to value, a simple point is missed:  We do have the right to freedom of religion.  But this does not equate to the right to equal government showcasing of religion.  The issue at hand is that cultural devolutionaries have for years now applied a religion-focused Cloward-Piven strategy, through which they seek to eliminate all public-square religious expression by inundating the system with equal-time requests for "religious" expression ranging from the evil to the asinine.

The Right Way to De-Weaponize the FBI.  The FBI stigmatized a vast number of United States citizens as potential "Radical Traditional Catholic" (RTC) terrorists based upon the existence of one criminal case involving a man who self-described as an RTC.  The FBI's version of the facts, detailed in the Intelligence Note, describes a man who likely suffers from mental illness — hardly a cross-section of the Catholic population.  The most shocking aspect of this, one that largely escaped public attention, is that the FBI memo states the subject wasn't even Catholic.  He was taking catechism lessons in the hopes of becoming a baptized Catholic, but he was neither baptized nor confirmed.  The FBI never explained what "threat" the agency sought to "mitigate" by targeting Catholics.  The Note offers no history or example of political violence associated with conservative Catholics who prefer Latin mass.  It simply asserts, baselessly, that they pose a threat as potentially violent domestic terrorists.  Moreover, the FBI's denigration of Catholics is not limited to Latin mass worshippers.  Rather, the bureau appears to have issues with the Catholic faith in general.

Pennsylvania School District Does Damage Control After Memo to Bus Drivers Goes Viral.  A Pennsylvania school is attempting to do damage control after issuing a memo instructing bus drivers to remove Christmas decorations from their vehicles, stop wearing anything related to the holiday, and avoid playing Christmas music.  "If you have decorated your bus with anything specific to the Christmas Holiday or any other decorations relating to a specific religion, please remove them immediately," read the Dec. 15 memo from the Transportation Supervisor at the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District.  "In addition, employees are instructed not to wear clothing related to Christmas or any other religious holiday."  District offices and bus drivers are also "to refrain from playing Christmas music" or any music connected to a particular religion.  Libs of TikTok pointed out the district took a different attitude toward "Pride Month."  [Tweet]

McCaul Mulls Subpoena for State in Atheism Grant Probe.  House Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with what they describe as the State Department's attempts to impede their investigation into the decision to greenlight $500,000 for a program promoting atheism overseas.  Rep. Michael McCaul, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is now mulling his next steps, which could include legislation, subpoenas, or other oversight options aimed at forcing the State Department to comply with the probe's requests for information, according to panel staff.  McCaul and several other House Republicans are demanding more information about the 2021 State Department atheism grant and how the funds are being used.  Republican lawmakers have complained about what they describe as the department's slow-walking of their responses to committee inquiries and requests over the last 15 months.  They are particularly upset over the agency's refusal to make key officials available for interviews.

Fire Station Removes Nativity After Atheist Complains.  A wooden Nativity scene that was built around 30 years ago and has been on display in front of the fire department in Toledo, Iowa, for the past 20 years was ordered to be removed after a bunch of atheists complained about the celebration of Jesus Christ's birthday.  On his show, Todd Starnes reported that neither the baby Jesus nor his foster father Joseph and biological mother Mary would be displayed this Christmas season because city leaders ordered the firefighters to remove the nativity after some person who doesn't even live in the community became very offended about the Nativity scene.  "Friday morning I went to the City Hall to see who had asked for that to be taken down, and I was given the letter and the name of the person.  It was found out that this person doesn't even live in our community.  This person is from another community not even connected to our county," Becky Faircloth, the daughter of the man who built the Nativity scene, said.

Pope Francis to COP28: Climate Has 'Run Amok,' Planet 'Overheating'.  Pope Francis sent a message Saturday to the COP28 United Nations climate summit decrying the "unbridled exploitation" of the environment by first world nations.  Climate change "greatly endangers all human beings," the pontiff said in his sternly worded address, and "time is short" to react to the current ecological crisis.  "It has now become clear that the climate change presently taking place stems from the overheating of the planet," the pope declared, "caused chiefly by the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activity, which in recent decades has proved unsustainable for the ecosystem."

The Editor says...
The Pope is not the person I would turn to for an explanation of carbon dioxide, or where CO2 comes from.  Or anything else.  At his age, Francis has more pressing concerns than carbon dioxide.

Pastor Mike McClure of California Church [was] Fined $3 Million During Lockdowns.  Calvary Chapel of San Jose, California, was fined over $3 million in total from Santa Clara County and the state of California for holding in-person worship services at the church house, amidst the state-wide lockdowns in 2020.  Senior Pastor Mike McClure discusses the ongoing court case and the importance of upholding religious liberty in the face of government tyranny.

Pope Francis:  Climate Change Puts 'Life on Earth' at Risk.  Pope Francis asserted Sunday that global warming is contrary to God's plan and presents a significant risk to all "life on earth."  "Besides war, our world is threatened by another great danger, that of the climate, which puts life on Earth, especially for the future generations, at risk," the pontiff stated in a written text, which was read aloud by his aide Monsignor Paolo Braida following the weekly Angelus prayer.

The Editor says...
The Pope is either badly misinformed, poorly educated, delusional, or dishonest to state that the Earth has been operating perfectly for thousands of years, but our use of the internal combustion engine is about to make it uninhabitable.

Was St. Malachy Right?  These are hard times for conservative Catholics.  For the past 60 years, they have had to watch their church gradually but steadily abandon many of its bedrock principles in what was at first an attempt to stay "relevant" but now looks very much a hostile takeover by the forces of relativistic "progressivism."  Under a series of weak and/or malicious popes, beginning with the unaccountably sainted John XXIII and continuing to the present day in the reign of the regrettable Pope Francis, the Church has abandoned its liturgy, its core beliefs, its traditions, its probity, and its sexual morality.  Can things get worse?  Of course they can.

Pope Francis fires outspoken Texas Bishop who called Joe Biden a 'fake Catholic' and accused the Vatican of 'blasphemies'.  Pope Francis has forcibly removed a Texas bishop who built a huge social media following with his brazen criticism of the pontiff, including a warning of 'blasphemies emanating from Rome.'  Bishop Joseph E. Strickland was removed from pastoral duties in the Diocese of Tyler, which will be temporarily administered by the bishop of Austin, the Vatican said in a one-sentence statement on Saturday.  Strickland, an outspoken conservative on issues including abortion, was known for his social media broadsides against the Holy See and had come to symbolize the growing polarization within the US Catholic hierarchy.

In a rare move, Pope Francis forcibly removed a Texas bishop who had called him too progressive.  Pope Francis on Saturday forcibly removed the bishop of Tyler, Texas, a conservative prelate active on social media who has been a fierce critic of the pontiff and has come to symbolize the polarization within the U.S. Catholic hierarchy.  A one-line statement from the Vatican said Francis had "relieved" Bishop Joseph Strickland of the pastoral governance of Tyler and appointed the bishop of Austin as the temporary administrator.  Strickland, 65, has emerged as a leading critic of Francis, accusing him in a tweet earlier this year of "undermining the deposit of faith."  He has been particularly critical of Francis' recent meeting on the future of the Catholic Church during which hot-button issues were discussed, including ways to better welcome LGBTQ+ Catholics.

The Creepy All-Seeing Eye of 'Geofencing'.  As worshippers gathered at the Calvary Chapel in 2020, they were being watched from above.  Satellites were locking in on cellphones owned by members of the nondenominational Protestant church in San Jose, California.  Their location eventually worked its way to a private company, which then sold the information to the government of Santa Clara County.  This data, along with observations from enforcement officers on the ground, was used to levy heavy fines against the church for violating COVID-19 restrictions regarding public gatherings.  "Every Sunday," Calvary's assistant pastor, Carson Atherly, would later testify, the officers "would serve me a notice of violation during or after church service."  Calvary is suing the county for its use of location data, a controversial tool increasingly deployed by governments at all levels — notably in relation to the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.  While enabling law enforcement to more easily identify potential offenders, the practice, called "geofencing," has also emerged as a cutting-edge privacy issue, raising constitutional issues involving warrantless searches and, with Calvary Chapel, religious liberty.

The Left's Planned Destruction of the Judeo-Christian World.  What is now occurring in Israel is no act of happenstance or the result of failed policy.  It is the execution of a premeditated plan of destruction that Obama began, and Biden is trying to finish.  The American left has long desired to eliminate Judeo-Christian followers.  Their reasoning is simple: you cannot conquer, subjugate, and enslave a population that refuses to accept the rule of an earthly authority.  With Barack Obama leading the American left and pulling the strings on the Biden marionette, the plan is in motion.  They seek to destroy Israel, followed by erasing Christians, whether through genocide (as in parts of Africa) or criminalizing Christianity. [...] To those who have followed Middle East events, it is clear that the last thing to concern Obama was a Jew's life.  His position always focused on protecting the Palestinian right to kill Jews, while minimizing the consequences.  Looking at today's horrors in Israel and Obama's lethargic response, how can any reasonable person believe otherwise?

Pope Francis' Call For 'Peace' Between Israel And Hamas Is Really A Call For Injustice.  The day after Hamas' onslaught against Israel, Pope Francis intoned: "Every war is a defeat."  A preemptive protest against retaliation, it contradicted centuries of the Catholic Church's understanding of a just response to aggression.  The ancient command to will good to all men does not mean leaving some of them loose to do evil to others.  Careful not to name Hamas, Francis begged that "the armed attacks stop."  His use of the plural "attacks" placed terrorists and Israelis on the same moral plane.  It avoided distinction between a war of extermination against Jews and Israel's defensive action against genocidal barbarians.  Francis broadened lament to conflicts everywhere (especially in "beloved Ukraine"), and added:  "Let us pray that there be peace in Israel and Palestine."

Embattled Canadian pastor who faced jail time for sermon appeals 'outrageous' guilty verdict.  A Canadian pastor found guilty of mischief for delivering a sermon to truckers blocking the U.S.-Canada border last year is appealing the verdict in what he described as a battle on behalf of all Canadians.  "It's outrageous," Pastor Artur Pawlowski, who pastors the Cave of Adullam congregation in Calgary, told The Christian Post on Wednesday.  "If a pastor can be arrested and found guilty of those ridiculous charges, anyone can be."  Last month, an Alberta judge found Pawlowski guilty of mischief and breaching a release order related to a 19-minute sermon he delivered to truckers protesting federal vaccine mandates in February 2022, which authorities claim incited the protesters.

Do Facts Matter to the Pope?  Copying from a lament of Marxists, the pope points out that with 5% of the world's population Americans consume 25% of the world's resources.  As if a mighty and infinite God has not provided us with resources no one has tapped into yet.  What has America done with that?  A de facto redistribution of our wealth by the benefits we have provided the world.  There is a word for this pope and those that speak the way he does:  ingrate.  He sits upon an empire with a worldly value of 73 Billion.  Just where does he think that came from?  The Roman Catholic Church would not be able to do nearly what it does without the prosperity and generosity of the American part of that church.

How Laudate Deum Fails.  Pope Francis's apostolic exhortation, Laudate Deum, is a hard document to characterize. [...] Pope Francis implies that time is running out.  Ocean levels are rising, and ice caps are melting.  Humanity is responsible for this disaster and must immediately act.  It is an angry document stemming from a failure to convince a skeptical public.  One has the impression that the first part is written as if engaged in a personal debate with an unknown, invisible (presumably American) climate denier whose rational and scientific arguments are too compelling for the pope to refute. [...] Perhaps this is why Pope Francis mercilessly attacks this invisible debater's stands by denouncing those who ridicule, "deny, conceal, gloss over or relativize the issue."  The pope asks his readers to disregard these unenlightened ones.  He evangelizes with harsh zeal, calling upon all to convert to the climate change gospel.  Pope Francis affirms the reality of climate change with an air of scientific infallibility.  Thus, the document is punctuated with phrases like "no one can ignore that," "it is verifiable that," or "it is no longer possible to doubt that."  No one can question the climate alarmist dogma, even in its minute details.  The scientific doubters, and there are many, including Nobel laureates, receive no acknowledgement on the journey to sustainability.

A Climate of Pessimism at the Vatican.  [Scroll down]  Mind you, what the exhortation lacks in theology is amply compensated by comedy.  The document is addressed to 'all people of goodwill on the climate crisis'.  So, from the outset, Pope Francis shows he has fallen for the climate crisis scam.  To push home his point he refers to our 'suffering planet', how 'the world in which we live is collapsing' (how exactly can a world 'collapse'?) and insists we are 'nearing breaking point.'  He also ascribes without question to the theory of anthropogenic climate change; it's all our fault.  He makes the usual conflation of fluctuating weather patterns with catastrophic climate change, and states that 'probably in a few years many populations will have to move their homes because of these facts.'  The problem is that, up to this point in the document, he has referred only to opinions and not to any facts. [...] The extraordinary and unsubstantiated claim is made that 'millions of people are losing their jobs due to different effects of climate change: rising sea levels droughts and other phenomena affecting the planet have left many people adrift.'  If that is true, then he clearly has not been informed how many people will lose their jobs if we persist in our pursuit of net zero policies.

The Pope has gone full Greta Thunberg.  At last, the Pope is being taken seriously when he warns of moral degeneracy — well, sort of.  When Popes have tried to preach to us about abortion, promiscuity, materialism, drugs and selfish lifestyles, they have widely been treated as old fools or bigoted moralists who want to stop us having fun and being who we are.  But how miraculous the transformation among enlightened opinion now Pope Francis has issued on exhortation on climate change, warning us that 'irresponsible' western lifestyles are ruining the planet. [...] The Pope has gone full Greta. It is faintly odd to read him lecturing us on the rate of glacial melting and the absorption of carbon dioxide by the oceans.  I am no great reader of Papal exhortations, but do popes generally go into such detailed scientific detail?  I guess he has sought advice on what to write, but at points it goes horribly wrong.  'Droughts and floods, the dried-up lakes, communities swept away by seaquakes and flooding ultimately have the same origin.'  Is Pope Francis really trying to blame the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on global warming?

Scientists excited by first look at OSIRIS-REx asteroid samples.  NASA unveiled samples of the asteroid Bennu returned by its Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security — Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx, spacecraft during an Oct. 11 event at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.  The center is home to an astromaterials curation facility that the agency delivered the OSIRIS-REx sample canister to a day after it landed in the Utah desert Sept. 24.  An initial analysis of material showed evidence of water, in the form of hydrated minerals, and a high abundance of carbon.  Scientists said the material studied so consisted of 4.7% carbon by weight, among the highest levels of any meteorites studied.  Scientists had hoped that the OSIRIS-REx samples would help them understand the formation of the solar system and the building blocks of life on Earth, and that quick-look analysis appeared to confirm that.

The Editor says...
This amounts to the establishment of atheism as a state religion.  There's an explanation of "the formation of the solar system" in the first chapter of the Bible, which is widely available at low cost.  NASA spends billions of dollars a year trying to disprove the Bible, for the benefit of a handful of atheist scientists.

Globalists Are Weaponizing Religion to Push Climate Hoax.  Globalists and Deep State minions are weaponizing religion and religious institutions to get their followers to submit to and promote the United Nations-backed hysteria surrounding alleged man-made global warming, explains The New American magazine Senior Editor Alex Newman in this episode of Behind The Deep State.  From a new papal document put out by Pope Francis to UN-backed schemes such as "Religions for Peace," the effort to hijack the energy of the faithful to help build a global prison planet is now ubiquitous.  As the Deep State consolidates political and economic power at the international level, religion is the next target as these evildoers work to impose UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and unite the religions of the world behind the horrific plan.

Pope Francis Blames America First.  Pope Francis was full of doom and gloom as he warned that the Earth is "collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point" because of climate change.  He takes a metaphorical ruler and whacks the knuckles of climate "skeptics" who are preventing the draconian/statist actions that are apparently necessary to cool the planet off.  What comes next for the "deniers"?  A knock on the door from the Spanish Inquisition.  The pope has given a new voice to the "blame America first" globalists and denounces Americans' "irresponsible lifestyles" for the ruination of the planet.  What about China?  Amazingly, the pope pointedly gives the world's greatest polluter a free pass.  He declares that "emissions per individual in the United States are about two times greater than those of individuals living in China, and about seven times greater than the average of the poorest countries."  This is naked appeasement to a country with some of the worst human rights violations on the planet.  President Xi Jinping is loving life right now.

Geofencing: How Calvary Chapel Almost Met Its Demise.  If you've ever allowed an app like Uber or Google Maps to track your location, you may have unwittingly opened the door to intrusive government action waged against you.  That's precisely what happened when officials from Santa Clara County, California, used geofencing against Calvary Chapel as part of an insidious effort to levy fines for breaking government-mandated curfews during the pandemic — a practice that nearly led to the house of worship's untimely demise.  As the name implies, geofencing is a technique used to create a digital fence around a structure, park, or other defined location, allowing an entity to track who enters and exits the site.  Santa Clara officials used that technology to monitor whether Calvary Chapel adhered to the county health department's year-long lockdown order.  The church still owes millions of dollars in fines for allegedly breaching those restrictions.  Fed up and relying on a 2021 Supreme Court ruling that effectively ordered California authorities to allow churches to resume indoor worship services, lead pastor Mike McClure filed a lawsuit against Santa Clara County and SafeGraph, the data company officials used to acquire the information obtained through geofencing.

Ultra-Woke Pope Issues Fatwa Against 'Irresponsible' Western Lifestyles for Climate Change.  The pope — or, rather, whichever committee of handlers dictates his public utterances — had some stern words recently for Westerners and their "irresponsible" lifestyles. [...] The pope's recent fatwa against decadent "Western lifestyles" — by which he presumably means conveniences such as personal vehicles, dishwashers, and air conditioning — smacks of Obama's declaration some years ago, which I have covered elsewhere at PJ Media, that Africans in developing nations should sacrifice any hopes of air conditioning for the sake of climate change.  (This was shortly before he purchased a sea-level mansion on Martha's Vineyard — an odd choice for an individual who professes deep alarm at rising sea levels.)

Pope Francis goes off the deep end again on global warming.  [Scroll down]  Global warming is a fraud.  There's nothing true about its phony claims, which are constantly being exposed as junk science.  What's more, his advocacy of wind and solar is ... a little specific, and worse still, ignores that these are highly inefficient sources of energy which rely on fossil fuels as well as government subsidies to stay afloat because they aren't sustainable on their own.  Worse still, these particular methods of energy are magnets for fraud, waste, and corruption, constant fodder for scandals in the news, all because they don't do what they say they can do.  Why is the pope promoting this scandal-plagued grift?  And why is he demonizing fossil fuels which are the root source of modern societies.  Given that he is constantly asserting the right of illegals from primitive societies to migrate in the West whether the West can absorb them or not, what does he think illegals are coming to the states for?  Green energy?  They have lots of green energy in their home countries — with the usual results.  What they'd really like is to be able to flip on a light switch and have a light come on, which is only attainable through a reliable supply of fossil fuels with minimal government involvement.

Archbishop Viganò: Catholics must seriously consider the possibility that Francis isn't the pope.  Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has released the following statement on the ongoing theological debate over the status of Pope Francis and the papacy.  In many ways, this is his most pointed criticism yet.  His Excellency argues that given the devastation caused by "Jorge Mario Bergoglio" on the universal Church — which stems from his embrace of the "cancer" of Vatican II — and given the role the Saint Gallen mafia played in the 2013 conclave, Pope Francis does not have and never did have the intention of serving as the head of the Catholic Church.  Rather he hid his intentions from electors with the end goal of using the authority of the papacy to undermine the Church and to make it the "handmaid" of the New World Order.

California county sued for using cellphones to track movements of church-goers.  They're coming for you next:  Santa Clara county in California is now being sued by Calvary Chapel San Jose and its pastor Mike McClure for using without warrant the GPS data from the cellphones of the church's members to track their movements without their knowledge. [...] Despite imposing a $1.2 million fine against the church for continuing its regular meetings during the COVID lockdowns, the county has yet to document any evidence that the church's defiance caused COVID to spread at all.  If anything, the county's illegal data-gathering proved it did not, unequivocally.  Of course, any rational person could have told the county this.  The lockdowns did nothing to stop COVID, so there was no reason for the church to stop its Sunday services.  In fact, the county's attempt to forbid religious services (while allowing many other group activities to go on), its totalitarian fining of the church, and its illegal surveillance all strongly suggest that county officials had no interest in stopping COVID, but were actually implementing an anti-religious campaign to suppress religious expression.

National Cathedral replaces windows honoring Confederacy with stained-glass homage to racial justice.  The landmark Washington National Cathedral unveiled new stained-glass windows Saturday with a theme of racial justice, filling the space that had once held four windows honoring Confederate Gens.  Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.  The new windows depict a march for justice by African Americans, descendants of the very people who would have remained in slavery after the Civil War if the side for which the officers fought had prevailed.  The cathedral had removed the old windows after Confederate symbols featured prominently in recent racist violence.

The Editor says...
Tell me more about the "recent racist violence."  I must have missed it.  Unless they're talking about all this racist violence.

Pope Francis to Bill Clinton:  We Must Halt the 'Ecological Catastrophe' of Climate Change.  Pope Francis engaged former U.S. President Bill Clinton via zoom Monday, stressing the urgency of addressing the climate change "catastrophe," the migration "crisis," and war.  "It is time to work together to stop the ecological catastrophe before it's too late," the pontiff told Mr. Clinton at a meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI).  "Let us stop while there is still time, please."  The pope reiterated his intention of releasing a second document on the environment later this month, eight years after the publication of his encyclical "Laudato Sì" on the same theme.  In late August, Francis said it is time world leaders to "listen to science and institute a rapid and equitable transition to end the era of fossil fuel."

The Editor says...
[#1] The climate changes constantly.  It is not a catastrophe.  The changes happen so gradually that you would likely never notice unless you listen to the talking heads on cable TV.  [#2] Fossil fuels are the best and most affordable energy sources available worldwide.  We are fortunate to have them.  To cut off the supply of hydrocarbon fuels for no real reason would be suicidal insanity.  [#3] I suspect Vatican City uses more "fossil fuels" per capita than any other country.  [#4] What does "a rapid and equitable transition" mean?  If you're making a radical overnight transition, who cares if it's "equitable?"  [#5] If the Pope is sure we can "stop while there is still time," how much time remains?  How does he know if any time remains or not?

Blue States are Prohibiting Christians From Adopting Because of Their Christian Views.  In the United States, approximately 391,000 children are in foster care.  Of those, over 113,000 children are waiting to be adopted.  With such a great need, you would think that all 50 states would be eager to place children with loving and qualified parents.  But this isn't so.  The problem?  Some state officials are imposing an ideological litmus test to determine who is "qualified" to parent a child.  In some states, if you don't agree to adopt the government's views on gender and sexuality, your application to adopt a child will be denied.  This is exactly what happened to Jessica Bates.

Stay in your lane, Francis.
Pope Francis Calls on Nations to 'End the Era of Fossil Fuel'.  Pope Francis has doubled down in his personal war on fossil fuels while condemning "extreme practices" such as fracking.  It is time world leaders to "listen to science and institute a rapid and equitable transition to end the era of fossil fuel," the pontiff urges in his message for the Feast of Creation, to be celebrated on September 1.  It is "absurd to permit the continued exploration and expansion of fossil fuel infrastructures," he insists.  "Let us raise our voices to halt this injustice towards the poor and towards our children, who will bear the worst effects of climate change."  "The unrestrained burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of forests are pushing temperatures higher and leading to massive droughts," the pope declares, a product of "consumerist greed, fueled by selfish hearts."

Adams Inserts Government Into Religion.  On August 29, [New York City Mayor] Adams tweeted, "We're cutting red tape and saying clearly that mosques and houses of worship are free to amplify their call to prayer on Fridays and during Ramadan without a permit necessary."  You know this is a radical move when City Council candidate Justin Brannan can barely contain himself.  "All New York City mosques and houses of worship will no longer need to apply for a sound permit to amplify their call to prayer on Friday afternoons and during the holy month of Ramadan.  Nobody should need a permit to pray", he says.  Brannon wants us to believe one needs a permit to pray.  This is a lie.  Anyone in New York City can pray.  What is happening here is something different and it's dangerous.

Canadian Pastor James Coates, who was jailed for refusing to close his church during the pandemic, to be acquitted on all charges.  Pastor James Coates of GraceLife Church refused to shutter his church's doors, citing the illegitimacy of the government to enforce such an order on houses of worship and health data that contradicted the official narrative that the 'Rona was a walking death sentence.  Coates was dragged off to jail and told by a judge that he must promise not to preach in order to be released.  He refused, beginning a stint in prison alongside hardened criminals.  Alberta authorities sent hundreds — yes, hundreds — of police officers to forcibly close the church and prevent parishioners from getting into the building, even constructing a fence to that end.

California Church Sues Government Over Alleged 'Spying' on Worshippers.  On Tuesday, a California church that had previously been ordered to pay over $1.2 million in fines to the state government filed a lawsuit in federal court, claiming that the local government spied on its worshippers.  Fox News reports that the Calvary Chapel San Jose, led by Pastor Mike McClure, alleges that officials in Santa Clara County utilized the Colorado-based company SafeGraph to engage in "an invasive and warrantless geofencing operation to track residents" without their knowledge.  The lawsuit was filed on the church's behalf by the advocacy group Advocates for Faith & Freedom.  "Geofencing" refers to a location-based tool that is often used by the government to track someone through their cell phone data.  In this case, the lawsuit alleges, the local government spied on cell phones located in the vicinity of the church to determine who were regular church-goers.

Biden State Department caught promoting atheism abroad.  The Biden administration is out promoting religion through the State Department door to the locals in other countries, on our taxpayer dime.  That right there is illegal, because the First Amendment states that there is to be no state sponsorship of anybody's religion.  What religion is it?  Why, the religion of Democrats, which generally speaking, is atheism. [...] And they are organizing events to promote "the positive aspects" of atheism, as well as support the group's objectives.  We all know what this is about.  It's ironic to see this, given the father of Hunter Biden's campaign-trail-activated claims to being Mr. Devout Catholic.  This is the same administration that has been caught targeting Catholics as domestic terrorists.  This is also the same administration that promotes abortion abroad and targets pro-life activists domestically, two things that suggest a more anti-Catholic and anti-Christian objective, as well as anti-religion in general, given that many Jews, Muslims and Hindus abhor abortion, too.  This is obviously not going to win friends or influence people in other countries.

Several FBI offices contributed to anti-Catholic memo, refuting Wray's testimony, GOP says.  House Republicans say FBI documents they've obtained prove that several field offices contributed to a memo that targeted traditionalist Catholics as "potential terrorists," conflicting with recent sworn testimony from FBI Director Christopher Wray.  Republican leadership on the House Judiciary Committee revealed in a letter sent to Wray on Wednesday that said the document they subpoenaed from the agency details how "both FBI Portland and FBI Los Angeles field offices were involved in or contributed to the creation of FBI's assessment of traditional Catholics as potential domestic terrorists."  "This new information suggests that the FBI's use of its law enforcement capabilities to intrude on American's First Amendment rights is more widespread than initially suspected," Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and co-chair Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., wrote in the letter.

The FBI Targeted Traditional Catholics Because They Will Never Accept The Left's Pagan Morality.  It turns out the FBI memo targeting Catholics as potential domestic terrorists wasn't limited to "a single field office," as FBI Director Christopher Wray claimed under oath last month to Congress.  In addition to the Richmond, Virginia, field office, the agency's Los Angeles and Portland offices were also involved.  The memo, which was leaked earlier this year, singled out what it called "Radical-Traditionalist Catholics" who attend parishes that offer the Latin Mass, which the FBI seems to think are hotbeds of "Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists."  Outrageous as it was for the FBI to try to monitor, surveil, and investigate American citizens based on their religion, it appears to have been a coordinated effort — an effort that Wray lied to Congress about, according to a newly unredacted memo obtained by House Republicans after months of FBI stonewalling.  Setting aside the absurd pretext that traditionalist Catholic parishes are fonts of "white supremacy" and potential terrorism, it should come as no surprise that the FBI would target Latin Mass-attending Catholics.  Why?  Because the FBI has become a tool of the permanent regime in Washington, which will tolerate no resistance to their ideology — an ideology best understood as pagan morality.  Abortion, gender ideology, and the thinly-veiled racism of critical race theory in particular are considered sacred by the regime.  Traditional Catholics — or "Radical-Traditionalist Catholics" in FBI parlance — oppose these things and will never accept them.  That's the real reason the FBI was targeting Catholics.  It had nothing to do with the alleged threat of "white supremacy," as the leaked memo claimed.

Beverly Hills Tells Rabbi to Stop Small Religious Gatherings at His Home.  The city of Beverly Hills, California, has ordered an Orthodox Jewish rabbi to stop holding small religious gatherings at his home, evidence of which it gathered via police stakeouts and drone surveillance, the rabbi's attorneys allege.  On June 12, Rabbi Levi Illulian received a "Notice of Violations" letter from the city ordering him to "terminate all religious activities" at his home that include "non-residents" and threatening him with civil and criminal proceedings if he fails to comply.  According to a letter from Texas-based Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and First Liberty Institute to Beverly Hills Code Enforcement Attorney/Prosecutor Steven Rosenblit, Illulian hosts a variety of religious activities at his home, from weekly Shabbat services to holiday celebrations to ritual mournings for the dead.  These gatherings are always limited to invited guests, primarily friends and family members.

State Bars Catholic Couple From Fostering Due To Traditional Beliefs About Marriage And Gender.  A Catholic couple is suing Massachusetts state officials after allegedly being told they were unable to foster children due to their religious beliefs about marriage and sexuality, according to court documents.  Mike and Catherine "Kitty" Burke went through the process to get certified to begin fostering children in 2022, but were reportedly deemed unfit by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) after a series of home visits, according to court documents.  The couple filed a lawsuit Tuesday with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, arguing that the state was deliberately discriminating against them because of their faith.

Just another Christian arrested for sharing biblical messages in public.  In a video clip that has gone viral on social media, a young Christian man is seen being arrested by police as he and a few other young men preached at a recent Pride in the Park celebration in Watertown, Wisconsin.  [Tweet with video clip]  The footage shows a young man reading from the bible, speaking into a microphone, before he is surrounded by multiple police officers.  One of the officers then grabs the microphone and pulls it away from the Christian while those around him question what the officers are doing.  The person who recorded the video claims the group was told that they could speak outside on the sidewalk.  However, another officer allegedly told them that they could not use the speaker and microphone to do this.  In any case, several of the officers then proceed to grab the young man who was preaching and ask him not to resist as they arrested him and hauled him away.

Liberalism Is a False Gospel and a Counterfeit Religion.  Liberalism is a false and counterfeit religion that is incompatible with the Judeo-Christian worldview that built the United States and much of the western world.  The year 2023 is the 100-year anniversary of J. Gresham Machen's prophetic book Christianity and Liberalism.  This book is just as accurate today as it was prophetic when he wrote it.  His central thesis 100 years ago was that liberalism is its own religion, distinct and incompatible with Christianity.  It acts as a parasite on Christianity, and can only be accurately understood as a separate and false religion.  Machen was right, of course, and the past 100 years of decline in American life bear him witness.  Search the past century across the globe and you will find scores of previously Christian nations that adopted liberalism, declined every meaningful way, and lost their faith.  Most of these Judeo-Christian nations have attempted to accommodate it rather than defeat it.

Court Halts Minnesota's Attempt To Ban Christian Colleges From Offering Free Credits To Religious High Schoolers.  Christian colleges in Minnesota will be allowed to keep offering college credits to high school students — for now.  On Wednesday, the Minnesota District Court issued an injunction prohibiting the enforcement of an amendment that greenlights discrimination against religious students.  Under Minnesota's 1985 Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program, capable students can earn free college credits at local institutions of higher education while they are still in high school.  Thousands of students have benefited from the program, and other states around the country have since adopted it.  An amendment passed during the 2023 legislative session, however, removed religious colleges from the program by prohibiting these postsecondary schools from requiring a statement of faith from students.

Michigan City Bans LGBTQ Pride Flag, Other Political Flags from City Property.  The all-Muslim city council of Hamtramck, Michigan, voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a resolution that would ban the LGBTQ+ Pride flag from being flown on the city's public property.  The resolution, proposed by Mayor Pro-Tem Muhammad Hassan, also bars any religious, ethnic, racial, political, or sexual orientation group flags from being flown on city property and only allows the American flag to be flown, along with state and city flags, other national flags, and the Prisoner of War flag, according to Click on Detroit.

The Editor says...
There's no separation of church and state when the church is a mosque.

Charges Dropped Against Protester Who Read Biblical Passages at Pride Event.  The Berks County District Attorney's Office has confirmed that it is dropping charges against Damon Atkins after the preacher was arrested citing the Bible in protest of an LGBTQ Pride event in Reading, Pennsylvania.  The only reason that the charges were dropped is that a third party videotaped the scene and disproved the account of the arresting officer.  Ironically, Atkins was reciting 1 Corinthians 14:33 that begins "For God is not the author of confusion."  That role appears to rest with the Reading police, which processed a wildly exaggerated account of the encounter.  Atkins was arrested on June 6 for "disorderly conduct, engaged in fighting."  However, a video of Atkins' encounter with the police officer disproved the officer's statement, as acknowledged in a press release.  For many, the case is likely reminiscent of the arrest of the woman for praying near an abortion clinic in Britain.  Fortunately, this case was dropped.

Should Christians Declare A State Of Emergency, Too?  Less than six months after President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified gay marriages, the Human Rights Campaign declared its first-ever "state of emergency" for "LGBTQ+ people."  Why?  Because of a supposed spike in "legislative assaults sweeping state houses this year."  "More than 75 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been signed into law this year alone, more than doubling last year's number, which was previously the worst year on record," the HRC says.  But look closely.  Almost every single bill on the "assault" list is legislation designed to protect children from the omnipresent and increasingly aggressive "transgender" community.  The list includes things such as bans on doctors performing sterilization procedures or prescribing dangerous puberty-blocking drugs to minors.  It includes Florida's ban on public schools teaching children under age 9 about gay sex, and removing books from elementary school libraries that are too pornographic to show on local news programs.

Man Arrested While Attempting To Read Bible Verse At Pennsylvania Pride Event.  A video shows Reading, Pennsylvania, police arresting a man after he tries to read a Bible verse during public Pride event.  Damon Atkins was attempting to read 1 Corinthians 14:33 when the police confronted him.  The Bible verse reads, "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God's holy people."  "Let them have their day.  Respect it," an officer told him.

It's Now or Never.  The distinction between Church and State has been erased to the disadvantage of the Church, in particular the Christian Confession.  Such a legitimate distinction is a long-standing feature of democratic nations.  Its provenance dates back at least to the time of Saint Augustine's The City of God (Book XIX, Chapter 17), in which Augustine posited that the "earthly city" was obligated to provide for the "heavenly city," that is, to speak devotional truth unhindered by emperor or magistrate.  The phrase in its current form derives from Thomas Jefferson, who in an 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association spoke of the "wall of separation between church and state." [...] In the U.S., the Christian faith is demonstrably under sustained assault.  In my own country, they burn churches, don't they — 71 at last count.  The state has violated the wall of separation.

The Federal Bureau of Intimidation.  [Scroll down]  Perhaps the most notable instance of this anti-Catholic bias is the FBI's targeting of Mark Houck, Catholic father of seven and founder of the Catholic organization the King's Men.  Houck wasn't just arrested; his Pennsylvania home was raided by about two dozen armed FBI agents, who cuffed him in front of his wife and children.  What charge was leveled against this quiet, Mass-going Catholic dad to warrant such extreme tactics?  Houck was accused of assaulting a Planned Parenthood escort some two years before the arrest.  Four months later, Houck was acquitted of the charges after a jury learned that the Planned Parenthood escort, Bruce Love, violated Planned Parenthood protocol to follow Houck and his then-12-year-old son across the street, where they were praying a Rosary, and begin spouting profanities at the child.  Houck did shove the Planned Parenthood employee, in defense of his son.  The Department of Justice knew this and proceeded with the case anyway.

When a Whistleblower Ain't a Whistleblower.  The FBI has found itself showing up on the doorsteps of pro-life activists.  We know it has even had agents infiltrating the Catholic Church, all because of supporting the first unalienable right, life, for the born and unborn.  However, it seems that the FBI cannot seem to infiltrate the organization Jane's Revenge which claimed responsibility for firebombing pro-life advocacy centers and vandalizing churches.  Instead of infiltrating the Catholic Church, what about the Satanic Temple of America?  They freely admit abortion — really infanticide — is a part of their "rituals."  They are bringing a lawsuit against the US Supreme Court so that they may continue to murder unborn babies in the womb up to birth and maybe afterward.  It's interesting to note, isn't it, that the Satanic Temple of America and the Democrat Party share the same policy position?

California Officials To Pay Churches $1.4 Million Over Abortion Health Care Mandate.  California officials are preparing to pay out $1.4 million to four churches after attempting to force them to provide abortion health care coverage for their employees, according to a press release.  Skyline Wesleyan Church, located in the San Diego area, Foothill Church in Glendora, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, and The Shepherd of the Hills Church filed two separate lawsuits with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) in 2015 and 2016 after the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) sent emails to insurance providers in the state, mandating that their coverage include abortion services.  Federal courts ruled in both cases that the state's mandate violated the First Amendment and ADF announced Friday that the DMHC had agreed to pay $1.4 million in attorney's fees, according to an ADF press release.

It's the Bud Light of churches.
193 Parishes Ditch the United Methodist Church.  I've told this story before, but it bears repeating here.  Once upon a time, I wanted to be an Episcopal priest.  The diocese in which I was living rejected me.  In retrospect, I probably would have made a rotten minister, so that choice in and of itself was probably not the worst decision anyone has ever made.  But as it turned out that my spiritual fitness was not in question.  For a few weeks after being rejected, I was depressed.  Ordination had been something I had wanted since college.  But one Sunday, an older "supply," or substitute priest, took me aside and told me not to take it personally.  I found that to be a little glib.  After all, I had been told I was unworthy to serve God, and that's the kind of thing someone takes personally.  But he continued, "Right now, the diocese is not accepting straight, white men for the ordination process.  But if you hang in there, you might have a chance in a few years or so."

Is Any 'One Culture Superior to Others'?  Recently, while apologizing to "indigenous peoples" and denouncing Christians — without the all-important historical context — Pope Francis declared, "Never again can the Christian community allow itself to be infected by the idea that one culture is superior to others[.]" [...] The fact is, all values traditionally prized by the modern West — religious freedom, tolerance, humanism, monogamy — did not develop in a vacuum, but rather are inextricably rooted to Christian principles that, over the course of some two thousand years, have had a profound influence on Western epistemology, society and of course culture.  While they are now taken for granted and seen as "universal," there's a reason why these values were born and nourished in Christian — not Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or Confucian — nations.  Even if one were to accept the widely entrenched narrative that the "Enlightenment" is what led to Western progress, it is alone telling that this enlightenment developed in Christian — as opposed to any of the many non-Christian — nations.

Biden administration targets a Catholic hospital for daring to question its authority.  Saint Francis eventually enlisted the aid of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, whose attorneys argued the ultimatum violated the hospital's First Amendment freedoms. [...] On Friday, Becket announced the Biden administration had agreed to allow Saint Francis a "waiver" to keep its chapel flame burning.  "The game was simply not worth the candle for HHS," Lori Windham, vice president, and senior counsel at Becket, told the Washington Examiner.  "It realized it would be playing with fire in court if it stood by its absurd demand, so it chose wisely.  We are glad Saint Francis can continue to serve those most in need while keeping the faith."  Though the federal government has — for now — backed off slightly, it is hardly cause for celebration.

Feds' threat to Catholic hospital funding over chapel candle could ignite 'legal firestorm,' attorneys say.  A religious liberty nonprofit is threatening the federal government with a legal battle after a Catholic hospital in Oklahoma was offered the choice of either extinguishing a sacred candle in its chapel or being stripped of its federal funding.  The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and the law firm Yetter Coleman LLP fired off a letter to officials with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week after the Joint Commission demanded earlier this year that Saint Francis Health System snuff out a candle that represents the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.  The Joint Commission is an independent accrediting organization whose findings are often used to meet conditions for Medicaid and Medicare certification with the HHS-affiliated Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Thou shalt have no other gods before ... HHS?  Should a Catholic hospital be forced to snuff out its Eucharistic candle in order to provide care to the elderly, poor, and infirm?  That is precisely the position taken by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), on multiple occasions, with St. Francis Hospital and Health System in Oklahoma.  In order to continue to get reimbursements for care provided under CMS programs, the Catholic hospital will have to violate Catholic canons by getting rid of its Eucharistic candle, or removing its tabernacle and stop conducting Mass on site.

Biden Admin Tells Catholic Hospital To Put Out Sanctuary Candle Light In Violation Of Religious Beliefs.  The Biden administration's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has told a Catholic hospital in Oklahoma to put out a sanctuary candle light, a command they say violates their religious beliefs.  The federal government told Saint Francis Health System's Senior Vice President and General Counsel Michael J. Lissau that the sanctuary candle on their premises was in violation of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services's (CMS) fire safety requirements, the hospital says.  The government says that the hospital will no longer be able to accept Medicare and Medicaid funds as long as the flame remains in the chapel.  After the hospital requested a waiver, the HHS sent a letter denying the request on April 20.

The Editor says...
Something tells me that if there was an unattended candle with religious significance in a Muslim hospital, nothing would be said about it.

Update:
Health and Human Services Folds Like a Cheap Suit Over Threat to Deny Catholic Hospital Accreditation.  The Department of Health and Humans Services has folded on its demand that Catholic hospitals in Tulsa-based St.  Francis Healthcare System extinguish the Eternal Flame candle burning it is chapel Confronted with a lawsuit that it was doomed to lose over an indefensible position contrary to law, HHS's Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services agreed to grant a waiver to the bizarre inspection finding that concluded that a single beeswax candle on a wall sconce enclosed in glass constituted a fire hazard to patients.

Biden Establishes 'Interagency Task Force With Senior Government Officials' to Stop 'Islamophobia'.  Old Joe Biden's ghostwriters issued a statement Thursday to congratulate Muslims on Eid al-Fitr, the feast marking the end of the fasting-by-day-and-gorging-by-night month of Ramadan.  Predictably, it was anodyne and obsequious in the extreme, with Biden celebrating how Muslims "decorate their homes, give gifts to loved ones, wear new clothes, and visit family and friends."  The faux president is made to add:  "I am moved by the generosity that is shown from families that can provide food and give charity to those in need through Zakat-al-Fitr."  In the course of all this flattery, Biden's writer drops in a serious note:  there is now a U.S. government task force dedicated to fighting "Islamophobia." [...] When the White House writers start depicting Old Joe babbling about peace and human rights, you know something bad is coming.  Doing this work for peace and human dignity will apparently require new restrictions on speech:  "My Administration is also committed to addressing all forms of hate, including Islamophobia.  This is why I established an interagency task force with senior government officials to tackle this and related challenges and encourage every American to build a more inclusive nation."  Good, because Lord knows we aren't "inclusive" enough yet.

Street preacher threatened with jail time after citing Bible verses against local Oklahoma LGBTQ organization.  An outspoken street preacher is appealing to the Oklahoma Supreme Court after he was slapped with a five-year restraining order that threatened him with jail time if he speaks out in opposition against a local LGBTQ advocacy group.  Rich Penkoski, a pastor who heads up the online organization Warriors for Christ and has protested drag shows for children nationwide, told Fox News Digital that he believes the restraining order is unconstitutional and could herald a legal precedent that could chill the speech of Christians and others.  "I've been preaching against this kind of stuff for years when it first started in libraries," he said of drag queen story time for children.  "We've been telling people it's going to get worse if we don't do anything, and that's where we are."  Penkoski said he was invited by a church in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, to preach outside a local Pride event last fall after other local churches failed to speak out against it.

Tim Kaine: It's OK For The FBI To Put Informants In Churches.  Virginia Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine gave the FBI his approval to investigate Catholic parishes in his own state on Monday.  When asked by a local ABC affiliate about the FBI's Richmond division infiltrating Catholic communities to spy on the church for alleged extremism, Kaine called the revelations a misunderstanding.  "I think the key is communication," Kaine told ABC13.  "If the FBI has a concern like that, then go to the church leaders and say, 'Hey look, we have a concern and we don't want your members to get unwittingly caught up in something.'"  Former FBI Special Agent Kyle Seraphin blew the whistle on the agency's Richmond office investigating the Catholic Church with undercover informants in February.  The FBI, Seraphin wrote, "would like to protect Virginians from the threat of 'white supremacy,' which it believes has found a home within Catholics who prefer the Latin Mass."  "The document assesses with 'high confidence' the FBI can mitigate the threat of Radical-Traditionalist Catholics by recruiting sources within the Catholic Church," Seraphin warned.

19 Times Democrats And DOJ Deliberately Politicized Law Enforcement.  House Republican Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan subpoenaed FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday after a whistleblower revealed the agency is targeting Catholic parishes.  In February, former Special Agent Kyle Seraphin revealed that "the FBI's Richmond Division would like to protect Virginians from the threat of 'white supremacy,' which it believes has found a home within Catholics who prefer the Latin Mass."  "The document assesses with 'high confidence' the FBI can mitigate the threat of Radical-Traditionalist Catholics by recruiting sources within the Catholic Church," Seraphin reported.  Jordan's letter to Wray Tuesday said the FBI sought to use local religious organizations as 'new avenues for tripwire and source development.'"

California judge orders church that defied COVID rules to pay $1.2M.  A California judge has ordered San Jose's Calvary Chapel church to pay $1.2 million in fines for defying COVID-19 pandemic restrictions by meeting for worship and not requiring masks.  In a ruling handed down last week, Superior Court Judge Evette D. Pennypacker said the church should pay fines for flagrantly violating Santa Clara County's mask mandate between November 2020 and June 2021.  The court found that the county's face covering requirement was "neutral and generally applicable" to all similarly situated entities in the county, rejecting the church's argument that the health orders violated their religious freedoms.

House Judiciary Committee Subpoenas Wray After Learning FBI Planned to 'Develop Sources' At Catholic Churches to Rat on Fellow Parishioners.  The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Monday, after learning that the Bureau planned to enlist sources at so-called "mainline" (Novus Ordo) Catholic parishes to inform on purportedly radicalized fellow parishioners.  In his letter to Wray, the committee's chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), revealed for the first time that the FBI "relied on information derived from at least one undercover agent to produce its analysis and that the FBI proposed that its agents engage in outreach to Catholic parishes to develop sources among the clergy and church leadership to inform on Americans practicing their faith," Jordan wrote.  "This shocking information reinforces our need for all responsive documents," he added.  [Tweet]

FBI sought to develop sources in Catholic churches to combat domestic terrorism, docs show.  The FBI recently sought to develop sources inside Christian churches and Catholic dioceses as part of an effort to combat domestic terrorism, according to internal documents released by House Judiciary Committee on Monday [4/10/2023].  The internal documents — obtained last month by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., who are also members of the so-called Weaponization Subcommittee — showed the FBI planned to use churches as "new avenues for tripwire and source development."  The federal law enforcement agency also aimed to specifically target "mainline Catholic parishes" as part of its efforts.  In addition, according to Jordan, the FBI expressed interest in "leverag[ing] existing sources and/or initiat[ing] Type 5 Assessments to develop new sources with the placement and access."  And, in another example, the agency cited a desire to to sensitize religious congregations "to the warning signs of radicalization and enlist their assistance to serve as suspicious activity tripwires."

The equitarian church.  Climate change, anti-racism, universal leveling, obsequity, credentialism, censorship, gender activism, alms for obedience, bureaucracy are the theological touchstones — the Stations of the Cross, if you will — of the new Equitarian religion.  Equitarianism, or "wokeness," has often been compared to a traditional religion and that comparison is valid as far as it goes.  But Equitarianism — as an internally-based transactional belief system — is not just comparable to belief systems but is in fact an actual religion.

The Disturbing Religion of the Left.  In case you have not noticed, something perverse and bizarre is happening in the United States of America right now.  Last week's hearing and exchange between Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Attorney General Merrick Garland was telling.  The progressive socialist left, as embodied in the Biden administration, and across the country, is purposefully and intentionally targeting those who profess, believe, and advocate on issues based upon their Judeo-Christian faith.  In the exchange between Sen. Hawley and Garland was the recent revelation of the FBI's targeting and proposed designation of Catholics as "domestic terrorists."  Of course, Garland displayed unrighteous indignation that such a thing would happen and declared implausible deniability as well.  But one has to ask: how could the Attorney General of the United States not know what is happening in the FBI?  We have already been down this road with his desire to designate concerned parents as domestic terrorists.  This is not something new, or unfamiliar, for those of us residing in Texas.  It was not long ago that the former Mayor of Houston, openly lesbian Annise Parker, sent out an order for pastors, preachers, and clergy to submit their sermons.  Her reason?  Well, she wanted to issue an edict, a mandate, that would have facilities — including churches — allow individuals to use the bathroom facilities of their chosen gender.

Tucker Carlson Calls Out the 'Professional Christians'.  In one of his monologues last week, Tucker Carlson called Merrick Garland "the weakest attorney general" in American history. [...] Tucker's comments came on the heels of Garland's recent testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.  During the testimony, GOP senators Mike Lee and Josh Hawley confronted the attorney general on the Biden Justice Department's heavy-handed and disproportionate attacks on American Christians, especially noting the attacks against Christians who protest abortion centers.  The senators highlighted the FBI's shocking raid of Mark Houck's home, where 20 to 30 agents with "full SWAT gear, heavily armored vests, ballistic shields, helmets, [and] battering ram" terrorized Mr. Houck, his wife, and their seven children simply because Mr. Houck shoved a pro-abortion extremist who was harassing his 12-year-old son.  Tucker also noted the incident involving Paul Vaughn, a pro-life father of eleven children:  ["]In March of 2021, Paul Vaughn and 10 others were peacefully praying at an abortion clinic in Tennessee.  They didn't damage any property.  They hurt no one.  More than a year after they dared to do that, to pray, Merrick Garland sent the FBI to terrorize Vaughn and his 11 children at their home...  Paul Vaughn and his co-conspirators now face more than a decade in prison.["]  After highlighting these gross injustices against American Christians, Tucker makes what I believe is his most important point:  ["]You have to wonder when you see a tape like that, where are so-called Christian leaders?  Where's Russell Moore and all the other breast-beating Christians as that happens, as the U.S. government cracks down on Christianity, on prayer?  Silent.["]

FBI Agents in Catholic Churches.  Sen. Josh Hawley, the cure that healed Missouri from the blight of Claire McCaskill, asked [Merrick] Garland a question during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.  He noted a Jan. 23 FBI memo from its Richmond, Virginia, field office advocating "the exploration of new avenues for tripwire and source development against traditionalist Catholics."  Wow!  So he asked: "Attorney General, are you cultivating sources and spies in Latin mass parishes and other Catholic parishes across the country?"  Garland conceded the memo was "appalling" and called the document "inappropriate."  Inappropriate?  When a woman wears white after Labor Day, that is inappropriate. [...] When the FBI targets "traditionalist Catholics," that is not "inappropriate" but, to use a favorite aphorism of the Left, it is the "Death of Democracy."  So Hawley pressed forward and asked how many informants the FBI has in Catholic churches across America.  After evading the question, Garland finally said "I don't know specifically."  How could that even be the answer?

It Looks as if the Justice Department Probably Has Spies in Catholic Churches.  In a heated exchange with Gestapo chief Merrick Garland at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) directly challenged Garland's viciously corrupt and politicized "Justice" Department, and zeroed in on the once-respected agency's targeting of traditionalist Roman Catholics.  While Garland maintained, in the teeth of the available evidence, that the department is not actually targeting Catholics, he claimed not to know how many spies and informants the feds have in those hotbeds of terrorism, traditional Catholic parishes.  In other words, he didn't say they didn't have any such spies and informants.  So if you're Catholic, be watchful:  the guy in the pew behind you could be taking notes.

Christianity Is Still Fair Game for Secular Leftist Loons.  American leftists are always going on about being anti-hate and anti-bigotry, portraying themselves as pillars of tolerance.  They are tolerant of anyone who adheres to their brand of godless secularism.  People of faith, however, don't get much of a fair shake from them.  OK, they have a soft spot for Islam, but that's only because so many Islamists hate the United States.  Christians, on the other hand, aren't very popular with progressives.  They treat Christianity like it some sort of communicable disease, and the mere mention of Jesus will cause mass conversions within a 100-mile radius.  If only it were that easy.

Chicago mayoral candidates canvass churches in final push — and warn of 'false prophets'.  With the clock winding down on Chicago's municipal election, the field of nine mayoral candidates fanned out across the city Sunday to deliver some of their final pitches to win over undecided voters and to push those who have made up their minds to follow through with a ballot.  The late-stage political ground game before the polls close Tuesday sent fifth floor City Hall hopefuls to bistros, bars, bungalows, bus stops and beyond — but not before church.  Nearly every candidate started their run into the home stretch at a house of worship.

FBI Headquarters Purges Leaked Intelligence Document Targeting 'Radical-Traditionalist Catholics'.  FBI authorities purged from its system an unclassified intelligence document that targeted traditional Catholics following a whistleblower leak.  FBI whistleblower Kyle Seraphin says the document, first published in UncoverDC, specifically points to "racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists in radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology."  Through tripwires and liaisons, which are trusted contacts, Seraphin noted, the FBI can employ threat mitigation against such groups ahead of the next election.  The document draws attention to the so-called Radical-Traditional Catholic, described as someone who rejects the Second Vatican Council as a valid church council, shows disdain for most of the popes elected since Vatican II, and frequently adheres to anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, and white supremacy ideology.

FBI HQ Retracting Richmond Field Office Document Targeting 'Radical Traditionalist Catholics'.  [Scroll down]  The FBI Richmond office considers the traditionalists are a danger on par with terrorists and white supremacists.  Something tells me they don't separate the actual Traditional Catholics and us, who love some of the traditions.  It doesn't matter.  The traditionalists and the rest of us are not radicals.  If you're a Radical Traditionalist Catholic (RTC), then White supremacist.  Do you prefer the Latin Mass?  White supremacist.  Do you prefer to partake in other Catholic traditions pre-Vatican II?  You're a racist extremist.

FBI Internal Memo Warns against 'Radical Traditionalist Catholic Ideology'.  The FBI's Richmond field office released an internal memo last month warning against "radical traditionalist Catholic ideology," and claiming it "almost certainly presents new mitigation opportunities," according to a document shared by an FBI whistleblower on Wednesday.  Kyle Seraphin, who was a special agent at the bureau for six years before he was indefinitely suspended without pay in June 2022, published the document, "Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities," on UncoverDC.com.  "In making this assessment, FBI Richmond relied on the key assumption that [racially or ethnically motivated extremists] will continue to find [radical-traditionalist Catholic or RTC] ideology attractive and will continue to attempt to connect with RTC adherents, both virtually via social media and in-person at places of worship," the document from January 23 states.

Nebraska Democratic State Senator Proposes Amendment To Bar Kids From Attending Church Events.  Legendary poet Maya Angelou is famous for her quote "when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."  A far-left Nebraska state senator decided to declare war on religious families despite her protestations afterwards that she was merely trolling.  State Senator Megan Hunt was so triggered over a Republican-backed bill that would bar young children from attending grotesque drag queen shows and penalize the adults taking them that she filed a blatantly unconstitutional amendment last Friday to go after individuals taking their kids to church events like vacation Bible study. [...] Hunt tried to claim afterwards in response to a critic on Twitter that she was merely trying to "make a point" about the Republican bill to protect children.

The Editor says...
Only a poorly-educated Socialist Democrat would NOT know that the State does not decide who may or may not attend church services.

A statue of Thomas Jefferson would be out of the question, but this is okay:
Pagan Horned Statue Featured on NYC Courthouse Pays Homage to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Abortion.  A statue of a horned feminine figure emerging out of a lotus, supposedly symbolizing "femininity" and paying homage to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who fought for abortion, now sits atop the New York City courthouse.  The artist, Shahzia Sikander, created the statue "NOW," which sits on top of the courthouse alongside other statues representing lawmakers throughout history.  The statue itself appears as the body of a woman emerging from a lotus, which is often associated with the pagan Egyptian god Nefertem as well as the Hindu gods Vishnu and Brahma.

'Obviously a demon': Creepy pro-abortion statue placed on top of New York City courthouse.  A pair of statues championing abortion have been erected in New York City, leaving pro-lifers aghast.  The statues — one of which is on display on the roof of the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court, and the other in close-by Madison Square Park — are both made of bronze and feature immodestly dressed female-looking creatures with horn-shaped braided hair.

NYC Courthouse Erects Demonic Statue With Horns Paying Tribute To RBG and Abortion.  A statue of a horned, demonic figure, supposedly symbolizing a twisted version of "femininity" and celebrating abortion and the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been erected atop the New York City courthouse.  The statue features Ginsburg's famous laced collar — a nod to the late-Justice, according to the artist — which sits below the figure's braided horns, which the artist herself confirmed are, in fact, horns.

Pope Francis Is a Marxist and a Globalist of the New World Order.  A very detailed article by Frank De Varona over at Liberty Sentinel breaks down with authority why it's safe to say Pope Francis is a full-blown Marxist.  This isn't a secret by any means, but it's often challenging to break through the intellectual barriers put up by millions around the world as they regard the Pope.  Many of his fellow Neo-Marxists deny his affiliation with their ideology because they often adamantly oppose organized religious, which is odd since they full embrace the religion of Climate Change Cultism.

Daughter of Ald. Derrick Curtis suffered accidental gunshot wound during gun safety class he taught last week.  Ald. Derrick Curtis' daughter was accidentally shot in the leg last week during a concealed carry class Curtis was teaching at a church in Ashburn, months after the 18th Ward alderperson accidentally shot himself.  Curtis was conducting the class Jan. 5 at Monument of Faith Church, 2750 W. Columbus, with his daughter and son in attendance, according to a Chicago police source.  Someone handed Curtis' daughter a Glock 19 and the weapon went off.  The 25-year-old was struck in the leg and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in good condition, police said.  The shooting was classified as accidental.

The Editor says...
If a white Republican in Alabama taught a gun safety class in a all-white church, would there not be an uproar?

The Church Must Speak Out.  Churches have remained publicly quiet for decades on the moral issues of the day so as not to appear too controversial or too political.  As a result, public debate is often left to those without a biblical worldview.  The consequences of this passivity have contributed to the unraveling of American civil society.  It is well past time to end the silence.

UK Govt Prosecutors Argue Parts of Bible 'No Longer Appropriate in Modern Society'.  Lawyers for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of England and Wales tried to have a Christian street preacher convicted for quoting the Bible to a lesbian couple, insisting that scripture is "no longer appropriate in modern society".  The extraordinary case, mounted in what is still nominally a Christian church, with an established church in which the head of state serves as Supreme Governor, was brought against armed forces veteran and throat cancer survivor John Dunn, after the police referred him to prosecutors for telling a lesbian couple that it "says in the Bible that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God" in Swindon.

The Editor says...
In other words, politically appeasing the homosexuals is more important to the British government than the Bible.

Has the Democrat party converted to Islam?  On October 21, U.S. reps.  Ilhan Omar and Jan Schakowsky issued a press release introducing a bill titled the "Combating International Islamophobia Act."  According the release, the purpose of the bill is "to address the rise in incidents of Islamophobia worldwide."  Specifically, it would require "the State Department to create a Special Envoy for monitoring and combating Islamophobia, [which would] include state-sponsored Islamophobic violence and impunity [sic] in the Department's annual human rights reports."  The bill was supported by the White House, which, notwithstanding its focus on Islam alone, described it as a measure committed to "defending freedom of religion and belief."  On Dec, 14, 2021, the bill, H.R. 5665, passed in the House, 219 to 212.  No Democrat voted against it; no Republican voted for it. [...] Under this clause, no reports of any violence and killing committed not against Muslims, but by Muslims against other religious groups, nor the suppression of non-Muslims in Muslim-ruled nations, would be authorized.  Only acts against Muslims. [...] Need it be said that H.R. 5665 violates the First Amendment at two different levels?  First of all, in addressing not the alleged hostile actions themselves, but rather the media that are supposedly instigating those actions, the bill runs afoul of such media's freedom of speech.  Secondly, in focusing on issues relating specifically to Islam and to no other religion, the bill is "respecting an establishment of religion," which, under the Amendment, is prohibited.  One has to wonder if the 219 House members are aware that we have a Constitution, or whether it has a First Amendment?

Senate candidate Raphael Warnock, 2009: I'm "SICK AND TIRED" of hearing people criticize socialism.  Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock holds a slight lead over his GOP challenger, Herschel Walker, in a runoff election poll released Tuesday morning.  In a video from 2009, preaching from the pulpit, Warnock states he was 'sick and tired' of hearing people criticize socialism.  [Video clip]

Clinton Foundation Gave Warnock's Church Mad Stacks After He Campaigned for Hillary — Then it Got Weird.  The Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Sen. Raphael Warnock has been a pastor for 20 years, received a $550k kiss from the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) after Warnock decided to support Hillary Clinton in her derailed 2016 presidential run against Donald Trump.

Pope Francis Threatens Climate 'Crisis' While Decrying 'Prophets of Doom'.  Pope Francis warned of false "prophets of doom" Sunday [11/13/2022] while simultaneously threatening a looming climate change "crisis" that could wreak untold damage on humanity.  The pope sent out a series of mixed messages in his yearly homily for the World Day of the Poor, spreading intense fear of possible climate change disasters yet cautioning against "prophets of doom," the "sirens of populism," and self-interested "false messiahs."

'Blaxploitation' continues to rear its ugly, demonic head.  Blaxploitation' is a term commonly used to confirm instances of the exploitation of black people. [...] Well-known megachurch pastors like Creflo Dollar (World Changers, GA) and Bishop TD Jakes (Potter's House, TX) recently introduced glowingly anti-life and anti-religious liberty gubernatorial candidates Stacey Abrams (GA) and Beto O'Rourke (TX) to their respective congregations.  Since both Abrams and O'Rourke are in hotly contested races and need votes for the upcoming election, these pastors boomed out their introductions, thus signaling their heartfelt endorsements.  Zealously encouraging candidates holding wholly antithetical views that promote the killing of unborn babies (until the moment of birth), and that limit or suppress religious liberties (e.g., castigating churches that don't wholly submit to homosexual/Trans/LGBTQIA weddings and associated activities), is never acceptable.  Based on the "fruits" of both Abrams and O' Rourke, both deserve not glowing endorsements but a resounding rebuke from the churches.

No such thing as a 'Christian Democrat'.  This past week Matt Walsh posted the following comments on Twitter.  "The Democrats have settled on their closing argument:  'Vote for us so that we can castrate children, use your money to pay for abortions, and put pornography in the schools.  If you don't vote for us, then you are a Nazi and democracy will die.'  Fascinating political strategy."  In these few words, Mr. Walsh highlighted a sad and sobering fact:  The Democrat party is now so extreme that no serious follower of Christ can align with it.  There is no longer any such thing as a "Christian Democrat."

Onward Christian Cowards.  Let's get right to the point: Where are all the splashy full-page ad campaigns from purported Christian "leaders" condemning the moral degeneracy of this Biden administration?  Or does being a "prophetic witness" to the "political class" only gain renewed interest in elite evangelical sectors when the person occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has an "R" next to his name?

Warnock's Church Tapped One of the Nation's Leading Eviction Filers To Manage Low-Income Apartment.  Few corporate landlords sought to evict more residents in 2021 than the company Sen. Raphael Warnock's (D., Ga.) church partnered with to manage its low-income apartment building.  Columbia Residential manages 49 apartments in the Atlanta area, including Columbia Tower at MLK Village, a low-income apartment building owned by Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Warnock serves as senior pastor.  Out of 1,587 corporate landlords across the country, only 30 filed more eviction lawsuits in 2021 than Columbia Residential, records show.  The property management company filed 605 eviction actions against its residents in 2021, according to a dataset cited by House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis chairman Rep. James Clyburn (D., Ga.).

The Pope Calls For New Economic System" That Guarantees "Food, Health, Economic & Social Rights".  According to Pope Francis the world and its institutions require material changes to create a new economic system[.]  The Pope said it needs to be an economic system that creates food, health, economic and social rights for everyone[.]  It seems he is calling for what seems to be socialism around the world.

Pope Urges UN Reform After Ukraine War, Covid 'Limits'.  Pope Francis said the need to reform the United Nations was "more than obvious" after the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war exposed its limits, in an extract of his new book published Sunday [10/16/2022].  The Argentine pontiff said Russia's February invasion of Ukraine highlighted the need to ensure the current multilateral structure — especially the UN Security Council — finds "more agile and effective ways of resolving conflicts".  "In wartime, it is essential to affirm that we need more multilateralism and a better multilateralism," but the UN is no longer fit for "new realities", he added in an extract published by La Stampa daily.

What Is Catholic About the 'Catholic Health Association'?  Sister Carol Keehan, who famously lobbied for Obamacare, received over a $1 million in salary as head of the Catholic Health Association.  Her successor, Sister Mary Haddad, started off in 2019 at $758,146.  As nuns, they can't take these salaries.  Instead, the salaries go to their religious orders.  Keehan belongs to the Daughters of Charity.  Haddad belongs to the Sisters of Mercy.  These orders have handsomely profited off the left-wing lobbying of Keehan and Haddad.  Keehan, recall, ran crucial interference for President Barack Obama as he advanced his notorious contraceptive mandate at the expense of Catholic charities and institutions.  Haddad is cut from the same ideological cloth.  She runs interference for the Biden administration, gushing over its "Build Back Better" monstrosity.  The Catholic Health Association is not particularly committed to Catholicism or health.  It is primarily dedicated to the promotion of progressive politics and ballooning government budgets.

Pope Francis Uniting Roman Catholics and Muslims Forming World Church!  There are about 4,200 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, and faith groups in the world, and Pope Francis is trying to get everyone together; however, each group makes its own pitch for their "way."  Obviously, Francis has to convince everyone to consider their own teaching as non-essential in order to merge with the other groups that are in error.  To leftists, unity is far more important than truth.  The Pope is trying to unite the predominant religions in the world — Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism totaling over 5 billion people.  He also wants to include pagan followers, and all those who worship Satan, snakes, snails, and the sun.  At a religious conflab consisting of Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists, he warned against "the temptation to fundamentalism" or the tendency for each group to be true to their foundational truths. [...] Francis thinks he is doing God's work in bringing everyone together; however, the Pope has no heavenly mandate to accomplish this gargantuan task.  He does have religious gravitas that goes with his position, but it will take supernatural help to get the job done.  His help is not coming from above but from below!

Georgia Officials Are Probing Raphael Warnock's Church.  Georgia is investigating a charity run by the church where Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock is a pastor due to concerns about its legal status, according to The Washington Free Beacon.  The Ebenezer Building Foundation is soliciting charitable contributions and operating as a charitable organization but isn't registered as one in the state of Georgia, according to a letter from the Securities and Charities Division Georgia Secretary of State office.  The letter urged the organization to register by Nov. 2 and noted that it could be subject to administrative penalties.  Ebenezer Baptist Church attempted to evict poor tenants from a building it owns while Warnock publicly railed against evictions in 2020, reports revealed earlier this week.  The building was listed as a home for the mentally disabled and chronically homeless in a grant application.  The revelation triggered an investigation into the nonprofit status of the Ebenezer Building Foundation, the charity run by Warnock's church.

Beto O'Rourke Is Making His Last Stand in Texas.  In a cavernous, modern sanctuary at Greater Mt.  Zion Church, the Rev. Gaylon Clark introduced Beto O'Rourke to his congregation one recent Sunday as "the next governor of the state of Texas."  Then he raised his hand and, over the strains of a keyboard, prayed for "victory in the name of Jesus."  In the sanctuary, the churchgoers said, "Amen."  In the lobby, they lined up for pictures with the one-time Democratic sensation now lagging in the polls.  "With God and faith and him being here today," one of the congregants told me, "you should see a change in his numbers by next week."

Reaction to the article above:
Beto O'Rourke profiles just get sadder and sadder.  Politico Magazine published a Beto O'Rourke profile this morning.  The headline sort of hints at the possibility that this particular cottage industry for the media could be coming to an end soon:  "Beto O'Rourke Is Making His Last Stand in Texas."  The story itself doesn't offer much hope that Beto is heading for anything but another disappointment.  He's literally praying for a miracle.

Anti-Biblical Church Hosts Drag Events to Fund Secret Cross-Dressing Boutique for Kids.  First Christian Church in Katy, Texas, who opened the doors of their Transparent Closet for confused youth to have access to cross dressing in late 2020, is now hosting drag events to bring recognition and funding to their closet.  FCC Katy has been openly "accepting and affirming" of LGBTQIA+ ideologies since 2006. They promote their ideology to children, even handing out pins that say in bold, rainbow letters, "NOT ALL CHRISTIANS ****."  [Tweet]  Conservative journalist Tayler Hansen, on behalf of Texas Family Project, went undercover to FCC's closet to understand exactly what was going on.  [Tweet]  The video shows staff informing Hansen that the church's boutique was opened to allow kids and teens to acquire clothes that they can use to display a different gender without parental knowledge.

The [Catholic] Church over the Abyss.  In a recent interview with the Neapolitan newspaper Il Mattino, Pope Francis offered an expansive prescription for the human race. "Planetary injustice," centered around climate change and Third World debt, must be the focus of the Church, he explained, adding that politics is the "highest form of charity."  Saying that "everything is connected," the Pope sounded like he was channeling the latest New Age woo-woo philosophy — which in a sense, he is. [...] Politically, Francis has been a disaster.  He has interpreted Catholic social teaching in a partial and summary way that is at once statist, centralist, humanitarian, and globalist.  He unilaterally identifies Catholic teaching with pacifism, even if he has no authority to do so.  He is at heart a Peronist, indulgent to (left-wing) populism and oblivious to the role that the free market can play in encouraging individual initiative and producing the goods that prevent the poor from sinking into destitution.  The pope's opposition to the death penalty is far more "humanitarian" than Christian in character and inspiration.

Pope Francis Throws Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen Under The Bus.  Pope Francis has decided not to protest the Hong Kong trial of Cardinal Joseph Zen, arrested last May for his part in the nation's pro-democracy movement.  This week a reporter asked the pope whether Cardinal Zen's arrest and trial constitute a violation of religious freedom, to which the pontiff basically answered that Zen got what was coming to him.  The pope first denied that China is undemocratic, insisting that such labels are unhelpful because China is a very "complex" country.  Second, he acknowledged Zen's arrest but refused to criticize it or to defend the 90-year-old cardinal.

Pope Francis: Not Fair to Call China 'Undemocratic'.  Pope Francis has rejected the label "undemocratic" to describe China's communist regime, insisting that the issue is too complex to allow for such characterizations.  "I cannot get on board with calling China undemocratic; I won't do that because it's such a complex country," the pontiff told journalists during his return trip from Kazakhstan to Rome Thursday. "Sure, there are things that seem undemocratic to us, that is true."  "Labeling is difficult and I'm not ready to do that, since they are impressions, so instead I try to support the path of dialogue," he declared.  "Understanding China takes a century, and we do not live for a century," the pope said.

Lori Lightfoot Drops Biden With the Priceless Words We've Been Waiting to Hear About Illegal Aliens.  We saw the left melting down on Thursday after Texas bused illegal aliens to Kamala Harris' house in Washington, D.C., and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent 50 illegal aliens up to Martha's Vineyard where the liberal elite like Barack Obama live and take vacations.  They can't even handle 50 illegal aliens without declaring an emergency, while border towns deal with thousands every day.  Texas began sending illegal aliens to Chicago, a sanctuary city, in August.  Mayor Lori Lightfoot's office claimed that they would be welcoming.  "As a person of faith, I believe we must see God's presence in all human beings," Lightfoot said.  "That's what being a good Christian is."  The "good Christian" was lying, because once they arrived, Lightfoot rounded them up and then shipped them out to suburbs like Burr Ridge.  Lori Lightfoot had blasted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for treating the migrants like "cargo" and not providing her with advance notice they were arriving.  But then, she turned around and did the same thing.

Lightfoot attacks Abbott's Christianity for busing migrants to Chicago.  Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot bashed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over the holiday weekend on the basis of his religion, claiming that the state's migrant busing initiative went against the premise of Christianity.  Lightfoot, a Democrat, blasted the Republican after a second bus of migrants was dropped off in the Illinois city.  Just over 100 migrants have been dropped off in Chicago over the past week, compared to the 1 million who have been released into the United States along the southern border since President Joe Biden took office.  Migrants released into Texas border towns have placed a burden on local transportation and housing, prompting the state to offer free transportation to several northern U.S. cities.  "He professes to be a Christian," Lightfoot said during a press conference Sunday.  "This is not the Christianity and the teachings of the Bible that I know.  And I think religious leaders all across the country are standing up and denouncing exactly this."

Fire chief fired for attending a Christian-affiliated leadership conference.  They're coming for you next:  Ron Hittle, who had served as a firefighter in Stockton, California, for more than two decades and was for five years its fire chief, was fired in 2010 because he had had the nerve to attend a leadership conference that happened to be affiliated with the Christian religion. [...] It is really interesting to read the court's decision to dismiss.  It twists itself into pretzels to try to make believe Hittle was not fired because of his religion.

Raphael Warnock Voted for COVID Stimulus that Sent $75K to Group Run by His Church.  Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) voted for a coronavirus stimulus package that handed $75,000 to a social justice group his church founded.  The group, the Martin Luther King Sr.  Collaborative, is run by the church, which compensates Warnock $120,000, according to the Washington Free Beacon.  The money flowing to the Martin Luther King Sr.  Collaborative raises questions about whether Warnock personally benefited from the American Rescue Plan while taxpayers shouldered the $1.9 trillion price of the bill that likely fueled 40-year-high inflation.

Read Letter From NY Attorney General Letitia James Threatening Church Hosting Trump-Friendly Event.  New York State Attorney General Letitia James campaigned for office on her plan to use all the prosecutorial resources of the office to investigate and prosecute Donald Trump.  James held true to her promise, and has targeted Trump and his businesses, advancing to the point that Trump invoked his 5th Amendment privilege while excoriating what he perceives as prosecutorial misconduct in the campaign pledge and follow up.  James, however, has not limited her attack to Trump or his businesses.  James also issued a letter threatening a church hosting an event by a Trump-favorable group that included Eric Trump in advance of the event warning that her office was monitoring the event and would act if any civil rights or other laws were broken.  This pre-emptive attempt to chill speech has been reported, though it did not receive much national attention, with the church asserting it viewed the warning as an act of intimidation.

School Board Votes To Not Recite Pledge Of Allegiance Due To Capitalization Of the Word 'God' And Diversity Concerns.  The Fargo Public School Board in North Dakota voted on Tuesday to stop reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at school board meetings, citing diversity concerns and the Pledge's use of the phrase "one nation under God."  The action overturns an earlier decision by the school board to begin reciting the Pledge at meetings.  The motion to include the Pledge was approved in March on a 6-2 vote, with Vice President and current board member Seth Holden as well as current board member Jim Johnson voting against the measure.  "I move that the Fargo board of education rescind the action it took on March 22nd, 2022 in which it voted to begin each regular meeting with a Pledge of Allegiance immediately following the call to order," Holden said in the Aug. 9 meeting of the Fargo School Board.

America's Totalitarian Tendencies.  Usually when we think about totalitarian regimes, we think of it in non-religious terms.  But Havel reminds us that totalitarianism is rabidly religious in its own way.  It's a kind of "secularized religion." Through the "elaborateness and completeness" of its rituals every act takes on a kind of metaphysical character.  Indeed, totalitarian states consider the "virtuosity of their rituals as more important than the reality" they represent.  It's the inverse of the sacramental order in Christianity where the reality signified is more important than the sign.  Also, because of its religious character, totalitarianism self-righteously views its own beliefs and actions as superior to all others.

Now They Are Literally Bowing Down And Worshipping Baal Right In Front Of Our Eyes.  They aren't even trying to hide it anymore.  During the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England on July 28th, a giant mechanical bull with glowing red eyes was rolled out into the center of Alexander Stadium.  The bull was approximately 10 meters high, and it took more than five months to build.  It had been given the nickname "Raging Bull", and it absolutely dwarfed all of the human participants that were involved in the performance.  The "hero" of the opening ceremony, a character known as Stella, calmed the creature down and then all of the human performers gathered around the giant bull and literally began to bow down and worship it.  I have seen a lot of really weird things in recent years, but I have never seen anything quite like this.

The Pope Insists on Goosestepping on Sunday.  Pope Francis is up to his old tricks again.  He has banned the Latin Mass.  Beginning this autumn, Roman Catholics will be greeted every Sunday — and for the truly devout, every day — with the modern post-Vatican II Mass.  They will have no alternative.  The Latin Mass has been put out of commission.  Did you know it was divisive?  I did not know that, but Francis knew it, and now he is banning it in a move that is meant, he says, to increase global unity.

Pope Francis:  Eat Less Meat to Save the Planet.  Since his elevation to the pontificate in 2013, Pope Francis has consistently echoed the globalist narrative that we make sacrifices for the planet in "reparation" for the "sins" committed against her.  His whole demeanor has been ecological as opposed to Catholic, though his latest stunt takes the cake.  Francis is now urging the youth to "make noise" to be heard and to eat less meat as a means of curbing global warming and saving the planet.

The Editor says...
Eating meat hasn't been seen as a threat to the planet for the last several thousand years.  Anyone who thinks we're wrecking the Earth by eating hamburgers is not only a simpleton, but a person with zero faith.

Noted Religious Scholar Kamala Harris Shares What God Thinks About Abortion.  While most of the country is laser-focused on inflation and the economic hardship crushing Americans, Democrats continue to obsess about the only thing that matters to them:  Ensuring abortion until birth is legal.  And who better to preach the gospel of baby killing than Kamala Harris, who compared pro-life individuals to slaveholders during a speech on Monday?  During the same remarks, she also provided a scholarly lesson on the religious implications of abortion.  According to Harris, if you support killing a nine-month-old baby in the womb, God is all good with it.

The Supreme Court just allowed religion to peek out of the closet.  For years, a public high school football coach made a practice of saying short prayers after football games.  He prayed whether he won or lost.  Some of his players typically joined in, and some didn't.  For that, he was fired.  This has been a long drive for the left.  It started on their own 2-yard line about two centuries ago with Karl Marx scorning the masses he pretended to champion by mocking their "opiate" of religion.  Marx and his fellow travelers preferred the opiate of opiate.  Marx's antipathy toward religion gained traction in the Soviet Union.  Revealing one's faith was a detriment to advancement in the Communist Party, and the Party controlled everything.  The faithful had their property confiscated and they endured open ridicule and ostracism by institutions such as schools, employers and the media. (Does this sound eerily familiar?) [...] The ultimate fall of the Soviet Union is one of those game-changing historical events about which the left forgot nothing and from which they learned nothing.  Armed with assertedly good intentions, the American left is determined to march down that same well-paved road straight to hell.

Supreme Court sides with Bremerton's praying coach.  The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a former high school football coach in Bremerton, who prayed with his players and other students on the field, could legally do so under his First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of religion.  The high court ruled 6-3 Monday in Kennedy vs. Bremerton School District along ideological lines for Joseph Kennedy, a former part-time assistant coach.  Every Republican-appointed justice sided with Kennedy; every Democratic-appointed justice dissented.

The Return To Constitutionalism Is Hidden In Plain Sight.  This has immense implications.  For example, the First Amendment guarantees the "free exercise of religion."  At the time of its adoption, the US was a highly religious country.  Thus, the proper historical analysis leads to a conclusion that the Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.  Thus Carson v. Makin gives us a hint that the Supreme Court is likely to re-establish protections for religious observance.  Should another pandemic lead Governor Hair Gel to shutter churches as "non-essential," a federal challenge should reach the conclusion that the First Amendment protects church services, and that's the end of the process.  Summary judgment for the church!

FBI Raids Three Churches in Texas and Georgia.  Federal agents raided three churches, one in Texas and two in Georgia, on Thursday [6/23/2022].  All of the churches are near military bases and have been accused of being cults.  In Texas, federal agents raided the Assembly of Prayer Christian Church in Killeen.  "I can confirm the FBI was executing court authorized law enforcement activity today in the vicinity of the intersection of Massey St. and E. Rancier Ave., in Killeen, Texas.  No additional information will be released at this time," FBI Special Agent Carmen Portillo said in a statement to local station KWTX.  While the feds would not answer to whether or not the raid in Texas was related to the others, they have confirmed that the two raids in Georgia are connected.  According to a report from The Killeen Daily Herald, "Dozens of Google and Facebook reviews of the Killeen church refer to it as a 'cult' with a habit of recruiting Fort Hood soldiers."

The Editor says...
The Branch Davidians were accused of being a cult, too.  But even the nuttiest churches have the right to peaceably assemble, and the government cannot prohibit "the free exercise thereof."

Supreme Court Rules State and Local Government Cannot Ban Faith-Based Schools from Public Funding.  A major win for parents and school choice today in a 6-3 decision from the Supreme Court [pdf Ruling Here].  The high court ruled that Maine violated the Constitution by refusing to make public funds available for students to attend faith-based schools.  The ruling is broad and makes it clear when any state and/or local government choose to subsidize private schools or provide vouchers for school choice, they must allow families pay for religious schools.  Teachers' unions, left-wing indoctrination institutions and the media are not happy with the Supreme Court decision.  The ruling now makes it possible for state or local school vouchers to be used for private, faith-based schools.  Those schools also have religious exemptions on the types of material and educators they allow in their education programs.

Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Calls For Reparations to 'Heal The Land' At Juneteenth Worship Service.  Democratic Rep Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas organized a Juneteenth worship service at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Houston on Sunday where she called for racial reparations to "heal the land."  "She claimed, without evidence, such restitution will not be funded by 'snatching from someone else,'" WokePreacherTV reported.  [Tweet]

This is superstition at best, but witchcraft may be part of it, too.
NYC rocks:  Mayor Eric Adams says crystals give city 'special energy'.  Mayor Adams said that the Big Apple is littered with unique crystals that give out a "special energy."  [He] even wears multi-colored healing gems on his right wrist.  Adams has gotten so into the New Age fad that local blog Hell Gate NYC has dubbed him "NYC's first Crystals Guy mayor."  Pricey crystals are popular among celebrities such as Adele and Spencer Pratt and even some Wall Street collectors, who swear by their "healing" properties.  Speaking to Politico in the spring, Adams said he discovered NYC's iconic bedrock is comprised of unique gems and minerals and that "there's a special energy that comes from here."

SF Examiner editorial board demands Pope remove archbishop who barred Pelosi from communion over abortion.  The San Francisco Examiner's editorial board wrote a scathing rebuke of the city's archbishop, Salvatore Cordileone, after he announced he would deny Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Holy Communion, over her staunch support for abortion.  Cordileone wrote to the Pelosi on Friday, warning her that she cannot receive Communion, while vowing to codify Roe v. Wade.  "You are not to present yourself for Holy Communion and, should you do so, you are not to be admitted to Holy Communion," he wrote.

Kansas town reverses decision removing 'In God We Trust' from police cars after uproar.  The city council of Haven, Kansas, voted 3-2 on Monday to reverse a unanimous decision they made May 2 to remove "In God We Trust" decals from the city's police cars, following an uproar from some in the community.  The city attorney said the Haven City Council's previous decision emerged from a desire to maintain a separation between church and state, according to local KWCH.  The follow-up vote on Monday was not on the original agenda of the city council, which had to move their weekly forum to a nearby community center because of how many attended.  Seven people spoke at the typically uneventful meeting, where all but one supported the decals.

Abortion 'must be legal and accessible': Evangelical Lutheran Church.  The Evangelical Lutheran Church released a statement Tuesday stating opposition to the Supreme Court's leaked draft opinion that could overturn Roe v. Wade.  The ECLA, a medium-sized denomination with approximately 3 million members in the U.S., made the announcement via their website and social media.  Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, the head of the ECLA, cited the church's 1991 social teachings document as the basis for the church's support of abortion access.  "The people of this church and this country have various and perhaps contrasting responses to the Supreme Court's leaked draft opinion on abortion," Bishop Eaton wrote.  "Regardless of where each of us stands on the issue, the ELCA's 1991 social statement on abortion speaks to all of us."

Texas Church Evicted After Pastor Criticized LGBTQ Mural In City Council Meeting.  A new mural in the city of Georgetown, Texas, is generating controversy for its support of LGBTQ ideology.  Members of one church who spoke out against public subsidies for sexual politics at a city council meeting believe their subsequent eviction from the Georgetown Palace Theatre was retaliation for their speech.  The mural is part of a jointly sponsored initiative between the Georgetown Independent School District (GISD), Georgetown City Council, and the Georgetown Arts and Culture Board to display the work of one student artist a year.  Under the agreement, GISD sponsors materials up to $500, and the city is responsible for hiring an artist costing up to $500, Georgetown Community Impact Newspaper reported in March.

Radical Abortion Activists Block Entrance to New York City Church.  A group of radical pro-abortion activists blocked the entrance to Manhattan's Basilica of Saint Patrick's Old Cathedral days after a U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion leaked that signaled the Court will overturn Roe v. Wade.  Pro-Life Catholics in the community have gathered for Mass and a rosary procession to a Planned Parenthood one block away from the church nearly every month for the past 14 years to protest this nation's abortion laws.  However, the group of Catholics were met by pro-abortion activists who blocked the church doors on Saturday.

Pro-choice abortion activists call for Mother's Day protests at churches.  Pro-choice abortion activists are calling on Americans to storm Catholic churches on Mother's Day to protest the potential overturning of landmark abortion decision Roe v. Wade.  A pro-choice group called Ruth Sent Us, named after late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is urging followers on Twitter to "rise up against a corrupt and illegitimate" Supreme Court in the wake of Monday's bombshell leak of a draft opinion that could end nationwide abortion rights.  "Whether you're a 'Catholic for Choice,' ex-Catholic, of other or no faith, recognize that six extremist Catholics set out to overturn Roe," the group tweeted Tuesday.  "Stand at or in a local Catholic Church Sun May 8. [...]"

Biden warns Israel against 'freedom of worship'.  The Biden administration has announced that its titular head will be visiting Israel within a few months.  Biden's last high-profile visit to the Jewish State in 2010 ended with him staging a diplomatic incident and refusing to leave his hotel room for an hour to attend an event with Benjamin Netanyahu.  The Israelis have little reason to be optimistic about this Biden expedition.  After Muslim rioters disrupted Passover by engaging in violence at the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, the administration urged "all sides to exercise restraint, avoid provocative actions and rhetoric and preserve the historic status quo on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount."  The "provocation action" in this case is Jewish prayer.  It's 2022 and the White House is warning Jews that their prayers are "provocative."

Supreme Court Rules Boston Violated First Amendment by Refusing to Fly Christian Flag outside City Hall.  The Supreme Court ruled on Monday [5/2/2022] that the city of Boston violated the First Amendment by refusing to fly a local organization's Christian flag in front of city hall, though it had flown other groups' flags.  The decision in Shurtleff v. the City of Boston was unanimous, with the Court ruling that Boston should have allowed the Christian group's flag because the flags did not represent government speech.  "We conclude that Boston's flag-raising program does not express government speech," Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the court.  "As a result, the city's refusal to let (the group) fly their flag based on its religious viewpoint violated the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment."  The Court said the city had created a public forum by allowing private organizations to use a flagpole in front of City Hall for commemorative events.  Therefore, the flagpole must be open to all because the government can't restrict speech based on a speaker's viewpoint in a public forum.

Is Nancy Pelosi Establishing a Religion?  [Scroll down]  The House chaplain is not a volunteer.  As of 2019, according to the Congressional Research Service, the person in that job is paid an annual salary of $172,500.  So, the House pays a chaplain to — among other things — publicly pray in its chamber and, for example, to declare for Congress, as Kibben did Monday, that "we seek to serve ... You." [...] Slightly more than a minute later, Kim adjourned the House.  Its main business that day had been two-fold:  saying a prayer to God, whom House members "seek to serve," and pledging allegiance to "one nation under God."  Across the street that same day, the Supreme Court was considering Joseph A. Kennedy v.  Bremerton School District, the case of an assistant coach who prayed in public after football games.

Justice Sotomayor poses bizarre question as SCOTUS hears arguments for school coach fired for praying.  On Monday, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in the case of Joseph Kennedy, a junior varsity head coach from Washington state's Bremerton School District who was fired in 2015 after praying at the 50-yard line after games.  The justices will reportedly be looking at two separate issues in the case before issuing their ruling.  First, whether the coach praying by himself within view of others including students amounted to unprotected "government speech," and second, if it is not, in fact, unprotected "government speech," would it still present issues under the First Amendment, specifically the Establishment Clause?

Supreme Court [will] hear [the] First Amendment case of [a] high school football coach fired for praying at [the] 50-yard line after [the] woke mob complained.  A Washington high school assistant football coach who lost his job after praying at the 50-yard line while surrounded by students will take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, claiming the school district violated his First Amendment rights.  Joseph Kennedy, a Marine, said the Bremerton School District infringed on his religious freedom by refusing to let him continue praying at the midfield after games following an incident where students joined him in the prayer in September 2015.  Lawyers for the district said Kennedy was allowed to pray by himself, but following three more instances of the coach praying with students on the field and in locker rooms, he was placed on administrative leave and his contract was dropped in 2016, the New York Times reported.

Radicals Celebrate Earth Day: 'Maybe Humans Are the Disease'.  Leftists celebrated Earth Day on Friday by using it as a political wedge to cudgel those whom they oppose into compliance.  Earth Day, first designated as an annual event in 1970, has origins that go back to ancient forms of paganism.  For instance, nature worship or "earth religion" includes forms of paganism, such as "animism" (a worldview that all animals and plants have a spirit), "Wicca" (worship of earth mother goddess by magic), and "druidism" (the natural world is synonymous with divinity).  According to Refinery 29, Earth Day is a "sacred holiday" and "a chance for Pagans to show gratitude to nature."  In that sense, "every day is Earth Day," Pagan author Deborah Blake claimed.  Left-wing political pundits use the sacred holiday to push environmentalism, which is different than conservationism.  The radical left has adopted environmentalism as a wedge to promote "climate change," a political cudgel to orient the American economy away from capitalism.

The Biden Administration's Seder Makes a Mockery of Passover and the Jews.  "Good evening to the thousands of you who are joining us from around the country," Doug Emhoff, the Hollywood lawyer serving as Kamala's husband, intoned.  The sign language interpreter on the small box next to him spread her arms in what was either an attempt to 'sign' Passover or a gesture of disbelief and contempt.  The "People's Seder" was about to begin with its apostrophe in the right place and heart in the wrong place.  As the Biden White House rushes to enable Iran's nuclear program and the modern day pharaonic mullahs plotting, like the original, to wipe out the Jews, it put on a "People's Seder" to distract American Jews from its complicity in the latest acts of terror from Iran to Israel.  The People's Seder sounds like a Berkeley commune.  A day before the eve of Passover, the administration's second virtual seder served no function except to give Emhoff something to do.  Perhaps knowing that, Emhoff claimed, with a mostly straight face, that he had traveled the country hearing from people "how much last year's virtual seder had meant to them".  Emhoff made no mention of the over a dozen Israelis recently killed in terror attacks.  Neither, seemingly, did so many of the speakers who rambled on about the importance of "empathy".

Leftist Iowa Congresswoman Mocks Christians for Having 'Weaponized Religion,' Dons Hijab to Visit Mosque.  Cindy Axne is the only Democrat in Iowa's Congressional delegation, and she may not hold that distinction much longer; in 2020, she was reelected with only 48.9% of the vote, down from 49.3% in 2018.  If November 2022 turns out to be the red wave that nearly everyone is expecting, and given how sharply her values diverge from those most Iowans, Cindy Axne will be back in West Des Moines looking for work.  It couldn't come a moment too soon.  Axne, who has mocked her Christian constituents, recently put on that most visible sign of the oppression of women, a hijab, to visit an Islamic center in Des Moines.  The Left has a favorite religion, and it certainly isn't Christianity.

Ten Steps to Totalitarianism.  Does anybody still think totalitarianism can't happen here?  Ask yourself how many of these steps we've already galloped past.  [#1] Destruction of Religion:  Any belief in a higher power is threatening to the State.  If there is a "higher law" that takes precedence over government orders, then personal morality is a justifiable reason for disobeying the State.  America's founding was a product of the Enlightenment's understanding that natural rights and liberties exist apart from and superior to the State's edicts.  These God-given rights, some of which are recorded in the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution as the Bill of Rights, cannot be abridged or usurped by the State.  For individual sovereignty and personal liberty to be extinguished, then, spiritual belief in a higher power is antithetical to the goals of an overbearing government.

Biden's Unfolding War on Religious Hospitals.  Speaking last week at the White House about the Affordable Care Act, Barack Obama said that he looks forward to Joe Biden's "next chapter in our story of progress."  In other words, Biden will make Obamacare even worse.  A glimpse of that next chapter can be seen in the Biden administration's unfolding war on religious hospitals.  Xavier Becerra, Biden's Health and Human Services Secretary, seeks to force them to perform transgender surgeries, among other immoral procedures.  A transgender pride flag now flies above HHS, the "first federal agency to do so," the department announced in a recent press release.  Becerra used the International Transgender Day of Visibility to warn hospitals that they must provide "gender-affirming care."  In its press release, HHS said that Becerra is in the process of issuing "guidance making clear that denials of health care based on gender identity are illegal, as is restricting doctors and health care providers from providing care because of a patient's gender identity."

Chicago-area church announces it is 'fasting from whiteness' during Lent.  A church in suburban Chicago said it is "fasting from whiteness" during Lent, the 40-day period preceding Easter — by abstaining from performing hymns composed or written by white musicians.  First United Church of Oak Park announced on its website that it "is doing a mix of 'giving something up' and 'taking something on.'  "In our worship services throughout Lent, we will not be using any music or liturgy written or composed by white people.  Our music will be drawn from the African American spirituals tradition, from South African freedom songs, from Native American traditions, and many, many more," it said.

Worcester bishop orders Catholic school to stop flying Pride, Black Lives Matter flags.  A Worcester Catholic school has flown the Pride and Black Lives Matters flags for more than a year, but now the Worcester bishop is calling for school leaders to take the flags down.  The Nativity School of Worcester, a Jesuit middle school, started flying the flags in January 2021.  But in a statement, Bishop Robert J. McManus said the flags contradict the school's teachings.  "The flag with the emblem Black Lives Matter has at times been coopted by some factions which also instill broad-brush distrust of police and those entrusted with enforcing our laws.  We do not teach that in our schools," McManus wrote in a statement, adding "And, while we teach that everyone is created in the image and likeness of God, gay pride flags are often used to stand in contrast to consistent Catholic teaching that sacramental marriage is between a man and a woman."  School officials released their own statement, saying the purpose of the flags is to make sure all students and families feel welcome.

The Editor says...
Citizens of the United States enjoy the freedom of association:  We may associate, or refrain from associating, with anyone we please.  In the case of a private school, it isn't necessary for "all students and families [to] feel welcome."

Minneapolis mosques to broadcast call to prayer all year round.  The Muslim call to prayer will soon be heard regularly in parts of Minneapolis.  Minneapolis mosques can now publicly broadcast the adhan, or call to prayer, over loudspeakers without acquiring a permit and so long as they abide by the city's amplified noise ordinance.  Arabic words like "Allahu akbar," which means "God is great," will be heard ringing out from mosques around the city.  Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman announced this week that mosques will be allowed to play the adhan several times between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily and all year round.  The City Council unanimously supported the broadcasts and recognizing Ramadan, the month of daily fasting that begins April 2.

The False Gospel of the Enemies Within the Church.  Christianity has been intricately intertwined with the history and development of America and greatly contributed to its strength.  Judeo-Christian morality, in fact, has been the compass and one of the most powerful influences on Western society.  So, the Marxists see Christianity as the main obstacle to overthrowing Westphalian principles of sovereignty.  To them, the church is the most crucial institution to conquer to usher in the New World Order.  They know that if the churches fail — especially in America, which represents the phenomenal success of capitalism and individualism — the entire culture, including politics, will move to the Left.  Most Americans will be surprised to learn that an unholy crusade to infiltrate the bastions of Christianity and co-opt churches in the revolution began more than a hundred years ago.  It is now threatening to gain critical mass.

God doesn't want you to cancel me:  The skin-crawling return of Andrew Cuomo.  The newest member of the no-shame club is the bullying degenerate Andrew Cuomo, who reigned for a decade and has been out of office barely six months yet is already eager to get back in the game.  If you were a credibly accused sexual harasser whose inept COVID policies had led to thousands of elderly people dying needlessly, where would you go to announce your comeback?  You'd go to a church, of course.

Andrew Cuomo takes church pulpit in 1st appearance since quitting, uses stand to rant about his downfall.  Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo went to church on Sunday and blamed the "cancel culture" for his forced resignation last year, jabbing the media and "political sharks" as well, according to the New York Post.  It was Cuomo's first major public appearance since he resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment.  Cuomo spoke for about 25 minutes during a scheduled appearance at God's Battalion of Prayer in East Flatbush in Brooklyn.

Catholic Charity Admits Receiving Money From Biden Administration to Traffic Illegals Across U.S..  The leader of the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (CCRGV) has admitted their organization is taking federal money to traffic illegal aliens across the U.S. after they invade the border.  "We got lucky to be reimbursed for some of the efforts that we have been doing for so long and that's good and that is taxpayer money," said Sister Norma Pimentel, who works as CCRGV executive director.

Defeating American Marxism.  For Marxists, the destruction of America's heritage and society is absolutely necessary. The Communist Manifesto states, "Communism... acts in contradiction to all past historical experience... can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions."  Therefore, the chaos in society, the chaos at the southern border, the chaos in schools, the chaos in the family, the chaos in the economy, and the chaos in workers fired over vaccine mandates are all intentional.  These are manifestations of the "forcible overthrow."  Karl Marx was not an atheist — he hated God in whom he believed.  Marx wrote, "I wish to avenge myself against the One who rules above... We make war against all prevailing ideas of religion."  Marxism is anti-God.  The terms socialism, communism, and Marxism all lead to the same collective ownership of property, resulting in the same false utopia of poverty, starvation, misery, and death.  Socialism has been discredited for decades as both an economic system and a political system.  Yet, it persists, as a religion.  Communism is a transcendent, anti-God philosophy, and as such, is a form of religion — an anti-God religion.

Our Representatives, Not J6 Protesters, Defile the 'Sacred' U.S. Capitol.  When politics is your religion and government is your God, a public building is your church.  The four-hour disturbance at the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, according to Beltway aristocracy and the media, wasn't a legitimate protest that turned violent in some areas — it was a sacrilege.  Never mind that the building itself sustained minimal damage — early reports estimated $30 million for repairs but the actual figure is around $1 million — the real vandalism occurred when thousands of Americans wearing MAGA hats invaded the cathedral of government power occupied by America's political deity.  And the alleged apostates are paying a dear price.  Since January 6, lawmakers, judges, and federal prosecutors have routinely described the Capitol building as holy ground.

California agrees to stop telling children to pray to Aztec gods in legal settlement.  California has settled litigation against its inclusion of prayers to Aztec and Yoruba gods that were approved in the state's ethnic studies "model curriculum" this spring.  The lawsuit alleged that children were expected to participate in these prayers or "face the social implications of declining to participate," a violation of their free exercise.  The plaintiffs claim the California Constitution is stricter than the U.S. Constitution on separation of church and state.  The settlement requires California to remove the "In Lak Ech Affirmation" and "Ashe Affirmation" from the online ESMC and notify "all school districts, charter schools and county offices of education" that the prayers were deleted.

Supreme Court To Review Case Of High School Football Coach Fired For Postgame Prayers.  The Supreme Court announced on Friday that it will hear oral arguments in the case of a former Washington high school football coach who was fired over his tradition of postgame prayers.  "No teacher or coach should lose their job for simply expressing their faith while in public," Kelly Shackelford, president and CEO of First Liberty, who is representing the case, said in a statement.

Woke Catholicism Is Inimical to Western Civilization.  Is woke thinking a duty or a heresy, a friend or an enemy?  Archbishop José Gómez, leader of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, recently stepped forward to answer this question factually and faithfully.  Woke thinking, Gomez said, is nothing less than a new religion constructed to challenge and destroy traditional Christian faith.  [T]he 'space' that the Church and believing Christians are permitted to occupy is shrinking" thanks to wokeism, Gomez said.  "Church institutions and Christian-owned businesses are increasingly challenged and harassed.  The same is true for Christians working in education, health care, government, and other sectors.  Holding certain Christian beliefs is said to be a threat to the freedoms, and even to the safety, of other groups in our societies."  The woke religion, Gomez says, rejects the salvation of Christ for the salvation found in racial and class struggle.

House of Representatives Votes to Eradicate Blasphemy Against Islam.  The House of Representatives has passed a bill which seeks to eradicate blasphemy against Islam.  The bill, H.R. 5665, is truly remarkable as it amounts to Congress making a law respecting the establishment of Islam and reducing the United States government into a tool of the world's ayatollahs.  The actual text of the bill not only seeks to eradicate blasphemy against Islam around the world — and solely against Islam at that — but even requires the federal government to reorganize some portions of the State Department along the lines of an Islamic religious institution which will be responsible for interpreting the Quran.  For example, the text of the bill mandates that "[t]he Secretary of State shall establish within the Department of State an Office" and the "purpose" of the office is described as "[m]onitoring and combating acts of Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement that occur in foreign countries."  That is, the State Department is required to create an office which is a cross between George Orwell's Big Brother and the Taliban.

Joe Biden Celebrates 'Peace, Unity, and Joy' of Kwanzaa in a Statement.  President Joe Biden extended Kwanzaa greetings on Sunday [12/26/2021] to people celebrating the holiday.  "As we begin the seven days of Kwanzaa, Jill and I send our best wishes to everyone celebrating," Biden wrote on social media.  "May this time of reflection on the rich heritage of African American culture bring peace, unity, and joy." [...] Black nationalist activists created and promoted the Kwanzaa holiday in the 1960s.  President Bill Clinton was the first American president to recognize the Kwanzaa holiday in a statement in 1997.

More about Kwanzaa.

The Role of Churches During COVID.  The COVID-19 pandemic exposes how secularized most churches have become.  Two axioms can help find a way forward.  First, there is nothing new under the sun.  The characters and technology have changed.  But as in all past tyrannies, vanity and greed consistently drive the desire to control and subjugate.  This especially applies to pride-filled Marxists.  Second, those who do not learn history are bound to repeat it.  In 1846, Pope Pius IX was warning about communism's "destruction of everyone's laws, government, property, and even of human society itself".  The churches now seem to have a greater desire for some ambiguous version of safety, instead of promoting rights of conscience and zeal to worship.

COVID and the Catholic Church.  I opened YouTube one morning recently, as usual, to hear another excellent homily by a hugely popular young Catholic priest from Canada.  The title of this episode revealed that the latest COVID madness of requiring vaccine passports for attendance at Mass had just come to Quebec.  And yet, as I heard the priest begin his rebuttal to this astonishing overreach, my heart sank.  This young priest made the grave error, as have nearly all of the clergy and Church hierarchy since the beginning of the pandemic, of first assuming that the spiritual mission and heavenly government of the Church must be accommodated to the shifting politics and priorities of the civil government.  He proceeded to beg for relief from the new restrictions — not by questioning the authority of the government to impose such restrictions at all, but by noting how scrupulously the Church had thus far complied with other equally nonsensical mandates, such as occupancy limits, social distancing, masks, and obsessive-compulsive hand-sanitizing.  But once you have accepted the authority of the State to tell you when and where to jump, your only recourse is to ask, "How high?"

Former police chief:  America is devolving into a third world, feudal society — and we can thank the left for it.  Most right-thinking Americans, when they watch gangs of hoodlums go into stores and steal property unabated are horrified by the images.  Others — primarily those on the left — see no problem with it.  What recent events have proven is that there are indeed two Americas; one which still believes in the rule of law, the other which does not.  It also shows what happens to a country when secularism or atheism takes over.  No longer does the commandment "Thou shalt not steal" mean anything.  In fact for leftists, a good number of the ten commandments no longer apply.  For those of us who are Christians, we could see this coming.  For when you remove God from everything, when you don't think twice about the taking of a human life through the process of abortion and when you justify killing or stealing to achieve some kind of means, you have truly lost your way.

If Russia Conquered Europe, It Would an Improvement.  Back when Russia was the USSR and our Left loved it, we called the Soviets godless and they called us decadent; now we're godless and decadent.  We hear incessant talk about the "separation of church and state" even though it's not in our Constitution (but it is in the 1936 Soviet Constitution), and radical applications of it are foisted upon us.  In many European nations, more than 50 percent of young people identify as having "no religion" (70 percent in Britain).  What's more, some European authorities are even labeling the Bible "hate speech."  This is the handiwork, too, do note, of devout adherents of moral relativism — the West's characteristic philosophical affliction — of the "Whatever works for you" crew.  But it doesn't work in Russia.  In a 2013 State of the Nation speech, Putin lamented that many "Euro-Atlantic countries have moved away from their roots, including Christian values. ... Policies are being pursued that place on the same level a multi-child family and a same-sex partnership, a faith in God and a belief in Satan.  This is the path to degradation."

Secularist group targets decades-long tradition of laying wreaths on soldiers' tombs.  A secularist non-profit organization that strongly urges separation of church and state in America is taking issue with Wreaths Across America's nearly 30-year tradition of placing wreaths on thousands of military graves.  The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) is calling out Wreaths Across America, telling the Colorado Springs Gazette that the organization's actions in placing wreaths on military gravesites around the country are "unconstitutional, an atrocity and a disgrace."

California school district reportedly encourages using witchcraft on people who say 'all lives matter'.  A California school district reportedly removed a link to resources that, among other things, outlined how to cast a spell on people who said things like "all lives matter."  That content was included as part of a Google Drive for a "Black Lives Matter Resource Guide."  A document on "Writing Prompts on Police Brutality and Racist Violence" encourages high school students to write a "curse" for police and others.  "Hexing people is an important way to get out anger and frustration.  Make a list of specific people who have been agents of police terror or global brutality," it reads.

Too many religious institutions failed the COVID test.  What's been so disheartening during the past 20 months is the willingness with which religious institutions have gone along with the states' mandates.  In Canada, Rev. Artur Pawlowski has fought back, but no representatives from major religions have supported his efforts.  He embarrasses, rather than inspires, them.  The virtue of COVID is that it has separated the wheat from the chaff.  To the leftists, the people who are chaff are those who refuse to wear masks and get shots.  However, in the grander scheme of things, the chaff is those people who have used the virus as an opportunity for despotism and those people — including men and women of God — who have happily gone along with it.

COVID: A New State Religion?  The COVID vaccines are widely understood to be ineffective at preventing the spread of the virus.  So, why the relentless emphasis on turning society on its head over flawed vaccines?  Like Christian baptism, the vaccine is the baptism into this new faith.  The waters of baptism don't physically clean one's soul of sin any more than the vaccine can completely prevent contraction of COVID.  In the ideological context, it's a symbolic rite of passage into the faith.  Once injected, you can count yourself among the faithful, unlike the "unvaccinated" who are the COVID ideology's equivalent to atheists circa 1400 A.D.  It's okay to shun them, demonize them, discriminate against them, even deny them life-saving healthcare.  In fact, you have an obligation to do so, so they learn their lessons and step in line.  Otherwise, they will be made an example.  It doesn't matter that they may have their own religious objections, they may have personal medical histories, or they may even have natural immunity from the virus which is much more effective at preventing spread.

Yes, Leftism Is A Religion:  Presbyterian Church Graces Us With Hymn to Climate Change.  Is modern American Leftism a new, secular religion?  Of course it is.  Who could forget House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Grey Goose) giving thanks to her god for his salvific sacrifice:  "Thank you, George Floyd, for sacrificing your life for justice"? Or New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Planned Parenthood) proclaiming that the unvaccinated "aren't listening to God and what God wants."  And now the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which has long been a hollowed-out shell teaching social justice Leftism in vaguely Christian garb, has done its part for the sanctification of the contemporary Leftist agenda by publishing a new hymn, "The Climate is Changing."  The lyrics are far more ludicrous than the title might suggest.

Pope Francis:  Let There Be No More Borders or Walls to 'Hide Behind'.  The great takeaway from the coronavirus pandemic is a rejection of borders and walls, Pope Francis told the BBC on Friday morning [10/29/2021].  "Climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic have exposed our deep vulnerability and raised numerous doubts and concerns about our economic systems and the way we organize our societies," the pope asserted in a special audio message for the launch of the COP26 Climate Conference.  "The most important lesson we can take from these crises is our need to build together, so that there will no longer be any borders, barriers or political walls for us to hide behind," he declared.

Kamala could cause churches to lose their tax-free status if they play her campaign video.  Doug Wilder, Virginia's only black ex-governor in history and a Democrat, warned Vice President Kamala Harris and Terry McAuliffe that churches could lose their tax-exempt status if they play a video for the gubernatorial candidate's contentious election next week.  Harris cut a video urging churchgoers to vote for McAuliffe, a Democrat that was to play at hundreds of black churches across the Old Dominion on Sunday [10/24/2021].  'Well, it's very good for her to do that, causing these churches to lose theizzr tax-exempt status,' Wilder sneered, referencing the Johnson Amendment, which bans organizations that are tax-exempt from supporting any candidate.  'If this is legal, then it's surprising to me,' he said, according to the Washington Examiner.

The Editor says...
Interesting.  The legal burden is on the churches if they play her recorded message.  Harris herself faces no penalty.  Of course, the IRS won't do anything, because all the parties are black.

We found the VP.... in another video.  [Scroll down]  Again, the kids' video was stupid.  The "Souls to the polls" may be illegal.  The bad news is that VP Harris will likely get away with it.  What Black Caucus Democrat will call on the VP to stop doing it?  The good news is that it shows that the Democrats are desperate to get the black vote out.

Hundreds of churches across Virginia air ad with Kamala Harris, appearing to violate IRS rule.  Hundreds of churches across Virginia began airing a political ad featuring Vice President Kamala Harris urging viewers to vote for Terry McAuliffe for governor over the weekend — raising questions about the legality of the advertisement being aired in houses of worship.  The video advertisement, first obtained by CNN, is set to be aired in 300 churches across the state from Oct. 17 through Nov. 2.  The vice president is the star of the ad, in which she calls McAuliffe "the leader Virginia needs at this moment."  Harris starts off the ad by citing her own experience in a church growing up, recalling singing hymns about "how faith combined with determination will see us through difficult times."  She called on Virginians to "raise your voice through your vote," urging viewers to cast their ballot for the former Democratic governor of the state.

'Souls to the polls': Virginia churches to air pro-McAuliffe ads featuring Kamala Harris.  Hundreds of churches across Virginia are set to air a political ad starring Vice President Kamala Harris — a move that has raised eyebrows regarding the legality of bringing political campaigns into houses of worship.  Between Oct. 17 and Nov. 2, a video featuring Harris will play during the morning services of over 300 black churches across Virginia.  In the video, Harris encourages viewers to vote for gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe in the upcoming election, according to CNN.

Kamala Harris Appears in Law-Breaking Video Because Nothing Matters Anymore.  When it comes to politics, nothing matters anymore.  At least, that's true as long as you are a Democrat, and Kamala Harris illustrated that perfectly yesterday with the release of a law-breaking video.  In it, she clearly endorses Terry McAuliffe to be Virginia's next governor, which is technically allowed for the vice president because she's exempt from the Hatch Act.  Yet, it's where the video is going to be played that should lead to legal consequences.  Of course, the keyword there is "should" because we all know nothing is going to happen here.  [Video clip]

It's Not Just Kamala:  Multiple Dems Involved in Questionable Electioneering Actions.  We reported earlier about how the Democrats were having a video of Kamala Harris play in 300 black churches in Virginia between today and Nov. 2 for people to get out and vote for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe.  [Tweet]  As we noted, that's against the law.  [" ... ] Organizations claiming tax-exempt status cannot collect contributions on behalf of political campaigns or make any statement for or against a particular candidate.  Clergy are not allowed to endorse candidates from the pulpit.["]  That's exactly what they did with the Kamala video which explicitly endorsed McAuliffe — they explicitly endorsed a candidate.  But that wasn't all.  It was a much broader effort than just that one video.  It also involved multiple Democratic surrogates actually going into the churches and advocating for McAuliffe, including Stacy Abrams and McAuliffe himself, according to ABC News.

What separation?  Hundreds of 'black churches' to be shown VP Harris video urging a vote for McAuliffe.  More than 300 "black churches" in Virginia will be shown a video featuring Vice President Kamala Harris urging members to vote for Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former governor Terry McAuliffe ahead of the Nov. 2 election in a presentation some have suggested is unconstitutional and illegal.  The video was "first obtained by CNN" and included in a tweet posted by one of the network's national correspondents, Eva McKend. [...] The video opens with Harris claiming to have sung in a church choir when she was growing up in California while equating that with speaking out politically and voting.

Kamala Harris endorsement of Terry McAuliffe to air in more than 300 black churches in Virginia.  An unusually brazen violation of the Johnson Amendment starring the second-highest official in the land.  If Harris had limited her comments below to encouraging viewers to vote without specifying whom they should vote for, the churches airing the video would be within the law.  Tax-exempt nonprofits are permitted to engage in "activities intended to encourage people to participate in the electoral process, such as voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives," according to the IRS — so long as those activities are conducted in a non-partisan way.  When they aren't, the law is clear: "[V]oter education or registration activities with evidence of bias that (a) would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates, will constitute prohibited participation or intervention." Churches that air this video should lose their exempt status over it.  They won't, but they should.

Kamala makes pro-McAuliffe video to be illegally played in over 300 Black churches in Virginia.  [Scroll down]  This will stop only when some Black churches lose their tax-exempt status for partisan campiagn activities.  How likely is Lois Lerner's successor to care about enforcing this law?  In today's racial climate, enforcing the law that would be called racist and denounced as "violence" — to be countered by real violence, most likely.

Terry McAuliffe Actually Posts Pics of Himself Campaigning in Churches.  We've been covering how Democrats have been completely ignoring the law — the Johnson Amendment pertaining to churches not being allowed to campaign for a particular candidate.  There was a video sent around to 300 black churches in Virginia to be shown to parishioners between now and Nov. 2 of Kamala Harris promoting the candidacy of Terry McAuliffe for governor.  But that wasn't all.  Other Democrats were deployed to go to churches in person including Stacey Abrams, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Terry McAuliffe himself.  Not only didn't they seem at all concerned about flouting the law, they even announced what they were doing and it was reported they would be leading people "straight from the pews to the polls" to vote.  If that isn't a violation of that law, I'm not sure what is when the promotion is this explicit.

Kamala Harris Records Video to Be Played at Over 300 Black Churches Calling on Worshippers to Vote for Democrat.  Kamala Harris recorded a video to be played at over 300 Black churches across Virginia urging worshipers to vote for Democrat gubernatorial candidate former Governor Terry McAuliffe, who is caught in an unexpectedly tight race with the Republican candidate, businessman Glenn Youngkin.  Recent polls show the race a dead heat with each having leads inside the margin of error.  Harris calls on churchgoers to vote for McAuliffe after church.  CNN posted a copy of the video in two parts.  [Video clips]  This year is the first that Virginians can vote on Sundays, making it easier for Democrats to do their traditional 'Souls to the Polls' voter drive at Black churches.

The Editor says...
Imagine the press coverage if Donald Trump made political campaign speeches at 300 all-white churches.  What label would be applied to Mr. Trump?

Our Representatives, Not J6 Protesters, Defile the 'Sacred' U.S. Capitol.  When politics is your religion and government is your God, a public building is your church.  The four-hour disturbance at the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, according to Beltway aristocracy and the media, wasn't a legitimate protest that turned violent in some areas — it was a sacrilege.  Never mind that the building itself sustained minimal damage — early reports estimated $30 million for repairs but the actual figure is around $1 million — the real vandalism occurred when thousands of Americans wearing MAGA hats invaded the cathedral of government power occupied by America's political deity.  And the alleged apostates are paying a dear price.  Since January 6, lawmakers, judges, and federal prosecutors have routinely described the Capitol building as holy ground.  "To those who engaged in the gleeful desecration of this, our temple of democracy, American democracy, justice will be done," Pelosi said after the breach.  Representative Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) tweeted on January 6 that "the Capitol building is the center and sacred symbol of democracy."

Migrant Caravan Activist Says They Are 'Ready For War'.  A new Haitian caravan is headed for the United States in 20 states and the man leading them says they are prepared for "war."  The migrant caravan advocate who is in Southern Mexico says that his group is going to head to the U.S. border from Tapachula around Oct. 25, a Border Report translation said.  "We are leaving in 20 days," Irineo Mujica said in a video shared on Tuesday on social media.  "We prefer to march with (travel) papers. [...] And this time, with papers or without papers, we are ready for war.  If the National Guard comes and they are cowardly enough to beat women and children, let them prepare because God's hand is with us."

The Editor says...
If God's hand is with you, why do you have to move to the U.S.?

The Targeting of Military Chaplains Under Biden.  Military chaplains who adhere to traditional Christian teaching find themselves with targets on their backs in Joe Biden's military.  Its amorphous definition of "bigotry" clearly extends to the historic teachings of Christianity about the natural moral law.  Earlier this year, a chaplain who merely criticized transgenderism in a Facebook post was subject to an Army investigation.  A foreshadowing of the persecution of Christian military chaplains could already be glimpsed under the Obama-Biden administration.  In 2010, a top Army official described conservative Christian members of the military as "bigoted" and said those who can't support the LGBT agenda "need to get out."  That view is even more pronounced today among Biden's military brass.

Australian bishop calls on Catholics to fully comply with gov't COVID rules.  In a recent "Pastoral Letter supporting COVID-19 Vaccinations," Bishop Timothy Harris encouraged all Catholics living in his Diocese of Townsville to obey the Queensland government's public health orders, which include vaccine mandates and the closure of churches.  In a shocking admission, Bishop Harris revealed his willingness to submit to the Queensland government's public health orders.  "The church also accepts legitimate government action to protect the community," he said.  "This Diocese will cooperate with all government regulation and advice, seeking to provide a good example to our community," adding, "We have already had to close down church services at times, and insist on QR-code check-ins and masks when needed.  If the state were to restrict church services to vaccinated persons for a short time, we would also follow that direction."

NY Gov, federal court scale the wall of separation.  At a recent press conference, New York governor Kathy Hochul remarked, "I prayed a lot to God during this time and you know what — God did answer our prayers," Hochul stated, before denigrating those who have not yet received a coronavirus shot. [...] "I need you to be my apostles," the governor added, saying that receiving the treatment is how New Yorkers can "love one another."  If the governor said this in a tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic manner it was a brazen insult to the deeply held religious convictions of many New Yorkers she claims to serve.  Worse yet, if she was serious, she has anointed herself theologian in chief of the state of New York.  Declaring one acceptable theological position on any issue while seated atop the pinnacle of state authority, and at the same time seeking to restrict the practice of any contradictory theological belief would simultaneously violate both the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses of the First Amendment (applied to states by the U.S. Supreme Court and passage of the 14th Amendment's due process and equal protection clauses).

Salvation Army Imposes Racial Wokeness Within Church's Ranks.  The news is replete with examples of corporations and institutions going woke, from Google to Aunt Jemima.  Unfortunately, now The Salvation Army is in danger of joining the ranks of Woke Inc.  In materials prepared for its more than 1.5 million members, The Salvation Army uses terms that echo both radical "anti-racism" jargon and the divisive teachings of critical race theory, which divides people into two camps:  the oppressors and the oppressed.  And many of this trusted charitable organization's donors and other supporters aren't even aware of the change.  Despite being apolitical historically, The Salvation Army has begun to promote political and racial ideologies under the banner of its New York-based International Social Justice Commission since the protests and riots over George Floyd's death in police custody began over a year ago.

Students sue St. John's University over vaccine mandate, citing 'aborted fetal tissue' testing.  A group of students at St. John's University in New York is suing the Catholic school over its vaccine mandate, claiming the requirement violates their right to their religious beliefs.  The 17 plaintiffs say in their suit that they oppose abortion — and therefore do not want to take any of the three federally approved COVID-19 vaccines because the shots were tested using "aborted fetal tissue or human embryonic stem-cell derivation."  "As a devout Roman Catholic, I believe life is precious.  In the Ten Commandments, it says, `Thou Shall Not Kill,'" said plaintiff Kimberly Vineski, a 19-year-old, second-year pharmacy student from Glendale, LI, to The [New York] Post, referring to abortion.  St. John's says in court papers that it won't consider an exemption for the plaintiffs because there are questions about "the genuineness of their purported religious beliefs."

California parents request judge block public schools from asking students to pray to Aztec gods.  Three California parents are suing to prevent the state's public school system from reciting prayers to Aztec deities that have been worshipped with human sacrifice — arguing that doing so violates the U.S. and state constitutions.  The issue emerged earlier this year when researcher Chris Rufo reported on that particular aspect of the state's ethnic studies curriculum.  As Fox News previously noted, the curriculum suggests chants that invoke the deity Tezkatlipoka.  Tezkatlipoka is an Aztec god that was honored with human sacrifices.  According to the World History Encyclopedia, an impersonator of Tezkatlipoka would be sacrificed with his heart removed to honor the deity.  In Aztec mythology, Tezkatlipoka is the brother of Quetzalcoatl, Huitzilopochtli and Xipe Totec — all of whom appear to be invoked in the chant.

New NY Gov. Slammed for Invoking God to Spread COVID Fearmongering.  New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's divisive and exploitative use of religion to smear vaccine hesitant individuals and spread COVID fearmongering could bolster a conservative group's challenge of the state's vaccine mandates, according to a recent court filing.  Earlier this week, the Democrat governor told a gathering of people at the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn that God had led scientists, doctors and researchers to successfully develop the coronavirus vaccine.  Those who are vaccinated are the "smart ones," she said, and added that "you know there's people out there who aren't listening to God and what God wants.  You know who they are."

NY governor appoints herself God's messenger, egging congregation to get vaccinated because God told her so.  New York Governor Kathy Hochul called on vaccinated congregants in a Brooklyn-based evangelical megachurch to promote the New York vaccine mandates because unvaccinated people "aren't listening to God and what God wants."  Hochul said that God had answered prayers about the pandemic, adding that He made the smartest men and women — scientists, doctors and researchers — and he made them come up with a vaccine.  The governor made the remarks at the Christian Cultural Center's Sunday morning services before New York's vaccine mandate for healthcare workers went into effect on September 27.

NY Gov. Kathy Hochul Proclaims Unvaccinated People 'Aren't Listening to God'.  Individuals who have not received the coronavirus vaccine "aren't listening to God," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) declared during remarks before Brooklyn's Christian Cultural Center on Sunday [9/26/2021].  [Video clip]  "I prayed a lot to God during this time and you know what — God did answer our prayers," Hochul stated, before denigrating those who have not yet received a coronavirus shot. [...] "I need you to be my apostles," the governor added, saying that receiving the treatment is how New Yorkers can "love one another."

The Editor says...
It's always amusing to hear an elected official from the Abortion Party justify his or her agenda by invoking religion.

Pope Francis completes Vatican's submission to satanism by mandating spike protein injections for all visitors and workers.  Beginning on October 1, anyone wishing to work at or visit the Vatican will need to get "vaccinated" for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19).  According to reports, all visitors and personnel at the Catholic "mecca" will be required to show proof of injection or a "negative" test for the Chinese Virus.  Those who refuse will either be fired if they are an employee or denied entry to the premises if they are a visitor.  An ordinance issued by the independent state on September 20 explains that in order to enter the Vatican territory moving forward, tourists, employees, Roman Catholic Church officials and other visitors will need to receive the injections.  At the order of Pope Francis, Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, the current president of the Vatican City State, announced that the mandate is necessary "to take all appropriate measures to prevent, control and combat the ongoing public health emergency in the Vatican City State."

The Editor says...
Maybe the Pope should read Isaiah 53:5.

Washington D.C. Archbishop Unleashes on Fake Catholic Joe Biden Over His Support For Abortion.  Archbishop Cardinal Wilton Gregory is not happy with self-proclaimed catholic and president Joe Biden who recently said that he does not agree that "life begins at conception," a direct opposition of the Catholic church.  "I respect those who believe life begins at the moment of conception," Biden said, according to Catholic News Agency.  "I don't agree, but I respect that.  I'm not going to impose that on people."  The appalling statement by Biden is a direct contradiction of the Catholic Church's teaching on life and conception.

Pelosi's Archbishop Threatens to Excommunicate Her, Other Prominent Dems From the Church Over Abortion.  Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is in danger of being excommunicated from the Catholic Church for her continuous support of the murder of unborn children.  Over the weekend, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, who just so happens to be the archbishop of Pelosi's home diocese in San Francisco, California, wrote an essay in the Washington Post, announcing that excommunication is a potential action to take against self-proclaimed Catholic Democrat leaders who support abortion.  In his piece, Cordileone urged Catholic politicians to oppose abortion, saying that "[y]ou cannot be a good Catholic and support expanding a government-approved right to kill innocent human beings."

The Editor says...
What took him so long?  The archbishop has held his office for almost nine years.  Nancy Pelosi has been a U.S. representative https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Pelosisince 1987.

Pelosi's archbishop calls for ex-communication of pols now pushing for abortion.  Is the Catholic Church finally showing some leadership?  Sure looks like it, with this Washington Post op-ed by San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone: [...] The bishop in New Orleans wouldn't put up with a grave evil of racism in his parishes, and Cordileone is now showing the same backbone.  I think he had to, given that creatures such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as well as Joe Biden have been so loud and extreme about their abortion advocacy.  They aren't just quietly enabling abortion and saying they're "personally opposed" anymore, as Democrats have attempted to weasel out with in the past, they're addicted to money and powerful lobbies, and thus, speak the party line of groups such as Planned Parenthood now.  It's time someone put a stop to that runaway train, and one archbishop has now stepped forward.  Too bad it's not all of them.  But this op-ed may just open the door.

Joe Biden's Very Public Clash With His Own Church.  As a rule dating back to the election, the reporters who follow the president go everywhere with him but two places: inside his home and inside his church. [...] But if you had been standing outside the church when Biden's car door swung open on this particular Saturday afternoon, you would have heard the shouting.  You would have seen Moira Sheridan and David Williams outside the church gates, carrying faded posterboard signs.  Both from Wilmington, both in their late 60s, both Catholics, they are a familiar presence at St. Joseph — they have come at least 20 times since the general election — though they rarely make the pool reports.  Williams wore a newsboy hat.  "Number one, our concern is for Joe Biden's soul," Sheridan told me.  They had not come to pray for the president, who is only the second occupant of the White House to share their faith.  They had come to block him from participating in the church's most important sacrament.  It is their belief that if Biden is going to receive communion, "then we don't want him comfortably going in," said Williams.  And it is uncomfortable.

An important American demographic has been silent about election fraud.  Many, myself included, believe that widespread tampering and fraud played a significant role in the 2020 election.  Democrat bullies, media bullies, and Big Tech bullies have prevented any honest analysis of the election.  While Hillary Clinton continues to rage against a vast right-wing conspiracy, we suspect a vast left-wing conspiracy aided and abetted by the communists in China stole from America a fair and honest election and gave Joe Biden the keys to the White House. [...] Where are the Christian leaders to call for an honest analysis of this very controversial election?  To his great credit, Franklin Graham has questioned the outcome.  For his questioning, he has been widely pilloried by the usual suspects.

Church and State — Not Church versus State.  The "separation of church and state" was never meant to be justification for abandoning Judeo-Christian morality in public affairs.  To all honest participants in government, it was clear from the start that the legal isolation of church and state — lest a specific denomination exerts undue pressure — was not a wall between the United States and God.  It must never be forgotten that the hatred of the church by the Left is an inheritance of Enlightenment intellectuals of the 17th and 18th centuries who deemed themselves above the laws of their Creator — some of whom assumed the role of God.  The first fruit of that intellectual piracy was the blood bath that turned the French Revolution into a horrific Reign of Terror.  The reckless pitting of humans against one another, costing thousands of lives for no legitimate motive, continues to occur today for essentially the same reason, namely that since, as falsely predicated, church and state are "enemies," then the state must destroy the church.  So it was Age of Reason literati and academics who unreasoningly branded into their Creator-dismissing acolytes — Leftists are their standard-bearers today — a bias that insists that church and state are enemies because they differ in their demands on society.

The very center of all US problems is the rejection of Christianity.  Christianity has always been hand in hand with the greatest empires.  The abandonment of Christianity has always led to the collapse of any nation or people or family or person who abandons it.  This is an axiom. [...] Christianity itself is the most difficult way of life to live.  Any other religion is far, far easier, because they don't require of the faithful what Christ does:  everything.  Many people use "Christianity" as a brand to justify their own existence and behavior.  Look at Imposter Joe, for example.  He claims to be a "devout Roman Catholic", yet he supports gay marriage, abortion anytime anywhere, and acts like a pedophile at times.  He is false.  He probably doesn't think he is false, and many who prefer him because of political (not religious) reasons will participate in perpetuating the delusion.  But "by [his] fruits", we see he is no follower of Christ, he is instead, a hijacker of Christ, using the Lord's good name to get ahead politically among seculars.

Biden says Eid al-Adha carries 'special meaning' amid pandemic.  President Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Monday marked the beginning of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, saying in a statement that it has "a special meaning" amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  "Jill and I send our warmest greetings to those celebrating Eid al-Adha around the world," Biden said.  "The Eid traditions and Hajj rituals of providing for those less fortunate in commemoration of Abraham and his son's devotion to God carry a special meaning this year as we continue to navigate the challenges of COVID-19 and work to respond to and recover from the global pandemic."  Eid al-Adha translates to "Festival of Sacrifice" in Arabic, and celebrates the culmination of the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Caution:  Newsweek magazine.  Bias throughout.
Hobby Lobby Faces Backlash Over Newspaper Ad Calling for Christian-Run Government.  Arts and crafts giant Hobby Lobby faced a backlash after it ran a full-page advertisement on July 4 in several newspapers across the U.S. that appeared to call for a Christian-run government.  The advert, which Hobby Lobby ran in newspapers on Independence Day, was titled "One Nation Under God," and included the Bible verse "Blessed is the Nation whose God is the lord," as the company also posted about its campaign on its social media pages.

No faith.
Vatican seeks all-out effort to combat vaccine hesitancy.  The Vatican's bioethics academy and the World Medical Association on Friday called for an all-out effort to combat vaccine hesitancy and correct the "myths and disinformation" that are slowing the fight against the coronavirus.  In a joint statement, the groups said some vaccine reluctance in poorer countries is rooted in historical inequalities and suspicions of Western pharmaceutical companies.  But they said "a more pernicious form" of hesitancy is being driven by fake news, myths and disinformation about vaccine safety, including among religious groups and some in the medical community.

No standards, no scruples, no backbone.
Roman Catholic church frequented by Biden will let anyone receive Communion amid abortion controversy.  A Washington, D.C., church frequented by President Biden says it won't get involved in what it describes as "a political issue" over Communion.  The Holy Trinity Catholic Church in the city's Georgetown neighborhood, which Biden has attended several times since taking office, said Wednesday [6/30/2021] it will not deny the Eucharist to the president over his abortion stance or "anyone else who presents themselves."  "The great gift of the Holy Eucharist is too sacred to be made a political issue," the church's parish council said.

The Pope Prefers Eurabia to Christian Europe.  One of the loudest cheerleaders for Islamic migration to Europe is Pope Francis.  His predecessors called for the revival of a historically Christian Europe, but he makes no such call.  Future historians will no doubt find it perplexing that the emergence of "Eurabia" happened not in spite of the Roman pontiff but in part because of him.

No guts.
U.S. Catholic Bishops Say There Will Be 'No National Policy' on Denying Communion to Pro-Abortion Politicians.  Members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are trying to clarify their position and deal with the confusion caused by their announcement last week that they would create a teaching document on the Holy Eucharist or the meaning of Communion.  The statement caused many to speculate that the Church was looking to deny President Joe Biden and other pro-abortion Catholic politicians from receiving Communion.  The speculation was misplaced, said the bishops.  "There will be no national policy on withholding Communion from politicians," the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a Q&A document dated June 21.

Congressman: Church should lose tax-exempt status if Biden is denied Communion.  A Democratic congressman from California suggested that the Catholic Church ought to lose its tax-exempt status if the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) decides to follow Church law and deny Communion to pro-abortion politicians like President Joe Biden.  In a June 18 tweet, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) said, "If they're going to politically weaponize religion by 'rebuking' Democrats who support women's reproductive choice, then a 'rebuke' of their tax-exempt status may be in order."  Huffman, who serves on a variety of caucuses — including the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Equality Caucus and the House Pro-Choice Caucus — raised eyebrows several weeks ago when he announced that attendees of this year's first in-person townhall in his district would be required to show proof of vaccination while unvaccinated members would be relegated to attending online.

Bishops to Biden:  There is no such thing as 'private' Catholicism.  When Joe Biden was sworn in as America's 46th president, he laid his hand on an ancient Douay-Rheims family Bible, a translation made by Catholics in France, where they'd taken refuge from the Reformation across the Channel.  In doing so, the new president reminded some 40 million viewers of a truth he may now prefer to forget: namely, that the Catholic Church is inherently political, and faith in her teachings is never a merely private matter.  For decades, American Catholic politicians insisted the opposite was the case.  For generations of Democrats, especially, the faith meant dated jokes about stern nuns and sentimentality about Notre Dame football.  Catholicism was a cultural institution, quaint but lovable, like a bowling league.  The Roman church, in this view, required little of its members, certainly not serious adherence to her moral precepts — about the sanctity of unborn human life, for example.

Is Joe Biden Catholic?  [Scroll down]  In short, Biden practices Catholicism through private rituals at home or in the sanctuary but practices the religion of leftist progressivism in public.  The Catholic faith does not speak to his actions.  Again, Biden echoes JFK, who said, "For contrary to common newspaper usage, I am not the Catholic candidate for president.  I am the Democratic Party's candidate for president, who happens also to be a Catholic.  I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me.  In other words, Christianity does not inform or even speak to Biden when it comes to public policy, domestic or foreign.  Hence the schizophrenia and resultant chaos and confusion accompanying his policies.

Angry Leftist Complains That Pedophile Priests Can Receive Communion but Moloch Worshipping Joe Biden Can't.  I've been sort of shocked at the reaction of the Democrat Party, a party that is, at best, pagan though usually godless, to the debate within the US Conference Catholic Bishops (USCCB) over a teaching document, not a policy document, on standards for admission to Communion. [...] The Democrats fear that the document will, rightfully, be used to point out to the voters in districts represented by "Catholic" Democrats that those Democrats are about as Catholic as your average gerbil and have been trading off a professed Catholic identity for the sake of deceiving voters.  As I noted a couple of days ago, this whole spectacle is unnecessary as Canon Law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church are clear and unambiguous on the subject of abortion (and on support for homosexual "marriage").  To support abortion, particularly by a public official, carries with it the automatic penalty of excommunication.

Rhode Island bishop facing backlash for tweeting Catholics 'should not support' Pride Month events.  A Roman Catholic bishop from Rhode Island is facing backlash for a tweet labeling LGBTQ Pride Month events as "especially harmful for children" and arguing that those who follow the faith should not support them.  Bishop of Providence Thomas Tobin sent the message on Saturday, the first day of LGBTQ Pride Month and argued that the events in the honorary month "promote a culture and encourage activities that are contrary to Catholic faith and morals."  This year's Pride Month commemorates the 50-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City, which launched the gay rights movement.

Pro-Abortion Congressman Ted Lieu 'Dares' Bishops to Deny Him Holy Communion.  U.S. Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) has challenged the U.S. bishops to refuse him Holy Communion at Mass, flaunting his support for abortion and same-sex marriage.  "Dear USCCB, I'm Catholic and I support contraception, a woman's right to choose, treatments for infertility, the right for people to get a divorce, the right of same sex marriage," Lieu tweeted Friday [6/18/2021].  "Next time I go to Church, I dare you to deny me Communion," he taunted.  The Jesuit-educated congressman, who attended Cleveland's St. Ignatius High School and Georgetown University, enjoys a 100% legislator rating from lobbyist NARAL for his spotless voting record in favor of abortion rights.

The Editor says...
Why would a person join or remain a member of the Catholic church, if he or she is opposed to so many of the church's beliefs?

The Truth:  Biden is Supposed to Deny Himself Communion.  In the controversy over whether Joe Biden and other pro-prenatal-infanticide politicians should be denied Communion — a story now that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is drafting a "teaching document" about the meaning of the Sacrament — some Democrats are tacitly indicating that they consider church attendance a ploy and Communion a prop.  They're signaling that they have no respect for the Church — even as they imply that receiving Communion from it is so important.  Denying oneself Communion isn't just a Polish thing.  When a woman close to me who ceased following Church teaching decades ago occasionally attends Mass, she reflexively refrains from receiving Communion.  She's no theologian, but she knows the rules.

Democrats Go to War With the Catholic Church.  Because we don't have more important issues going on in the world like out of control inflation, a floundering economy, China rising, Joe Biden's brain-melting, or a border crisis, Democrats have decided it's time to go to war with the Catholic Church. [...] The background on this is that Catholic Bishops have been convening on the issue of denying communion to heretical Democrat politicians.  That would include Joe Biden, who is rabidly pro-abortion. [...] In regards to the Catholic Church, their doctrine denotes that someone who supports abortion is disqualifying themselves from the Eucharist.  Now, whether a person agrees with that or not is irrelevant.  If someone doesn't like how Catholics do things, they can go start their own religion, correct?  Regardless, it's absolutely asinine to ask a 2,000-year-old church to bend to the political wants of modern Democrats.

It slowly dawns on Catholic bishops that they better stand for something.  After a long slumber, it looks like the Catholic bishops are waking up to the nature of the assault on Church teachings from abortion-favoring Democrats, such as Joe Biden, who use their status as Catholics to rope in votes. [...] Obviously, the bishops in the U.S. are realizing they stand for something here, and have to stand for something, otherwise they become a garden-variety social justice warrior activist group with no compelling reason to join it.  They've been silent on the news of Planned Parenthood nakedly buying and selling human baby parts in a grotesque commodification of human flesh for big dollar gains, saying literally nothing on the grounds that might rile things up.

No guts.
Pro-abortion Catholic Dems off the hook as bishops walk back plan to restrict Communion.  If Catholic politicians who support abortion rights were anxious about being restricted from receiving Holy Communion, they can breathe easier.  Such a prohibition is now off the table at Thursday's U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.  "We are no longer proposing a national policy" regarding who may present themselves for Communion, Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Indiana's Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese told delegates to a virtual USCCB spring meeting.  Bishop Rhoades, who chairs the group's doctrinal committee, conceded the notion "was in the original proposal" for the document, he added, "We never meant it as it's been interpreted in many media sources."  The proposal to write guidelines containing such a restriction had been the talk of American Catholics since the election of President Biden in November.

Senator Kaine Compares Catholic Views on Abortion to Sharia Law, Says It Wouldn't Be a 'Primary Concern' For Jesus.  Senator Tim Kaine, who claims to be a Catholic, has compared the church's teachings on abortion to Sharia Law.  In an op-ed for the far-left National Catholic Reporter, Kaine was arguing against bishops who want to withhold communion from Joe Biden over his radical abortion policies.  "Catholics in public life not only live according to church doctrine but additionally shape the law, even to include the threat of criminal prosecution and punishment, to enshrine church doctrine on sexuality as mandatory for all Americans is contrary to our basic liberty," he wrote.  "Why would government require that Catholic sexuality doctrine, or Sharia law, or Orthodox Jewish rules about Sabbath observance, be followed by all?"

No Nancy Pelosi, Christianity and Abortion Are Not Compatible.  Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi has long been the target of faithful Catholics who have questioned her ability to take communion or even be called a Catholic.  Regarding the issue of communion, Pelosi recently said, "I think I can use my own judgement on that."  Her Archbishop, Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco responded with something that should be in the heart and mind and on the tongue of every professing Christian.  He said that abortion isn't a matter where we can use our own judgement.  Noting the body count of tens of millions of dead unborn babies, he stated that the support and promotion of abortion is "cooperating with evil."  The Archbishop made another astute observation.  All we have to do is look around to understand that society is in a deep crisis.  The looting, burning, and killing have dramatically increased.  Archbishop Cordileone reminded us that "violence begets violence."  And the violence he was talking about is abortion, which has had a corrosive effect on the fabric of our nation.  Its impact on babies, mothers, fathers, and society as a whole cannot be overestimated.

Critical Race Theory is anti-Christian.  No doubt about it.  Listen to "antiracist" guru Ibram X. Kendi, speaking about it in a woke Manhattan church:  [Video clip]  It's a three-minute clip, but well worth your time.  Kendi distinguishes between "liberation theology" ("The job of the Christian is to liberate society from the powers on earth that are oppressing humanity"), and "savior theology," which he construes as "to go out and save these individuals who are behaviorally deficient.  In other words, we are to bring them into the church, these individuals who are doing all these evil, sinful things, and heal them.  And save them.  And once we've saved them, we've done our job."

Should priests deny Biden Communion?  Theologians weigh in.  President Joe Biden has drawn criticism for receiving Communion at Mass as a politician who promotes policies explicitly opposed to Catholic teaching.  Traditional Catholic scholars warn that the president is causing great scandal by receiving Holy Communion, while progressive theologians protest that Church teaching is open to interpretation and say that abortion should not be a litmus test for Communion.  The president has spoken about his Catholicism through his entire political career, referring to his faith as a source of solace during turbulent times in his life. [...] Yet as soon as he became president, Biden immediately took action to fund and promote abortion — which the Catholic Church condemns as a "crime against human life."

Vatican warns US bishops over get-tough Communion proposals.  The head of the Vatican's doctrine office is warning U.S. bishops to deliberate carefully and minimize divisions before proceeding with a possible plan to rebuke Roman Catholic politicians such as President Joe Biden for receiving Communion even though they support abortion rights.

German priests defy Vatican ban by blessing same-sex unions.  The Catholic Church has lost touch with the "living reality" of LGBT+ people, said one of more than 100 German priests who are defying the Vatican this week by blessing same-sex couples.  In a move that angered liberals within the 1.3 billion-member Church, the Vatican's doctrinal office said in March that priests cannot bless same-sex unions in lieu of marriage, despite ministers doing so in countries such as Germany.

Lutheran Church becomes first major US Christian faith to elect a transgender bishop.  Rev Megan Rohrer was elected bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Sierra Pacific synod on Saturday [5/8/2021], becoming the first transgender person to serve as bishop in the denomination or in any of the major Christian faiths in the US.  Rohrer, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco and community chaplain coordinator for the San Francisco Police Department, was the first transgender person to be ordained in the ELCA in 2006 and the first to serve as a pastor when called to Grace Lutheran in 2014.

As if the black churches are NOT political.
White evangelical churches 'have become political instruments': George W. Bush.  Former President George W. Bush said Thursday [5/6/2021] that White evangelical churches have become too political, as he called for lowering the volume of the immigration debate and focusing on the humanity of migrants themselves.  Mr. Bush, who has gone from president to painter in his retirement, is promoting his new book of portraits of immigrants, which he says should remind those engaged in the political battle over the issue of the kinds of people whose lives are at stake in the debate.  Democrats have seized on the former president's work as a rebuke to the Trump era, and indeed Mr. Bush said he considered President Trump's election loss last year a statement of voters wanted "a better tone" in politics.

The Rise of the New State Church.  [Scroll down]  This question of whether religious toleration extends merely to individuals, such as a Christian baker, or whether it also attaches to institutions, such as the Catholic Church or even to organizations such as the Boy Scouts or companies such as Hobby Lobby, is one of the most fundamental religious questions in America today.  This question was apparent when the Obama Administration began shifting terminology from freedom of religion, a broad category that includes public action, to freedom of worship, which is permitted only in places, including churches, that are strictly segregated from the public square.  These thorny issues were of great concern to the American Founders, so much so that they concluded that it was unwise to have an established state church the way the English did; that it would be better to let the various religious groups compete in the public square.

Oh, you mean people like Joe Biden?  Nancy Pelosi?  John Kerry?
Cardinal Burke:  Pro-abortion politicians are in 'apostasy,' automatically excommunicated.  Raymond Cardinal Burke, the former Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, has released a statement declaring that those who "publicly and obstinately violate the moral law" are in a state of apostasy, automatically excommunicated, and thus must not be permitted to receive Holy Communion.  Cardinal Burke, a doctor of canon law, entitled his work, a "Statement on the Reception of Holy Communion by Those Who Persist in Public Grave Sin."

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tries to convince evangelicals to get vaccinated.  Pete Buttigieg told Christians Sunday [4/11/2021] that getting vaccinated against coronavirus is 'part of God's plan' as a new poll shows 30% of white evangelicals will definitely refuse to get inoculated.  'You have been outspoken on issues of your personal faith.  Otherwise, I normally wouldn't bring this up,' CNN's Jake Tapper posed to Buttigieg.  'Why do you think it is that so many of your fellow white evangelical Christians are reluctant to be vaccinated?  And what's your message to them?'  'You know, sometimes, I have heard people, people I care about, saying, if I'm faithful, God's going to take care of me,' the Transportation secretary said in his interview with 'State of the Union' Sunday morning.

The Editor says...
Homosexuals are in no position to instruct Christians about "God's plan."

Pope Peddled Myth of Climate Migration.  Pope Francis is hyping the hotly contested hypothesis of "mass climate migration" despite recent scientific studies categorically stating that the claim is "without empirical scientific basis" and the product of a "self-referencing narrative."  In his preface to the Pastoral Guidelines on Climate Displaced People (PGDCP) published Tuesday [3/30/2021], Francis notes that "the huge and increasing numbers displaced by climate crises are fast becoming a great emergency of our age, visible almost nightly on our screens, and demanding global responses."

Austrian Catholics fly rainbow flag after same-sex blessing ban.  The Catholic church of the parish of Hard is one of many in Austria which decided to fly the rainbow flag in solidarity with the LGBT community after the Vatican ruled last month that the Church couldn't bless same-sex partnerships.  The powerful Vatican office responsible for defending church doctrine, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), handed down a ruling that same-sex unions could not be blessed despite their "positive elements".  The office wrote that while God "never ceases to bless each of His pilgrim children in this world... he does not and cannot bless sin".  Hard's parish priest Erich Baldauf says he and the hundreds of other clergy who belong to the reform-oriented "Priests' Initiative" movement decided to fly the flag to show "that we do not agree with this outdated position", with many other churches also making the gesture.

Sen. Raphael Warnock Deletes Easter Tweet After Being Accused of 'Heresy'.  Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), who was a prominent Atlanta preacher before he was elected to the Senate, deleted a tweet on Easter Sunday [4/4/2021] that drew allegations of heresy.  "The meaning of Easter is more transcendent than the resurrection of Jesus Christ," Warnock wrote in the tweet posted Sunday morning.  "Whether you are Christian or not, through a commitment to helping others we are able to save ourselves."  [Tweet]

The Editor says...
If an ostensibly Christian preacher says that by "helping others we are able to save ourselves," he or she is a heretic.  Jesus himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life:  no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."  (John 14:6)  You cannot earn admission to Heaven by your good works.  (Ephesians 2:9)  For this reason, lots of very nice and generous people are in Hell right now.  The Bible is very clear that few people make it to Heaven — most do not — (Matthew 7:13-14), and there's only one other place to spend eternity.  Some of the most popular preachers in America today are the ones who will tell you everything you want to hear and nothing that you don't want to hear.  (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

The LGBTQ etc. crowd comes for Christian colleges.  Thirty-three self-identified LGBTQ etc. students who are currently attending Christian universities have sued the Department of Education, demanding that all federal funding should be withdrawn from those institutions.  This suit is an inevitable sequel to the Obergefell lawsuit, which put the whole non-traditional sexual identity spectrum into the Constitution.  However, it also highlights that Christian institutions should never have gotten entangled with the federal government.

Kamala's Husband Hosts the Virtual Passover From Hell:  The Biden administration is ruining everything.  So it must ruin Passover.  After twenty minutes of dead air, Biden's Virtual Passover got underway.  Biden, who can only be counted on to remain coherent for short stretches of time before launching into a random tirade, only showed up briefly.  And that was the only good thing about Virtual Passover.  Virtual Passover, like the Biden administration, makes no sense.  But the Biden administration can't be expected to ruin every aspect of our lives, without also ruining Passover.  Kamala Harris had been delegated to take over the border crisis, and so her husband, Brentwood entertainment lawyer, Douglas Emhoff, took over the job of ruining Passover.  Dubbed a "Virtual Passover Celebration", it was not a celebration, it had nothing to do with Passover, but it was virtual.  The one thing that the Biden administration can be relied on is to be virtual.  And by being virtual, to offer nothing real.  Passover wasn't going to change that.

Wokeness is a religion.  "Woke" is a religion.  That's been affirmatively determined by dozens of smart observers, including New York magazine columnist Andrew Sullivan.  He recently described what he called "the cult of social justice, whose followers show the same zeal as any born-again Evangelical.  They are filling the void that Christianity once owned[.]"  While Sullivan and many other commentators have pointed to certain failings in the theology of Wokeism, none has put his finger on the most important issue.  Simply put, there are good religions and there are bad religions.

California Police Reform Bill May Ban Christians From Law Enforcement.  California Assembly Bill 655 would require police departments to investigate whether not potential cops had "engaged in membership in a hate group, participation in hate group activities, or public expressions of hate."  It would make such activities "grounds for termination."  When Americans think of a "hate group," many minds would conjure up a domestic terrorist group motivated by racial animus like the Ku Klux Klan.  Yet some transgender activists and organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) use the term "hate group" as an epithet to demonize their political and ideological opposition.  The SPLC has become notorious for branding mainstream conservative and Christian groups as "hate groups" because they advocate against same-sex marriage or transgender activism.

Washington state HS coach fired over post-game prayers loses Ninth Circuit court round.  A former high school football coach in Washington state who is fighting a school district's ban on post-game prayers with his players that cost him his job, has lost his latest court battle.  In the decision, a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco appeared to accuse former Bremerton High School coach Joe Kennedy of seeking publicity rather than divine intervention.  "Kennedy's attempts to draw nationwide attention to his challenge to the District showed that he was not engaging in private prayer," Judge Milan Smith wrote, according to Q13 FOX in Seattle.

Pope Francis Calls for 'New World Order' After the Pandemic.  Pope Francis insists in a new book things will never be the same in a post-pandemic world, calling instead for the establishment of a "new world order."  In a book-length interview with journalist Domenico Agasso titled God and the World to Come, scheduled for release in Italian on Tuesday, the pontiff reiterates his case for the Great Reset with a shift away from financial speculation, fossil fuels, and military build-up toward a green economy based on inclusiveness.

The Editor says...
"Financial speculation, fossil fuels, and military build-up" made America a superpower.  "Inclusiveness" hasn't solved much of anything, and is certainly nothing on which to base a national economy.

Lawmaker: Ban prayer that is 'inconsistent with LGBT theology'.  Churches that adhere to the Bible's teaching on gender and sexuality were targeted in a debate Monday night [3/8/2021] in the British Parliament over legislation that would ban so-called "conversion therapy."  Member of Parliament Alicia Kearns dismissed concerns over the impact of such a ban on freedom of religious expression, according to the U.K.'s Christian Institute.

CA Dept of Ed voting on curriculum that would encourage students to chant to Aztec god of sacrifice.  The California Department of Education (CDE) is set to vote on a new ethnic studies curriculum that reportedly calls for the "decolonization" of society in America and encourages students to chant to the Aztec god of human sacrifice.  The curriculum will focus on "social consciousness" and cultures that have allegedly not gotten enough attention in textbooks.  That would include "African American, Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x, Native American, and Asian American and Pacific Islander studies," according to the CDE.  "By affirming the identities and contributions of marginalized groups in our society, ethnic studies helps students see themselves and each other as part of the narrative of the United States," the overview states.

Aztec worship chants now proposed for California public schools.  Leftists in education are always cooking up bad ideas of what's to be taught in schools, but here's one that arguably takes the cake. [...] So much for separation of church and state.  That's a religious chant to someone else's religion.  Their plan is to literally foist that "faith," if you can call it that, onto California's schoolchildren, many of whom already have religions of their own from their families.  So much for the usual claptrap out of this bunch about all cultures being alike.  This one is being favored and taught as theological indoctrination.  Worse still, it's as repellent and abhorrent a religion as such things come.  The Aztecs, as these clowns choose to ignore, had a religion commanding human sacrifice, cannibalism, and conquest.  Like pretty much every ancient culture, the ancient Aztecs had examples of civilizational greatness, but religion was not one of them. [...] The Aztecs were the ISIS of their age in terms of cruelty and the quest for power.  And not just ripping hearts out and stacking human skulls.  They also did a lot of cannibalism. [...] Bottom line is, they've chased God and the founding fathers from our public schools, but now they need to replace it.  They chose their religion, imposed it on others, and violated the separation of church and state.

Priest: Joe Biden Is 'Most Aggressively Anti-Catholic President in History'.  Joe Biden is the "most aggressively anti-Catholic President in history" despite his outward show of piety, Virginia priest and director of Human Life International, Father Jerry Pokorsky, states.  "For most of his political life — from his consistent pro-abortion record to his officiating at a gay wedding in 2016 — despite his Catholic affiliation and public pious practices, Joe Biden has magnified and institutionalized countless major violations of the Ten Commandments," Father Pokorsky writes in an essay Friday [2/26/2021].  "The hypocrisy rivals that of the chief priests and Pharisees and is worthy of the same condemnation," the priest declares.  "Indeed, Biden is the most aggressively anti-Catholic President in history."  The reason for the harsh assessment of Biden's record is the dichotomy between his outward show of piety on the one hand and his record of supporting evil on the other, Pokorsky notes, adding that "Biden's habitual and unapologetic sinful acts are on full display."

Biden Using Christian Religion as 'Cover for Extreme Policies': Pro-Life Activist Rose.  Lila Rose, founder and president of the pro-life organization Live Action, says Americans need to be aware of the serious deception by the Biden administration regarding abortion.  "Most Americans are not aware of the pro-abortion extremism of the administration," Rose said in an interview with NTD News on Feb. 17.  "And when they do become aware, they're deeply concerned."  Rose said that she and her organization are immensely concerned about the agenda of the Biden administration, which is "even more pro-abortion than when he served as vice president under President Barack Obama." [...] While Biden professes to be a "devout Catholic," a religion that carries clear and repeated messages that protect the sanctity of life, Rose says she thinks he's using the religion as a cover for his radical abortion agenda.  "The president is using the Christian religion as a cover for his extreme policies and his promotion of abortion.  And that is simply the worst kind of lie.  It's the worst kind of violence, it's what needs to be exposed."

Bette Midler Suggests Texas Deadly Winter Storm Is 'Payback' from God to Senators Cruz, Cornyn.  As millions of Texans suffer through an unprecedented winter storm that has caused widespread power outages and has claimed the lives of at least 21 people, actress Bette Midler is using their hardship to score political points, seeming to argue that the storm is "payback" from God against Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn.  Bette Midler tweeted her divine retribution theory late Tuesday, describing the Republican senators from Texas as "hateful," "vicious," and "cruel."  She implied that God is punishing the politicians for voicing objections to the Electoral College certification in January.

The Editor says...
If God were inclined to intervene in U.S. elections, would he have arranged for the lying baby-killing socialists to win?

Worshipping At The Altar Of Power.  On Wednesday, January 6th, a mob of aggrieved voters from across the political spectrum stormed the Capitol, [...] But more important than the unfortunate event itself was the way our political and cultural leaders described it.  Both former First Lady Michelle Obama and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, among others, described the storming of the capitol as a desecration, meaning that that mob had defiled a sacred place.  Obama and Pelosi, it is assumed, believe that the capitol building is hallowed ground; that it is a sacred representation of our democracy.  While we might agree that it represents our democracy, it would be foolish and dangerous to consider it sacred.  Yes, our country was founded on sacred principles and transcendent truths, but these truths are not to be found in the seat of power, but rather where the founding fathers knew they resided, in our Creator.  Our Leadership class does not believe in the God of our founders.  They do not fear God the Creator nor kneel for his forgiveness and blessing.  Instead, they kneel and bow their heads for BLM or, rather, they supplicate themselves to the power it represents.  Power is what they crave, strive for, and worship.

Eric Swalwell says God is a woman while discussing Trump impeachment trial.  Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., on Sunday [2/14/2021] suggested that God is a woman while discussing the impeachment trial against former President Donald Trump.  Swalwell, 40, made the comments during an appearance on MSNBC, explaining Democrats' decision not to subpoena additional witnesses.  "The choice was, do we chase those people — not knowing what they're going to say to the courts — for years.  Or do we go forward with a powerful, thundering case that we have," Swalwell said.  "And also, (Senate Minority Leader) Mitch McConnell was already telling us that he believed the challenge was a jurisdictional one."  Swalwell said calling witnesses wouldn't have changed Republicans' mind on voting to acquit Trump on the charge of citing Jan. 6's riot at the U.S. Capitol, even if the witnesses were "God herself."

Bishop McElroy warns against 'weaponization of Eucharist' by denying Joe Biden Communion over abortion.  Bishop Robert W. McElroy of San Diego warned against the "weaponization of Eucharist" as a way to get Catholic elected officials, President Joe Biden among them, to adhere to the church's stance on abortion.  "I do not see how depriving the president or other political leaders of Eucharist based on their public policy stance can be interpreted in our society as anything other than the weaponization of Eucharist and an effort not to convince people by argument and by dialogue and by reason, but, rather, to pummel them into submission on the issue," Bishop McElroy said.

Does the Pope need our money?
Catholic dioceses accept at least $1.5 billion in taxpayer aid during pandemic despite full coffers.  When the coronavirus forced churches to close their doors and give up Sunday collections, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte turned to the federal government's signature small business relief program for more than $8 million.  The diocese's headquarters, churches and schools landed the help even though they had roughly $100 million of their own cash and short-term investments available last spring, financial records show.  When the cash catastrophe church leaders feared didn't materialize, those assets topped $110 million by the summer.

The Editor says...
Any bailout of the Catholic Church, to the exclusion of all other denominations, could easily be seen as the establishment of a state religion.  But the Catholic Church is the last organization in town that would need a government bailout.  See Wealth of Roman Catholic Church impossible to calculate.

The Media Fawns Over an 'Ascendant Liberal Christianity'.  The same media that never tired of questioning Christian support for Trump now rejoices in the corruption of Christianity under Biden.  Christians who supported Trump had sold their souls for political gain, the media told us.  Reporters churned out endless stories browbeating Christians for giving hypocritical support to that "coarse" libertine.  But "progressive Christians" receive no such lectures, even as they discard their faith for the sake of advancing Biden's libertine politics. [...] Trump was the most reliable defender of religious freedom since Ronald Reagan.  But what is the religious motive for supporting Biden?  There isn't one.  Much of his agenda is baldly un-Christian, and he has no intention of protecting religious freedom.  The Christians who support him do so for purely political reasons.  They prioritize left-wing politics over Christianity.

Biden's Catholic Praetorian Guard.  The Biden presidency is already exposing fissures within the Church.  On inauguration day, his Catholic apologists bathed him in praise and took bitter issue with Archbishop José Gomez for daring to criticize his anti-Catholic stances.  Gomez, president of the U.S. bishops' conference, issued a tame statement, offering prayers and good wishes while noting, "Our new President has pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils." But that was too much for Cardinal Blase Cupich, who declared Gomez's statement "ill-considered."  Other members of the bloc of bishops aligned most closely with Pope Francis also moved to undermine Gomez's statement.

Religious Leaders Have Mixed Feelings About Biden's Agenda.  Since Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20, religious leaders from major faiths have had to grapple with the administration's stance on a range of issues, often resulting in a blend of hope and dismay, the AP reported.  On issues like abortion, Biden has created angst amongst Roman Catholic Church and Southern Baptist Convention leaders, as the president has indicated strong support for abortion rights for women, according to the AP. [...] On issues of LGBTQ rights and religious freedom, Biden's expansion of LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections has united Catholics and Southern Baptists in opposition to the president's agenda, arguing it could infringe on the rights of religious groups who oppose same-sex marriage and the inclusion of gender identity, the AP reported.

Biden's False Catholicism.  [Scroll down]  Just as Biden dared black voters not to support him at the risk of their racial identity, Biden dared Catholic voters not to elect him despite his obvious qualifications of personal religiosity and chumminess with the Pope.  At the same time his campaign was protecting Biden from chancing specifics about his policy positions, there was a steady stream of video shots of Biden wryly crossing himself, and irreligious news outlets publishing smarmy profiles taking reverent note of the ever-present rosary in Biden's pocket and his weekly attendance at Mass.  At the first White House briefing on the evening of the inauguration, press secretary Jen Psaki batted away a legitimate question about Biden's promise to restore federal funding for abortion with, "'I will take the opportunity to remind all of you that he is a devout Catholic.'"  But that's the point:  has anyone taken the opportunity to remind Joe Biden about being a devout Catholic?  Archbishop Gomez's statement may have been his attempt to do that.

Cult: Government Is Now The New Religion?  A new magazine cover of the Jacobin is striking a nerve after it appears that the magazine is saying the government is now god and our religion, to be worshipped.  It sure begs the age-old question:  who do you serve?  If we are ever to be free, we have to remove our consent.  That goes for those who worshipped Trump as the messiah as well (and there were plenty.)  We should have never allowed ourselves to see each other as slaves to the ruling class, submitting to democracy (which is mob rule) and letting others have power over anyone else for any reason.  Our inability to take the moral high ground has led to us this point in history.

Media Proclaim Biden 'Most Religiously Observant' President, Compare Him to the Pope.  Since Joe Biden's inauguration, the rhetorical tongue bath he's received in the press has been a sight to behold.  I'm not sure it tops Barack Obama's first few days on the job, but it's [very] close, and it's the polar opposite of the treatment Donald Trump was privy to. [...] Biden is not a Catholic in any real sense of the word.  He's a typical liberal that picks and chooses what he likes like from Christianity is some kind of buffet.  The church is more of a social club than fits one's political sensibilities than it is an organization of infallible truth in God.  Biden is free to be that kind of "Christian," but he's not free to pretend he's devout or observant when he's clearly not. [...] Biden can't even hold to the most basic of tenants of his religion.  That doesn't make it him observant.  It makes him a heretic if you want to get technical.  There is no such thing as "liberal" Christianity.

New York Times Slammed for Labeling Joe Biden as 'Most Religious' President.  Conservatives slammed the New York Times for labeling President Joe Biden "perhaps the most religiously observant commander in chief" in 50 years in a story published Saturday.  Pundits pointed out that former presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush were also known for their outspoken faith.  [Tweet]  "George W Bush said Jesus Christ was his favorite philosopher and credited Billy Graham with changing his life.  Jimmy Carter taught Sunday School.  Cmon," pastor and author Daniel Darling wrote on Twitter.

The Editor says...
What about George Washington, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, or Alexander Hamilton?

Biden, the Bishops, and the New Face of Catholicism.  The Catholic Church in America has been thrust into a new and unprecedented crisis — namely the election of Joseph Biden to the presidency.  If not dealt with properly, Biden's presidency will cause serious damage to the very truth of what it means to be Catholic.  Of course, I am referring to the fact that while Biden professes the Catholic faith, he fully supports legalized abortion, same-sex "marriage" and transgenderism, and vowed that he will do all he can to advance these causes during his administration.  Nonetheless, Biden's practice of Catholicism will be on display for the whole world to observe — as he attends Mass and receives Holy Communion.

The Editor says...
If you're a leader in the Catholic Church, and you don't support legalized abortion, same-sex "marriage" and transgenderism, the you have no choice but to expel Joe Biden from your church, and do so in a very public manner, as a message to everyone else.  Otherwise you stand for nothing.  If you support Joe Biden, no matter who you are, you abet and enable the whole socialist Democrat platform.  Choose you this day whom ye will serve.*

Biden spokeswoman refuses to answer abortion policy questions, whips out the 'devout Catholic' card instead.  Joe Biden hates to answer 'hard' questions from the press.  So how's this for a typical Biden dodge?  A reporter from EWTN, a Catholic news broadcaster, asked on day one of Joe Biden's presidency, what his stance would be on two longstanding U.S. laws — the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer dollars from bankrolling abortions, and the Mexico City policy, which prohibits taxpayer dollars from paying for abortions abroad.  The response?  White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, whipped out the 'Catholic' card like a cross aimed at Dracula.

Delaware rabbi blesses Biden before inauguration, compares him to Moses.  A Delaware rabbi blessed President-elect Joseph R. Biden and his wife before they left the state Tuesday night [1/19/2021] by comparing him to Moses and President Trump to the "cruel Pharaoh."  Rabbi Michael Beals explained at the farewell ceremony on the eve of Mr. Biden's inauguration the meaning of "bashert," which he said is Yiddish for "meant to be."  "It is indeed bashert that you, our dear president-elect, are being inaugurated on the very week when Jews all around the world are reading from the book of Exodus about Moses freeing us from 400 years of backbreaking, Egyptian slavery at the hands of an autocratic, cruel Pharaoh," Rabbi Beals told the Bidens.

Really?  When kwanzaa is over, will the pandemic be over?
Bill de Blasio urges New Yorkers to embrace 'Kwanzaa principles to see them through pandemic.  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says New Yorkers trying to navigate through the confusion caused by the coronavirus pandemic should turn to "the Kwanzaa principles" of "cooperative economics" for answers. [...] "We're here in the Kwanzaa season," Mr. De Blasio said.  "It's a time that really helps us think about principles that are so powerful for guiding our lives, particularly in a crisis.  I gotta tell ya, the Kwanzaa principles, they make so much sense any time, but particularly in the tough times we're going through, they really shine through.  So, today is the fourth day of Kwanzaa.  Today's principle is Ujaama, or cooperative economics.  It's a powerful concept."

The Editor says...
That sounds a lot like a state endorsement of a specific religion to me.

More about Kwanzaa.

Kamala Harris And Her Husband Wrongly Portray Hanukkah As A Social Justice Holiday.  I'm not sure what the point of the video was.  Harris tells the camera that the meaning of Hanukkah "is really about the light, and bringing light where there has been darkness.  And there is so much work to be done.  And it is a celebration of, always, Tikkun Olam, which is about fighting for justice, and fighting for the dignity of all people."  I am reasonably familiar with the liturgy of Hanukkah — now in its fifth day — and the words "Tikkun Olam" do not appear anywhere.  Tikkun Olam, which means repairing the world, is a Jewish concept, but it has been appropriated by Left in America as a synonym for social justice.  But not social justice in any historic Jewish sense of the word, but social justice as defined by the Left.  [Video clip]

Here's What Warnock Said When He Praised Farrakhan Back in 2013.  Back in 2013, Georgia senatorial candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock praised Louis Farrakhan, the anti-Semitic leader of the Nation of Islam.  His response came after a member of the church asked about the role the Nation of Islam has on the Black community and whether the "Black church" was having the same attendance issues that "mainstream white church and synagogues" were having.  Although the Nation of Islam has a large Black population, Warnock said their attendance is far smaller than churches and synagogues.  "Its voice has been important even for the development of Black theology because it was the Black Muslims who challenged Black preachers and said, 'You're promulgating ... the White man's religion.  That's a slave religion.  You're telling people to focus on Heaven; meanwhile, they're catching hell,'" Warnock explained.  "We've needed the witness of the Nation of Islam, in a real sense, to put a fire under us and keep us honest about the meaning of the proclamation coming from our pulpits."

Churches across the US commit to paying millions in racism-linked reparations in bid to 'reckon with the wrongs and evils of our past'.  In the wake of the social justice movement and George Floyd protests, several US religious groups have declared they will devote millions to racism-related reparations, particularly among long-established Protestant churches that were active in the era of slavery.  Many of these churches are now weighing how to make amends through financial investments and long-term programs benefiting African Americans.  Among them are the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, which acknowledges that its first bishop in 1859 was a slaveholder, and a New York City Episcopal church, which erected a plaque noting the building's creation in 1810 was made possible by wealth resulting from slavery.

NIH Director Collins Works With Church Leaders to Promote COVID Vaccine.  NIH Director Francis Collins is doing full-court press these days in preparation of the vaccine distribution in the United States.  The Washington Post, NPR, and other legacy media outlets are slathering over this political appointee as the perfect oracle to convince people of faith that the vaccine is safe and should be taken. [...] Typical WaPo:  You anti-science rubes need help understanding this!  Thoroughly discounting (or mocking) the number of doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel who are people of faith, but still have legitimate concerns about not only how this pandemic has been handled medically and socially, but about this coming vaccine.

Rep. Tlaib:  Allah Has Given Us the Opportunity 'To Show The Power of Muslims in Georgia'.  Muslim leaders, including Reps.  Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), expressed the hope and expectation on Sunday [12/13/2020] that Muslim voters would be a deciding factor in the pivotal Senate runoff election in the state of Georgia early next month.  The early voting period begins on Monday.  Participating in an online "vote-a-thon" co-hosted by the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Georgia Muslim Voter Project, Tlaib said:  "I hope that you realize just the opportunity here that Allah has given us to show the power of Muslims in Georgia."

Georgia Democrat Raphael Warnock Called Israel An 'Apartheid' State Occupying Palestine.  Democratic Senate Candidate Raphael Warnock decried Israel as an "apartheid" state during a Palm Sunday sermon in 2015, railing against Israel's "occupation."  Warnock aimed his fire directly at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to a two-state solution in the Middle East, calling it "tantamount to saying occupation today, occupation tomorrow, occupation forever."  The phrase echoes the words of segregationist George Wallace who called for "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever."

Former Philly Archbishop:  Joe Biden Should Be Denied Holy Communion.  Though Joe Biden may indeed be a Catholic, he directly opposes church teaching on grave moral matters, especially abortion.  As a public servant committing a public sin, church teaching stipulates that he should be denied access to the sacrament of Holy Communion until he repents.  However, D.C. Cardinal Wilton Gregory has said he will administer Holy Communion to Joe Biden in the spirit of dialogue; former Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput disagrees.

The True Source of Catholic Democratic Confusion.  Townhall reports that Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has formed a working group of bishops expressly "to navigate challenges posed by a Biden administration."  The archbishop is concerned that Biden's "positions that are opposed to Church teaching, like abortion," not only "pose a serious threat to the common good whenever any politician supports them," but cause "confusion among the faithful about what the church actually teaches on these questions."  It's a sad truth that every Catholic officeholder professing a heart aflame for the faith who meanwhile toils night and day for a party at war with every Christian value, wouldn't be in office without the votes of a lot of confused Catholics.  The most notorious burning heart right now beats inside Joe Biden, the man NPR loves to remind listeners "carries a rosary in his pocket and attends Mass every Sunday."  And of course Nancy Pelosi, whose grating sanctimony as she defends abortion as "sacred ground," or lectures on the demands of morality (Trump's impeachment), and depths of immorality (a secure national border), are peddled to Catholics as the prayerful outpourings of an "ardent" practitioner of the faith.

Pope Francis Defends BLM Protests, Denounces Anti-COVID Lockdown Protests.  Pope Francis defended the Black Lives Matter protests that unfolded in the wake of George Floyd's death while denouncing those protesting the COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions.  In a new book, "Let Us Dream," the Roman pontiff decried police brutality as an affront to human dignity and encouraged people to march in opposition. [...] Regarding the protests against the COVID-19 lockdowns in Europe and elsewhere, Pope Francis said the people were striking against "measures that governments must impose for the good of their people constitute some kind of political assault on autonomy or personal freedom!"

Ilhan Omar Tries to Explain Bible Scripture to Marco Rubio to Defend Raphael Warnock, It Doesn't Go Well.  [Scroll down]  One such comment that excited negative attention was [Rev. Raphael] Warnock saying during a sermon that "You cannot serve the military and God," as we reported earlier.  It's a comment that's not likely to go over well in Georgia which has a lot of military installations including military who like to think they serve both God and their country. [...] But of course that isn't scripture, nowhere does it say "You cannot serve God and the military."  Nor does it say "You cannot serve God and dmoney."  What the heck is "dmoney?"  The exact quote is "mammon" meaning riches or wealth.  Not the military.  So what are the GOP lying about, Rep. Omar?  They're quoting something wrong and disgusting that Warnock said.  That's not lying, that's correctly calling him out.  What she doesn't like is she knows it's an attack that's going to stick.  It also tells us something about Warnock that Omar is willing to go to bat for him.  That's not helpful for him in Georgia which isn't looking to move to the radical left or turn socialist.

Kelly Loeffler Demands Raphael Warnock Apologize for Saying You Can't Serve God and the Military.  Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) has demanded her Democratic opponent Rev. Raphael Warnock apologize for comments he made in a 2011 sermon about God and the military.  Loeffler and Warnock will contest one of two Senate runoff elections in Georgia on January 5.  Republican Senator David Perdue will face Democrat Jon Ossoff in the second race on the same day.  A video of Warnock's sermon has resurfaced on YouTube and Loeffler shared a clip on Twitter on Wednesday [11/18/2020].

Abortion Party theology:
Warnock: 'Nobody Can Serve God and the Military'.  Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock said in a 2011 sermon that Americans cannot serve God while also serving in the U.S. military.  The newly unearthed comments threaten to complicate Warnock's candidacy in a tight Georgia Senate race:  Georgia is home to the fifth largest active duty military population in the country, according to a 2018 Department of Defense report.  "America, nobody can serve God and the military," Warnock said in the sermon delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where he serves as senior pastor.  "You can't serve God and money.  You cannot serve God and mammon at the same time."

The Editor says...
When an alleged "Reverend" runs for the U.S. Senate, is that not an example of serving "God and mammon at the same time?"

Joe Biden Says Pope Francis Offered Him 'Blessings and Congratulations'.  The Biden-Harris Transition team announced Thursday that Mr. Biden had spoken by telephone with Pope Francis, who offered him "blessings and congratulations."  The press release does not specify who initiated the call, but only that "President-elect Joe Biden spoke this morning with His Holiness Pope Francis." Since, however, the pope as a rule does not call to congratulate people for political victories, it must be assumed that the Biden team made the call.

The Editor says...
Obviously Biden is shopping around for celebrities who will add credibility to his self-proclaimed win.

The Anti-Catholic Presidency to Come.  Joe Biden's campaign to con Catholics, often with the help of their own bishops, paid off.  He appears to have scooped up at least half of Catholic voters.  In the crucial Rust Belt states, he fared far better with them than Hillary Clinton did. [...] Countless bishops told Catholics that they could vote for Biden in "good conscience," and they did.  Many bishops aligned with Pope Francis discouraged Catholics from focusing on differences between Trump and Biden on abortion.  Don't be "single issue" voters, they said.  Now the bishops will reap what they have sown.  In the first days of the Biden administration, we will see all of Trump's pro-life executive orders vanish, along with the protections of religious freedom he extended to conscientious Christian doctors, nurses, and others.  The Obama-era assault on the First Amendment will begin anew.  The Left is already salivating at the prospect, celebrating the "pain" Christians will feel under a Biden presidency.

The Pope really doesn't like Republicans.  Last week we learned that Pope Francis has torn up the Catholic Church's teaching that same-sex civil partnerships are gravely immoral.  This week he will be rooting for the pro-abortion candidate in the US presidential election.  These two surreal developments are causing distress bordering on spiritual despair to conservative American Catholics.  Whether you feel any sympathy for them depends on your point of view.  The Pope, it is safe to say, is unlikely to lose any sleep over the matter.  Francis dislikes the United States in general and its president in particular.  That's not surprising; so do most Argentinians.  What is surprising is the depth of his contempt for conservative American Catholics.  In fact, it's hard to say whom he hates more, Trump or traditionalists.  At any rate, he's gunning for both of them now.

The Biden-Bergoglio Reset.  As the party of secularism, the Democrats pride themselves on keeping "religion out of politics."  But they don't mind if liberal politics seeps into religion.  Nor do they mind taking direction from politicized religious figures.  Recall the pope's visit to Congress during the Obama-Biden administration.  The Democrats were all ears, as Pope Francis delivered an address touting their favorite left-wing causes, from open borders to climate-change activism.  John F. Kennedy had promised not to let a pope influence his politics.  But today's Catholic Democrats make no such vows.  Indeed, Joe Biden has reversed JFK's pledge, as he brags about his political alliance with Pope Francis.

Demonic Spirits Behind Black Lives Matter.  In this episode of Behind the Deep State, host Alex Newman explores the spiritual nature of Black Lives Matter, showing that BLM founders and leaders openly admit they are conjuring spirits and supposed dead ancestors that are "working" through them.  As Alex explains, the Bible condemns this as witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, communication with demons, and more, all of which the Bible calls detestable.  The dark spiritual nature of BLM should have been obvious from the fruit of the movement: riots, destruction, death, burning, looting, hate, division, and even murder.  Now, these same BLM activists are training teachers to summon "ancestor spirits" into the classrooms with school children.  Obviously, this is a spiritual war.  It is time for churches to take their rightful place at the front lines of the battle.  [Video clip]

King Newsom bans indoor gatherings for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  California won't allow indoor family gatherings for the holidays, Christmas and Thanksgiving, and outdoor gatherings are limited to three families for a maximum of two hours.  This is arbitrary and tyrannical.  "Gatherings that include more than 3 households are prohibited.  This includes everyone present, including hosts and guests.  Remember, the smaller the number of people, the safer," reads the "Guidance for Private Gatherings," issued by the California Department of Public Health on October 9.

Archbishop Of Portland Exorcises City.  The archbishop of Portland, Oregon, performed the rite of exorcism last week over the city that has been roiled with continuous unrest since the death of George Floyd in May.  Archbishop Alexander Sample, who has served as the archbishop of Portland since 2013, held a Eucharistic procession through the city last weekend and also prayed over it the "Exorcism Against Satan and the Fallen Angels" from the Roman Ritual, according to the Catholic News Agency.  "I wasn't trying to suggest that I think the city of Portland is possessed," Sample later explained, according to local CBS affiliate KOIN.  "It's not that at all.  It's just a prayer of blessing prayed by the clergy, especially a bishop, over a community just asking that all the influences of the Evil One be driven away."

The Editor says...
When you get "all the influences of the Evil One" eliminated, be sure to call KOIN again, since this has never been done before.

Donald Trump Will Ride a Coyote to Victory.  Watching President Trump stumble a bit in recent weeks, and seemingly put up with the FBI's partisan hackery in defense of the Biden Crime Family really troubled me.  It didn't help that every week or so, the pope of my church came out with some new outrageous statement or action.  Last week, Francis denounced capital punishment, private property and national borders, just in time to help Joe Biden's quest for the Catholic vote.  This week, Francis nodded and winked and endorsed "civil unions" based in sodomy. [...] But with the help of some prayers from pals, I'm doing better now.  I'm learning to watch the farce in Pope Francis' Rome with a certain detachment.  The grand claims of papal authority made in 1870 are simply being put to a laboratory test.

Catholic leaders condemn Pope Francis' endorsement of same-sex unions.  Pope Francis' support for same-sex unions is being openly criticized by several Roman Catholic leaders in America — who say his recently revealed pro-gay remarks cause "confusion and error" and fly in the face of church teachings.  Cardinal Raymond Burke, a frequent critic of Francis, said the pope's comments should be "rightly interpreted as simple private opinions of the person who made them."  "Such declarations generate great bewilderment and cause confusion and error among Catholic faithful," Burke, a member of the Vatican's highest court, said in a statement Thursday [10/22/2020] on his website.  He added that Francis' views were contrary to Catholic teachings.

Pope endorses same-sex civil unions in new documentary film.  Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pontiff while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary "Francesco," which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival.  The papal thumbs-up came midway through the film that delves into issues Francis cares about most, including the environment, poverty, migration, racial and income inequality, and the people most affected by discrimination.  "Homosexual people have the right to be in a family.  They are children of God," Francis said in one of his sit-down interviews for the film.  "You can't kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this.  What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered."

Loose canon:
Pope Francis Reportedly Calls For 'Civil Union Law' For Same-Sex Couples, A Break From Catholic Teaching.  Pope Francis reportedly called for a "civil union law" for same-sex couples in a documentary that premiered Wednesday [10/21/2020].  "Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family.  They're children of God and have a right to a family.  Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it," Pope Francis said in the documentary "Francesco," according to the Catholic News Agency.  The documentary premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival and will premiere in the U.S. on Sunday.  Discussing civil unions for same-sex couples, the pope reportedly continued:  "What we have to create is a civil union law.  That way they are legally covered.  I stood up for that."  The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that homosexual acts are "contrary to the natural law," and are approved "under no circumstances."  "Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that 'homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered,'" the Catechism said.

Bishops for Biden.  [Scroll down]  The latest bishop to throw dust into Catholics' eyes about [Joe] Biden is Robert McElroy, the bishop of San Diego. [...] Any bishop who minimizes the slaughter of the unborn as a "single question of public policy" should hang up his mitre.  Secondly, hasn't McElroy noticed that Biden opposes Church teaching not just on a "single issue" but on a legion of them?  Biden opposes Church teaching on everything from embryonic stem-cell research to gay marriage to sex education.  He is running with an open anti-Catholic bigot in Kamala Harris, who considers mere membership in the Knights of Columbus to be a disqualification for service on the court.  At last week's town hall, he encouraged a child to come out as transgender.  He has officiated at a gay wedding.  Biden opposes Catholic moral teaching at every turn. [...] Why does McElroy ignore all of this?  Because he doesn't agree with the Church's teachings either.  He is a Democratic activist in a collar.

No Pope Francis, the World Is Not in a Climate Emergency!  We would be in a climate emergency if the changes in climate were causing serious harm, or could credibly be predicted to cause serious harm, to ecosystems, food production, and human survival.  But the best evidence is that there is no ongoing manmade climate emergency.  Contrary to the claim, the climate in the past five decades has actually boosted people's livelihood.  There have been record crop outputs and tremendous agricultural success across the globe during the past few decades.  Scientists credit this agricultural success to optimum climatic conditions, including increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration.  Yes, the twin factors that led the Pope to declare an emergency are the very factors that have boosted plant growth not only in agriculture — making food more abundant and affordable for everyone, especially the poor — but in all ecosystems.  Unprecedented improvement in the life expectancy rates — the average number of years a newborn would go on to live — has been registered in almost every part of the world.  Life expectancy continues to increase in developing countries.

Pope Francis and Joe Biden, Ideological Brothers.  Biden's ruminations on wealth haven't stopped him from chasing it.  He is now a multimillionaire.  As his bank account expands, so do his thoughts on the dangers of "income inequity."  His tax policy is straightforwardly socialist, based not on the legitimate needs of government but on wealth redistribution:  "And the fact of the matter is, there is plenty — plenty! — of money to go around."  In Pope Francis, whose musings run along the same course, Biden finds an ideological ally.  Indeed, the pope's latest encyclical on fraternity, Fratelli Tutti, reads like one of Biden's campaign speeches.  Published on the eve of the American election, the encyclical is a compendium of the pope's greatest liberal hits:  climate change alarmism, calls for open borders, opposition to the death penalty and even life sentences, the promotion of "international institutions" and pacifism, the demotion of "populism" and any notion of "just war," and plenty of capitalism bashing and religious relativism.  All of it should set Biden's heart aflutter.

The Cult of Covidism Has Invaded the Church.  What should have been a purely scientific response aimed at control and cure of a disease quickly evolved into the political-religious cult of Covidism.  Objective scientific analysis of and responses to what is the contagious pathogen COVID-19 were almost immediately suffocated by a plethora of arbitrary pseudo-religious rituals.  The capitulation of the churches to rituals radically modifying and even antagonistic to Christian rites may be because the Church, continually rent by internal crises and scandals, did not recognize the rival religion when it appeared. [...] Without much resistance or thought, most institutions, including the American Church, voluntarily capitulated to the cult's ritualistic regulatory minutiae.  The result is that in America, the land of the free, the land whose constitution guarantees freedom of religion and speech, the hollowness of much of the American Church has been revealed.

Pope Francis goes full communist.  In an encyclical published on Sunday [10/4/2020], Pope Francis announced that he'd had an epiphany thanks to the Wuhan virus:  It's time to ditch capitalism.  But that's not all.  He believes, too, that in a time of a serious infectious disease, we should focus even harder on open borders.  And he blithely upended almost two millennia of Church doctrine by doing away with St. Augustine's "just war" theory.  These actions reflect Francis's Catholic upbringing within the communist "liberation theology" of the Latin American church.  They may also show the effects of his ongoing alliance with Chinese communists and with Muslims.

Pope says coronavirus pandemic has proven that 'magic theories' of market capitalism have failed.  Pope Francis says the coronavirus pandemic has proven that the 'magic theories' of market capitalism have failed and that the world needs a new type of politics that promotes dialogue and solidarity.  Francis on Sunday [10/4/2020] laid out his vision for a post-COVID world by uniting the core elements of his social teachings into a new encyclical, 'Fratelli Tutti' (Brothers All), which was released on the feast day of his namesake, the peace-loving St. Francis of Assisi.

Biden's Catholic Con Job Continues.  This last week saw Joe Biden simultaneously advertising his "Catholic social justice" and touting his denial of it to unborn children.  The former claim came at the virtual Al Smith dinner, the latter boast at last Tuesday's debate.  It is a measure of Joe Biden's shamelessness that he seeks to snatch the Catholic and anti-Catholic vote at the same time.  He is running with an open anti-Catholic bigot, Kamala Harris, who regards mere membership in the Knights of Columbus as a disqualifier for public service, while rolling out ads designed to hoodwink Catholics into voting for him.

'He's on the wrong team': Christian leaders criticize Biden campaign ads highlighting Biden's faith.  Christian leaders criticized 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden for "deceptive ads" highlighting the former vice president's faith to Catholic and Evangelical voters. [...] The first ad targets Catholic voters and is called "Principles," according to Religion News, showing Biden discussing Catholicism with the editor-in-chief of the liberal America Magazine.  The second ad, "Morning," targets Evangelical Christians and discusses how Biden's faith has helped him deal with the deaths of his wife, daughter, and son.  In the third ad, "A Man Guided by Faith" a member of Biden's parish describing why she believes Biden is a man of faith.

Catholic Group Launches $9.7 Million Anti-Biden Campaign in Battleground States.  A Catholic group is launching a multi-million dollar effort to educate Catholic voters in key battleground states about Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's "anti-Catholic record and policy agenda" ahead of the general election in November.  CatholicVote, a national Catholic political advocacy group, on Tuesday announced the $9.7 million campaign to discourage Catholics from voting for Biden.  The organization is producing an "in-depth report on Biden's record on issues Catholics care about," including a shortened "voter guide" version, that it plans to send to five million Catholic voters.  The effort will also kick off with a $350,000 digital ad buy in the swing states of Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Thoughts on Belief and Religion.  The most important of the atheist gods is Power.  This means the institutional control of people:  through government, tech business, communication, education, etc.  Socialism in its various forms — Communism, Fascism, Nazism, Maoism, Progressivism, etc. — is only a means to gain power, not an end in itself.  In their lust for power, many atheists try to impose their religion on everyone else.  That is the heart of much of America's current conflict.  For decades, now, we have suffered from an unrecognized religious war by atheist religionists against traditionally religious people.  This religious war is being fought out, and atheists are often winning, in the courts and in the halls of Congress.  They win by pretending to be secular and the victims of oppression, not themselves the oppressors.  There is a way to stop, and even reverse, the militant atheist suppression of traditional religions.  That way is to establish, in the law, that atheism is, itself, a competing religion.

Pope denies audience with Pompeo; Vatican warns against playing politics over China.  The Vatican said on Wednesday [9/30/2020] it had denied a request from Mike Pompeo for an audience with Pope Francis, and accused the Secretary of State of trying to drag the Catholic Church into the U.S. presidential election by denouncing its relations with China.  The extraordinary remarks from the two top diplomatic officials at the Vatican came after Pompeo accused the Church in an article and a series of tweets this month of putting its "moral authority" at risk by renewing an agreement with China over the appointment of bishops.

Hong Kong dissident Jimmy Lai slams Catholic Church for deal with Chinese Communist Party.  Hong Kong dissident Jimmy Lai, a devout Catholic, slammed leaders of the Vatican for renegotiating a renewed treaty deal with China, saying the Catholic Church has forfeited its moral authority by not doing more to protect religious believers in the communist nation.  Lai, a media mogul and billionaire, was arrested last month under a harsh new national security law that mainland China imposed on Hong Kong as part of an intensifying crackdown on political autonomy and dissent on the island.  After a public outcry by pro-democracy activists, Lai was released on bail.  Earlier this month, a court in Hong Kong found him not guilty of criminal intimidation charges stemming from a separate 2017 case.  "I'm very disappointed about this Pope," Lai told Just the News in a video interview from his home in Hong Kong.  "I'm very disappointed about what they did by extending the treaty, which is secret, nobody knows what's happening.  And during the last two years, what [Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader] Xi Jinping has done to religion is really horrible.  And yet the Vatican is so pleased to extend the pact with them.  I just don't understand."

Is Judge Barrett too Catholic for Pope Francis?  Understand that this former Argentine priest named Jorge Bergoglio was shaped by Argentinian economics and politics.  In the early 1900's, Argentina was wealthier on a per capita basis than Canada or Australia — it was about the tenth wealthiest country in the world.  But political instability and recurrent bouts of socialism and oppressive regulations choked off the economy.  Argentina has now deteriorated to the status of an undeveloped country.  Inflation runs rampant, politics are unstable and corruption is everywhere.  This is what shaped Bergoglio's views.  The form of capitalism he saw was something we would describe as, at best, "cronyism."  As Pope, he frequently impugns capitalism, as if the cronyism he witnessed in Argentina is the same thing.  He suggests that capitalism is responsible for world hunger.  He thinks socialism is a better model.  Most educated people know that the reality of socialism is quite different than this Pope's idealization of it.

The Democrats' Conventional Wisdom Straightjacket:  RBG Edition.  The Democrats-media complex have twisted the meaning of, and then trumpeted, the separation of church and state and the removal of God from public discourse for decades.  Their goal was to politically neutralize Christians, especially of the evangelical variety, as they represent a large Republican voting bloc.  Never mind that Islam became a protected religion during the eight long years of the Obama regime, and Obama was never challenged for his frequent public deference to Islam (bowing to Muslim heads of state) and his policy of funding the relocation of "Muslim refugees" to cities across the nation (say hello to Representative Ilhan Omar, D-MN!).

Southern Baptist Convention to Rename Itself In Nod to Black Lives Matter Movement.  The Southern Baptist Convention is set to rename itself, with the group's president citing the ongoing Black Lives Matter riot movement as an imperative for the change.  The group no longer wants to be associated with the American south. [...] The church will rename itself Great Commission Baptists.  The new name is all well and good, and invokes a command of Jesus to his disciples, but it's questionable that they're making the change for what seems to be expressly political purposes.  Other imagery and references to the "southern" nature of the denomination is expected to be removed from public view.

Satanists and Witches for Biden.  Like all progressive groups, The Satanic Temple came out in support of Black Lives Matter.  The Satanic Temple, which distinguishes itself from its rival, The Church of Satan, through its rigorously progressive politics while accusing The Church of Satan of libertarianism, put out a statement by co-founder Lucien Greaves that blasted President Trump and accused the police of randomly killing black people that could have come from any random leftist organization.  "I watched with dismay as, in reaction to the election of Donald Trump, the least qualified, least dignified, least competent president in all of U.S. history," complained Greaves, whose real name is Douglas Mesner, and who has been known to pose wearing goat horns on his head.  Steve Hill ran in a Democrat State Senate primary as the first Satanist to seek public office.  While he lost, the Satanist and Bernie Sanders supporter was able to secure over 10,000 votes from California Democrats.  Since then, Hill has participated in a Black Lives Matter rally and one comment noted the "solidarity between Black Lives Matter and Satanists."

The Bishops Bail Out Biden.  Were the Republicans to run a Catholic for president who supported, say, segregation, the bishops wouldn't hesitate to condemn that figure and warn their congregations not to vote for him.  But the bishops apply no such condemnation or warning to Joe Biden, who is a dissenter in favor of abortion rights and gay marriage.  Even Biden's officiating at gay marriages, an egregiously disobedient act for a Catholic, is met with silence from most bishops.  While Pope Francis felt no reservations about condemning Trump's faith — he called him "not Christian" for supporting border walls — he and his like-minded bishops refuse to question Biden's.  Instead, the pope's surrogates spend their time defending a vote for the Democratic Party, in spite of its openly anti-Catholic agenda.  "It's not a sin for Catholics to vote Democrat," says Jesuit Father James Martin.  Imagine Martin writing that it is not a sin to vote for a segregationist.  It would never happen.  But he has no problem running interference for a pol who supports late-term abortions.

How Cultural Marxism Is Grinding Christianity Down.  During a recent prayer session in support of Black Lives Matter, the pastor of St.  Xavier Catholic Church in New York City instructed white congregants that they must renounce their white privilege to help "transform the church culture."  Using the noble cause of racial equality as a fig leaf, Black Lives Matter is in fact a violent political organization whose Marxist ideology is anti-Christian — and anti-American — in the most profound meaning of those terms.  In many churches across America, cultural Marxists in the pulpit are quietly supplanting traditional Christian values with those of the hammer and sickle.  "Cultural Marxism" is the gradual process of grinding down Western democracies by subverting the pillars of their culture, the structures and institutions of family, religion, education, politics, law, the arts, and the media as they provide the social cohesion necessary to a functioning society.  Challenge the legitimacy of these institutions, and a capitalist society can be overthrown from within without firing a shot.

Vatican Coup?  George Soros Funds Jesuit NGOs with $1.7 Million.  Three Jesuit charities close to Pope Francis have received more than $1.7 million in recent years from George Soros' Open Society Foundations, reveals veteran Vatican journalist Marco Tosatti.  The Jesuit Refugee Service received $176,452 from Soros in 2018 to "support migrant rights" in Latin America.  The Spanish Jesuit Migrant Service received $75,000 since its founding in 2016 and $151,125 in 2018.  Jesuit Worldwide Learning USA received $890,000 in 2016 and another $410,000 in 2018, the only Catholic NGO to list Open Society as one of its "partners" on its website, Tosatti writes.  In total, George Soros' donations to Jesuit foundations totaled $1,702,577 over the past four years.  The funding is particularly controversial due to Open Society's aggressive support of abortion, gay marriage, drug liberalization and Islamization of the West.  Over the past four years, the Soros Foundation has donated nearly $12 million to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and its US political arm, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Rochester Mayor Enlists Church Elders To Serve As Human Shields For Black Lives Matter 'Protesters'.  Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren apparently saw the videos of Black Lives Matter mobs attacking diners at a local restaurant on Friday and rioting in the streets and figured the proper response is to give the rioters human shields to protect them from police. [...] "Our elders will stand as the buffer between the protesters and our police department," Warren said Sunday [9/6/2020] after a "community meeting" between "protesters" and police.

Christians, Beware (Marxist) Wolves in Sheep's Clothing.  ne of Jesus Christ's most well-known sayings comes from the Gospel of Matthew:  "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves." Sadly, that warning became highly relevant last Sunday, when Fr.  Kenneth Boller, pastor of the Church of St. Francis Xavier in New York City, asked that congregants bow their heads for a "racial justice" prayer that he led them in just before the end of the Mass.  "I now invite you to stand, and joining [sic] us in the prayer for racial justice, by responding 'yes' to each of the following statements," he began.  What followed was disgraceful:  A priest of the triune God Almighty began mouthing poisonous, divisive, racial Marxist platitudes.

The Vatican Goes to Bat for Biden.  In 2016, the Vatican was pulling for Hillary Clinton.  Just days before the presidential election, Pope Francis renewed his criticism of politicians who speak about erecting "walls."  This led Slate and other publications to run such headlines as "It Sure Sounds Like Pope Francis Doesn't Think Americans Should Vote for Trump."  Several Francis-friendly prelates ran interference for Hillary Clinton.  San Jose's bishop, Patrick McGrath, wrote a letter to his flock in which he said that Donald Trump's complaint of a rigged system "borders on the seditious."  According to the Italian press, many of Pope Francis's aides viewed Trump's victory as a "bitter defeat."

Town paints over Noah's Ark display after atheist group complains.  A small town in Massachusetts painted over a Noah's Ark display after an atheist group complained, according to The Christian Post.  Officials in Ashburnham, Massachusetts agreed to cover a turning game featuring the Noah's ark story on the library's playground with white paint.  The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF), an atheist group whose mission is to free people from religion, sent a letter to the town after a concerned citizen contacted them.  "It is settled that permanent displays on public land are government speech," said FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler in her letter.  "It makes no difference whether this part of the playground was donated to the city.  As a permanent fixture, observers understand that the display is sanctioned and approved by the city."

Democrats Tap Array of Faith Leaders to Speak at Convention.  The Episcopal bishop of Washington, D.C., who criticized President Donald Trump after he held a Bible aloft at a photo op at a historic church in her diocese, is among the diverse group of faith leaders selected by Democrats to speak at their presidential nominating convention.  Bishop Mariann Budde will deliver the benediction on Tuesday, the second night of the convention, according to a list shared with The Associated Press on Sunday before its public release.  The convention will be almost entirely virtual, with online video addresses.  Former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to accept the nomination on Thursday.  Budde was outspoken in her criticism of Trump for staging the June 1 visit to the historic St. John's Church across from the White House, where he held up a Bible after authorities had cleared the area of people protesting peacefully against racial injustice.  "He took the symbols sacred to our tradition and stood in front of a house of prayer in full expectation that would be a celebratory moment," Budde said in an interview after Trump's walk from the White House.

Both sides want fight over Biden's faith.  [Scroll down]  Patrick Carolan, director of Catholic outreach at the Vote Common Good, an organization driving voters toward Biden, said that, in his mind, 2020 will "absolutely" come down to Catholic voters in Upper Midwest swing states.  Carolan, who has rallied supporters at Biden campaign events, said that the best strategy Democrats can pursue is to peel as many Catholics away from Trump as possible.

CNN Pushes Joe Biden As A 'Man Of Faith' Who Can Win Over Evangelical Voters.  The liberal media mocks and disrespects people of faith in America all the time.  But now that we have an election coming up, CNN rushes in to prop up Joe Biden as some sort of deeply religious man, suggesting he can appeal to evangelicals.

Believers for Biden?  As the party of secularism, the Democrats often invoke the separation of religion from politics, only changing their tune during election seasons when they combine the two in an attempt to con the faithful.  Democrats suddenly turn up at churches and even mount pulpits to claim that faith undergirds their left-wing politics.  So it is no surprise that the Joe Biden campaign has started an outreach effort called "Believers for Biden."  According to the Associated Press, "The campaign signaled its seriousness Thursday with the hiring of Josh Dickson to oversee faith engagement.  Dickson, a former Republican who declared in 2012 that 'I'm a Democrat because of my evangelical faith,' previously worked on religious outreach for the Democratic National Committee and Obama's 2012 campaign."

Democrats' Religion of the Tyrannical Woke.  [Scroll down]  No one knows Jesus' skin color.  The Bible says his mom was Jewish, and his father is God.  To focus on skin color misses the point of why he was born.  Back in the day, during the reign of Saint Obama the Fake, the Democratic Party was the party that booed God at their national convention.  No one was surprised because Democrats have tried to cancel God for decades — with their death-march into decadence — in the name of so-called "rights."  At each step, they've pushed further away from what's morally acceptable in a civil society to justify their wanton desires.  Now they've raised it a notch, attacking believers.  They think that's okay because Democrats lack a moral compass.  They don't believe they'll be held accountable for their actions.  They are wrong.  The Law of the Harvest is hardwired into all of creation.  We reap what we sow.

Tennessee church gives $1,000 checks to local police officers to help combat 'evil' plaguing the country.  The congregation of a Tennessee church has made it clear where they stand on the issue of defunding police departments.  The Lighthouse Missionary Baptist Church in Jonesborough made a "bold statement" on the issue of supporting local law enforcement by donating $1,000 to each member of the town's police department.

Are the Chinese buying Pope Francis's silence?  Father Daniel Maloney was run out of Boston last week by his archbishop for making eminently sensible comments about the George Floyd case and the wicked race violence that has sprouted from it.  Last week, we also learned from a whistleblower it is likely Red China is paying off the Vatican to keep quiet about its human rights abuses.  This comes as no big surprise.  Brave Chinese Christians, especially the underground Catholic Church there, have long been telling what's really going on there, to little interest in the MSM.  After all, the Chicoms have paid off the NBA and shoe companies forever, and they added the Biden/Kerry clan during the Obama years.  So bribing Francis's Vatican looks like another smart investment in the Western left elite.

Federal judge:  Cuomo and de Blasio can't limit the size of outdoor religious services if they didn't care about limiting the size of protests.  The subtext of the ruling, wrote Peter Spiliakos, is that "the NY state and city governments were treating left-wing protest as a de facto state religion and were discriminating against other faiths."  Gotta treat all creeds equally under the law.

Judge: New York State wrong to restrict religious gatherings while allowing protests.  A federal judge ruled on Friday that New York State is violating the First Amendment by restricting religious gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic while simultaneously allowing both much larger protests sparked by the death of George Floyd and the opening of other activities and businesses.  Senior U.S. District Judge Gary L. Sharpe, who was appointed by President George W. Bush and sits in Albany, issued a preliminary injunction that voids parts of an executive order issued by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo three months ago that included a fine against anyone who gathered in excess of set limits.

Left-wing politics:
Vatican calls on Catholics to divest from fossil fuels.  The Vatican on Thursday [6/18/2020] urged Catholics to divest from fossil fuels, a call made in church documents warning against the dangers of climate change.  The 225-page encyclical, which is sent to all bishops within the church, also encouraged divesting from arms and monitoring sectors like mining to ensure they are not damaging the environment.  The document, "Journeying Towards Care For Our Common Home," argues people "could favor positive changes ... by excluding from their investments companies that do not satisfy certain parameters," according to Reuters.

Boston's fight against Christian flag moves to appeals court.  Boston's years-long fight against the Christian flag has moved to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, where the city is facing accusations that it allowed hundreds of other private banners in a designated "public forum" but then banned the emblem of faith.  The issue is that the city refused to allow Camp Constitution to fly its flag on a public flagpole that previously had been used for many other private banner, includes those advocating specific social causes, those representing foreign nations, even others with religious meaning.

How do we fight the woke militants?  [P]lease don't expect leaders to ride to the rescue and save us from the mob.  It will be wonderful if they do, but don't expect it.  Here's what I really worry about:  that the coming battle will actually sideline many practicing Christians.  That it will be between the Woke on one side, and white nationalists on the other.  There is no way that authentic followers of Jesus Christ can endorse race nationalism of either the white or the black kind. [...] Wishy-washy Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is going to be burned up, and is now being burned up.  There is going to be no middle ground left.  Churches will either go militantly woke, or may turn to a Christianized version of white nationalism.  The rest of us believers will be doing our best simply to hold our churches and families together, and not lose our members to the passionate ideologies tearing the country apart.

D.C. Mayor Bowser sued over Black Lives Matter mural.  District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser is being sued over the "Black Lives Matter" mural she commissioned to be painted on a stretch of public street near the White House.  The suit alleges that Bowser's action violated the First Amendment and showed a preference to the "Black Lives Matter cult orthodoxy."  Last week, Bowser commissioned the mural, in addition to renaming the street Black Lives Matter plaza.  The lawsuit claims that Bowser's decisions came at the expense of taxpayers while prizing one faith or belief over others.  The suit also argues that Bowser, a Democrat, acted in violation of the Constitution's Establishment Clause, according to The Washington Times.

D.C. mayor sued over 'Black Lives Matter' on street to White House.  A group of activists sued Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser this week over her decision to paint "Black Lives Matter" down two blocks of 16th Street, which leads to the White House, saying she violated the First Amendment and showed favoritism to "the Black Lives Matter cult orthodoxy."  The lawsuit, filed in federal court on Wednesday, complained Ms. Bowser's move, as well as her decision to rename a nearby street "Black Lives Matter Plaza," came at the taxpayers' expense but showed a preference for one faith — or belief — over others.  The main argument in the 51-page complaint filed at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is that Ms. Bowser is violating the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution by supporting one orthodoxy over others.

The Clergy Follows the Mob.  The riots have exposed the depth of America's civilizational crisis.  Yet where are the supposed religious leaders of that civilization to decry it?  They are difficult to find.  To the extent that clergy have been visible at all in the crisis, they emerged not to stop the mob but to join it.  Their statements rest entirely upon the mob's propaganda.  America magazine, run by the Jesuits, provides a dismaying example of this in its editorial last week:  "To fight racism, Catholics must hunger for justice like we do for the Eucharist."  It is an odd title for the editorial, given that the Jesuits preside over increasingly empty pews.  In falling Mass attendance at Jesuit parishes, one doesn't see much hunger "for the Eucharist."

Politico Reporter Questions Trump's Relationship with God:  Why Didn't He Read from His 'Prop' Bible?  Gabby Orr, White House reporter for Politico, issued a string of demonstratively ill-toned questions following President Trump's visit to St. John's Episcopal Church, asking why he did not pray or read specific verses from his "prop" Bible.  Orr made her remarks in response to a tweet from Trump campaign Coalitions Director Hannah Castillo, who praised Trump for boldly walking through Lafayette Square to visit St. John's Church, which was set on fire the night prior.  The president stoically held up a Bible upon arrival — an action that drew both outrage and criticism from progressives, celebrities, and media personalities.

The Editor says...
If President Trump had read from the Bible, the news media would have denounced it as an establishment of religion.  I don't recall anyone in the press questioning Barack H. Obama's relationship with God -- or even his relationship with Allah.

Democrats are now falling over themselves to publicly read the Bible at press conferences..  [Tweet]

One of the leaders of the Abortion Party says he reads the Bible!
'Here in New York we actually read the [B]ible', says Cuomo in jab at Trump.  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday took a swipe at U.S. President Donald Trump for a staged photo holding a Bible in front of a church near the White House, a visit made possible after protesters were cleared with rubber bullets and tear gas.

What Does Separation of Church and State Mean?  Nearly every American knows the phrase "separation of church and state."  Do you know where it's from?  Here's a hint: it's not in the Constitution.  John Eastman, professor of law at Chapman University, explains how and why this famous phrase has played such an outsized role in American life and law.

Pelosi Lectures President Trump to Help the Country Heal as She Clutches Bible, Refuses to Condemn Violent Rioters.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday [6/2/2020] clutched a Bible and read scripture in reaction to President Trump's remarks from St. John's church.  Like a boss, President Trump walked from the White House across Lafayette Park to St. John's Church which was set on fire by protesters Sunday night.  Trump held up a Bible in front of the church.  In an effort to one-up Trump, petty Pelosi held up a Bible in response to Trump's bold move.

Biden Takes a Knee — Media Ignore "Photo Op" Narrative.  An interesting juxtaposition provides yet another example of how national media shape their narratives.  Yesterday President Trump visited St. John's church in Washington DC. Democrats and national media immediately declared it a stunt, a "photo op".  However, at the same time President Trump was visiting St. Johns', candidate Joe Biden was visiting Bethel AME church in Wilmington, Delaware, and the media were very careful to avoid labeling this captured moment:  [Photo]

Catholic archbishop says Trump visit to St. John Paul II shrine "violates our religious principles".  Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, the first African American archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, condemned President Trump's visit to the Saint John Paul II National Shrine.  He said the visit "violates our religious principles."  "I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles, which call us to defend the rights of all people even those with whom we might disagree," Gregory said in a statement.  The shrine is operated independently by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic community organization. [...] Republican Senator Ben Sasse on Tuesday [6/2/2020] condemned Mr. Trump's visit to the church in a statement.  "There is a fundamental — a Constitutional — right to protest, and I'm against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop," Sasse said.

The Editor says...
When did Barack H. Obama or Bill Clinton or Hillary Clinton or Nancy Pelosi ever hold a Bible, except to use it as a prop?

Remember How Bill Clinton Used the Bible?  [Scroll down]  So when Clinton got caught, what did he do?  The first thing he did, bring in the Reverend Jackson for mutual communal prayer sessions in the White House.  Talk about separation of church and state.  And then there was the Reverend Jackson who absolving Clinton of any sinful behavior.  And then remember Bill and Hillary leaving the White House, walking to the helicopter?  Remember Bill and Hillary walking to church every Sunday after having been absolved by the Reverend Jackson, carrying a [B]ible?  Every Sunday for months.  That's right.  After getting caught [with] the intern, Clinton's walking around with a Bible every Sunday for months with Hillary Rodham Clinton on his arm, and the Drive-Bys swooned, and there wasn't any fear, and there wasn't any concern about separation of church and state, and nobody said, "I wish the guy would read what's in it instead of just brandishing it about."

America's New State-Run Church.  For what seems an eternity, one of the ongoing accusations leveled by secularists against Christians and the Church was that Christians kept their heads in the clouds.  Believers have been told they have been too heavenly minded to be any earthly good, that they needed to be where the action really was, directing their energies to down-to-earth, pragmatic deeds.  So it is with some astonishment that the faithful see Governor John Carney of Delaware, along with other state governors such as California's Gavin Newsom, order church leaders and congregants to keep their nonessential heads in the tech cloud.  Carney's recommendation?  "Do your best to practice your faith virtually."  No matter how virtuous or sentimental their motives, the almost complete capitulation of priests and pastors to banishment by government leaders like Carney has been astonishing.  Few have meaningfully protested the exile of the Church into the cloud.  In fact, nearly all churches voluntarily have closed their sanctuaries and ascended into cyberspace.

Unhinged Episcopal Bishop Calls in to CNN to Trash President Trump for Holding Bible without Her Permission — Says Nothing About Criminals Who Torched Church!.  Following President Trump's visit to the torched church the Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde attacked the US President for holding a Bible at the church without her permission. [...] It's not clear why this woman believes she gets to decide who can, and who cannot, carry a Bible.

Chicago Mayor Launches Police Raid to Shut Down Black Church's Sunday Services.  On Sunday [5/24/2020], Chicago's first openly gay mayor, Lori Lightfoot, mounted a raid on a black South Side church for holding services in defiance of her coronavirus lockdown orders.  Lightfoot reportedly sent three marked squad cars and two unmarked cars full of officers to the Chicago Cornerstone Baptist Church in the South Side's Woodlawn neighborhood.  Woodlawn is just south of Hyde Park, the area in which the Obamas lived for a short time before Barack became president.

MSNBC's Velshi:  Trump Deeming 'Essential' Could Violate 'Church and State'.  This has got to be one of the most dumbfounding [we're tempted to drop the "founding"] statements made by a member of the liberal media regarding the coronavirus.  On his MSNBC show this morning [5/23/2020], Ali Velshi suggested that by deeming houses of worship "essential," thus qualifying them to reopen, President Trump could be in violation of the "separation of church and state." [...] Let's begin by noting that, contrary to Velshi's citation of the "separation of church and state," that phrase is nowhere to be found in the First Amendment.  But liberals love to use it in seeking to drive all religion out of the public square.  Here is the actual wording of the relevant portion of the First Amendment:  "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."  The Founders' intent has been clearly understood as prohibiting the establishment of an official state religion, as in the Church of England.  President Trump's classification of houses of worship as essential did the very opposite of that.  From far establishing one state religion, he said that his order was applicable to all "houses of worship," explicitly including "churches, synagogues, and mosques."

The Catholic Church Of Minnesota Will Defy Walz's Restrictions On Mass.  Minnesota's Catholic bishops say that they will be reopening churches for mass at 33% capacity, boldly defying Governor Tim Walz's decree that limits the size of religious services to 10 people.  Governor Tim Walz gave a press conference, Wednesday [5/20/2020], where he layed out a "phased plan" to allow his state's businesses to reopen.  While his new agenda permits bars and resturants to host up to 50 patrons at a time, churches are only allowed to admit 20% that number of worshipers.  The public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minneota, the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC), says that their churches simply will not abide by this order come Sunday.

Minnesota Gov:  Eateries can have 50 people.  Churches?  Ten.  Minnesota is moving into the third phase of its reopening under Governor Tim Walz's plan on June 1st.  After plenty of comments from the public, however, he's been making last-minute changes to the plan.  The most recent update offered more opportunities for people to out for dinner and put some food in their bellies.  Food for the soul, on the other hand, still won't be quite as available.  Restaurants will be allowed to host up to fifty customers on outdoor patio seating, but churches will remain limited to 10 congregants whether they are indoors or outdoors.

The Editor says...
In a free country, the number of people who may attend a church is not restricted.

Report: Chicago Mayor sent Police to Tow Cars, Block Church Parking Lot.  Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot dispatched police officers to shut down parking lots and tow the cars of Christians attending Sunday services at a Romanian church, a religious liberty law firm alleges.  Liberty Counsel tells The Todd Starnes Radio Show that the mayor posted "no parking" notices around the neighborhood and around the church and "sent the police out to tow cars of residents."  "The church has leased the parking lot of a bank across the street for 18 years," Liberty Counsel said.  "Mayor Lightfoot had the police block the lot so churchgoers couldn't park there."

Chicago Thuggery Directed at Romanian Churches.  Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has engaged in mob-like thuggery against the Romanian churches that have begun to meet in-person.  Even though these churches have their own private parking, and their members don't park on the street, the mayor ordered "No Parking" signs along the streets for nine blocks around the churches.  On Sunday [5/17/2020], Mayor Lightfoot blocked off nine blocks around the churches posting "No Parking" signs, hoping she would get the neighbors mad at the church.  However, the churches are not using street parking with their limited services.  The aldermen sent letters to the neighbors of the churches instructing them not to park on the street from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.  The letters stated the reason for the "No Parking" signs was due to the Romanian churches holding limited services.

Good Samaritans.  The secularist prejudices of the left remain on open display during the coronavirus crisis.  They continue to produce bizarre policies:  closed churches, banned funerals and weddings, even as abortion mills keep grinding and jails spring prisoners.  Protecting the First Amendment, we're told, is above the "pay grade" of governors — the same line, by the way, Barack Obama once used after he was asked about the humanity of unborn children.  One might have thought New York City mayor Bill de Blasio would be too busy to indulge these secularist prejudices.  But he is not.  With special relish, he has sternly warned Jews and Christians against assembling.  He has threatened to close permanently their churches and synagogues if they don't comply.  (His message to the Islamic community hasn't been as pointed.)  Not even Christian charities have escaped the withering gaze of the secularists.  Witness the mistreatment of Samaritan's Purse, a medical charity led by Franklin Graham that has set up a field hospital in Central Park.  De Blasio has been "monitoring" the group.  Why?  Because it is Christian.  To de Blasio, that means it is "discriminatory."

Army chaplains' prayer videos during coronavirus removed from Facebook after complaints.  Several military chaplain videos offering prayer during the coronavirus pandemic have been removed from Facebook after a group complained they amounted to "illicit proselytizing" of Christianity.  The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRRF) watchdog group is celebrating.  Four recent videos involving chaplains Cpt.  Amy Smith and Maj. Scott Ingram posted on the Facebook page of the Army's 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade at Fort Drum, N.Y., were taken down after MRFF founder and president Mikey Weinstein sent a demand letter claiming they violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

You Might Go to Prison for Singing in a Livestream Church Service in This California County.  Banning music sounds like something out of a dystopian nightmare, but in a northern California county, singing or playing wind instruments — even a harmonica — during a livestream video event can get citizens fined or thrown in prison.  This limitation expressly applies to a worship team's efforts to praise God in a church sanctuary, even if they are spaced out 6 feet apart and even though the order only allows four people in a sanctuary at once.  Mendocino County issued its current health order on April 10.  Near the top, the order includes a warning:  "Please read this Order carefully.  Violation of or failure to comply with this Order is a misdemeanor punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both."

Liberal Mayor:  You're Not Allowed To Attend Drive-In Church Service.  Judge Disagrees.  When a Christian church in Louisville, Kentucky, was told they were not allowed to attend Easter Sunday church service in their vehicles, the group sued the liberal mayor giving the order, and the city.  A federal judge ruled Saturday that the church was right about their religious liberties being violated, permitted the establishment to hold drive-up service, and offered a firm rebuke of the mayor for attempting to "criminalize" the "celebration of Easter."  On Fire Christian Church sued Mayor Greg Fischer and the city on Friday [4/10/2020], arguing the mayor's order banning drive-up service was in violation of their First Amendment rights, particularly since the churchgoers would be practicing safe "social distancing" recommendations.  According to Courier Journal, U.S. District Judge Justin Walker wrote in a temporary restraining order:  "On Holy Thursday, an American mayor criminalized the communal celebration of Easter."

Illinois State Police Warn Worshippers Who Attend Church On Easter Sunday Could Face Charges, Including 'Reckless Conduct'.  The police said that they will not be storming churches that violate the governor's stay-at-home order, but that charges could come "down the line."  Gov. J.B. Pritzker's stay-at-home order prohibits all gatherings of ten people or more through April 30, including church services.  Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly announced the potential for charges on Thursday [4/9/2020].

Indiana Governor To Churches:  Worship As I Say Or Be Shut Down.  It is a fundamental aspect of constitutional law and historic American practice that no government may tell citizens how to worship.  How one worships is a sacred duty that our laws and traditions have reserved entirely to the individual's conscience, completely outside of the bounds of government interference.  Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, however, has decided that this natural right secured in both the Indiana and national constitutions is something he is allowed to waive.  Yesterday afternoon [4/9/2020], he demanded that churches perform services according to his edicts or be subject to government punishment.  His requirements are not only unconstitutional because they trespass on the constitutionally secured individual right to worship, they are discriminatory because they place restrictions on churches that do not apply to other organizations, groups of people, and establishments.  The governor is telling Christians how worship must be done and with stricter rules than for all other public gatherings.

Democrat Governor Recording License Plates Of Easter Sunday Churchgoers, Ordering Them To 14-Day Quarantine.  If you're attending a church service on Easter Sunday in Kentucky, the governor has ordered authorities to take down your license plate and report you to local health departments; you will then be ordered to a 14-day quarantine.  Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear "said local officials are being directed to record license plate numbers of participants to pass to local health departments," Kentucky.com reported Friday evening.  "Those who attend these gatherings can expect public health officials to show up at their doors with mandates that they self-quarantine for 14 days, the governor said."  "If you're going to expose yourself to this virus, it's not fair to everybody else out there that you might spread it to," the Democrat said Friday.  "Understand, this is the only way we can ensure your decision doesn't kill somebody else."

The Editor says...
This sounds to me like "an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

Democrat Kentucky Governor Announces Plan to Record License Plates of Easter Church Goers and Force Them to Self-Quarantine for 14 Days.  The state of Kentucky is cracking down on Easter weekend worshippers by recording the license plates of people who attend services and forcing them to "self-quarantine" for two weeks afterwards.  The action is to discourage people from attending services.  In a statement provided to the Gateway Pundit, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul slammed the governor's plan.  "Taking license plates at church?  Quarantining someone for being Christian on Easter Sunday?  Someone needs to take a step back here," Senator Paul said.

A Response to the Lockdown of Churches during Easter.  The fact is that for what may be initially benign motives concerning public health, Christian churches as well as the sanctuaries of other faiths have been emptied as surely as if a neutron bomb had gone off.  Their worship declared as nonessential, Christians instantaneously have been placed outside the cultural camp as surely as lepers have been in the past and present.  Long considered by the Left as inherently pestilential and dispensers of the opiate of the people, Christians now have been rendered virtually invisible and perhaps culturally ineffectual.  Now essentially jailed in their own homes, Christians (and others) have become imprisoned slaves to the state overnight, acceding ultimate authority to the state.  By taking away one of believers' most precious safeguards; namely, the right to worship freely without fear of state interference, the State has asserted its authority over every believer in America, effectively placing them under house arrest while fastening to them a metaphorical ankle bracelet of police surveillance.

Joe Biden Calls President Trump a "Boll Weevil" While Speaking at a Black Baptist Church in Mississippi.  Sleepy Joe Biden traveled to Jackson, Mississippi on Sunday and visited New Hope Baptist Church.  Biden spoke at the black church Sunday and ripped President Trump as a "boll weevil."

Campaigning in an all-black church:
Black church snubs Bloomberg as congregants stand, turn their backs.  Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg was snubbed Sunday by numerous congregants at a historically black church in Selma, Alabama.  According to a report in the New York Daily News, several members of Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church stood up and turned their back on Mr. Bloomberg as he was was speaking.  Images of the protests posted to social media showed at least eight congregants in several clusters standing with their backs facing Mr. Bloomberg.

Huh? US Bishop Believes Global Warming is More Dangerous than Abortion.  The Bishop of San Diego recently argued that "climate change" could be viewed as "uniquely preeminent in Catholic social teaching" because the potential death toll due to man-made temperature increases is "larger" than abortion and "threatens the very future of humanity."  In a speech titled "Conscience, Candidates and Discipleship in Voting," which Bishop Robert J. McElroy gave at the University of San Diego on February 6, 2020, the bishop suggested that Catholic voters need to get their priorities straight for the 2020 election.

Biden Wooed Iowa's Catholics, Despite His Own Shaky Standing With the Church.  Nominal Catholic Joe Biden, who has run into trouble with the Catholic hierarchy because of his history of support for abortion-friendly legislation, made a strong pitch to Catholic voters in Iowa, who make up 23 percent of the state's population.  However, because of delays in the reporting of the February 3 caucus voting caused by difficulties using a new smartphone app, it is unknown how effective Biden's — or the other candidates' — strategies were.

The Senate's Acquittal Is a 'Jim Crow' Cover-Up, Democrat Pastor Tells Black Caucus.  In a fiery speech to the Congressional Black Caucus on Tuesday [2/4/2020], Rev. William Barber — the black North Carolina pastor behind the Poor People's Campaign — compared the likely impeachment acquittal of President Donald Trump to Jim Crow-style "southern justice." [...] "The coordinated coverup we are witnessing as senators conspire to facilitate Trump's obstruction of Congress is deeply troubling to anyone who knows the history of Southern courthouses, where district attorneys openly coordinated with all-white juries and corrupt judges to cover up acts of racial terror," Barber declared.  "With patience and decorum, [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell has brought Southern justice to the United States Senate."  By "Southern justice," Barber meant the Jim Crow-style cover-up of Ku Klux Klan racial terrorism.

Huh? Joe Biden Says He was 'Raised in The Black Church'.  Joe Biden has told a lot of stories about his connection to black voters.  Back in 2017, he told a story about his younger days at a community pool with minority kids rubbing his hairy legs and jumping on his lap, which was all sorts of weird and creepy.  He told another good one on Sunday [1/26/2020] at an NAACP event where he claimed his "political identity" was molded by minorities back in his home state.  "I have a lot of black support because that's where I come from.  I was raised in the black church, politically, not a joke," Joe Biden said at the event in Des Moines, Iowa.

Marine Corps censoring Christian message on complaint of anti-faith group.  The Marine Corps' censorship of a private company's decorative "dog tags" with Bible verses is unconstitutional, warns a legal group threatening a lawsuit.  First Liberty Institute issued the warning in a letter to the Marines' trademark licensing office after it demanded that the company Shields of Strength stop creating the tags for which it is licensed.  "Your directive that SoS remove all Biblical references from its Marine Corps-licensed products is unconstitutional and violates [the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act law], said the letter to Jessica O'Haver, the director of the Marines' trademark office.  "Likewise, your directive on June 26, 2017, that purported to prohibit 'controversial passages that may offend some' is unconstitutional," First Liberty said.

Will Trump's Pentagon stand tall when atheists attack?  [Scroll down]  And then there's Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.  He is a fanatically anti-Christian atheist who has been on a crusade for years now to purge religion entirely from the United States military.  To Mikey, Christians in the military are "well-funded gangs of fundamentalist Christian monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in our nation's armed forces." [...] Perhaps you won't be surprised to learn that, back in 2013, after Major Nidal Hasan committed an Islamic-inspired terrorist mass murder at Fort Hood, the Obama administration invited Weinstein and his Military Religious Freedom Foundation to work with the military to clamp down on... Christian fundamentalism.

Rutgers professor tells student not to cite the Bible in essays because of the 'separation of church and state'.  A Rutgers University-New Brunswick professor told a student that he should not quote Bible verses in essays because of the "separation of church and state," Campus Reform reported.  The professor also added that the Bible "may not be for everyone" and its use in academic papers may be offensive to some, including "a Muslim or Jewish person."

Atheist Group Calls for IRS Investigation into Tax Status of Church Hosting Evangelicals for Trump.  An atheist group has written a letter to the Internal Revenue Service requesting an investigation into the El Rey Jesus Church in Miami, which is hosting Friday's Evangelicals for Trump kickoff event.  "The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation ("FFRF") on Tuesday demanded that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) take action and promptly investigate a Miami megachurch over a planned rally in support of President Donald Trump," Law & Crime reported.

The Editor says...
I guess it didn't bother them when Barack H. Obama campaigned in all-black churches. [1] [2] [3]  And they don't care when Bernie Sanders makes a campaign speech in a mosque. [4]  Or when the 2020 Democrats campaign in all-black churches. [5]  Or when Marianne Williamson consorts with witches. [6]  Or when Hillary Clinton campaigned in churches. [7]  Especially in all-black churches. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

A Liberal Order That Seeks To Shut Down Christian Charities Doesn't Deserve To Survive.  Even without full control over the government, the left has been aggressive in its use of government power against Christians who believe traditional teachings on human sexuality.  The left seems to target particularly those engaged in charitable work, rather than protecting them on account of their good works.  The left's legal wing is trying to compel Christian hospitals to perform abortions and sex-change surgeries, Christian schools to affirm same-sex relationships, and Christian charities such as women's shelters to pretend men can be women.  A purportedly serious Democratic presidential candidate wanted to tax dissenting Christian organizations, including churches, into oblivion.  The left won't even spare elderly nuns.  When the Trump administration ended Barack Obama's legal campaign against the Little Sisters of the Poor, various Democratic attorneys general made a point of continuing that unholy effort.

Pro-Abortion Pelosi's Convenient Catholicism.  Cafeteria Catholic Pelosi doesn't invoke her Christian conscience when she supports her caucus's abortion-until-birth infanticide policy, the ultimate separation of mother from child.  There is no worse brutality than what an unborn child feels at the hands of a surgeon's tools.  It is a fact that forceps kill more children than guns.  A detention center on the border or the deportation of those who have had their due process and have a deportation order lawfully issued by a judge doesn't even come close.  Pelosi did not respect faith-based communities and other organizations, such as her Catholic Church, when it came to Obamacare's attempt to force them and the institutions they administer to provide insurance that pays for abortions and contraceptives.  When it comes to Catholics and pro-life people acting on their religious conscience, she fights them quicker than you can say "Hobby Lobby."

Claremont nativity scene depicts Jesus, Mary and Joseph as refugees separated in cages.  A Methodist church in Claremont unveiled a Nativity scene Saturday night [12/7/2019] depicting Jesus, Mary and Joseph as refugees in cages, likening one of the most well-known images of the Christmas season to photos that have become synonymous with criticism of the Trump administration's border separation policies.  The display, which has stoked debate on the Facebook page of the church's lead pastor, shows classic Nativity figurines of Joseph and Mary in cages on either side of a cage containing the manger of Jesus.  "We see this as, in some ways, the Holy Family standing in for the nameless families," said the Rev. Karen Clark Ristine, the lead pastor at Claremont United Methodist Church.  "We've heard of their plight; we've seen how these asylum seekers have been greeted and treated.  We wanted the Holy Family to stand in for those nameless people because they also were refugees."

The Editor says...
Some variation of this canard is now a standard feature of at least one politically-active Methodist or Episcopal church (with a female "Reverend," of course) every year.  Joseph and Mary were not homeless.  They were traveling because of a government decree having to do with taxes.  They were not trying to sneak into another country.  They were not refugees.

It Can't Happen Here?  Muslim Organization Wants International Law Criminalizing Criticism of Islam.  The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is made up of 56 nations plus the Palestinian Authority, met Thursday in Jeddah and called for the adoption of an international law criminalizing criticism of Islam.  But that kind of law could never be adopted in the United States, could it?  Think again.  The OIC's secretary-general, Dr. Yousef al-Othaimeen, called upon the nations of the world, both Muslim and non-Muslim, to crack down on speech that was "insulting religions or prophets."  It was clear, however, that al-Othaimeen couldn't have cared less about speech insulting Christianity or Judaism or Hinduism or Buddhism or any of the revered figures of those religions.  He cared only about criticism of Islam.

Pope Francis Condemns 'Catastrophic Bombing' of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.  Pope Francis has condemned the "evil" bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, calling the attacks a "tragic episode in human history."  "I will soon visit Nagasaki and Hiroshima, where I will offer prayers for the victims of the catastrophic bombing of these two cities, and echo your own prophetic calls for nuclear disarmament," the pope told an assembly of the nation's bishops in Tokyo Saturday [11/23/2019] evening, shortly after his arrival in the country.

Francis Effect:  Catholic membership drops sharply in Argentina.  Pope Francis, who was widely reported to have been chosen for the highest office in the Catholic Church as a means of reinvigorating participation among Latinos, isn't quite working out the way they thought he would.  He was supposed to be the people's pope, with "the smell of the sheep" on him as he put it.  But all he's managed to do is become an advocate for the phony claims of socialism.  That may be the problem.

Pew: Religious Americans Distrust Clergy Advice on Climate Change.  A full 68 percent of U.S. adults who attend religious services at least a few times a year say they have "a lot" of confidence in the advice of their clergy on growing closer to God, yet just a small fraction of this number (13 percent) say they have this confidence when the topic is climate change, Pew found.

Discerning Climate Truth From Falsehood in Churches.  In recent decades, environmental issues have emerged as a major source of concern for our society.  Churches, except for a small percentage, have largely remained silent on how Christians should approach and even help overcome the environmental challenges.  As a result, Christians have remained susceptible to being deceived by unbiblical principles that demand subscription to radical environmental viewpoints, often antithetical to the biblical doctrines on our relationship with the creation.  These radical theories are often promoted as scientific theories.  In reality, they are merely predictive guesses, not hard truth based on solid evidence.  With no proactive discourses on such matters in the church, Christians tend to absorb the radical principles and make choices based on them.

Why Brooklyn's newest public art statue makes some think of ISIS.  A new public sculpture in Downtown Brooklyn of a massive arm with the index finger pointed skyward is drawing a wide range of interpretations as to its meaning — with some observers even noting its similarity to an infamous ISIS gesture. [...] Todd Fine, a city preservation activist, noted that the work bears a striking resemblance to an Islamic hand gesture for the concept of Tawhid — the oneness of God — which has been co-opted as a signal by international terror group ISIS.  "Given the sculpture's title and design, viewers will inevitably see the Muslim gesture representing Tawhid and the unity of God," said Fine of the $284,000, publicly-funded sculpture.  "This gesture became a core propaganda symbol for ISIS, but it has roots that are much deeper in Islam and monotheistic religion."

Lesbian Episcopal Priest Tapped To Head Major Abortion Group, Calls Abortionists 'Modern-Day Saints'.  The National Abortion Federation has announced that its new president and CEO is Katherine Ragsdale, a lesbian Episcopal "priest" and longtime abortion activist.  Ragsdale:  "Abortion providers are some of my personal heroes and modern-day saints.  It is an honor to be able to serve and support NAF members as they provide compassionate health care amid increasing attacks and challenges."

Bishops Stage Pro-Immigration Border Mass in Texas.  Bishops from the U.S. and Mexico held a highly political Mass at the border separating their two countries on Saturday morning, insisting in a statement that "there is no 'us' and 'them.'"  El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, a vocal pro-immigration advocate, celebrated the Eucharist together with Las Cruces Bishop Peter Baldacchino and Bishop Guadalupe Torres of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

Dick Morris on Hillary Clinton: 'She Feels That God Put Her on the Earth' to Run for President.  Sunday [10/27/2019] during "The Cats Roundtable" on New York AM 970 radio, political commentator and former Bill Clinton adviser Dick Morris discussed the upcoming 2020 presidential election.  Morris wondered aloud if "the ghost of Hillary Clinton" will jump into the race, saying she "feels entitled" to run and "feels that God put her on the Earth" to run.

The Editor says...
Hillary only mentions God when she hopes to advance her political career.

Thousands of witches to cast massive spell on Trump and his supporters.  At one minute before the stroke of midnight Eastern Time on Oct. 25, thousands of self-identified witches plan to simultaneously conduct a ritual meant to "bind" President Trump "and all those who abet him."  The practice has taken place monthly since Trump's inauguration, notes Michael Snyder on his End of the American Dream blog, but with Halloween approaching and an impeachment inquiry underway, it's getting renewed media attention.

Episcopal Church in America boycotts pro-Israeli companies.  The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church in America has decided to withdraw its investments in Motorola Solutions, Caterpillar and the Israel Discount Bank for benefiting from the Israeli occupation, media agencies reported on Friday [10/25/2019].  The Episcopal Church ban would prohibit investments in "any corporation that supports or benefits from the denial of human rights in or through the occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem or the Gaza Strip."

Atheists Call for Establishing Atheism as the National Religion.  During the Democrat debate this past week, the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) ran an ad where Ron Reagan said he is a lifelong atheist and isn't afraid of burning in Hell.  The ad landed Ron on the top spot on Google after the debates.  He said:  "Hi, I'm Ron Reagan, an unabashed atheist," "and I'm alarmed by the intrusion of religion into our secular government."  He's saying he objects to the over 84% of Americans who are religious injecting their beliefs into government policies.  Essentially, he's calling for the institution of his faith-based belief system, atheism, as a national religion in direct contradiction to the First Amendment.

Minnesota persecutes Christian couple.  [Scroll down]  They want to expand into making wedding videos and movies.  In keeping with their mission statement, they want to glorify God by focusing only on God pleasing marriages.  Since God defines homosexual acts as sinful in the Bible, these relationships cannot be God pleasing.  The Larsens should have the freedom to choose their clients in a way that fulfills their business plan.  (Note:  The Larsens are making no attempts to get homosexual relationships banned, or force their religious views on others.)  Minnesota disagrees and is using the power of the state to persecute the Larsens and other Christians.

U.K. Court Decision Affirms Transgenderism Is A Religion Of Complete Self-Worship.  Britain has a new state religion.  In theory, Christianity, in the form of the Church of England, is the established faith of old Blighty.  In practice, a new creed has taken its place, and it is eager to punish nonbelievers.  Consider the case of David Mackereth, an English doctor whose Christian faith has been officially declared impermissible.  Mackereth was fired for refusing to "'refer to a man six foot tall with a beard' as 'she.'"  A judge upheld his firing, declaring that "belief in Genesis 1:27, lack of belief in transgenderism, and conscientious objection to transgenderism in our judgment are incompatible with human dignity and conflict with the fundamental rights of others, specifically here, transgender individuals."  This ruling is part of a new religious establishment, complete with penal laws.

Nancy Pelosi's Prayers.  An ardent, prayerful, and moral Nancy Pelosi has been called from sitting for her holy-card portrait to lend her aid in getting the president impeached — and the nation torn apart in the process. [...] For a while now, the word "moral," or some form of it, has been Pelosi's go-to word.  Trump's efforts to secure the border are "immoral," but we're not sure why.  All restrictions on abortion are immoral, but Pelosi never offers to explain how.  Now impeaching Trump is a moral imperative — but she can't say where the virtue is in it.  Now it seems that "prayer" is crowding out "moral" for the favorite spot.

Defending Amy Coney Barrett against the Right.  During the debate over Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, a 1998 law-review article she co-authored came under scrutiny.  The Alliance for Justice, a left-wing group, used the article to suggest Barrett's religious views made her a threat to the rule of law.  Senator Dianne Feinstein infamously encapsulated the point by saying, "Dogma lives loudly within you."  Barrett was nevertheless confirmed in 2017.  Ever since then, she has been discussed as a potential Supreme Court nominee.  And so the criticism has been revived — but this time it is taking a more extreme form, and is coming from the right.  John Zmirak is, like Barrett, a Catholic.  But he believes the law-review article demonstrates an understanding of church and state both false and dangerous.

This is what happens when the state takes over the church:
Report: Communist China Replacing Ten Commandments With Quotes by President Xi.  Communist Chinese officials have forced one of the largest Protestant groups in the world, the government-sanctioned Three-Self Church, to remove all images of the Ten Commandments from its churches and replace them with quotes and pictures of authoritarian President Xi Jinping and former dictator Mao Zedong, according to Fox News.com.  The Chinese regime is cracking down on all religions and forcing them to implement — "sinicize" — the socialist teachings of the Communist Party into their faith and religious practices.

Angela Merkel's Toll on Germany.  [Scroll down]  Pope Benedict retired in 2013, the first pope to do so. [...] Benedict was replaced by Pope Francis, who has embraced all the fashionable loony lefty notions, chief of which of course is global warming.  Francis is also appointing mostly left wing cardinals.  Any conservative ones he is appointing will be over 80 by the time of the next convocation and thus ineligible to vote.

Why many Muslims treat Bernie Sanders like a rock star.  Sanders has maintained a fervent following as he campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination and tries to attract key voting blocs such as African Americans and Latinos.  He has found success among a smaller group rarely on the radar for White House hopefuls:  Muslims.  Other Democratic presidential candidates have visited mosques on the campaign trail this year or spoken to Muslim groups.  But Sanders has done it first and done it bigger, building on relationships with Muslim communities that took off during his previous presidential campaign, said Youssef Chouhoud, a political science professor at Christopher Newport University who studies the role of Muslims in politics.

Catholic Missionaries Compare Greta Thunberg to Virgin Mary.  The Maryknoll missionaries have thrown their support behind 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg, comparing her to the Virgin Mary.  "Christians getting their knickers all in a twist over the passionate, articulate & knowledgeable witness of Greta Thunberg because of her age seem to overlook the age of the Virgin Mary at the time of the Annunciation," the group wrote on Twitter.  "Young women can & have changed the world," they concluded.

Sharpton: 'I Still Can't Understand' Why Evangelicals, Christians 'Enthralled' to Trump.  Sunday, MSNBC "PoliticsNation" host Reverend Al Sharpton delivered a memo to President Donald Trump addressing his solution to solve homelessness in California.  Sharpton questioned Trump's Christianity for saying homelessness was bad for business, saying he "subverted the humanitarian called Jesus' message to nurse a political grudge against California."  He then said he does not "understand" how "avowed Christians" and "evangelicals" support the president.

The Editor says...
"Reverend" Sharpton prefers to align himself with the Abortion Party, and is no position to castigate evangelical Christians.

Yes, Local School Boards Can Pray Before Meetings.  It seems that the business of governing is always testy — fractious, even.  When a legislative body of any sort acts with unanimity, it is notable.  As reported by the New Hampshire Union Leader, the Nashua, New Hampshire Board of Education ("Nashua BOE") recently voted 7-0 to retain the practice of offering a prayer prior to its publicly meetings.  The unanimous vote is remarkable for an age in which division rules the day.  More remarkable, the Nashua BOE faced stiff opposition from an out-of-state group that routinely complains about the presence of any sort of religion in public.  This time, according to the Union Leader, the group sent not one, not two, but multiple letters — "once every six months for the past two years" — in an attempt to bully the Nashua BOE into ending the tradition of praying before a public meeting.

Rep. Ilhan Omar: 'God Expects Us To Do The Righteous Work' In Politics.  At a "Plight of Black Immigrants" forum, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a Muslim, suggested her god expects people to vote in a certain way.  "God expects us to do the righteous work," Omar said.  "And, so, god does not expect you to vote for people who will ultimately hurt you and other humans around you." [...] How likely is it that journalists will follow up on these comments by asking Omar in future interviews how, exactly, she thinks her god Allah influences her votes?

Biden Talks Racism On Anniversary Of Klu Klux Klan Bombing: 'Hate Is On The Rise Again'.  2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden warned against racism and white supremacy Sunday [9/15/2019], saying that "hate is on the rise again."  The former vice president spoke Sunday to a largely black congregation in memory of the 56th anniversary of the bombing at 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, according to CNN.

The Editor says...
Every day of the year is the aniversary of some long-forgotten event in the distant past that can be dug up and used as political leverage.

Marianne Williamson And Pete Buttigieg Are The New Proselytizers Of Politicized Religion.  James A. Pike, a bishop of the Episcopal Church active in the 1950s and '60s, was in many ways a footnote in modern American history.  Yet he was an influential media figure in his time, an agitator of radical religion and politics. [...] Pike used his celebrity to promote various left-wing social issues, including strong support for Planned Parenthood and the LGBT agenda.  At the same time, media outlets projected a positive image of him as a civil rights marcher and anti-war protester.

John Locke, Catholicism, and the American Founding.  In the summer of 1704, English philosopher John Locke began writing a response to a critic of his controversial treatise on religious freedom, A Letter Concerning Toleration (1689). It was, in fact, the third letter from Locke addressed to Jonas Proast, a chaplain at Oxford University, who insisted that government coercion in religious matters was necessary to preserve social order.  Locke fired back:  "Men in all religions have equally strong persuasion, and every one must judge for himself," he wrote.  "Nor can any one judge for another, and you last of all for the magistrate."

Black Church Sign in Birmingham, Alabama:  "A Black Vote for Trump Is Mental Illness, A White Vote for Trump is Pure Racism".  This is the left at work today in America — spewing hatred and racism while offering nothing.  A black pastor is defending a hateful sign displayed outside his Birmingham, Alabama Baptist church saying, "God motivates me to take a stand for what's right."

Vatican Caves to China's Demands on Bishop Appointments.  This week, Bishop Antonio Yao Shun was installed as Bishop of Jining in northern China.  There are thousands of Catholic bishops, but Shun's installment was a groundbreaking event.  Bishop Shun was approved by both the Vatican and the Chinese government.  In the past, the millions of Chinese Catholics have been divided between the state-sanctioned "Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association" and the underground and persecuted Catholic Church, which is loyal to the Vatican. [...] The Catholic Church in China will become an institution completely dependent on the approval of a regime that is virulently hostile to people of faith.

The Editor says...
[#1] It is no surprise that the Pope is running the Catholic Church like a business, doing whatever he must to stay in China and keep the business running.  [#2] Situations like this are exactly why the United States has a "wall of separation" between the church and the state -- to keep the state away from the church.

VA secretary rejects Obama religious expression rules: 'They did not know the makeup of the force'.  Robert Wilkie, the soft-spoken and managerial-minded secretary of Veterans Affairs, went public in a big way this summer when he said he refused to be "bullied" by a federal lawsuit claiming a Bible on display at a New Hampshire VA hospital violated the separation of church and state.  In an interview with The Washington Times in his office at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Mr. Wilkie said displaying a Bible in a VA hospital is a matter of liberty and that the Obama administration erred in trying to eliminate religious symbols from the veterans health care system.

Shameless Liz Warren Cites Scripture, Says God Called Her to Run for President.  This far left fraud has zero shame. ["]Never in a million years did I think I'd end up running for office, first for United States senator from Massachusetts, and now for president of the United States.  But the reason I did is I have been called to act.["]  [Video clip]

Sanders, Warren Ask Black Christians to Put Their Faith in Government.  In front of a crowd of black Christian millennials on Saturday, a pair of leading 2020 Democratic candidates asked the faithful to put their trust in the government.  Left-wing darlings Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) appeared back-to-back at a presidential forum put on by Black Church PAC, a day after three other Democratic hopefuls attended the same Young Leaders Conference in Atlanta.

Democrats inject politics into churches:
2020 Democrats inject faith into messages at black church PAC forum.  Five Democratic presidential candidates injected faith and bible verses into their messaging during a forum hosted by the Black Church PAC at a Christian conference outside of Atlanta.  "When two or more of us gather in his name, he is with us and we rejoice," Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said as she took the stage at the forum on Saturday [8/17/2019].  "The Bible, if it is about anything, it is about justice, it is about reaching out to people in need, it is about standing up to the wealthy and the powerful," said Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is Jewish.  "That's what this campaign is about."

The Editor says...
Senators Warren and Sanders, running for the nomination on the Abortion Party ticket, pretend to know the meaning of the Bible.

Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson arrested ahead of Portland 'Free Speech' demonstrations for 'rioting'.  The leader of a conservative group poised to hold "free speech" demonstrations in Portland, Ore., was arrested prior to the event on a charge of "rioting" that stems from an alleged incident in May.  Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson turned himself in to police late Friday [8/16/2019] and was out on bail within a few hours.  But he took to social media to highlight the fact that police in the city seem eager to levy alleged rioting charges against him while failing to act against far-Left Antifa demonstrators for committing acts of violence as well.

Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson arrested on eve of Portland, Ore., protests.  The leader of a conservative group was arrested Friday in Portland, Ore., one day before planned protests involving supporters of the far-left Antifa movement and supporters of several conservative groups.  Joey Gibson, leader of Portland-based Patriot Prayer, turned himself in to authorities in connection with an arrest warrant for rioting, stemming from a violent clash in the city on May 1, according to the Associated Press.  He was later released after posting bail, with further legal action pending.  In a video posted on Facebook, Gibson accused police of targeting conservative groups for arrests but not members of Antifa, even though masked Antifa supporters have been seen on videos engaging in violence during past protests.

The Bolshevik Takeover Of America Part II — Destruction Of Church And Family.  American pastors, priests, and rabbis betrayed their calling as truth tellers and community leaders en mass, rushing to become the virtue-signalers in chief, leading their flocks straight off the precipice of depravity.  All it took to fool them into compliance was a bit of verbal jujitsu attached to a few dollar bills.  In America, religious institutions are exempt from taxation as long as they refrain from political speech.  Now all it took was redefining the meaning of "political speech" and the Bolsheviks' dream of destroying religion in America could become reality.  Before, political speech was endorsement of parties, candidates, or political platforms.  Today, everything is political.  Object to the normalization of homosexuality?  Political speech, get audited.  Promote straight marriage?  Political again (though which party opposes gay marriage today?).

Five Democratic 2020 hopefuls to headline Atlanta conference with black church leaders.  U.S. Sen. Cory Booker; South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg; and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro are slated to speak at the Young Leaders Conference on Friday afternoon [8/16/2019] at the Georgia International Convention Center.  U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders will be interviewed onstage a day later beginning at 11:30 a.m., according to Black Church PAC, which is co-hosting the event.

Cory Booker: 'Bigotry Was Written Into Our Founding Documents'.  Sen. Cory Booker (D.-N.J.) said in a speech at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. on Wednesday [8/7/2019] that bigotry was written into the founding documents of the United States and that white supremacy has "always been a part of the American story."  "Bigotry was written into our founding documents.  Native Americans, in our Declaration of Independence, were referred to as savages," Booker said.

Kamala Harris, Cory Booker visit church led by pastor who called homosexuality a 'sin'.  Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker — who are ardent supporters of LGBTQ rights — attended services at a Las Vegas church led by a pastor who has described homosexuality as a sin, according to reports.  The Democratic presidential hopefuls separately attended services last week with the Rev. Robert Fowler Sr. at Victory Missionary Baptist Church, one of the state's largest black churches, according to The Hill.  Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, also a presidential contender, held a town hall at the church on July 6, but did not appear with Fowler or attend a service the pastor led.

The Editor says...
Political rallies at all-black churches are permissible, but only if they promote Democrats.

Sen. Thune:  Dems Using 'Religious Test' to Stop People of Faith from Serving in Office.  In remarks given to the Senate on Thursday about the confirmation of candidates for federal judgeships, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said some Democrats are using a "religious test" to try to prevent people, especially faithful Catholics, from serving in public office.  "Mr. President, as I said earlier, we confirmed two excellent judicial nominees this week, unfortunately, one ran into some Democrat opposition during the confirmation process because he was Catholic," said Thune on Thursday.  "That's right.  Apparently the fact that he takes his faith seriously enough."  The judge Senator Thune was referring to is Brian C. Buescher, a Catholic.  Buescher was recently confirmed by the Senate, on a party-line vote, to be a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska.

'Witches' for Marianne Williamson Launch 'Occult Task Force'.  A group of supporters of 2020 White House hopeful and Marianne Williamson has put together an "occult task force" in support of the spiritual guru; however, her campaign is none too pleased about the move.  In an interview with the Washington Post, the anonymous individual heading up the "task force" told the Jeff-Bezos owned newspaper that 13 witches, chaos magicians, and energy workers performed "gestures" in an effort to get Williamson more speaking time during Tuesday's Democrat presidential primary debate in Detriot, Michigan.

The leader of the Abortion Party pretends to know what God wants.
Pelosi: 'This Planet Is God's Creation and We Have a Moral Responsibility to be Good Stewards of It'.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave an address to the Ghanaian Parliament on Wednesday where she declared the "climate crisis" the "existential threat of our time" and said we have "a moral responsibility to be good stewards" of a planet that is "God's creation."  "To fully achieve environmental justice, we must combat the climate crisis — which is the existential threat of our time," Pelosi said.  "And it is a moral decision," Pelosi said.  "If you believe, as I do, and I believe the speaker does, that this planet is God's creation, and we have a moral responsibility to be good stewards of it, then we have to protect the planet.

The Editor says...
If Mike Pence had uttered the same words, the newspapers would have been screaming about a theocracy the next day.  There is no climate crisis.  There is no extraordinary global warming.  There is no need to curtail the use of hydrocarbons or to avoid the production of carbon dioxide.  If you turn off your television (permanently), you will have no perception that this year's weather is any different from last year's.  Global average temperatures go up and down at the rate of one or two degrees per century.  That is not an "existential threat."

2020 Democrats need to answer for their party's open religious bigotry.  The Senate confirmed Omaha attorney Brian Buescher last week to be U.S. District Court judge for Nebraska.  Not a single Democrat voted for him, despite his obvious qualifications.  And we know why.  Democratic Sens. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Kamala Harris of California sought to undermine his confirmation by arguing Buescher's Roman Catholic faith made him unfit for the job.  Their chief point of contention: that Buescher is a member of a shadowy, extremist group known as — the Knights of Columbus.  Sadly, Hirono's and Harris' bigoted insinuations are not outliers.  Their opposition to Buescher's nomination continues a trend of Senate Democrats suggesting Catholics ought to be excluded from holding public office.

Pete Buttigieg:  Wrong about Religion, Homosexuality, and Abortion.  Pete is said to be a "devoted" Episcopalian.  I'm not sure if that means he goes to church three times a week, tithes, and says grace at every meal.  Professor Gary Dorrien of Union Theological Seminary said, "In our time, the Episcopal Church is a generally progressive denomination that ordains gay and lesbian bishops, makes room for liberation theology."  The denomination wandered far into left field many years ago, as almost all groups do.  Their pews are empty, as are their offering plates, sure signs of coming death.  The flagship church in the Episcopalian denomination is the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.  One of their leaders invited a hundred Muslims to use the cathedral for Friday prayers, and the staff covered all crosses and anything that might offend the Islamists.  Officials have marched in "gay" pride parades.  The National Cathedral still in good standing with the denomination and is even the most famous in that group.

NJ High School Allows Muslim Proselytizing In Class.  Memorial High School in New Jersey has come under fire after it allowed two Muslim students to proselytize for their religion in multiple classrooms and allowed banners invoking the Muslim god Allah and urging students to celebrate Ramadan to be hung on school grounds. [...] "A public school district would never hang posters praying for Jesus Christ to shower students with love and wisdom," asserted FCDF Executive Director Daniel Piedra.  "Apparently the Left's notion of the so-called 'separation of church and state' only applies to Christians."

Jesuit Magazine Makes 'Catholic Case for Communism'.  The Jesuit flagship publication in the United States, America magazine, has published an article defending Marxism and comparing the murderous, atheist ideology to Christianity.  In "The Catholic Case for Communism," America writer Dean Dettloff says that the militant atheism of Marxist politics is "understandable" because "Christianity has so often been a force allied to the ruling powers that exploit the poor."

The Editor says...
Nobody exploits the poor like the governments of socialist countries, and the Catholic church.  The Vatican was built with the indulgences of the poor, and to this day, the Vatican is the ultimate destination for the nickels and dimes collected from some of the poorest people in the world. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Jesuits Rehabilitate Communism.  The Jesuit magazine America has published what it titles "The Catholic Case For Communism."  Author Dean Dettloff begins by criticizing a piece that Dorothy Day published in that same magazine in 1933, in which she talked about people being drawn to Communism out of admirable idealism, but failing to grasp that Communism wants to destroy the Church.

South Carolina city scrubs references to 'Lord' on memorial honoring fallen police officers.  A South Carolina city literally scrubbed the word "Lord" from a memorial honoring fallen police officers after receiving complaints.  The Tega Cay Police Department put up a memorial, donated by a civic group, to honor fallen officers.  It was similar to other memorials around the country, including Washington, D.C., but the city's attorney cautioned that because it doesn't have historical significance, it should be censored, FOX 46 reports.  All references to the Lord were removed.

Linda Sarsour's Tweets About Jesus Echo Claims of Numerous Palestinian Officials.  Controversial Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour ignited a kerfuffle on Twitter over the weekend by tweeting that Jesus was "a Palestinian."  After drawing strong reactions, she fell back to a position of saying there were "multiple truths" about Jesus — that he can be seen to have been both Jewish and a Palestinian.  The "Jesus was a Palestinian" claim is one frequently made by supporters of the Palestinian cause, for political purposes.  Sarsour kicked off the row with a Friday night [7/5/2019] tweet, saying, "Jesus was Palestinian of Nazareth and is described in the Quran as being brown copper skinned with wooly hair."

The Editor says...
[#1] The Koran/Quran is not a reliable source for truthful information about Jesus.  Or anything else.  [#2] The people who are called Palestinians today are the same people who were kbown as Philistines in the Bible.  [#3] Democrats love to make rash assertions about Christianity when they think it will benefit them politically.  Unfortunately, most Democrats are too poorly educated to challenge those assertions.

Florida Democrat Who Has Never Won An Election Declares Trump Supporters To No Longer Be Christians.  One of the more interesting revelations... and I choose that word carefully... over the past three years has been the assertion by NeverTrump, that a Christian who votes for Trump, no matter the reason, can't really be a Christian.  Though, presumably, a Christian who voted for Hillary Clinton was just fine.  This is because that Trump is so uniquely odious as a politician because  he let a woman drown to cover his drunk driving  of his hair style and mannerisms and, supposedly his serial infidelities (or so the thrice married Charlie Sykes and adulterous Joe Scarborough tell us) that no one's soul is safe who voted for him. [...] This nonsense is going to last as long as Trump is in office.  Maybe longer.

California Assembly Approves Resolution That Calls for Church Acceptance of LGBTQ.  The California State Assembly voted 9-2 to send to the state senate a resolution calling on "religious leaders to counsel on LGBTQ matters from a place of love, compassion, and knowledge of the psychological and other harms of conversion therapy."  While no one would argue with the aim of being more loving and more compassionate in our counsel of our fellow man, the people's representatives do not possess any authority in the arena of religious practice.

Pope Francis Urges Carbon Penalties to Avert Climate 'Catastrophe'.  Pope Francis warned of disastrous consequences if humanity does not immediately react to the threat of climate change, since the world has reached a "critical moment" and there is no time to waste.  "Dear friends, time is running out!" the pope told a group of participants in a Vatican-sponsored conference on energy transition Friday.  "We cannot afford the luxury of waiting for others to come forward or of prioritizing short-term economic benefits.  The climate crisis requires decisive action from us, here and now."

Yes, Democrats Have Removed 'So Help Me God' From House Committee Oaths.  The Democrats have continued their mission to root God out of the public square in the name of secularism by removing "so help me God" from the U.S. House of Representatives oath witnesses must take when testifying before several of the congressional committees, all of which are currently under Democratic control.

Jerry Falwell Comes Out Swinging at Pastor Who Prayed for Trump.  It all started when Franklin Graham, CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse, issued a plea to the nation to pray for President Trump. [...] The Bible commands Christians to pray for those in authority over us — the church I attend does it regularly, no matter the president — so it shouldn't be a stretch for any Christian or church to do so.  Whether or not we agree with the president and his policies, we are to pray for him (for the record, I said the same thing about Obama).  In reality, there should be no need for Graham or anyone else to call Christians to pray for Trump.  They should already be doing it.

Evangelical pastor apologizes for 'hurt' caused by praying for Trump during unscheduled visit.  The pastor of McLean Bible Church apologized for hurting some members of his congregation by praying for President Trump during an unscheduled visit.  Trump visited the northern Virginia church on Sunday on his way back to the White House during a golf outing.  His appearance at the church came the same day that evangelist Franklin Graham called for a special day of prayer for Trump.  Pastor David Platt said Trump's visit was unexpected and he didn't have time to think through his actions.

The Editor says...
Suppose the "pastor" did have time to think through his actions.  What would he have done differently?  Would a pastor refuse to pray for Mr. Trump (or anybody else) because he was unworthy of prayer?  Is the pastor leading a church or a left-wing social club?  Is the pastor a Christian, or just a Master of Ceremonies?

'So Help Me God' No More:  Democrats Give House Traditions a Makeover.  The witness rose from her seat, raised her right hand and swore to tell the truth before Congress.  But four words were missing:  "So help me God."  In the House of Representatives, to the winner go the spoils, and Democrats, the new decision makers, control everything, including what legislation gets a vote and the minutiae of procedural choices, such as whether witnesses must utter the traditional plea for divine aid.  Democratic chairmen and chairwomen of several key committees have deemed no such entreaty is necessary.  "I think God belongs in religious institutions:  in temple, in church, in cathedral, in mosque — but not in Congress," said Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.  What Republicans are doing, he continued, "is using God."  "And God doesn't want to be used," he said.

The Editor says...
I think God wants to be honored in public places.  I also think Mr. Cohen has no real concept of what God wants.

This Pope has been a political activist for years.
Pope gets political, doling out $500,000 for caravans.  Like a medieval pope, Pope Francis has decided that machiavellian meddling in global power affairs is a lot funner than merely shepherding the faithful and serving the poor.  He's taking a deep dive into politics to enact a particular policy result -- in this case, against U.S. interests and rule of law in general, by donating money for more caravan infrastructure. [...] His $500,000 donation to aid groups to support migrants from six caravans in Mexico still waiting to be admitted to the U.S. is clearly a bid to affect U.S. laws on immigration, keeping the pressure on President Trump to open the borders.  A fresh infusion of cash, of course, keeps the migrants from returning to their homes, which serves this aim.

The Editor says...
Where did the Pope get $500,000 to spend as he pleases?  If you are a Catholic, this is not a rhetorical question.  It came out of your pocket.

Doug Ducey Fires Back After Group Demands He Deletes Easter Post.  Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey responded after a secular organization demanded he delete an Easter message he posted on Facebook, citing a breach in the separation of church and state.  "We won't be removing this post.  Ever," Ducey tweeted Thursday [4/15/2019].  "Nor will we be removing our posts for Christmas, Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah, Palm Sunday, Passover or any other religious holiday."  "We support the First Amendment, and are happy to provide copies of the Constitution to anyone who hasn't read it," he added.

The Attacks on Christians and America's First Freedom.  The Christians who created America made religious liberty and freedom of conscience the foundation of all Americans' other freedoms.  In doing so Christians gave a great gift, not only to Americans but to people all over the world whose freedoms Americans have defended.  This America is now under attack.

DC Circuit rightly rules prayer in Congress is constitutional.  The D.C. Circuit unanimously upheld religious prayer in Congress last week, following a lawsuit that attempted to halt the tradition of opening House meetings with invocations to God.  While the lawsuit is unsurprising, it's still good to see federal judges maintain the authority of the First Amendment, specifically the much-contested establishment clause.  According to the opinion in Barker v. Conroy, "a member of the House asked the Chaplain, Father Patrick J. Conroy, to invite Daniel Barker, a former Christian minister-turned-atheist, to serve as guest chaplain and deliver a secular invocation.  Conroy denied the request, and Barker sued, alleging that Conroy unconstitutionally excluded him from the guest chaplain program because he is an atheist."

Alyssa Milano Quotes the Bible to Justify Abortion, Fails Miserably.  Without my consent, I was emailed a tweet from Milano making some odd point that she believes in God and loves God and then she pitted theology against science.  After ripping John 3:12 completely out of context, she decided that it was a good idea to hit the "tweet" button.

Buttigieg questions Trump's belief in God.  White House hopeful Pete Buttigieg raised doubts about President Trump's belief in God during an interview published Wednesday [4/3/2019].  The South Bend, Indiana, mayor discussed Mr. Trump's faith during a recent conversation with USA Today.  "I'm reluctant to comment on another person's faith, but I would say it is hard to look at this president's actions and believe that they're the actions of somebody who believes in God," Mr. Buttigieg told the newspaper.  "I just don't understand how you can be as worshipful of your own self as he is and be prepared to humble yourself before God.

Pope blames illegal migration to capitalist countries ... on capitalism.  Pope Francis was at it again, offering up a confused "narrative" about illegal immigration in his bid to hector Western nations seeking to control their lawless borders through the construction of border walls.  This time, his Marxist analysis of things got in the way of his theologically-charged argument, making him look like a V.S. Naipaul-style third-world boob.

Pennsylvania Muslim Lawmaker:  Prayer in Name of Jesus is "Islamaphobic".  Ibrahim Hooper, call your office: there was an outbreak of "Islamophobia" Monday at the Pennsylvania State Assembly.  Luckily, Muslim state Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell was there to blow the whistle on this bigotry and hatred.  The "Islamophobia," according to journalist Todd Starnes, was committed by another state Representative, Stephanie Borowicz, who prayed this to open a legislative session:  "Jesus, you are our only hope.  At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus, that you are Lord."  Johnson-Harrell was livid.  The prayer, she declared was "highly offensive to me, my guests, and other members of the House."  In a statement, she added that the prayer "blatantly represented the Islamophobia that exists among some leaders — leaders that are supposed to represent the people.  I came to the Capitol to help build bipartisanship and collaborations regardless of race or religion to enhance the quality of life for everyone in the Commonwealth."

The Editor says...
Apparently, Muslims are entitled to representation in the Pennsylvania Assembly, but Christians are not.

For Such a Time as This.  Marianne Williamson was in the pulpit at Bethel A.M.E. Church Sunday morning [3/24/2019], [...] However, the woman in the pulpit, who has been called Oprah Winfrey's "spiritual guru," had not come to the South Carolina lowlands as an author promoting her books, but rather as a candidate for the Democratic Party's 2020 presidential nomination.

Elizabeth Warren Explains Why God Sends Some People to Heaven and Others to Another Place.  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D.-Mass.) explained at a townhall meeting sponsored by CNN in Jackson, Miss., on Monday night [3/18/2019] how God picks some people to go to heaven and others to go to another place.  She did this after she was asked by moderator Jake Tapper what role faith plays in her life.

Mother who sought sanctuary in church basement is still there 2 years later.  Nearly two years ago Juana Tobar Ortega was ordered back to Guatemala by federal authorities, but that was not an option for the mother of four who arrived in the U.S. illegally 25 years ago.  Instead she packed up her belongings and headed to St. Barnabas Church near her Greensboro, North Carolina home, seeking sanctuary.  She has been there ever since.

When the lying baby-killers get to Judgement Day, THEN they'll have a problem.
Liberal Analyst:  White Democrats Have a God Problem.  Unlike Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, Barack Obama, and even Hillary Clinton — who all invoked God in their presidential announcement speeches — the new batch of Democrat presidential wannabes avoided any mention of the divinity except to warn Americans how religion can be used to divide people.

Did Pope Francis Really Reconcile Christianity with Islam?  On February 4, 2019, Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, grand imam of Al-Azhar, signed a "Document on Human Fraternity For World Peace and Living Together ('Doc')." [...] [I]n Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where this Doc was signed, Catholic churches can operate freely, although Islam is the official religion of that country.  It should be noted that apostasy laws are in effect, so no Christian organizations can try to win converts, and conversion is punishable by death.  Would any honest observer consider this an environment of reconciliation?

Hillary Clinton's Fake Southern Accent Returns, 'When That Spirit is Breathed Into Them!'  Hillary Clinton's fake southern accent is back and it's worse than ever.  On Sunday [3/3/2019] twice-failed presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton spoke at a historic black church in Selma, Alabama for an anniversary event of the 1965 "Bloody Sunday" march from Selma to Montgomery.  Hillary invoked her fake accent as she told the crowd at Brown Chapel, "Oh, this is the day the Lord has made!  Let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Oh!"

Supreme Court declines to hear case involving grants to churches.  The Supreme Court will not take up a case involving whether houses of worship in New Jersey can be awarded taxpayer-funded grants for historical preservation, letting stand a lower court ruling that determined they could not.  At issue in the case are historic preservation grants awarded by Morris County, New Jersey, to 12 churches between 2012 and 2015.  The grants are funded by a county tax dedicated to historic preservation.

Kavanaugh slams 'pure discrimination' against churches as court declines to hear religious liberty case.  The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case about whether churches or other religious institutions in New Jersey are entitled to public funds for historic preservation.  The ruling involved a four-year-long battle in Morris County over whether county money should be used to repair historic churches.  The New Jersey State Supreme Court ruled last year that the county could not continue to give historic preservation grants to 12 churches.  For years, Morris County had been giving churches money to make aesthetic and structural repairs to historic churches under a historic preservation program.  In 2015, a county freeholder objected, arguing that taxpayer funds should not be used to repair places of worship.

Violating the Confessional Will Make Bad Catholics and Bad Americans.  California legislators want to force Catholic priests to break the sacramental seal of confession and reveal what penitents disclose in cases of suspected child abuse or neglect.  Senate Bill 360 by Jerry Hill of San Francisco would achieve this by designating priests — and all clergy, in fact, regardless of religious affiliation — as "mandatory reporters" of such crimes.  The brazenness of this proposed law is breathtaking.  We all know that California lawmakers are basically allergic to reality, but it's distressing to contemplate that, at best, they have never heard of the First Amendment's free exercise clause, or, at worst, they hate and want to gut it.

Not African at All.  We are all familiar with the track record of African-Americans in voting for the Democratic Party.  In many elections the ratio is comfortably above ninety percent.  If the Episcopal Church was once described as "The Republican Party at prayer", certainly the African-American church for the last fifty years could be described as "The Democratic Party at prayer."  In practical terms, what this means is that the black community has marched in lock-step with the agenda of that party:  abortion, same-sex marriage, normalizing transgenderism, secularized education, and the like.  The results of this dogmatic one-sided commitment to the progressive vision:  one-third of African-American children will be aborted; seventy percent of African-American children are born out of wedlock; only 15-20 percent will reach their teenage years in two-parent families.  But here is where it gets ironic:  blacks are the most church-attending ethnic group in America.

Dem Rep. Bobby Rush-Linked Entity [was] Given $3 Million in Gov't Grants Last Year.  An entity linked to a church founded by Illinois Democratic representative Bobby Rush received $3 million in taxpayer-backed government grants last year, according to records.  Rush established the Beloved Community Christian Church, a Chicago-based non-denominational church, in 2002 after paying $800,000 for its site with the backing of a $500,000 loan secured from the New City Bank.

George Washington letter on God and the Constitution surfaces.  A letter on God and the Constitution written by George Washington is up for sale after spending decades in a private collection.  The letter to Richard Peters, speaker of the Pennsylvania House, is signed Sept. 7, 1788, and praises God for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.  Written a week after Washington told Alexander Hamilton that he would likely accept calls to assume the presidency, the letter came at a time when the Constitution was under attack.  Some states wanted to hold a second Convention that may have undermined the Constitution.

Cardinal Dolan Battles Andrew Cuomo over Abortion Law.  New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan has entered into a sparring match with Governor Andrew Cuomo over recently enacted abortion legislation, accusing the governor of "hiding behind labels" rather than debating facts about abortion.  Cardinal Dolan, the archbishop of New York, took issue particularly with a February 6 op-ed in the New York Times in which Mr. Cuomo said that the "religious right," including Dolan, was "spreading falsehoods about abortion laws to inflame their base."

Woke Evangelicals:  Cultivating Victimhood, Vanquishing Conscience.  With astonishing speed, the evangelical world has been invaded by social justice ideology.  In a recent podcast, the current president of the Southern Baptist Convention (until now a theologically conservative body), J.D. Greear, highlighted "white privilege" as a serious moral issue for Christians.  Likewise, David Platt, former president of the SBC's International Mission Board, browbeat evangelicals for having too much of the same skin color:  "Why are so many of our churches so white?"  At another historically conservative denomination, the Presbyterian Church of America, things are not any better.  Its institution and my own alma mater, Covenant Seminary, hosted a conference on race whose onetime director was a Black Lives Matter activist.  Furthermore, the seminary and the PCA denomination as a whole have been embroiled in controversy over the Revoice Conference, which promotes the idea of LGBT victimhood.

Cardinal Dolan will NEVER Excommunicate His Buddy Gov. Andrew Cuomo.  For Christian pro-lifers still reeling in shock that Democrat New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law new rules that permit babies to be aborted up to the day of birth, Dolan is an elephant sitting on their hearts and souls.  "When asked whether New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) should be formally excommunicated from the Catholic Church because he signed into law new rules that permit babies to be aborted up to the day of birth — what one bishop has called "infanticide" — New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan said such a step "would be counterproductive."  It would give "ammo to our enemies," he added.

Catholic Church Leaders Are a Bunch of Cowards.  Catholic leaders have become cowards preferring to look the other way when the rich and powerful pull out their wallets.  Have the Kennedys been sterling examples of the faith?  Do pro-abortion Democrat Catholics have the nerve to blatantly receive the Holy Eucharist because they know the priest won't dare refuse them?

Pope Francis declares neutrality on Venezuela.  Imagine Pope John Paul II openly declaring he wouldn't take sides in Poland, as the showdown between Solidarity's hugely popular freedom fighters, and the detested Jaruzelski communist military regime came to a head.  What a coincidence.  In Venezuela, that same sort of sort of conflict over communism and freedom is happening, the world is choosing sides, a pope from the actual region is there, and Russia remains the same malevolent puppetmaster in the background.  The difference is now we seem to have a pope who's abdicated his moral authority, saying he's not about to take sides, and all because he's concerned about 'violence.'  He didn't specify who was doing the violence, but it's obvious enough to the rest of us.

Kirsten Gillibrand Gets Awkward While Preaching At Church.  Presidential hopeful Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) got awkward last week while preaching at Al Sharpton's National Action Network's King Day Public Policy Forum on Martin Luther King Jr.  Day.  "We will wear the belt of truth because we know the truth," Gillibrand yelled to the crowd while making awkward gestures.  "We speak truth to power.  We will put on the bright breastplate of righteousness because we know right from wrong."  "And we will not forget it," Gillibrand continued.  "We will hold that shield of faith, as Dr. King said, faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.  So hold on to that faith tightly."

The Editor says...
Imagine the news media uproar if President Trump had used those same words in a speech.

The Democratic Party's Holy War on Christian Orthodoxy.  [Scroll down]  It's true that the Constitution explicitly states that a federal government officeholder or employee can't be required to adhere to or accept any particular religion or doctrine as a prerequisite to holding a federal office or job.  But it's also true that the clause directly preceding that clause requires every federal and state official to take an oath to support the Constitution.  Rejecting someone over his faith alone is unquestionably a religious test.  Merely asking a nominee whether her beliefs might stop her from fulfilling her constitutional duties is a relevant question.  For many liberals, though, the problem is that the beliefs of many Catholics and other adherents of various Christian theologies — or, for that matter, Jewish ones, as well — are increasingly undermining progressive ideals, not constitutional ones.

Catholics [are the] latest target of Dem ire.  Just a few weeks ago, Feinstein's fellow Californian, presidential candidate Kamala Harris, asked yet another Catholic judicial nominee, "Were you aware that the Knights of Columbus opposed a woman's right to choose when you joined the organization?"  In other words, do you now or have you ever espoused the bedrock tenets of your faith?  These people no longer even try to disguise their contempt for Roman Catholics.  That's one of the lessons of Covington Catholic.  Their bigotry is just out there, in the open.

In apparent shot at Trump, Pope says 'builders of walls' sow fear and divide.  Pope Francis has taken another shot at wall-building politicians, telling thousands of Catholics in Panama gathered for World Youth Day that "builders of walls sow fear" and "divide people."  "We know that the father of lies, the devil, prefers a community divided and bickering," Francis told a crowd of tens of thousands of youth Thursday night [1/24/2019] at a seaside park in Panama City.

The Editor says...
Yes, walls separate people.  In most cases, they separate good people from bad people.

Wisconsin Judge Rules in Favor of Religious Freedom.  A county judge in Wisconsin ruled last month that the city of De Pere's nondiscrimination ordinance infringed on the right of religious freedom, granting a victory to five churches and a religious broadcaster which brought a legal challenge against the statute.  In late 2017, De Pere adopted a nondiscrimination ordinance that, among other issues, addressed "gender identity and sexual orientation in housing, employment, advertising, and public accommodation," according to World magazine.  The new policies were to apply to all "places of public accommodation."  Five churches and a local religious broadcaster challenged the ordinance.  The plaintiffs' complaint argued that the city's ordinance differed from similar statutes in other states as "the De Pere ordinance does not clearly exempt religious organizations."

Gabbard-Hirono clash shocks Hawaii.  The Hawaii delegation in Congress has long been known as one of the most tightly-knit in Washington, but that tradition was shattered this week when Rep. Tulsi Gabbard publicly criticized fellow Democrat Sen. Mazie Hirono's questioning of a judicial nominee.  Gabbard, who announced Friday [1/11/2019] that she has decided to run for president in 2020, made headlines and provoked an irritated response from Hirono earlier in the week by implicitly accusing the senator and other Democrats in an op-ed published in The Hill of having "weaponized religion for their own selfish gain" in their questioning.  While Gabbard did not mention Hirono by name, her fellow Hawaiian clearly saw the op-ed as friendly fire.

Progressive Indoctrination in Church.  I became aware that the "Head Start" program for preschool children is not simply preparation for elementary school work when this federally funded program trickled into a church in Maine during Sunday School.  I was music director at the time (the 1980s), and the choir gathered in the church's assembly hall before the start of each Sunday service, as children gathered for their Sunday session.  Wittingly or not, the church had allowed a de facto collusion between secular and sacred teaching.  Unsuspecting families were in fact exposing their children to ideas more in line with paganism than with Christianity.  It was a subtle form of indoctrination.  I was not amused when I saw, among the children's playthings, dolls of both sexes that were "anatomically correct."  Parents who might justifiably object to this public display of what was formerly a private matter were out of luck.  Unmistakable evidence of tampering with Christian doctrine came during the Sunday School lessons.  Children were being made to understand that Jesus was not at all different from you or me, that He was simply an extra-nice and loving man.  The Christian tenets that He is the Son of God, divine, and without sin were details left out of the narrative.

The left gets closer to stifling public expressions of faith.  Quick,somebody please remind Democratic Senators, Kamala Harris and Mazie Hirono, that they're members of what's supposed to be the tolerant party.  Based on the bigoted questions they recently posed to a judicial nominee, they may think that Democrats are the heirs of the anti-Catholic Know Nothing party.  Senators Harris and Hirono challenged federal judicial nominee Brian Buescher about his affiliation with the Knights of Columbus, an international Catholic charitable organization with nearly 2 million members.  What, specifically, are the senators upset about?

The Outrageous Assault on the Knights of Columbus.  [Scroll down]  What Kamala Harris is suggesting is that membership in a 2 million-strong, 136-year-old Catholic social organization disqualifies an individual from the federal bench.  She was joined in this line of questioning by Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii.  The even worse news is that plenty of Senate Democrats agree with them.  They've adopted a strategy of interrogating President Trump's judicial nominees about Catholic beliefs and associations.  It began in September 2017 when Dianne Feinstein told Amy Coney Barrett, now confirmed to the Seventh Circuit, "The dogma lives loudly within you, and that's a concern."

How the Left Appropriates Christianity.  This mess at our southern border is stirring up the Sunday-school wannabes again, and as a Christian and a conservative I am getting tired of being schooled by liberal Christians and nonbelievers about what my opinions should be, about what Jesus would do. [...] For instance, one shouldn't quote the Golden Rule to defend socialism, when the first thing a socialist country does is outlaw the Bible — don't liberals know the history here?

The war on hope.  From the Boy Scouts to the Knights of Columbus, it's open season on anything that doesn't fit the cracked new world of socialism and sexual anarchy that "progressives" are fashioning for us all.  New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and California Sen. Kamala Harris are in the running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.  They are writing off a significant portion of the Catholic vote even before their campaigns get underway.

These two Democratic senators are waging a bigoted campaign against Catholics.  Senators Kamala Harris and Mazie Hirono (Democrats of California and Hawaii, respectively) are challenging the nomination of Brian Buescher to the US District Court for Nebraska because he belongs to a religious organization that takes positions they describe as "extreme."  Which organization?  The Knights of Columbus.  KOC, a philanthropic social group founded in 1882, is the world's largest Catholic fraternal organization.  It has 2 million members who have raised more than $1.5 billion for charity in the past decade.

The Editor says...
Helpful hint:  Catholic = pro-life, and abortion is a vital plank in the Democrat platform.

Litmus test:
Dem senators to judicial appointee:  Why did you join the extremist Knights of Columbus?  Nearly 160 years after the party disbanded, Know-Nothingism lives surprisingly well in the Democratic Party.  Last year it emerged when Sen. Dianne Feinstein expressed her fear that Amy Coney Barrett's Catholic "dogma lives loudly within you" in Barrett's confirmation hearing.  Now two other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have demanded to know why another Catholic judicial nominee joined a group with "extreme positions," a story first picked up over the weekend by Catholic News Agency's Ed Condon.

Scripture Scholar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, SJW.  Following in the footsteps left by Elizabeth Warren's moccasins, this past Hanukah, while speaking to a Jewish group, Alexandria announced her Jewish ancestry.  Weeks later, for Christmas, AOC got in touch with her Catholic roots when she compared Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, asleep in a manger, to the hordes of unrestrained refugees illegally forcing their way across America's southern border. [...] Conveniently, Ocasio-Cortez left out the part [in the Biblical account] about Christ being born in Bethlehem after Joseph and Mary returned home to participate in a census. [...] When cherry-picking for someone, anyone to support her weak argument, Alexandria selected a renowned liberal left-wing priest whose article compared Jesus's family fleeing to Egypt to avoid Herod's edict to slaughter male babies with refugee children escaping Central America in the arms of felonious parents.

Pope's 'can't we all just get along' Christmas message falls flat on Venezuela.  As usual, Pope Francis disappoints.  At his Urbi et Orbi Christmas message to the world, he pretty much suggested that anyone in the West who doesn't want unvetted migrants or who does want any legal process for immigration is a bigot, someone who has a problem with people simply because they are different.  As if melting-pot America had anything to be scolded for on that front, given that most of us can name six or seven ancestral nationalities, and the fact that millions of people of all nationalities still migrate here legally, I guess to jump in and enjoy all that supposed bigotry.

Dems accused of 'religious bigotry' for questioning Trump court pick's Knights of Columbus ties.  Following questions from multiple Democratic senators over the impartiality of Trump judicial nominee Brian Buescher and his ties to the Knights of Columbus, a charitable Roman Catholic organization, Republicans and various religious leaders hit back Monday [12/24/2018] against "religious bigotry."  "This isn't just about the Knights of Columbus or Catholics, this is an ongoing attack from the extremist left of the Democratic Party to silence people of faith and run them out of engaging in public service based on their religious beliefs," Penny Nance, the president of Concerned Women for America, a Christian women's activist group, said in a written statement.  "It is pure and simple religious bigotry," Nance added.

Witchcraft moves to the mainstream in America as Christianity declines, and has Trump in its sights.  Witchcraft is thriving in the US, with an estimated 1.5 million Americans now identifying as witches — more than the total number of Presbyterians.  As Christianity declines across the country, paganism has swung to the mainstream, with witchcraft paraphernalia for sale on every high street and practises normalised across popular culture.  In the past two years, it has also become darkly politicised.  Dakota Bracciale, a 29-year-old transgender/queer witch and co-owner of Catland Books and witch shop in Brooklyn, is pleased with the outcome of the ritual hex placed on US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in October.  The curse, carried out from Catland Books, was well attended by witches, atheists ad humanists — and was followed around the country on social media.

Government Pays Nation of Islam to Proselytize in Prisons.  It would be nice if the federal government would pile up our money in a giant mountain and set it on fire.  Or at least, it would be an improvement over using it to pay Nation of Islam goons to radicalized prison inmates with their vociferously hostile ideology. [...] Even regular Muslims are less antagonistic than the Nation of Islam variety.  Farrakhan et al. hate us not only for being infidels, but explicitly also for being white.  Nation of Islamaniac Verbon Muhammad of Monroe, Louisiana, whom our government gave over $60,000 to provide "religious services," confirms, "We don't allow white people in our meetings, period."

The left thumps the [B]ible to promote illegal immigration.  The open-borders crowd is running out of arguments for unvetted, cartel-financed illegal immigration.  Congresswoman-Elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has already hit bottom by bringing up Hitler.  With Godwin's Law operative now, the debate is actually over.  Leftists, however, don't take "no" for an answer, so now they're bringing up baby Jesus, which is quite a low blow, given that they're using the Savior, or God himself, as a means of promoting illegal immigration as a policy.  Can you say "inappropriate"? [...] Will we see more of this as illegals flood our borders and try to game our immigration laws instead of come here legally?  You can bet they will.  Just don't call this religious; it's pure crude politics.  You'd think the pope, at least, would know better.

Louis Farrakhan Is Getting Cash From U.S. Government.  Our federal government has been paying the Nation Of Islam led by Louis Farrakhan to teach religious study programs in federal prisons.  Per the Washington Examiner, "the Nation of Islam and its leaders have received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the U.S. government since 2008.  Its leaders have received at least $364,500 in contracts and awards from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Justice between fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2019.

The Gospel According to Nancy:  No Borders, Kill Babies.  Summarizing her and Chuck Schumer's meeting with Trump, she told the media, "I myself thought we should open the meeting with a prayer, which I did.  I told him about King Solomon, when he was to become king of the Jews, he prayed to God, he said:  'I need you to give me great understanding and wisdom, Lord.'"  King Solomon is Pelosi's favorite Bible character, especially because he proposed solving a problem by cutting a baby in half.  Now Sister Nancy's praying for Trump to keep the government open so federal employees can finish their Christmas shopping.  It's an axiom that if a conservative says his faith informs his political decisions, he'll be condemned for establishing a state religion, while liberals get to veer back and forth over the church-state centerline as freely as those motorists who love to text while driving.

Houston Mayor Creates Holiday To Honor CAIR.  In a stunning act of ignorance and stupidity, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner proclaimed an annual day to celebrate the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) by making December 9, 2018, "CAIR-TEXAS, Houston Day".

Does Freedom of Religion Mean Satanic Displays in State Capitols?  In the Illinois Capitol Rotunda this month, several traditions are being celebrated.  We find a nativity scene for Christmas; a menorah for Hanukkah; and, alongside these displays, an arm holding an apple, with a snake coiled around it.  This snake sculpture is a gift from the Chicago branch of The Satanic Temple.  Called "Snaketivity," the work also has a sign that reads, "Knowledge Is The Greatest Gift."  This revolting travesty is a result of decades of decisions pertaining to the non-establishment of religion asserted in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Subversive Congresswoman Swears to "Transform Our Democracy".  Communist/Democratic Socialist Ilhan Omar, who appears to have married her brother while married possibly as part of an immigration scam, plans to bring 'resist' to congress to 'transform' the USA through legislation in order to "transform our government and our democracy". [...] Omar recently got the House to change 181 years of tradition and will be allowed to wear her headgear into the Chamber whereas Jews have not been allowed to wear yarmulkes.  What happened to separation of church and state?

Air Force Grants Beard Waiver to Muslim Airman.  An airman from the 821st Contingency Response Support Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, California, can now wear a beard in keeping with his Muslim faith, thanks to a recently granted religious accommodation waiver, service officials said.  Travis Air Force Base officials had previously said Staff Sgt. Abdul Rahman Gaitan was the first Muslim airman to receive such a waiver.  But Capt. Carrie Volpe, an Air Force spokeswoman, told Military.com Nov. 27 that Gaitan was the sixth airman to receive such a waiver.  One additional waiver has been granted since Gaitan was given the OK, and an eighth waiver is currently being processed, Volpe said.

Andrew Gillum to Hold 'Count Every Vote' Rally at Broward County Church Sunday Evening.  One day after un-conceding the election, defeated Democrat candidate for Florida governor Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum will hold a rally at a Broward County church Sunday evening [11/11/2018] sponsored by leftist political groups in support of the recount efforts that could upend the election day victory of Republican candidate Ron DeSantis.  The rally is being called, "Count Every Vote:  A Faith Response to the Florida Recount".

Gillum confident 'souls to the polls' will give Democrats the early-vote advantage.  Andrew Gillum couldn't move.  The Democratic mayor of Tallahassee hoping to be Florida's next governor stepped off his bus in Miami into a throng of 300 sweaty revelers ready for a "souls to the polls" march on the final day of early voting in South Florida. [...] Registered Democrats entered the day trailing registered Republicans in early-vote totals by a slim 28,000 vote margin, and the last-minute push by Gillum and Democrats across the state focused on black churches could give Democrats a tiny advantage in registration totals heading into Election Day.

Controversial filmmaker Michael Moore claims Pope Francis told him 'capitalism is a sin'.  Pope Francis apparently told US filmmaker Michael Moore that capitalism is a sin and that the 'poor must always come first' when they met recently in the Vatican City.  Michael Moore, 64, told Late Night with Seth Meyers that he met the Pope two weeks ago and he made the comments when Moore asked him about income inequality.  'I went to the weekly audience, and then he asked to speak to me privately.  It was an amazing moment, and I asked him if I could ask him a question,' Moore said.

Catholic Bishops Call for Urgent Action Against Climate Change.  Six presidents of continental bishops' conferences have signed an appeal calling on government leaders to take immediate action to overcome the "devastating effects of the climate crisis," the Vatican reported Friday [10/26/2018].  In their appeal, the bishops summon politicians to work towards an ambitious implementation of the Paris Climate Accord, which urges policies aimed at limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

George Soros and his 'rented evangelicals' outed by Christian leaders.  A new video from the American Association of Evangelicals reveals how George Soros, through his many funding ventures, has been busily infiltrating the Christian base in America to divide, and ultimately conquer, the religious minded within the Republican Party.  Truly, with the left, political wars know no bounds.  Nothing's sacred; not when it comes to the leftists' drive to succeed.

It's bad that the DOJ is investigating the Catholic Church.  It's worse that the Church made that necessary.  These are dark days for the Catholic Church, particularly in the United States.  Of Pennsylvania's eight Catholic dioceses, seven reported receiving subpoenas this week from the Justice Department, marking a major development in the state's growing involvement in the clergy sex-abuse scandal. [...] For any American, the idea of the Justice Department launching a state-wide investigation into a major religion should set off alarms.

Brooklyn witches place hex on Brett Kavanaugh.  The Witches of Bushwick upheld their promise to "hex" Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday night, carving his name into a black candle, dousing it in "Revenge Oil" and then setting it on fire in a private ceremony in the Brooklyn neighborhood.  The goal was "exposing the fact that he's a crook," explained witch Dakota Bracciale, 29.  "I mean if his [...] shrivels up and falls off, great, but I don't think that's something realistic to hope for."

Louisiana Police Department Stops Their Prayer Vigils Over Freedom From Religion Foundation Complaint.  The Shreveport police department announced it will stop hosting prayer vigils after the Freedom From Religion Foundation claimed they violated the constitution.  The FFRF sent a formal complaint August 24 to the police department, asserting that by hosting prayer vigils the police department "prefers religion over nonreligion" and therefore violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.  The organization also demanded that the police department cease its chaplaincy program.  City Attorney William Bradford responded to the complaint saying that while the police department will stop hosting prayer vigils and simply allow officers to attend other vigils independently, they will not stop their chaplaincy program.

The Annals of Incivility.  On the incivility front, the enraged rage.  There are no limits.  No bounds.  No rules and no constraints.  Unfortunately, it isn't even funny anymore.  It's a direct threat to democratic institutions.  Kevin Williamson reports on what he calls "The Witches of Bushwick," a group of witches, duh!, that has joined together to cast spells and to utter mindless incantations for the sole purpose of causing Bret Kavanaugh to suffer.  Tell us about the party of love and empathy.

Atlanta forced to pay $1.2 million to fired Christian fire chief.  In a big victory for freedom of religion and speech, the Atlanta city council agreed to pay former fire chief Kelvin Cochran $1.2 million in damages and attorneys' fees for firing him after he wrote a book expressing biblical views on sex and marriage.

Witches to Hex Justice Kavanaugh in Occult Ritual in NYC.  Witches plan to place a public hex on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh through an occult ritual on Oct. 20 in New York City, an event sponsored by Catland Books, which describes itself as "Brooklyn's premiere occult bookshop & spiritual community space."  The planned ritual has been advertised on Facebook.  "Please join us for a public hex on Brett Kavanaugh, upon all rapists and the patriarchy at large which emboldens, rewards and protects them," reads the description for the event, "Ritual to Hex Brett Kavanaugh."

Democrat Witches to Hex Justice Kavanaugh in Occult Ritual on Saturday.  Democrat witches and cult members will meet in Brooklyn on Saturday [10/13/2018] to hex Justice Brett Kavanaugh.  The hex will also include all rapists and the patriarchy.  Democrats don't even hide their evil anymore.

National Council of Churches urges Kavanaugh's nomination be withdrawn.  The National Council of Churches, a partnership of 38 Christian faith groups in the United States, is urging for Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination to be withdrawn, citing his temperament and demeanor before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.  "Judge Kavanaugh exhibited extreme partisan bias and disrespect towards certain members of the committee and thereby demonstrated that he possesses neither the temperament nor the character essential for a member of the highest court in our nation," read a statement released by the council Wednesday [10/3/2018].

Pelosi: I'm Praying for 'Divine Intervention' to Stop Kavanaugh.  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said Friday [9/28/2018] she is praying for "divine intervention" to stop Brett Kavanaugh from reaching the Supreme Court.  Pelosi spent much of her press briefing addressing the controversy surrounding the explosive Senate Judiciary Commitee hearing where Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of sexual assault, testified on Thursday.

The Editor says...
It's always puzzling to hear a lying, baby-killing Democrat invoking prayer and asking for divine intervention to advance his or her political ambitions.

School faces attack over post-game prayer for coach's daughter.  It's a mighty sad day in America when professional football players can take a knee to protest the national anthem, but high school football players can't take a knee to pray for a sick little girl.  Football fans, coaches and players in Lake City, Michigan, formed what they called a "family circle" on the field August 30 to pray for the young daughter of one of the coaches.  The little girl is hospitalized fighting a serious illness. [...] A video of the poignant moment was shared on a school Facebook page and soon after it triggered a severe microaggression among a gang of atheists, agnostics and freethinkers based in Wisconsin.

Sexual Abuse Survivor Priest Who Burned Rainbow Flag Punished by Chicago Archdiocese.  A Catholic priest at Resurrection Parish in Chicago has angered Cardinal Cupich after he planned an event to burn an LGBTQ "pride" flag he found stashed away in his rectory.  A victim of sexual abuse himself, Father Paul John Kalchik announced his intention to burn the sacrilegious flag in protest on the parish website.  "On Saturday, Sept. 29, the Feast of Ss. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, we will burn, in front of church, the rainbow flag that was unfortunately hanging in our sanctuary during the ceremonial first Mass as Resurrection parish," he wrote.  The flag wasn't just hung in the church but placed in front of the hand-carved crucifix from Germany on the altar.

Cardinal removes priest who burned LGBT flag at Avondale church.  A Northwest Side priest has been removed about a week after he burned a rainbow flag outside his church.  Protesters had been demanding Cardnial Blase Cupich take action against the Rev. Paul Kalchik after he ignored the cardinal's warning and burned a rainbow flag with a cross on it on Sept. 14.  Kalchik had been at Resurrection Church since 2007.  Before he took over at Resurrection, the flag hung inside the church.

UW-Madison students demand more inclusive ice cream.  Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are demanding more "inclusive" ice cream at the university-owned Babcock Hall Dairy Store, arguing that current ingredients in some of the store's products are discriminatory toward certain religions.  Eight members of the Associated Students of Madison put forth a resolution last week declaring that Babcock ice cream, which uses beef gelatin, discriminates against the school's Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and vegetarian communities.  The resolution, titled "Ice Cream for All," would formally demand that the university administration "acknowledge the marginalization of having the official campus Ice Cream not be inclusive to religious students on campus."

Kountze Cheerleaders Win Again at Texas Supreme Court.  Last Friday [8/31/2018] in a victory for the religious liberty of students, the Texas Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by Kountze ISD (TX) of an earlier decision protecting the right of cheerleaders to have Bible verses on run-through football banners.  The Texas Supreme Court originally ruled in favor of the Kountze Cheerleaders in an 8-0 decision in 2016.  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz had also filed briefs in support of the cheerleaders at the Texas Supreme Court.

Pope urges clean up of plastic waste from oceans.  Pope Francis on Saturday [8/31/2018] issued a call to clear up oceans threatened by plastic waste and underscored the need to provide drinking water to all as a basic right.  "We cannot allow our seas and oceans to be littered by endless fields of floating plastic," the pontiff said in a message on the fourth World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.

The Editor says...
Access to drinking water has never been a right.  Clean up your own back yard, Francis.

Texas cheerleaders win a victory for freedom of religious expression.  There are two hard and fast rules in life: don't mess with Texas and don't mess with Texas cheerleaders.  The Kountze Independent School District in southeast Texas has learned that lesson the hard way.  The Texas Supreme Court on Friday [8/31/2018] refused to hear the school district's appeal of a case involving Bible verses written by cheerleaders on run-through banners displayed at Kountze High School football games.  The action by the state's highest court all but ends a more than five-year legal battle that garnered support from Texas' two Republican U.S. senators, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn.

Super Eid Is Here.  Minnesota Muslims are celebrating Eid today and tomorrow at US Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis.  Harking back to the Super Bowl hosted at the stadium earlier this year, the organizers are calling the event Super Eid.  Animals will be sacrificed at an undisclosed location off site in connection with the festivities.  Animal sacrifice is apparently still a thing in Islam. [...] Asad Zaman is a prominent spokesman for the event.  Zaman is the executive director of the local chapter of the Muslim American Society.  The MAS and Zaman are red flags.  The Muslim American Society was founded by the United States chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood.  Hamas is the Brotherhood's Palestinian branch.  It shouldn't be too difficult to get a clue.

The Editor says...
According to Wikipedia, "As of March 2015, the overall budget [for U.S. Bank Stadium] was estimated to be $1.061 billion, with $348 million from the state of Minnesota, $150 million from the city of Minneapolis, and $551 million from the team and private contributions."  This is a Muslim religious festival being held in a facility that was paid for in part with taxpayer dollars.

Another city in 'Caliphornia' proclaims August to be 'Muslim Appreciation and Awareness Month'.  Following similar declarations by the state legislature and other California cities, the American Canyon City Council has proclaimed August as Muslim Appreciation and Awareness Month.  The proclamation, adopted on July 31, represents the first time American Canyon has honored Muslims through an official decree, according to community leaders.

Satanists unveil Baphomet statue at Arkansas Capitol.  A large Satanic statue featuring the goat-headed deity Baphomet was unveiled during a protest at the Arkansas State Capitol.  The Satanic Temple placed the bronze statue at the capitol during a First Amendment protest on Thursday, while calling for the removal of a Ten Commandments monument permanently mounted on Capitol grounds.  "If you're going to have one religious monument up then it should be open to others, and if you don't agree with that then let's just not have any at all," said Satanic Arkansas cofounder Ivy Forrester.

7X Deported Criminal Alien Stabs a Man for No Reason in Sanctuary California.  An illegal alien is accused of an "unprovoked and brutal stabbing" at a market in California last month.  There are witnesses and other evidence.  The man has a criminal record and was deported seven times.  They keep coming back because they know it's safe in the sanctuary state.

Pope Francis Is Woefully Wrong about the Death Penalty.  Pope Francis has amended the Catechism of the Catholic Church to reject the death penalty.  Whether this is an appropriate Catholic stance is for Catholics to decide.  But the complete elimination of the death penalty would undermine the social order of modern states, in my view.  The Hebrew Bible prescribes the death penalty for murder and — unlike most pre-modern societies and many Muslim countries today — prohibits the payment of wergild.  An eye and a tooth can be requited by monetary compensation (that was the meaning of "an eye for an eye"), but not a life.  The rabbis of the Second Temple period set an extremely high hurdle for the death penalty and declared that a court that ordered a single execution in a hundred years should be considered cruel.

Somewhat off-topic ... maybe.
Islamic Relief Offers Summer Lunch In DeSoto.  The Islamic Relief USA's summer feeding program is being made possible a little closer to home this year since the organization awarded a $10,000 grant to a local group — the Family Joint Venture Foundation (FJV).  The grant is to help feed children during the summer, as part of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Summer Food Service Program.

The Editor says...
I don't exactly see how the dots connect here, but somehow the USDA — the federal government — is giving money to Islamic Relief USA, to supply meals to low-income kids.  Does an imam pray before the meal?  Is nothing said about Islam after everyone has had lunch?

Cuomo Invokes Pope in Advancing Legislation to Abolish Death Penalty.  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D.) announced this week he would advance a bill to abolish the death penalty in the state "in solidarity with Pope Francis."  Pope Francis decreed on Thursday [8/2/2018] that the death penalty was "inadmissible" in all cases, and the Catholic Church would work "with determination" to see the practice ended around the world.  Church doctrine formerly accepted the death penalty in some instances if was "the only practicable way" to defend life.  Cuomo, who penned an op-ed against capital punishment in 2004 for the New York Times, tweeted out a story about the Vatican's decision along with his own announcement.

Catholic Church changes teaching to oppose death penalty in all cases.  The Roman Catholic Church formally changed its teaching on Thursday to declare the death penalty inadmissible whatever the circumstance, a move likely to be criticized in countries where capital punishment is legal.

Church Swaps 'Caged Jesus' for Mirror in 'ICE Detention' Protest Display.  The Indianapolis church that gained Internet fame overnight for putting statues of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in a cage at the beginning of this month replaced the statues with a mirror Thursday [7/24/2018] to encourage "self-reflection."  Christ Church Cathedral placed a small mirror with the phrase "#EveryFamilyIsHoly" inside the chain-link fence on Thursday morning as part of its latest campaign to protest the Trump administration's immigration policies.

Maxine Waters:  I've been sent by God to get Trump!  Move over Jake and Elwood, Maxine Waters is on a mission from God.  After acknowledging the children in the audience, the California Congresswoman ripped into President Trump during a Sunday [7/22/2018] appearance at First AME Church in Los Angeles.

The Editor says...
A politician who makes a political speech in an all-black church is a hero, but a politician who makes a political speech in an all-white church is a racist.

Maxine Waters Suggests in Church Sermon That She Was Sent by God to Stop Trump.  Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has been one of President Trump's most outspoken critics, recently going so far as to encourage people to publicly harass members of the Trump administration.  On Sunday [7/22/2018], however, Waters suggested in a church sermon in Los Angeles that she's on a divine mission to stop the president, blasting the Trump administration on a range of issues.  [Video clip]

Liberal 2020 hopefuls quote [The] Bible in [their] call to reject Judge Brett Kavanaugh.  Liberal 2020 presidential hopefuls quoted from the Bible Tuesday [7/24/2018], saying the responsibility of the Senate to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court is a moral choice.  Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker said the choice is between a pro-corporate court or one that sides with minorities and people in need, claiming that since 2006 the court under Chief Justice John G. Roberts has sided with the pro-business Chamber of Commerce 70 percent of the time.  They questioned what Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, would add to the court since he was vetted by the Federalist Society and Heritage Foundation, two conservative organizations.

Board of Elections says Wilson's cash giveaway didn't violate rules.  Chicago mayoral candidate Willie Wilson says he wasn't trying to buy anyone's vote when he handed out close to $200,000 to churchgoers.  The millionaire businessman said Sunday's appearance at the New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church was nothing more than "one of the biggest property tax relief assistance" events of the year and the kind of thing he's done before.

Town Orders Family to Stop Hosting Bible Studies on Farm.  The owners of a Pennsylvania farm have been ordered by the Sewickley Heights Borough to cease and desist holding Bible studies on their private property.  Borough leaders accused Scott and Terri Fetterolf of improperly using their 35-acre farm as a place of worship, a place of assembly and as a commercial venue.  They were served a cease-and-desist order in October 2017, the Post-Gazette reported.

Did You Notice These Particular Audience Members At Trump's Montana Rally?  They were priests, wearing clerical dress, carrying Trump signs and seated near the front.  The men — Father Garrett Nelson, Father Ryan Erlenbush, Father Kevin Christofferson and Father Christopher Lebsock — were also wearing VIP badges.  Such things at presidential events overseen by the Secret Service do not happen by accident.  Video of the full rally is available [elsewhere].  Virtually anything about Donald Trump gets his critics excited.  Rep. Maxine Waters, among others, has urged Trump opponents to publicly confront members of his Cabinet and supporters over administration policies.  In one sense, the ostentatious presence of four Roman Catholic priests in religious garb was a silent sign of opposition to the opposition.  But it got many twitterers excited about separation of church and state and priests getting involved in political activities, as if daily affairs in a Catholic parish do not involve politics.

UK Doctor Sacked For Blasphemy.  In the UK, the National Health Service has thrown out a doctor:  ["]A doctor has been 'sacked' as a medical assessor for a government department after refusing to renounce his Christian belief that gender is determined at birth, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal. [...] The 55-year-old father of four believes sex is genetic and biological, so established at birth.["]  Wait a minute.  Holding the view that people are born male or female is now a theological belief?  Do you see how radical this is?  Here's the theology angle:  this doctor was fired because he blasphemed against the militant new religion.

Trudeau Gives Preference to Islam over all other Religions in Canada.  Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and his Liberal government have just committed a major political blunder which in the long term will hurt Trudeau and his Liberal party in their re-election efforts.  Trudeau and his Liberals have started a process of developing, issuing and then passing a law which will give preferential treatment to Islam and all followers and adherents of Islam in Canada over all other Canadian religious groups, including Canadian Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs, just to name a few of the major religious faiths practiced in Canada.  Motion M103 was introduced by a Liberal MP backbencher, Iqra Khalid, a Muslim Canadian.  This motion has been taken up and defended by the Canadian Heritage Minister Melanie Joly.  It is clear Trudeau, the PMO office and the full Liberal Cabinet are strongly behind this very controversial legislative initiative.

Florida: Cop Threatens to Arrest Reporter Exposing Islamic Event feat Extremist Imam.  On Saturday [4/13/2018], the Greenwood Lakes Middle School in coordination with Muslim community groups in Orlando hosted a Syrian sheik who has called for the killing of gays and all Jews.  Conservative journalist Laura Loomer drove to Orlando to report on the event, which was described on the flyer as being open to the public.  Besides being a public event, the event was hosted at a taxpayer-funded Florida middle school, which gives any member of the public and the press the right to come on the property.

Jimmy Carter Says Jesus Would Be Okay With Some Abortions.  Former President Jimmy Carter, in a new interview with the pro-abortion Huffington Post, said he thinks Jesus would be okay with some abortions.  Specifically, carter thinks Jesus would accept killing babies in abortions in cases of women who are victims of rape or incest.

The Editor says...
The Left is happy to help Jimmy Carter share his baseless speculation about Jesus approving of fetal homicide, but if there is a more credible opinion to the contrary, they don't want to hear it.

Open Borders Left dominates Episcopal Church meeting.  In June of last year, we learned that Episcopal Migration Ministries, which is not a separate non-profit organization but is embedded in the Episcopal Church itself, is 99.5% funded by the federal government — that would be you, the taxpayer.  The church receives millions of dollars annually from the US Treasury!  So, as you read the following news, keep in mind that your money pays for political activities of the Episcopal church.  The church (one of nine federal resettlement contractors) held a regular gathering of the faithful in Austin, Texas and Trump immigration and refugee policy was the 'premiero' topic of discussion.  What a surprise!

Iftar and City Hall:  Separation of Mosque and State?  In Minnesota, the city of Bloomington's Human Rights Commission sent the Iftar invitations to civic employees and even suggested that women should conform to Islamic religious dress code rules (this instruction was deleted after complaints were circulated).  The city's human rights division provided an official email address for processing reservations.  Contrary to the perception that these civic-sponsored Iftars are communal dinners and cultural experiences,they were embedded with worshipful practices.  Imams offered religious platitudes and exhortations both in Arabic (for benefit of Muslims) and English. [...] Obvious legal questions arise when a religious event is government-hosted, government employees are issued official invitations, the event is sited on city property, or when government recommends religious modesty rules.  All of these items seem to fly in the face of Supreme Court rulings suggesting government may not endorse a sect or religion and may not participate with a faith group to the point that an observer would perceive that the government was favoring or sponsoring that religion.  The generous partnership in these Iftar events certainly looks like the "excessive government entanglement" that courts love to criticize when it is Christian entanglement at issue.

Bible-Ignorant Church Puts Mary and Joseph in Cage 'Like Trump Immigrants'.  The leaders of a Christian church in Indianapolis have proven their complete lack of Bible literacy by creating a display featuring Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus in a cage to protest President Donald Trump's immigration policy.  Only, Joseph and Mary were not immigrants, so the whole absurd display is Biblically ignorant.  Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis placed a cage made of a chain-linked fence on its lawn and then put the usual nativity scene of statues of Baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph inside as a way to represent the Holy Family being detained by Donald Trump's immigration authorities.

Indianapolis church locks up Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus to condemn immigration policy.  An Indianapolis church made a bold statement on a lawn near Monument Circle Tuesday morning, placing statues of Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus inside a fence to condemn the current immigration policies.  Christ Church Cathedral, also known as "The Church on the Circle," locked up Mary, Joseph, and Jesus as part of its Every Family is Holy campaign.  The church's dean, Steve Carlson, said the campaign is to bring awareness to and condemn the United States' zero-tolerance immigration policy.  "They were a homeless family with nowhere to stay," Carlson said.

The Editor says...
Joseph and Mary were not homeless.  They were forced out of town by Big Government.  And if "every family is holy," what do we need churches for?

Pastor under fire for high school football devotional.  [I]t was not all that unusual when the head coach of the Waldron High School football team invited the young preacher and former team member to deliver a devotional on June 13 at a regional summer football camp.  "I was invited to share an encouraging word with the football team," McKay said on "The Todd Starnes Radio Show."  "I used Scripture and shared a message about teamwork — how to work together in life."  His remarks were so inspirational that the local newspaper wrote a brief report and published a photograph of the young preacher addressing the players.  But the Freedom From Religion Foundation, based in Wisconsin, was not so complimentary of McKay's remarks.  The Wisconsin-based group of atheists, agnostics and free-thinkers, was enraged by the devotional and accused the preacher of proselytizing.  They fired off a letter to at least one of the schools in attendance at the football camp — accusing the district of an "unconstitutional endorsement of religion."

The Editor says...
Endorsement of religion (in general) is not the same as the establishment of a (specific) state religion.

Pastor: Keep killing babies because I hate Trump.  For the latest misadventures in "absolute NeverTrumpism corrupts every bit as much as absolute AlwaysTrumpism," I give you Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile.  The headline of his piece in the Washington Post is "Overturning Roe v.  Wade isn't worth compromising with Trump, my fellow evangelicals."  He leads it off by imploring that "we are going to give an account to God for our complicit silence before the immoral policies and actions of the Trump administration."  Already, the pastor's point of view is plagued by an idolatrous level of concern for Trump, to the point of insisting that his fellow evangelicals snatch defeat from the jaws of victory on the issue of life.  Which just so happens to be the pre-eminent moral concern of the Word of God, [...]

Father of three takes sanctuary at Seattle church to avoid deportation.  Jose Robles was supposed to be on a plane back to Michoacan, Mexico, at 6 a.m.  Thursday [6/28/2018], but he packed his bags and went to Gethsemane Lutheran Church in downtown Seattle instead.  He said he felt fear and anxiety driving to the church for sanctuary to avoid deportation.  Churches are considered "sensitive locations" by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which means they are generally not allowed to conduct enforcement operations there.

The judicial war on God and the Declaration of Independence.  Poor North Carolina just can't get a break.  It appears that the state's original concerns about joining the federal union in 1788 have been proven correct.  Over the past year, the Fourth Circuit has nullified the state's voter integrity laws; federal, state, and even county-level political maps; and gender sanity laws.  Now the court has banished God from county government prayers.  On July 14, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Rowan County, North Carolina, commissioners can't begin their session with a public prayer delivered by an elected official.  And the vote wasn't even close.  This once conservative panel voted 10-5 to banish God from the public square.

Dear Catholic Church, Your Founding Document Is Not Mao's Little Red Book.  The Catholic Church in America appears to be a schizophrenic entity, possessed of a deep-seated death wish — exactly like all the other mainstream churches and most institutions in our western culture.  This week, the Church is celebrating Freedom of Religion week.  You'll see the little flags if you walk past one of the churches.  I have absolutely clue zero — and in fact am a little afraid to consider — of what other parishes and sermons might make of this, but our priest segued incoherently from telling us that like St. John the Baptist confronted Herod we are supposed to confront and oppose a president who "has had more than one wife" and who "mistreats the least powerful and smallest of our people" to enjoining us to come to church a great deal and have daily mass for the week, to celebrate Freedom of Religion Week.

Hillary Clinton and the separation of church and state.  The concepts of religious liberty and of the infamously quoted but incorrectly applied "separation of church and state" are lost.  Whether they are irrevocably lost remains to be seen.  Religious liberty means that you have the right to worship as you wish and there will be no law instituted by Congress to stop you or compel you.  Even when religious liberty is correctly cited by some in politics, they often still believe there is a "separation of church and state," which they cite, for instance, when a conservative politician decries abortion.

Pope Francis Endorses Slower Growth, More Poverty.  I almost feel guilty when I criticize the garbled economic thoughts of Pope Francis.  After all, he was influenced by Peronist ideology as a youngster, so he was probably a lost cause from the beginning.  Moreover, Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell have already dissected his irrational ramblings on economics and explained that free markets are better for the poor.  Especially when compared to government dependency.  But since Pope Francis just attacked tax havens, and I consider myself the world's foremost defender of these low-tax jurisdictions, I can't resist adding my two cents.

Cynthia Nixon calls ICE 'terrorist organization,' says it should be abolished.  New York gubernatorial candidate and former "Sex and the City" star Cynthia Nixon on Thursday [6/21/2018] called U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) "a terrorist organization" and called for its abolition, pitting progressive New Yorkers against Gov. Andrew Cuomo.  Nixon made her remarks at a church on Manhattan's Upper West Side, where an illegal immigrant is taking sanctuary after being threatened with deportation after she failed to show a driver's license during a traffic stop by ICE agents.

'Separating babies from their mothers is immoral': Catholic leaders denounce Trump's zero-tolerance border protection policy.  Leaders of the Catholic church are criticizing the Trump administration over its border protection policy, saying that separating mothers who illegally come into the US from their children is 'immoral'.  Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, called out president Donald Trump and his 'zero-tolerance' policy on Wednesday [6/13/2018] during the the group's spring conference.

Obama, Clinton Pastors and US Bishop Who 'Stole Show' at Royal Wedding Set to March on White House to 'Reclaim Jesus' from Pres. Trump; 'America First is Heresy Against Christ'.  A theological who's who of Leftist Christian leaders are organizing a march on the White House to 'Reclaim Jesus' from President Donald Trump that is set for the evening of May 24.  One of the leaders of the anti-Trump march is Rev. Michael Bruce Curry who 'stole the show' with his lengthy sermon at the British royal wedding on Saturday [5/19/2018] between Prince Harry and American Meghan Markle.  Three march organizers were spiritual advisors to President Barack Obama while one counseled President Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal and later endorsed Hillary Clinton for president in 2016.

Politics in the Pews:  Anti-Trump Activism is Reviving Protestant Churches — at a Cost.  Christ Church in Alexandria, Va., a historic Episcopal church, hasn't been a particularly political congregation.  It has welcomed Democratic and Republican presidents.  George Washington and Robert E. Lee were members.  Stone plaques commemorating them adorn a wall.  Then last year, Richard Spencer, the leader of a white nationalist organization, rented office space in Alexandria.  Several parishioners organized protests outside his office, which became bimonthly events.  The church released a written statement denouncing white supremacy, and later decided to remove the plaques honoring Washington, who owned slaves, and Lee, who led the Confederate Army.

Why Pope Francis's Call to Ban Weapons Would Destroy the West.  What would happen if the world took Pope Francis's advice (via a tweet)?  "Do we really want peace?  Then let's ban all weapons so we don't have to live in fear of war," said the pontiff.

How the Church Is Being Undermined from Within.  With the appointment of Pope Francis in 2013, the Church intensified its portrayal of Islam as "a religion of peace" as well as its dissembling about the motivating ideology of jihad terrorism.  An Islamist leader even thanked Francis for defending Islam against accusations of violence.  The pope has warned that limits exist to freedom of expression and, in blatant denial of Muslim terrorism, claims instead that all religions have their violent individuals.  Rather than serving as a defender of Christianity, he has enabled and abetted the persecution of Christians.

A soldier just got authorization to wear a beard because of his Norse pagan faith.  When the Army authorized beards for religious soldiers in early 2017, the move was a response to years of requests — and a lawsuit — from Sikh soldiers seeking to both serve and adhere to the tenets of their faith.  But the directive, technically, applied to all religions.  And that includes Norse pagans, also known as heathens, according to an undated memo from the 14th Military Police Brigade at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

Cop Threatens to Arrest Reporter Exposing Islamic Event feat Extremist Imam.  On Saturday, the Greenwood Lakes Middle School in coordination with Muslim community groups in Orlando hosted a Syrian sheik who has called for the killing of gays and all Jews.  Conservative journalist Laura Loomer drove to Orlando to report on the event, which was described on the flyer as being open to the public.  Besides being a public event, the event was hosted at a taxpayer-funded Florida middle school, which gives any member of the public and the press the right to come on the property.  When Loomer approached the table to enter the event, organizers and an official from CAIR refused to admit Loomer and her cameraman into the event, and they were threatened with arrest by officers from the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.

State-Enforced Paganism in America.  The New Paganism utilizes the powers of the State, particularly the law and the courts, in order to change the foundations of a Christianized West and to promote paganism, even barbarism, as the basis of Western society.  Barbarism then seeks to use the State to achieve an iron and tyrannous order, beginning with crushing dissenters like Christians, who believe they are to obey God rather than the State.  The first stages of the facilitation of the New Pagan society are achieved by a welter of restrictions against Christians.  To promote unrestricted human will, particularly as regards sexual behavior and the self-definition promulgated by the transgender movement, inevitably means Christians who protest must be completely restrained by multifarious regulations and restrictions.  Such restrictions include a push to exclude Christians from holding public office and increasingly deprive them of freedom of speech.

Why Trump Is So Hated by Leftists.  Even Sunday worship has been hijacked by leftists to trash Trump.  My brother asked the pastor of his all black church to please stop including a lie-filled Democrat-talking-points rant about Trump in his sermons.  Leftist disrespect and venomous hatred for President Trump is unprecedented, over the top, and boldly spewed 24/7.

Elementary School Pilot Program Replaces Detention With Yoga.  A special grant from Denver Public Schools has allowed Doull Elementary to pilot a program where they trade out detention for Yoga.  "I teach children the practice of yoga and meditation," said Trinidad Heffron.

The Editor says...
Yoga is Buddhism.  This is a government school teaching Buddhism.

Muslims gets special use permit to build mosque in Coldwater.  The Coldwater Planning Commission approved a special use permit to construct a mosque for the American Moslem Society at 129 Perkins St., Coldwater, where they now have a cultural and worship center.  Mayor Tom Kramer said the project "is no different than the other 30 churches we have in town.  The Muslim population is a very important part of our community."  Planning Commission Chairman Aloha Miller called the project "a beautiful building that will make the area look nice."

The Editor says...
A politician, or anyone else, who sees no difference between a mosque and a church is an uninformed and incompetent doofus.  A new mosque might "make the area look nice," if you have no idea what goes on inside.  In the same way, one could construct an abortion clinic that looks like a bank, or a whorehouse that looks like a library, and shallow-thinking city officials would be happy with it.

'In God We Trust' removed from classroom after atheist parent's complaint.  A Wisconsin fourth grade school teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School removed "Christian symbolism" from her classroom after an atheist parent complained.  Among the items that caused offense — a cross, a poster that read, "In God We Trust" and a picture frame that included the American flag and the words "God Bless America."

Catholic Bishop Says Sen. Durbin Will Not Be Given Communion Until He Repents.  Because Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) supports abortion on demand and recently voted against a bill to ban abortions after 5 months, the Catholic bishop of his diocese in Springfield, Ill., has declared that Durbin is objectively "cooperating in evil," persisting in "manifest grave sin," and he must therefore "not be admitted to Holy Communion until he repents of his sin."  In a statement on the Diocese of Springfield website, Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki said, "Fourteen Catholic senators voted against the bill that would have prohibited abortions starting at 20 weeks after fertilization, including Sen. Richard Durbin, whose residence is in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois."

North Carolina mom begins serving jail sentence for baptizing daughter.  A North Carolina mom started serving a week-long jail sentence for having her daughter baptized, according to reports.  The 2016 baptism at St. Peter's Catholic Church when the girl was 2 years old defied a judge's order in a custody battle between unmarried couple, Kendra Stocks and Paul Schaaf, who are no longer together.

Clearwater City Council candidates mum on Scientology's impact downtown.  At a recent City Council election debate, the first question pitched to the four candidates was:  What is the biggest problem facing Clearwater right now?  Seat 5 incumbent Hoyt Hamilton answered in code.  "I'm willing to work with anybody, but they have to be open and honest in how they communicate and we haven't always had that, so I think one of the biggest problems trying to move Clearwater forward is getting people to communicate openly and honestly with what we're trying to do."  Wait.  Who is "they"? Which people are not being honest?  Asked in a later interview if he was referring to the Church of Scientology, which cut communication with city officials last year over a property dispute, Hamilton confirmed he was.  So why didn't he come out and say that?

Atheists complain about gospel music at MLK Day celebration.  The good people of Hobbs, New Mexico are under siege from a Wisconsin-based group of atheists, agnostics and free-thinkers who are angry that gospel songs were performed during a Martin Luther King, Jr.  Day program.  "It is laudable that the city is celebrating Dr. King and promoting unity within the community," Freedom From Religion Foundation legal fellow Christopher Line wrote in a letter to city leaders.  "However, including gospel music and religious messages in the celebration is inappropriate." [...] The Freedom From Religion Foundation is apparently unaware that Dr. King was not just a civil rights leader — but he was also a renowned Baptist minister — a preacher of the Gospel.

Freedom From Religion Atheists Tackle High School Football.  The FFRF [Freedom From Religion Foundation] is on a crusade to expunge religious expression from the public square, and the group gets the meaning of "separation of church and state," a phrase that appears nowhere in the Constitution, all wrong.  This isn't the first time the FFRF's target has been high school football.  The FFRF went ballistic not long ago over the baptism of an on-the-field high school football coach in Villa Rica, Georgia.  Attendance was voluntary, and the students who attended did so on their own time and of their own free will.  When the FFRF saw a video of the ceremony, it fired off a letter of righteous indignation to the Carroll County School superintendent.

Christian Teacher Fired, Reported to Counter-Terror Unit After Telling Lesbian 'God Loves You'.  A Christian teacher in Bristol was fired and reported as a "radicalisation threat" after she answered questions from pupils about her beliefs, an employment tribunal has heard.  Svetlana Powell was dismissed from the T2 Apprenticeship Academy in Bristol in July 2016 after leaders at the government-funded college said students had been offended by comments the teacher made.

New Sponsor On Arizona Highway:  The Satanic Temple.  The Adopt-A-Highway idea, in which a group can submit a bid to the Department of Transportation to adopt a section of highway to clean up for the quid pro quo of having its name on a sign on the highway, has a new user whose name might give freeway drivers pause:  the Satanic Temple Arizona.  The group has adopted a 2-mile stretch of Interstate 10 near Casa Grande.

Texas school district wages legal war against Christian cheerleaders.  For the past six years a Texas school district has been waging legal warfare against a group of high school cheerleaders who wrote Bible verses on football run-through banners.  In October the Texas Ninth Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Kountze Independent School District cheerleaders — declaring the "cheerleaders' speech expressed on the run-through banners is best characterized as the pure private speech of the students."

Satanic Temple Challenges Abortion Law on Religious Grounds.  Earlier in the week, the Satanic Temple argued a case before the Missouri Supreme Court on behalf of "Mary Doe," a woman who says the state violated her right to religious freedom when she went to get an abortion back in 2015.  Specifically, Mary, who did ultimately get the abortion, says the state's informed consent law — which requires women seeking abortions to wait 72 hours, have an ultrasound, and sign a form that states they' read a booklet promoting the idea that life begins at conception — violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Pastor Goes After Trump With Mike Pence Sitting In The Congregation.  Was the pastor speaking 'Truth to Power' or needlessly politicizing the pulpit?  When he ascends the pulpit, what is the pastor's role?  To single out a single person in the audience?  Or to speak eternal truths to the entire congregation?  Because when the Vice President went to Church on Sunday [1/14/2018], the pastor had a 'veiled' message for the White House.  We wonder if he would have spoken quite so boldly if it were proven that the known liar and political opportunist Dick Durbin made the whole thing up, or twisted the comments into something far more damning than they really were.

Obama Center reps visit churches to spread the word.  Representatives of the Obama Foundation borrowed pulpits at churches on the South and West Sides Sunday to share this message:  If you support the Obama Presidential Center being built, then speak up, because it isn't a done deal.  "The main reason I am here is so that people know it's not a done deal," Brian Sleet, a spokesman for the Obama Foundation, told congregants during a service at the Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church in the Woodlawn neighborhood.

7 reasons pope is wrong about immigration.  I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of being lectured by Pope Francis about migrants and refugees.  In his latest message on the subject, he suggested national laws strictly controlling the influx of migrants and refugees is akin to "hostility" and "sin." [...] Has the pope welcomed refugees and migrants into Vatican City, which he controls?  If so, how many?  And, if he has, why is he limiting the number?  Vatican City is considered a sovereign nation-state.  It is a wealthy one that considers its own security seriously.  Why would the pope lecture other nation-states about immigration policy without first setting an example with his own?

Atlanta Jail Lets Muslim Inmates Wear Hijabs, CAIR to Supply Them in Bulk for Free.  Caving into the demands of a terrorist front group, the City of Atlanta Detention Center in Georgia is allowing female Muslim inmates to wear a head scarf (hijab) used as a symbol of modesty in the Islamic dress code.  Hats and other head covers are banned in American state and federal prisons for security and safety reasons.  Making an exception to this rule to appease followers of one religion sets a dangerous precedent.  Besides, the Quran doesn't require Muslim women to wear a hijab.  The cover is optional and those who wear it do so willfully as an act of worship.

Is there a single Democrat anywhere who [cares] about America?  Not only did the IRS methodically delay targeted applications for non-profit status but they also interrogated the applicants with lengthy and frivolous questionaires.  In one case, the agency asked a pro-life group to list "the content of their prayers".  In spite of a largely uninterested media, the IRS scandal generated a sufficient uproar that the Obama FBI and the DOJ were both tasked with investigating the agency.  Both probes resulted in no criminal charges, although there was overwhelming evidence that key officials in the IRS had conducted politically motivated targeting of these groups.  But a two-headed scandal of significantly more import was about to be revealed.

Corinne Brown asks for prison reprieve.  Slated to report to prison Jan. 29, former Congresswoman Corrine Brown is asking a federal appeals court to allow her to remain free while she continues to fight her conviction on charges related to a charity scam.  Brown's attorney, William Mallory Kent, filed a 37-page document Friday at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that seeks to keep her out of prison while an appeal is pending.  The request is based on what will be a key issue in the appeal: whether U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan improperly removed a juror who said during deliberations that the "Holy Spirit" told him Brown was not guilty[.]  Kent wrote that the issue could lead to the reversal of Brown's conviction and, as a result, she should stay out of prison during the appeal.

The Editor says...
Isn't that interesting.  A bunch of Democrats — the people who constantly wail about the "separation of church and state" when the church interferes with the government — are now willing to have a criminal case overturned based on a second-hand rumor from the Holy Spirit.  That's called playing on both sides of the fence.

California Prosecuting Man For Anti-Muslim Insults.  Here in the United States of America, the California Attorney General is actually prosecuting a man for Internet insults.

English Bishop Attacks Pro-Trump Christians.  The Bishop of Liverpool has attacked Christians who support President Donald J. Trump and "a system which builds walls instead of bridges".  Paul Bayes, a senior figure in the Church of England, also appeared to argue that backing "rightwing populism" could be incompatible with biblical teaching.

Louisiana mom, ACLU claim school district promoted Christianity.  A Louisiana parent is suing her daughter's school district, alleging it is violating the Constitution by "promoting and inculcating Christian religious beliefs."  The lawsuit was filed Monday [12/18/2017] by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in federal district court in Louisiana.  It documents more than 30 alleged incidents at Webster Parish School District facilities in northwest Louisiana.  "So engrained is official promotion of religion at Webster Parish schools that virtually all school events — such as sports games, pep rallies, assemblies, and graduation ceremonies — include school-sponsored Christian prayer, religious messages and/or proselytizing," the lawsuit stated.

Andrea Mitchell NBC Triggered Over Ben Carson Prayer.  The liberal media is horrified.  Americans are getting to keep more of their hard earned money.  But Andrea Mitchell and NBC are especially horrified that Donald Trump started his cabinet meeting today [12/20/2017] with Ben Carson leading prayer.

Foolish Dems have set themselves up for tax cut blowback.  The unquestioning media support that Democrats receive for their narratives — regardless of their truth or falsity — has led congressional Democrats out on a limb that President Trump is about to saw off, when he signs the tax reform bill.  Unlike foreign policy or regulatory reform, people pay much more attention to their personal experience than to political rhetoric.  In fact, voters care so much about the economy that they will see that the Democrats have been blowing smoke at them.  James Freeman of the Wall Street Journal calls it "The February Surprise" — the increased paychecks that the vast majority of American workers will experience in February, when the tax reform bill is implemented by IRS issuance of withholding guidelines in January.  The contrast between the positive personal results and the extreme rhetoric of Democrats opposing it will come home to voters in a very personal way.  Yesterday [12/19/2017], on the House floor, Nancy Pelosi, in the words of Lifezette, went off the deep end, complete with goofy signs.

Republican In Firestorm For Ringing Salvation Army Bell.  Dear Left Wing Grinches, This is why we just can't take you seriously.  You are an embarrassment to your country and, quite frankly, to your families.  You've attacked a man for doing what may be one of the most noble things in America — donating his time.  I'm talking about what's happening to state Senator George Logan.  He's a Republican from Ansonia, Connecticut, and he's long been known for his charitable work.  So what is it that triggered the Godless left this time?  He rang a bell outside a Walmart in nearby Naugatuck for the Salvation Army, which is a Christian denomination that asks for donations to help poor people.  The gentle ringing of faith was enough to trigger the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Nancy Pelosi, religious leaders reach deep into teachings to preach against GOP tax plans.  From America's Catholic bishops to prominent Christian pastor Jim Wallis, congressional Republicans' push for an overhaul of the tax code has been called nothing less than ungodly.  The debate about tax rates and income numbers has taken on pointedly religious overtones, with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, citing Pope Francis and St. Augustine in attacking the bill and saying it would signify Armageddon.  Mr. Wallis led a protest against the tax plan at the Hart Senate Office Building, reading Bible verses before he was escorted away by Capitol Police.  The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a lengthy attack on the tax bill, adopting most of Democrats' predictions and criticisms of the Republicans' plans to cut tax rates on most Americans.

More about Mr. Wallis here.  He was one of the people that Barack H. Obama used to put a religious veneer on an otherwise obviously Muslim life.

Dem Rep. Bobby Rush Sued for $1 Million to Collect Unpaid Loan for Church He Founded.  Democratic representative Bobby Rush is being sued for $1 million after failing to make payments on a loan he received for a church he founded in his home district in Illinois.  A wellness center linked to the church has also collected more than $2.6 million in taxpayer-funded government grants in 2017 and more than $17 million in grants since 2008, according to records.  Rush founded the Beloved Community Christian Church, a nondenominational Christian church, in Chicago in 2002 with the intent of helping disadvantaged people in his community.

Maxine Waters Makes Teens Chant 'Impeach 45' at 'Teen Vogue Summit': 'Let's talk about it in church'.  Maxine Waters was a guest of Teen Vogue and was interviewed about why she's calling on young teens to resist our president.  This sick behavior by a grown woman smells like sedition. [...] Congresswoman Maxine Waters is desperate to "Impeach 45," and she's pleading with teenagers to follow her example and push her political agenda in church, and everywhere else.

California gov:  Trump doesn't fear God or 'existential consequences'.  California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) says President Trump's stance on climate change demonstrates that he does not appear to fear the "wrath of God" or have any regard for the "existential consequences" of his environmental policies.  "I don't think President Trump has a fear of the Lord, the fear of the wrath of God, which leads one to more humility ... this is such a reckless disregard for the truth and for the existential consequences that can be unleashed," Brown said in an interview on CBS's "60 Minutes," which is set to air on Sunday [12/10/2017].  Brown, who studied to become a Jesuit priest prior to entering politics, has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration.

Jerry Brown — Who Favors Legalized Killing of Unborn — Says: 'I Don't Think President Trump Has a Fear of the Lord'.  California Gov. Jerry Brown, who favors the legalized killing of unborn children, told CBS's "60 Minutes" that he does not believe President Donald Trump "has a fear of the Lord, the fear of the wrath of God" based on the fact that Trump removed the United States from the Paris climate change agreement.  The "60 Minutes" episode will air tomorrow [12/10/2017].

US Conference of Catholic Bishops not happy with the President.  So what else is new.  The USCCB, as readers know, is one of the nine major federal resettlement contractors that is being financially hurt by the slowdown in the refugee flow to Your Town, USA.  But, they never tell the public that piece of important information when they wail about federal refugee policy changes.

Pelosi: 'God Is With Us' on Demanding DACA Fix in Budget Deal.  Thursday [12/7/2017] at her weekly briefing on Capitol Hill, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said God is with the Democrats on their fight to protect recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) as part of a deal to fund the government.

Nevada church wrongly barred from flier handouts at school district, legal watchdog says.  A cadre of attorneys has asked a Nevada school district to reverse their decision in preventing a church from sharing fliers with their students for community events.  The lawyers with First Liberty Institute and Michigan-based law firm Lipson Neilson sent a letter to the Lyon County School District in Yerington, Nevada, and demanded that they allow their client, Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley, to have equal participation rights in the school's community flyer distribution plan.  The district allows all other sorts of community organizations to hand out fliers to both parents and students about extracurricular events and activities, but a new policy has forced Calvary to remove all religious references or stop distribution altogether.

Anglican Minister Urges Prayers for Prince George to Be Gay.  A prominent Anglican cleric and gay rights campaigner known for contentious gestures has urged believers to pray for Prince George — age 4, and third in line to the throne — to find the love "of a fine young gentleman" when he grows up so as to advance the cause of same-sex marriage in church.

Philly Mayor: 'Disgraceful' if Irish-Catholic Lawmakers Don't Vote for DREAM Act.  Philadelphia Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney said "so what" if a "clean" DREAM Act gives DREAMers the opportunity to provide their undocumented immediate relatives with a path to U.S. citizenship.  Kenney supports the passage of a DREAM Act that would grant young adults who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children a path to citizenship if they meet certain qualifications.

Leah Remini on Danny Masterson rape probe:  Scientology 'aligned itself' with LAPD.  The Church of Scientology has a strategic alliance with law enforcement, former believer Leah Remini said, one that potentially diverts scrutiny over matters like the multiple rape accusations made against church member Danny Masterson.  In a wide-ranging interview with The Daily Beast, Remini said Scientology had "aligned itself" with the Hollywood division of the Los Angeles Police Department and its Captain Cory Palka through activities like fundraising.

Terrorism-affiliated Muslim group gets taxpayer cash.  Columbus, Ohio, inaugurated a defense fund in taxpayer money for illegal immigrants facing deportation.  Among the groups benefiting from the Columbus Families Together program is the local chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Founded in 1994 by three Muslims from the Middle East who propagandized for the terrorist organization that eventually became known as Hamas, CAIR became in 2008 a co-conspirator in a federal terror-finance case involving the Hamas front group known as the Holy Land Foundation.

Scrooge atheists want no blessings for animals.  For the past few years, an animal shelter in Teterboro, New Jersey has posted a note on Facebook saying it was hosting a blessing of animals.  The blessing, performed by a Catholic priest, is a tradition in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi.  No one was required to come.  But this year, for the first time, someone complained.  Enter American Atheists.  It was so angry that it actually went into federal district court to stop Fido from being blessed.

Atheists Are Now Suing An Animal Shelter For Having A Priest Say A Blessing.  Militant atheists have moved beyond just protesting Nativity scenes at government buildings and are now suing to prevent clergymen from blessing homeless animals at a humane society.  According to NJ.com, the snowflake God-haters at American Atheists Inc. of Cranford, the guys who erect those charming anti-Christmas billboards every holiday season, are getting all hot and bothered by the annual blessing of the animals at the Bergen County Animal Shelter in New Jersey.  In a federal suit, the group claimed the Teterboro shelter's event, where a Franciscan reverend blesses the animals, violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

Public grade school shuts down 'illegal' Bible study.  Thou shall not study thy Bible — at least not during lunchtime.  That's the new commandment at Hudsonville Elementary School in Michigan.  The school district shut down a lunchtime Bible study for fifth graders that was led by a teacher.  "The teacher (who thought the Bible discussion was appropriate because it was during lunch and voluntary) immediately put an end to these lunch meetings," Hudsonville Public Schools wrote in a statement to television station WOOD.  "We will continue to communicate and educate staff at all levels on the District's policies related to religion in schools."

McKinney ISD superintendent faces criticism for leading prayer during convocation.  For nearly three months, McKinney ISD has been dealing with a prayer problem.  A group of parents furious over the superintendent leading a prayer back in August continued their fight during Tuesday's school meeting.  There have also been complaints about religious displays in classrooms.  The topic was not on the agenda, but a select group of parents were so upset about it that they showed up and signed up to speak about it during public comment.  The district says it is reevaluating prayer at school events and hosting school events at churches.

John Lewis:  Repealing Johnson Amendment Would 'Pit Worshipper Against Worshipper'.  Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) argued today that repealing rules prohibiting nonprofit organizations, including religious institutions, from engaging in political activity "would pit neighbor against neighbor, worshipper against worshipper, and volunteer against volunteer."  "It will literally wreak havoc on the last pillars of civility in our country," Lewis said during a House Ways and Means Committee mark-up of the Republican tax reform bill.  The Johnson Amendment, a tax code provision dating back to 1954, states that 501(c)(3) exempt organizations do "not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office."  At the National Prayer Breakfast in February, Trump, who received more than 80 percent of the white evangelical vote, vowed to "totally destroy" the rule.

Pope blasts 'shortsighted human activity' for global warming.  Pope Francis is blasting "shortsighted human activity" for global warming and rising sea levels and is urging leaders at climate talks in Germany to take a global outlook as they negotiate ways to curb heat-trapping emissions.  Francis met Saturday [11/11/2017] with a delegation of leaders from the Pacific islands and told them he shares their concerns about rising sea levels and increasingly intense storms that are threatening their small islands.  He decried in particular the state of oceans, where overfishing and pollution by plastics are threatening fish stocks and sea life that are critical to Pacific livelihoods.

Al Sharpton to lead prayer service for Rep. Frederica Wilson.  Rev. Al Sharpton will lead a prayer service to honor Rep. Frederica Wilson on Saturday, after her recent faceoff with President Trump and White House chief of staff John Kelly.  "In an effort towards healing and unifying our community during these times of pain and conflict, faith leaders will join together at a prayer service to cover Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24) in prayer as she continues to be a voice for the voiceless," a statement from Wilson's office read.

Failure to assimilate:
Atheist Immigrant Sues Government For Having 'So Help Me God' in Citizenship Oath.  Olga Paule Perrier-Bilbo is a French citizen who has lived in Scituate, Mass., since 2000. She says she has twice applied for U.S. citizenship and now she's ready to become an American.  There's just one problem.  She doesn't want to say the last four words of the citizenship oath.  As an atheist, she objects to "So help me God," claiming that the phrase violates her right to religious freedom.  So she filed a lawsuit.

How churches die.  There's a saying attributed variously to Robert Conquest or John O'Sullivan that "any institution that is not explicitly right-wing will become left-wing over time."  A good case in point is the Episcopal Church, which was once known as "the Republican Party at prayer," but which has for the last several decades fallen in line behind every politically correct enthusiasm of the left.

Blacks Trashing Trump from the Pulpit.  My brother Jerry is a deacon in his all-black church.  Jerry called to tell me he confronted his pastor, telling him it is unchristian to include a hateful rant against Trump in every sermon.  His pastor firmly believes Trump is a rabid racist.  I asked Jerry, "What was your pastor's response?"  Jerry said his pastor gave him the same blank stare he always receives from fellow blacks when he states commonsense views that are contrary to Democrat lies believed by that most blacks.  Condescendingly, Jerry's pastor said he understood his concerns.  Meanwhile, his attacks on Trump from the pulpit continue.  Jerry said every guest speaker at his church includes trashing Trump in their sermon.

Harvard Professor Says NRA Is a 'Domestic Terrorist Organization'.  Harvard University Professor Jonathan L. Walton called the NRA a "domestic terrorist organization" during a speech at the campus's Memorial Church.  "We have to have the courage to call the NRA exactly what it has become — a domestic terrorist organization that places profit above the lives of the American people," Dr. Jonathan Walton said at the Memorial Church of Harvard University.  Walton's remarks were made available as a blog post on Harvard's website.  Walton, a Professor of Christian Morals and a minister at the Memorial Church at Harvard University, argued that America is "sick."

Judge-king 'strikes down' cross on Pennsylvania county flag.  Ever since Judge Roy Moore won the Republican Senate primary in Alabama, there has been endless virtue signaling and handwringing over his "dangerous" disregard for court rulings. [...] Once again, a federal judge in Pennsylvania proves this warning to be ever prescient as he "struck down" the Lehigh County flag, which contains a Christian cross.  On Thursday [9/28/2017], Judge Edward Smith of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, an Obama appointee, ruled that, based on "precedent," the Christian cross contained in the official flag and seal of Lehigh County violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Bible Verse Etched Into Memorial Bench To Be Removed Despite No Complaints.  On August 27, 2016, 18-year-old Colton Osborne of Charlotte County, Virginia, passed away after an ATV accident.  Following Osborne's passing, the community decided to erect a memorial bench in his honor.  The bench was placed next to the Randolph Henry High School baseball field, as Osborne loved the sport.  Engraved into the bench, which is on school property, is a verse from Philippians chapter four, verse 13:  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  Now, according to WSET, a Charlotte County ABC affiliate, school Superintendent Nancy Leonard says the verse has to go.

Federal judge tells Pennsylvania county to drop the Christian cross from its seal.  A federal judge has ordered a Pennsylvania county to remove the cross from its seal, saying it violated the Constitution.  Lehigh Valley County, which is about 40 miles north of Philadelphia, will have to redesign its seal after U.S. District Judge Edward Smith ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an organization that promotes separation of church and state and which filed the lawsuit against the county, according to The Morning Call.  Smith made it known in his ruling that he was not happy about the decision he had to make but was following the rule of constitutional law, including the establishment clause, which states that Congress may not pass any laws establishing a religion.

Leftists Never Fight.  The obvious problem has been discussed extensively; namely the Constitution specifically says that one can't have a religious test for office.  Hence the Democrat's "no Catholics need apply" rule is a clear rejection of the Constitution and the rule of law. [...] Before proceeding, let's be clear in this context Democrats are the leadership, the consultants, the big donors, the bureaucrats, and the politicians, not the average Hillary voter.  Many if not most of those vote Democratic because the media hides from them what the leadership does; that's why Democratic voters don't know that Hillary was waging a war on the Catholic Church and evangelicals in saying that they were unfit to serve in office unless they put aside their pro-life positions.

Yes, Pope Francis, President Trump IS Pro-Life.  It saddens me that Pope Francis refuses to recognize the pro-life intentions and actions of President Trump.  The president has made good on his promises to pro-life voters, starting on his first day in office with his restoration of the Mexico City Policy, which he later expanded.  Federal funds can no longer pay for abortions overseas.  And there is more, not the least of which is the presence of Justice Neil Gorsuch on the U.S. Supreme Court.  But rather than applauding the president's actions, Pope Francis has attempted to co-opt the meaning of "pro-life" to include his preferred immigration policies.

For Democrats, no Catholic guilt.  By now it's hardly a surprise that so many national Democrats have nothing but contempt for Roman Catholics.  But what is surprising is that they no longer even bother to hide their distaste for devout Christians.  Last week, at a Senate confirmation hearing for a Roman Catholic woman up for an federal appellate court judgeship in Indiana, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) told the Catholic nominee this:  "When you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you, and that's of concern when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for, for years in this country."  Three words:  abortion, abortion, abortion.  Is it even remotely possible that Feinstein would have asked, say, a Muslim, if he believed any of the more militant, shall we say, passages in the Koran?  Of course not.

Notre Dame President Smites Dianne Feinstein For 'Chilling' Questions About Nominee's Faith.  The president of the University of Notre Dame has rebuked California Sen. Dianne Feinstein for a "chilling" line of questioning she posed to a professor at the Catholic university during a judicial confirmation hearing this week.  Rev. John I. Jenkins wrote a letter to Feinstein on Saturday [9/9/2017] taking her to task for questions she asked of Amy Barrett, a Notre Dame law professor who has been nominated by President Trump to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for a district encompassing Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.  During the hearing, Feinstein, the top Democrat on the committee, asked Barrett about the religious themes of her past scholarly writings and speeches.

Democrats give away the Rust Belt by alienating Catholics.  A clip of Martha Plimpton's exuberance over the "best" abortion she ever had played out on the television overhead of a gas-station counter somewhere along U.S. Route 422 between Ohio and Pennsylvania.  A woman with a name tag noting her as the manager rolled her eyes and said to no one in particular as she went about stacking the shelves behind the counter, "And they wonder why people don't vote for Democrats around here anymore."

Pope Criticizes Climate Change Deniers and Trump on DACA.  As he flew near Caribbean islands devastated by Hurricane Irma on his way back to the Vatican from Colombia on Sunday, Pope Francis said that political leaders and others who denied climate change reminded him of a passage from the psalms about man's stubbornness.  "Man is stupid, the Bible said," he said.  "It's like that, when you don't want to see, you don't see."  In a typically wide-ranging news conference that included his questioning of United States President Donald J. Trump's commitment to issues of life because of his plan to strip undocumented immigrant children of protections from deportation, the pope urged those who denied climate change to consult scientists who had clearly determined it was real and that humanity would "go down" if global warming was not recognized and addressed.

Dianne Feinstein and the Anti-Catholic Bigots.  It came out, thanks to the WikiLeaks disclosures during the 2016 campaign, that Hillary Clinton's aides were trading nasty notes about Catholics, calling them "severely backwards."  The Dems had long been the party of anti-Catholic bigotry and the exposed emails only confirmed that reputation.  American bishops appointed by Pope Francis didn't make a peep about Hillary's anti-Catholic bigotry for the simple reason that they share it.  They, too, see believing Catholics as "severely backwards."  Many of the Francis-appointed bishops, such as Chicago's Blasé Cupich, were in the tank for Hillary.  Patrick McGrath, the bishop of San Jose, California, used propaganda from the Hillary campaign as his crib notes, penning a ludicrous column to parishioners in which he said that Donald Trump "borders on the seditious."

Catholic League to Durbin:  Ever Questioned Faith of Non-Catholic Nominees?  In response to the grilling by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) of Appeals Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett about her Catholic faith during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday [9/6/2017], the Catholic League sent public letters to the senators asking if they have probed the faith of non-Catholic nominees in a similar way and, if so, to provide information on those exchanges.  Barrett, a constitutional law professor at Notre Dame Law School who clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia at the Supreme Court, was nominated by President Donald Trump for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Indiana.

Dianne Feinstein Attacks Judicial Nominee's Catholic Faith.  This afternoon [9/6/2017], during a confirmation hearing for 7th Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Amy Coney Barrett, Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein attacked the nominee for her Roman Catholic faith.  Barrett is a law professor at the University of Notre Dame who has written about the role of religion in public life and delivered academic lectures to Christian legal groups.  Drawing on some of these materials, Feinstein launched a thinly veiled attack on Barrett's Catholic faith, asserting that her religious views will prevent her from judging fairly.  "When you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you," Feinstein said.  "And that's of concern when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for for years in this country."  Feinstein is clearly hinting here at the Supreme Court decision in Roe v.  Wade, a ruling that Feinstein supports so vociferously that she has even called it a "super-precedent."

Feinstein Attacks Federal Judge Nominee's Faith: 'The Dogma Lives Loudly Within You'.  Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) told a federal judicial nominee on Wednesday that reading her past speeches revealed how the Catholic "dogma lives loudly" within her.  Feinstein, the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, made the remark during a confirmation hearing for Notre Dame Law School Professor Amy Coney Barrett.

Cardinal O'Malley urges president to keep DACA.  Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley urged President Donald Trump not to eliminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program amid reports that the president is considering doing so.  Set into place by the Obama administration in 2012, DACA grants permission for unauthorized immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children to work and obtain an education in this country.  To qualify, they must have entered the country before the age of 16, have resided in it continuously since June of 2007, and have committed no serious offenses and pose no threat to public safety.  About 800,000 immigrants, frequently referred to as "Dreamers," currently benefit from the program.

Justice Department Forces Christian Pastor to Testify on Islam Views.  The United State Department of Justice has issued subpoenas to force a Christian pastor in Virginia to disclose under oath his views on Islam.  Pastor Steve Harrelson of the Mt.  Lebanon Baptist Church in Boston, Virginia, has been served with a wide-ranging subpoena by lawyers for the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.  The subpoena demands his presence to testify under oath in response to questions from Justice Department lawyers about his views on Islam as well as several other issues.

Pastor Hillary?  "Atlantic" Article Explores Clinton's Spiritual Side.  A recent article in The Atlantic magazine, entitled "Hillary Wants to Preach," suggests that Clinton, a lifelong Methodist, has for years harbored a dream of being a minister.  "Scattered bits of reporting suggest that ministry has always been a secret dream of the two-time presidential candidate," observes writer Emma Green in The Atlantic.  "Last fall, the former Newsweek editor Kenneth Woodward revealed that Clinton told him in 1994 that she thought 'all the time' about becoming an ordained Methodist minister.  She asked him not to write about it, though:  'It will make me seem much too pious.'"  More recently, "as Clinton works to rehabilitate her public image and figure out the next steps after her brutal November loss, religion is taking a central role," Green writes.

'Some days it feels as if the "wicked" have all the luck'.  Hillary Clinton's personal pastor compared her treatment to the persecution of Jesus in a devotional sent to her during the Presidential campaign — and victor Donald Trump to the 'wicked'.  The former Democratic candidate took comfort from the words of Rev Bill Shillady who told her that 'blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness'.

Hillary Clinton's pastor compared her election loss to Jesus' death and resurrection.  Hillary Clinton's pastoral adviser urged her to keep her head up following her unexpected Election Day loss in November and compared the election to Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified.  "It is Friday, but Sunday is coming ... This is not the devotional you wish to receive this day.  While Good Friday may be the starkest representation of a Friday that we have, life is filled with a lot of Fridays," wrote United Methodist City Society Executive Director the Rev. Bill Shillady in an email to Clinton obtained by CNN. "Friday is the day that it all falls apart and all hope is lost.  We all have Fridays.  But, as the saying goes, 'Sunday's coming!'"  Shillady has maintained a pastoral relationship with the Clinton family for years.

Atheists 'appalled' by White House Bible study.  For months, secular organizations say they have unsuccessfully lobbied the president to make an effort to reach out to America's nonreligious community.  Now, revelations of a weekly Bible study group in the Trump White House, regularly attended by high-ranking Cabinet members, has free thinkers up in arms.  The Freedom From Religion Foundation is calling the Bible study group disturbing, scary and maybe even an illegal use of taxpayer funds.  "If those officials want privacy, the solution is pretty damn simple:  Study the Bible in your private capacity, not in your official capacity and at your government desk," the secular group said in a statement Thursday.  "Do it on your time, not the taxpayers'.  In short, get off your knees and get to work."

The judicial war on God and the Declaration of Independence.  On July 14, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Rowan County, North Carolina, commissioners can't begin their session with a public prayer delivered by an elected official.  And the vote wasn't even close.  This once conservative panel voted 10-5 to banish God from the public square.  The opinion was written by Judge Harvie Wilkinson, a Reagan appointee, demonstrating the imbalance in the judiciary once again — that even the most radical opinions are often penned by GOP appointees.  This case also demonstrates that the judiciary will always be a dead end and a one-way-street for conservatives.  While conservative lower court judges always feel bound to "precedent," liberal lower court judges have no problem violating precedent and established practice.

Jimmy Carter Teaches His Congregation About Single-Payer Health System.  Former President Jimmy Carter predicted the U.S. will eventually transition to a government-run health care system while addressing his church congregation Sunday [7/23/2017].  "I think eventually we'll have a single-payer system," Carter said while speaking to a large crowd before teaching his Sunday school class at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., according to the Wall Street Journal.  Carter's comments come in the midst of ongoing GOP efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare with more conservative legislation.

NAACP Chair Accuses Pastors Who Prayed With Trump of 'Theological Malpractice'.  The photo was roundly criticized.  At the forefront of the firestorm was North Carolina NAACP Chair Rev. William Barber II.  In an interview with MSNBC's Joy-Ann Reid, Barber accused the evangelical leaders of engaging in "theological malpractice."  "It is a form of theological malpractice that borders on heresy," he said.  "When you can p-r-a-y for a president and others while they are p-r-e-y preying on the most vulnerable, you are violating the sacred principles of religion."  He used the Republican handling of health care as an example.  The "extremist Trump Republican agenda" takes health care from the poor and transfers it to the wealthy, he argued.

The Editor says...
Obviously this "Reverend" is merely a political activist.  His arguments fall apart under a few seconds of contemplation, if you can endure that much.  For example, the government does not take health care from the poor and transfer it to the wealthy.  Exactly the opposite is true.  The government taxes the wealthy and gives the loot to the poor, in exchange for their votes.  The government isn't supposed to be in the health care business at all.

Philly Archbishop Decries Vatican Article Attacking U.S. Christians as 'Willfully Ignorant'.  In a hard-hitting essay, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput has joined the dozens of Christian leaders who have denounced the ignorant and insulting article published last week by the Vatican-vetted journal, La Civiltà Cattolica.  The essay by papal confidants Father Antonio Spadaro SJ and Rev. Marcelo Figueroa paints an offensive caricature of conservative Christians in the United States as politically ambitious racists who promote an "ecumenism of hate" and long to impose a theocratic state. [...] The Archbishop also makes the politically incorrect but undeniably accurate observation that the goal of much gay activism today goes beyond mere equality for the same-sex attracted and extends to a desire to "punish those who oppose the LGBT cultural agenda," something publicly acknowledged by gay activist Tim Gill last month.

Federal court:  NC commissioners' prayer practice violates U.S. Constitution.  A federal appeals court ruled Friday that a North Carolina county's practice of opening commissioners' meetings with Christian prayers — and inviting the audience to join in — is unconstitutional.  The 45-page opinion by the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va. sets up a possible showdown on the issue at the U.S. Supreme Court in coming months.  The appeals court ruled 10-5 in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of non-Christian residents who claimed they felt excluded by the prayer.

The Editor says...
The First Amendment makes no guarantees about your feelings.  But it does guarantee the free exercise of religion.

Where There's Smoke, There's Leftism.  [Scroll down]  But don't think the left is getting religious just because it defends terrorist ideology in the name of Allah.  No, sir.  When Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently made a speech before the conservative religious rights advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom, the headline at ABC News, later backed up by NBC, HuPo and so on, was Jeff Sessions addresses 'anti-LGBT hate group,' but DOJ won't release his remarks.  Those quotation marks around "hate group" are to indicate that the ADF was designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a left-wing hate group that uses its hate-group lists to slander conservatives.  In fact, the ADF is defending religious people's rights to opt out of performing tasks that violate their consciences, and Sessions' speech was in support of that.  So the left thinks Western civilization is racist, "jihad" means spiritual struggle, and freedom of conscience is hateful.

The Editor says...
Please recall that the media never had any trouble when Hillary Clinton made lucrative speeches and then declined to release the text.

Vatican Press Lashes Out At Catholic Trump Voters, Calls Steve Bannon "A Supporter Of Apocalyptic Geopolitics".  As a reminder, The pope and Trump have voiced their differences with each other in the past.  When asked in 2016 about then-candidate Trump's proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, the pope appeared to imply Trump was not a Christian.  Trump called the religious leader's comments "disgraceful."

Canadian landlord fined $12G for not taking shoes off in Muslim tenant's home.  A Canadian landlord who was fined $12,000 for wearing shoes in a Muslim tenant's home said he felt "humiliated" by the harsh penalty levied by a national human rights tribunal.  In an interview with the Toronto Sun, John Alabi, 52, of Brampton, recounted how he went above and beyond trying to accommodate the Egyptian-born couple who lived in the apartment for two months — just to be slapped with a steep fine for the shoe incident.  "I go beyond all that.  I just see everybody as human beings like me.  That's why I took them in," Alabi told the Toronto Sun in May.  "We got along.  And then all of a sudden I'm a racist?"

Christian Slapped with $12,000 'Shariah Fine' for Not Removing Shoes.  John Alabi, 53, is a Christian and a landlord who lives in the Toronto area and is being ordered to pay a fine of $12,000 by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal because he failed to remove his shoes when he entered the apartment he was renting to a Muslim couple.  His crime?  Religious discrimination, according to the tribunal.  The tenants were planning to move out of his rental home, and he says he gave the couple the required 24-hours notice that he would be showing the apartment to another tenant.  They told him not to come while they were praying, and to text first.  He agreed.  But when they stopped answering his text messages, he showed the apartment.

Pennsylvania: Resolution to Halt 143-acre State Property Sale to Shady Islamic Org.  Rumor has it that the Governor of Pennsylvania is allowing this shady sale which appears to involve collusion with and within the shady Muslim group.

It's okay to decorate a police car with rainbow flags, but not Bible verses.  It's permissible in the United States to decorate police cars with rainbow flags to celebrate gay pride, but it's not permissible to decorate police cars with Bible verses honoring law enforcement officers.  The Houston Police Dept. is debuting a "Pride Car" for the city's gay pride parade, the Houston Chronicle reports.  Police Chief Art Acevedo is downright giddy about the new rainbow cruiser and the parade.

The Communist Cardinals of Pope Francis.  In 1953, Manning Johnson, a former propaganda director for the Communist Party in America, testified to the U.S. Congress that Marxists had infiltrated Catholic seminaries.  "In the earliest stages it was determined that with only small forces available it would be necessary to concentrate Communist agents in the seminaries and divinity schools, he said.  "The practical conclusion, drawn by the Red leaders, was that these institutions would make it possible for a small Communist minority to influence the ideology of future clergymen in the paths most conducive to Communist purposes."  At the time, many dismissed this testimony.  But who doubts the long march of the Marxists through the Church now?

SCOTUS: Blocking Church Daycare From Grant Money Is 'Odious to Our Constitution'.  The Supreme Court on Monday [6/26/2017] ruled 7-2 in favor of a Lutheran daycare that sought state grant money for rubberized playing surfaces, scoring a victory for religious liberty proponents.  Missouri originally denied funding to Trinity Lutheran Church based on its status as a religious institution, but its defenders argued that this constituted religious discrimination.  Other private schools were eligible, but Missouri's constitution has an amendment forbidding public funds for religious organizations.  Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion and explicitly said that denying money for religious reasons is unconstitutional.

U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of congregation in Missouri church-state case.  In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court overturned lower courts Monday [6/26/2017] and decided in favor of a Columbia, Mo., church, that had argued that its constitutional rights had been violated by the state Department of Natural Resources' denial of scrap rubber for its playground.  Writing for the majority in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia vs.  Comer, Chief Justice John Roberts proclaimed that Trinity was "asserting a right to participate in a government benefit program without having to disavow its religious character.

Sotomayor Sees 'Radical Mistake' in Letting Churches Compete for Playground Grants.  In dissenting from the Supreme Court's 7-2 decision that Missouri cannot discriminate against a Lutheran church that sought to compete in a state grant program that paved playgrounds with material made from recycled tires, Justice Sonia Sotomayer argued that the court's opinion "would mark a radical mistake."  Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the only justice to join Sotomayor in dissenting from the majority's opinion in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v.  Comer.  Writing for the court, Chief Justice John Roberts, joined in full by liberal Justice Elena Kagan, concluded that a state government could not categorically deny churches that have playgrounds from competing with other institutions in the state grant program.

Cross in Pensacola park must come down, violates Constitution federal judge rules.  Atheists across the fruited plain are rejoicing after a federal judge declared Monday [6/19/2017] that a cross erected in a Florida park violated the law and must come down.  "I am aware that there is a lot of support in Pensacola to keep the cross as is, and I understand and I understand and respect that point of view," U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson wrote in his ruling.  "But, the law is the law."

The Editor says...
Really?  What is the name of that law, and what does it actually say?

OMB Top Post Nominee Castigated by Sanders for Christian Faith.  President Donald Trump's pick for the Office of Management and Budget's deputy director post was grilled not for his budgetary principles, but for his Christian faith by former Democrat presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders.  [Video clip]

The soft bigotry of Denver's public pooping laws.  'The Denver City Council has voted unanimously to decriminalize a number of offenses, including defecating in public.  Also, urinating in public.  Camping on public or private land without permission.  Panhandling.  And lying across public rights-of-way, such as sidewalks.  Democrat Mayor Michael Hancock and city officials explained the new ordinances are designed to protect immigrants — legal and the other kind — from "unintended consequences."  These consequences were fines and longer jail terms, as has been customary in most places for violating the behavioral norms of civilized American society.

Does The Pitkin County Sheriff Think He's Bull Connor?  Here in Aspen, the Democrat sheriff for the county recently announced that he doesn't like a set of federal laws duly enacted over the course of decades by overwhelming bipartisan majorities in Congress and signed by both Democrat and Republican presidents.  Therefore, he boasts, he won't cooperate with the enforcement of those laws.

Atheists demand town remove church welcome signs.  A group of perpetually-offended atheists, agnostics and freethinkers are threatening to sue a small Wisconsin town because of two welcome signs.  The signs, which were posted some 50 years ago, read, "The Churches of Oconomowoc Welcome You."  The Freedom From Religion Foundation said the welcome signs are unconstitutional because they are not neutral toward all faiths.

The Editor says...
The signs obviously were not intended to welcome members the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Al Gore Says God Told Him to Fight Global Warming.  Former Vice President Al Gore is now telling his climate disciples that God commands us to go forth and fight global warming.  Engaging in some advanced publicity for his new global warming film spectacular, "An Inconvenient Sequel," Gore told Interview Magazine that God didn't create global warming and wants us to fix it.  In his comments, Gore equated the fight against global warming to a religious-based, moral crusade similar to the civil rights fight, women's suffrage, and the abolitionist movement during the Civil War era.  Gore insisted that it is a moral imperative to fight against climate change.

The Editor says...
Notice how quickly politicians bring up theology when it's used as leverage.  Has God lost control of global temperatures, so that he needs Al Gore's assistance?  And while God was in conversation with Mr. Gore, do you suppose the Lord mentioned anything else?

Bernie Demands Religious Litmus Test for Christians But Not Muslims.  Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders applies a religious litmus test to Christians in public service positions, but when it comes to applying the same standard to Muslims, the Vermont senator claimed that they should instead be judged by their "views [and] abilities" instead "of their religion."  In an exchange Wednesday [6/7/2017] between Sanders and the potential deputy White House budget director Russell Vought — an evangelical Christian — the former Democrat presidential candidate began attacking Vought for his belief in Christianity and went as far to say "this nominee is really not someone who this country is supposed to be about."

Feds Continue Funding Sanctuaries to the Tune of Tens of Millions of Dollars.  Don Rosenberg is the father of a young man who was killed by an illegal alien initially held on criminal charges by police, who chose to release the alien to the streets rather than into the hands of immigration agents who wanted to initiate proceedings to deport him.  It was this failure that led to the son's death.  It happened in San Francisco, that model of progressive thinking, which has more than once done this with similarly disastrous results to its innocent citizenry.  Rosenberg is among a distressingly large and diverse group of families who have faced similar tragedies.  He is now the face of a public service announcement slamming sanctuary jurisdictions, and asking President Trump to make good on his campaign promise to halt federal funding for these jurisdictions.

Muslims, DOJ Shake Down Township for $3.25M Over Mosque.  A New Jersey township that stopped an Islamic society from building a mosque will pay the group $3.25 million, ending a multi-year battle that spanned 39 public hearings and included allegations of anti-Muslim animus.  Terms of the agreement were made public Tuesday, about a week after Bernards Township voted to settle lawsuits brought last March by the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge and in November by the Justice Department.

Pelosi says Trump 'dishonoring' God in global warming decision.  Rep. Nancy Pelosi said Thursday [6/1/2017] that President Trump was "dishonoring" God and questioned whether his grandchildren will even be able to breathe air after his announcement a day earlier that he would withdraw from the Paris climate accord.  "How is he ever going to explain to his grandchildren what he did to the air they breathe — assuming they breathe air," she said at her weekly press conference.  She compared the president to racist segregationists during the civil rights movement, said Mr. Trump's decision was yet another reason he needed to release his tax returns, and said the U.S. has isolated itself from the world, joining just Syria in rejecting the Paris agreement as too onerous.

The Editor says...
It is somewhat disturbing that one of the country's most rabid supporters of abortion, for any reason and at any stage of pregnancy, has the temerity to accuse someone else of dishonoring God.  But in this case, Ms. Pelosi is attempting to make a connection where none exists.  The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could double, and you'd probably never notice, except that your lawn would be greener.  The Paris agreement has nothing to do with air pollution.  Nancy Pelosi apparently hopes you don't think for yourself.

New Jersey town must pay an Islamic group $3.25 million after it was sued for refusing to allow it to build a mosque.  A New Jersey town will pay an Islamic group $3.25 million to settle a lawsuit over its denial of a permit to build a mosque, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday [5/30/2017].  Under the settlement, the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge will be allowed to build the mosque and Bernards Township — an upscale town in central New Jersey — agreed to limit the zoning restrictions placed on houses of worship.  Of the settlement money, $1.75 million will go towards attorneys' fees and costs and the remaining $1.5 million is for damages.

Hegseth Confronts MN Mayor Who Gave 'State of the City' Speech at Mosque.  Pete Hegseth on Tuesday [5/23/2017] confronted Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges after she delivered her "state of the city" address in a mosque.  Hodges, who previously called President Trump "uniquely pernicious," chose the mosque as the location because she believes the city's Muslim community is under attack from the Trump administration.

Sheriff ordered to remove "Blessed are the Peacemakers" decals.  The peacemakers are not allowed to be blessed in Montgomery County, Virginia.  The sheriff was ordered on May 17 to remove decals bearing a portion of a well-known Bible verse from patrol cars.  The decal, which had been posted on vehicles in March, bore the words, "Blessed are the peacemakers — Matthew 5:9."  "Our intent was, and still is, to honor our fellow brothers and sisters in law enforcement," Sheriff C.H. Partin wrote in a statement to Fox News.

The Pope's Marxist Head of the Jesuits.  Understanding the adage that personnel is policy, Pope Francis has been planting Marxists throughout the Church, including at the top of the troubled religious order to which he belongs.  In 2016, the Jesuits, with the blessing of Pope Francis, installed as its general superior a Venezuelan, Fr. Arturo Sosa Abascal, whose communist convictions have long been known.

Darkness at the Heart of Liberal Progressivism.  The Constitution excluded mention of God, not because the Founders were irreligious, but quite to the contrary, they were all members of various and sundry religious establishments, and wished to keep it that way.  They reasonably feared that if the government were allowed to define God, then religious freedom would be lost.  This is why the Establishment clause of the First Amendment is balanced against the Free Exercise clause.  Both are necessary, not for the exclusion of religion, but for its protection.  The Founders rightly insisted upon both principles.  Each of them protects the other.  That history has been turned on its head.  Liberal Progressives now interpret the Establishment clause so expansively that, in their view, it crowds out Free Exercise so completely as to render it of no effect.

The Unholy Alliance Between George Soros and Pope Francis.  Leftists frequently turn up at the Vatican, often invited by one of Pope Francis's closest advisers, the socialist Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga.  Before the pope's visit to the U.S., a group of left-wing activists and officials from unions and organizations such as the SEIU and PICO (an Alinskyite group founded by the liberal Jesuit Father John Baumann) descended on the Vatican to confer with curial officials about the trip.  Around the same time, over 90 members of the U.S. Congress sent Pope Francis a letter, urging him to focus upon politically liberal themes.  The leader of this group was Rosa DeLauro, a Catholic who supports abortion rights.  In 2016, it was revealed through disclosures by WikiLeaks that the billionaire socialist George Soros bankrolled much of this lobbying.

Pope Francis's Communist Mentor.  Pope Francis grew up in socialist Argentina, an experience that left a deep impression on his thinking.  He told the Latin American journalists Javier Camara and Sebastian Pfaffen that as a young man he "read books of the Communist Party that my boss in the laboratory gave me" and that "there was a period where I would wait anxiously for the newspaper — La Vanguardia, which was not allowed to be sold with the other newspapers and was brought to us by the socialist militants."  The "boss" to whom Pope Francis referred is Esther Ballestrino de Careaga.  He has described her as a "Paraguayan woman" and a "fervent communist."  He considers her one of his most important mentors.  "I owe a huge amount to that great woman," he has said, saying that she "taught me so much about politics."

Can Virginia Require a Church To Permit Breast-Feeding in the Pews?  In 2015, following the lead of many other states, Virginia passed a "law that says women have a right to breast-feed anywhere they have a legal right to be," as the Washington Post reports.  The law provides "no exemption for religious institutions," as well as no quarter, it would seem, for owners' ordinary rights to set terms and conditions when they invite visits from the general public.  Now a mother and her attorney say Summit Church in Springfield, in the D.C. suburbs, had no right to ask her to use a private room after she began feeding her baby without a cover during a sermon.  Should Annie Peguero, of Dumfries, Va., press a claim in court, she might have to contend with Virginia's version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, [...]

Trump to sign executive order lifting ban on political activity by churches.  President Trump will sign an executive order Thursday to make it easier for churches to actively participate in politics without risking their tax-exempt status, and to protect faith-based groups from being forced to pay for abortion services under Obamacare, the White House said.  A senior White House official confirmed Wednesday night that Mr. Trump will take the action at a National Day of Prayer event as he hosts conservative religious leaders at the White House.  The official said the order is "another example of the president fulfilling his campaign promises."  The order is aimed at easing an IRS provision that prohibits churches from directly opposing or endorsing political candidates.  Mr. Trump has been promising to get rid of the measure.

Trump signs order aimed at allowing churches to engage in more political activity.  The order, which Trump unveiled with great fanfare in a Rose Garden ceremony, was cheered by some conservative Christians but seen as a disappointment by others, who said it fell short of the broader changes they wanted as part of a highly anticipated measure on religious liberties.  The order, Trump said, removes the financial threat faced by tax-exempt churches from the Internal Revenue Service when pastors speak out on behalf of political candidates.  But some experts said it amounts to a mostly symbolic gesture with little likelihood of changing how the agency polices the issue.

Trump's Executive Order on Religious Liberty Is Worse Than Useless.  Fresh on the heels of a budget deal that fully funds Planned Parenthood, Donald Trump has signed a religious-liberty executive order that — if reports are correct — is constitutionally dubious, dangerously misleading, and ultimately harmful to the very cause that it purports to protect.

You Paid For It:  Scientology loses effort to kill $26 million Clearwater Marine Aquarium funding.  The Church of Scientology has for the moment at least lost a bid to kill $26 million in public funding for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.  The church made a last minute bid to block tourism tax funding for the aquarium's expansion one day before Tuesday's Pinellas County Commission meeting.  The church argued that the aquarium is not deserving of public support for a myriad of reasons.  Commissioners essentially ignored the church's objections at their meeting Tuesday and forwarded the proposal along with other recommended projects to a special committee that will negotiate the details of how that bed tax money is spent The plan will return to the commission for final approval.

Clearwater City Council votes 5-0 to buy downtown parcel coveted by the Church of Scientology.  The City Council on Thursday [4/20/2017] voted unanimously to buy a vacant but high-profile downtown lot from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, intercepting a crucial piece of land the Church of Scientology said it needed for its campus.  A packed auditorium at City Hall greeted the 5-0 decision with applause.  Scientology leader David Miscavige had offered to bankroll a multi-million dollar revitalization of downtown if the city stepped aside and allowed the church to buy the lot, which borders its 13-story Oak Cove religious retreat.  He pitched the idea last week to a select group of downtown stakeholders with help from Scientology celebrities like John Travolta, and was willing to pay more than three times what the city was offering.

Delaware senator calls Koran reading on Senate floor "despicable".  Comments that state Sen. Dave Lawson, R-Marydel, made about Islam on the floor of the chamber Wednesday led to a rare rebuke from the chamber's chief member and sparked a brief but fierce discussion about religious freedom.  "We just heard from the Quran, which calls for our very demise," Lawson said after a Muslim duo gave the invocation, including a passage from their holy text.  "I fought for this country, not to be damned by someone that comes in here and prays to their God for our demise.  I think that's despicable."

San Diego school district to create Muslim safe spaces, boost Islam lessons to combat bullying.  Muslim safe spaces, increased lessons on Islam during social studies classes, and other measures will be adopted by San Diego Unified School District to combat bullying.  The Council for American-Islamic Relations and school officials in southern California collaborated on a "holistic" approach to bullying that will likely be implemented this fall.  The changes, which include adding Muslim holidays to school calendars, are the result of a study directed by the San Diego school board in July 2016.  "It's more of a comprehensive program, not just a curriculum," said Stan Anjan, the district's executive director of family and community engagement, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Wednesday.  "We're looking at it from a very integrated and holistic approach."

Montana Democrats Vote Against Bill Banning Sharia Law, Call It 'Repugnant'.  Senate Bill 97, introduced by Keith Regier (R-Kalispell) bans the application of foreign law in Montana's courts, with the debate particularly focused on Sharia Law, a form of Islamic law typically used in the Middle East.  Although the bill passed on party lines by 56-44, Democrats claimed it was designed to target Muslim communities.  "I think it sends a dangerous message to minority groups both here living in our state and wanting to come visit our state, just merely on the fact that you may be different," said Rep. Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula, while debating the bill.

Clearwater officials should not surrender to Church of Scientology.  Clearwater City Council members meekly capitulated last week to Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige, answering his summons to private meetings at Scientology's command center to discuss its continued takeover of downtown.  That was demeaning and disrespectful to Clearwater residents, who still have not heard directly from Miscavige about his latest scheme.  Scientology should come out of the shadows, and public officials should remember they represent the public and no one else.

Liberal Judges Unwittingly Declare ObamaCare Religious Mandate Unconstitutional.  They don't realize it, but liberals have just declared that Obama's HHS mandate — which forced Catholics to cooperate with providing abortion and contraception — is unconstitutional.  The new interpretation of the Establishment Clause espoused by the activist judges who are striking down Trump's EO is that anything that has a disparate impact on a religious group is unconstitutional.  The rulings by activist judges declaring Trump's EO on immigration to be unconstitutional were based on arguments that if the EO/law had a disparate impact on any faith, or that if the person behind the EO/law ever said anything that could be construed to violate the new liberal interpretation of the establishment clause, then the EO/law in question was unconstitutional.

First Amendment controversy brews over Texas high school's prayer room.  A Texas high school's on-site prayer room — which serves as a spot where Muslim students can pray — is stirring controversy.  Liberty High School in Frisco established the room in 2009, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is concerned that the room may be off-limits to students of other religious denominations.  He said in a letter Friday to the school district that any exclusion would be inconsistent with the First Amendment's protection of religious liberty.

After School Satan Club' Gets Tax Exempt Status in 10 Days.  The Internal Revenue Service granted an "After School Satan Club" their tax exempt status.  The approval process for the group's non-profit status took only 10 days, according to records obtained by Judicial Watch on Friday [3/17/2017].  The satanic club was started by Reason Alliance, a Somerville, Mass. based non-profit organization that operates the Satanic Temple of Seattle.  The director of Reason Alliance, Lilith X. Starr, founded the club at Point Defiance Elementary in Tacoma, Wash.  The Point Defiance Elementary Satanic club is run by adults that have been cleared by the "Executive Ministry" of the Seattle Satanic Temple.  The group is focused on children from 5-12 and is intended to develop character, problem solving, critical reasoning, and other qualities.

Hawaii considering bill to force church, pro-life centers to promote abortion.  Hawaii is considering legislation that would require all pregnancy centers to refer patients to clinics that provide abortions — a move pro-life centers say will violate their religious beliefs and their free speech rights.  In a 22-3 vote, the state's Democrat-controlled Senate approved SB 501, which would direct "all limited service pregnancy centers to disclose the availability of and enrollment information for reproductive health services."  For the Rev. Derald Skinner, pastor at Calvary Chapel Pearl Harbor, that would mean putting a sign advertising abortion in his church.

64 countries have religious symbols on their national flags.  A third of the world's 196 countries currently have national flags that include religious symbols, according to a new Pew Research analysis.  Of the 64 countries in this category, about half have Christian symbols (48%) and about a third include Islamic religious symbols (33%), with imagery on flags from the world's two largest religious groups appearing across several regions.  Christian symbols are found on 31 national flags from Europe, Asia and the Pacific and the Americas.  The United Kingdom's "Union Jack," for example, includes the crosses of St. George, St. Patrick and St. Andrew.  Some Commonwealth countries continue to incorporate the Union Jack as a part of their own flags, including Fiji, Tuvalu, Australia and New Zealand.  Spain, Greece, Norway and the Dominican Republic are among the other countries with Christian national symbols.

Italian Archbishop Suggests Pope Benedict XVI Resigned Under Obama 'Pressure'.  An Italian archbishop close to Pope Benedict XVI has claimed that the Obama administration may have been complicit in the "tremendous pressures" that led the former pope to resign in 2013.  It is "no coincidence" that some Catholic groups "have asked President Trump to open a commission of inquiry to investigate whether the administration of Barack Obama exerted pressure on Benedict," said Archbishop Luigi Negri in an interview Monday [3/6/2017], citing other revelations by Wikileaks regarding efforts by the Democratic Party to sway the direction of the Catholic Church in the United States.

The Democrat High Priestesses in White.  To look at the bloc of white garbed Democrat women was to look at oracles of Delphi who have mystically discerned the most sacred right of women is the right to sacrifice their own offspring.  To look at the high priestesses dedicated to the religion of radical feminism is to see leaders of a cult, the chief sacrament of which is abortion.  For nearly all leftist feminists, abortion is a holy rite, a religious ritual to be conducted in the cathedrals of Planned Parenthood and to be blessed by "faith leaders."  Yes, you read that correctly.  Blessed.  High priests and priestesses inside and outside the Beltway have committed to "blessing" abortion both by law and by religious rituals.  According to a recent Huffington Post article entitled "Religious Leaders Bless Planned Parenthood Health Center," [a] group of clergy representing "Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and secular leaders gathered inside Planned Parenthood Metro Washington's new Carol Whitehill Moses health center on Tuesday [2/28/2017] to perform a blessing of the space."

Church World Service announced yesterday that it is launching anti-Trump campaign (to raise $$$).  Is your denomination one of 37 that will be holding demonstrations and lobbying Congress?  It is called the #GreaterAs1 campaign.

LA churches ready underground network of safe houses for illegals.  A network of churches is organizing resistance to the new immigration enforcement policies of the federal government by developing a network of "safe houses" to shelter illegal alien families from deportation. [...] The compassion showed by the churchmen is admirable.  I just wish they had similar compassion for those suffering the consequences of untrammeled illegal immigration.  To make believe we are not paying the price for millions of illegal aliens crossing our borders is ignorant.  And that price is unnecessary when you consider that orderly, legal immigration would weed out most of the criminals and unemployable aliens making our streets less safe and putting an enormous and needless strain on the social service resources in our communities.

The Editor says...
If the churches are doing this to help out the poor in their hour of need, that's one thing.  But if the (Catholic) churches are just trying to inflate their own membership numbers or expand the number of Democrat voters, that's something else.

Watch foul liberal protesters LOSE IT when Louisiana townhall opens with PRAYER!  Wow, you won't believe this video.  Apparently the far left liberal protesters hate Christianity so much they scream out in horror like demons stuck in a pig when Jesus' name is mentioned.  [Video clip]

Protesters Freak Out After GOP Town Hall Opens With A Prayer.  Liberal protesters became enraged when a Louisiana town hall with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy opened with a prayer earlier this week, screaming at the chaplain as he tried to lead the crowd in prayer.  The protesters, who were there with a local chapter of anti-Trump group Indivisible, can be heard groaning and shouting as the chaplain says, "In God we trust."  One man can be heard saying, "Pray on your own time!" Others shouted incredulously, "Prayer?  Prayer?"  Video of the event, first reported by The Washington Free Beacon, reveals one woman shouting the name "Lucifer" while the chaplain invokes God's name.  Other, non-protesting attendees can be heard trying to shush the protesters.

Town hall agitators explode at the name of Jesus.  Louisiana State chaplain Michael Sprague and the unidentified Vietnam War veteran should be commended for maintaining their composure in the face of such verbal barbarism.  The Feb. 22 town hall meeting in Metairie, was quickly overrun by the angry mob — much like other town hall meetings hosted by Republican lawmakers across the country.  The mainstream media would have us believe the unruly demonstrations are part of an organic, grassroots effort.  But I sincerely doubt many in the mob were actually residents of Louisiana [...]

Church, State, and Melania Trump.  Those who have made a career of trying to drive all vestiges of religion from the public square, from manger scenes at Christmas to mentioning God in the Pledge of Allegiance, were not happy when First Lady Melania Trump recited the Lord's Prayer at her husband's rally in Florida.  The tolerant left mocked the accent of a woman and an immigrant who speaks five languages.  They moaned that it was an affront to those who are not Christian.  And they brought out that old canard about the separation of church and state.

Melania Trump attacked for reciting 'The Lord's Prayer' at campaign rally.  Leftists on social media tore into First Lady Melania Trump, mocking her accent and religion and branding her everything from a hostage to a whore — all for the secular offense of reciting "The Lord's Prayer."  Melania Trump began President Trump's rally Saturday in Florida by delivering the prayer, which Christians — many of whom recite the prayer in church each week — believe was first said by Jesus Christ.  The crowd at Orlando-Melbourne Airport received the prayer enthusiastically.  Left-leaning social media users were a different story, however.

NJ pastor offers church as sanctuary to undocumented immigrants during ICE raids.  A New Jersey pastor is offering his church to undocumented immigrants who face possible deportations during U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.  The Reformed Church of Highland Park is the ultimate sanctuary church.  Its pastor, Reverend Seth Kaper-Dale, is a well-known immigrant and refugee advocate who is now running for governor of New Jersey on the Green Party line.

Useful Idiots No More.  "Tell him you are a Muslim, tell him you are a Muslim," Nancy Pelosi instructed Congressman Andre Carson at an anti-Trump rally on Monday, moments after she had just introduced him as a "Muslim member of Congress."  She apparently felt that the crowd hadn't sufficiently gotten the point.  Pelosi normally rattles on about the dangers of "religion in politics," but on Monday night [1/30/2017] she very much wanted religion in it — and not just any religion, but the most patriarchal of them.  To see feminists hawking Islam so feverishly is an amusing spectacle, especially since a day or so later Pelosi had recovered her fear of religion in the public square and creeping Christian patriarchy.

Trump Is Right.  Churches Should Be Free To Express Themselves Politically.  In 1954, Sen. Lyndon Johnson, worried about opposition at home, came up with an amendment to the Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) that prohibited campaign speech by nonprofits and tax-exempt churches.  There was no floor debate on the law, and one assumes, those voting for it saw little downside in quashing church criticism in their own states.  One also imagines that the folks writing the First Amendment didn't expect their pastors would be monitored by a central government agency and forced to watch what they say in the pulpit.  Yet, ignoring our rich tradition of religious activism, which includes the abolitionist movement, we've normalized the idea that pastors, priests, and rabbis should avoid talking about candidates, even when those candidates attack foundational ideas of faith.  We now task the IRS with monitoring every utterance in every church by every religious organization in the United States, and then deciding which of those thoughts constitute acceptable speech or "issue advocacy."

Trump vows to 'totally destroy' restrictions on churches' support of candidates.  President Trump vowed Thursday [2/2/2017] to "totally destroy" a law passed more than 60 years ago that bans tax-exempt churches from supporting political candidates, a nod to the religious right that helped sweep him into office.  Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Trump said he would seek to overturn the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits tax-exempt nonprofits — including churches and other houses of worship — from "directly or indirectly" participating in a political candidate's campaign.  Repeal of the amendment — which is part of the tax code and would require action by Congress — has been sought primarily by conservative Christian leaders, who argue that it is used selectively to keep them for speaking out freely.

Pelosi Hot Mic: 'Tell Them You're A Muslim'.  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was caught on a hot mic at a protest Monday night, cynically encouraging congressman Andre Carson of Indiana to remind the crowd he is a Muslim.  "Greetings from the great state of Indiana.  I'm Congressman Andre Carson!" Carson said during Monday's rally.  "Tell them you're a Muslim," Pelosi can be heard saying.  "Tell them you're a Muslim."  [Video clip]

Nancy Pelosi Caught on HOT MIC Promoting Muslims.  Muslim is the new "black," at least when it comes to minorities.  I warned of this confluence of race and religion in my book Sexy Brilliance and Other Political Lies.  I predicted that Muslims would learn the ways of black Leftists, then add the "secret sauce" of religion to ultimately get Leftists to allow Muslims to dominate America.  We know the radical Muslims have made this their strategy for quite some time.  They brag that they won't have to actually fight us with guns.  They won't even have to do what Muslims enjoy most, which is to cut off the heads of Infidels.  No, Muslims simply nuzzle up to Leftists and let the caliphate begin.

Religious Activities at Presidential Inaugurations.  Americans have long believed that civic ceremonies such as presidential inaugurations should include religious activities.  Recently, some individuals and groups have raised objections to these activities, often arguing that they violate the Founders' supposed commitment to secularizing the public square by separating church and state.  These arguments have no historical foundation, as can be seen by briefly considering America's first presidential inauguration.

NASA Gets Religion About Extraterrestrials.  [Scroll down to page 58]  "How might the world's religions respond to the discovery of life on other planets?"  NASA is enlisting theologians to answer that question to prepare for if and when human contact is made with extraterrestrials.  The NASA Astrobiology Program awarded more than $1.1 million to the Center of Theological Inquiry (CTI) to examine "the societal implications of the search for life in the universe."

After school Satan clubs coming to public elementary schools.  An organization that calls itself the Satanic Temple has been very active in promoting its overlord.  It conducted a Black Mass and agitated, but failed, to build a 7-ft tall statue of Satan next to a 10 Commandments monument in Oklahoma City; actually erected the statue in Detroit; and wants prayer in school to the Devil.  Now, in the name of religious parity, the Satanic Temple is bringing After School Satan Clubs to America's public elementary schools.  Another reason to home school your children.

Mom sues to stop Bible study classes in West Virginia schools.  A kindergartner's mother is suing her public school system in West Virginia, asking that it discontinue a 75-year practice of putting kids in Bible classes that violate the U.S. and state constitutions.  The woman, identified as "Jane Doe" in the federal lawsuit backed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, says her child will be forced either to take these weekly classes at her Mercer County elementary school or face ostracism as one of the few children who don't.  Her daughter is called "Jamie" in the suit.  "Jamie will either be forced to attend Bible indoctrination classes against the wishes and conscience of Jane Doe, or Jamie will be the only or one of only a few children who do not participate," the lawsuit says.

Atheist group wins battle to pull cross from public park after threatening lawsuit.  A California city has removed a 14-foot tall granite cross from a public park after receiving a legal complaint from a local man and the nation's largest atheist group.  Santa Clara officials removed the large cross last week following legal action by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, donating it to Santa Clara University, a Jesuit academic institution.

Church Won't Mention Trump in Prayers Because His Name Is 'a Dangerous Trauma Trigger'.  Pasadena's All Saints Episcopal Church will not mention Donald Trump by name in prayers, saying that mentions of the President-elect are "literally a trauma trigger to some people."  For years, the California church has offered prayers for people in positions of power, including President Obama.  The church will continue offering those prayers — but it will no longer use proper names, said rector Mike Kinman in a blog post, because "prayer should never be a trauma-causing act."

Calif. church to stop praying for president by name, says 'Trump' is 'literally a trauma trigger'.  Leaders of a California church have come to the decision to stop praying for the president of the United States by name, because they say "Donald Trump" is a "trauma trigger" for some parishioners.  Mike Kinman, the rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, said in a Jan. 6 open letter that the church is removing the names of all leaders from its prayers as a compromise to fulfill their duties as Episcopalians while also protecting the "vulnerable among us in this hour."

Al Sharpton Confronted by Activists in Baltimore.  Rev. Al Sharpton got an earful from activists when he arrived in Baltimore to preach on Sunday [1/15/2017].  A group of men peppered the preacher with questions about his activism in the black community in a Facebook Live video posted by Duane G. Davis.  "They come to exploit tragedies and collect money," Davis said about Sharpton and other high-profile liberal activists.  "How much money is he going to get to speak here?"  One activist repeatedly asked Sharpton what he was doing to help young black men, telling Sharpton that his past activism wasn't good enough.

NYPD Officers Now Allowed to Wear Religiously Mandated Beards and Turbans.  As part of an effort to maximize recruitment, the NYPD will permit its officers to wear religiously mandated turbans and beards.  "We're making this change to make sure that we allow everybody in New York City that wants to apply and have the opportunity to work for the greatest police department in the nation," said Commissioner James O'Neill in a Wednesday [12/28/2016] announcement.  Until now, the department has prohibited non-uniform headwear and facial hair, though some cops were allowed to sport one-millimeter beards — otherwise known as a five o'clock shadows — for religious or "dermatological" reasons.  The restrictions posed a conflict for the force's observant Muslims, whose faith calls for longer beards, and Sikhs, who are supposed to wear both beards and long hair under a turban.

NYPD to allow Sikhs to wear turbans, grow beards.  The New York Police Department is now allowing Sikh officers to wear turbans in place of the traditional police cap and grow beards up to a half-inch long for religious reasons.

Oklahoma: Police question man who asked library to stop promoting Islam on cars.  One Norman man is pushing to see the image of a hijab-clad woman removed from the Pioneer Library System vehicles.  He said the image has no place on a government vehicle, because it promotes Islam and is therefore unconstitutional.  "How can they promote Islam on the side of a public vehicle in Norman Oklahoma," Chad Grensky said.  "I don't understand it.  It makes me sick.  I'm not anti-Muslim.  Our tax paying dollars fund these vehicles and they feel the need to promote Islam on the side of these cars.  And that's not right."

War on Christians:  Marine Bible Verse Case Heads to Supreme Court.  Lawyers representing Lance Corporal Monifa Sterling — the U.S. Marine court-martialed for displaying Bible verses on her desk — petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court on the Friday before Christmas to take her appeal, one of the biggest military religious liberty cases in American history.  Sterling was a substandard Marine, but the straw that broke the camel's back to get her court-martialed was posting, "No weapon formed against me shall prosper," a paraphrase of Isaiah 54:17.  Representing herself during the prosecution, she argued that she had a religious liberty right to post that verse.  She was convicted and dishonorably discharged from the military.

Catholic Priests Told to Push Global Warming Propaganda.  You can't destroy Christianity by force; it has been tried.  However, you might be able to destroy it through subversion, leaving the churches in place but hollowing out the content and replacing it with nonsense or trendy idiocy until there isn't any point anymore and the congregation wanders off.

Catholic priests will have to preach about climate change as part of a drive by the church to cut global warming.  Catholic priests are now expected to learn about climate change, church chiefs have announced.  It is part of a worldwide drive by the faith to increase environmental awareness.  New guidelines issued to priests state that members of the clergy should be 'promoters' of 'appropriate care for everything connected to the protection of creation'.

The Editor says...
The "global warming" hoax has been pushed by only one political party for the last 20 years, even though there has been no abnormal change in the global climate.  There are always year-to-year variations in the weather, and if the average (year-round, world-wide) temperature goes up by one degree per century -- which is what the alarmists are so worried about -- who would even notice?  To preach about "climate change" (which is what they call it now, in case the warming turns into cooling), especially under pressure from higher up in a denomination, is a blatant use of the pulpit to spread one-sided political views.  Worse than that, these are political views that have no basis in truth.

Township issues death sentence for Christian school.  The situation didn't seem that alarming.  A Christian school needed to move to more economic, and yet bigger, facilities.  As such schools usually are, the Livingston Christian School in Genoa Township, Michigan, was on a tight budget, but it located a facility available at the nearby Brighton Church of the Nazarene, and made plans for the move.  The local planning commission approved the plan, the community supported it, and even experts summoned by the township endorsed the strategy.  Then the town council rejected the application, a decision that prompted a court case that now is pending before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.  The brief there, submitted by First Liberty, warns that the rejection is a violation of federal law because it threatens the very existence of the religious outreach.  "The township threatened the survival of the school as a religious institution because, as the record demonstrates, the school has no viable alternative location," the briefing to the appeals judges explains.  A lower court judge had found that endangering the existence of the school was not a "substantial burden," the appeal notes.

Shattered.  On the Sunday morning before Election Day, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the first woman ever to be nominated by a major party for the American presidency, gave a sermon at the Mt.  Airy Church of God in Christ in Philadelphia.  Her voice hoarse after days of multistate campaigning, Clinton sounded exhausted but happy to be there.  Even at the bitter end of a nearly two-year marathon campaign, she could still get energized by speaking at a black church on a Sunday.

The Editor says...
That was a campaign speech, not a sermon.  It was a campaign speech in an all-black self-segregated church.  She wasn't there to preach, she was there to use black people as political pawns — to harvest their votes — knowing that inner-city blacks reflexively vote for the party that is most likely to keep the welfare checks coming and the gravy train on the tracks.

Black pastors issue urgent plea to voters at Sunday services.  At Sunday services, in rallies and on social media, black pastors urged congregants to vote, hoping to inspire a late flood of African-American turnout that could help propel Democrat Hillary Clinton to victory in critical swing states on Tuesday.

By my count, this is the 4th weekend in a row she has campaigned in all-black churches.
Hillary speaks of 'love thy neighbor' at Philly church on final Sunday of historically nasty campaign.  After an angry campaign that has featured a series of vicious personal attacks, Hillary Clinton spoke about the God's biblical commandment to 'Love Thy Neighbor' in the final Sunday before Americans go to the polls. [...] Clinton motorcaded to Mt. Airy Baptist Church in Philadelphia as part of her campaign's last minute effort to lock down Pennsylvania, amid signs that African American turnout has slipped in North Carolina, which has early voting.

Hillary eats soul food, campaigns in churches to boost lagging black turnout.  Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's tours of soul food restaurants and black churches to court black voters in recent weeks doesn't seem to be paying off.  The turnout of black voters is down in many areas compared to 2012, including key battleground states, providing the latest evidence that the former first lady's campaign may be circling the drain. [...] The black voter turnout in the key state of North Carolina is down 16 percent in early voting.  It's a similar situation in Florida, where black voters heading to the polls in person has decreased from 25 percent in 2012 to a current rate of 15 percent, despite expanded early voting opportunities.

'Rejoice in our sufferings': Hillary tells Florida congregation that setbacks deliver character and 'hope'.  After attending a lively performance in Miami when where pop sensation Jennifer Lopez delivered an eye-popping routine while dressed in fishnet stockings, Hillary Clinton went to church on Sunday for worship and prayer — and warned that 'suffering' is part of God's plan.  'Scripture tells us to rejoice in our sufferings knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,' Clinton told worshippers at New Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Ft. Lauderdale.

The Editor says...
Unless I have lost count, this is at least the third weekend in a row that Mrs. Clinton has made a campaign speech in an all-black church.

State demands pastor turn over sermons, notes.  The state of Georgia is demanding copies of the sermons and related notes of a lay pastor who was fired by the Department of Public Health after it investigated what he said in his church.  But Dr. Eric Walsh is resisting, issuing a statement via his legal team that he will not comply with the demand from state lawyers.  The state's demand is in response to a lawsuit filed by Walsh against the Department of Health charging discrimination based on his religion and other civil rights violations.

Tim Kaine: 'Spanish Was the Language of Our Country Before English'.  In an interview on the Spanish-language show "Noticias Telemundo," Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, the Democrat nominee for vice president, said that Spanish was the language of America before English.  Kaine has often given speeches in Spanish, and on Sunday [10/16/2016] he gave a sermon entirely in Spanish at Pneuma Church in Miami, Fla.

The Editor says...
Nobody in the news media seems concerned that the vice-presidential nominee is making a campaign speech (masquerading as a "sermon") in a Florida church.

Hillary Clinton speaks at Durham church, holds rally in Raleigh.  Hillary Clinton says the "love they neighbor" commandment in the Bible can be tough to follow sometimes. [...] Clinton was speaking to several hundred people gathered at Union Baptist Church in Durham on Sunday morning [10/23/2016].

The Editor says...
The Democrat candidate delivered a campaign speech in an all-black church, and the national news media ignored it.  Had it been a Republican conducting a political rally in an all-white church, the media would have reflexively called it racist and a violation of the separation of church and state — which of course isn't a law, therefore there's nothing to violate.

Boosting black voter turnout is key to Clinton campaign's North Carolina strategy.  Hillary Clinton inserted a sly remark near the end of her speech from a Baptist church pulpit here on Sunday, telling the crowd, "I'm not going to tell you who to vote for."  She didn't need to, of course.  The black congregants who packed the pews laughed and applauded, and when Clinton finished speaking, they said goodbye with the same standing ovation with which they had greeted her.

'Love One Another' Hillary Clinton Preaches at Baptist Church in North Carolina.  On Sunday [10/23/2016], Hillary Clinton went to church and delivered a sermon about the upcoming election and the problems with racism in America.  "We are asked to love one another.  We are not just urged, we are commanded," she said.  "Jesus said it was the greatest of his commandments."  Clinton said that she once taught Sunday school, teaching students to love their neighbor as themselves.

The Editor says...
It's sadly ironic that one of the most caustic, bitter, mean, divisive and dishonest individuals in the world brags about having been a Sunday School teacher, and it's a bit shocking that she was invited to preach on a Sunday morning in a Baptist church.

Bibles banned!  VA removes Good Book from clinic.  A Bible was removed from the waiting room of a Chillicothe Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Athens, Ohio after a veteran complained.  "Our government is secular, and must remain secular," the unidentified veteran wrote.  Mikey Weinstein, the founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, fired off a letter to the medical center on behalf of the veteran — alleging that the presence of the Bible inside a government facility is a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Hillary, Soros and the political genocide of Christianity.  Hillary Clinton seems to have a problem with religious liberty when it conflicts with her progressive goals.  During an April 2015 speech to the Women in the World Conference she said, "Deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed" for the sake of giving women access to "reproductive health care and safe childbirth."  Translated, that means that Clinton, who believes that reproductive rights are a "fundamental human right", would, through repeal of the Hyde Amendment, force all taxpayers to fund all abortions, even partial birth, that is, "day of birth" abortions regardless of our religious convictions.  Clinton is also willing to impose federal penalties, including denying tax-exempt status, in order to, as Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wrote, "stamp out every vestige of dissent" to a far-left agenda.

Public piety, private contempt for Hillary Clinton and aides.  In public, Hillary Clinton talks about how she would represent all Americans and pushes the "Stronger Together" campaign theme.  But behind closed doors, there is no room for people of faith in her America.  Privately, the Democratic nominee and her campaign advisers are pushing a liberal agenda hostile to religion and targeting faith organizations that do not adapt to their liberal "religion."  The Clinton campaign is no friend of the cause of religious liberty.  Internal emails exposed by WikiLeaks showed how her top campaign aides mock believers and view evangelicals and Catholics as backward in their beliefs.  Mrs. Clinton herself even said publicly "deep-seated cultural codes and religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed."  Well, her staff certainly seemed ready and willing to do just that, particularly Chief of Staff John Podesta.

The All-Out Assault on the First Amendment.  From the IRS targeting conservative groups to those trying to limit the ability of Americans to freely practice their religious beliefs, to membership organizations being forced to disclose their donors, the First Amendment is being assaulted on all sides.  Americans are familiar with the recent attacks on religious liberty, present in everything from forcing religious business owners to oyer abortion-inducing drugs and perform same-sex wedding services that violate their fundamental beliefs to the exclusion of churches from secular public projects.  Cases questioning the government's encroachment on religious liberty continue to come before the U.S. Supreme Court, [...]

Hey Catholics, This Is What Team Hillary Really Thinks Of You.  [Scroll down]  Had this been conservatives talking about some liberal cause celebre, the media and Planet Clinton would be feasting on it and calling for the heads of all involved.  Imagine for a moment if you replaced the actors with conservatives and Catholicism and the conversation topic with Black Lives Matter, LGTB rights, or women.  The rebukes would come fast and furious, and with wicked vengeance.  Another email shows Podesta discussing the groups he founded to incite rebellion and schism within the Church, when confronted with the suggestion of a "Catholic Spring" against church doctrine and leadership in favor of "gender equality."

Bill Bennett: 'This Crowd Has Been Anti-Catholic for a Long Time'.  "This crowd has been anti-Catholic for a long time," the conservative William Bennett told Fox News's Megyn Kelly Wednesday night.  They were talking about Catholic-bashing emails written to and from Hillary Clinton surrogates.  The emails (reprinted below) were recently made public by WikiLeaks; the Clinton campaign blames Russia for the leaks, saying it is trying to interfere in the presidential campaign.  "This is leftist anti-Catholicism.  These are trans-Atlantic agnostic progressives," Bennett, a Catholic who served as Secretary of Education in the Reagan Administration, told Kelly.

Anti-Catholics for Clinton.  It's no secret that progressive elites despise religion, but it's still striking to see their contempt expressed so bluntly as in the leaked email chains that include Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.

Hillary Clinton is a threat to religious liberty.  In a speech not long before she launched her 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton made a stunning declaration of war on religious Americans.  Speaking to the 2015 Women in the World Summit, Clinton declared that "deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed."  Religious beliefs have to be changed?  This is perhaps the most radical statement against religious liberty ever uttered by someone seeking the presidency.  It is also deeply revealing.  Clinton believes that, as president, it is her job not to respect the views of religious conservatives but to force them to change their beliefs and bend to her radical agenda favoring taxpayer-funded abortion on demand.

Trump Campaign Calls on Hillary Clinton to 'Apologize and Fire' Staff over 'Anti-Catholic Bigotry'.  Donald Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway called for Hillary Clinton to apologize for her senior staff's criticism of Catholics, seen in a new email release from WikiLeaks, and to fire those involved during a conference call with reporters on Wednesday afternoon [10/12/2016].  "The hostility to religious liberty and the beliefs that we hold as Catholics should not go unnoticed or unpunished," Conway stated.  "We call on Hillary Clinton to apologize and to fire the staff who have engaged in this vicious anti-Catholic bigotry.  All of this shows who these people are at the core."

Catholic group calls for Clinton spokeswoman's resignation after anti-Catholic comments in emails.  A leading Catholic advocacy group on Wednesday called for the resignation of Hillary Clinton's campaign spokeswoman, Jennifer Palmieri, after hacked emails show Ms. Palmieri and other Clinton allies openly talking about Catholics being "severely backwards" and charging that they don't know "what the hell they're talking about."  In its statement, CatholicVote.org said there is now a pattern on the part of the Clinton campaign of dismissing or even making fun of large blocs of Americans.

Released Emails Show Clinton Allies Plotting a 'Catholic Spring'.  A newly released email exchange shows Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and Voices for Progress president Sandy Newman discussing an "opening for a Catholic spring" to move the religion away from "a Middle Ages dictatorship."  In the conversation released by WikiLeaks as part of the "Podesta leaks," Newman wrote an email to Podesta titled, "Re: opening for a Catholic Spring? just musing ...".  In his email, Newman writes he believes "There needs to be a Catholic Spring, in which Catholics themselves demand the end of a middle ages dictatorship": [...]

Pastor Facing $100 a Day Fines for Helping Homeless Women and Children on His Own Church's Property.  Proving once again that the state has no interest in helping people, the state of Delaware is attacking a pastor who would dare attempt to help the homeless.  Pastor Aaron Appling of Victory Church West in Dover is being threatened with a $100 per day fine by county officials for allowing a 21-year-old homeless woman to live in an RV in the back of the church property.  Because Appling didn't go through the right channels of extortion and get his own property approved by the government to do with it what he wishes, officials are promising to extort him.

New Jersey town to remove veterans statue with Christian cross amid suit.  A New Jersey town will remove a veterans memorial depicting a Christian cross following a lawsuit that [claims] it excludes non-Christian veterans.

White House Proposes Official New Race: 'Middle East/North African'.  Obama came into office amid hopes that America's racial divisions would become a thing of the past.  Instead of healing them, however, Obama has exacerbated them.  Now he is going even further: one of the lasting legacies of his disastrous administration may be the creation of an entirely new "race." [...] This new Middle Eastern/North African designation — "MENA" — is being created for the benefit of Muslim Arabs.

Blacks boycotting Hillary's campaign events.  Oh, it's no organized boycott, mind you, just a grassroots response to the frosty, rich white lady who travels around like some empress. [...] I would also note that a campaign event at a church should jeopardize that church's tax exemption.  But of course they will have a rationale, and the IRS is not interested in pursuing left-wing tax-exempt organizations.

Rebuffed Again — Clinton Speaks To Empty Seats in Charlotte, NC, AME Church.  Once again Hillary Clinton finds her racially-driven campaign efforts contrasted against lackluster black audience.  This time in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Obama Spends $770M Dollars In Tax Payer Money To Renovate Mosques Over Seas.  CBS exposing Obama paying for the renovation of mosques is actually a story from 2015.  But it got little media attention then and he's still doing it.  He's diverting hundreds of millions of US dollars to overseas mosques to renovate them.  Tell me again how he is not a Muslim.  This just screams it.  And people wonder why he grovels before the Mullahs of Iran[,] why he gives ISIS a pass[,] why he is terraforming the US into a Muslim nation.

Obama Spent $770 Million in Taxpayer Cash to Renovate Mosques Overseas.  A CBS news investigation found that the Obama State Department is sending hundreds of millions of dollars to save mosques overseas — outraging taxpayer advocates and raising enormous questions about aid to potentially terror-supporting groups with U.S. foreign aid.  The United States 'investment' of millions to refurbish mosques as a 'good-will effort' in Muslim countries has upset many.

Sharia-compliant judge sentences 73-year-old female Christian pastor to study the Islamic faith.  A 73-year-old Christian minister and landlord who apparently was wrongly convicted of pushing her unruly and law-breaking Muslim tenant down a small flight of stairs must spend six months in jail and comply with a judge's unconstitutional order that she learn about the Islamic faith as part of her probation, the state's highest court concluded today.

Pope Francis backs opposition to Mexico's gay-marriage proposal.  Pope Francis has voiced support for Mexican bishops and citizens opposing the government's push to legalize same-sex marriage.

Lawyer: After School Satan Club must be allowed to proceed.  A so-called "After School Satan Club" proposed by the Satanic Temple of Seattle to be held at Centennial Elementary School should be allowed to proceed, an attorney hired to represent the Mount Vernon School District said.  "I think that if the school district denied that application, you would face costly litigation that would be distracting from your mission," said Duncan Fobes of the Seattle-based law firm Patterson, Buchanan, Fobes and Leitch during a Wednesday [9/21/2016] meeting of the Mount Vernon School Board.  "And would ultimately be unsuccessful."  Fobes was hired by the district's risk-pool insurance group to assess whether the district had legal standing to deny the temple's application.

Pastor interrupts Trump to stop him from attacking Clinton in church.  The pastor who hosted Donald Trump at her church in Flint, Michigan, interrupted the Republican presidential nominee during his speech Wednesday [9/14/2016] to ask him to refrain from attacking his rival Hillary Clinton.  "Mr. Trump, I invited you here to thank us for what we've done in Flint, not give a political speech," Rev. Faith Green Timmons of the Bethel United Methodist Church told Trump after walking to the podium while Trump was speaking.

The Editor says...
Am I wrong to presume that Democrats have campaigned at the same all-black church without any resistance?

'So Help Me God' Left Out of Naturalization Oath in D.C. Ceremony.  Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell, appointed by President Obama to the District Court for the District of Columbia, left out "so help me God" while administering the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony Wednesday [9/14/2016].

Obama's U.S. Military Academy Investigating West Point Football Team for Postgame Prayer.  Officials at President Obama's federally-controlled U.S. Military Academy has launched an investigation after a video showing the West Point football team engaged in a postgame prayer caused separation-of-church-and-state complaints.  West Point officials removed the video showing the team prayer, reporting that several outside groups complained when a video showing the celebration in the locker room after a recent 28-13 upset over Temple University depicted the players kneeling and ending a prayer with an "Amen" in unison.

West Point investigating prayer led by coaches after football game.  The U.S. Military Academy is launching an inquiry into a prayer led by coaches following Army's opening-day victory over Temple last week.  Video of the post-game invocation was pulled offline on Monday [9/5/2016] after West Point officials received a complaint from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.  Mikey Weinstein, who heads the MRFF, said he received complaints from six members of the football team, two of whom he said identified as Christians, as well as dozens of Army graduates and staff who took exception to the religious expression.

Photos: Embarrassing Turnout For Hillary Clinton Keynote Speech At Baptist Convention.  [Scroll down]  Clinton repeatedly cited scripture during her speech, praising Baptist pastors around the country and promised increased government spending to assist their congregations.

Obama cabinet member speaks at Islamist conference.  U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson spoke over this past weekend at the annual Islamic Society of America (ISNA) event, greeting the participants warmly and telling them, "Your story is the quintessential American story."  The Department of Homeland Security, the third largest Cabinet department in the U.S. government, is charged with protecting the U.S. from, and dealing with, terrorism as well as natural disasters.  The Washington Post called Johnson's appearance an "impassioned speech" to empower ISNA's participants.  The Clarion Project reports that ISNA is a group with Muslim Brotherhood origins and an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror-financing trial.

Georgia: 135-Acre Mega Mosque Complex Called Itself a "Church" — To Fool Citizens?  ... or to fool the city?  For years mosque-building Muslims have been waging a zoning jihad — breaking, violating and outright ignoring zoning laws across the U.S. With absolutely zero consequences.  In fact, Obama's DOJ has acted as mosque enforcer.

With Wyoming Judge's Case, Left Aims To Ban Religious People From Legal Field.  If your religious views block you from performing a job, don't do that job.  That's the Left's refrain about religion and expressing it.  If you're religious, that's fine, but it really needs to not impinge on others via your career.  Keep your relationship with a Higher Power meekly to yourself.  The case of Judge Ruth Neely in Wyoming shows, in stark clarity, that it doesn't actually matter whether religious people do their jobs well and keep their religion to themselves.  It's unacceptable to think and believe certain things, such as marriage being an institution between one man and one woman, and if you do that, forget about going into the legal profession.

LGBT Agenda Puts the Squeeze on California Christian Schools.  California Senate Bill 1146, called "the most oppressive LGBTQ anti-religious proposal in the nation," has yet to pass the state legislature, which is in its final eight days before adjournment.  SB 1146 was designed to force Christian colleges and universities in the state to hire homosexuals, house students who are openly homosexual, and allow self-designated transgender people to play on sports teams, use intimate facilities, and live in dorms with the opposite sex.  Critics say the bill, sponsored by state Sen.  Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens), would ultimately remove Title IX exemptions for nearly all religious schools, forcing Christian colleges and universities to abandon moral codes for students and faculty and, as originally written, would create a legal path for lawsuits against religious schools if the institutions seek to uphold biblical decency.

Suit alleging NJ Catholic school gay marriage bias to proceed.  A judge is allowing a lawsuit alleging a Roman Catholic school in New Jersey fired an employee because she's married to a woman to move forward.

Feds to investigate Massachusetts town's rejection of Muslim cemetery.  Federal prosecutors are investigating whether a Massachusetts town violated the civil rights of an Islamic group when officials there rejected plans for a Muslim cemetery.

Air Force officer faces investigation over Bible on his desk.  The Military Religious Freedom Foundation is demanding an Air Force major be "aggressively punished" for having an open Bible on his desk at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo.  "It [the Bible] is very obviously a statement of Christian preference, Christian primacy," MRFF founder Mikey Weinstein told me.  "Had that been the Book of Satan or the Koran there would be blood in the freaking streets."  He accused Maj. Steve Lewis, a supervisor at the Reserve National Security Space Institute, of "harboring and encouraging a truly abhorrent example of First Amendment civil rights violations."  Mr. Weinstein is a fussy little fellow, isn't he?

A Victory for Religious Freedom at Christian Universities in California.  A California lawmaker who is sponsoring a bill that would have allowed the use of taxpayer dollars to punish and publicly shame Christian universities for operating according to their beliefs has removed an offending provision from the legislation.  In announcing his legislation in April, state Sen. Ricardo Lara (D), sponsor of SB 1146, had referred to his action of denying First Amendment rights to religious schools as closing a "loophole that allows private universities to discriminate against students and staff based on their gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation."

California bill SB 1146 threatens minorities and the poor.  Current California law exempts religious schools from nondiscrimination laws in cases where applying these laws "would not be consistent with the religious tenets of that organization."  This is sensible and reflects our nation's founding principles of religious freedom.  For years now, this policy has worked well, enabling church-run colleges and universities to hire personnel and establish policies and expectations regarding religious practice and personal conduct that reflect their beliefs and values.  SB 1146 proposes to drastically narrow that historic exemption so that it would only protect seminaries or other schools that train clergy and ministers.

Islamic group sues New Jersey town for religious discrimination after it rejected plans for a mosque.  A New Jersey town is being sued by an Islamic group who have accused the planning board of bigotry after it rejected a proposal for a mosque. [...] The group, led by Mohammed Ali Chaudry, a former Bernards mayor, filed a federal civil rights suit accusing the board of religious discrimination in March.  It alleges a delayed and drawn-out process during which residents made references to terrorism and questioned what children would learn in the mosque.

Black Pastors Are Breaking the Law to Get Hillary Clinton Elected.  It is illegal for clergy to support or oppose political candidates from the pulpit.  Houses of worship can host candidate forums and voter-registration drives; pastors and rabbis and imams can even bend the rules a little to advocate "as individuals" at conventions or other events.  But for more than 60 years, religious groups have been forbidden from electioneering.  Apparently, a lot of pastors don't pay attention to this rule.  According to a new survey from Pew Research Center, roughly 9 percent of people who have attended religious services in the last few months have heard clergy speak out in favor of a political candidate, and roughly 11 percent have heard clergy speak in opposition.  What's remarkable, though, is how much this is apparently happening at one particular kind of church:  those run by black Protestants.

Satanists Push Clubs for Elementary Schools.  [Satanists are] plotting to bring their wisdom to the nation's public elementary school children.  They point out that Christian evangelical groups already have infiltrated the lives of America's children through after-school religious programming in public schools, and they appear determined to give young students a choice:  Jesus or Satan.  "It's critical that children understand that there are multiple perspectives on all issues, and that they have a choice in how they think," said Doug Mesner, the Satanic Temple's co-founder.

Muslim Appreciation Month.  The State of California is planning to proclaim August Muslim Appreciation and Awareness Month.  Why?  Because CAIR wants them to!  Turns out, California isn't Mexifornia after all.  It's Caliph-ornia.

Muslim Appreciation and Awareness Month.  Remember the false report that Obama was going to name November to be National Muslim Appreciation Month?  The terrorist facilitators at CAIR apparently do — except for them, the fake story isn't satire; it's an excellent suggestion.  California is run by the sort of people who might agree. [...] Readers may recall that just last year 14 people were killed and 22 seriously injured in a Muslim terror attack right there in California.  But no month will be set aside to honor victims of Islam, because that would be Islamophobic.

An After School Satan Club could be coming to your kid's elementary school.  "It's critical that children understand that there are multiple perspectives on all issues, and that they have a choice in how they think," said Doug Mesner, the Satanic Temple's co-founder.  On Monday [8/1/2016], the group plans to introduce its After School Satan Club to public elementary schools, including one in Prince George's County, petitioning school officials to allow them to open immediately as the academic year starts.

Sunday Washington Post Hypes After School Satan Clubs.  On Sunday (the Sabbath, of course), The Washington Post took time out from prostrating itself before Hillary Clinton to give a boost to the Fallen Angel.  In a long. front page middle finger to Christians, the Post hyped the efforts of the Satanic Temple to introduce After School Satan Clubs to America's elementary schools.  Oh, don't worry.  The worldly secularists at the Post aren't suddenly practicing the occult.  "The Satanic Temple doesn't espouse a belief in the existence of a supernatural being that other religions identify solemnly as Satan, or Lucifer, or Beelzebub," author Katherine Stewart assures readers.  Goodness no!  They're far too postmodern and ironic for that.  "The Temple rejects all forms of supernaturalism and is committed to the view that scientific rationality provides the best measure of reality."

Democrats Worship Their gods at DNC.  Outside the 8ft wall surrounding the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Philadelphia on Monday [7/25/2016] TRUNEWS has discovered footage of what seems to be a series of demonic rituals.  [Video clip]

Justice Department Not too Busy to Sue Town Over Mosque.  The Department of Justice has been swamped by the workload it has faced over the past several months.  They have not had the time to deal with the illegal aliens that have not been processed.  They could not look into the IRS and its treatment of conservative organizations.  Neither did the DOJ have time to look into Lois Lerner.  Amazingly, we find that it does have time to sue a small Pennsylvania township over a zoning issue.

DNC 'Interfaith' Prayer Space Has No Sign Of Any Religion Except Islam.  The Democratic National Convention has curtained off several "interfaith" spaces for prayer, but the only sign of religion in any of the spaces is Islam.  Convention goers looking to get in touch with the god of their choice can visit the "Interfaith Prayer Room" on the first floor of the Wells Fargo Center, which consists of a series of spaces sectioned off by curtains.  A sign hangs over the first space, which is simply an empty room.

Justice Department sues Pennsylvania town for rejecting mosque.  The Justice Department is taking a Pennsylvania town to court over a municipal board's denial of a zoning application for a mosque, accusing officials of discriminating against a local Muslim organization on the basis of religion.  The Bensalem Township violated the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act when its zoning board in 2014 rejected a zoning request that would have allowed the Bensalem Masjid to build a mosque in the town, Justice Department attorneys wrote in a complaint filed Thursday [7/21/2016] in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Obama condemns discrimination against Muslim Americans as he celebrates Eid for the first time at the White House.  President Obama spoke in strong support of Muslim Americans, who he said 'enrich our lives every single day', during the first ever Eid celebration at the White House on Thursday [7/21/2016].  Obama broke from the tradition of hosting the annual Iftar dinner, an evening meal during Ramadan where Muslims break their daily fast, to celebrate the conclusion of the Islamic holy month instead.  More than 100 Muslim Americans attended the event celebrating the holiday, including Muhammad Ali's wife Lonnie and six of their children.

Anti-Christian discrimination is okay, but...
Obama decries anti-Muslim discrimination.  President Obama on Thursday [7/21/2016] bemoaned discrimination faced by Muslim Americans, calling on people in the U.S. to practice tolerance toward their fellow citizens.  "Let's be clear:  Muslim Americans are as patriotic, as integrated, as American as any other member of the American family," Obama said during a White House reception celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.  Obama urged people around the country to ensure that Muslim Americans do not feel as if they're "second-class citizens."

Faith-Based Film Billboard Barred from Republican Convention; Atheism Billboard OK.  A billboard promoting the faith-based film God's Not Dead 2 that features a pro-religion slogan has been barred from going up at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this month.  According to the Hollywood Reporter, local billboard company Orange Barrel told the film's distributor, Pure Flix, that the billboard's language was "incendiary" and thus could not go up.

California's State Religion.  Two pieces of legislation introduced in the Legislature last session, but not yet enacted, show the power of the new religion.  One is Senate Bill 1146, which seeks to limit the historically broad exemptions the state and federal governments have provided religious schools to, well, be religious.  Under the rubric of official "tolerance," the bill would only allow religiously focused schools to deviate from the secular orthodoxy required at nonreligious schools, including support for transgender bathrooms or limitations on expressions of faith by students and even Christian university presidents, in a much narrower range of educational activity than ever before.  Many schools believe the bill would needlessly risk their mission and funding to "solve" gender and social equity problems on their campuses that currently don't exist.

Obama rips 'bigotry' and 'xenophobia' with Ramadan message.  President Barack Obama sent a message to Donald Trump on Wednesday in a statement marking the end of Ramadan, calling on Americans to renew their commitment to protecting Muslim Americans against bigotry and xenophobia.  "Muslim Americans have been part of our American family since its founding," Obama said in a statement released by the White House on the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.  "This Eid, we recommit to protecting Muslim Americans against bigotry and xenophobia, while celebrating the contributions of Muslim Americans around the country, including one of our finest, the People's Champion Muhammad Ali, to whom we bade farewell this Ramadan."

Iowa: 'Some' churches must comply with transgender bathroom laws.  Is a church a place of public accommodation and if so — are congregations required to follow anti-discrimination laws regarding gender and sexual orientation?  That's the issue raised by a brochure published by the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.  They contend that any church that opens its doors to the public would be required to comply with sexual orientation and gender identity laws. [...] Chelsey Youman, First Liberty's chief of staff, told me the ramifications of Iowa's policy cannot be overstated.  "This is an unprecedented move by a government agency to mandate that anytime a church opens its doors to the public that it automatically qualifies as a place of public accommodation," Youman said.  "And this is just the tip of the iceberg."

Virginia Governor Blasts Religious Freedom.  Governor Terry McAuliffe of Virginia decried having to "veto a so-called 'religious freedom' bill.  It's such an oxymoron," on WTOP radio Wednesday [6/29/2016].  The bill that McAuliffe vetoed is a short one, and simply states that religious organizations or clergy should not be required to participate in the solemnization of marriages and should not be penalized for their refusal to do so.  Its language specifically aimed to protect the actions of those "with a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman."  It is not uncommon for Democrats to question religious freedom legislation, saying that it goes beyond defending religious freedom and into anti-LGBT discrimination.

Church no longer permitted to advertise because this name, used in ads, has been deemed offensive.  A Colorado pastor is facing a serious dilemma after the Colorado Springs' transit agency said he could not advertise his church on bus stops because the name "Jesus" was too offensive.  Lawson Perdue, pastor at Charis Christian Center, has advertised on bus stop benches with the phrases "Celebrate Jesus," or "Experience Jesus" for years.  Now, the Mountain Metro Transit has decided this will no longer be allowed, The Colorado Springs Gazette reports.  Currently, Perdue's advertisement on the city's benches includes the phrase "Jesus is Lord."  Perdue said the city's transit told him that when his contract expired in July, he could no longer use the name "Jesus" because someone complained.

The Editor says...
The real problem here isn't hate speech.  The problem is that the city government completely caved upon receiving the first complaint!

Pastor battles Colorado city over Jesus-related ads on bus benches.  A local pastor is battling a Colorado city over his church's Jesus-related ads on public transit benches.  The controversy in Colorado Springs involves ads on about 20 bus stop benches that say "Jesus is Lord."  Pastor Lawson Perdue of Charis Christian Center said he was told that the ads will no longer be allowed if they refer to Jesus, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported Friday [6/24/2016].  According to Perdue, the city transit agency told him that if the name Jesus was allowed, hate messages would have to be allowed, too, the paper reported.

The Editor says...
I admit that I am unable to comprehend the logic needed to equate Jesus is Lord with "hate speech."

Michelle Obama Celebrates Ramadan, Breaks Fast with Iftkar Dinner.  As part of her summer trip overseas to Morocco, First Lady Michelle Obama celebrated Ramadan by joining the royal family for an Iftar dinner at the palace in Marrakesh.  She was joined by her daughters Sasha and Malia as well as actress Meryl Streep.  The Iftar dinner is a traditional Muslim feast celebrating the end of the Ramadan daily fast.

Michelle Obama departs Sunday for a six-day overseas trip.  Michelle Obama departs on Sunday [6/26/2016] for a six-day trip to Africa and Europe to advocate for the "Let Girls Learn" initiative, White House officials said.  The stops in Liberia and Morocco will be recorded for a documentary by CNN Films, which is picking up the costs for two trip participants:  actresses Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto, an Obama aide said Friday [6/24/2016]. [...] Also on tap for the first lady is an iftar dinner with the Moroccan king's wife, Princess Lallan Salmi.

The Illogical As The Most Logical.  [Gun-free zones are] a classic example of the illogical being passed off as the most logical.  This is the "sweet spot" of American liberalism.  It is how they have managed to keep the Bible out of schools on a pretext to separation of church and state, yet allowed Muslims to pray on school grounds as a measure of diversity.  Why doesn't it work in the Christian's favor as well?  Because that would be logical, but they promote the illogical as the most logical.

Jeffress: WH quick to rip Christianity, not so with Islam.  President Obama's reluctance to name radical Islam as the enemy in the fight against terror has puzzled many of his critics for quite some time.  Witness the president's statement on the afternoon following the nightclub shooting by Omar Mateen in the early hours of June 12:  "We've reached no definitive judgment on the precise motivations of the killer."  Dr. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist-Dallas finds that strange, since it was already known Mateen had made at least four phone calls in which he said he was motivated by a devotion to ISIS.

U.S. Air Force assaults veteran for mentioning God.  On April 3, 2016, at the retirement celebration of a colleague at Travis Air Force Base in California, retired Senior Master Sergeant Oscar Rodriguez, a 33-year veteran of the Air Force who had been invited to deliver the flag-folding speech, was assaulted and dragged out of the room by four uniformed airmen for mentioning God.

Air Force veteran threatens suit after being bounced from ceremony mid-speech.  A retired Air Force sergeant who in April was dragged from a military retirement ceremony as he recited a traditional passage honoring the flag is demanding an apology and threatening a lawsuit.  Senior Master Sgt. Oscar Rodriguez was invited to speak at the April 3 ceremony by an outgoing fellow master sergeant from the 749th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.  In a story first reported by FoxNews.com days later, video showed Rodriguez being forcibly removed by service members at Travis Air Force Base.  "This was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life," Rodriguez told FoxNews.com.  "All I wanted to do was honor Master Sgt. [Charles] Roberson, his guests, and the flag, with my speech."

Exclusive Video:  Veteran Forcibly Dragged from Air Force Ceremony for Mentioning God.  When a veteran started offering traditional remarks at a military flag-folding ceremony, several uniformed airmen assaulted him, dragging him out of the room because his remarks mentioned God.  Now First Liberty Institute lawyers representing retired Senior Master Sergeant Oscar Rodriguez are demanding that the U.S. Air Force apologize and punish those responsible or face a federal civil-rights lawsuit.

Apparently Loretta Lynch is an expert on Islam.  Wow.  Not only did Obama's leftist radical pick for attorney general Loretta Lynch targeted Republican Michael Grimm in an investigation,, but she proclaims to be an expert on Islam. [...] Either Loretta Lynch is a Muslim, or a Muslim sympathizer.  Typical of the Obama regime.

Loretta Lynch vows to protect Muslims and take action against 'Anti Muslim Rhetoric'.  Want to know why Loretta Lynch will be scrubbing the Omar Mateen transcripts of any Islam or ISIS references?  Obviously it's because of her and Obama's sympahtizes towards Islamic terror.  You may or may not have seen this charade by Loretta Lynch vowing to protect Muslims and "taking action" against anything she or the Obama regime deemed "Anti Muslim rhetoric".  [Video clip]

AG Lynch to Muslim community:  You 'are under our protection'.  U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch says the Justice Department is determined to work with the Muslim community in America to identify self-radicalized jihadists before they can harm other Americans.  "It is very important for us to maintain our contacts within the Muslim community because often individuals, if they're from that community and they're being radicalized, their friends and families will see it first," Lynch told CNN's Dana Bash.

Obama Attorney General:  Muslims are "Under Our Protection".  It had to be either Muslims or Americans.  And Obama and his people certainly aren't keeping Americans under their protection.

Missouri: DMV Allows Personalized 'JIHAD' License Plate for Muslims.  A personalized license plate that reads 'JIHAD 1' has been allowed in the state of Missouri. [...] After examining the policies for granting or denying personalized license plates, a Department of Revenue representative told them they had no legal authority to deny the word.  However, a similar personalized license plate that read 'J1HAD' was rejected by the state in 2009.  The state did not provide an explanation for why that particular license was rejected while this one was allowed, according to News 4.

Why Not Admit the Obvious:  The President Won't Blame Them because He Agrees with Them.  Throughout this week, we have seen news reports of FBI analysts, whose work was to connect the dots, having their files erased of all Muslim suspects who were actively plotting against us.  We have heard of how the FBI's hands were tied, and the new rules required that they drop their surveillance of Muslim suspects against whom concrete evidence had not yet been found and how those suspects went on to commit mass murder, including this week in Orlando.  We have heard how employers and neighbors of Muslims who engaged in terrorism here were afraid of saying anything against the terrorists because they were Muslim, including both Orlando and San Bernardino.  Our government has vowed to punish those who express legitimate fears about Muslims behaving suspiciously, which the government deems Islamophobia rather than domestic or national security.  That is, our government has vowed to punish Americans who have the audacity to object to their own destruction.  How would any of this be different if we had an openly Muslim president and a pro-Muslim, pro-sharia government?

Feds Spend $564,231 on Farmers' Markets for Refugees.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture is spending over $500,000 to start farmers markets for refugees on food stamps.  The International Rescue Committee (IRC) enrolls 10,000 refugees in the United States every year onto the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.  The group received the funding to provide "culturally-appropriate" corner stores and food markets.  "The IRC will expand and deepen the impact of its successful Fresh Fund incentive program over the next four years in seven refugee-rich neighborhoods across Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Baltimore, and Charlottesville," according to the grant, part of a $16.8 million effort announced by the agency last week to get food stamp enrollees to eat more vegetables.  The agency said refugees and immigrants in the United States are simultaneously at risk for "under-nutrition and obesity, and are highly dependent on SNAP to meet nutritional needs."

The Editor says...
I don't think I have ever seen a single article packed with so much Newspeak.  The "refugees" are Muslims.  They are "highly dependent on SNAP," which means they don't have jobs and will be a perpetual burden to the public, even if they aren't coming here to kill us.  The government is going to "provide 'culturally-appropriate' corner stores and food markets," meaning halal food will be provided at government expense exclusively and specifically for Muslims.

Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed in US for talks with Obama.  The Saudi deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to meet president Barack Obama on a visit to the United States this week to discuss security and economic ties at a time of strained relations between the two countries.  After arriving in the US on Monday [6/13/2016], Prince Mohammed, who is also Saudi Arabia's defence minister, shared iftar with secretary of state John Kerry at the diplomat's residence.

Kerry on Orlando: 'We Try to Undo Hate' at State Department.  Kerry is scheduled to break the Ramadan fast at an iftar dinner with visiting Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this evening [6/13/2016].

Texas county agrees to remove crosses from patrol vehicles to settle lawsuit.  A Texas county agreed Monday [6/6/2016] to remove the display of Christian crosses on sheriff's vehicles to settle a lawsuit with an atheist group.  The Austin American-Statesman reported that Brewster County officials agreed to pay the Freedom From Religion Foundation nearly $22,000 in legal fees and $400 in other court costs.  The settlement was approved last week.  According to the paper, two other atheists who joined the group's lawsuit against the county both received $1 each "for past constitutional violations."

New Jersey court blocks grants to religious colleges.  A state appeals court ruled Thursday [5/26/2016] that New Jersey may not award state grants intended for building renovations to two religious colleges.  The proposal was initially challenged in 2013, when the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against Gov. Chris Christie's administration on the grounds that it was unconstitutionally promoting particular religious doctrines, and thus violating the state's Establishment Clause, by awarding grants to an Orthodox Jewish yeshiva and a Presbyterian seminary.

Memorial Day crosses for fallen soldiers removed after a single complaint.  A Memorial Day display featuring dozens of white crosses to honor fallen soldiers was removed from public property in Georgia after someone complained.  The 79 handmade crosses in Hiram were meant to represent the 79 Paulding County residents who died in America's wars, officials told Fox News.  Hours after the crosses were posted along Highway 92, an unnamed resident called the office of City Manager Barry Atkinson and asked whether a Christian display was appropriate.

The Editor says...
How would it be inappropriate to commemorate deceased soldiers on Memorial Day?  The public officials in Georgia need to find a collective backbone and tell the solitary complainant to get over it.

Obama Issues Proclamation: 'Our Country Was Founded on the Idea of Religious Freedom'.  In a proclamation designating May 5 as a National Day of Prayer, President Barack Obama said Wednesday [5/4/2016] that the United States was "founded on the idea of religious freedom" and that the U.S. "will continue to stand up for those around the world who are subject to fear or violence because of their religion or beliefs."

The Editor says...
This would almost be commendable were it not for the fact that Obama never "stands up" for Christians or any other religious group other than Muslims.

Seven Sure Signs That America Has Declared War On Our Faith.  [#2] The Colorado Supreme Court has chosen not to hear the case of Christian baker Jack Phillips who was previously ordered by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission "to create cakes for same-sex celebrations, re-educate his staff, and file quarterly 'compliance' reports for two years." [...] The Court declined to hear the case, meaning that the state's Civil Rights Commission not only has the power to require a bakery to make same-sex "wedding" cakes but also to require that baker to "reeducate" his staff and file regular reports proving that he is baking those cakes.  Chairman Mao would be proud of state-mandated "reeducation" like this.

On campaign trail, Clinton finds comfort zone at churches.  Black Baptist churches may not seem like an obvious match for Clinton, a white Methodist from the Chicago suburbs.  But the Democratic presidential candidate, who has been criticized for her tentative, sometimes awkward political skills, often seems most at ease in houses of worship.  It's where she's shared her faith for many years and earned a loyal following.

Fact check:
Is Hillary really a Methodist?  Why then does she have a reputation as a chronic liar?  And if Hillary is really "from the Chicago suburbs," does that mean she didn't live in Massachusetts while attending Wellesley College, or live in Connecticut while attending Yale Law School, or live in Arkansas while her husband was the governor, or live in Washington DC while she was Secretary of State, or suddenly move to New York (carpetbagger!) to acquire a seat in the U.S. Senate?

Hillary stumps area churches.  Hillary Clinton asked Philadelphia congregants to "honor me with your vote" as she visited two African American churches in the city Sunday morning [4/24/2016], campaigning just ahead of a Pennsylvania primary that could all but seal her grip on the Democratic nomination for president.

The Editor says...
As usual, when a Democrat candidate is the featured speaker at an all-black church, my comments are:  [#1] Why is it okay for a Democrat to campaign in a church, and effusively compliment their denomination specifically, but if a Republican does the same, it's "establishing a religion," and [#2] Why is it okay for a Democrat to attend and support an all-black church, but if a Republican appeared in an all-white church it would be "racist?"

Obama Admin Awards $270K to Controversial Islamic Charity.  The Obama administration has awarded $270,000 to an Islamic charity that has been outlawed by some governments for its support of the terror group Hamas and other jihadist organizations, according to grant documents.  The Department of Health and Human Services has provided a $270,000 grant to Islamic Relief Worldwide, a charity that has repeatedly been linked to terrorism financing and support for Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, according to recent grant information.  The grant was awarded as part of a larger project to provide health services in Nairobi, Kenya, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the grant.

Muslim Brotherhood Day on Capitol Hill.  On Monday, April 18, legislators' offices will be visited by individuals associated with a group unknown to most lawmakers:  The United States Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO).  In the interest of helping members of the U.S. Congress understand precisely who their interlocutors are, permit a brief introduction:  The USCMO is the latest in a long series of front organizations associated with, and working to advance, the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States.  Members of Congress should be clear about the true nature of that agenda.  It is laid out most authoritatively in a document introduced into evidence by federal prosecutors in the course of the largest terrorism financing trial in the nation's history, U.S. v.  Holy Land Foundation et al.

When Hostility to Religion Means Making Christian Kids Less Safe.  Missouri — because it purports to love children and the environment — created a program that uses scrap rubber from old tires to resurface playgrounds to make them safer.  The program is funded through a surcharge on new tires, rubber that would otherwise pack landfills is put to good use, and kids bounce when they fall.  Everyone wins, right?  Well, not everyone.  Missouri excludes religious organizations from the program.  Christian kids at Christian schools don't get to bounce.  So when Trinity Lutheran Church submitted a request for rubberized flooring for a playground that is used not just by the children at its Early Learning Center but also — after-hours and on weekends — by children in the community, the state denied its application.

Tennessee governor vetoes bill making [The] Bible [its] official book.  The bill had narrowly passed both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly after sponsors said it aimed at honoring the significance of the Bible in the state's history and economy, as opposed to a government endorsement of religion.

High school wants to shut down off-campus 'Jesus Lunch'.  There's a religious liberty standoff underway in Middleton, Wisconsin.  On one side is a group of Christian moms armed with Chick-fil-A sandwiches and 400 homemade brownies.  On the other side are public school administrators who believe that Jesus and plump juicy chicken breasts are "divisive.  The controversy surrounds an off-campus lunch event involving students at Middleton High School known as "Jesus Lunch.  The high school allows students to eat lunch off-campus.  In 2014 a small group of parents began meeting with their children in a nearby park — providing home cooked meals along with a Christian-themed, inspirational message.

Wisconsin school, parents at odds over 'Jesus lunches'.  School administrators are asking parents to stop hosting free lunches accompanied by discussions about Christianity outside a high school in Middleton, citing legal concerns.  A handful of parents have been organizing the noontime meetings, which students call "Jesus Lunches," outside Middleton High since 2014. As the meetings grew, organizers moved them to Fireman's Park across from the school.  Superintendent Donald Johnson and Principal Stephen Plank emailed the parents this week asking them to end the lunches.  They say the district leases the park during school hours, so its rules apply.  That includes rules about food safety and food preparation, food allergy procedures and visitor policies.

School superintendent, principal confront moms over 'Jesus Lunch'.  School administrators in Middleton, Wisconsin have intensified their threats and intimidation of a group of mothers who host a weekly "Jesus Lunch" for students at a park adjacent to Middleton High School.  New video shows school officials physically confronting one of the moms in the park — as one woman's stunned husband observes from a distance.  The moms were undeterred and told school officials they were going to serve lunch regardless of their objections.  "These ongoing attempts to suppress free speech by school officials are disgraceful," said Phillip Stamman, an attorney representing the moms.  "These mothers devote hours each week to serving the students with free meals and a brief message about Jesus.  They should not be bullied or harassed ... but praised."

Exclusive Video:  School administrators try to physically block parents from hosting 'Jesus Lunch'.  Middleton-Cross Plains school district officials are doing more than urging parents to stop serving "Jesus Lunches" to high school students at a public park every Tuesday.  They have been physically trying to block the parents from using the park.  School officials set up cones to block parents from using the parking lot at Fireman's Park, near Middleton High School, on Tuesday, according to Phil Stamman, an attorney who is representing the mothers involved with the Jesus Lunch program.  [Video clip]

The Editor says...
Does the school have exclusive rights to a public park?  Not likely.  What's more likely is the school administration is determined to suppress any discussion of Christianity.

Pope Francis urges greater acceptance of homosexuals, non-traditional families.  Pope Francis put his shoulder to the doors of the Catholic Church and shoved them open a little wider Friday [4/8/2016], calling for the church to be more tolerant in practice while not changing any official doctrines.  He urged priests around the world to be more accepting of gays and lesbians, divorced Catholics and other people living in what the church considers "irregular" situations.

The Editor says...
Obviously the Pope does not understand God, because the Bible makes it abundantly clear that God considers homosexuality to be an abomination.

Soros Co-opting Churches to Push New World Order.  After bankrolling everything from the Obama campaign and Occupy Wall Street to open-borders activists and revolutionary movements around the world, billionaire globalist George Soros has a new target: churches and pastors in the nation of Georgia that are worried about surrendering their future to the European Union.  Yes, the same EU that Soros, a self-described atheist, recently said was on the "verge of collapse."  The Soros-globalist agenda here is simple and fairly transparent.  In essence, Soros and various European governments are tired of pastors from the Georgian Orthodox Church warning their flocks about the dangers of surrendering their sovereignty and right to self-government to the increasingly radical EU super-state.  And so, they are using Soros money and taxpayer funds to "train" the pastors in how to love the EU and promote it to their trusting congregations.  The Soros organization at the center of the scheming is known as the "Center for Development and Democracy," or CDD.

Lawmakers designate Bible as official state book.  Tennessee lawmakers voted to make the Bible the official book of the state, passing the measure with a 19-8 vote and sending it to the governor's desk for approval.  Opponents argued the bill, if signed into law by Gov. Bill Haslam, actually trivializes the Bible and opens the door to constitutional challenges.

The Editor says...
Let the challenges begin!  There's nothing in the Constitution that would prohibit each of the 50 states from establishing their own official religions.

Sens. Cruz, Lee Accuse Justice Department of Favoring Abortion Clinics Over Churches.  Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah are accusing the Justice Department of pursuing "frivolous prosecutions" against the pro-life movement and having, according to the senators' offices, "what appears to be an exceptionally heavy bias" in favor of abortion clinics over houses of worship in a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch Tuesday [3/29/2016].  The letter concerns the Justice Department's enforcement of the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a law that prohibits any use or threat of force and physical obstruction outside abortion clinics and places of religious worship.  The law, however, does not criminalize peaceful protests or other First Amendment protected activities outside abortion facilities or places of worship.

Atheist Group Objects to Muslim Prayer Spaces at University of Iowa.  A litigious atheist organization known for its lawsuits challenging Christian prayer and symbols in public spaces and Bibles in public schools is now voicing objection to the designation of a Muslim prayer space at the University of Iowa (UI).  The Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) says it is "questioning the appropriateness" of the two prayer rooms created primarily for male and female Muslim faculty and students at UI.

Why does this water tower anger atheists?  The city council in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma was in a bit of a pickle.  The city was in the middle of a growth spurt and needed high ground to build a one-million gallon water tower.  But the property they needed was owned by the First Baptist Church.  So they made a deal with Pastor Nick Garland and the congregation.

President Obama Next Week Will Open the Largest American Mosque.  America's largest mosque complex, officially known as Turkish-American Culture and Civilization Center, was built with Turkish funding under the supervision of the Turkish religious foundation (Diyanet).  The $100 million mega mosque in Lanham, Maryland, will soon be open for Muslim worshipers in the Washington, DC area, as their link shows:  "Turkey's President Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Barack Obama are expected to open the mosque." [...] [In plain] English:  expect a spiritual Bubonic plague all with mystic Sufism and wakeup calls of Allahu-Akbar from loudspeakers thundering the community at the wee hours of the night.

Maryland: Obama expected to open largest mega-mosque complex in U.S..  ["]The $100 million mega-mosque in Maryland, US will soon be open in the Washington, DC area, as Turkey's President Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to open the mosque during his official visit to the US between March 29 and April 2.  America's largest mosque complex, officially known as the Turkish-American Culture and Civilization Center, was built with Turkish funding under the supervision of the Turkish religious foundation (Diyanet).  Almost all $100 million for the mosque was funded by the Religious Affairs and the Religious Foundation of Turkey.["]

Colorado School District to Begin Distribution of Satanic Materials to Children.  After coming under fire from atheist groups for the distribution of free Bibles, the Delta County School District (DCSD) has approved the circulation of atheistic, secular and Satanic literature to middle and high school students.  Several atheist organizations, including The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF), Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers (WCAF) and the Satanic Temple, applied to distribute their literature as a challenge to the school district's "open forum" policy that allows any group to distribute non-curricular literature to students, as long as it conforms to policy guidelines.

DOJ Announces New Effort to 'Promote Religious Freedom' in the Nation's Schools.  Under the banner of civil rights enforcement, the U.S. Justice Department plans to "promote religious freedom" in the nation's public schools by cracking down on discrimination and bullying, especially as it may affect Muslims.  The new enforcement effort announced on Tuesday will "expand" DOJ's ability to investigate and prosecute complaints; lead community outreach; and develop guidance for federal prosecutors.

Pope Francis calls for global abolition of the death penalty saying 'Thou shalt not kill' applies to the guilty as well as the innocent'.  Pope Francis has called on Catholic leaders to seek a ban on the death penalty exclaiming that 'Thou shall not kill applies to the guilty as well as the innocent'.  Speaking to thousands at St. Peter's Square, in the Vatican, the Pontiff asked politicians around the world to make 'a courageous and exemplary gesture' during the Church's current Holy Year.

The Editor asks...
What's a "Holy Year?"  All all others unholy years?

Pope Francis calls on Christians to abolish death penalty.  Pope Francis on Sunday urged Catholic leaders to show "exemplary" courage by not allowing executions this year, while expressing hope that eventually the death penalty will be abolished worldwide.

Why some African-American evangelicals are playing the Trump card.  Pastor Mark Burns recalled how he walked into his first face-to-face meeting with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in October 2015 "full of apprehension:"  "Several other African-American pastors were scheduled to come but they backed out last minute due to heat from their congregation," said Burns, who preaches in his hometown of Easley, South Carolina, at The Harvest Praise & Worship Center.

In going after Trump's Christianity is Pope on Obama duty?  Was Pope Francis out on 'Obama Duty' when he declared that Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is not a Christian?  On Tuesday, Feb. 16 Obama stated that Donald Trump would never be president.  On Thursday, Feb. 18 came the pontiff's pronouncement that Trump is not Christian.

Will: Pope talks about things he knows little about.  Washington Post columnist George Will took a shot at Pope Francis Thursday [2/18/2016] after the pontiff supposedly criticized billionaire businessman Donald Trump's plan to build a wall on the southern border.  "I don't think the pope should intervene in our politics.  I particularly think he's not up to speed on what we're arguing about," Will said in an phone interview with Newsmax TV's Steve Malzberg.  "And this pope has shown a proclivity — to put it politely — for speaking about things about which he has no particular expertise."  "Climate change, income redistribution and all the rest," he continued, adding that Francis has a "Latin American, left-wing political agenda, and I think it influenced this."

Good Fences.  The big election kerfuffle of the week was the Pope's ill-considered attack on those who want to limit illegal immigration from Mexico by building a wall at the border.  To many it seemed an attack on Donald Trump whose campaign against illegal immigration struck a receptive chord with voters.  Many noted the hypocrisy of such a statement coming from the head of the Vatican state which is itself surrounded by a wall erected in the ninth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries to protect against pirates and invaders.

After branding Trump 'not Christian' for his plans to build a wall on the Mexican border the Pope heads home to Vatican City... which is surrounded by a wall.  After warning Donald Trump that building a 'huge wall' on the Mexican border is 'not Christian', Pope Francis is returning home to Vatican City.... which is entirely surrounded by an enormous stone wall.  The Pope made a direct dig at The Donald before he left his week-long tour of Mexico today, telling his followers that the idea was 'not in the gospel'.  However, Trump's supporters were quick to point out the irony of the Pontiff's words, as the Vatican is behind a walled enclave that sits within the city of Rome.

5 Problems With Pope Francis' Comments On Donald Trump's Faith.  Our media, currently in the throes of one of the most damaging co-dependent relationships with a candidate the country has ever seen, immediately ran with headlines about how Francis was definitively saying Trump is not a Christian. [...] But there is no way that Trump suffers from being criticized by the Pope, and the media enablers get to spend even more time obsessed with their favorite subject.  In any case, here are a few problems with Pope Francis' comments, however well-intentioned they may have been. [...]

Evangelicals Are Not the Boogeyman.  Recently I've had several people ask me what the deal is with Ted Cruz and "the evangelicals."  The people inquiring are Christians, some even evangelicals.  They ask, "What exactly is an evangelical, anyway?"  In our culture, the term is used rather loosely — and, more often than I'd like, pejoratively.  I'm seeing columns, blog posts and tweets galore suggesting in hushed terms that Ted Cruz adheres to some fringe philosophy that Christians must take over the world.  It's not enough to accuse them of advocating a theocracy limited merely to the United States.  No, world domination is their aim.  This fear-mongering propaganda needs to be addressed and discredited.

The Editor says...
There is a group in America that really does want to set up a theocracy, and whose goal really is world domination, but the liberals don't seem to care.

Pope Francis Rips Capitalism, American Immigration Policy at Mexican Border.  Pope Francis, apparently desperate to reach out to the Catholic Church's growing base in Latin America, spent the day slapping Americans in the face from across the US-Mexico border.  In Ciudad Juarez, one of the most violent cities in the Western Hemisphere thanks to the drug cartels, the pope walked up a ramp covered in flowers toward a cross "erected... in memory of migrants who have perished trying to reach the United States just a stone's throw away," according to Reuters.  Funny, he never did that while visiting Cuba to pay tribute to those who died attempting to escape that Communist hellhole. He reserved his spite for a nation with one of the most generous immigration policies on the planet.

Reality TV: Obama at the Mosque.  [Scroll down]  Our Founders did not want the kind of society where the government imposes a state religion.  They did not want the government to interfere in the free exercise of religion.  They never envisioned government telling employers who to hire or fire, in general, especially relating to any sort of religious practice, or how to go about their business, to "accommodate" the religious beliefs of employees.  Moreover, Obama is selective, government can make Christians can go against their beliefs, but government must force businesses to "accommodate" the religious beliefs of Muslims.

Obama's Mosque Speech Was A Dangerous Fantasy.  Yesterday [2/4/2016], Obama spoke about the evils of Islamophobia to a group that featured women covered, subordinated, and segregated from men.  I'm happy he's open-minded about that sort of thing.  Americans are free to practice their faith in any way they choose.  But I'm not sure why all of us should feel obligated to celebrate this kind of narrow-mindedness as well.  You will remember how offended liberals get when presidential candidates visit Bob Jones University or Mormons fund campaigns they find objectionable.  Why is this different?

Obama defends the faith.  President Obama seems to believe in nothing more than he does the defense of Islam.  He specializes in pronouncements on what is truly Islamic and what is not.  Such pronouncements are always intended to preserve the good name of Islam.  Al Qaeda, of course, not Islamic.  The Islamic State, not Islamic.  San Bernardino murderers Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, not Islamic.  The Islamic Republic of Iran, well, they must be Islamic, but I don't think anyone has bothered to ask him.  Obama seeks to ally the United States with the Iranian regime, as he sought to ally the United States with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Emails Show Feds Specifically Targeted Faith Groups Under Obamacare Mandate.  Internal government emails from October 2011 and July 2012 obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services officials obsessed over which Catholic universities are exempt from the requirement to provide contraceptive coverage for students and staff.  Judicial Crisis Network chief counsel Carrie Severino said the emails reveal federal officials defined religious organizations narrowly and arbitrarily by the tax code, rather than broadly and based on a desire for religious freedom, in order to make the maximum number of such organizations subject to the contraception coverage mandate.

Obama's trip to Baltimore mosque is good for the country: White House.  The White House said Monday [2/1/2016] that President Obama's visit to a Baltimore mosque this week is "important for the country" in light of anti-Muslim sentiment from Republican presidential candidates.  Mr. Obama's visit to the Islamic Society of Baltimore on Wednesday [2/3/2016] will be "an opportunity to reaffirm that religious freedom and religious tolerance [are] essential to our way of life in this country," said White House press secretary Josh Earnest.

The Editor says...
Barack H. Obama says he is for religious tolerance, when he really means he wants the rest of us to tolerate Islam, no matter what its followers do.  How much religious tolerance does Mr. Obama show for the pro-life Catholics?

The US Mosque Obama Has Chosen For His First Presidential Visit Has Deep Extremist Ties.  The White House announced on Saturday that Obama will visit the Islamic Society of Baltimore (ISB) on Wednesday.  He has visited several mosques overseas as president but has resisted visiting one in the homeland.  The purpose of the trip, according to the White House, is to "celebrate the contributions Muslim Americans make to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom to our way of life."  But ISB is a curious choice for Obama's first domestic visit.  The mosque is a member of a network of mosques controlled by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), a Muslim civil rights group named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation terror case.  Several executives with that organization were convicted of sending money to aid the terrorist group Hamas.

Obama To Visit Mosque Tied To Terrorism (To Show Muslims Don't Support Terrorism).  In a good-will gesture to Muslims, whom he thinks are being unfairly linked to terrorism after San Bernardino, the president plans on Wednesday to visit a large mosque that merely validates the linkage he decries.  To promote "religious tolerance" for Muslims and Islam, Obama will make the first visit of his presidency to a U.S. mosque that happens to be controlled by a radical Muslim Brotherhood front group his own Justice Department has implicated in the largest terrorist fundraising plot in U.S. history.

Obama to make first visit of his presidency to a U.S. mosque next week.  President Obama will make the first visit during his presidency to a U.S. mosque, the White House announced Saturday [1/30/2016], part of the administration's push to promote religious tolerance at a time when rhetoric linking Islam with terrorism is growing.  On Wednesday, the president will visit the Islamic Society of Baltimore, a sprawling community center in the city's western suburbs that serves thousands of people with a place of worship, a housing complex and schools, according to its website.  It is one of the Mid-Atlantic region's largest Muslim centers and describes itself as aspiring "to be the anchor of a growing Muslim community with diverse backgrounds, democratically governed, relating to one another with inclusiveness and tolerance, and interacting with neighbors in an Islamic exemplary manner."

Don't they all?
The US Mosque Obama Has Chosen For His First Presidential Visit Has Deep Extremist Ties.  The White House announced on Saturday [1/30/2016] that Obama will visit the Islamic Society of Baltimore (ISB) on Wednesday [2/3/2016].  He has visited several mosques overseas as president but has resisted visiting one in the homeland.  The purpose of the trip, according to the White House, is to "celebrate the contributions Muslim Americans make to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom to our way of life."  But ISB is a curious choice for Obama's first domestic visit.  The mosque is a member of a network of mosques controlled by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), a Muslim civil rights group named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation terror case.  Several executives with that organization were convicted of sending money to aid the terrorist group Hamas.

Obama to Speak at Baltimore Mosque Where Imam Condoned Suicide Bombings.  President Obama is set to speak next week at a mosque which was led for over a decade by an Imam who justified suicide bombings in some circumstances and who helped found a mosque with ties to Al Qaeda.  The President will visit the Islamic Society of Baltimore on Wednesday [2/3/2016] and deliver remarks there, the White House confirmed on Saturday.  This will be the first time the President has paid an official visit to a mosque during his seven years as President.  However, Obama has toured mosques while on overseas trips.

Obama to meet with Muslims on 1st visit to US mosque.  In a public show of support, President Barack Obama will meet with Muslim community members Wednesday [2/3/2016] in Baltimore on his first presidential visit to an American mosque.  Obama plans to hold talks with Muslim leaders at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, the White House announced Saturday [1/30/2016].  The visit will amount to a public embrace of Muslims by Obama at a time when public sentiment against them seems to be growing, largely fueled by fears of terrorist acts carried out by extremist groups.

Obama to make first visit of his presidency to a U.S. mosque next week.  President Obama will make the first visit during his presidency to a U.S. mosque, the White House announced Saturday [1/30/2016], part of the administration's push to promote religious tolerance at a time when rhetoric linking Islam with terrorism is growing.  On Wednesday [2/3/2016], the president will visit the Islamic Society of Baltimore, a sprawling community center in the city's western suburbs that serves thousands of people with a place of worship, a housing complex and schools, according to its website.

Public school kisses Valentine's Day goodbye.  The Baby Jesus, Tom Turkey and Cupid are about to be given the heave-ho at a Minnesota elementary school to be more inclusive of their ethnically diverse student population.  Bruce Vento Elementary School, in St. Paul, has decided to stop celebrating Valentine's Day along with other "dominant holidays" including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Lawmakers work to block Satanist group from saying prayer at council meeting.  Arizona lawmakers are scrambling to change the rules regarding prayer at council meetings in an effort to keep The Satanic Temple from delivering an invocation at a February session.  According to ABC 15, the Phoenix City Council meeting planned for mid-February is expected to begin with a Satanist prayer.  But lawmakers are planning to vote this week on a possible change to the rules, effectively making it impossible for Satanists to deliver the opening invocation.

The American president uses tax dollars to rebuild mosques overseas.  In 2010, the Obama Regime gave $770 million to refurbish mosques in Mideast Muslim countries at a time when the United States was suffering its worst financial crisis since the Stock Market Crash of 1929.

U.S. Warns Employers to Protect Muslim Rights, Directs Victims to File Complaints.  In the aftermath of the San Bernardino terrorist attacks the Obama administration has issued a new warning regarding workplace discrimination "against individuals who are, or perceived to be, Muslim or Middle Eastern."  American businesses are to accommodate the religious needs of Muslims and assure that they aren't being harassed or intimidated, states the order which was issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the bloated federal agency that enforces the nation's workplace discrimination laws.  Those who don't oblige will be prosecuted by the administration for violating federal law, specifically Title VII of the Civil Right Act which prohibits discrimination on the bases of religion.

Scalia Dismisses Concept of Religious Neutrality in Speech.  Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Saturday [1/2/2016] the idea of religious neutrality is not grounded in the country's constitutional traditions and that God has been good to the U.S. exactly because Americans honor him.  Scalia was speaking at a Catholic high school in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, Louisiana.  Scalia, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 is the court's longest serving justice.  He has consistently been one of the court's more conservative members.  He told the audience at Archbishop Rummel High School that there is "no place" in the country's constitutional traditions for the idea that the state must be neutral between religion and its absence.

A short, total rebuttal to climate alarmism.  [Scroll down]  In only 603 words, we proved the alarmists' climate hypothesis is wrong.  Therefore, it is a cult religion.  The US government and its agencies like the EPA have forced the alarmists' climate cult religion on the American public in opposition to the First Amendment to our Constitution. [...] Our CO2 does not control climate.  CO2 is not a pollutant.  Carbon is not a pollutant.  The best way to "address" climate change is to do nothing.

Obamas say Happy Kwanzaa; most candidates say nothing.  President Obama extended his "warmest wishes" to families across the U.S. celebrating Kwanzaa, a holiday which honors African-American culture.  "Today begins a week-long celebration of African-American heritage and culture through family and community festivities," a statement released the White House on Saturday [12/26/2015] said.

More information — none of it favorable — about Kwanzaa.

Churches offer refuge for Central Americans facing U.S. deportation.  Leaders of the church-based Sanctuary Movement vowed on Friday [12/25/2015] to offer their places of worship as refuge for immigrants facing deportation under an Obama administration crackdown on Central American families who entered the United States illegally.  The statement came two days after The Washington Post first reported the U.S. government was planning a series of raids to remove hundreds of undocumented families as early as January in the first such large-scale effort targeting the recent flood of border crossers.  The Department of Homeland Security preparations to intensify deportations of Central American migrants, confirmed by U.S. government sources, drew immediate fire from Democratic presidential candidates and human rights groups.

Democrats Pass Resolution Condemning Anyone Who Speaks Against Islam.  Stephen Coughlin alerted me to a House Resolution introduced on December 17th, H.Res. 569, "Condemning violence, bigotry, and hateful rhetoric towards Muslims in the United States.114th Congress (2015-2016)."  As of this writing, the country remains clueless about this development.  The resolution was introduced by Virginia Democrat Donald S. Beyer, and sponsored by Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat, and endorsed by seventy-one other Representatives, most of them Democrats, and possibly a sprinkling of Republicans.  The resolution has gone into committee, but one can predict with confidence that it will emerge virtually unscathed and unaltered.  After all, the "victims" are Muslims, and the House wishes to put it in the record that certain of its members are against hurting anyone's feelings.

Tis the Season to be Offended.  This is the time of year when news of people being offended by Christian symbols reaches a high point.  Progressives view complaints about a "war on Christmas" as manufactured. [...] Most of these "manufactured" offenses take place in schools, the media, the military, and government bureaucracies.  When some of its more extreme examples are exposed to the public the first reaction is to deny they happened.  It appears that the government is attempting to eradicate all mention of Christianity without drawing excessive attention to their program.  Professor James Hitchcock has written, "Far from being neutral, the American government is now in the position of favoring unbelief over belief and irreligion over religion."  When there is media attention to their efforts and a strong reaction they tend to deny that they were establishing a new policy.

State Department chides cardinal over gay slurs against US ambassador.  The State Department weighed in Tuesday [12/22/2015] on an escalating war of words between the U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic and a cardinal who has leveled gay slurs against him — telling FoxNews.com the fight "does underscore" the importance of pushing human rights causes.  U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic James "Wally" Brewster, who is openly gay and married, has been mocked over his sexual orientation by Cardinal Archbishop Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez for more than two years.  It got so heated that earlier this month, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., sent a letter to Pope Francis asking him to intervene in the verbal attacks.

Islam: Not Just a Religion.  Americans are having a hard time discussing the problem of Muslim immigration and assimilation because Islam is not just a religion; it's a whole way of life, civil and spiritual.  The First Amendment was written because Christians of all denominations believed that while people's religious beliefs are the basis for the law, no one Christian group should be supported by the power of the federal government.  After all, that's why many Americans had fled England.  Islam, according to many Muslims, rejects that principle and declares that all authority belongs to Islam.  It's as though Catholics believed that the pope should be the ultimate authority for setting the fine you have to pay if you get a speeding ticket.

Football coach suspended for midfield prayer files discrimination complaint.  One coach prayed to God.  Another coach chanted to Buddha.  But only one got punished — the Christian coach.  Joe Kennedy, a beloved assistant football coach in Bremerton, Washington, was suspended on Oct. 28 after he refused to stop his post-game prayers at the 50-yard line.  On Tuesday [12/15/2015], he filed a discrimination complaint against the school district, claiming the district did not punish the team's offensive coordinator for conducting Buddhist chants in a similar manner.

White House looks to curb anti-Muslim sentiment.  The White House on Monday [12/14/2015] began "staff-level" meetings and calls with religious leaders to discuss how they could help combat growing anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States.  Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to President Obama, and Melissa Rogers, who leads the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, held a conference call with leaders of all religions from across the country.

Court to Decide Whether Islam-Education Order Went Too Far.  After a landlord was convicted of pushing her Muslim tenant down a flight of stairs, a judge ordered her to respect the rights of all Muslims and to take an introductory course on Islam.  Now the highest court in Massachusetts is being asked to decide whether the judge violated the landlord's constitutional rights.

AP Ignores Rabbi's Outrageous Politicized Invocation at White House Hanukkah Event.  As seen in a Wednesday afternoon [12/9/2015] White House video, Rabbi Susan Talve essentially hijacked the event to praise a series of leftist causes, touching many of the Obama administration's pet projects along the way:  open-ended immigration and "refugee" acceptance; Black Lives Matter "activists"; gun control; paranoia over "Islamophobia, and homophobia and transphobia"; and "justice for Palestinians as allies committed to peace."

Church slapped with criminal summons over worship service 'noise'.  "Silent Night" has new meaning for a Louisiana church after they were issued criminal sanctions because their worship services exceeded 60 decibels — which is about the same noise level of a dishwasher.  The executive pastor of Vintage Church was issued a criminal summons and the rest of the staff was threatened with "physical arrest" if they used any microphones or amplified sound in their worship services, according to a lawsuit filed by Liberty Institute.

Bench with engraved Bible verse removed from North Carolina park.  Officials removed a bench dedicated to a young car crash victim from a North Carolina park Monday [12/7/2015], and friends claim it was because the bench featured a Bible verse and two crosses.  "I just could not believe that they would take something away from my precious little baby like that," the child's mother, Heather Roten, told Fox 8.  Her 16-month old son, Mason, died after the crash in August.  Friends and Elkin High School alumni say they arranged to create the metal bench and place it in Elkin Municipal Park.

Parents Question Choice To Sing 'Allahu Akbar' At Holiday Concert.  Some parents in the Anoka-Hennepin School District are questioning a choir teacher's decision to use a song about Ramadan performed in Arabic at a holiday concert.  At Thursday night's [12/17/2015] concert at Blaine High School, one of the songs students will be singing includes Arabic words, including the phrase "Allahu Akbar," which means "God is great."

Kentucky Grade School Scrubs All References To Christianity In 'Charlie Brown Christmas'.  Thursday's [12/17/2015] theatrical performance of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" at W.R. Castle Elementary School in rural Johnson County, Kentucky will be bereft of its heart and soul because a single whiner has scared school district officials into censoring all references to religion.  The main scene which will be deleted involves Linus van Pelt reciting a handful of verses from the New Testament's Gospel of Luke to explain to Charlie Brown "what Christmas is all about."

Audience members recite Bible passage deleted from 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'.  The scene at W.R. Castle Elementary School followed a firestorm of controversy in Johnson County this week.  Superintendent Thomas Salyer has said that, following a complaint, he consulted with legal counsel and determined that biblical references should be removed from the play and other Christmas programs in the Eastern Kentucky school district.  He said he was trying to meet the letter of the law.  That decision resulted in people protesting outside the school district offices in Paintsville since Monday [12/14/2015] and a request from a national legal organization to not remove the biblical lines.

Kentucky school district censors religious lines from 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'.  A Kentucky school district is being urged to reconsider after censoring "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and other programs by removing all references to religion.  The Alliance Defending Freedom weighed in Tuesday [12/15/2015] after Johnson County Schools officials agreed to modify its holiday programming in order to avoid a potential lawsuit, a move prompted by a complaint from a parent about the classic Peanuts play.

School principal bans Santa, Thanksgiving and Pledge of Allegiance.  Santa Claus is banned.  The Pledge of Allegiance is no longer recited.  "Harvest festival" has replaced Thanksgiving, and "winter celebrations" substitute for Christmas parties.  New principal Eujin Jaela Kim has given PS 169 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, a politically correct scrub-down, to the dismay of teachers and parents.  "We definitely can't say Christmas, nothing with Christmas on it, nothing with Santa," PTA president Mimi Ferrer said administrators told her.  "No angels.  We can't even have a star because it can represent a religious system, like the Star of David."

Parents' dismay as principal bans all use of 'Christmas' and 'Santa Claus' — and Thanksgiving will be replaced by 'harvest festival'.  A New York City primary school principal has been accused of banning the mention of Christmas by parents.  Principal Eujin Jaela Kim reportedly scrubbed out any mention of the word 'Christmas', 'Santa Claus' and forbade explicit Christmas decorations.  'We definitely can't say Christmas, nothing with Christmas on it, nothing with Santa,' PTA president Mimi Ferrer said administrators told her.  'No angels.  We can't even have a star because it can represent a religious system, like the Star of David,' she told the New York Post.

House Democrats Gathered At A Radical Mosque To Pray, Yes Seriously.  Forget standing in solidarity with the victims and their families.  Nope.  Damage control.  That's what the left's focused on.  Think about it.  CAIR came out and disingenuously "condemned" the San Bernardino attack the very same day it occurred — before the FBI decided to admit that it actually WAS an act of terrorism.  Liberals were in panic mode.  They didn't want us to jump to conclusions, even though all evidence pointed to Islamic terrorism.  Damage control.  That's all they cared about.  [The] next day, instead of condemning the actions of these Islamic animals and standing in solidarity with the victims, liberals decided to mock Christians for praying.  They're just really classy like that.  Unbeknownst to most, a few House Democrats decided to meet at a radical mosque Friday afternoon [12/11/2015] to pray with Muslims.  I'm not kidding.

Treason: DHS Head Jeh Johnson to Meet with Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas on Monday.  How much treasonous and traitorous behavior must Americans endure from our leaders?  Monday evening December 7th — Pearl Harbor Day — the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — Jeh Johnson — will hold a press conference at the Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas ADAMS Center in Sterling, VA. [...] At what point do we collectively realize leaders like this cannot claim ignorance of the enemy at this level.  Therefore, a rational person would surmise Secretary Johnson is aware ISNA and ADAMS are enemy entities, yet he is going to provide support to them none-the-less.  In these times, Americans have a number of enemies.  In this case, there is the identifiable jihadi threat from organizations like ISNA, NAIT, MPAC, CAIR and so many others.  The enemy also includes senior government officials like Secretary Johnson who is aiding and abetting a Hamas support entity whose doctrine states it is waging "civilization jihad" against us to "destroy America from within" in order to establish [an] Islamic state under Sharia (Islamic Law).

Homeland Security Secretary: If You Don't Know Muslims Want Peace, You Don't Know Islam.  In a Monday [12/7/2015] visit to a Northern Virginia mosque, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson declared "anyone who does not understand" that Muslims want peace "does not understand Islam."  Johnson dropped in on at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society in Sterling, Va., the day after President Obama said Americans have a responsibility to respect their Muslim neighbors.  Johnson said the "new phase" of the terror war — with "terrorist-directed and terrorist-inspired attacks" — requires "a whole new approach to counterterrorism and homeland security," including Muslim outreach as he's done over the past couple of years.

Air Force football players kneeling in prayer are branded a 'putrid' example of 'Christian supremacy' that could provoke ISIS.  A former U.S. Air Force officer has branded the ritual of military football players kneeling in prayer a 'putrid' example of 'Christian supremacy' and demanded it must stop.  Michael Weinstein, president and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), insisted the public prayers so often seen on the football pitch before games are 'a scandalous outrage'.  He said Air Force Academy football players had approached the MRFF claiming they were forced into joining the prayers, for fear of punishment.

Don't Be Intimidated Into Silence.  This morning Glenn Beck said his security analyst and former CIA officer Buck Sexton at the Blaze confirmed that Homeland Security held the official release of San Bernardino radical Syed Farook's name for several hours to give enough time for the terrorist's family along with Muslim Brotherhood front group CAIR to hold a press conference. [...] But just imagine our government doing something like this for any other religion.  Imagine some radicalized Baptist shooting up a government facility and our president instructing authorities not to release the name until the Westboro Baptists had readied a prepared public statement.  The press would go insane with rage, as well they should.  We must be well aware by now, our president has a certain kinship toward Muslims, radical or not.

Loretta Lynch is unfit to serve.  As most AT readers know, Loretta Lynch recently stated that she would prosecute anyone who expressed "anti-Muslim rhetoric" that led to violence against Muslims.  Among other things, she also invited members of the Muslim community to contact her if their children are bullied at school.  Wow!  Does anyone else have Lynch's direct line so they can hop, skip, and jump over the playground monitor, teacher, counselor, vice-principal, and/or principal to the Attorney General of the United States?  I can almost hear the phones dialing now with the next wave of fabricated clock boy complaints.  Lynch is enforcing Sharia law, creating two classes of citizens.  Muslims are the protected class and non-Muslims are second-class citizens.

Who Are The Most Frequent Victims Of Anti-Religious Hate-Crimes? (Hint: It's Not Muslims).  Following the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, President Obama and Attorney General Loretta Lynch made it a point to warn Americans against an anti-Muslim backlash.  AG Lynch went as far as to suggest that anti-Muslim rhetoric might even be prosecuted.  Speaking at the Muslim Advocates dinner on December 3, Lynch said:  ["]Now obviously this is a country that is based on free speech, but when it edges towards violence, when we see the potential for someone ... lifting that mantle of anti-Muslim rhetoric, or, as we saw after 9/11, violence against individuals who may not even be Muslims but may be perceived to be Muslims ... When we see that, we will take action....["]  But have Muslims been the primary targets of hate-crimes and violence since the terror attacks on 9/11?

Prosecuting Speech?  The day after the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, Attorney General Loretta Lynch attended a dinner in Washington held by the Muslim Advocates, a Muslim-rights organization.  Lynch made no direct mention of the attacks but addressed the Justice Department's responsibilities in light of what she called a very disturbing rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States since the terrorist massacre in Paris.  Lynch said (from C-Span's transcript of the event) that the United States is based on free speech.  Yet when speech edges towards violence, when we see the potential for someone to lift ... that mantle of anti-Muslim rhetoric ... we will take action.

Vatican's Climate Change Light Show, 21st Century Graffiti.  It's Advent, when the Christian world awaits the coming of Christ.  Everywhere, that is, except at the Vatican, where the Birth of the Christ Child is being forced into taking a back seat for a pagan 'Light Show, — casting 3-D images of earth and animals onto the facade and cupola of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Democrats to Attend Prayer Service at Radical Mosque.  Democratic lawmakers are planning to attend prayer services at a Washington-area mosque that has been accused of acting as a front for Hamas and that served as the home of terrorist spiritual leader Anwar al-Awlaki, who reportedly mentored two of the 9/11 hijackers.  On the heels of a deadly mass shooting by two Muslim individuals in San Bernardino, California, a group of Democratic lawmakers said they would attend Friday prayer services at the Dar al-Hijrah Mosque in Virginia, which has been linked to the financing of terrorists and where al-Awlaki served as the spiritual leader.  The Democrats set to attend include Reps. Don Beyer (D., Va.), Joseph Crowley (D., N.Y.), Betty McCollum (D., Minn.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D., D.C.), and several Virginia state lawmakers, according to the New York Times.

Obama/Jarrett Warn FBI Director Over Anti-Muslim Tone.  If true, this is a scenario that appears to pit the Obama White House against FBI Director James Comey over what reports suggest is an increasingly divisive conflict between Mr. Obama and Mrs. Jarrett and federal law enforcement officials regarding feared pending ISIS terror threats inside of the United States.

AG Lynch Tells Muslims To Call Her If Their Children Are 'Bullied' in School.  Attorney General Loretta Lynch urged Muslim parents to contact both the justice department and the education department if they think their children are being "bullied" in school.  "We've seen this for a number of years, we saw it a lot in the New York area [after 9/11], unfortunately, where there would be a backlash against the Muslim community in general," she claimed at a Thursday fundraiser dinner for an Islamic advocacy group, Muslim Advocates.

The Editor says...
When has the U.S. Attorney General ever gone to bat for Catholics or Baptists with this much enthusiasm?

Pope Francis Urges Global Leaders to End 'Tyranny' of Money.  He said free-market capitalism had created a "tyranny" and that human beings were being judged purely by their ability to consume goods.  Money should be made to "serve" people, not to "rule" them, he said, calling for a more ethical financial system and curbs on financial speculation.

Pope Makes Radical, Ridiculous Global Warming Claims.  Pope Francis celebrated a historic Mass in Kenya on Thursday before delivering a stern environmental warning just days ahead of a key climate change conference in Paris.  "It would be sad, and I dare say even catastrophic, were particular interests to prevail over the common good and lead to manipulating information in order to protect their own plans and projects," the Pope said, urging nations to reach an agreement over curbing fossil fuel emissions.

To Pope Francis Christmas [is] only a "charade".  [Scroll down]  What kind of a pope would throw a shadow over the start of the annual Christmas season?  A pope who lends his presence to the big lie that global warming and not Islamic terrorism is the world's biggest threat; a pope whose church was paid $79 million by the Obama administration to force migrant invasion on unsuspecting American citizens.  In fact, the Obama administration was bankrolling America's churches back in 2010, and the tens of millions were flowing into church coffers to prepare for the invasion of America now underway.

ISIS Genocide Victims Do Not Include Christians, the State Department Is Poised to Rule.  A report by a renowned journalist states that Christians are to be excluded from an impending official United States government declaration of ISIS genocide.  If true, it would reflect a familiar pattern within the administration of a politically correct bias that views Christians — even non-Western congregations such as those in Iraq and Syria — never as victims but always as Inquisition-style oppressors.  Yazidis, according to the story by investigative reporter Michael Isikoff, are going to be officially recognized as genocide victims, and rightly so.  Yet Christians, who are also among the most vulnerable religious minority groups that have been deliberately and mercilessly targeted for eradication by ISIS, are not.  This is not an academic matter.

Maryland's largest school district closes for Muslim holiday.  Striking a blow for "fairness," Maryland's largest school district will be closed for a Muslim holiday next fall.  The Montgomery County Board of Education voted 6-2 Tuesday [11/10/2015] to cancel classes on the Islamic holy day of Eid al-Adha next school year.  More than 156,000 students are enrolled in the suburban Washington, D.C. district, according to Fox Baltimore.  It will likely fall on Monday, September 12.

Tulsa Approves CAIR Float for Veteran's Day Parade, Confederate Group Denied.  "For the first time, Oklahoma Muslims will have a float in the Veterans Day Parade in downtown Tulsa on Nov. 11," reports Tulsa World.  The float is being sponsored by CAIR-Oklahoma and the chapter's executive director said it will be used to represent the Muslim community in the state, as well as immigrants and indigenous people.  But when a Confederate veterans group applied for their own float for the parade, they were denied.

School District Outlaws Depiction Of 'any religious leader' After Mom Protests Muhammad Drawing.  A school district superintendent in semi-rural Southern California has completely outlawed all drawings of all religious leaders on campus because a history teacher assigned a vocabulary worksheet that asked students to draw images of Muhammad. [...] The seventh-grade history assignment at High Desert School in Acton, Calif. was a worksheet called "Vocabulary Pictures: The Rise of Islam."  It featured several words including Quran, Mecca, Bedouins and Muhammad.  There was space for students to sketch their own images representing the various words.

The Editor says...
In addition to teaching about Islam, does the same school also teach the history and characteristics of other religions?

Crass:
Kentucky Democrat Gives Religious-Themed Speech After GOP Victories: 'Mary Did Not Ride An Elephant Into Bethlehem'.  Kentucky's Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo stumbled Tuesday night [11/3/2015] following big Republican victories, giving a bizarre speech covering Jesus, religion and the Bible and remarking that Mary "did not ride an elephant into Bethlehem" before giving birth to her son.  The Federalist's Mollie Hemingway reported on the odd moment that did not appear to be received well by the assembled Democrats, who offered muted applause to his remarks.

Creeping Sharia in the EEOC.  The EEOC said that Star Transport Inc., a trucking company based in Morton, Ill., violated their religious rights by refusing to accommodate their objections to delivering alcoholic beverages.  "EEOC is proud to support the rights of workers to equal treatment in the workplace without having to sacrifice their religious beliefs or practices," EEOC General Counsel David Lopez announced Thursday [10/29/2015].  "This is fundamental to the American principles of religious freedom and tolerance."

Praying Coach and Freedom of Speech.  According to the dailysignal.com, Coach Kennedy is working with a legal team from Liberty Institute to defend himself against the Bremerton School District.  Litigation between the two parties will be ongoing unless the school district withdraws their suspension of the coach.  Liberty Institute lawyers have called the Bremerton School District a hostile work environment, and they are filing a discrimination suit against the district.

Obama admin helps Muslims win big religious liberty lawsuit; why not Christian bakers?  When a couple of Muslim truck drivers are fired for refusing to haul beer on religious grounds, they're awarded $240,000.  When a couple of bakers refuse to bake a same-sex wedding cake on religious grounds, they're the ones being forced to pay big.  In the case of the Muslim truck drivers, the Obama administration's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission stepped in and won the case for them.

Muslim Drivers Get Religious Freedom but Not Christian Bakers.  "Two Muslim truck drivers who refused to transport alcohol were recently awarded $240,000 by an Illinois judge, according to a press release by the EEOC.  "Truck drivers Mahad Abass Mohammed and Abdkiarim Hassan Bulshale were fired from Illinois-based Star Transport back in 2009 after they refused to transport alcohol because it violated their religious beliefs.  "The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the carrier on behalf of the drivers, alleging religious discrimination and wrongful termination.

Obama EEOC Fights for Religious Liberty — for Muslim Truckers.  Well, at least they were not told to bake a cake for a gay wedding.  In President Obama's fundamentally transformed America, Christian bakers are forced by the blunt instrument of government mandate to cater a gay wedding regardless of their religious beliefs, but Muslim truckers can now refuse to transport alcohol because their Muslim beliefs and Sharia law prohibits it.

School threatens to fire praying football coach.  A school district in Washington State has decided to play hardball with a football coach who refused to stop his mid-field, post-game prayers.  I received an exclusive copy of a three-page letter sent to Bremerton High School Coach Joe Kennedy from Superintendent Aaron Leavell. [...] "Any further violations will be grounds for discipline, up to and including discharge from District employment," Leavell wrote in an Oct. 23 letter.

Catholic leaders push new rules to limit effects of climate change.  Catholic leaders representing five continents on Monday issued a 10-point appeal to climate negotiators in Paris to approve a "transformative" and fair, legally binding agreement that sets global temperature limits and decarbonization goals to save the planet from climate-induced catastrophe.  The representatives of bishops conferences from around the globe signed the appeal in a renewed push to encourage climate negotiators meeting next month to heed Pope Francis' call to protect God's creation and the poor who suffer most from its exploitation.

Pope Francis Wrongly Blames Capitalism For Poverty.  Pope Francis has created political controversy, both inside and outside the Catholic Church, by blaming capitalism for many of the problems of the poor. [...] Pope Francis is part of a larger trend of the rise of the political left among Catholic intellectuals.  He is, in a sense, the culmination of that trend.

It's not global warming but One World Government that's gobbling society.  Climate change, rather than the Gospel, is coming through the pulpit of the Catholic Church.  Justin Trudeau's contact list will come from the same source.  When all is said and done, people still get on their knees to pray for forgiveness for sin before calling God in on Climate Change, no matter what they are fed through the church pulpit; no matter how elections are tampered with, people will still cast votes against Big Government candidates, given the chance.

Lawsuit: Baby Jesus doesn't belong in Christmas play.  You would think the anti-Christmas crowd would wait until there's frost on the pumpkin patch before pillaging and plundering our long-cherished yuletide traditions.  But the Freedom From Religion Foundation has been chomping at the bit to bully those who celebrate the birth of Jesus.  In recent days they've filed a federal lawsuit demanding an Indiana school district yank a Living Nativity from a Christmas production and they successfully forced an Oregon school district to ban choirs from performing at a Catholic shrine.

Bully Pulpit: Kasich Says He'll Send Bibles to Enemies of Medicaid Expansion.  Ohio governor and Republican presidential candidate John Kasich is thumping his Bible at detractors of his decision to take advantage of Obamacare by expanding Medicaid, adding 600,000 (mostly) able-bodied, childless adults to the welfare rolls. [...] I'm just going to be blunt here — the man is a serial scripture twister who picks and chooses Bible verses to promote his liberal political agenda.  Kasich seethes with condescension at conservatives — Christian conservatives — who disagree with him while claiming the biblical high ground, but he has no idea what he's talking about.  (Or worse, he does know better and he's intentionally misusing God's word to further his agenda.)

GOP candidate Ben Carson goes after Muslim advocacy group's tax status.  The retired neurosurgeon accused the Council on American-Islamic Relations on Thursday [10/1/2015] of violating its nonprofit tax status in a Facebook message.

School district fights ACLU, vows to keep saying 'God bless you'.  The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana has launched a full-scale assault on Airline High School after the principal wrote the words, "May God Bless You All" in a message posted on the school's website.  "The Future Starts Today — May God Bless You All," wrote Principal Jason Rowland in September.  The ACLU also complained about plans by the school's Fellowship of Christian Athletes to place prayer request boxes around the campus.

The Marxist Pope Comes To America.  The Pope embodies all the sought for goals of the Left and he delivers them wrapped in religion and piety.  The Pope has blamed the evils of this world on capitalism and greed. He has used that as a political spring board to preach wealth redistribution and Liberation Theology.  His doctrine is communist in many, many respects.  Pope Francis is called The Great Reformer and the reason for that is his colossal move to reform the Catholic Church... to modernize it by welcoming in such platforms as homosexuality, abortion, transgenderism, climate change and the embrace of Islam.

Wisconsin church's prayer garden plans halted by obscure state law.  The small prayer garden at Advent Lutheran Church in downtown Cedarburg, Wis., supposedly a peaceful place, is disturbed by a controversy that may change state law.  The 106 year-old church's plans for the prayer garden include a columbarium, a structure with niches in which the ashes of cremated bodies are placed.

Pope Francis and Marco Rubio Urge Erasing U.S. Borders.  Pope Francis is urging America to throw open her borders to thousands of impoverished migrants, in part to atone for the "sins" of the colonial era.

Pope Francis is just another liberal political pundit.  Pope Francis is unquestionably a man of uncommon personal grace, the possessor of a genuinely beautiful soul. [...] But that's not exactly the guy who showed up Friday [9/25/2015] at the United Nations.  That pope endorsed the Iran deal, the UN's environmentalist goals and what amounts to a worldwide open-borders policy on refugees — and offered a very specific view of how to promote development in the Third World that's straight out of a left-wing textbook.

Is the pope a false prophet?  [Scroll down]  [Pope Francis, in his speech before the US Congress] will, instead, assault the free market, which he blames for poverty, pollution and the mass migrations into Europe away from worn-torn areas in the Middle East.  In his papal exhortation on capitalism, Pope Francis spectacularly failed to appreciate the benefits of capitalism to the health, wealth and safety of the poor.  Instead, he has reworked the Peronism of his youth to advocate government-mandated redistribution of wealth and to condemn those who work hard, employ others and achieve wealth — even when they give some of that wealth to the Church.

Obviously an audience plant.  See commentary below.
Five-year-old daughter of illegal immigrants is blessed by Pope Francis after breaking through security barricades.  Little Sophie Cruz, who is the daughter of illegal immigrants, managed to make her way through the crowd of thousands lining Constitution Avenue and got within feet of Pope Francis' open-air popemobile before Secret Service agents stopped her.  However, the determined youngster who was wearing a bright yellow T-shirt, caught the eye of the pope who beckoned his guards to allow her to approach and he gave her a kiss on the cheek and a blessing.  She then handed over a letter pleading for his intervention in her family's battle to stay in the United States.  The note called upon the 78-year-old pontiff to help her mother and father, as well as the millions of others who are in the U.S. illegally, to remain in the country.

Girl, 5, breaks through security to deliver message on immigration to Pope Francis.  Sophie Cruz, a 5-year-old girl from Los Angeles whose parents are undocumented immigrants, broke through the barriers during the papal parade in Washington, D.C. Wednesday [9/23/2015] and handed the pontiff a letter and a T-shirt.  Francis signaled for the little girl to approach the popemobile after security initially tried to stop the cute courier.  Sophie handed him a bright yellow T-shirt, a colorful drawing, and a letter detailing her fears that her parents will be deported.

Girl Who Approached Pope Was Trained by Radical Group.  A Los Angeles-based pro-illegal immigration group trained the five-year-old girl who approached Pope Francis during his parade in Washington for a photo-op to promote amnesty.  Sophie Cruz, 5, who hails from suburban Los Angeles, according to the Sacramento Bee, managed to get close enough to the Pope's modified, open-air Jeep for Francis to summon her to approach him. [...] The affair was stage-managed by the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition, which trained Sophie for a full year before the meeting

Pope's Cherubic Child Moment Nothing But A Staged Production.  The picture was just too precious:  A 5-year-old girl breaching a security line to hand visiting Pope Francis a letter pleading for amnesty for her illegal immigrant parents.  But it wasn't the spontaneous act it seemed.

Little girl's pope encounter not as spontaneous as it looked.  Sophie Cruz's brief encounter with Pope Francis during his parade in Washington this week appeared to be the kind of spontaneous moment that is so endearing about this pope:  an initially hesitant young child wrapping an arm around his neck as he offers a kiss and a blessing.  But for 5-year-old Sophie, the moment unfolded as perfectly as it was scripted by members of a coalition of Los Angeles-based immigration rights groups.  They had been preparing for nearly a year for the young girl from suburban Los Angeles to make a dash for the popemobile to deliver a message about the plight of immigrant parents living in the country illegally.  They had even pulled off a similar public-relations coup a year ago in Rome using a 10-year-old girl with the pope.

The Editor says...
The obviously staged and pre-arranged appearance of a little girl who somehow manages to break through the line of security guards and approach the Pope with a message (that somebody else wrote) about immigration rights is proof that the Pope is as dishonest, as disingenuous, and as eager to manipulate the press and deceive the public as Barack H. Obama.  The Pope is a plastic-coated phony.  He may have a billion cheering fans who see him as a religious leader, but he is as much of a politician as anyone else who was in Washington that day.

Angry conservatives insist Pope Francis is a fake Christian.  During his first visit to the United States, Pope Francis is going to feel a lot of love from hundreds of thousands of people, but he is well aware that a large number of Americans beyond the adoring crowds view him with angry disgust.  To them, his teachings on climate change, indulgent consumerism, excessive wealth and capitalist exploitation of the poor are nothing short of socialism.  Add to that his open embrace of the refugees from Syria who are flooding into Europe, and quite a few folks on the right are convinced that, far from being a good Christian, Francis is a dangerous charlatan.

Krauthammer: Under Pope's 'Liberation Theology,' the poor suffer most.  Thursday [9/24/2015] on Fox News Channel's "Special Report," Washington Post columnist and Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer explained that Pope Francis's views were formed under Latin America's liberation theology movement, which relies heavily on Marxist concepts in an attempt to help the poor.

Pope's Speech To Congress Reveals That He Is, Indeed, A Leftist.  Seventeen Catholic popes have served since the U.S. declared independence from Britain 239 years ago, but Francis is the first to address both houses of Congress.  Wish we could say it was worth the wait.  As it turned out, the historic address was loaded with left-wing claptrap about social justice, blood money, moral equivalence and environmentalism.

Pope Lays Out Global Marxist Agenda.  Phyllis Bennis of the Marxist Institute for Policy Studies was right:  "Pope Francis' address to Congress was almost certainly not what John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, and other congressional leaders had in mind when they invited the pope to speak."  Speaking for many on the left, including the pro-abortion lobby, she said, "His clear call to end the death penalty was the only example he gave of protecting the sanctity of life:  Even amid a raging congressional debate over Planned Parenthood, he never mentioned abortion."

Pope's call for immigration leniency unlikely to change debate.  Pope Francis is more than head of the Catholic Church — he's also the head of state of the Vatican, which as a government has possibly the most restrictive immigration and citizenship policies of any nation in the world.  The pope, traveling to the U.S. for the first time, has made a special appeal to Americans to welcome immigrants, using his address to a joint meeting of Congress Thursday [9/24/2015] to invoke the Golden Rule in demanding generosity toward the millions of Central and South Americans seeking to come to the country.

For 1st time, New York City schools close for Muslim holiday.  Thursday [9/24/2015] was the first time the [New York City] schools serving 1.1 million pupils closed for a Muslim holiday.

Should public schools close for Muslim holidays?  Public schools in the US close in observance of Christian holidays including Christmas and Easter, and now other religious denominations are asking for their holidays to be respected, too.  This Thursday [9/24/2015] is Eid al-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice, one of the biggest holidays of the year for Muslims, and school administrators must decide whether or not to close school for the day.  In New Jersey, where almost 2 percent of the population identifies as Muslim, several school districts have recognized Islam's holidays for years, reports NorthJersey.com.  But some are holding back.

Before rare White House visit, Pope Francis defends himself as no leftist.  Enroute to his White House visit with President Obama today, Pope Francis sought to defend himself against growing concerns with his liberal, anti-capitalist views.  So concerned with his views are some members of Congress that they've said they will boycott the pope's historic address to a joint session of Congress Thursday [9/24/2015].

Castro praises Pope's anti-capitalism stance.  Pope Francis has arrived in Havana this afternoon and starts a historic 10-day visit to Cuba and the United States, according to reports.  Cuban President Raul Castro welcomed Pope Francis in a long speech at the airport.  In his speech, Castro said the communist government has "founded an equitable society with social justice" in Cuba and he praised the pope's critiques of the global economic system that has "globalized capital and turned money into its idol."

Pope Francis: Menace or Farce?  It's only been two and a half years since Francis assumed the chair of St. Peter, yet he's already compiled an entire dossier's worth of interesting incidents.  For instance, the Holy Father seems to have a habit of appearing to endorse all sorts of left-wing political causes.  There was the time he posed with environmental activists holding an anti-fracking T-shirt.  And the time he posed for pictures holding a crucifix made from a hammer and a sickle.  And the time he held up a poster calling for the British to hand the Falkland Islands back to Argentina.  In each instance, the official Vatican response has been to suggest that Francis didn't mean to endorse anything because he'll pretty much smile and pick up anything you hand him, like some sort of consecrated Ron Burgundy.

Infiltrating the #BlackLivesMatter Cult.  It is wrong to think of the Black Lives Matter movement as merely a movement, a racist insurgency that embraces violent attacks on police and white Americans.  It is so much more.  It's a Marxist, anti-American, revolutionary cult whose members aim to unleash a reign of terror on American society.  It is religious in the limited sense that the late anti-PC intellectual Christopher Hitchens used that adjective to describe the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.  After visiting barren, Stalinist North Korea, where people eat grass clippings and tree bark to survive, Hitchens remarked that it was "the most religious state I've ever been to."  But North Korea doesn't embrace a religion in the sense we in the civilized world use the word.  At risk of oversimplifying the politics and culture of the hermetically sealed, oversized gulag run by Kim Jong-un, that country's religion is socialism.

Anti-Trump rally marches through downtown Dallas.  Hundreds of people took to the streets Monday evening [9/14/2015], ahead of Donald Trump's campaign rally at the American Airlines Center.  They marched through Dallas and ended up at the American Airlines Center in an effort they are calling "Dump the Trump."  Participants began marching at 5:30 p.m. from Cathedral de Guadalupe.  More than 1,000 participants yelled anti-Trump cheers, held Dump Trump signs and even Donald Trump piñatas.

The Editor says...
Notice that a Democratic Party rally and march originated at a Catholic Church.  Imagine the uproar if a Tea Party rally and march had originated from some other church.  Notice also the promotion of Donald Trump piñatas by the people who rail against "senseless violence."

Postal Service limits Philadelphia deliveries during Pope visit.  The U.S. Postal Service is limiting service to the city of Philadelphia as the Pope visits on Saturday, Sept. 26.  The service will suspend mail delivery and pickup to eight zip codes and their respective facilities.

Religious groups want U.S. to accept 100,000 Syrian refugees.  Religious groups in the United States have urged the White House to step up its response to the Syrian refugee crisis, with one on Tuesday calling Washington's efforts so far "disappointing."  Church World Service, a global humanitarian organization that represents 37 Christian denominations, has called on the government to take in 100,000 Syrians over the next year, said Jen Smyers, who works on the group's immigration and refugee program.

Obama to personally greet Pope Francis on arrival in US.  President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will greet Pope Francis when he lands in the United States later this month.  The first couple will meet the pope at Joint Base Andrews on Sept. 22, White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Wednesday [9/9/2015].  Obama will also meet with the Pope in the Oval Office the next day.

Pope Francis seeks Obama while the Christian World Seeks the Lord.  Seemingly completely unaware that it doesn't work that way, Catholic bishops are doing their best to get parishioners to install a lib-left government in the October 19, Canadian federal election, through the Sunday pulpit. [...] Bishops and priests who believe that parishioners will vote Lib-left just because "Father told me to" are not just gamboling lamb-like out in left field, but are, in every sense of the phrase, "over the hill".  Saving souls has tumbled all the way down hill to advice in how to mark the election ballot.

Police cars' 'In God We Trust' decals draw complaints.  The decision by police this month to unveil the phrase in Childress, an agricultural community of some 6,100 people at the southern edge of the Texas Panhandle, follows a similar move by dozens of other police agencies elsewhere in the country.

Women's Chorus Replaces 'Jesus' With Candidate's Name In African-American Spiritual.  Hillary Clinton's campaign needs a resurrection in New Hampshire, but this is a strange way to go about it.

Disgusting: Women's Choir Replaces Jesus' Name With 'Hillary' in Performance of Hymn.  In a display of sycophancy so corrupt as to boggle the mind, a far left women's choir based in New Hampshire decided it would be cool to take Jesus' name out of a traditional hymn and replace it with "Hillary." [...] Over this past weekend the left-wing group re-tooled the Negro Spiritual song titled "Woke Up This Morning With Jesus On My Mind" and dumped Jesus for Hillary.

Freedom from Religion Atheists tackle Football Players.  According to the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a group of permanently offended atheists that are also in a league of their own, there is no praying in football, not to mention "Hail Mary" passes to win the big game.  [...] The FFRF has now gone ballistic over the baptism of an on-the-field high school football coach in Villa, Ricca, Georgia.  Attendance was voluntary and the students who attended did so on their own time and of their own free will.  When the FFRF saw a video of the ceremony, it fired off a letter of righteous indignation to the Carroll County School superintendent.

ACLU, CAIR Sue Florida for Denying Islamic Meals to Muslim Prisoners.  The American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) Florida Chapter and the Council Of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Florida are suing the state of Florida for purportedly denying Halal meals to Muslim convicts locked up in the Miami-Dade Country prison system.  The lawsuit was filed on Thursday [9/3/2015] in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Local 10 News, a Miami-based ABC affiliate, reported.  Other inmates have been provided with meals that cooperate with their faith, and Muslims should be afforded the same opportunity, the lawsuit claims.

Why are the Pope and the Democrats trying to influence each other?
Dems urge Pope Francis to highlight income inequality during visit.  A coalition of House Democrats wants Pope Francis to focus on how to address income inequality during his historic address to Congress later this month.  More than 90 lawmakers signed on to a letter spearheaded by liberal Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who has made food stamp-funding and other government assistance one of her signature issues in Congress.  The lawmakers expressed hope that Pope Francis, who has built his image as an advocate for people in poverty, would bring attention to policies they've pushed for years during his Sept. 24 address.

Religious Leaders Call on Fed to Save Puerto Rico.  A group of Puerto Rican religious leaders have called on the U.S. Federal Reserve to "arbitrate" the commonwealth's debt dilemma only a day after Puerto Rican officials pushed back a crucial restructuring deadline.  The interdenominational collection of 18 Christian leaders, in conjunction with Washington-based nonprofit Jubilee USA Network, issued a statement Monday [8/31/2015] lambasting the implementation of budget-restricting austerity measures as part of any potential solution to the island's sizable debt crisis.

American Taliban: Denver City Council Holding Up Chick-fil-A at Airport Because CEO Is Christian.  Liberals present themselves as devoted advocates of women's rights and homosexual privilege, and enemies of violence and religion.  Yet they ally themselves with Muslims, who enslave women, murder homosexuals, and reject reality in favor of their conspicuously violent faith.  In turn, Muslims overwhelmingly vote Democrat.  This is confusing until you realize that the content of their respective ideologies is inconsequential; it is only the ruthless intolerance with which the ideology is imposed that matters.  The most meaningful difference between Islam and liberalism lies in the methods used to coerce compliance, and these are determined by culture.

Update:
Business committee approves Chick-fil-A location at DIA.  The Denver Business Development Committee has unanimously approved a seven-year lease for a Chick-fil-A restaurant at Denver International Airport.  Originally, the Denver City Council had placed a two-week pause on the request, citing the company's reputation as an opponent of same-sex marriage.

Georgia High School Scolded for Pregame Prayers and Hymns.  A high school in Georgia was told they couldn't publicly pray before a football game.  What happened next really shouldn't surprise you at all.

The Pope is a leftist politician.
Pope Francis Blesses a Lesbian, Her Family, and Her Writing For Kids.  The unscripted pope likes to speak his mind and doesn't always seem to be playing by the same rule book as his clergy.  The latest in a long list of dust-ups came this week when Francis apparently gave his blessing to Francesca Pardi, a children's book author who happens to be lesbian and who has a title on the list of banned books in the Venice school district that has sparked a feud between Venice mayor Luigi Bugnaro and the likes of Elton John.

Can Federal Judges Run Public Schools?  Judicial tyranny, specifically in our American court system, has usurped legislative jurisdiction, and I am so bold as to add Divine jurisdiction, in our Constitutional Republic.  We saw its egregious head again this past weekend after a Mississippi school district canceled Brandon High School's marching band playing of the Christian hymn "How Great Thou Art" during halftime at Friday night's [8/21/2015] football season opener.  The reason?  It was decided that singing a hymn was too similar to a recent ban by U.S. District Judge, Carlton Reeves, given to Rankin County School District on July 10, saying it promoted Christianity during school hours after it agreed to stop.  So Reeves fined the district $7,500 and again ordered it to stop sponsoring prayers at graduations, assemblies, athletic competitions and other cschool events, WLBT-TV reported.

Toronto man denied subsidized housing for not being Muslim.  A disabled Toronto man had his name removed from the waiting list of a subsidized city apartment because he does not meet the main criteria for living there:  being Muslim.  "It doesn't make any sense; I lived in Texas, that doesn't make sense even there," said Austin Lewis, 21, who is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair.

Why Does Common Core Require Teaching Islam?  Should parents be penalized for demanding that their child be exempted from the required teaching of Islamic in Common Core curriculum?  Should a teach or public school administrator penalize parents and children for seeking exemption?  Parents are finding out the answers to these questions first hand.  To date, public school students are required to:
  •   Attend public school-sponsored trips to mosques, which also require non-Muslim girls to wear head scarves
  •   Question if the Holocaust was "merely a political scheme created to influence public emotion and gain"
  •   Learn Islamic indoctrination via vocabulary lessons, and world history (from an Islamic perspective), including the five pillars of Islam
  •   Pledge allegiance to the flag in Arabic
  •   Have school days off for "Muslim holy days"
  •   Proselytize to younger school children by creating a pamphlet about Islam to "introduce Islam to 3rd graders" by describing Allah as the same God of Christians and Jews
  •   Recite in class the Shahada ("There is No God but Allah") and kneel and learn to pray the Muslim call to prayer

Atheists Force Kansas School to Remove Painting of Jesus Christ.  Did a copy of a famous painting of Jesus hanging on the wall of a Kansas middle school since 1965 establish Christianity as an official state religion?  Some atheists say yes and they have convinced the school board in Chanute, Kansas to remove the painting.  Someone took a picture of the painting of the head of Jesus Christ and sent it to the Freedom from Religion Foundation which then threatened the school board of Chanute, Kansas with protracted litigation if the painting was not removed.

Atheists Warn Football Coaches and Chaplains Not to 'Instill Christianity in Vulnerable Young Men'.  An atheist group is demanding that publicly funded universities take immediate steps to bar Christian coaches and chaplains from "converting football fields into mission fields."  "The words of coaches and chaplains make clear that their purpose is to instill Christianity in vulnerable young men," the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) says in a new report, titled "Pray to Play."  "Public universities and their employees cannot endorse, promote, or favor religion," the report states.

Group is gunning for small town's veteran memorial cross.  The memorial features a silhouette of a soldier holding a gun and kneeling at the foot of a cross.  It was installed a few months ago alongside Freedom Rock at Young's Park in the small town of Knoxville, Iowa.  "It was clear to us it was a memorial to fallen veterans," Mayor Brian Hatch told me.  But it wasn't clear to everyone.  About a month ago a citizen filed an anonymous complaint — arguing that the memorial was promoting Christianity and therefore violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

School under fire for football prayer, marching band's religious song.  In the South, faith and football go together like biscuits and gravy. [...] Those traditions were especially evident at West Laurens High School where the marching band performed great songs of the faith and folks bowed their heads to pray before Friday night football games.  But those traditions are a problem, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington, D.C.-based group that loves to put its nose in other people's business — especially when it comes to public displays of the Christian faith.

School band told to stop performing 'How Great Thou Art'.  There was no halftime show under the Friday night lights at Mississippi's Brandon High School  — the marching band had been benched.  The band was ordered off the field because the Christian hymn "How Great Thou Art" was a part of their halftime show  — in violation of a federal court order.

Kansas public school removes Jesus picture after group complains.  A Kansas public school has removed a picture of Jesus that hung in a hallway for decades after a complaint from a national church-state separation group, The Wichita Eagle reported.  Royster Middle School removed the print of Warner Sallman's "Head of Christ" last Thursday [8/20/2015], following a complaint from the national Freedom From Religion Foundation, Richard Profitt, the school superintendent, said Friday [8/21/2015].  Proffitt, who is in his first year as Chanute superintendent, said the picture was taken down after the district's lawyer advised that the school could not legally display it.

Pope Francis makes news in Argentina by holding sign advocating for dialogue on Falklands.  Pope Francis is raising eyebrows in his homeland of Argentina after being photographed in Rome holding a sign [8/19/2015] advocating for dialogue over the disputed Falkland Islands.

New Agers Back Socialist Sanders as Messiah.  The huge crowds greeting socialist Bernie Sanders in his run for the Democratic presidential nomination cannot just be attributed to large numbers of left-wingers.  There is a hard-core left-wing element to the Sanders candidacy, of course.  But Sanders has tapped into what used to be one of Hillary Clinton's key constituencies, the New Age Movement.  A top Sanders adviser is the influential "spiritual teacher" Marianne Williamson, whose self-help books have been heavily promoted by Oprah Winfrey and sold millions.  The New Age Movement is a growing group of people in America who have broken with the Judeo-Christian tradition to instead endorse the notion of God as a mystical force inhabiting humans, the earth, or spiritual "masters."

Islamic leaders echo pope's call for action on climate change.  A group of Muslim experts called on developed nations to end fossil fuel use by 2050 and asked 'people of all nations and their leaders' to commit to 100 percent renewable energy.

Sharpton calls for black churches to lobby on Iran deal.  Rev. Al Sharpton will push America's black churches to lobby in favor of the Iran nuclear deal, a new report says.  Sharpton is launching his push backing President Obama's pact with Tehran this weekend, according to The Huffington Post.  "I am calling on ministers in black churches nationwide to go to their pulpits Sunday and have their parishioners call their senators and congressmen to vote yes on the Iran nuclear plan," he said Friday.

Orlando Airport To Build $250,000 Muslim Prayer Room.  Nothing makes Americans feel safer than being on a flight with radical Muslims fresh from a "praise Allah" session, but this is not about keeping Americans safe; it's about bending over backwards to accommodate a fringe group that doesn't always have our best interests in mind.  The Orlando International Airport (OIA) will reportedly spend a quarter of a million dollars to build a Muslim prayer room.

Orlando airport unveils $250K Muslim prayer room.  The Orlando International Airport will soon be opening a Muslim prayer room.  The airport will spend $350,000 to build the "Reflection Room" where Muslims can pray, a local CBS affiliate reported.  The decision was made after Emirates Airlines announced it will soon be offering direct flights out of Orlando to Dubai.  A majority of the airline's travelers are Muslim.

The Editor says...
The airport is owned by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which is a regional government entity.

Mayor Wants to Make Seattle More Sharia-Friendly.  Edward B. Murray, the mayor of one of the most politically progressive cities in America — Seattle — wants to make it easier for the 30,000 practicing Muslims in his city to get home mortgages without violating religious Sharia law.  It is part of his plan to ease what he says is a "housing crisis."  A new company in Seattle wants to help that happen, along with allowing Muslims to invest in retirement plans without violating Sharia law.  But conservatives have been warning for years that doing business with Islam is the same as doing business with terrorists, and a Seattle radio talk show host wonders why progressives favor Muslims over Christians.

With Obama's Help, Assembling Al Qaeda's Domestic Army Is Now Easier.  If immigrants to the U.S. seek citizenship but are reluctant to take an oath of allegiance because it requires a commitment to help defend the country, what is the solution?  If the immigrants in question are Muslim and you have a pro-Muslim U.S. president, the solution is simple — just change the oath to accommodate them. [...] The quandary for U.S. citizen candidates who are Muslim is this:  Just like America's first two wars as a new nation were against Muslims, so too have its last two been.  However, Islamic law — sharia — prohibits Muslims from fighting fellow Muslims.

Obama Administration Modifies U.S. Oath of Allegiance to Accommodate Muslims.  The Obama administration recently made changes to the Oath of Allegiance to the United States in a manner very conducive to Sharia, or Islamic law. [...] The new changes further add that new candidates "May be eligible for [additional?] modifications based on religious training and belief, or conscientious objection arising from a deeply held moral or ethical code."  These changes serve incoming Islamic supremacists especially well.  For, while Islamic law allows Muslims to feign loyalty to non-Muslim "infidel" authorities, it bans Muslims from living up to the pretense by actually fighting or killing fellow Muslims on behalf of a non-Muslim entity, such as the United States. [...] Now, in direct compliance with Islamic law, the Obama administration has made it so that no Muslim living in America need ever worry about having to defend her — including against fellow Muslims or jihadis.

City of Houston Wants to Bulldoze One Black Church, Condemn Another.  In a repulsive demonstration of hostility towards Christians, the City of Houston wants to bulldoze one church and condemn the property of another so they can build affordable housing and a public library.  Attorneys representing the Christian Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church and the Latter Day Deliverance Revival Center were in court Tuesday [8/4/2015] asking a judge to issue a temporary restraining order preventing the city from taking their property.

You might be a liberal if ... you're delusional.  You may be a liberal if you want to ban Christmas trees from the public square as you simultaneously demand prayer rooms for the new Muslim "refugees" in public schools.

DHS: Calling Islamic Terrorism 'Islamic' Offends Muslims.  Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson refuses to call Islamic terror "Islamic," arguing it's "critical" to refrain from the label in order to "build trust" among Muslims.  In jaw-dropping remarks Friday at Aspen Institute's annual security forum, Johnson said the government will call such attacks "violent extremism" over "Islamic terrorism" out of respect for the Muslim community.  The policy explains why the U.S. prosecutor and lead FBI investigator in the Chattanooga case still insist on calling Mohammad Abdulazeez a "homegrown violent extremist," though he blogged about his religious motivations for the attack, and he and his family attended a local mosque controlled by a terror-tied Islamic trust.

The Editor says...
You can be assured that if someone in a Republican president's cabinet took up the defense of a specific Christian denomination, it would be unfavorable front-page news.

Homeland Security adviser tweets America is 'Islamic country'.  A leading adviser at the Department of Homeland Security has jumped from the frying pan into the fire, following up comments about the Constitution being "Islamically compliant" with an even more head-turning tweet — that America is an Islamic country.  In October, adviser Mohamed Elibiary sent out a Twitter message that said, "Yes, I do consider the United States of America an Islamic country with an Islamically compliant constitution.  Move on!"

Missouri sheriff's 'In God We Trust' patrol car decals spark church vs. state debate.  A Missouri sheriff has slapped "In God We Trust" decals on patrol cars saying "there is no better time than now" to be displaying the national motto.  Sheriff Doug Rader of Stone County in the Ozarks said he was proud to announce that the decals are now on the back of department vehicles, but not everyone is pleased, Fox2Now reports. [...] The station said some are also questioning where the money came from to pay for the decals.  The Sheriff's Department said it used money donated from local businesses to buy them, not taxpayer funds.

Kenya believe it?
Obama's Visit to Kenya Costing Taxpayers $7 Million.  Staging and production for a global summit in Kenya where President Barack Obama will speak are costing taxpayers $7 million.  Obama is making his first presidential visit to the African country to attend the sixth Global Entrepreneurship Summit, which is being held at the United Nations office near the U.S. embassy in Nairobi on Saturday [7/25/2015] and Sunday.  According to government contracts, staging, teleprompters, break out rooms, prayer rooms, and other logistics for the two-day event will cost $7 million.

The Editor asks...
The government is paying for prayer rooms?

Lawsuit challenging Hall County school prayer dismissed.  A federal lawsuit challenging coach and teacher-led prayer at Hall County high schools has been dismissed, and the atheist group that filed it is calling the resolution "a victory for the separation of church and state."  The American Humanist Association, which filed the suit in December on behalf of three anonymous parties, said the dismissal reflected in court documents filed Monday [7/20/2015] was the result of an out-of-court agreement reached with the Hall County School District.  "We are pleased that the district is taking productive steps forward to ensure compliance with the Constitution, and we expect that it will stop the student-staff prayer activities and other problematic conduct," David Niose, legal director for the American Humanist Association, said in a statement.

Barack Obama Praises Moves to Recognize Eid as Holiday.  President Barack Obama on Thursday [7/16/2015] wished Muslims in America and around the world "Eid Mubarak!" or a blessed Eid, praising efforts to recognize the end of Ramadan as a holiday.  "The holiday is a reminder to every American of the importance of respecting those of all faiths and beliefs," he said in a statement that also hailed New York City's decision to add Eid to the official school calendar.

Obama Praises Move To Recognize Eid As An Official Holiday.  Keep in mind, he said this just after a Muslim killed four U.S. Marines and a sailor on American soil.

Obama Applauds Pope's Environmental Encyclical; Climate Realists Disagree.  The encyclical on the environment released by Pope Francis on June 18 has drawn both praise and criticism from leaders around the world, with defenders of the theory that the planet is doomed because of "global warming" caused by "carbon pollution" praising it.  Those who recognize that there is no provable connection between human activity and the Earth's natural warming and cooling cycles are wary of the encyclical, however, and regard it as dangerous ammunition that global warming alarmists may use to advance the UN's environmental programs that threaten both the world's economy and national sovereignty.

Ed Murray, Seattle mayor, proposes Sharia-compliant housing.  Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has announced plans to increase housing in the city for Muslims who follow Sharia law, which prohibits payment of interest on loans.  Mr. Murray's housing committee recommended the city convene lenders, housing nonprofits and community leaders "to explore the best options for increasing access to Sharia-compliant loan products," according to the proposal.

Satan v. the People.  One of the truest adages in politics is the one about "strange bedfellows."  So it should come as no surprise that saddling up beside pro-abortion Democrats is a Satanist group.  LifeSiteNews reports that the "Satanic Temple" of New York is suing the state of Missouri, claiming the state's abortion laws violate the group's First Amendment rights to freedom of religion.

White House Celebrates Muslim Holiday on Day Muhammad Murders Four Marines.  President Barack Obama sent a celebratory message to Muslims around the world on the White House Twitter account nearly two hours before his first tweet on the subject of four dead Marines killed by an Islamic gunman.  "From my family to yours, Eid Mubarak!" -@POTUS to Muslims celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr," the White House tweeted.  This message was tweeted at 4:48 p.m. according to the White House Twitter feed.

This explains a lot: the Pope's Climate Advisor is an atheist.
The Scientific Pantheist Who Advises Pope Francis.  St. Francis of Assisi's hymn Laudato Si' spoke of "Brothers" Sun and Fire and "Sisters" Moon and Water, using these colorful phrases figuratively, as a way of praising God's creation.  These sentimental words so touched Pope Francis that he named his encyclical after this canticle.  Neither Pope Francis nor St. Francis took the words literally, of course.  Neither believed that fire was alive and could be talked to or reasoned with or, worse, worshiped.  Strange, then, that a self-professed atheist and scientific advisor to the Vatican named Hans Schellnhuber appears to believe in a Mother Earth.

U.S. Has Established a State Religion: What Now for Christians?  The extremists of the LGBT movement display all the characteristics of a cult-like religion, including opposing critical thinking, severely penalizing any opposition, demanding complete and unwavering acceptance of its doctrines, putting loyalty to the cult above family and any other institution, including the Church, disallowing any member the right to change one's mind and leave or seek change without dire consequences, as well as essentially demanding complete capitulation of conscience of doubtful converts.  Just as importantly, the LGBT movement deals with ultimate questions belonging to theology.  The movement holds to theological doctrines concerning the nature of the human being, sexual identity and behavior, the definition of marriage, the family and the place of children, the role of government, and the transformation of traditional American institutions and documents adhering to Christian principles, particularly the Church — and the US Constitution.  It has set itself up as a new sexual orthodoxy that usurps the place of orthodox Christianity and Judaism.

These are the same people who say, "You can't legislate morality."
Obama Officials Deem Fighting Climate Change a 'Moral Obligation'.  Obama administration officials are labeling fighting climate change a "moral obligation" for world leaders.  U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Gina McCarthy and Obama-nominated U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Kenneth F. Hackett published a joint blog post on the EPA website Monday praising Pope Francis for dedicating his second encyclical to urging swift action on global warming.  "He makes clear our moral obligation to prevent climate impacts that threaten God's creation, especially for those most vulnerable," they write, referring to the crusade against global warming as a "moral obligation" three separate times throughout the 600-word post.

The Gay Lifestyle Fallacy.  It starts with things like the Mayor of Houston Texas demanding to see what pastors would deliver as sermons on Sundays, and the next step, the mayor of Coeur D'Alene Idaho threatening pastors with jail if they refuse to do a same sex marriage.  It only takes the government to force compliance for some peoples' liberties to be deprived for the new "right" of others.  In the words of Chief Justice John Roberts "Celebrate the achievement of a desired goal. Celebrate the opportunity for a new expression of commitment to a partner.  Celebrate the availability of new benefits.  But do not celebrate the Constitution.  It had nothing to do with it."

Sen. Lee: 'Religious Individuals... Could Lose Everything'.  Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) says that if his First Amendment Defense Act fails to pass, "religious individuals and institutions could lose everything from tax-exempt status to government contracts, government employment and things like that."  Lee and Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) introduced the bill in June that would bar the federal government from imposing penalties on individuals, businesses, and religious organizations acting "in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage."

De Blasio Flies to Vatican to Deliver Environmentalism Speech.  Pope Francis has been pushing hard on the issue of climate change, having issued a recent 184-page papal encyclical largely blaming climate change on fossil fuels and human activity.  He also said that developed, industrialized countries bore the most responsibility for the problem.  De Blasio referenced the encyclical, asserting that it "burns with urgency," while lauding the Pope, saying he had "awakened people across the globe to the dangers we face as a planet."  De Blasio loftily stated, "The encyclical is not a call to arms.  It is a call to sanity."

Capitalism Destroys Poverty; It Is Righteous, not Sinful.  Pope Francis has made it clear that he will use his office to promote Leftist weather scams and prefers input from pagan pantheists to skeptical climate scientists.  It is quite obvious this Christian leader hates cultures of freedom, trade, entrepreneurship, and private charity.  He prefers societies dominated by corrupt and totalitarian governments.  He is an ambassador for turning the few islands of prosperity left on the planet into the same hellholes we find in the rest of the Third World.

The Pope and the Hammer and Sickle.  Last week the Marxist quasi-dictator of Bolivia, Evo Morales, presented Pope Francis with a gift: a carved wooden hammer and sickle cross on which the figure of Christ is crucified.  The Vatican announced that the pope had not been informed in advance about the gift.  And some commentators said photos of the pope and Morales show that the pope was actually offended.  That was a false — probably wishful — interpretation.  The pope himself later announced that he was keeping the hammer and sickle crucifix and taking it home, saying, "I understand this work.  For me it wasn't an offense."

In Fiery Speeches, Francis Excoriates Global Capitalism.  His speeches can blend biblical fury with apocalyptic doom. Pope Francis does not just criticize the excesses of global capitalism.  He compares them to the "dung of the devil."  He does not simply argue that systemic "greed for money" is a bad thing.  He calls it a "subtle dictatorship" that "condemns and enslaves men and women."  Having returned to his native Latin America, Francis has renewed his left-leaning critiques on the inequalities of capitalism, describing it as an underlying cause of global injustice, and a prime cause of climate change.

Morales Calls Pope's Teachings 'Socialist'.  Evo Morales says he feels like he's got a good friend and ally in the highest of places in his battle for revolutionary social change and halting global warming:  Pope Francis.

Memo To Pope Francis: Free Market Capitalism Is The Miracle Cure For Poverty.  As Pope Francis tours the Americas, his economic message about capitalism and redistribution is coming into sharper focus.  While there's a strong spiritual dimension to his message, there just isn't much in the way of factual evidence to back it up.  Quite the contrary, the evidence is abundantly clear that it has been the spread of free market capitalism across the world that has done more to eradicate poverty than any other effort — government or charitable.

Pope Francis Laments That the Poor Are Sacrificed at the 'Altar of Money'.  Pope Francis continued his anti-poverty campaign in Paraguay on Saturday [7/11/2015], delivering some choice words for what capitalism has meant for the poor.  "Certainly every culture needs economic growth and the creation of wealth," the Pope told a gathering of civic leaders, in remarks reported by CNN.  But he harshly criticized the gap between the wealthy and the impoverished, saying:  "I ask them not to yield to an economic model which is idolatrous, which needs to sacrifice human lives on the altar of money and profit."

Pope calls unfettered capitalism 'the dung of the devil'.  Pope Francis on Thursday launched a blistering attack on the "new colonialism" of austerity, describing unfettered capitalism as "the dung of the devil" and apologising for the Catholic church's role in the conquest of indigenous populations in the Americas.  He delivered a powerful mea culpa on the part of the church in the highlight of his South American pilgrimage, "humbly" begging forgiveness during an encounter in Bolivia with indigenous groups and other activists and in the presence of Bolivia's first-ever indigenous president, Evo Morales.

Unbridled capitalism is the 'dung of the devil', says Pope Francis.  Pope Francis has urged the downtrodden to change the world economic order, denouncing a "new colonialism" by agencies that impose austerity programs and calling for the poor to have the "sacred rights" of labor, lodging and land.  In one of the longest, most passionate and sweeping speeches of his pontificate, the Argentine-born pope used his visit to Bolivia to ask forgiveness for the sins committed by the Roman Catholic church in its treatment of native Americans during what he called the "so-called conquest of America".

What Pope Doesn't See: Devil's Dung Can Be Fertilizer.  To help the poor on his South American visit, Pope Francis has come out harder than ever against capitalism, calling the making of money "devil's dung."  How sad, when capitalism has freed so many from poverty.  The tone of the trip was so in line with the region's left-wing, anti-American regimes that President Evo Morales might be forgiven for thinking His Holiness would actually like the tacky gift he presented him with in Bolivia:  a blasphemous sculpture of Christ crucified on a hammer and sickle, the emblem of communism and its 100 million dead.  But it's more likely this was a brazen attempt to coopt the legitimacy of the Church for the aggrandizement of Morales' own leftist regime.  The stunt, which supposedly took the Vatican by surprise, had been done before.

The Pope Is The Richest Man In The World. The Catholic Church Is The Wealthiest Corporation On Earth.  The Catholic church is the biggest financial power, wealth accumulator and property owner in existence.  It is a greater possessor of material riches than any other single institution, corporation, bank, giant trust, government or state of the whole globe.  The pope, as the visible ruler of this immense amassment of wealth, is consequently the richest individual of our century.  No one can realistically assess how much he is worth in terms of billions of dollars.  The Pope travels all over the world and chides humanity for not showing mercy and give away what little we have for the poor, the homeless, the starving.  Yet, when the Pope, the richest man in the world, travels to areas devastated by climate or earthquakes all he does is benevolently lay his hand on the head of the wounded and dying and makes the sign of the cross, blessing them and then walking off.

The Richest Man on Earth.  Francis I is responsible for untold billions in assets that range from priceless art works to real estate holdings that are so large they rival the size of many small countries.  No one knows for sure how much the Catholic Church is worth although over the years various media organizations and research centers have made a stab at estimating portions of the net worth of this 2,000 year old religious order.  For example, back in 2010, The Economist estimated that the church and organizations owned by them in just the United States was spending roughly $179 billion a year.

Pope asks pardon for church's 'crimes' against indigenous.  Pope Francis apologized Thursday [7/9/2015] for the sins, offenses and crimes committed by the Catholic Church against indigenous peoples during the colonial-era conquest of the Americas, delivering a powerful mea culpa on the part of the church in the climactic highlight of his South American pilgrimage.

Michelle Obama To Tribal Youth: America Embracing 'Wisdom Of Your Ancestors' On Climate Change.  Speaking to a gathering of American tribal youth at the White House today [7/9/2015], First Lady Michelle Obama praised their heritage, pointing out the cultural significance of Native Americans to the institutions of the United States.  "Long before the United States was even an idea, your ancestors were harvesting the crops that would feed the world for centuries to come," she said, pointing out their contributions to music, art, medicine, and even government.

The Editor says...
Mr. and Mrs. Obama detest the idea that British and European caucasians built America into a superpower, and they seem to relish any opportunity to revise history.  For example, when has anyone ever harvested a crop that fed the world for centuries thereafter?  That's not even good poetry, except maybe in a public school.  Mrs. Obama made this speech to an Indian tribe in an attempt to convert global warming into a matter of state-sponsored religion, thereby protecting global warming as dogma.

Oregon Declares War On Christian Faith.  In one of the most egregious anti-Christian acts committed by a state official in recent memory, Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian not only upheld the ridiculous $135,000 fine levied against Aaron and Melissa Klein for declining to bake a cake for a lesbian commitment ceremony, but he ordered the Kleins to "cease and desist" from making any public comments about their religious convictions relative to this case.  This is an outrage and a travesty, and it must be rebuked and resisted.  Who does Mr. Avakian think he is?

Forcing Churches to Perform Same-Sex Marriages Would End Separation of Church and State.  I do not believe churches, synagogues, mosques or other religious assemblies should be obligated to perform same-sex weddings if such unions go against their teachings.  That decision must be left to the churches and their congregations to decide.  If the federal government sees fit to either compel churches to perform same-sex marriages or punish them for refusing to do so then it is interfering in the internal affairs of religious congregations.  Churches would cease to be autonomous organizations and become functionaries of the whims of the government.  This would be a violation of the separation of church and state.

Anti-capitalist eco-crusader Naomi Klein hosted at Vatican.  The Vatican added yet another strange bedfellow to its expanding ecological alliance Wednesday, hosting anti-capitalist eco-crusader Naomi Klein at a conference on saving the planet.

Pope Francis and Naomi Klein Both Hate Free Markets, Technological Progress, and Economic Growth.  Last week, Pope Francis issued his new encyclical Laudato Si' in which he addresses the problem of man-made climate change.  Unfortunately, the encyclical makes it clear that the Pope completely fails to understand how the spread free markets yielded the technological and economic progress that has lifted billions out of humanity's natural state of abject poverty.  Global life expectancy has more than doubled over the past century; the amount of food per capita has never been higher; literacy has never been more widespread; and the level of violence never lower.  Nearly all of these improving trends can be traced to the spread of sweet commerce.  In Laudato Si' the Pope strongly urges that markets and technology be reined in.  Instead of creating more wealth, the Pope would prefer to redistribute it.  Now, in a not-so-strange-bedfellow alliance, Pope Francis has invited prominent hater of free markets Naomi Klein to advise him and the Vatican on economic and climate policy.

Pope Francis: 'Defender of the Pagan Gaia Faith'.  Pontificating from his window in a Vatican palazzo on Sunday [6/28/2015], Pope Francis bypassed tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists, to lavish with gushing praise a few hundred activists who had marched to St. Peter's Square under the banner 'One Earth, one family". [...] Pope Francis should be brought in on the fact that the environmental movement genuflects not to God but to Gaia.

Pope Partners with Anti-Capitalist Activist to Promote Climate Change Encyclical.  Pope Francis' call to action on climate change with his encyclical, Laudato Si', has resulted in some strange and "radical" alliances.  The Guardian (UK) reported on June 27 that the Vatican added pro Occupy Wall Street activist Naomi Klein to a growing list of activists for its upcoming environmental conference.  Klein is an "ferocious critic of capitalism" and a "secular radical," according to the left-wing Guardian newspaper.

The Supreme Court Ratifies a New Civic Religion That Is Incompatible with Christianity.  The most striking aspect of Justice Kennedy's majority opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges, which created a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, was its deep emotion.  This was no mere legal opinion.  Indeed, the law and Constitution had little to do with it. [...] Christians who've not suffered for their faith often romanticize persecution.  They imagine themselves willing to lose their jobs, their liberty, or even their lives for standing up for the Gospel.  Yet when the moment comes, at least here in the United States, they often find that they simply can't abide being called "hateful."

Pope turns lobbyist?! Urges prayers for passage of UN climate treaty!  "No matter how nuanced and faithful to Catholic teachings this encyclical attempts to be, this passage where the Pope urges Catholics to 'ask God for a positive outcome' to the current UN global warming treaty process, will overpower every other message.  The Pope is clearly endorsing a specific UN political climate treaty and essentially declaring he is on a mission from God to support a UN climate treaty.  He even conjures up the comical concept of climate 'tipping points'."

The pope, the globe and the facts.  Pope Francis accepts as a matter of scientific doctrine that the Earth is warming and that humans are responsible for it.  Yet near the end of the encyclical, he confesses that "the Church does not presume to settle scientific questions or to replace politics."  Which is it?

Why Obama chose to sing Amazing Grace during eulogy for Charleston victims.  [M]oments before Obama sang Amazing Grace during the eulogy for Rev Clementa Pinckney, one of the the nine Charleston victims, his wife Michelle and long-time adviser Valerie Jarrett were unconvinced by the idea.  According to Jarrett, he turned to them before addressing a Charleston church last month, and said:  'I don't know whether I'm going to do it, but I just wanted to warn you two that I might sing.  We'll see how it feels at the time.  I think if I sing, the church will sing with me.'

Obama breaks into 'Amazing Grace' at funeral.  From the moment President Barack Obama approached the platform to give the eulogy for Clementa Pinckney on Friday [6/26/2015], the organist was ready.  Few people expected Obama to become the Preacher-in-Chief.  And probably no one thought he would sing.  But that's what he did after discussing the importance of the black church's past and the necessity of the community in the future.

Obama eulogizes pastor in Charleston shooting.  President Barack Obama delivered a touching eulogy, a rousing political speech and a thoughtful meditation on race in America when he traveled to Charleston, South Carolina on Friday to speak at the funeral of the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was gunned down last week by a racist terrorist during Bible study.  But the President's speech will be remembered for a moment at the end when the he launched into a solo of "Amazing Grace," that at first stunned the mourners and then brought them to their feet as they joined him in song.

U.S. Troops Face Eating, Drinking Restrictions During Ramadan.  A top commander in southwest Asia reminded U.S military personnel stationed in Muslim countries in the Middle East of the restrictions placed on them during Ramadan.  According to a report by the U.S. Air Forces Central Command Public Affairs, Brig. Gen. John Quintas, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing commander in Southwest Asia, said that the U.S. is "committed to the concepts of tolerance, freedom and diversity."

Conceit vs. Reality.  Of Francis' encyclical, Laudato Si', we must say:  "Father, forgive him, he knows not what he proposes."  That is, concerning "manmade climate change."  Or maybe he does.  Francis' letter is a screed.  A mélange of church teachings, junk science, and Jesuit-inspired leftism.  There's good in the letter, but it's choked by weedy thinking. [...] As the left propagandizes Francis' letter, his mention of protecting human life will be dropped.  His swipes at leftist tyranny, excised.  What will remain is a morality tale about bad old smokestack industries, free markets, and car and cow flatulence raping Momma Earth, rendering her uninhabitable, and how Francis thinks so, too.  It's a bankable argument for those who want to steal our liberty.

Sorry Pope Francis, the State of the Planet Is Getting Better.  The Pope has a comprehensively dark vision of the world.  He writes that ["]The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth... beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish....  Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years.["]  In other words, the Industrial Revolution is to blame for covering the planet in rubbish.  But if it's covered in trash, it's a strange kind of trash that has caused global crop yields to increase by 160 percent since 1961 and deaths from droughts to be reduced by 99.8 percent since the 1920s.

The Editor says...
Where is this immense pile of filth?  Does the Vatican look like a pile of filth, or is he talking about Italy?

Pope ponders paganism.  Not since the rule of Emperor Constantine, during the Roman Warm Era, have pagan gods been tolerated in Rome.  Before Constantine, Romans worshipped 12 main gods, including Apollo (the Sun), Diana (the Moon), Flora (the plants), Uranus (the sky), Ceres (the crops), Gaia (the Earth), and of course Bacchus (wine), Venus (love), and Mars (war).  Some of these gods demanded tribute and sacrifice.  Christianity, the worship of one forgiving God, slowly absorbed or eliminated its pagan rivals.  The popes in Rome came to lead a Catholic empire of Christians.  In modern times, the old Greek/Roman goddess Gaia has been resurrected by the world green movement.  Pope Francis seems to seek an alliance with these nature-worshipers.

Pope Francis's Vow of Poverty — for All.  Like other environmental activists, the pope — who might now be considered the world's leading green — is using global warming to prosecute a deeply ecological, anti-capitalist agenda.  Designed to influence the outcome of the Paris climate talks in December, the Pope's message would have been the same even if alarmist scientists had not misinformed him that the planet had been warming in recent decades, when there has been little or no warming for nearly two decades.  "Our concern cannot be limited merely to the threat of extreme weather events, but must also extend to the catastrophic consequences of social unrest," the pope writes.  "Obsession with a consumerist lifestyle, above all when few people are capable of maintaining it, can only lead to violence and mutual destruction."

Sheriff Threatened With Lawsuit After Preaching in Uniform at Church.  A sheriff in Florida is facing legal threats from the Freedom From Religion Foundation after speaking in a church's pulpit while wearing his uniform.  The FFRF is against Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd speaking or preaching at churches while wearing his police uniform.  Judd told Greta Van Susteren tonight [6/22/2015] that his constituency requests for him to speak at churches or other events as the sheriff.  "I wear my work clothes, I don't know why that's a surprise," he stated.  "I am an elected official by the people in Polk County, Fla.  So I am the boss."

Commie Pope.  Two years into his reign, Pope Francis has emerged as an extreme socialist obsessed with the usual phony leftist problems such as manmade global warming, American institutional racism, and income inequality.  Muslims are indiscriminately slaughtering Christians around the world while Christianity itself seems on the verge of being eclipsed globally by Islam, but these things barely register with this pope.  This pseudo-intellectual pope keeps on spouting the same misanthropic Marxist platitudes as he hitches his papacy to global warming, the new international totalitarian cause.  Sounding like Mao Zedong, Francis said a "bold cultural revolution" was needed to save the planet.

Supremes whack 9th Circus, says free spech applies to church signs, too.  Short version on this one (Reed v. Town of Gilbert):  there's a church in Arizona with no fixed abode yet that has to go around and rent temporary space for services.  They let their congregants know the latest location via temporary signage; and the town got all bent out of shape over this.  Shockingly, the 9th Circuit can't read the plain text of the First Amendment, and just as shockingly the Supreme Court had to smack the 9th Circuit again: [...]

The Pope is getting more politically active all the time:
Pope says weapons manufacturers can't call themselves Christian.  People who manufacture weapons or invest in weapons industries are hypocrites if they call themselves Christian, Pope Francis said on Sunday [6/21/2015].

The Pope Steps In It Again.  Pope Francis is rapidly convincing me that he is not just a leftist, but a dope.  Speaking [6/21/2015] to a group of young people in Turin, he departed from his script and launched into a rambling denunciation of, among others, arms manufacturers.

There Are Big Divisions In Catholicism Over "Climate Change".  First, I'm wondering how any Democrat can be a Catholic, as the majority support abortion on demand.  They don't listen to the Pope on most issues, why should they listen to the Pope on this?  Second, we see that 68% believe that the Earth is warming.  Count me among those who have that belief, and the raw data and facts support that belief.  But, notice that only 45% of the general public believe that it is caused by human activity.  Unfortunately, it is rarely, if ever, asked as to the percent that Mankind is responsible for.  Some may say a little (put me in that box).  Cult of Climastrology members will say that Mankind is mostly/solely responsible, which seems to be the same feeling from Pope Francis.

GOP says pope's climate stance is anti-business.  Pope Francis' stunning encyclical calling for a massive upheaval of the world economy to combat global warming provided fuel for President Obama and climate change activists but posed a tougher challenge for Catholic politicians who were left to grapple with the pontiff's stern call to arms.  Republicans — Catholics and non-Catholics alike — said the pope had overstepped himself with his 184-page missive delving deeply into environmental science and 21st century economics, including saying the use of fossil fuels is turning Earth into a "pile of filth."

Pope Francis Offers a Trinitarian Document.  It's important for non-Catholics to understand that nothing in this document is presented as an infallible teaching. While Catholics are called to adhere to the regular non-infallible teaching of the Popes, they are allowed to dispute how to correctly implement those teachings in the world if they feel the Pope's approaches are in error.  The encyclical begins with a standard liberal discourse on current environmental problems.  Clearly the Pope either was not told or did not believe the growing body of scientific evidence that global warming is not due to man.

Is the Encyclical a Measured Document?  Josiah Neeley has a very nice piece at First Things making the case that the Pope's environmental encyclical is really "a more measured affair" than the advanced notices suggest.  I'm afraid this isn't right.  Putting aside the anti-development tone and content of much of it, which I take it may be par for the course in these documents, the encyclical goes beyond the science to embrace a fashionable alarmism on climate.

Pope Francis: 'Revolution' needed to combat climate change.  As a former teacher, Pope Francis knows how to deliver a stern lecture.  On Thursday [6/18/2015], he gave one for the ages.  While slamming a slew of modern trends — the heedless worship of technology, our addiction to fossil fuels and compulsive consumerism — the Pope said humanity's "reckless" behavior has pushed the planet to a perilous "breaking point."  "Doomsday predictions," the Pope warned, "can no longer be met with irony or disdain."

Jonathan Alter Hints Jeb's a Bad Catholic Who Denies Papal Infallibility Because He Rejects Francis's Climate Change Pronouncement.  Jeb Bush, a convert to the faith, is a bad Catholic who all but denies the dogma of papal infallibility.  That's an argument put forward by that eminent Catholic scholar... Jonathan Alter?!  Yup, Alter made that argument on the June 19 edition of Now with Alex Wagner as he reacted to the former Florida governor's dismissal of Pope Francis's views on climate change as promulgated in his latest encyclical.

Our Creator already wrote the encyclical that counts.  [T]he pontiff came off as looking stupid in his role as the world's latest global warming/climate change activist.  The Pope's defenders are now saying that he's not really an environmental activist.  If not, he sure looks like one and perception is everything.

Magna Carta copied by church, not royal, scribes.  As part of a project of extensive study of Magna Carta in anticipation of the 800th anniversary, scholars from the University of East Anglia and King's College London compared the handwriting of the original copies.  They have identified the scribe who wrote the Lincoln charter and probably the one who wrote the Salisbury charter as well.  They were not scribes of the royal chancery, as long thought.

Pope's Views on Climate Change Add Pressure to Catholic Candidates.  As the steamy hurricane season descends on Miami, the city's Roman Catholic archbishop, Thomas G. Wenski, is planning a summer of sermons, homilies and press events designed to highlight the threat that a warming planet, rising sea levels and more extreme storms pose to his community's poorest and most vulnerable.

How Many Windmills Has the Pope?  Pope Francis has become a deeply problematic figure, all the more so after his encyclical on global warming was leaked to an Italian publication.  The letter, some 129 pages long, is directed to Catholic bishops, but Francis grandly says that it is intended for every person in the world.  The letter has not yet been translated into English in its entirety, but portions of it have been run through Google Translator.  Even from these bits, some conclusions are obvious.  First, the Pope has no idea what he is talking about.  His letter is full of factual errors.

How Islam Got its American Privileges.  [Scroll down]  Religions in America traded theocracy for religious freedom.  They gave up being able to impose their practices on others in exchange for being able to freely practice their own religions.  Islam rejects religious freedom.  It exploits it to remove the freedom of belief and practice of others.  When it cannot do so through religious protection laws, it does so through claims of bigotry.  Religions were not meant to be immunized from blasphemy because that is theocracy.  Instead religions are protected from restrictions, rather than from criticism.  Islam insists on being protected from both.  It makes no concessions to the freedom of others while demanding maximum religious accommodation. [...] Islam is a privileged religion.  And there's a word for that.  Theocracy.

Pope Francis warns of destruction of world's ecosystem in leaked encyclical.  Pope Francis will this week call for changes in lifestyles and energy consumption to avert the "unprecedented destruction of the ecosystem" before the end of this century, according to a leaked draft of a papal encyclical.  In a document released by an Italian magazine on Monday [6/15/2015], the pontiff will warn that failure to act would have "grave consequences for all of us".

Pope Francis blasts global warming deniers in leaked draft of encyclical.  A draft of a major environmental document by Pope Francis says "the bulk of global warming" is caused by human activity and calls on people — especially the world's rich — to take steps to mitigate the damage by reducing consumption and reliance on fossil fuels.  In words likely to anger some of his conservative critics, the pope backs the science of climate change, saying "plenty of scientific studies point out that the last decades of global warming have been mostly caused by the great concentration of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide and others) especially generated by human action."  "The poor and the Earth are shouting," reads the draft of the encyclical, the first of its kind dedicated to the environment.

The Editor says...
Global warming is a hoax, manufactured for the purpose of establishing world-wide government control (i.e., taxation) of all industrial activity.  The scientific veneer applied to global warming is easily scraped away.  The pope is attempting to suppress any skeptical dissent or rational debate, as many others have before.  The use of the church to spread political propaganda is what this page is about.

Pope Francis to Explore Climate's Effect on World's Poor.  This month, the Vatican sent notifications to bishops around the world with instructions for spreading the pope's environmental message to the more than one billion Catholics worldwide.  By wading into the environment debate, Francis is seeking to redefine a secular topic, one usually framed by scientific data, using theology and faith.

Pope Francis warns of destruction of world's ecosystem in leaked encyclical.  Pope Francis will this week call for changes in lifestyles and energy consumption to avert the "unprecedented destruction of the ecosystem" before the end of this century, according to a leaked draft of a papal encyclical.  In a document released by an Italian magazine on Monday, the pontiff will warn that failure to act would have "grave consequences for all of us".

The Editor says...
I guess the Pope should read the Bible, which clearly states that God has made the heavens, with all their host, and the earth, and all things that are in it, and the seas, and all that is in them, and He preserves them all.(Nehemiah 9:6)  God himself preserves the earth (and the oceans and the atmosphere), not governments, not environmentalists, and certainly not the U.N.

Pope Francis Leaps Aboard 'Global Warming' Bandwagon.  This is the sort of hackneyed language and extremely dubious science you might expect from a 16-year old trotting out the formulaic bilge and accepted faux-wisdom required these days to pass a fairly typical exam paper in Geography or Environmental Sciences.  But what it most definitely isn't the kind of thing you'd want or hope to read from the spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, whose word is supposedly infalliable and who holds an office that dates back two thousand years.  First — despite the Pope's much-vaunted masters degree in Chemistry — it's wrong scientifically.  There is no evidence that sea-levels are rising at an abnormal rate; ocean acidification is a busted flush; catastrophic man-made global warming remains, at best, an unproven and increasingly shaky theory.  Second, it's wrong morally.

Save the Environment... from the Vatican.  How activist pulses must be racing now that they've caught Pope Francis and Vatican global warming alarmists in the green butterfly net that once boasted Al Gore as their biggest celebrity. [...] According to the Internet, Pope Francis is the most popular person on earth, even if many among the world's 1.2 billion Catholics wonder where he'll try to lead them next.  With all due respect, you won't be saving many souls among the climate change clique, Pope Francis.  Global warming/climate change comes with its own religion.  It's called Gaia, and its members worship not the biblical God of Creation but 'Mother Earth'.

Army refuses to provide Honor Guard for church's July 4th celebration.  For nearly two decades, the U.S. Army has provided an honor guard for an Independence Day celebration at a Baptist church that predates the founding of the nation.  But this year — that tradition has come to an end.  Officials at Fort Gordon say they will not be able to send an honor guard to a July 5th service at Abilene Baptist Church because it violates a military policy banning any involvement in a religious service. [...] Abilene Baptist Church was founded in 1774 — one of Georgia's most historic churches and the second oldest in the state.  The founding pastor was arrested by a colonial magistrate for "preaching in Georgia" and the first pastor, Reverend Loveless Savage, was a chaplain in the Revolutionary Army.

Let down by Obama, some black voters ask: Is it even worth backing Clinton?  During those two electric Novembers, the chance to elect a black president, and then keep him in office, seized Regenia Motley's neighborhood.  Nightclubs were registering voters.  Churches held fish fries after loading buses that ferried parishioners to the polls.  A truck hoisted a big sign that said "Obama."  And residents waited in long lines at precincts across the community.
[Italics added.]

School Staff Trained On Islam, Bows To Allah At Local Mosque On Taxpayer Dime.  Approximately 50 teachers and officials from Pennsylvania's recently gathered at a taxpayer-funded workshop during church services at a local Baptist church to learn about the problems Christian children face in today's secular educational environment.  No, wait.  Scratch that.  That didn't happen.  That's totally wrong.  Instead, approximately 50 teachers and staffers in the town of Lebanon, Pa. attended a workshop at a local mosque to learn all about Islam and Arab culture, EAGnews.org reports.  The workshop occurred on Monday [6/8/2015].  It was, indeed, funded by taxpayers.  Lebanon School District superintendent Marianne T. Bartley was among the school officials on hand.

It's okay for churches to be used to spread political propaganda, as long as it's left wing propaganda.
The White House Is Looking For A Few Green Priests.  Is your priest or rabbi giving sermons about climate change? The White House would like to know.  The White House in July will honor faith leaders who are working on climate change and other conservation issues in their communities.  Officials this week put out calls for nominations from the community for clergy members, faith group organizers, and lay leaders who have connected with faith groups on climate change.

Black church leaders lead revolt against de Blasio's re-election.  There's a revolt brewing in Mayor Bill de Blasio's political base.  Black church leaders are so furious at some of de Blasio's policies that they're actively looking for a candidate to run against him in 2017 — and leading their list is popular Brooklyn Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.  Pastors told The [New York] Post on Thursday [5/28/2015] they're steamed over de Blasio's handling of the NYPD, for not providing enough city contracts to minority-run businesses and for tilting affordable-housing policies toward developers.

Lawsuit claims illegal religious activities at Florence High School.  A Colorado teacher is suing his school district claiming the district's only high school "operates largely to promote the evangelical Christian ideals" of a local church that operates in the school.  Robert Basevitz's lawsuit against the Fremont Re-2 School District was filed Tuesday [5/26/2015] in federal court in Denver. [...] Randy Pfaff, the pastor of The Cowboy Church at Crossroads, said he will not apologize for being in Florence High School.  "I don't believe the Constitution was meant to keep God out of the schools.  That's absolutely absurd," Pfaff told The Denver Post on Tuesday [5/26/2015] in a phone interview.  "This nation was founded on Christianity."  Pfaff's evangelical church, which rents cafeteria space at Florence High for Sunday morning services, hosts prayer every morning before school around the flagpole and hosts Bible study and pizza during lunch in a school classroom.

The Editor says...
The use of school auditoriums for Sunday church services is fairly common.  I've been to a church that met (temporarily) in an elementary school while their building was under construction.  The church rented the building from the city (at a rate that was mutually satisfactory) every Sunday for a few months.  One church's use of an otherwise empty school building does not constitute an establishment of a state religion.

Pope's pronouncements making trouble for GOP Catholics.  Catholic Republicans are developing a pope problem.  Earlier this month, Francis recognized Palestinian statehood.  This summer, he's going to issue an encyclical condemning environmental degradation.  And in September, just as the GOP primary race heats up, Francis will travel to Washington to address Congress on climate change.

Catholics organize to promote pope's climate change message.  These environmental advocates — who work with bishops, religious orders, Catholic universities and lay movements — have been preparing for months to help maximize the effect of the statement, hoping for a transformative impact in the fight against global warming.

Black Leaders Showing Signs of Frustration With Mayor de Blasio.  Dozens of black ministers, justice reform advocates and civil rights activists and four black members of Congress gathered last Monday at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem to discuss a delicate matter:  What to do about Mayor Bill de Blasio.  Over the course of the morning meeting, attendees voiced a series of concerns:  Mr. de Blasio, some complained, seems to have lost his appetite for criminal justice reform. [...] Other participants grumbled that Mr. de Blasio and his staff have simply not done enough to communicate with black community leaders on issues like affordable housing.

The Editor says...
Why did this meeting about local government take place in a church?  Don't they have conference rooms at the City Hall?

Air Force general who spoke of God in talk should be court-martialed, group says.  In a speech at a National Day of Prayer Task Force event on May 7, Maj. Gen. Craig Olson credits God for his accomplishments in the military, and refers to himself as a "redeemed believer in Christ."  The Air Force Times reports that the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has taken issue with Olson's remarks, is calling for the two-star general to be court-martialed and "aggressively and very visibly brought to justice for his unforgivable crimes and transgressions."

Pope's top adviser blasts US climate skeptics.  Pope Francis' closest adviser castigated conservative climate change skeptics in the United States Tuesday [5/12/2015], blaming capitalism for their views.  Speaking with journalists, Cardinal Oscar Rodr$#237;guez Maradiaga criticized certain "movements" in the United States that have preemptively come out in opposition to Francis's planned encyclical on climate change.

The Editor says...
Would a TV station hire a weatherman just because he used to be an advisor to the Pope?  How then is he so well qualified to forecast the weather 100 years from now, and to squelch any dissent?

The Four Horsemen of the Education Apocalypse.  The first Horseman is called Neutrality.  He isn't neutral; educators just use that term because the schools are supposed to be impartial in regard to both politics and religion.  This so-called "fairness" is closely associated with and bolstered by the misunderstood and mythological "separation of church and state."  True, we don't want the public schools teaching church doctrine, but what happens to a child's view of the world if he attends a school (where he's supposed to be learning really important things) that never mentions God and even actively teaches against His existence?  Look at science or health curricula today to see what I mean.  Those classes are not neutral.

The Pope's Confused Climate Communique.  On April 28, Pope Francis hosted a one-day conference, "Protect the Earth, Dignify Humanity: The Moral Dimensions of Climate Change and Sustainable Development."  Unfortunately, the conference was less a discussion and more a lecture to the world on the evils of capitalism and the "fact" fossil fuel use causes increasing poverty and inequality and is destroying the planet. [...] The game was rigged from the outset.  Only climate alarmists were on the pope's guest list.  For the pope and his invitees, the debate was over.

The Pope embraces the religion of global warming.  One cannot help but admire Pope Francis' concern for the poor — a totally biblical view.  However, the proposed fix for perceived manmade catastrophic climate change (climate change is real and has been happening long before humans burned fossil fuels), the elimination of fossil fuels will create more poor people, not fewer.

Catholic Church Fooled by UN on Climate Change.  The fight to stop climate change is about to become official doctrine of the Catholic Church.  By taking this action, the Church turns its back on many of the world's poorest people, those most vulnerable to the impacts of the United Nations' dangerously misguided climate and energy policies. [...] After erroneously citing an "increased frequency of droughts, extreme storms, [and] heat waves," the declaration irrationally reassured the public that "[t]he world has within its technological grasp, financial means, and know-how the means to mitigate climate change."  All we need do, according to the declaration — a document University of Western Ontario climate model expert Professor Chris Essex has labeled "gibberish" — is to make "a rapid world transformation to a world powered by renewable and other low-carbon [sic] energy."

The Editor says...
One would think that the church would be more interested in the truth than in politics.  Unfortunately, the current Pope appears to be a socialist, and when a socialist wants "rapid world transformation," it's never good.

Protesters fuming after Sharpton's 'invitation-only' meeting.  Protesters in Baltimore criticized the Rev. Al Sharpton and other national civil rights leaders Thursday [4/30/2015] for turning them away from a meeting about the community.  "I wanted to give my voice," Shamar Gordon, 17, said after being blocked from the summit at the New Shiloh Baptist Church.

The Editor says...
Black churches are often used to spread victim-centric leftist politics.  That's why this page exists.

Pope Francis Echoes Feminist Anthem Of Equal Pay For Equal Work.  Pope Francis added his voice Wednesday [4/29/2015] to the feminist anthem of equal pay for equal work, saying it's "pure scandal" that women earn less than men for doing the same job.

Obama's Lawyer Basically Tells SCOTUS That Religious Schools Are Toast.  During oral arguments made in the same-sex marriage case heard by the Supreme Court on Tuesday [4/28/2015] (Obergefell v. Hodges), Justices Roberts and Alito questioned Solicitor General Donald Verrilli about the rights of religious schools if the Court decides to impose same-sex marriage on the states.  Justice Roberts asked if religious schools that provide housing to married students would be required to offer such housing to same-sex couples.  Verrilli demurred, saying there is currently no federal law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.  "Those issues are going to have to be worked out," he said.

Global Warming to replace Gospel at church.  In the lib-left world timing is everything. Now that Christianity is being persecuted worldwide with the many slings and arrows sent its way flashing out in neon, it's time for 'sustainability' to squeeze out Salvation at Sunday church services.  "The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is spending $84,000 to study how churches can be used to combat climate change.  (Washington Free Beacon, April 27, 2015)

EPA Spends $84,000 to Study Churches That Preach Climate Change.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is spending $84,000 to study how churches can be used to combat climate change.  A taxpayer-funded graduate fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is examining 17 faith-based institutions that have implemented "sustainability initiatives" in the hopes of developing workshops to teach pastors and other religious leaders how to change the behaviors of their congregants.

Try to ignore the inflammatory headline:
Pope attacked by climate change sceptics.  Climate change sceptics accused Pope Francis of being deeply ill-informed about global warming as the Vatican forged an alliance with the UN to tackle the issue.  The Pope discussed climate change with Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary-General, who then opened a one-day Vatican conference called "The Moral Dimensions of Climate Change and Sustainable Development".

Idaho city's ordinance tells pastors to marry gays or go to jail.  Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, city officials have laid down the law to Christian pastors within their community, telling them bluntly via an ordinance that if they refuse to marry homosexuals, they will face jail time and fines.  The dictate comes on the heels of a legal battle with Donald and Evelyn Knapp, ordained ministers who own the Hitching Post wedding chapel in the city, but who oppose gay marriage, The Daily Caller reported.  A federal judge recently ruled that the state's ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional, while the city of Coeur d'Alene has an ordinance that prevents discrimination based on sexual preference.

Navy Chaplain Censored: 'Don't pray in the name of Jesus'.  A Navy chaplain who faces the end of a stellar 19-year career because of his faith-based views on marriage and human sexuality was told by a base commander to refrain from offering a prayer in the name of Jesus, according to attorneys representing the chaplain.  That allegation was tucked away in an 18-page letter written to the commander of Navy Region Southeast by Liberty Institute attorneys representing Chaplain Wesley Modder.  Liberty Institute is a law firm that specializes in religious liberty cases.

Pope Francis to promote climate action as moral imperative.  As the world celebrates Earth Day on Wednesday, Pope Francis is planning to use one of the highest forms of papal expression — an encyclical — to promote climate action to save the planet as a moral and religious imperative.

Turkish Dictator Erdoğan and Obama to jointly open new mosque in Maryland.  [Scroll down]  Simultaneously, our beloved president is silent on the scourge of anti-Christian violence being meted out by Islamists around the world.  Not to mention doing his level best to see Iran's Islamonazi regime secure the trifecta of the apocalypse: nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and sophisticated anti-missile systems.  And of course he has no time to visit the southern border, the scandal-ridden Veteran's Administration, or Israel's prime minister.

Atheist Group Bullies Oklahoma Schools into Halting Free Bible Distribution.  The Duncan Public School district in Oklahoma has promised to prohibit the distribution of Bibles to students, after an atheist organization threatened legal action over what it calls "unconstitutional Bible distribution."  The atheist group called the "American Humanist Association" sent an email to the Duncan Public school district after finding out that a teacher at Woodrow Wilson Elementary was handing out free Gideon Bibles during class time.

Tennessee House votes to make Bible official state book.  The Tennessee state House ignored serious constitutional concerns — and the wishes of Republican leaders in the Statehouse — in voting to make the holy Bible the official state book.

Common Core ties to Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia.  "Where did Common Core come from?" is a question I often hear from parents as I travel the country speaking about the Islamic infiltration of America. Because in 2014-15 America, public school students via Common Core are:
  •   Participating in public school-sponsored trips to mosques via taxpayer expense, girls must wear head scarves (Colorado parents complain)
  •   Debating whether or not the Holocaust was "merely a political scheme created to influence public emotion and gain," (an eighth-grade assignment defended by the Rialto Unified School District, Los Angeles)
  •   Pledging allegiance in Arabic (New York)
  •   Observing two "Muslim holy days," (New York City)
  •   Being taught Islamic vocabulary lessons (North Carolina)
  •   Being taught Islamic culture (Tennessee)
  •   Being taught world history from Islamic perspective (Florida) that includes learning about the five pillars of Islam (Maryland father, a Marine Corps veteran, complains and is banned from school grounds)
  •   Told to proselytize by creating a pamphlet about Islam to "introduce Islam to 3rd graders" that introduces Allah to children as the same God of the Christians and Jews (Michigan)
  •   Reciting in class the Shahada, "There is No God but Allah," and the Muslim call to prayer (Massachusetts)

Did someone mention Common Core?

Earth Day — a national establishment of religion.  Friday, April 22, is the 41st anniversary of Earth Day.  The theme this year is "A Billion Acts of Green" and we're asked, like recovering sinners, to reform our ways:  take our baths with less water, turn off the lights, spend less time on the computer, watch less TV, reduce our toilet paper consumption, and make a donation.  Getting an early start, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) observed Earth Day this past weekend (April 16-17) on the National Mall, with 40 exhibits.  As all this suggests, environmentalism has become our newest religion.

Rhode Island teachers sue to be allowed Good Friday off as religious holiday.  Anne McLaughlin has done the same thing on Good Friday for more than 30 years:  She takes the day off and attends church, where she spends the afternoon reflecting on her faith.  But when the Rhode Island high school teacher requested April 3 off as one of two days of religious observance Cranston Public Schools employees are allowed each year, the answer was no.  Instead, she was asked to provide documentation that church attendance was mandatory during the workday.

Feds Spend $149,890 on 'Mindful Eating Intervention' for Third Graders.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is spending nearly $150,000 to test a "mindful eating intervention" on third graders in California.  A grant awarded earlier this month outlined the project that will use the methods of a Zen teacher to try to fight childhood obesity and turn kids into "change agents" to teach others how to eat healthily. [...] Mindfulness is a New Age meditation technique that traces its origins from Buddhism.  People engaging in mindfulness are encouraged to focus on the present moment "non-judgmentally."

As Relations With Israel Plummet To New Low, Obama Cuts Video for Iran Praising the Ayatollah.  Anyone think it's a coincidence Obama chose today to release his Nowruz message (it begins on the first day of spring)?

Rental Cars for Michelle O's Kyoto Visit Cost $78,741.  According to the White House press office, "The First Lady will travel to Kyoto on March 20 and visit the Kiyomizu-Dera Buddhist Temple and the Fushimi Inari Shinto Shrine.  She will also greet staff from the U.S. Consulate in Osaka."  Fushimi Inari Shinto is a shrine dedicated to a god of rice.  Visitors of the temple can pay to go into a pitch-black basement that symbolizes the womb of Buddah's mother.  The temple also features the Otowa Waterfall, which has streams to cause "longevity, success at school, and a fortunate love life."

Michelle Obama Celebrates Iran's Festival of Spring at the White House.  The Obamas sure are big fans of all things Iran, aren't they?  I'm sure this White House celebration of Nowruz has absolutely nothing to do with President Obama's non-binding nuke deal with Iran.  There are so many religious spring holidays that could have been celebrated at the White House.  Easter, Passover, the Spring Equinox, etc.  Yet the First Lady is celebrating Nowruz.  How many Americans have ever even heard of Nowruz?  I'm guessing not many.

Kerry Claims 'Great Respect' for 'Religious Importance' of Khamenei's Fatwa.  While addressing the press during a visit to Egypt, Secretary of State John Kerry spoke about the ongoing negotiations with Iran over that country's nuclear programs.  As he and President Obama have several times in the past, Kerry cited a report that Iran's "Supreme Leader" issued a "fatwa" against the development of nuclear weapons by Iran, a fatwa that remains unpublished according to a recent article by U.S. News.  Nevertheless, Kerry said that the United States has "great respect — great respect — for the religious importance of a fatwa."

Obama Administration: "The U.S. has great respect for the religious importance of a fatwa".  The White House says they have respect for Islamic religious fatwa's, yet the same White House is suing several Christian organizations who don't comply with the various constructs of the Obama decrees.

Michelle Celebrates an Iranian Holiday at the White House.  Wednesday [3/11/2015], Mrs. Obama celebrated at the White House something called Nowruz, the Iranian festival of spring that marks the beginning of the Persian new year.  There are somewhere between half a million and a million Iranian Americans in the United States, about the same as the number of Lithuanian Americans.  Where's the White House Lithuanian American holiday celebration?  No, this is not about Nowruz.  This is a clear attempt to appease the Iran government, and it is exactly what is wrong with President Obama's approach to Iran and the rest of the world.

The Editor says...
Norwuz is a secular holiday for most celebrants that is enjoyed by people of several different faiths, but remains a holy day for Zoroastrians.*

New York City schools will close for Muslim Eid holidays.  New York City will recognize Muslim holidays Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha on the official school calendar starting in September, Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carmen Fariña said Wednesday [3/4/2015].  In the upcoming 2015-2016 school year, schools will close Sept. 24 for Eid al-Adha so that thousands of Muslim families in the city can observe the day, de Blasio said.  Eid al-Fitr, which falls during the summer, will be designated a holiday for kids attending summer school.

Florida city wages soviet-style crackdown on churches.  A government crackdown on churches has Christians in Lake Worth, Fla., wondering if they live in the United States or the former Soviet Union.  Churches in Lake Worth, population 36,000, have been ordered to acquire a business license.  As if the church has to get the government's permission to preach and pray?

A Fight to Keep Catholic Schools Catholic.  San Franciscans are currently debating a simple question:  Should the government respect the right of Catholic schools to be authentically Catholic?

Black pastors urge CBC not to skip Netanyahu speech.  The message from a dozen prominent black pastors this week to the Congressional Black Caucus was loud and clear:  Don't skip out on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyuhu's speech.  About two dozen House and Senate Democrats, most of them black caucus members, have said they will not attend Mr. Netanyahu's speech Tuesday [3/3/2015] before a joint session of Congress, which one pastor described as a "slap in the face to the people of Israel."

Boehner: Pope Francis to address Congress on Sept. 24.  Pope Francis will address a joint meeting of the House and Senate on Sept. 24, becoming the first pontiff to do so, House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday [2/5/2015].  "We're humbled that the Holy Father has accepted our invitation and certainly look forward to receiving his message on behalf of the American people," Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters.  Boehner is Catholic and extended the invitation for the pope to speak to lawmakers.

White House Whitewash: Koran Verse Featured at 'Extremism' Summit Edited Out Call to Crush Jews.  Penny Starr of CNSNews.com has reported that the second day of this past week's White House summit on "Countering Violent Extremism" was initiated by an unidentified "Muslim prayer" exclusively:  "no other religious text was presented during the portion of the event that was open to the press."  Imam Sheikh Sa'ad Musse Roble, president of the World Peace Organization in Minneapolis, recited a "verse from the Koran" in Arabic.  An English translation of the verse was read next by Imam Abdisalam Adam of the Islamic Civil Society of America.

Obama Opens 'Extremism' Summit With Muslim Prayer, No Other Faiths Allowed — Biden Says Christians Are Murderers.  We are learning more and more about Obama's supposed conference on "extremism" and one thing we've discovered is that Obama had the thing opened up with a Muslim prayer.  But no other religions were allowed to participate in the event.  Worse, Vice President Joe Biden was then heard saying that it is Christians who are the violent murderers.

White House Summit on Violent Extremism Opens With Muslim Prayer — No Other Faiths Represented.  A Muslim prayer was recited at the start of the second day of the White House summit on "Countering Violent Extremism," but no other religious text was presented during the portion of the event that was open to the press.  Imam Sheikh Sa'ad Musse Roble, president of the World Peace Organization in Minneapolis, Minn., recited a "verse from the Quran" following remarks by Obama administration officials and Democratic members of Congress.

Atheist group threatens suit over 'angels' on memorial to beloved teacher.  A West Virginia middle school took down the crosses from a memorial to a beloved teacher, but is standing firm on the angels etched into the stone, despite an atheist group's threat to sue on constitutional grounds.  Joann Christy's 26-year career educating children at Ravenswood Middle School came to a tragic end in 2004, when she died in a car accident.  But her loved ones and the community she had served sought to remember her with an engraved, stone memorial near the school's entrance.

This certainly sounds like an endorsement of a specific religion:
To Fight Extremism, Obama Calls on US to Embrace Its Muslims.  In the fight against violent extremism, President Barack Obama has argued the U.S. has one thing going for it that Europe doesn't:  a long tradition of warmly embracing its immigrants, including Muslims.

HHS Pushes Church Talking Points, Bulletins to Promote Obamacare.  In an effort to sign up as many consumers as possible for insurance under the Affordable Care Act (or Obamacare), the Obama administration has gone to extraordinary lengths to partner with churches and other faith-based groups, even publishing sample church bulletin inserts, flyers, and scripts for announcements, as well as "talking points." These materials are part of the "Second Sunday & Faith Weekend of Action Toolkit," which is available on the website of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Florida father furious at school lesson: 'Muhammad is the messenger of God'.  Ron Wagner, a Florida father, said his son's world history book has gone too far with a lesson that teaches Muhammad is the messenger of God.  One part of the book, for instance, reads:  "There is no god, but God.  Muhammad is the messenger of God," he said, quoting from his son's Lyman High School history book, WFTV reported.  "Students were instructed to recite this prayer as the first Pillar of Islam, off of the board at the teacher's instruction," Mr. Wagner said.  "For it to be mandatory and part of the curriculum and in the textbooks, didn't seem right."

Dad protests Islamic lessons at school.  Ron Wagner read from part of his son's world history book, "There is no god, but God.  Muhamad is the messenger of God."  Wagner is not reading the Five Pillars of Islam from the Quran, but rather his son's 10th-grade world history book from Lyman High School.  "Students were instructed to recite this prayer as the first Pillar of Islam, off of the board at the teacher's instruction," Wagner claims.

Rep. Cummings: People 'Come to Government To Feed Their Souls'.  Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) says, "so many people come to government knowing that they are not going to make the kind of money they would make in the private sector but they come to government to feed their souls."  Cummings was speaking in Washington D.C. at the Legislative Conference of the National Treasury Employees Union on February 4th when he made the comments.

The Editor says...
Congressman Cummings apparently does not know what it means to feed one's soul.  Evidently the government is his god.

Boehner: Pope Francis to address Congress on Sept. 24.  Pope Francis will address a joint meeting of the House and Senate on Sept. 24, becoming the first pontiff to do so, House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday [2/5/2015].  "We're humbled that the Holy Father has accepted our invitation and certainly look forward to receiving his message on behalf of the American people," Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters.  Boehner is Catholic and extended the invitation for the pope to speak to lawmakers.

Is Islamic Indoctrination Being Taught in LA Public Schools?  Concerns have arisen over the perceived teaching of Islam in California's seventh grade school curriculum.  Questions have been raised as to whether the education within these classrooms are merely teaching about Islam or preaching the faith, in what many now view as a scandal of indoctrination of youth.

No Separation between Church and State on Climate Change.  Pope Francis's recent pronouncements on climate change and his forthcoming papal encyclical on the environment are taking the Church into scientific matters reminiscent of Pope Urban VIII and Galileo some four centuries ago. [...] The parallels to Pope Francis's expressed ideas on environment and climate change are notable.  The pope is also a Jesuit.  He is taking sides in the arena of scientific debate by making dogmatic statements on a topic of controversy without matching validated scientific evidence.

U.S. EPA chief at the Vatican to discuss climate change with the Pope's staff.  The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday she hoped Pope Francis' upcoming message to his flock on the environment would help galvanize concern about climate change and convince sceptics that "the science is real".  EPA administrator Gina McCarthy, visiting the Vatican to discuss climate change, said U.S. President Barack Obama shared the pope's belief that it was a moral issue because its effects would be felt most by the poorest and weakest nations.  "The pope knows his own beliefs and I want him to know that the president is aligned with him on these issues," she told reporters.

Pope Francis is a leftist and must be called out.  Under the tutelage of a pope who ascribes to himself an omnicompetency in geopolitical and scientific matters, the Catholic Church is at risk of a death walk of its own.  Its descent into a left-leaning political entity is underway while we circle the wagons and measure our tones.  It is a serious matter when a pope confuses political and ideological symbols for religious ones.

Short sighted? School halts Bible study for blind kids.  After 10 years, the Maryland School for the Blind suspended a Bible study for blind teenagers, telling a local church leader it was because of "church-state" issues.

How Pope Francis allows politics to distort the Christian faith.  After the United States agreed to restore relations with Cuba, a deal that included the involvement of the pontiff himself, the Vatican's secretary of state emphasized Francis' ambitions for making the Holy See a bigger player in international diplomacy.  But it goes deeper than that.  Politics and political metaphors shape his view of the world.

Islamic Opening Prayer to Allah in the House of Reps.  Watch the frog get boiled slowly in this C-SPAN video.  It won't be long 'til we're as jacked up as France and England are with Islamic nutters.  [Video clip]

Why the Left Wants Conservatives to View Francis as a Liberal.  [Scroll down]  Or is this a false choice that is being engineered by the left?  Think about the ramifications of such a choice.  Conservative American Catholics can choose to follow their pope, in which case they will probably have to leave the GOP, and maybe even become Democrats, or they can choose the GOP, in which case they will have to seriously consider not following the teachings of their pope and the Catholic Church.  If this "liberal pope forces choice" scenario were actually happening (and it is not [...]), it would create a pretty neat win-win situation for the left.

Islamic Prayer Call from Duke Chapel Cancelled Within 48 Hours of Announcement.  Duke University has abandoned its plan to transform the bell tower on the Methodist school's neo-gothic cathedral into a minaret where the Muslim call to prayer was to be publicly broadcast.  "Duke remains committed to fostering an inclusive, tolerant and welcoming campus for all of its students," university spokesman Michael Schoenfeld said in a statement.  "However, it was clear that what was conceived as an effort to unify was not having the intended effect."

The Editor asks...
What was the intended effect, if not the popularization (the endorsement) of Islam?

Outcry Over Coming 'Stand with the Prophet' Rally at Texas Public School Center.  Stand with the Prophet in Honor and Respect, an event that asks "Ready to defeat Islamophobia?" is coming to the Dallas area Curtis Culwell Center on Saturday, January 17, 2015, at 6pm.  Until recently, few knew anything about this conference and now that many more do, residents are not just upset about the event and its speakers, they are upset that it is being held on the publicly-owned property of the Garland Independent School District (ISD) in a facility that was built and paid for with property taxpayer funded school bonds.

'Free Beacon' Banned From Stand with the Prophet Event.  A [Washington] Free Beacon reporter was barred from attending on Saturday [1/17/2015] the controversial Stand with the Prophet in Honor and Respect rally, an evening-long forum organized by American Muslim leaders to oppose what they claim are American Islamophobes who are giving the Islamic faith a bad name.  An event organizer claimed that while some media outlets had been permitted to cover the event, the Free Beacon was not approved to attend and would not be permitted into the event, which was billed by organizers as a "movement to defend Prophet Muhammad, his person, and his message."

Thousands Rally Against Radical Islamic Terrorism in Texas.  This weekend was the weekend that a pro-Islam rally was held in Garland, Texas.  But those that want to end any discussion about the evils of Islam weren't the only ones who went to Garland to rally for their principles.  Thousands more came to protest the supporters of Islamic terror.  "We're here to stand up for the American way of life from a faction of people who are trying to destroy us," one man told the Dallas/Fort Worth NBC affiliate.

White House: Obama Will Fight Media To Stop Anti-Jihad Articles.  President Barack Obama has a moral responsibility to push back on the nation's journalism community when it is planning to publish anti-jihadi articles that might cause a jihadi attack against the nation's defense forces, the White House's press secretary said Jan. 12. [...] The unprecedented reversal of Americans' civil-military relations, and of the president's duty to protect the First Amendment, was pushed by Earnest as he tried to excuse the administration's opposition in 2012 to the publication of anti-jihadi cartoons by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Josh Earnest: Obama Will Try To Stop 'Anti-Islam' Articles.  Wait a minute. Obama didn't try to stop 'journalists' from reporting on the Democrat Senate staffers' (mendacious) CIA 'Torture' report.  In fact, he cheered them on.  Even though every responsible grown up in the military and elsewhere said it could bring about retaliatory terrorist attacks. [...] In fact, it's hard to remember anytime that Obama objected to any media actions that put our soldiers or Americans in general at risk.

The Editor says...
This would be front-page news if a Republican president was actively suppressing anti-Christian news.

The White House violence incentive system.  If the Government things exercising the first Amendment rights guaranteed by our constitution will upset violent fanatics said government will do what it can to prevent said people from doing so.  Apparently Baptists, Catholics, Mormons, Hindus, Sikhs, Jews and other assorted religious groups have been doing it all wrong.  If we would only ignore what our religions actually say and mimic the actions of the significant minority of well-funded Muslims who are willing to commit violence to keep people from insulting or blaspheming our relative religions, our government would lead the charge to make sure we were never insulted in media, film or on TV again.

Arizona church poised to win high court fight over signs.  A small church in a Phoenix suburb appeared likely Monday [1/13/2015] to win its Supreme Court dispute over a local ordinance that puts limits on roadside signs that direct people to Sunday services.

Labor secretary: Raising minimum wage a religious imperative.  Labor Secretary Tom Perez said Wednesday [1/7/2015] that it was a religious imperative that the federal government help American workers through issues such as raising the minimum wage and requiring businesses to pay more overtime. [...] This was not the first time the labor secretary has invoked his religious beliefs to justify the administration's agenda.  In a 2013 speech, also before an AFL-CIO convention, he said his own spirituality had led him to believe that "It was not possibly God's will that people working a 40-hour week should live in poverty."

On climate change, the pope could use a lesson in science.  Pope Francis recently made headlines engaging in non-theological matters such as the thawing of relations between the United States and Cuba and income inequality.  Taking positions on these controversial topics has made Francis both a hero and a villain (depending on whom you ask), but few of his past positions inspired the sort of ire Francis is sure to receive should he decide to engage in the hotly contested global warming debate.

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops financially supporting anti-cop protests.  It was the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) that unleashed the evil Saul Alinsky on an unsuspecting Western society, from Chicago.  Satan-loving Alinsky, whose ideals motivate both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to this day, was going nowhere until the USCCB took him under their robes and financed him.  With the USCCB's well-documented history of financing devil-worshipping Alinsky patently ignored by the mainstream media, USCCB today is using its favourite charity to fund groups advocating the Michael Brown-Eric Garner protests, including burning and looting in Ferguson, Mo and the same ones that led to last month's police officer "execution-style" killings in Brooklyn, New York.

Pope Francis, the Climate and Leftism.  How are we to explain that at the very moment that the oldest Christian communities in the world are being violently destroyed; that while Christians are murdered, raped and tortured in Africa and the Middle East; and while horrific barbarities are committed daily in the name of God, the pope issues an encyclical and travels around the world to talk about climate change?  It is happening because leftism has taken over much of Catholicism, most of mainstream Protestantism, increasing numbers of evangelicals and most of non-Orthodox Judaism.  Not to mention the secular worlds of the news media, entertainment media and academia.  It is happening because the default philosophic, moral and political position in Latin America is leftism.

None dare call it prayer.
San Francisco Schools Transformed by the Power of Meditation.  Silence isn't something people usually associate with middle school, but twice a day the halls of Visitacion Valley School in San Francisco fall quiet as the sixth, seventh and eighth grade students meditate for fifteen minutes.  And school administrators tell NBC News that the violence outside of the school, which is situated in one of San Francisco's poorest neighborhoods, was spilling into the school and affecting the students' demeanor.

Vatican's left turn would leave the poor even poorer.  Pope Francis — and I say this as a Catholic — is a complete disaster when it comes to his policy pronouncements.  On the economy, and now on the environment, the pope has allied himself with the far left and has embraced an ideology that would make people poorer and less free.  Pope Francis is reportedly preparing a lengthy encyclical message to the world's 1.2 billion Catholics on the need for decisive action on climate change and will speak before the United Nations General Assembly on this subject this year.

Holy smoke (and mirrors) over the Pope and that climate treaty.  Last month there was the defacing by Greenpeace of two Inca World Heritage Sites.  Then there was the study from the Woods Hole Research Center showing that Arctic squirrels are "contributing far more to global warming than was previously thought" by burrowing into permafrost to release huge quantities of methane.  Ever more desperate become the warmists' efforts to lobby for that "global climate treaty" they hope to see signed in Paris next December.  But a special prize must go to the Guardian for its claim that Pope Francis will soon issue an encyclical calling on the world's 1.2 billion Catholics to pressurise their politicians into supporting this treaty.

Pope Francis, Put a Lid On It. Please.  Pope Francis has already caused consternation among knowledgeable Catholics with his criticisms of economic freedom.  Some have tried to defend him or reinterpret his words, but it is hard to sugarcoat the fact that he is instinctively hostile to free enterprise.  Perhaps this is because, as a native of Argentina, he has never seen free enterprise at work and doesn't understand what it can do for the average citizen.  Now Francis has taken on the global warming cause.  Again, it is hard to interpret his words as representing anything but ignorance of the relevant science.

Pope Francis Errs In Linking Church To Green Movement.  The Vatican apparently now has been infiltrated by followers of a radical green movement that is, at its core, anti-Christian, anti-people, anti-poor and anti-development.  The basic tenets of Catholicism — the sanctity of human life and the value of all souls — are detested by the modern pagan environmentalists who worship the created, but not the creator.  At its core, Big Green believes that too many human beings are the basic global problem.  People, according to this view, are resource destroyers.  Climate change, they say, is due to the overpopulation of Mother Earth.  The head of the Catholic Church should denounce — not praise — such anti-human thinking.

Pope Francis's edict on climate change will anger deniers and US churches.  Following a visit in March to Tacloban, the Philippine city devastated in 2012 by typhoon Haiyan, the pope will publish a rare encyclical on climate change and human ecology.  Urging all Catholics to take action on moral and scientific grounds, the document will be sent to the world's 5,000 Catholic bishops and 400,000 priests, who will distribute it to parishioners.

The Editor says...
In this case, the Catholic church is meddling in a matter that is entirely political.  If the weather changes, that's not a moral issue, especially if it's a temperature change of one degree per century.  Nor is there anything "scientific" that can be done to alter the weather.  You would think the Pope would channel his concerns in another direction if he really was dissatisfied with the weather.

NIH Had No $$$ for Ebola Vaccine, Spent $100 Mil on Meditation.  [T]he ACLU was nowhere in sight when [Rep. Tim] Ryan decided to propagandize his creed to pre-schoolers, but if a conventionally religious politician tried to promote Christian or Jewish practices in school using a government grant, all hell would break loose.

NIH Has Spent $100.2 Million on Mindfulness Meditation.  "The advantage of this is that it actually doesn't cost anything," said Karen May, a vice president at Google, explaining how her company offers "mindfulness" classes to its employees.  Mindfulness is a New Age kind of meditation that focuses on the present moment "non-judgmentally," tracing its origins to Buddhism.

Closing Speech At Sharpton Rally Calls For Return Of 'Black Jesus'.  The event was billed as one of solidarity, thousands of people unified in their demand for "justice for all" and an end to alleged police brutality against "unarmed black men."  Led by MSNBC host Al Sharpton, the march was organized and promoted by his National Action Network.  The final speaker, Reverend Jamal Bryant of Empowerment Temple in Maryland, gave a speech and closing prayer laden with political anger and racial overtones.

Illegal Immigrants Flocking to Amnesty Workshops at Churches, Islamic Centers from Coast to Coast.  From coast to coast, illegal immigrants are reportedly flocking to community centers, churches, and Islamic centers to see if they will qualify for President Barack Obama's executive amnesty.  According to an Associated Press report, recent workshops for illegal immigrants have been held "at a high school in Knoxville, Tennessee, a church in Goshen, Indiana, and an Islamic Center in New York City."  In addition, events have been held throughout California and Seattle.  As many as 10,000 illegal immigrants could show up to an event at Los Angeles's convention center on Sunday.

Mayor Walks Out on Invocation Prayer to Satan, Zeus, Allah.  In a video posted to YouTube[,] the Mayor of Lake Worth, [Florida,] Pam Triolo and several commissioners can be seen leaving the room on Dec. 2, as atheist Preston Smith prepared to lead the invocation before a city council meeting.  Preston's invocation invokes the names of Satan, Zeus, Allah, Jesus, Buddha and Thor among others.

In Seven States, Atheists Push to End Largely Forgotten Ban.  A bookkeeper named Roy Torcaso, who happened to be an atheist, refused to declare that he believed in God in order to serve as a notary public in Maryland.  His case went all the way to the Supreme Court, and in 1961 the court ruled unanimously for Mr. Torcaso, saying states could not have a "religious test" for public office.  But 53 years later, Maryland and six other states still have articles in their constitutions saying people who do not believe in God are not eligible to hold public office.  Maryland's Constitution still says belief in God is a requirement even for jurors and witnesses.

Congressional Staffers Plan Walkout in Support of Garner and Ferguson.  The Congressional Asian Pacific American Staff Association and the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association will join black staffers and the Congressional Black Associates today at 3:30, where they will join U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black in prayer.  In the days following the non-indictment of a Staten Island police officer who was blamed for Garner's death, marching protestors have successfully shut down highways in Washington D.C.

The Editor says...
Imagine that.  Prayer on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, and the separation of church and state people are all silent about it.  That's probably because the prayers were just for show, and not an exercise of any particular religion.

Pfleger leads street protest against police killings during Sunday Mass.  Continuing a week of protest over the deaths of young black men at the hands of police, the Rev. Michael Pfleger on Sunday interrupted Mass — leading worshipers out of the pews at Saint Sabina Catholic Church and into the street.  "We are taking a stand with our young people," Pfleger said, referring to those who have been protesting around the country.  "I have never been more proud to be an American citizen than right now.  We got your back, we are going to fight with you."  Then, in a fiery bit of oratory, he shouted:  "We're going to shut down 79th and Racine... Let's take it to the streets!"

The Editor says...
Mr. Pfleger says he's proud to be an American citizen, but his idea of responsible citizenship doesn't match mine.

D.C. Council: Religious Schools Must Adopt Its Views on Sexual Morality.  The impact of the repeal is likely to be broad, since the city's Human Rights Act will prohibit religious schools from acting in accordance with their beliefs regarding sexual morality in decisions related to funding, facilities, campus organizations, benefits, etc.  The schools cannot even withhold "endorsement, approval or recognition" of those promoting messages at odds with the religious teachings of the school about appropriate sexual conduct.  While other states have been acting to protect religious liberties, D.C. is trying to narrow the permissible decisions and even speech of religious schools.

Satanic Temple Display Approved for the Florida Capitol's Holiday Decorations.  The Florida Department of Management Services recently approved an application for a holiday display from the Satanic Temple despite rejecting the same group's "grossly offensive" display last year, according to the Florida Times-Union.  The temple's display depicts a falling angel about to be engulfed in the fires of Hell.  Including the temple, a few other proposed displays will join the traditional Hanukkah menorah and Christmas trees in the first-floor rotunda of the Capitol.

Satanic Temple Approved For Capitol Holiday Display.  Florida's Capitol will have a new holiday decoration this year.  The Satanic Temple will be among its nativity scenes and secular presentations.  It's for Festivus, a non-commercial festival "for the rest of us," is close to coming back as a 6-foot stack of empty beer cans.  The Florida Department of Management Services this week approved the proposed holiday display from the Satanic Temple, which a year ago was rejected because the agency said its proposal was "grossly offensive."

Holder to Release New Federal Guidelines on Racial Profiling.  [Eric] Holder is in Atlanta today to discuss issues of race and policing raised by recent events in Ferguson.  There are still two federal investigations going on into Ferguson; one into the Michael Brown shooting, and one into the local police force.  Holder said today at Ebenezer Baptist Church that he will be putting out new guidelines meant to "limit racial profiling by federal law enforcement."

The Editor says...
Why go to Atlanta to have a discussion about problems in St. Louis?  Why is public policy being formulated in a Baptist Church without any objection from the left?

Executive Amnesty's Alinsky-inspired 'Bishop-gate'.  Some of Barack Obama's most passionate Marxist minions come arrayed in priestly robes rather than business suits.  Their benign-sounding, if not downright boring name "the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Migration" helps hide them from the spotlight of controversy.  Everyone should be aware that being far more immersed in politics than prayer, the USCCB Committee on Migration have long been waving the cheerleaders' pom pom for President Barack Obama's Executive Amnesty fiat.

Obama Doesn't Bother to Solicit English-Speaking Networks for Coverage.  Reports have it that illegal immigrants across the country are throwing watch parties in anticipation of the president's announcement of amnesty for around 5 million immigrants here illegally.  One Chicago Latino leader, Pastor Emma Lozano of Aldaberto United Methodist Church, told The Washington Times she'll be watching the address alongside people currently facing deportation:  "We're going to be watching this very closely, people in my church," said Aldaberto.

Burwell Recruits Liberal 'Faith Leaders' to Promote Obamacare.  Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell met with "faith organizations from across the country" last week to ask them to help people enroll in federal health care insurance plans created through the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.  "We know that the most effective voices on helping folks learn about the Affordable Care Act are voices in their community and voices that they trust," Burwell said to reporters following the "closed press" meeting on Friday [12/12/2014].

Rogue pastors endorse candidates, but IRS looks away.  A record number of rogue Christian pastors are endorsing candidates from the pulpit this election cycle, using Sunday sermons to defiantly flout tax rules.  But the tax agency is doing anything but.  Although the IRS was sued itself for not enforcing the law and admitted about 100 churches may be breaking the rules, the pastors and their critics alike say the agency is looking the other way.  The agency refuses to say if it is acting.  At the same time, the number of pastors endorsing candidates in what they call Pulpit Freedom Sunday jumped from 33 people in 2008 to more than 1,600 this year, according to organizers, Alliance Defending Freedom.

Black Pastor on Gay Mayor's Attack on Christian Pastors: 'Truly the Next Civil Rights Movement'.  The Reverend Bill Owens, founder and president of the Coalition of African American Pastors, said the attack on Christian pastors by the openly gay mayor of Houston, who subpoenaed their sermons and other communications after they opposed a city ordinance that allows transgender people to use any public restroom, signals the need for "the next civil rights movement."  Owens, speaking from Houston, told CNSNews.com that he and other pastors in his coalition held a press conference on Tuesday [10/28/2014] to support the Houston pastors and express their concern about this threat to religious liberty.

City of Houston Retreats: Withdraws Subpoenas for Pastors' Sermon Notes, Private Messages.  On October 29 the city of Houston withdrew its subpoenas for pastors' notes and communications. On October 15 Breitbart News reported that the City of Houston subpoenaed the sermon notes and private communications of five city pastors to see what — if anything — they might have said to congregants about the city's "Bathroom Bill" or Mayor Annise Parker (D), presumably in search of material expressing religious views critical of homosexuality.

The Big Role of Black Churches in Two Senate Races.  Black churches often promote voting after services, sometimes even taking church members directly to the polls.  Such drives are traditionally most popular on the Sunday before an election, when black turnout might be even higher than it was on Sunday.

National effort to scare churches into silence ahead of elections; ominous IRS warning.  Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, an organization that seeks to do exactly what its name says, has sent letters to thousands of pastors ahead of the midterm elections reminding them that they can be punished by the IRS if they speak out, according to Fox News.

California Orders Churches To Fund Abortions — Or Else.  For the past four years, the Obama administration and its friends on the Left were careful to claim that they still strongly support religious liberty while arguing that Hobby Lobby's Green family, Conestoga Wood Specialties' Hahn family, and others like them must lose.  Principally, they contended, religious liberty protections could not be applied to Hobby Lobby because (1) It is a for-profit corporation, (2) It isn't a church (and thus not a true "religious employer," and (3) It is wrong on the science — Plan B, a copper intrauterine device, et cetera, they claimed, do not cause abortions.  They implied, if not claimed outright, that they would surely support religious freedom in another case, but Hobby Lobby was unworthy to claim its protections.  The State of California is now calling their bluff.

Federal civil rights official calls Houston pastor subpoenas 'abuse of government power'.  A member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in a letter Wednesday [10/22/2014] called Houston Mayor Annise Parker's subpoena of church pastors "an abuse of government power" and urged the mayor to withdraw the court documents.  Commissioner Peter Kirsanow said that the subpoenas, even after being amended to remove a request for church sermons, still appear to be "a blatant attempt to punish these pastors for expressing their religiously based political views."

Idaho city's ordinance tells pastors to marry gays or go to jail.  Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, city officials have laid down the law to Christian pastors within their community, telling them bluntly via an ordinance that if they refuse to marry homosexuals, they will face jail time and fines.  The dictate comes on the heels of a legal battle with Donald and Evelyn Knapp, ordained ministers who own the Hitching Post wedding chapel in the city, but who oppose gay marriage, The Daily Caller reported.

'LGBT': The 'T' is for Tyranny.  Unlike Vegas, what happens in Houston will, most definitely, not stay in Houston — not if Democrats continue to have their way.  Houstonians elected themselves, as mayor, an extremist lesbian Democrat (but I repeat myself).  She quickly, and quite naturally, took to doing what extremist lesbian Democrats do.  Annise Parker is her name, and spreading political Ebola is her game.  That and trampling the U.S. Constitution.  As you've likely heard, Parker's office has illegally subpoenaed the sermons and privileged communications of a number of Christian pastors who vocally opposed the city's ironically branded "Equal Rights Ordinance" (aka, the Houston Bathroom Bill).

Texas Lesbian Democrat Reveals Her Party's Anti-Christian Agenda.  This has legal ramifications far beyond Houston, and is by no means limited to the issue of same-sex marriage.  What you see, if you look at this in a larger legal and cultural context, is that liberals have decided the "equal protection" clause of the Fourteenth Amendment trumps everything else in the Constitution or in Anglo-American common-law tradition, and that there is no protection whatsoever to those who oppose the "emerging awareness" doctrine proclaimed by the Supreme Court in the 2003 Lawrence v. Texas case.

Houston's 'sermon-gate' and the abuse of subpoenas.  Friday [10/17/2014], the City of Houston filed a revised subpoena removing the word "sermons" among the documents being demanded, but leaving the word "speeches."  Legally, this changes nothing.  It is a distinction without a difference.  City Attorney Feldman apparently didn't bother to check a dictionary (any dictionary will do) which describes "sermons" as "religious discourse or speech."  Pastors are therefore still required to turn over to the city their sermons.  Feldman is fooling no one.

Mayor Parker revises, narrows sermon subpoena request.  Mayor Annise Parker on Friday [10/17/2014] followed through on her pledge to narrow the scope of subpoenas sent to local pastors who led opposition to the city's equal rights ordinance earlier this year.  Though the subpoena's new wording removes any mention of "sermons" — a reference that created a firestorm among Christian conservative groups and politicians, including Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who accused Parker of trying "to silence the church" — the mayor acknowledged the new subpoenas do not explicitly preclude sermons from being produced.

Religious Venues To Be Used For Converting Civil Partnerships To Gay Marriages.  The government has altered plans to allow gay couples to convert their civil partnerships to marriages, by allowing the conversion ceremony to take place at a range of venues including churches, synagogues, meeting houses, hotels and other registered venues.  Previously, the plans only included provision to convert the status of the partnership at a registry office.  In order to avoid the "quadruple lock" put in place to appease religious opponents of gay marriage, only registrars will be able to perform the ceremony.

The Houston Mayor Who Tried Harassing Pastors Says She's the Real Victim.  [I]t's tough being Houston mayor Annise Parker:  "One word in a very long legal document which I know nothing about and would never have read," Parker said on Thursday /10z16z2014=, "and I'm vilified coast-to-coast."  That's Parker's crack defense of the subpoenas, issued to five local pastors, that demand "all speeches, presentations, or sermons related to [Houston Equal Rights Ordinance], the Petition, Mayor Annise Parker, homosexuality, or gender identity prepared by, delivered by, revised by, or approved by you or in your possession."  Among other demands:  communications between the pastors and their congregants (including Facebook messages and text messages) and between the pastors and their attorneys.  First Amendment protections, attorney-client privilege — Parker's legal team has run roughshod over all sorts of rights.

More Than 1,800 Pastors Advocate For Political Speech Rights in Church.  So far this year, more than 1,800 pastors across the United States have participated in Pulpit Freedom Sunday, an annual event hosted by Alliance Defending Freedom that advocates for pastors' right to speak on politics from the pulpit without fear of losing their churches' tax exempt status.  Pulpit Freedom Sunday, which started Oct. 5 and runs through Election Day on Nov. 4, first began in 2008 with only 33 participating pastors.

Texas Attorney General tells Houston city hall: Stop bullying Christians.  Stop bullying people of faith.  That's the bottom line of a harshly-worded letter written by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to Houston City Attorney David Feldman.  Feldman's office sent subpoenas to five Houston pastors last month demanding that they turn over any sermons dealing with homosexuality and gender identity issues.  They also wanted sermons or correspondence that referenced Annise Parker, the city's first openly lesbian mayor.

Christians Can't Accept Houston's Intimidation Tactics Without Protest.  Perhaps seeing the totalitarianism of extremist wings of the gay rights movement has soured some people on efforts to change marriage law — or at least given people pause about the tradeoffs involved with redefining marriage or enacting broad legislation around sexual or gender identity.  We've all seen the stories about lawsuits against small business owners.  The boycotts against companies for harboring employees who haven't jumped on the bandwagon and therefore believe marriage is essentially built around sexual complementarity.  The public outrage of enthused mobs believing themselves to be on the right side of history.

Sen. Cruz criticizes Houston over sermon subpoenas.  Houston city attorneys are no longer seeking through subpoenas sermons from five pastors who publicly opposed an ordinance banning discrimination against gay and transgender residents.

Houston to pastors: Forget your sermons, now we want your speeches.  Five Christian pastors will no longer have to turn their sermons over to attorneys for the city of Houston.  Instead, they will be forced to turn over their speeches related to the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO).  I don't mean to point out the obvious here — but what do those attorneys think a sermon is?  It's a speech.

Houston Mayor Backs Off From Subpoenas to Pastors.  Houston Mayor Annise Parker has backed down from the subpoenas the City of Houston issued to several area pastors, Breitbart Texas has learned.  Breitbart Texas reported earlier about the controversy, stemming from litigation challenging the city's anti-discrimination ordinance and subpoenas asking the pastors for the content of their sermons, speeches and communications with church members.  Texas Senator Ted Cruz weighed in, firmly supporting the pastors in their efforts to fight the subpoenas, while Mayor Parker initially remained adamant that the city had the right to request those records.  Despite posting comments on Twitter just hours before that seemed to indicate she would continue to fight this issue, she told a Houston radio station that she had changed her mind.

Ted Cruz: City of Houston's Subpoenas of Pastors 'Shocking & Shameful'.  Texas Senator Ted Cruz has weighed in regarding the controversial subpoenas that the City of Houston sent to several Houston area pastors, demanding copies of their sermons and speeches, as well as communications with church members.  As reported by Breitbart Texas, the dispute stems from an anti-discrimination ordinance passed by Houston regarding discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation.  The pastors' churches were part of a coalition of hundreds of churches in the Houston area that opposed the ordinance.

City officials try to distance themselves from sermon subpoenas.  Amid outrage from religious groups, Mayor Annise Parker and City Attorney David Feldman on Wednesday [10/15/2014] appeared to back off a subpoena request for the sermons of certain ministers opposed to the city's equal rights ordinance, with Parker calling the request "overly broad."  The subpoena, handed down to five pastors and religious leaders last month, came to light this week when attorneys for the group of pastors filed a motion to quash the request.  The pastors are closely tied to Christian conservative activists who sued the Parker administration this summer when the city announced the group had failed to gather enough valid signatures to force a repeal referendum.  The subpoenas were issued as part of the discovery phase in that case, which will be heard in district court in January.

Pastors to mayor: Don't mess with Texas pulpits.  Christians across the nation are mobilizing to defend a group of Houston pastors who were ordered by the city to turn over any sermons dealing with homosexuality, gender identity issues or Houston mayor.  Their message is simple — Don't Mess with Texas Preachers.  Dave Welch, the executive director of the Texas Pastor Council, is one of the five ministers who received a subpoena.  He said he will not be intimidated by Annise Parker, who is the city's first openly lesbian mayor, nor will he comply with the city's demands.  "My answer to that is — bring it on," he said.

Twitter Blocks Campaign To Protect Pastors From Having To Hand Over Their Sermons and Emails To The Government.  Twitter blocked a petition campaign Wednesday to protect Houston pastors from having to hand over to the city government all of their sermons and personal emails dealing with the issue of homosexuality.  The Christian organization Faith Driven Consumer's Twitter hashtag campaign #HoustonWeHaveAProblem was censored by Twitter minutes after launching so that users could not Tweet the petition and a warning was placed on Twitter-based links to the petition website.  The group's previous campaign #iStandWithPhil defending Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson was also blocked by Twitter at one time.

Houston's Mayor Throws Out Citizens' Petition, Goes after Local Pastors.  'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  Unless you're in Houston, Texas, in which case you had best render everything to Mayor Annise Parker — or else.  Earlier this year Parker, a Democrat, spearheaded the passage of an "Equal Rights Ordinance" (ERO) that added "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to the city's non-discrimination provision, which includes, among other things, "public accommodations" — for example, restrooms.  Citizens, among them church leaders, balked.  They launched a referendum petition that, with the requisite 17,269 signatures, would require the city council to repeal the ERO, or to put the measure up for a vote.  They obtained 55,000 signatures.  The city secretary, who has sole responsibility for certifying such petitions, signed off.

Houston's Mayor Backtracks on Church Subpoenas, Tosses Her Own Lawyers Under the Bus.  Houston's power-mad Mayor Annise Parker has backtracked on those subpoenas that she had the city issue to five city pastors, at taxpayer expense.  The mayor made the move as Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott sent a letter to Parker asking that she withdraw the subpoenas "immediately."

He sure doesn't say this on American TV.
Obama defines US as "Muslim Country".  A few days ago President Obama, in an interview he gave France's Canal+ TV Channel, said that the American people need to be better educated about Islam, since US could and should be regarded as a Muslim country.  He said that the number of Muslims residing in the US makes it "one of the biggest Muslim nations".  In reality the US has one of the smallest percentages of Muslims of any Western country.

Arizona Democratic Gov. Candidate Fred DuVal Makes Shocking Statement On 14-Year Old's Abortions - In A Church!  Arizona Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred DuVal said that 14-year olds should be allowed to get abortions with no parental consent.  DuVal articulated his position on parental consent at a public forum Tuesday [10/14/2014] at Redemption Church in Gilbert, Ariz.

Crony Christianity.  Crony Christianity challenges the separation of Church and State.  Crony Christianity is the collaborative arrangement between government and Christian faith-based organizations whereby government funds Christian organizations to deliver goods and services that advance the political agenda of the government.  Any government.  The crisis surrounding the flood of unaccompanied alien children into the U.S. has promoted crony Christianity.  It is a variation of the spider's web of similar arrangements, spun between businesses and government, that we call crony capitalism.

Willie Brown: Only Place Obama Well-Received Is His 'Black Base'.  Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown told the New York Times that the best and only place for Democrats to deploy President Barack Obama heading into the midterm elections is with black voters.  "I'd have Obama on an evangelistic schedule of black churches all over the country," said Brown.

The Editor says...
Political campaigns in churches are perfectly okay with the Left — as long as the campaigns benefit Democrats.

White House Sends 'Thank You' to Beheader's Oklahoma Mosque Congregation.  The beheader's mosque, the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, was founded by a sibling of a U.S.-designated Hamas terrorist, and in the past has welcomed an Imam who was a close confidant to al-Qaeda mastermind Anwar al-Awlaki.  David L. Myers, who serves as director of the DHS Center for Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships, was tasked with presenting a personal message from President Barack Obama.  It read, "Your service is a powerful example of the powerful roots of the Abrahamic faiths and how our communities can come together with shared peace with dignity and a sense of justice."

Oklahoma Muslims receive special praise from White House officials.  Oklahoma Muslims marked the end of the yearly pilgrimage to mecca with communal prayer and celebration called Eid Ul-Adha on Saturday [10/4/2014].  Leaders of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City say it's been a tough month for Muslims here in Oklahoma after being associated with the beheading at Vaughan foods in Moore.

The Editor says...
It's been a tough month for Muslims in Oklahoma, they say.  But at least none of the Oklahoma Muslims had their heads chopped off.  Who's the victim here?

A slow-motion lynch mob:
Michael Brown Activists Call for Arrest of Officer Darren Wilson.  Activists crowded into a Missouri church Sunday [10/5/2014] to demand the arrest of the white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black 18-year-old in August, sparking weeks of protest and a national debate on policing and race. [...] Brown's parents, who did not speak at the 3:30 p.m. ET event, stood solemnly behind Rev. Lee.

The Editor says...
The "separation of church and state" people are all completely silent in this case.

Cop defies order to 'celebrate' Islam, and then....  A public-interest law firm is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case of a Christian police captain in Oklahoma who refused to attend, or order officers under his command to attend, services at an Islamic mosque with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.  As WND reported in May, a panel of federal judges in Denver, in an opinion written by Judge Harris Hartz, found that it is perfectly appropriate for a police chief to order subordinates to attend an Islamic mosque where Muslims "discussed Islamic beliefs, Muhammad, Mecca, and why and how Muslims pray" in addition to encouraging officers "to buy" Islamic books and pamphlets that were for sale.

Across the Country, the Federal Government Fights for Muslim Worship Spaces.  The government of the United States is suing the town of St. Anthony, Minnesota, a Twin Cities suburb with a population a little over 8,000, to force the town to allow development of an Islamic center in an area reserved for industrial development.  It is a minor news story, but one that sheds light on broader legal and cultural trends.

Muslim Americans urge Kerry for protection during Hajj.  American Muslim groups sent a letter Tuesday to Secretary of State John Kerry, asking for the protection of religious freedoms for Muslims that travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the Islamic pilgrimage called "Hajj."  The letter comes almost a year after American Muslims were singled out and attacked with knives and blades after being insulted with slurs during the 2013 Hajj.  Victims of the assault claim that not only did Saudi police refuse to assist; the U.S. Embassy ignored them as well.

State Department taps Texas lawyer to serve as 'America's ambassador to Muslims'.  Is there a tougher job description than Shaarik Zafar's?  As the State Department's new special representative to Muslim communities, the boyish-looking Texas lawyer is America's ambassador to Muslims around the world during a summer of nonstop grim headlines from Gaza, Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.

Feds sue city of St. Anthony over rejection of Islamic center.  The federal government on Wednesday [8/27/2014] sued the small north-metro city of St. Anthony, contending that its City Council violated federal law in 2012 by rejecting a proposed Islamic center.  The lawsuit sprang from a controversy that echoes those that have flared in many U.S. cities when Muslims have sought to establish worship centers.  "An injustice has been done," U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said at a news conference in Minneapolis.  "I will not stand by while any religious group is subject to unconstitutional treatment that violates federal civil rights laws."

Texas cheerleaders continue court fight over Bible banners.  The team began printing scripture onto its game banners in 2012, but the school received a complaint, leading the Freedom From Religion Foundation to write a letter to the Kountze school district.  "It's a religious proselytizing message, and it's a school-sponsored message.  It violates the Establishment Clause," said Elizabeth Cavel, a lawyer with the foundation.

Navy removes Bibles from guest rooms.  There is growing outrage among sailors and religious liberty advocates over a directive that calls for the removal of Bibles from lodges and hotels run on U.S. Navy bases.  The directive comes after an atheist group filed a formal complaint earlier this year over the placement of Bibles in the rooms.  "The current direction is to remove all religious material from Navy Lodge guest rooms," read an email to a Navy chaplain from The Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM).

The IRS's God Complex.  Is the Internal Revenue Service a threat to religious liberty?  As the IRS continues to come under well-aimed fire for harassing conservative groups, on Friday [8/1/2014] it secured a final court order formalizing what amounts to a secret agreement to monitor the pulpits of ill-favored churches.  The serious danger, as former Justice Department attorney J. Christian Adams told Fox News, is that the IRS will start treating "theology as politics," and regulate it accordingly.  Lovers of liberty should be very concerned.

Obama's Rogue IRS Strikes Deal With Atheists To Monitor Churches — But Not Mosques.  Government's assault on religious liberty has hit a new low as the IRS settles with atheists by promising to monitor sermons for mentions of the right to life and traditional marriage.  A lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) asserted that the Internal Revenue Service ignored complaints about churches' violating their tax-exempt status by routinely promoting political issues, legislation and candidates from the pulpit.  The FFRF has temporarily withdrawn its suit in return for the IRS's agreement to monitor sermons and homilies for proscribed speech that the foundation believes includes things like condemnation of gay marriage and criticism of ObamaCare for its contraceptive mandate.

IRS Strikes Deal With Atheists To Monitor Churches.  Government's assault on religious liberty has hit a new low as the IRS settles with atheists by promising to monitor sermons for mentions of the right to life and traditional marriage.

Appeals Court Allows Display of World Trade Center Cross.  The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday sided with a federal judge's ruling last year that the decision to include the beam in the National September 11 Memorial & Museum did not advance religion impermissibly.

The Editor says...
There is a big difference between "advancing religion" (in general) and establishing a state religion.

Troops told to refrain from eating, drinking in front of Muslims.  Do not eat or drink in front of Muslims, and learn more about their religion.  That's the directive that has gone out to active duty military personnel at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, a Department of Defense medical and graduate school in Bethesda, Md.  The brigade commander sent an email to military personnel at the facility last month — just before the start of Ramadan — advising them to show respect to Muslim colleagues.

IRS Strikes Deal with Militant Atheists to Monitor What Your Pastor Says In Your Church.  Democrats routinely campaign from the very pulpit of majority black churches.  It happens every single election cycle.  Pastors in those churches regularly push parishioners to support the Democratic Party, to support specific government social policy, and even specific candidates for office.  The Freedom From Religion Foundation has not sued to get the IRS to investigate any of that.  Its targets are churches that align with the more conservative Pulpit Freedom Sunday movement.  That tells us what the foundation and the IRS will really be investigating.  The IRS will be monitoring churches to listen for pastors supporting the right to life, the sanctity and traditional definition of marriage, traditional values in general, perhaps even patriotism.  Those are the churches, based on the angle that the foundation lawsuit takes, that will potentially find themselves under IRS investigation.

IRS Strikes Deal With Atheist Group to Monitor Content of Sermons.  Alliance Defending Freedom asked the Internal Revenue Service Tuesday [7/29/2014] to release all documents related to its recent decision to settle a lawsuit with an atheist group that claims the IRS has adopted new protocols and procedures for the investigation of churches.  Pastor Holding Bible ca. 2000 [A.D.] submitted the Freedom of Information Act request after learning of the IRS's agreement with Freedom From Religion Foundation in a press release the group issued on July 17 concerning its lawsuit Freedom From Religion Foundation v. Koskinen, which accused the agency of failing to investigate churches the way the atheist group would like.

US President Barack Obama wishes Muslims on Eid.  US President Barack Obama greeted the Muslim community across the world on the occasion of Eid-al-Fitr stating that the festival celebrates the common values that unite humanity and reinforces the obligations that people of all faiths have to each other.  "As Muslims throughout the United States and around the world celebrate Eid-al-Fitr, Michelle and I extend our warmest wishes to them and their families," Obama said in statement.

Obama Thanks Muslims for 'Building the Very Fabric of Our Nation'.  A statement put out today by President Barack Obama on the occasion of a religious holiday is raising some eyebrows. [...] The word choice here, that anyone built "the very fabric of our nation" would usually sound hackneyed and overplayed — but, in this particular instance, given that the U.S. didn't even have its first Muslim-American congressman until 2007, the peculiar word choice has left some scratching their heads.

Under new rules, Muslim inmates in L.A. County jails observe Ramadan.  Since 2012, when the ACLU began complaining about the treatment of Muslim inmates in the Los Angeles County jails, the Sheriff's Department appears to have made significant improvements.  Muslims in the county jails now receive halal meals.  During Ramadan, a deputy at Men's Central Jail works full-time with the Muslim inmates, ensuring they are fed the pre-dawn meal and that their other religious needs are met.  Inmates no longer complain of verbal abuse from deputies denigrating the Muslim faith.

National Guard Won't Allow Its Own Troops To Be Honored At Vacation Bible School.  Citing federal regulations, the Missouri National Guard has refused to show up for an hour-long meet-and-greet with kids at a small Baptist church in the rural southwest corner of the state. [...] Members of the Missouri National Guard were scheduled for a Thursday [7/214/2014] appearance (in a Humvee), but they failed to show up because, they said, federal regulations prevent military activities that could appear to endorse any religious or sectarian faction.

Military bans troops from Baptist church event honoring 'God's Rescue Squad'.  The Bible Baptist Church in Carthage, Missouri, invited National Guard personnel to be honored at its annual Vacation Bible School as part of "God's Rescue Squad" — but the troops never showed because the military forbids them from attending such an event.  "We were going to thank them for protecting our religious liberty," Pastor Kent Hogan told Fox News.  "It was more of a promotion for the military — to show the kids what the military does."  The church, which had held similar events earlier in the week for the local fire department, paramedics and the county sheriff's department, was told that federal regulations prevent the National Guard from attending the church's event.

The Obama Dallas Immigration Visit — The Curious Case of Obama's "Faith Leaders" and Obama's "Faith-Based Groups".  [Scroll down]  The amounts awarded to these "faith based" groups in 2014 far exceeds the money ever given to the fraudulent social assistance group, ACORN.  And the 2014 grant amounts are EXPLODING in comparison to 2012 and 2013. [...] Catholic Bishops so far in 2014 $27 Million is another albeit smaller example, after receiving almost $70 million in 2012.  But the most staggering figure is what HHS has spent on Unaccompanied Minor Children (under grant code 93676) since the President's 2012 Deferred action program began:  $644,188,522.00[.]

Is it really "charity" when the federal government is using the IRS to collect the "offering"?  What follows below is a little more depth on the issue of "Faith Based" organizations and those receiving federal grants to facilitate illegal immigration.  We have received numerous requests to turn the eye of research into exactly what these organizations are.  Specifically, one group that is continually in the media stories when they describe "faith-based" organizations and subsequent assistance to illegal aliens, or unaccompanied alien children, Baptist Child and Family Services or BCFS.

At Ramadan dinner, Obama attributes his success to family and community, not government.  President Obama said Monday [7/14/2014] that the only reason that he has been successful in life is because of investments made by his family and his community.  "[A]ll a young person needs is knowing that somebody cares about them and believes in them," the president said Monday during an Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan, the sixth that he has hosted.

Obama at Iftar Dinner.  President Obama told guests at the White House's annual Iftar dinner tonight that "further escalation" in the Middle East "benefits no one, least of all the Israeli and the Palestinian people."  Faced with criticism from some Arab and Muslim activists who think he has been too friendly toward the Israeli side, Obama addressed the conflict near the end of his comments, which largely honored "the traditions of one of the world's great faiths."

Arab-American group to boycott Obama's Ramadan dinner.  Citing America's support for Israel and its alleged spying on Muslims, a powerful Arab-American group has called for a boycott of Monday night's [7/14/2014] annual Iftar dinner at the White House.

The Editor asks...
Why is there an annual Iftar dinner at the White House?

Feds Ask Churches To House Migrant Families.  The Department of Homeland Security has asked Catholic churches in California to temporarily house and feed groups of Central American migrants until 2016, according to an official at the diocese of San Bernardino.  But any unpaid cooperation is legally questionable, because it may be intended to bypass Congress' authority to fund — or to not fund — federal agencies' new practice of distributing the flood of migrant families to homes across the country.  The department "has reached out to the diocese and the bishop, and asked us to shelter families in transition," Maria Christina Mendez, at the Office of Hispanic Affairs, told The Daily Caller.  The services would be needed for the next 18 months, "or longer," she said.

Feds: Pastors not welcome at immigration camps.  Pastors and churches have been banned from helping the thousands of illegal immigrant children housed in border detention facilities run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, clergy in Texas and Arizona tell me.  "Border Patrol told us pastors and churches are not allowed to visit," said Kyle Coffin, the pastor of CrossRoads Church in Tucson, Arizona.  "It's pretty heartbreaking that they don't let anybody in there — even credentialed pastors."

Churches Ask Parishioners To Shelter Illegals, Not Tell The Media.  Churches in California have reportedly asked their parishioners to shelter illegal aliens in their homes — and not to tell the media.  A retired doctor and his wife spoke to Rush Limbaugh Tuesday about the disturbing request.  "Ann" and "Eddie," who live in Southern California, told Limbaugh that the Diocese of San Bernardino made the decision to house illegals after the bishop received a call from the federal government: [...]

The City That Offers Sharia-Compliant Loans to Muslim Business Owners.  Since 2006, Minneapolis has loaned more than $1 million to Muslim business owners through a program that complies with sharia law, which prohibits Muslims from paying or earning interest in a financial transaction.

Obama sends best wishes for Muslim holy month.  President Barack Obama is sending his best wishes to Muslims in the U.S. and around the world on the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

On behalf of all Americans, Obama hails Ramadan.  ["]On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I extend our best wishes to Muslim communities here in the United States and around the world on the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan.  A time for self-reflection and devotion through prayer and fasting, Ramadan is also an occasion when Muslims around the world reaffirm their commitment to helping the less fortunate, including those struggling because of economic hardship and inequality.["]

The Editor says...
Aha!  Barack H. Obama says he speaks "on behalf of the American people," which sounds a lot like an establishment of religion.

New Jersey mayor fights feds over prayer during citizenship ceremony.  A New Jersey town canceled its ceremony celebrating new U.S. citizens after federal immigration officials would not allow the event to begin with a prayer.  According to the Star-Ledger, Carteret Mayor Daniel Reiman had assured U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials that the prayer leading Saturday's [5/10/2014] ceremony would be nondenominational.  "They refused to budge on that," Reiman said, the paper reported.  The battle came just days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that local government meetings can include sectarian prayers.

Atheists win prayer battle against California city council.  Atheists who complained about pre-meeting prayers conducted by members of the Pismo Beach City Council in California can now claim a win.  Council members say they're going to stop saying prayers at public meetings and that the volunteer chaplain will no longer be invited to give the opening invocations, The Blaze reported.  They've also agreed to pay a symbolic settlement of $1 to each of the the two plaintiffs — and another $47,500 to cover the two plaintiffs' legal fees.

God Redacted from High School Graduation Speech.  School officials rejected three versions of the young man's graduation address, and one administrator went so far as to redact every religious reference with a black marker — as if it were some sort of top secret government document.  "The first and second draft speeches proposed oppose government case law and are a violation of the Constitution," read a warning letter sent to the young man.  "The district is advising you that reference to religious content is inappropriate and that the two drafts provided will not be allowed."  So the 18-year-old Christian did what any red-blooded, Constitution-loving American would do — he defied school officials and thanked God anyway.

Fortunately this is an obvious lie, otherwise the THEOCRACY ALERT sirens would be sounding.
Hillary Clinton: The Bible Is My 'Biggest Influence'.  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced during a New York Times interview that the Holy Bible is the book that made her who she is today.  "If you had to name one book that made you who you are today, what would it be?" asked The New York Times, in a book review questionnaire.

Pelosi pulls rank, pressures Catholic archbishop to skip traditional marriage march.  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, urging him to cancel his appearance at a march for traditional marriage on the Supreme Court this Thursday.  The National Organization for Marriage plans to march on the Supreme Court in Washington, and Mr. Cordileone is one of the featured speakers, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.  "We share our love of the Catholic faith and our city of San Francisco," Mrs. Pelosi reportedly wrote to Mr. Cordileone, urging him to abandon an event in which some of the participants, she said, show "disdain and hate towards LGBT persons."

The Editor says...
This is exactly what the separation of church and state is supposed to prevent:  Ms. Pelosi is trying to tell Catholic leaders how to practice their religion.

Pelosi Warns SF Bishop Not to March for Traditional Marriage.  In an astonishing challenge to traditional Catholic doctrine, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, nominally Catholic, has taken to telling San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone that he should not attend the National Organization for Marriage's June 19 march on the Supreme Court in Washington D.C.  Pelosi is not the only Democratic San Francisco politician sending Cordileone a letter decrying his participation in the march.  Last week, San Francisco mayor Ed Lee and California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsome issued a joint letter to the bishop protesting his participation.

The Editor says...
Thomas Jefferson assured the Danbury Baptists that exactly this kind of meddling by the state could never happen because of the wall of separation between church and state.  That wall is now being ignored because the state intends to destroy the Christian church by legitimizing homosexuality.

VA hospital hides Jesus behind curtain.  Some folks in Iron Mountain became infuriated earlier this month when they discovered that statues of Jesus and Mary, along with a cross and altar, were hidden behind a curtain in the chapel of the VA hospital there.  The chapel still has stained glass windows, though for how long is unclear.  A VA hospital spokesman told me they are still trying to figure out what to do with the windows.  The decision to hide the religious icons came after the National Chaplain Center conducted an on-site inspection and determined the hospital's chapel was not in compliance with government regulations.
[Emphasis added.]

Group preparing to press military for atheist chaplain, source says.  In what some might see as an oxymoron, an advocacy group apparently is preparing to ask the Defense Department to appoint a chaplain — for atheists.  A source tells Fox News that the Military Association of Atheists and Free Thinkers plans to make the request on Tuesday, floating its president Jason Torpy as the proposed chaplain.  Asked for comment, the association referred FoxNews.com to its position in support of a prior bid to name a "humanist" chaplain.  But a Defense Department official confirmed that a meeting is planned between the applicant and the Navy on Tuesday.

The Editor says...
Apparently this is obvious to everybody but me, but what does an atheist chaplain do?

Supreme Court upholds prayer at government meetings.  The Supreme Court on Monday narrowly upheld the centuries-old tradition of offering prayers to open government meetings, even if the prayers are overwhelmingly Christian and citizens are encouraged to participate.  The 5-4 ruling, supported by the court's conservative justices and opposed by its liberals, was based in large part on the history of legislative prayer dating back to the Framers of the Constitution.

Supreme Court: Opening prayers at council meetings constitutional.  The Supreme Court has upheld the right of local officials to open town council meetings with prayer, ruling that this does not violate the Constitution even if the prayers routinely stress Christianity.  The court said in a 5-4 decision Monday [5/5/2014] that the content of the prayers is not critical as long as officials make a good-faith effort at inclusion.  The ruling was a victory for the town of Greece, N.Y., outside of Rochester.

Freedom for Religion, Not From It.  Today the U.S. Supreme Court once again affirmed that the so-called "wall of separation" that exists between church and state is not quite the edifice that liberals would like it to be.  In Town of Greece v. Galloway, the court ruled today [5/5/2014] that a village in upstate New York did not violate the First Amendment in allowing members of clergy to begin town board meetings with prayers, some of which were explicitly sectarian (and usually Christian) rather than ecumenical.  The narrow vote along the usual 5-4 conservative/liberal lines is bound to incite many on the left to express fears about the court trying to turn the U.S. into a "Christian nation."

Prayer in the Public Square.  The Supreme Court did a good turn for religious freedom on Monday [5/5/2014], ruling that prayer is permitted at government meetings and doesn't amount to an endorsement of religion.  The disconcerting surprise is that the decision was only 5-4.  Greece v. Galloway dealt with a challenge to the town of Greece, New York's practice of opening its council meetings with a prayer.  This being America in the Year of Our Lord 2014, two women sued, claiming to be offended because the clergy invited to read an invocation were predominantly Christian.  The High Court ruled that such a legislative prayer is part of American tradition going back to the Founders and doesn't favor one religion over another.

High Court Ruling Favors Prayer at Council Meeting.  Prayers that open town council meetings do not violate the Constitution even if they routinely stress Christianity, a divided Supreme Court ruled Monday [5/5/2014].

Oklahoma Battles Group over Statue of Satan.  A battle will soon be held in Oklahoma over a statue of Satan that a group wants to erect near the monument of the Ten Commandments on the Statehouse lawn in Oklahoma City.  A group called the Satanic Temple, backed by the ACLU, is insisting that its nearly-completed statue should stand near the monument, while a spokesman for the governor bluntly said that setting up the Satanic statue on the grounds will never happen.

Humanists sue NJ school district over 'under God' in Pledge of Allegiance.  A family represented by a humanist group is suing a Monmouth County school district, claiming that the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance is discriminatory because it asks students to use the phrase "under God."  According to NorthJersey.com, the American Humanist Association alleges that the Pledge of Allegiance discriminates against atheists and violates the right to equal protection under New Jersey's state constitution.

HHS, Planned Parenthood Promote Obamacare For Teens at Church of Scientology.  Getting teens to sign up for the Affordable Care Act and learn how to obtain contraceptives through Obamacare, was the focus of an event hosted by the D.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy at the Church of Scientology's National Affairs Office in Washington, D.C. on Thursday [4/24/2014], a gathering that featured officials from the Health and Human Services Department and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA).  Wilma Robinson, deputy director of the HHS Office of Adolescent Health, said she was attending to explain "the impact of the Affordable Care Act on adolescents," which she defined as girls and boys ages 10 to 19.

The sad power of an atheist's temper tantrum.  Angry atheists are at it again.  This week, they're taking on Dabo Swinney, head coach of the Clemson Tigers.  His alleged unlawful conduct?  Expressing his Christian faith and allegedly making a number of voluntary religious activities available to his players — the adult student-athletes at Clemson.  The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation sent Clemson University a "letter of complaint" detailing Swinney's alleged constitutional violations, including such atrocities as the team's volunteer chaplain writing Bible verses on a whiteboard and the team making available bus transportation to players who wish to attend church.

Atheist Group Sues Clemson Football Program for Prayers, Bible Studies.  Coach Dabo Swinney and his Clemson football program face a blitz again. [...] [I]t's an oddly dour out-of-state assault in the form of a complaint filed against the football program by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an atheist rights group from Wisconsin.  The FFRF claims that Swinney's program is "entangled" and "entrenched" in religion.  Prayers and Bible studies instituted by the team from at least 2011 through April of 2013 serve as the basis for the complaint.

Louisiana bill would name Bible as official state book.  Lawmakers are moving ahead with a proposal to name the Bible as Louisiana's official state book, despite concerns the bill would land the Legislature in court.

DOJ says cross on California war memorial should stay.  The Justice Department says a 29-foot war memorial cross on a San Diego mountain is not an unconstitutional promotion of Christianity and should remain on federal property.  The Obama administration said an appeals court ruling declaring the cross on Mount Soledad a violation of the constitutional separation of church and state undermined an act of Congress and conflicted with recent Supreme Court decisions.  But, in a filing Monday [4/7/2014] to the nation's highest court, it said an appeal should first be considered by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals because there is no imminent risk that the cross is removed.

Muslim Day celebrated at Iowa Capitol with pastries, proclamation.  It was Iowa Muslim day at the Iowa Capitol on Monday [4/7/2014] with Muslims sharing pastries and other ethnic foods in the Rotunda while providing information about their faith and work in Iowa.  Gov. Terry Branstad signed a proclamation for Muslim Recognition Day in Iowa, something the Republican chief executive first did in 1992 during his previous tenure as governor.  About 50 Iowa Muslims joined him in the governor's formal office and applauded during a signing ceremony.

Air Force removes Bible from POW-MIA display.  On March 14 Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told members of the House Armed Services committee that there was no war on religious liberty.  "The single biggest frustration I've had in this job is the perception that somehow there is religious persecution inside the United States Air Force," the general told lawmakers.  "It is not true."  If that's true, perhaps Gen. Welsh could explain why a Bible was removed from a POW/MIA Missing Man Table at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida.

Freedom From Religion Foundation: Scott Walker 'a Theocratic Dictator' for Bible Tweet.  The Freedom from Religion Foundation is calling on Wisconsin governor Scott Walker to delete a Sunday-afternoon tweet of a Bible verse, calling it an improper promotion of religion by a government official.  Walker tweeted the following verse over the weekend, the text of which reads "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

The Editor says...
The "promotion of religion by a government official" is not the same as the establishment of religion by the Congress, which is what the Constitution prohibits.

Atheists Go Nuts Because Scott Walker Tweets a Bible Verse.  The verse in question actually notes a Christian's dependence on God, "who strengthens me."  It is in no way a threat, never has been and never will be.  It is in no way a lead-in to "theocratic dictatorship."  The "Freedom From Religion" folks should just free themselves from social media, since they can't seem to handle reading things on it that they don't like.

Why does Air Force Academy encourage atheism, prosecute Christianity?  There appears to be a double-standard at the Air Force Academy.  The Academy is defending its promotion of an atheist event just a week after a Christian cadet was pressured into removing a Bible verse from his personal white board because it allegedly offended non-Christian cadets.  "Ask An Atheist Day" was sponsored by The Freethinkers Club, an Academy approved cadet club.  The event was advertised all week on Academy bulletin screens and an official email sent to the Cadet Wing.  An invitation was also issued by a cadet to the entire Cadet Wing assembly on Tuesday [3/18/2014].

Air Force: Christians' Religious Speech Not Legally Protected Right.  Christians in the U.S. military are being told they must forfeit their First Amendment rights.  Bible verses are being erased from cadets' personal dorm-room white boards, and military lawyers claim that legal protections for religion only pertain to matters such as clothing and growing beards but do not extend to any religious expression such as talking about one's faith or posting a Bible verse.

A Revolt at the Air Force Academy?  Interesting and disturbing story at the Blaze:  ["]Cadets angry over the Air Force Academy's removal of the verse have since begun posting scripture from the Bible and the Koran on their whiteboards in solidarity, said Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.["] [...] Weinstein is advocating trials and punishment for cadets who post Bible verses, claiming that they're creating a "hostile" and intolerant atmosphere.

Air Force Academy removes Bible verse from cadet's whiteboard.  The Air Force Academy removed a Bible verse posted on a cadet's whiteboard after it determined the posting had offended other cadets, a spokesman for the academy said.  The cadet wrote the passage on the whiteboard posted outside his room.  "I have been crucified with Christ therefore I no longer live, but Christ lives in me," the verse from Galatians read.  Mikey Weinstein, director of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, told me 29 cadets and four faculty and staff members contacted his organization to complain about the Christian passage.

What's going on at Air Force Academy? God's word vs. Pentagon's word.  The Restore Military Religious Freedom coalition, a group of two dozen like-minded religious liberty organizations, announced Thursday [3/13/2014] that they are ready to offer assistance to any Air Force Academy cadet who faces repercussions for writing Bible verses on their hallway whiteboards.  The Air Force Academy admitted Wednesday that a cadet leader had to remove a Bible verse he had displayed outside his dorm room because it offended non-Christians and could "cause subordinates to doubt the leader's religious impartiality."

The Editor says...
George Washington was a great military leader, and he certainly didn't exhibit "religious impartiality."

Minneapolis City Hall declares "Hijab Day".  According to a Facebook post, Somali staffers that work at Minneapolis City Hall declared February 28 "Hijab Day" at City Hall and convinced the police chief and female city council reps to wear hijabs on the job.  Pictures include:  Minneapolis police chief Janee Harteau (who recently married her favorite female sergeant — not very hijab like), city council members Elizabeth Glidden and Lisa Bender as well as other staffers.  The Facebook page is that of one Ilhan Omar, whom reader's might recall reportedly instigated the violent outbreak at a recent Democratic caucus meeting in Minneapolis.

Atheists Demand Cross Found in 9/11 Rubble be Removed from Ground Zero.  Construction worker Frank Selicchia combed the wreckage of the Twin Towers two days after Sept. 11 for survivors — instead, he uncovered a cross-shaped steel beam.  The cross was then placed in a prominent location where many of the recovery efforts were centered, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani told the History Channel, Catholic Mass along with other religious services would often take place there.

First Lady To Obamacare Counselors: 'You Are Doing God's Work'.  With just weeks left to sign up for health care under the Affordable Care Act, Michelle Obama zeroed in on recruiting the crucial young adult demographic during a visit to a Miami community health center Wednesday [3/5/2014].

Obama tells supporters they are doing "God's work".  President Barack Obama rallied his political base Tuesday night [2/25/2014], speaking to those attending a summit hosted by Organizing for Action, a group that pushes his policy agenda.  "The work you're doing is God's work," he told hundreds of supporters at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Bibles decried as 'religious propaganda,' banned from Iowa State University hotel.  Administrators at a hotel run by Iowa State University have given the boot to Bibles in their guest rooms after protest from a religious separatist group.  The push to remove the books began when a guest at the Hotel Memorial Union complained to Freedom From Religion Foundation about the "unwelcome religious propaganda in the bedside table," according to a local NBC News affiliate.  The foundation, a nonprofit which advocates the separation of church and state, said the hotel is part of the Iowa public university system and, as such, cannot legally place the Bibles in the room.  Doing so, the group argued, would constitute a support of one religion over another.

John Kerry Visits Mega-Mosque, Proclaims that All Religions Essentially are the Same.  Who died and made John Kerry an Islamic scholar?

American Humanist Association demands students stop feeding starving kids.  The American Humanist Association sent that message to a school in Robbinsdale, Minn., accusing them of violating the U.S. Constitution by allowing students to participate in a community service project at a church that involved preparing meals for impoverished children in Haiti. [...] "The school has clearly violated the Establishment Clause," AHA attorney Monica Miller wrote in a threatening letter to the school and district officials.

Bill De Blasio to Close New York Schools for Ramadan's End, Chinese New Year.  Newly-minted Mayor of New York City Bill De Blasio is calling for school closures on two Muslim holidays and the Lunar New Year.  Eid al-Fitr, which marks the last day of Ramadan, Eid al-Adha, also known as the Feast of the Sacrifice, and the Lunar New Year, which celebrates the first day of the Chinese Calendar Year, were all given the go-ahead; but De Blasio passed over the Hindu festival Diwali. D

Pushing The Pink Police State.  The Human Rights Campaign, the gay rights lobby, is denouncing Gene Schaerr, the Utah attorney defending Utah's stand on traditional marriage because of his religious convictions.  The idea is that his religious beliefs have no place in this discussion.  The HRC is trying to drive religious people out of the public square.

Mom claims school banned son's Bible, used inappropriate worksheets.  A Detroit-area woman is accusing her children's school of hypocrisy after her son was told not to bring his Bible to class and her daughter's teacher distributed worksheets referencing alcohol.  Jessica Cross, of Dearborn Heights, her 8-year-old son, Jason, would take his Bible to school to read during a free period.  He was eventually told that book is "only for church, not school," MyFoxDetroit.com reported.  Cross said her son, who is autistic, has been treated poorly by school staff and subjected to unnecessary punishments.

The Four Freedoms: 75 Years of Liberal Betrayal.  When it comes to Freedom of Worship, depicted by Rockwell as an angelic grandmother piously saying her prayers in church, liberals seem to have misinterpreted religious freedom as Freedom from Worship.  Today's liberals are united in a war against God-based religion.  Except Islam, of course.  Why is it that liberals give Islam a pass?

Georgia School Confiscates Christmas Cards.  For as long as anyone can remember, teachers at Brooklet Elementary School have posted Christmas cards in the hallways outside their classrooms — until Monday.  When boys and girls returned from Thanksgiving break, they discovered that their teachers' Christmas cards had been removed — under orders from the Georgia school's administration.  Robb Kicklighter's wife is a third grade teacher at the school.  He said many teachers are disgruntled by the school's decision to confiscate the Christmas cards.

The religious cleansing of Bulloch County, Georgia.  It was November 12th.  His wife was on the phone and she was reading an email that she had just received from her boss at Sallie Zetterower Elementary School in Statesboro, Ga.  "As of today, if you have a Bible verse on your school email and/or Bible verse posted in the classroom, please remove it immediately," the email read.  But it was the next part of the email that made Mr. Cook tremble.  "If a student-led prayer is initiated, you must remove yourself and step away from the group," the email read.

School Board Posts 17 Legal Talking Points for Limiting Religious Liberty.  Last week, CNSNews reported that a Georgia school in Bulloch County decided to confiscate the Christmas cards that were posted along the hallways over the Thanksgiving break.  Traditionally, the school always had Christmas cards posted, but school administrators decided to un-deck the halls.

HISD school bus drivers disciplined for praying after child's death.  On December 16, a 12-year-old girl was struck by a car as she walked home from school in north Harris County.  She would later die from her injuries.  She was the daughter of an HISD bus driver, whose coworkers rallied around her.  Bus driver Cynthia Cormier said, "From a parent's point of view and from a grandparent's, prayer is the answer."  As news of the tragedy spread among the community of HISD school bus drivers, they spontaneously prayed for one of their own who was grieving.  They joined not holding hands, but by using a back channel on the bus radio system.

Nativity scenes removed from Guantanamo dining halls after complaints.  The commander of the Guantanamo Bay naval base decided Wednesday [12/18/2013] to move Nativity scenes from two dining halls following complaints that the decorations improperly promoted Christianity.

What Does A Satanic Monument Look Like?  I read at Breitbart that the Satan-worshipping group Satanic Temple wants its very own statue outside the Oklahoma Statehouse in Oklahoma City alongside a Ten Commandments monument. [...] This all got me thinking:  What would be an appropriate Satanic marker for the Oklahoma Statehouse?

Festivus pole to go up in Florida Capitol rotunda.  A nearly 6-foot-tall "Festivus" pole made from empty beer cans will be put up in the Florida Capitol this week as a not-so-subtle protest to the recent placement of a Christmas nativity scene.

Catholics and Communists.  The Catholic Church's recent history of sympathizing with, and even supporting, Marxist progressivism is clear, sad, and indicative of a deeply irrational and anti-individual streak within the modern Church hierarchy.  Catholics who care about the Church, its history, and its future — and also about humanity, reason and freedom — must stop making excuses for their current spiritual leadership's collectivist authoritarian impulses.

Oklahoma Satanists Seek Statue at Statehouse.  The New York-based Satanic Temple is now demanding its own statue beside one displaying the Ten Commandments currently on the steps of the Statehouse in Oklahoma City.

Seventh grader files lawsuit after school staff destroys prayer flyers.  A middle school student is fighting back after she was banned from posting flyers promoting "See You at the Pole," a prayer event that's held every year at public schools across the nation.  According to court documents, a school counselor 'forcefully' told the student, identified only as K.R., her flyers were "illegal," citing separation of church and state.

Barbara Walters Takes Issue with Politicians Swearing on a Bible.  During a segment of The View Thursday morning, host Barbara Walters expressed her concerns over politicians swearing on a Bible upon taking office, noting the importance of "the separation of church and state" as an American value.  The comments came up as the View crew discussed Sen. Mark Pryor's (D-AR) new political ad apologizing for his Obamacare support as well as insisting that the Bible should be a guiding presence in politics.

Obama celebrates end of Hanukkah at White House.  President Barack Obama marked the end of Hanukkah with not one, but two receptions at the White House on Thursday [12/5/2013].

Church-state battle envelops school choirs.  As Christmas nears, two local school districts find themselves being drawn unwillingly into the battle against religion in the public square — but both districts maintain that allowing students to participate in traditional Christmas concerts does not violate anyone's rights.  Choirs from Glacier, Flathead and Whitefish high schools will perform as planned today and Friday during the "Peace on Earth Community Christmas Celebration" despite receiving requests from the Freedom from Religion Foundation and American Civil Liberties Union of Montana to cancel.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform: The Part Justifies the Whole.  The Catholic bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals argue that the claimed moral imperative for legalizing illegal aliens necessitates passage of a comprehensive bill that also doubles both legal immigration and guest-worker admissions.  In effect, these men of the cloth have put themselves in the position of claiming that Congress is morally required to procure cheap, controllable labor for farmers and restaurant owners.

Catholics Criticize Cardinal Dolan for Lamenting That Catholics Could've Been 'Cheerleaders' for Obamacare.  A number of prominent lay Catholics are taking issue with New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan's statement on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday [12/1/2013] that were it not for the Obamacare's treatment of abortion, undocumented immigrants and provisions that require they violate the "dictates of our conscience," Catholics would be among the loudest "cheerleaders" for Obamacare.  When "Meet the Press" host David Gregory asked the cardinal whether he supports the "overall goal" of Obamacare, Dolan replied that the Catholic bishops were "early supporters" of universal health insurance and should be its "cheerleaders" now.

Clergy join to tout migration reform.  A joint pastoral letter [has been] published by bishops from Mexico, New Mexico and Texas titled "Family Beyond Borders."  The document addresses human suffering related to the current immigration system and the difficulties that immigrant families face.  According to a release from the Archdiocese of San Antonio, "Family Beyond Borders" was sent to President Obama and will be distributed to Texas senators and members of the House of Representatives.

U.S. Pulls Embassy Out of the Vatican.  Citing security concerns without naming a specific threat, the U.S. State Department is planning to shutter its embassy to the Holy See inside the lush Villa Domiziana overlooking the Circus Maximus and Palatine Hill in central Rome.  The embassy, which has been in operation since 1984 when Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II signed an accord, will essentially be swallowed up by the larger, more influential U.S. embassy to Italy.

Is It Morally Evil to Question Climate Alarmism?  Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, citing her 10 years in which she was president of the Chicago Theological Seminary, wrote a bizarre article in Tuesday's Washington Post claiming Typhoon Haiyan was "evil" and the typhoon was caused by the "moral evil" of fossil fuel consumption and "the moral evil of climate change denial."  Wow.  Thistlethwaite did not mention whether she has any scientific education, training, or expertise regarding the earth's climate.  It seems rather odd that an apparently scientifically uneducated theologian would call scientists "morally evil" for pointing out an ongoing decline in hurricane activity and rather compelling evidence that global warming is having a neutral or benign impact on hurricanes.  But scientific ignorance may not be the most troubling aspect of Thistlethwaite's incendiary accusations.

Post Office begins selling Harry Potter stamps Tuesday.  The first U.S. postage stamps to feature images from Harry Potter movies go on advance sale Tuesday at usps.com/stamps.  The U.S. Postal Service will produce 5 million booklets of 20 First-Class Forever Harry Potter stamps, says Susan McGowan, executive director of stamp services for the postal service. [...] McGowan notes that Harry's adventure into magic begins when he receives a letter inviting him to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The Editor says...
Witchcraft is a religion, and the Postal Service is a vestigial branch of the federal government, which is now promoting that religion.

Harry Potter postage stamps go on sale Tuesday.  The United States Postal Service started selling Tuesday [11/12/2013] a limited run of Harry Potter-themed postage stamps, and officials are expect a high demand for the rare postage.

USPS ad for 'holiday stamps' omits Christmas — includes Kwanzaa, Hanukkah.  Where's Christmas? As one social media commentator rapidly noticed, a recent U.S. Postal Service advertisement to sell "holiday stamps" curiously omitted a Christmas or Christian-themed message, yet included portrayals of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.  The ad reported by The Blaze contained the text:  "Don't forget your holiday stamps.  You'll find them at your nearest post office or on eBay."  And below the text were pictures of three stamps:  One showed a candle holder with nine lighted candles, emblazoned with the word "Hanukkah."  Another showed an colorful symbol over an open book, above the block-type word "Kwanzaa."

The Editor says...
Kwanzaa is a religion, and the postal service is endorsing it.

American Humanist Association sues teacher who prayed for sick student.  In a complaint filed by the organization on November 20 a Missouri public school teacher has been accused of praying for an injured student, organizing a project to feed hungry children and (brace yourself) — cavorting with a Methodist.  "Teachers simply cannot participate in prayers with students at school, nor can they promote their religious beliefs in any other way to their students," the AHA said in a statement.

Supreme Court Opens Hearing on Public Prayer — With a Prayer.  The United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in a case examining whether sectarian prayer should be allowed at government meetings.  The Supreme Court began the day's session with its traditional opening, "God save the United States and this honorable court."  The irony of the high court hearing a public prayer complaint after its own mention of God was not lost on the justices.

Obama's 1984.  The Obama administration allegedly put in place in 2009 a highly classified program to solicit the aid of Christian pastors in identifying and exposing anti-government sentiment within conservative, evangelical churches.  The request was worded in a manner that was intended to give the impression that the concern was about potential domestic terrorism.  One pastor claims he was asked by government operatives to keep his eyes and ears open to anyone in the congregation who was highly critical of the government, and to report such suspicious activity.  The pastor also claims he was told to keep tabs on anyone in his flock who were avid gun owners and/or Tea Partiers.

Michelle Obama To Host Hindu Festival for Goddess of Wealth at White House.  First Lady Michelle Obama is hosting an event on Tuesday [11/5/2013] to mark the Hindu festival of Diwali, or "festival of lights," to honor Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity.  Hindus celebrate by placing small earthenware oil lamps called "diyas" in their homes to help the goddess find her way, according to the BBC's online home schooling curriculum website.

The Editor says...
Mr. and Mrs. Obama officially embrace and celebrate anything and everything except Christianity, and the "separation of church and state" people remain silent.  So it must be Christianity, specifically, to which the activists object.

Parents slam pro-Islam slant in Florida school textbook.  Hundreds of parents, angry at what they say is a biased student textbook with a decided pro-Islam slant, have launched a campaign demanding equal religious representation and planned a protest at the school board meeting this week.  The book, "World History," devotes fully 32 pages — an entire chapter — on "Muslim Civilizations," including descriptions of the Koran and a listing of the Five Pillars of Islam, The Daily Caller reported.  But noticeably missing is information on any other religion.

Supreme Court to consider religious prayer at government meetings.  In a case that could determine restrictions on expressions of faith in the public square, the Supreme Court on Wednesday (Nov. 6) will consider religious prayers that convene government meetings.  At issue in Greece v. Galloway is whether such invocations pass constitutional muster, even when government officials are not purposefully proselytizing or discriminating.

A nationwide initiative called "Health Care from the Pulpit"
Churches help spread word on health care law.  In a national day of action, the group Enroll America held "Health Care from the Pulpit."  Community organizers went to churches across the country, talking to members about the new health care law, with help from pastors.  Pastor John Newman introduced two community organizers from Enroll America who talked about the act, everything from coverage, cost, to how to enroll.  They also asked church members to fill out help cards with basic information for themselves or someone they knew.

Christianity Under Attack in America.  [Scroll down]  Contrast these incidents with a massive public display of praying Muslims during the annual Muslim Day Parade in New York City.  Muslims, who are protected each year during the event by Muslim NYPD officers, are free to engage in mass prayer, even prostrating themselves on the streets of midtown Manhattan.  Vehicular traffic halts and participants freely harass non-Muslims who attempt to pass through the area on foot.  Meanwhile, the ACLU has been at the forefront of an extensive effort to ban Christian prayer from public schools under the "separation of church and state" provision of the First Amendment.  This is a signature issue for the "civil rights" organization.  However, for Muslim prayers, the organization reverses its interpretation and fights for student rights to engage in prayer.

Atheist Group Criticizes Police for Faith-Based Initiative.  An atheist group is criticizing the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) for partnering with religious congregations for a prayer walk initiative.  The CPD invited "all citizens to participate" in the initiative being held in 14 different communities to help quell the violence that has plagued the city.  Congregations were asked to take part in seven prayer walks every Saturday through mid-November. [...] The atheist group, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), is now criticizing the police department for its initiative.

Is this offense so heinous as to warrant an inquisition?
Wausau School Board to begin review process of Superintendent Kathleen Williams.  The Wausau School Board voted to begin a performance review of Superintendent Kathleen Williams starting Oct. 21, and it likely will contain many questions about the uproar over students' performance of religious music during concerts.

Making a God of Government.  Liberals love to quote Scripture when they think it might help them further their Big-Government social agenda.  They also love to talk about compassion and morality but would prefer it if you left Scripture out of it.

New York schools may close for Muslim holidays.  Schools in New York, the biggest city in the U.S., might be about to implement shutdowns on certain Muslim holy days, as both mayoral candidates running for City Hall have said they support such a move.  A report in the New York Daily News says that Bill de Blasio, the Democrat, and Joe Lhota, his Republican opponent, believe both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha should be added to the holiday calendar along with other major religious observations, including Christmas, Good Friday and Rosh Hashanah.

Ohio school district agrees to keep portrait of Jesus off wall, pay $95G fine.  An Ohio school district has agreed to keep a portrait of Jesus Christ off school property and pay a $95,000 fine in the face of legal pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union. [...] The picture had been hanging in Jackson's high school since 1947 as part of a "Hall of Honor" display meant to highlight famous historical figures.

Supreme Court Prepares for a Year of Big Cases.  On Nov. 6, the Supreme Court will consider in Town of Greece v. Galloway whether invocations at sessions of policymaking bodies — called "legislative prayer" — are unconstitutional if the court decides they endorse religion (such as the prayer-givers mentioning Jesus Christ, or if a majority of the volunteer prayer-givers are Christian).  This case also asks the Court to consider whether its overall test on finding Establishment Clause violations for the past forty years needs to change.  If the Court takes the extra step, this could become one of the most important religious liberty Supreme Court cases in American history.

National Park Service produces videos praising Islam.  A series of videos produced for the National Park Service shows American Muslim students blaming hatred against their faith on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.  The videos also promoted Islam as a pioneer in women's rights and addressed a "general ignorance about what Islam is."  "Islam within itself, Islam itself means peace," the government video states.  "Islam brings nothing but peace if you truly look into it."  The video was posted on the website for the Women's Rights National Historical Park.  It was filmed at the AnNur Islamic School in Schenectady, N.Y. by a National Park Service intern.

Where Women's Rights, Islam, and Nature Collide.  Did you know that the National Park Service (NPS) is now in the business of promoting Islam?  Or more specifically, promoting the wonder that is women's rights under sharia law? [...] So what does the park service have to do with women's rights?  And why in the world is the park service shilling for Islam?

Our Government's Propaganda Isn't Even Subtle Any More.  Tolerance of diverse groups isn't enough.  We must love all the diverse groups too, even if we have to lie to ourselves to do it.  The National Parks Service is making videos to indoctrinate us on that very issue.  The video below pimps out children to extoll the virtues of Islam, particularly their support of women's rights.  You heard me.  Islam promotes women's rights.  According to the girls in the video, Islam gives women their rights and they have 'equity' as a result — not equality, equity.

If you believe Islam promotes women's rights and/or equality, you should visit this page.

Tennessee high school students visit mosque, get Qur'an — not visiting church or synagogue.  The public school officials behind this reveal by their choices of visits that the real agenda here is to make these Tennessee students "accepting of the other," because that is the whole problem of jihad terrorism, doncha know — if Americans were more accepting of Muslims and Islam, jihad terror would be a thing of the past.  There are so many initiatives like this, such as the Arkansas school that planned to feature a Muslim speaker on September 11, that it is hard to escape the conclusion that they really believe this nonsense.

Students Take Field Trip to Mosque, Receive Koran.  A Tennessee high school has decided to revise its field trip policy after a group of freshmen were taken to an Islamic mosque where they were given copies of the Koran and while a student who opted out of the trip was given a worksheet that alleged Muslims treated their conquered people better than the United States treated minorities.  The students were in an honors world studies class at Hendersonville High School and the field trips to the mosque as well as a Hindu temple were part of a three-week course on world religions.  But some parents objected to the trips and wondered why the school would tour a mosque but not a Christian church or a Jewish synagogue.

Florida official tells Christian charity to choose between Jesus and cheese.  A Florida ministry that feeds the poor said a state agriculture department official told them they would not be allowed to receive USDA food unless they removed portraits of Christ, the Ten Commandments, a banner that read "Jesus is Lord" and stopping giving Bibles to the needy.  "They told us they could no longer allow us to have any religious information where the USDA food is going to be," said Kay Daly, executive director of the Christian Service Center.

Catholic priests to advocate for immigration reform during Sunday services.  The plight of the some 11 million undocumented in the U.S. has prompted the U.S. Catholic Bishops to mount a campaign for immigration reform this Sunday.  Building on their long tradition of supporting and protecting immigrants, large Catholic dioceses like New York and Los Angeles — meccas for immigrants throughout U.S. history — will join others like Newark to preach and enlist the support of the people in the pew to advocate for reform.

The Editor asks...
Why is this permissible only for left-wing causes?

Iowa Gubernatorial Candidates Pray for Abortion Rights.  Iowa Democrat gubernatorial candidates joined abortion activists in a prayer for increased access to abortion at a rally held Wednesday [8/28/2013].

Iowa Democrats Pray for Abortion Rights.  Des Moines activist Midge Slater took the podium and spent five and a half minutes thanking God for abortion rights, abortion doctors and taxpayer funding for abortions.  She also referred to the decision to have an abortion as "a blessing".  During the entire prayer, State Senator Jack Hatch and Rep. Tyler Olson, both of whom are running for governor, kept their heads bowed and eyes closed, joining in the group prayer.

NYPD Designates Mosques as Terrorism Organizations.  The New York Police Department has secretly labeled entire mosques as terrorist organizations, a designation that allows police to use informants to record sermons and spy on imams, often without specific evidence of criminal wrongdoing.  Designating an entire mosque as a terrorism enterprise means that anyone who attends prayer services there is a potential subject of an investigation and fair game for surveillance.

NYC Claims Muslim Surveillance Warranted.  The New York Police Department had legitimate reasons to put specific mosques and Muslim worshippers under surveillance as part of its counterterrorism efforts, a city lawyer said Thursday [9/12/2013] at the first court date in a civil rights lawsuit accusing the NYPD of religious profiling.

The Editor says...
I don't have a problem with the police keeping an eye on groups that are known to have a long history of habitual violence.  The potential problem here is that a precedent may be established, and the police may then turn their attention to law-abiding church groups for purely political reasons.

Churches changing bylaws after gay marriage ruling.  Worried they could be sued by gay couples, some churches are changing their bylaws to reflect their view that the Bible allows only marriage between one man and one woman.

The Editor says...
If there was, in fact, a "wall of separation between church and state," as Thomas Jefferson insisted, to protect the church from the state, the decisions of state courts would be no threat to the churches.

The American Right to Revolt Against Tyranny: Part B — Colonial Pulpits.  Does it seem plausible that the true spark of the American Revolution was the religion of peace — Christianity?  In fact, how could it be any other way in a country expressly founded to establish Christian religious liberty?  Colonial America was one of the most intensely evangelized and churched societies in history.

Oklahoma Ban on Sharia Law Unconstitutional, US Judge Rules.  An Oklahoma federal judge struck down a state constitutional amendment that forbade its courts from considering Islamic law in judicial decisions.  The constitutional amendment — approved by more than 70% of Oklahoma voters in 2010 — was part of a broader national push led by a handful of organizations that claim Islamic Sharia law is creeping into courtrooms.

Some say vouchers push limits of the law.  As the Indiana voucher program enters its third year, with more than 9,300 students enrolled in private schools this academic year, some still say the program pushes the limits of the state constitution's clause calling for separation of church and state.  The voucher program, established in 2011 under House Enrolled Act 1003, enables parents to use state tax dollars to pay tuition for their children attending private schools, typically religious schools.  The law also expanded the state's pre-existing tax credit scholarship program and instituted a tax deduction for families with children home-schooled or already enrolled in private school.

John Kerry: 'Climate Change' 'a Challenge to Our Responsibilities as the ... Safe Guarders of God's Creation'.  Reiterating a theme he presented two weeks ago at an Iftar dinner celebrating the end of Ramadan, Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday [8/8/2013] described "global climate change" as "a challenge to our responsibilities as the guardians — safe guarders of God's creation."  Kerry was speaking at an event announcing the creation of the State Department's Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives.

Eid part of US tapestry of traditions: Obama.  Muslims across the US celebrated Eid on the same day to everyone's joy and relief. [...] US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle also sent their warmest greetings to Muslims celebrating Eid Al-Fitr around the world, calling it "part of a great tapestry of America's many traditions."  "Michelle and I send our warmest greetings to Muslims celebrating Eid-Al-Fitr in the United States and around the world," Obama said in his message.

Muslim holy period to be celebrated at Guantanamo.  Guards were preparing to serve the first in a series of special meals Wednesday to prisoners at Guantanamo Bay to mark the end of the Muslim holy period of Ramadan, which this year brought a lull in a long-running hunger strike.

Obama marks end of Ramadan with more Syrian aid.  President Obama on Wednesday announced the U.S. would give an additional $195 million in humanitarian aid to displaced Syrians as a gesture to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month.  "Many of us have had the opportunity to break fast with our Muslim friends and colleagues — a tradition that reminds us to be grateful for our blessings and to show compassion to the less fortunate among us, including millions of Syrians who spent Ramadan displaced from their homes, their families, and their loved ones," the president said in a statement.

The Editor asks...
How much money does Obama give away to celebrate Christmas or Easter?

'Separation' Nonsense From Lying Secularists.  Anti-Christian extremist groups like the ACLU, the Freedom From Religion Foundation and People for the American Way hate God.  They also hate America.  True America.  These "progressive" outfits — along with like-minded politicos, judges, Hollywood elitists and left-wing media-types — hate that this great nation was expressly founded upon the bedrock precepts of the Judeo-Christian tradition.  And so, in response, they lash out.

Obama: 'Throughout Our History, Islam Has Contributed to the Character of Our Country'.  President Obama welcomed dozens of ambassadors and a handful of lawmakers to last night's [7/25/2013] iftar dinner at the White House to break the day's Ramadan fast by saying "throughout our history, Islam has contributed to the character of our country."

Obama Hosts Iftar Dinner for Muslims at White House.  President Barack Obama praised the accomplishments of Muslims in America at his fifth annual Iftar dinner.  The event was hosted at the White House Thursday [7/25/2013].  Iftar is an observance of the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan.  The president praised Muslim entrepreneurs, innovators, and pioneers for their contributions to America.

The Editor asks...
When has Mr. Obama ever hosted an Easter dinner?  Who are the great Muslim innovators, and what have they created?

Obama celebrates Ramadan: 'Islam has contributed to the character' of US.  President Obama late Thursday [7/25/2013] celebrated Ramadan with a traditional dinner in the State Dining Room, saying that throughout the nation's history, "Islam has contributed to the character of our country."  In remarks before the Iftar dinner, eaten by Muslims after sunset to end the day of fasting, Obama quoted from the Koran, according to a White House pool report.  "As the Koran teaches, whoever does an atom's weight of good will see its results."  "Muslim-Americans and their good works have helped to build our nation, and we've seen the results," he added.

The Editor says...
Name one Muslim who "helped to build our nation."

Gitmo Inmate Searches Banned Because Groin Searches are "Abhorrent to Muslims".  Things that aren't abhorrent to Muslims include underwear bombs, smuggling weapons and stabbing guards.  Also terrorizing a country to the extent that passengers are groped in airports.  There's a pattern with rulings such as these.  If the judge had determined that groin searches are a general civil liberties violation that would be one thing.  But this is a special privilege and entitlement for Muslims.

Sisters in Communism.  They call themselves "the Network," a self-described "national Catholic social justice lobby."  [Sister Simone] Campbell and friends have formed the so-called "Nuns on the Bus," storming across the nation on behalf of "healthcare reform," Barack Obama, the president's policies, the agenda of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, and, of course, "social justice."

America's new government-imposed religion.  Catholic adoption agencies have been forced to close their doors in Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., because their religious beliefs about marriage were deemed unacceptable by their jurisdictions.  A graduate student in Michigan was expelled from a counseling program because her religious beliefs about marriage were deemed unacceptable by school officials.  Christian pharmacists in Illinois were told to find other professions because their religious beliefs regarding when life begins were deemed unacceptable by the state.

When the government tells you how to pray, or what to exclude from your prayers, you live in tyranny.
Politically Correct Checklist for Those Praying at Inauguration?  Once again, liberal activists have demanded a theological litmus test for the pastor who will pray at President Obama's Inauguration ceremony.  Pastor Louie Giglio of Passion City Church in Atlanta has been forced to withdraw his acceptance to pray at the inauguration because activists found a sermon from the mid-1990s where he preached the Biblical doctrine defining marriage as one man and one woman.  Because Giglio applied that doctrine to homosexual behavior, activists howled that he must not pray at the inauguration.

American Geophysical Union Scraps Science, Now Faith Based.  [Scroll down]  The missionaries of the carbon cult are gradually becoming better-organized.  In the United States, religions are financed by their followers.  The government is not supposed to support religions financially, at least not if one religion is favored over another.  But the carbon cult masquerades as a scientific discipline, enabling it to receive government funding.  The carbon cult is financed partly by government support of science, and partly by the contributors to the big-budget environmental organizations.

National Cathedral Rings Bells to Cheer Gay Marriage.  The National Cathedral is pealing its church bells, along with some other Washington churches, to celebrate the Supreme Court's decisions on gay marriage.

Airport's garage now Muslim house of worship.  Here's a sign of the changing times — Muslim cabbies now have their very own place at San Francisco International Airport to wash their hands and feet before they pray.  Under Islamic law, Muslims are required to pray five times a day — a ritual that also calls for a ceremonial cleansing.

Please note:  San Francisco International Airport is owned by the City and County of San Francisco.

Osage Tribe Opposes Wind Turbines, Seeks Eagle Protections.  The Osage Native American Nation is protesting proposed wind turbines that will kill bald eagles and other birds the nation holds sacred.  The Wind Capital Group plans to place 94 wind turbines in Osage County, Oklahoma.  The turbines would be in the heart of historical Osage Nation lands where many Osage still live and honor tribal traditions.  According to Osage lore, the eagle is the only creature than can look God in the eye, but the proposed wind turbines would likely kill several of the scarce and protected eagles each year.

The Editor says...
The Osage Indians are asking the federal government to protect the "sacred" objects of their religion (animism).  Yet the "separation of church and state" people are all silent on this issue.

NAACP holds town hall meeting at church.  Members say it's important to gather at church and have civilized meetings and rallies — and stay away from the courthouse.  "The so-called "demonstration area" that has been designated you will not see us protesting in that particular area cause no one tells us where to go, how long to stay, what to do, and what to say," said Seminole County NAACP President Turner Clayton Jr.

Theocracy alert!
Atheists up in arms over Bible near Florida mayor's desk.  Atheists are outraged that a Bible sits right next to the mayor's desk, inside a Pinellas Park City Council chamber, and they're demanding its removal.  City officials, however, say that's a no-go.  The Bible's been there for more than 30 years, and laws don't prohibit its presence, The Blaze reported.  The book was an Oct. 19, 1975, gift to council members from the Kiwanis club, and it's been a traditional fixture ever since.  Freedom From Religion Foundation officials say they don't care.  They sent a letter to city officials, saying the Bible needs to go because it violates the principle of separation of church and state.

The "separation of church and state" people are willing to let this one slide.
Rubio Invokes Bible to Defend Immigration Bill.  On Tuesday [6/11/2013] Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) cited "Biblical compassion" as a reason to support the "Gang of Eight" immigration bill.  Rubio told CBN that he supports the bill because "[o]ur faith has always been about compassion and it compels you to do something. [... "]

Congressman: IRS asked pro-life group about 'the content of their prayers'.  During a House Ways and Means Committee hearing today, Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., grilled outgoing IRS commissioner Steven Miller about the IRS targeting a pro-life group in Iowa.  "Their question, specifically asked from the IRS to the Coalition for Life of Iowa:  'Please detail the content of the members of your organization's prayers,'" Schock declared.  "Would that be an inappropriate question to a 501 c3 applicant?" asked Schock.  "The content of one's prayers?"

Air Force Removes Video that Mentions God.  The Pentagon directed an Air Force Base to remove a video tribute to First Sergeants because it mentioned the word 'God' and might be offensive to atheists or Muslims, Fox News has learned.  The tribute was created by a chaplain at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.  The chaplain wrote a poem titled, "God Created A First Sergeant."  It was later adapted into a video with a narration.  First Sergeants are senior non-commissioned officers who look after enlisted members.

Atheists Want Their Own Military Chaplains.  No one has yet offered an explanation of how an atheist chaplain is anything other than an oxymoron, since by definition an atheist (1) believes there is no divine being to hear prayer, (2) has no spirituality, and (3) no religious beliefs.

Air Force Removes "Inspirational" Painting.  An inspirational painting that referenced a Bible verse has been removed from a dining hall at Mountain Home Air Force Base after an anti-religion group filed a complaint, Fox News has learned.  The painting featured a medieval crusader and referenced Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."  The Military Religious Freedom Foundation called the painting "repugnant" and an "overt display of Christian nationalism."

Georgia Gov. Deal orders Bibles returned to state-owned park.  Gideons spokesman Malcolm Arvin said he didn't know how many Bibles had been donated for distribution in state or national parks, but he doesn't recall ever having heard about it being a problem.

Denying American soldiers the faith of their fathers.  For multitudes of our nation's defenders, the practice of religious faith is foundational to life itself.  In a combat setting, I have seen and experienced the hope a military chaplain's religious message and prayers bring to a unit mourning the loss of a fallen hero and comrade.  I know religious community, worship opportunities, prayer and access to pastoral care are key to the resilience of our war fighters and directly affects their capability to carry out the mission bestowed upon them by their country.  That is why I am so disturbed and appalled at what appears to be an increasing effort to restrict the free exercise of religion within the military and completely secularize the public square.

Obama proclaims day of prayer for terror, accident victims.  Proclaiming Wednesday [5/1/2013] a national day of prayer, President Obama urged the nation to pray for victims of recent tragedies including the terrorist bombings in Boston.

Communing with hatemongers from the pulpit.  President Obama sure is serpent-bit when it comes to going to church.  First, it was his longtime Chicago preacher who dragged the young presidential aspirant into hot water with all his fiery old sermons about the U.S. of KKK and chickens coming home to roost.  Now, his most regular preacher, we find out, hangs out with white supremacists. [...] Those of us who prefer our church and state to be strictly separate are accustomed to cringing at cloying politicians who wallow in church teachings to round up voters during political seasons.  The only thing more detestable are preachers who play politician and sermonize about partisan politics.

The Church's Fading Influence on American Culture.  I walked past a parked car the other day that was plastered with bumper stickers championing a far-left point of view.  One that especially grabbed my attention said, "The last time religion and politics mixed, People got burned at the stake!"  After pondering this for a second, I thought, I wish I could meet the driver of this car and let him know that a more accurate statement would be, "The last time religion and politics mixed, William Wilberforce freed the slaves."

Gay and Godless on the Public-School Stage.  Liberals who demand church-state separation would pitch a fit if a public school decided to perform a play that reverently told stories of the Old Testament, whether it was the story of creation, the story of Noah, or Moses or Joseph and his brothers.  But somehow, if a public school decides to put on a play mocking God and the Old Testament, that is not a church-state violation.  The separation police don't want religious (or atheist) minorities to face religious indoctrination in a public school.  But anti-religious indoctrination mocking the Judeo-Christian majority is a glorious festival of free speech.

'Jesus Christ' Banned from Council Prayers.  The mayor of a Washington town has directed pastors to stop invoking the name "Jesus Christ" in city council invocations.  Don Jensen, the mayor of Longview, Wash., told the Kelso-Longview Ministerial Association that prayers mentioning Christ were not acceptable because they could expose the city to a lawsuit.  The decision has sparked controversy in the city — located about 50 miles north of Portland, Oregon.

Federal appeals court ruling may force California prisons to hire witches.  California taxpayers, who already pay for prison chaplains covering such faiths as Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Protestant and American Indian religions, might have to add witches to the list.  A lawsuit working its way through the federal court system would require state prisons to hire Wiccan chaplains.

Feinstein Opens Gun Control Presser with Prayer by Clergyman.  The Very Rev. Gary Hall, dean of the National Cathedral in Washington, said Thursday morning [1/24/2013] that "people of faith" should come together to fight for gun control against the "gun lobby."  In his opening remarks at a press conference on gun control organized by California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, Hall spoke about the influence of the so-called gun lobby in Washington.  "Now, everyone in this city seems to live in terror of the gun lobby," Hall said.  "But I believe the gun lobby is no match for the cross lobby."

Separation of Church and State, Disaster Edition.  In coming days, the Senate is expected to approve $50.5 billion in federal aid for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.  This is in addition to the $9.7 billion in aid approved earlier this month.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Housing and Urban Development will determine how most of the aid is distributed.  Their to-do list should include a clear message that houses of worship and other religious institutions will be fully eligible for assistance.

Government-Approved Islam Books Coming to a Library Near You.  Our local library here in Lower Macungie Township (Pa.) is among the many nationwide that will get 25 books about Islam thanks to an $800 million grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Editor says...
Any books about Christianity coming to the library?  Not likely.

When you arm Islamists, you become a willing participant in your own undoing.
Apes, Pigs, and F-16s.  When Morsi fulminates that Muslims "must not forget to nurse our children and grandchildren on hatred towards those Zionists and Jews, and all those who support them," he is taking his cues straight from the Koran.  Or rather, from the Holy Koran, as "progressive" American politicians take pains to call it in the off hours from their campaign to drive every last vestige of Judeo-Christian culture from the public square.

Pastor Leads 'Forward' Chant at Obama Pre-Inauguration Church Service.  Today [1/20/2013], just before taking his official inauguration oath, President Obama attended church, receiving the accolades of the media for doing so.  Obama, of course, has a rather checkered history with religion; his old pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, used to deliver fiery anti-American, anti-Israel diatribes from the pulpit.  At Obama's first inauguration, Rev. Joseph Lowery gave his invocation by listing racial slurs and implying that white people were responsible for the world's ills.  Now Obama's newest pastor, Rev. Ronald Braxton, is joining their prestigious company.  At Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, Braxton reportedly crafted his speech around Obama's personal political slogan:  "Forward!"

At Church, Obama's Pastor Calls Republicans "The Enemies" — Starts Chanting "Forward".  Obama went to church today in Washington DC. His pastor used the story of Moses to call Republicans "the enemies."  And, started chanting "Forward!" [...] For some strange reason the Obama-media didn't think this outrageous service was newsworthy.

Army Removes Crosses, Steeple from Chapel.  The U.S. military ordered soldiers to remove a cross and a steeple from atop a chapel and to board up cross-shaped windows at a remote American forward operating base in Afghanistan.  The removal of Christian symbols from the chapel at Forward Operating Base Orgun-E came after a solider complained — leading American Atheists president David Silverman to send a letter to the Pentagon.

Obama Should Swear On Das Kapital.  MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell on Thursday [1/10/2013] went on a disgraceful tirade about how the Bible should have nothing to do with the upcoming inaugural festivities.  On Friday, Catholic League President Bill Donohue responded saying, "Given Obama's ideology, perhaps it would make more sense for him to swear on Das Kapital."

Disinviting God to the Inauguration.  Liberals booed God at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte last year after skittish party officials reinserted a mention of him in the platform.  Nothing has changed since then.  The latest secularist push of the party is to remove God from the inauguration.  Prominent liberals are questioning the use of the Bible for the presidential oath and the use of prayers in the ceremony.

Seattle Sets Up Five 'Chapels' For Same-Sex 'Weddings' Inside City Hall.  Citizens of Seattle, Washington not only voted to have the state redefine marriage to be between members of the same sex, but now they have erected special "chapels" inside Seattle City Hall to accommodate homosexuals who are all too happy to pervert not only sex, but now the institution of marriage.

Atheists Trying to Shut Down Congressional Prayer Caucus.  In what one Republican calls an "unprecedented" move, an atheist group is advising all newcomers to the U.S. House of Representatives to stay away from the Congressional Prayer Caucus.  Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), who founded the caucus in 2005, said the American Humanist Association is among the "extremist groups" that "want to make sure they've censored and shut down.

Secular Humanists Bid All 'A Merry un-Christmas'.  Indeed, America's founders separated church and state because of the tyrannical mess they escaped from and fought against, but it is a ruse to suggest God was removed in the process.  Au contraire.  Judeo-Christian morality is woven through the very fiber of the U.S. Constitution.  The founders under-pinned our nation's laws with morality to maintain a steady framework that has been systematically chipped away at by individuals, a tiny minority I might add, forcing the masses to conform to their own religion of worshipping themselves, i.e., "Thou shalt have no other gods before me".

Internal emails offer details on bin Laden burial.  Internal emails among U.S. military officers indicate that no sailors watched Osama bin Laden's burial at sea from the USS Carl Vinson and traditional Islamic procedures were followed during the ceremony.

Barack Obama visits Buddhist temple in Thailand.  The President and Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, walked around a golden statue of a sitting Buddha on a tour led by the Abbot of the monastery wearing saffron robes.  The complex is a sprawling display of buildings with colourful spires, gardens and waterfalls.  Thais viewed his trip to Wat Pho as an act of respect.

Obama participates in pagan rituals.
Obama starts his own Buddhist tradition.  President Obama visited a 2,000 year old Buddhist pagoda in Burma, where he put his own spin on a traditional ritual of bathing a Buddha statue.  The Shwedagon pagoda contains individual buddhas that "correspond to the day you were born," the pool report explains.

Atheist Group Blasts Postal Service for Mother Teresa Stamp.  An atheist organization is blasting the U.S. Postal Service for its plan to honor Mother Teresa with a commemorative stamp, saying it violates postal regulations against honoring "individuals whose principal achievements are associated with religious undertakings."

The Editor asks...
Did they ever complain about stamps honoring Reverend Martin Luther King?

Ground Zero Cross: Court presses atheist group to explain why artifact is 'offensive'.  The 17-foot-tall, steel beam "cross" was found in the rubble of the World Trade Center twin towers in New York that fell during the Sept. 11 terror attacks.  The cross became a sort of shrine or place of comfort for first responders who often prayed there and left messages or flowers.  It was moved away from the debris a few weeks later and became a tourist attraction through several years of reconstruction.  American Atheists filed the suit in 2011, which was thrown out last year by a federal judge in the Southern District of New York.

"The 'wall of separation between church and State' is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging.  It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned."

— Justice Rehnquist, dissenting, in Wallace v. Jaffree    

Group buys land under Mt. Soledad cross, possibly ending two-decade court fight.  The land beneath the cross on Mt. Soledad in San Diego has been purchased by a private, nonprofit group for $1.4 million, a key step toward possibly ending a two-decade legal controversy over having a cross on public property.  The Mt. Soledad Memorial Assn. announced Monday [7/20/2015] that it had purchased the half-acre of property from the U.S. Department of Defense.

The Cross The Left Can't Bear.  Disgruntled atheists first filed suit over the memorial at a veterans park in San Diego in the summer of 1989.  The fringe grievance-mongers have clung bitterly to their litigious activities for nearly a quarter-century.  It's time to let go and bring peace to the city.

Federal Judge: Mt. Soledad Cross Must Come Down.  A cross atop Mount Soledad in California is an unconstitutional religious display on government land and must come down, a federal judge in San Diego ruled late Thursday [12/12/2013].  U.S. District Judge Larry Burns ordered the cross, which honors veterans, must be removed within 90 days — a decision that could result in the case being sent back to the U.S. Supreme Court.  Burns immediately stayed his order pending an expected appeal.

Mojave Desert Cross Returned and Rededicated to WWI Veterans.  A cross honoring those who died in World War I was returned after being stolen two years ago.  Fox News reporter Dominic Di-Natale reported from Barstow, California where a rededication ceremony was taking place for the Mojave Desert cross.  It was originally raised in 1934 and was at the center of a national controversy over the separation of church and state.

License plates

(CNSNews.com) - The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles is accused of infringing the free-speech rights of a Vermont pastor and his wife, by refusing to let them refer to Bible verses on their specialty license plates.  The pastor and his wife chose ROMANS5 and ROMANS8 for their license tags.  The Bible passages, which speak of acquiring peace and joy through faith in Jesus Christ, have given them comfort over the years, they said.  The Vermont motor vehicles department denied their request, saying the religious connotation might be offensive to others.  The Vermont Transportation Agency upheld the DMV's decision to deny the plates, but the case has now landed in Vermont's Washington County Superior Court, where attorneys for the conservative Rutherford Institute are attempting to have the decision overturned.  "The First Amendment does not permit government bureaucrats to decide for the people what is too 'offensive' to appear on a personal vanity plate," said Rutherford Institute President John Whitehead.  "The Vermont DMV surely has better ways to spend tax dollars than to enforce a 'civility code' on the state's streets and highways."

"The Christian combats the erroneous doctrines of the infidel with no other weapon than that of argument:  the sophist opposes Christianity with ridicule and misrepresentation."

– George Crabb (1778-1851).   

This is an original compilation, Copyright © 2024 by Andrew K. Dart

California Christians Fight Back Against City Removing Cross.  A California Christian club is fighting to put their cross back on display after city officials used eminent domain to remove it while citing complaints of it being "reminiscent of KKK cross-burnings" and offensive to "diverse communities."  The Albany Lions Club had maintained their majestic 28-foot cross and lit it up for the Christmas and Easter holidays to send "the message of God's love" and be a "comfort to the Christian community" since 1971, a press release states.  In the over 50 years it stood on Albany Hill, the cross also served as a meeting place for group prayers, weddings, baby dedications, and memorial services for the community.

Cross targeted by atheists will remain standing on Florida public property.  A 78-year-old cross on public property in Florida targeted by atheist groups will remain standing after a victory in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.  The court ruled Wednesday [2/19/2020] that the Bayview Cross in Pensacola, which was built ahead of World War II as a place for the community to gather, does not violate the Constitution.

Establishment Clause and Constitutional Protection of Religious Monuments.  On June 20, 2019, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the case of The American Legion vs.  American Humanist Association that keeping a Peace Cross on public land does not violate the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution.  The Peace Cross is a monument built by The American Legion in honor of the 49 servicemen that died overseas in World War I, and is located in the city of Bladensburg, Maryland (8.6 miles from central Washington, DC).  The cross was originally built on private lands with private funds, but the lands were turned over to the state of Maryland in 1961.  The maintenance costs are also made out of public funds.

The Cross in the Crosshairs.  The Supreme Court ruled that a 40-foot memorial cross in the state of Maryland was not unconstitutional.  The cross was built beginning in 1919 to commemorate many soldiers from Prince George's County who died in service to their country in World War I.  The American Humanist Association (AHA) sued to have the cross torn down.  The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals (out of Richmond, Virginia) agreed with the AHA, and the cross had a sentence of death hanging over it.  First Liberty Institute, which fights for religious liberty (including many military-oriented cases), fought to save the cross, on behalf of the American Legion.  Perhaps surprisingly, the Supreme Court decided by a comfortable 7-2 margin.

Justice Thomas Provides Clarity on the Memorial Cross.  Ninety-nine years ago, Democrat Sen. John Walter Smith of Maryland provided $50 of his own — not government — money to help erect a cross in his home state.  He was responding to a request from Mrs. Martin Redman, a mother who had lost her son in World War I.  To honor him and the 48 other men from Prince George's County who had lost their lives in the war, she had joined the Prince George's Memorial Committee, whose goal was to erect a memorial not far from the Maryland border with the District of Columbia.  In a thank-you note, she told the senator that her son "lost his life in France and because of that I feel that our memorial cross is, in a way, his grave stone."

Supreme Court puts the brakes on the militant war on religion.  The iconoclasts have lost for now.  The American Humanist Association persuaded only two of nine Supreme Court justices that the Constitution demanded demolition of a century-old war monument in the shape of a cross.  The ruling had narrow implications.  The cross in question — the Peace Cross, a World War I memorial in Bladensburg, Md. — has been around so long that it had taken on a mostly secular meaning, the majority explained.  The opinion rests on this detail, and so it doesn't preclude challenges to newer or more fully religious displays on public property.

Supreme Court rules Peace Cross war memorial can stand.  The Supreme Court ruled Thursday [6/20/2019] that a Peace Cross war memorial on public land outside Washington, D.C., can stand, determining in a 7-2 decision that it does not violate the Constitution.  Residents of Prince George's County, Maryland and the American Humanist Association (AHA) had sued to have the cross taken down, and the American Legion, whose symbol is also on the memorial, intervened to defend it.  While the residents and AHA claimed that a cross memorial on public land violated the Constitution, the Court determined that factors, including the history of the memorial, support the idea that it is not religious in nature.

SCOTUS Upholds Maryland Memorial Cross On Public Land.  In a 7-2 ruling on Thursday [6/20/2019], the Supreme Court decided that a 40-foot World War I memorial cross that has stood on public land in Maryland for 94 years does not violate the First Amendment.  Writing the majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito said the memorial, also known as the "Peace Cross," has become a prominent community landmark and should be upheld.  "After the First World War, the picture of row after row of plain white crosses marking the overseas graves of soldiers who had lost their lives in that horrible conflict was emblazoned on the minds of Americans at home, and the adoption of the cross as the Bladensburg memorial must be viewed in that historical context," Alito wrote.

SCOTUS Rules 7-2 The Bladensburg Memorial Cross Does Not Violate Establishment Clause.  The Blandensburg Cross, aka The Peace Cross, is a war memorial, located in the three-way junction of Bladensburg Road, Baltimore Avenue, and Annapolis Road in Bladensburg, Maryland.  The American Humanist Association had sued the American Legion to have the cross removed, arguing the memorial represented a Christian symbol on public land and violated the establishment clause.  Lower courts had agreed with the plaintiff, against the American Legion, and the memorial was to be removed.  The American Legion appealed the ruling all the way to the Supreme Court.

Atheists Lose; County Votes for Crosses.  Based on a local source, the San Jacinto Commissioners Court voted 5-0 today [5/8/2019] to keep cross symbols on their courthouse which had been challenged by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF).  This unanimous vote shows that San Jacinto refuses to be swayed by pressure from out of state groups and threats of frivolous lawsuits.

'What Message Does It Send Knocking Down Crosses Across the Country?'.  The Supreme Court heard oral argument Wednesday in a case challenging the constitutionality of a World War I memorial in Bladensburg, Maryland.  In American Legion v.  American Humanist Association, the Supreme Court will weigh in on whether a state's maintenance of a 93-year-old World War I memorial that includes a 40-foot cross — known as the Peace Cross — is an "establishment of religion" in violation of the First Amendment.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit held that the Peace Cross violates the establishment clause, concluding that the size and prominence of the cross convey government endorsement of Christianity and the state's maintenance of the cross is an excessive entanglement with religion.  One of the judges went so far as to suggest a way to "fix" the establishment clause problem would be to cut off the arms of the cross.

Supreme Court justices appear to favor allowing memorial shaped like a cross to remain on public land.  A majority of Supreme Court justices appeared inclined to allow a nearly century-old, 40-foot Latin cross honoring 49 men who died in World War I to remain in place on public land as they questioned litigants contesting whether the memorial's presence on public lands violates the separation of church and state.  But during the 70-minute-long argument, the court appeared more divided on the question of when a religious display located on public land is permissible.  The dispute may jeopardize other cross-shaped war memorials around the country.

Supreme Court's 'Peace Cross' case tackles debate on religious freedom, limits of public memorials.  Bernice Snyder was spiritual, but she wasn't what you'd call a religious woman, her grandson recalls.  When she and other mothers sought a memorial to commemorate their sons who died on Europe's battlefields in World War I, they settled on a Latin cross because it looked like the markers that sat on top of their sons' graves.  Thus was born the Bladensburg Peace Cross, which today stands on public parkland at the center of two major roads in the Maryland suburbs of Washington.  The cross also stands at the center of a raging national controversy over the limits of public memorials, religious freedom, the separation of church and state — and who wins and loses in debates over tolerance.

War memorial or religious symbol?  Cross fight reaches U.S. high court.  When Fred Edwords first drove by the 40-foot-tall (12 meters) concrete cross that has stood for nearly a century on a busy intersection in suburban Maryland outside the U.S. capital, his first reaction was, "What is that doing there?"  To Edwords, who believes there should be an impermeable wall separating church and state, the location of the so-called Peace Cross — a memorial to Americans killed in World War One situated on public land, with vehicles buzzing by on all sides — seemed to be a clear governmental endorsement of religion.

Trump Administration Urges Supreme Court To Protect Cross-Shaped War Memorial.  The Trump administration filed an amicus (or "friend of the court") brief Wednesday urging the Supreme Court to protect a 93-year-old war memorial in Bladensburg, Maryland, that is shaped like a Latin cross.  The court will soon decide whether the cross-shaped World War I memorial violates the First Amendment's ban on religious favoritism.

Is this cross too Christian?  Only the Supreme Court can save these war monuments.  Very soon, the Supreme Court could announce its decision to hear an appeal over whether the 40-foot "Peace Cross" — as it is known by locals in Bladensburg, Md. — is too tall and too Christian for a government to own and maintain in accordance with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.  This is the latest step in a campaign by the American Humanist Association to eradicate this memorial honoring our World War I veterans.  The humanist group won that battle at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals when two judges decided that the cross was somehow too much for the Constitution to bear.  The specific questions before the Court include whether the memorial is unconstitutional simply because it is shaped like a cross, and whether the government's routine upkeep and maintenance of the memorial violates the Constitution.

Obama Judges Rule That 40-Foot Cross Monument Honoring Soldiers Killed In World War I Is 'Unconstitutional'.  It is quite possible that the greatest legacy of President Trump may be his tremendous success in changing the face of the American judiciary, as his record-setting performance in getting conservative jurists into the judiciary has been nothing less than stellar.  To understand how vital Trump's actions have been, consider this:  the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently refused to reconsider a 2-1 ruling of a 4th Circuit panel last fall that ruled the World War I memorial Peace Cross in Bladensburg, Maryland, was "unconstitutional."

4th Circuit: 90-Year-Old Cross-Shaped Monument to WW1 Dead Is Illegal.  Wednesday [10/18/2017], the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ordered the removal of a Bladensburg, Maryland, World War I memorial because its 40-foot tall cross shape violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, reversing a lower court ruling that would have preserved the monument and drawing impassioned reactions from litigants and observers throughout the week.  Bladensburg's "Peace Cross" was erected by the American Legion in 1925 to honor the 49 men from Prince George's County who fell in the Great War.  In 1961, a Maryland state agency took possession of the land on which the monument sits.  Two of the three judges hearing an appeal led by atheist non-profit the American Humanist Association (AHA) agreed that the cross being allowed to stand was a violation of the "separation of church and state," regardless of the monument's stated purpose of honoring the war dead.

The Iconoclasts Come For World War I Memorials.  It seems the iconoclasts have graduated from tearing down the Civil War monuments to World War I memorials.  A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that a 40-foot-tall monument erected nearly a century ago just outside the nation's capital in Bladensburg, Md., known locally as the Peace Cross and dedicated to 49 residents of Prince George's County who died on the battlefields of France during the First World War, is unconstitutional because it's in the shape of a Latin cross.  The 2-1 ruling of the Fourth Circuit Court avers that because the memorial sits on public land maintained with public funds, it "has the primary effect of endorsing religion and excessively entangles the government in religion."  That of course is precisely the argument made by the American Humanist Association, a Washington-based lobby for atheists, who seem to think memorial crosses on public property constitute government establishment of religion (let's hope they don't wander into Arlington National Cemetery).

Towering cross-shaped monument on public land is unconstitutional, court rules.  A federal appeals court on Wednesday [10/18/2017] declared unconstitutional a towering cross-shaped monument that has marked a major intersection in Prince George's County for 90 years.  In a 2-1 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit said the 40-foot-tall memorial maintained with thousands of dollars in public funds "has the primary effect of endorsing religion and excessively entangles the government in religion."  The ruling by the three-judge panel does not mean the monument must be immediately removed from public land.  Supporters of the memorial, known as the Peace Cross, said the decision sets a "dangerous precedent" and vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Cross in Pensacola park must come down, violates Constitution federal judge rules.  Atheists across the fruited plain are rejoicing after a federal judge declared Monday [6/19/2017] that a cross erected in a Florida park violated the law and must come down.  "I am aware that there is a lot of support in Pensacola to keep the cross as is, and I understand and I understand and respect that point of view," U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson wrote in his ruling.  "But, the law is the law."

The Editor says...
Really?  What is the name of that law, and what does it actually say?

Christian cross ordered off Los Angeles County seal.  Restoring a tiny Christian cross to the Los Angeles County seal is unconstitutional because it places the county's "power, prestige and purse" behind one religion, a federal judge ruled Thursday [4/7/2016].  U.S. District Court Judge Christina A. Snyder's 55-page decision was a victory for the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued in 2014 after the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to reinstate the cross.  "It carries with it an aura of prestige, authority and approval," the judge said in her ruling.  "By singling out the cross for addition to the seal, the County necessarily lends its prestige and approval to a depiction of one faith's sectarian imagery."

The Editor says...
There's a big difference between "an aura ... of approval" and an official establishment of a state religion.

Atheist Drops Lawsuit Against Corpus Christi Officials For Attending Groundbreaking of 'Tacky' Giant Cross.  An atheist who sued the mayor of Corpus Christi and two city council members for allegedly violating the Texas Constitution by attending a groundbreaking ceremony for "the tallest cross in the Western Hemisphere" has withdrawn his lawsuit.  The lawsuit Patrick Greene filed earlier this month in Nueces County District Court accused Mayor Nelda Martinez and City Council members Lucy Rubio and Carolyn Vaughn of violating the state constitution's prohibition on giving a preference to any particular religion by attending the Sunday groundbreaking ceremony in January.  Greene told Fox News that the 210-foot-tall cross, which is being erected on property belonging to the Abundant Life Fellowship and financed by private donations, was "tacky as hell" and a "safety hazard."

The Editor says...
It is amusing that an atheist's vocabulary includes "hell," and the word pops out of her mouth without much provocation.  Yet I doubt if Hell is a topic she's eager to discuss.

Federal Court Upholds Huge Cross At Veterans Memorial.  In 1925, the American Legion erected the Bladensburg cross as a memorial honoring 49 men in Prince George's County, Maryland, who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in World War I.  But in 2014, the American Humanist Association attacked the memorial, filing a lawsuit against the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.  The atheists argued to the federal district court that a memorial in the shape of a cross violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, which forbids the government from establishing an official religion.

The Editor says...
It seems to me that the atheist group would have to wait until actual damage was done before bringing a lawsuit.  That is, until they can produce witnesses who have been compelled to worship in a particular way by the presence of this cross on public land, there has been no establishment of religion.

Holy Land USA Landmark Lights The Way Again.  It's a sight to see in Waterbury.  The cross that sits atop Holy Land USA is finally lit up.  The ceremony began at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Waterbury.  After that, thousands poured onto a bridge to see the lighting.  The cross stands 57 feet tall, 26 feet wide and weighs in at 22 tons.

Waterbury, CT Works To Erect New 52-Foot Cross By Christmas.  An organization of business owners, tradesmen, and citizens of Waterbury, Connecticut have volunteered their time and talents to present a Christmas gift to their community:  a 16-ton, 52-foot tall illuminated cross.  The cross, which was put into place on Friday [12/20/2013], replaces a similar one that rose high above the Holy Land U.S.A. religious attraction, which closed in 1984, and served as a landmark to motorists on Interstate 84.

Republicans introduce bill to protect crosses, other religious symbols on war memorials.  Two congressional Republicans want to end, once and for all, the attempts of atheist groups and others to remove religious symbols from war memorials.  Rep. Duncan Hunter of California and Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina on Thursday [4/11/2013] introduced the "War Memorial Protection Act," which they say will create a "foundation in federal law" for public veterans' and war memorials that include crosses or similar items.

Kansas Town Forced to Remove Cross. A town in central Kansas that was founded more than 100 years ago by immigrants escaping religious persecution — is once again facing religious persecution.  The tiny town of Buhler is being forced to remove a religious cross from its town seal after a group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation complained that the symbol violates the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.  The group said the cross indicated government endorsement of Christianity.

Banning 'In God We Trust' From the Public Square is 'Ludicrous'.  The good citizens of South Dakota have elected to adorn their public schools with the nation's motto:  "In God We Trust."  As you might expect, some still view those four words on anything public as an impermissible establishment of religion, a violation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  It is not.  A brief review of our history and law explains why.

'In God We Trust' to Be Displayed in All South Dakota Public Schools.  Students in South Dakota will notice a new addition to their schools this fall thanks to a new state law.  The law, which goes into effect this month, mandates that every public school in the state must display the national motto, "In God We Trust."

Ohio school scrubs 92-year-old Ten Commandments plaque after atheists complain.  An Ohio middle school removed a 1920s-era Ten Commandments plaque after the Freedom From Religion Foundation complained about it.  The Wisconsin-based group that promotes separation of church and state and nontheism called the Joseph Welty Middle School plaque a "flagrant violation" of the First Amendment.  The group claims a concerned district parent complained to FFRF that the plaque was prominently displayed near the auditorium entrance of the New Philadelphia, Ohio school.

'In God We Trust' will remain on US currency as Supreme Court declines atheist challenge.  The Supreme Court declined Monday to take up a legal dispute targeting the inscription of "In God We Trust" on coins and currency from the Department of Treasury.  Michael Newdow, an activist who filed the case on behalf of a group of atheists, argued Congress's mandate to inscribe the nation's motto on U.S. money was a violation of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, which prohibits Congress from establishing a national religion.  The phrase "In God We Trust" first appeared on coins in 1864, and Congress passed legislation in 1955 requiring all paper and coin currency to bear the words.

U.S. court rejects atheists' appeal over 'In God We Trust' on money.  A federal appeals court on Tuesday [8/289/2018] said printing "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency is constitutional, citing its longstanding use and saying it was not coercive.  The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Paul, Minnesota rejected claims by 29 atheists, children of atheists and atheist groups that inscribing the national motto on bills and coins violated their First Amendment free speech and religious rights.

Florida Public Schools to Display 'In God We Trust' Signs.  Florida public schools will be required to display "In God We Trust" signs on school property starting this week.  Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill passed by the state legislature in March that would require all Florida public schools to include a display with the motto "In God We Trust" in visible places on school property.  The legislation is set to go into effect this week, the New York Post reported.  The law states that "each district school board" is required to display the motto in every school building and school board office in the district.

Alabama Schools May Join Tennessee Schools In Giving Atheists Nightmares.  Some public schools in Alabama may join schools in Tennessee to be the stuff of atheists' nightmares.  The Alabama schools want to erect displays featuring the phrase, "In God We Trust."  Republican State Rep. David Standridge sponsored the original legislation permitting public bodies to display the "In God We Trust" motto.  In February, state legislators passed legislation permitting the schools to follow through on their plans.  The Alabama law was implemented on July 1.

Minnesota Democrats wage war on God, faith and American history.  A bill in the Minnesota Senate that would allow schools in the state to voluntarily display the national motto "In God We Trust" has state Democrats spiraling into fits of outrage, because God offends them.  By waging war on God, they are showing contempt for people of faith and disregard for the history of our country.

Minnesota Dems offended by national motto 'In God We Trust' in schools.  From the party that booed God at its 2012 national convention, we learn that two Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota oppose the national motto, "In God We Trust," being displayed in schools in the state.  State Sens. Scott Dibble and John Marty voiced their opposition to the phrase on the floor of the upper chamber, Fox News reported.  The legislation's author, Republican state Sen. Dan Hall, told the "Fox & Friends" crew Sunday [5/6/2018] he was caught by surprise by the rejection from the Democrats.

Tennessee Passes Bill To Place 'In God We Trust' in Every Public School.  The Tennessee legislature has passed a bill that would require all public schools in the state to display the words "In God We Trust" in a prominent location.  The governor, Republican Bill Haslam is expected to sign the legislation into law very soon.  The bill, HB 2368, was sponsored by state Rep. Susan Lynn (R).  According to the website of the Tennessee General Assembly, the "National Motto in the Classroom Act" would require "each local education agency to display the national motto, 'In God We Trust,' in a prominent location in each school."

Bloomfield must pay $700K for lawyer fees in Ten Commandments case.  The city of Bloomfield is considering using online fundraising to pay the $700,000 it owes from the lawsuit regarding the Ten Commandments monument that was formerly located outside of City Hall.  Because the courts ruled the monument violated the U.S. Constitution and represented a government endorsement of religion, the city must now pay the legal fees for the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the complaint in 2012 on behalf of two Bloomfield residents, Janie Felix and Buford Coone.  The nonprofit law firm Alliance Defending Freedom provided Bloomfield with free legal representation throughout the litigation process.

Man destroys new Ten Commandments statue at Arkansas Capitol.  Michael Tate Reed, 32, of Van Buren, Arkansas, was booked in the Pulaski County jail shortly after 7:30 a.m. on preliminary charges of defacing objects of public interest, criminal trespass and first-degree criminal mischief.  An arrest report lists his occupation as "unemployed/disabled."

Ten Commandments monument installed, Sen. Rapert presides.  Lawsuit to come.  The 10 Commandments monument was put in place on the Capitol grounds this morning and Sen. Jason Rapert, the evangelist who sponsored legislation to enable it, was on hand to preen before the cameras.  He insisted the monument — paid by private contributions — will withstand the legal challenge promised by the ACLU and others to state promotion of religion on the Capitol grounds.  He rests his case on Texas' similar monument — a relic from a movie decades ago that had become so enshrined and essentially invisible that the courts allowed it to stand when a challenge was raised many years later.  More recently, courts ordered removal of a monument in Oklahoma.

Court denies rehearing of Ten Commandments case.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver has denied a petition from the city of Bloomfield asking that the full court hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that requires the removal of a Ten Commandments monument on the lawn outside the town's City Hall.

Rev. Franklin Graham Slams Crusade to Remove 'In God We Trust' from Currency.  In a powerful social media post in favor of God and tradition, celebrated evangelist Franklin Graham has blasted the campaign of "41 atheists" to have America's motto, "In God We Trust," expurgated from U.S. bills and coins, appealing to American history and the faith of the nation's heroes.

Lawsuit demands US remove 'In God We Trust' from money.  A new lawsuit filed on behalf of several Atheist plaintiffs argues the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. money is unconstitutional, and calls for the government to get rid of it.  Sacramento attorney Michael Newdow filed the lawsuit Monday [1/11/2016] in Akron, Ohio.  He'd unsuccessfully sued the government at least twice challenging the use of the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.  Throughout much of his lawsuit, the word appears as "G-d."

Forced Conversion of Christians in America.  It was a scene guaranteed to gladden the heart of anyone who endorses the state religion of secular progressivism.  Under the cover of darkness, construction workers removed from the grounds of Oklahoma's state capitol a granite slab on which the Ten Commandments were engraved.  The furtive undertaking, which had the appearance of a mini apocalypse, complete with an eerie darkness and billowing stone dust clouds occurred within a state in which only 5.7% of the population declares itself "non-religious."

Ten Commandments monument removed from Oklahoma Capitol.  A granite monument of the Ten Commandments that has sparked controversy since its installation on the Oklahoma Capitol grounds was being removed late Monday [10/5/2015] and will be transported to a private conservative think tank for storage.

Federal Judge Smites Down Atheist Group's Ten Commandments Monument Lawsuit.  A federal judge has ruled that a Ten Commandments monument can remain in front of a public school in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pa.  The rulings ends — for now — a three-year-old lawsuit, filed by the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom from Religion Foundation, which called the Ten Commandments monument at Valley Junior-Senior High School in New Kensington unconstitutional, reports the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  U.S. District Judge Terrence F. McVerry ruled that the Freedom from Religion Foundation, as well as plaintiffs Marie Schaub and her unidentified daughter, failed to demonstrate that they have been sufficiently harmed by the monument.

Okla. Gov. Defies State Court Order to Remove 10 Commandments Monument.  Oklahoma Republican Governor Mary Fallin has announced that the Ten Commandments monument at the Capitol will remain, despite the ruling by the Oklahoma Supreme Court that it violates the state constitution and must be removed.  Fallin's action came as the state's Attorney General Scott Pruitt, also a Republican, asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court to reconsider its 7-2 decision ordering its removal.

The Ten Commandments should remain etched in the American experience.  When the Oklahoma Supreme Court demanded the removal of a ten foot monument to the Ten Commandments from the grounds of the State Capitol, it not only marginalized America's Judeo-Christian legacy, it trivialized the meaning of history itself.  Oklahoma's highest court said the Ten Commandments are "obviously religious in nature and are an integral part of the Jewish and Christian faiths."  Integral they may be, but to characterize their importance as chiefly religious requires willful neglect of our nation's history.

A Coming Era of Civil Disobedience?  The Oklahoma Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision, has ordered a monument of the Ten Commandments removed from the Capitol.  Calling the Commandments "religious in nature and an integral part of the Jewish and Christian faiths," the court said the monument must go.  Gov. Mary Fallin has refused.  And Oklahoma lawmakers instead have filed legislation to let voters cut out of their constitution the specific article the justices invoked.  Some legislators want the justices impeached.

10 Commandments statue must be removed from state Capitol, Oklahoma Supreme Court rules.  A Ten Commandments monument on the Oklahoma Capitol grounds is a religious symbol and must be removed because it violates the state's constitutional ban on using public property to benefit a religion, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Tuesday [6/30/2015].

City of Bloomfield will appeal Ten Commandments monument ruling.  City councilors unanimously voted on Wednesday [8/20/2014] to appeal a federal judge's ruling stating a monument at City Hall inscribed with the Ten Commandments is unconstitutional.  The city plans to appeal the judge's decision to a three-judge panel with the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.  The 10th Circuit has territorial jurisdiction in six states — New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.

Judge rules Ten Commandments monument must go.  A federal judge on Thursday [8/7/2014] ruled that a New Mexico city must remove a monument inscribed with the Ten Commandments from the lawn in front of Bloomfield City Hall.

Federal Court Rules 'In God We Trust' Will Remain on Coins and Currency.  Lost in a busy news week dominated by Syria, Putin, Obama's bungling, and the 9/11 anniversary was an important federal court ruling on September 10, resulting in a victory so that the motto "In God We Trust" can remain on all U.S. currency.

Federal court dismisses lawsuit to remove national motto "In God We Trust" from money.  Atheist groups and individuals argued that the national motto conveys a religious message that violates separation of church and state and puts them in a position of spreading a religious message when they engage in commerce.

A Victory for Liberty, a Defeat for Anti-Christian Activists.  Recently, ACLJ successfully defended a baseless complaint filed with the Florida Commission on Human Rights (FCHR) against our client, a family-owned private business owner that runs an education resource center in Florida.  The center provides curriculum, educational materials and meeting rooms to support existing homeschool curriculum, tutoring and other activities, as well as to provide meeting rooms for community events.

Victory: In God We Still Trust.  On Tuesday [9/10/2013], Judge Harold Baer of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed a case in which eleven individuals, self-identified as Atheists and Secular Humanists, along with two associations, New York City Atheists and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), alleged that the national motto, "In God We Trust," is unconstitutional.  The plaintiffs sought to "strip the national motto from our Nation's currency."

Brief Amici Curiae [...] In Support of Defendants' Motion to Dismiss.  It is commonly understood that our government, its Constitution, and its laws are founded on a belief in God.  Mere acknowledgment of God by the government or government officials cannot be said to be an "establishment of religion" in violation of the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution.  This Nation's Founders based a national philosophy on a belief in Deity.  The Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights locate the source of inalienable rights in a Creator rather than in government precisely so that such rights cannot be stripped away by government.

Kentucky county removing Ten Commandments from schools.  Breathitt County school officials say they are removing Ten Commandments displays from the high school, middle school and elementary schools.

Jewish Group Files Amicus Brief Opposing Bible Display in Texas
A Jewish group filed an amicus brief in opposition to a Bible display in the entrance to a Texas courthouse.  Staley v. Harris County, Texas involves the showcase of a King James Bible open to passages chosen by a government employee, highlighted by red neon lighting.  "This display violates the constitutional principle of separation of church and state, and sends the message to non-adherents that they are outsiders in their own communities," Jeffrey Sinensky, American Jewish Committee's general counsel, said in a statement.  "The promotion of religion is particularly inappropriate in front of a government building where all people, regardless of faith, gather to pursue justice," he said.  "When government officials decide which particular religious message is most worthy of dissemination to the community, and how that message should be delivered, religion is diminished and religious liberty is denied," the brief states.

 — CNS News      

"We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."

Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation and the Nature of American Government.  In October 1789, President George Washington issued a thanksgiving proclamation "to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor...."  This proclamation was thus not merely a self-congratulation whereby the President and others applauded themselves for creating a new government provided by our Constitution.  At that point we were transitioning from the Articles of Confederation which had neither three distinct branches of government nor the idea of federalism embodied in its organization.  Would the new Constitution work?  Would the misgivings of some leaders prove to be legitimate?  In answer to these questions the proclamation expressed its reliance on the providence of Almighty God, not on a self-conscious self-confidence of those who created the Constitution.  Despite the learning and brilliance of many of the Constitution's promoters (think particularly of the vision and skills of James Madison, the key figure in its writing), Washington determined to put the success of the venture in the hands of Almighty God.  He understood that true thankfulness and radical humility go hand in hand.

Joe Biden Snubs 'Almighty God' in Thanksgiving Proclamation.  President Joe Biden omitted any reference to Almighty God or Divine Providence Thursday in his annual proclamation of the quintessentially American feast of Thanksgiving.  In his own 1863 presidential proclamation instituting Thanksgiving as a national holiday, Abraham Lincoln urged his fellow Americans to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."  Even in the midst of the civil war, Lincoln recalled the many blessings and bounties bestowed on the nation, attributing them all to the Almighty.

Biden Officially Attempts to Remove God from Thanksgiving with 2023 Proclamation.  Since the first Thanksgiving on Plymouth Rock and its subsequent establishment as a day of thanks on Oct. 3, 1789, the recipient of that thanks on behalf of the United States of America has always been God.  But in keeping with the destruction of everything good and virtuous in this nation, this year, God has been removed as the recipient of thanks on Thanksgiving.  On Wednesday, President Biden released his Thanksgiving proclamation for 2023.  For the first time in American history, the proclamation completely omitted any reference to God or faith.  [Tweet]

Why Radicals Want to Sully Thanksgiving.  A group called Truthsgiving recently hosted a night of "truth-telling, music, and laughter celebrating indigenous culture and history."  Not that this is new, of course — claims that Thanksgiving, "glorifies colonialism, slavery, and even epidemics" have been made before.  It's tempting to simply dismiss such absurd charges.  They solicit eyerolls and an annoyed feeling that anything can be cause for offense.  Yet sometimes such movements are more insidious than we realize.  If you ask many people what Thanksgiving is about, they will provide an honest and accurate response:  family and gratitude.  And here we see why some radicals want to sully a unifying and wholesome holiday like Thanksgiving.  Doing so taints a family occasion and promotes ingratitude, which helps undermine the American character.  So it's easy to see why they're targeting a holiday centered around the family.

Constraining Thanksgiving Commercialism.  The commercial nexus isn't even that new:  it goes back more than four score years!  Up until 1939, Americans observed Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November.  But that could be as late as November 29 or 30, as it was that year, leaving a bit over three weeks till Christmas.  Wanting to get Americans out of Depression doldrums, FDR switched Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November, giving retailers a little extra time cushion to sell their wares. [...] But perhaps the most invidious seepage of commercialization into Thanksgiving has been the creep into Thanksgiving itself.  Once upon a time, "Black Friday" started a little earlier on Friday morning.  Gradually, kickoff time got earlier and earlier until some stores were opening at midnight.  But to open to customers at midnight means staff needs to be there earlier, i.e., on Thanksgiving itself.

America's First Thanksgiving.  [Scroll down]  Squanto was instrumental in the survival of the Pilgrims — so much so that, according to William Bradford, the Pilgrims considered Squanto "a special instrument sent of God for their good, beyond their expectation."  Massasoit also was an amazing example of God's providential care for the Pilgrims.  Like Powhatan had been at Jamestown, Massasoit was probably the only other native chief on the northeast coast of America who would have welcomed the white man as a friend.  The summer of 1621 was beautiful and, thanks in no small measure to the help of Squanto, bountiful.  Governor Bradford declared a day of public Thanksgiving to be held in October.  Massasoit was invited.  Surprising the Pilgrims, he showed up a day early with 90 of his tribe.  To feed such a crowd, the Pilgrims would have to go deep into their food supply.  However, Massasoit did not show up empty-handed.  He had instructed his braves to hunt for the occasion, and they came with several dressed dear and fat turkeys.  The Thanksgiving turned into a three-day celebration filled with feasting and games.

Media, Schools Continue to Demonize Thanksgiving.  In recent years, several left-wing institutions, including the mainstream media and public education, have ramped up their attacks against the beloved holiday of Thanksgiving, often falsely accusing the holiday of remembering racism and violence that never occurred.  Thanksgiving is remembered as the special feast held by the Pilgrims after they first arrived to America aboard the Mayflower in 1620, and was historically significant as an occasion where the Pilgrims and the Native Americans were able to come together peacefully and enjoy the abundance of natural resources that the New World had to offer.  In the following centuries, it is observed as a holiday where Americans express thanks and gratitude for family, friends, and other blessings in their lives.  However, as reported by Fox News, far-left activists and pundits have used the mainstream media to viciously bash the concept of Thanksgiving.

Why the 400th Anniversary of Thanksgiving Matters Today.  The Thanksgiving holiday, which commemorates one part of the Pilgrim story, remains the favorite holiday for many Americans.  And for good reasons beyond enjoying a feast.  With 2021 being the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving, it is worth revisiting the Pilgrim "character" and their five significant achievements, which created the seminal story of America and reveals remarkable insight into who we are.  First, of the many groups of settlers who came to America, only the Pilgrims were singularly motivated by a quest for religious freedom.  They repeatedly spoke about their voyage to the New World in terms of a flight from tyranny to freedom, comparing themselves to God's chosen people — the Israelites — who overcame slavery and abuse in Egypt to get to the Promised Land.  Similar to the Israelite's exodus, the Pilgrims had left what they saw as oppressive and morally corrupt authorities in Great Britain and Europe to create a new life in America.  Thanksgiving could be thought of as the holiday that made the other American holidays possible.

Los Angeles Public Schools Teach Students That Celebrating Thanksgiving Is Evil.  The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest public school district in the nation with more than 640,000 K-12 students enrolled, discouraged students from celebrating Thanksgiving this year, instead offering an alternative holiday in its place.  The LAUSD Office of Human Relations, Diversity & Equity prepared a number of presentations called "Advisory Lessons" that push left-wing beliefs and are intended to be shown to students.  The website also describes the need for teachers to talk to students about "power, privilege, oppression, and resistance."  One such lesson is called "Let's Talk About Thanksgiving."  It starts out innocently enough, asking students if they prefer pie or turkey.  Then the presentation lists a number of objectives, one of which is "Reflect on how you can honor the true meaning of Thanksgiving."  What exactly is this true meaning, you might ask?  The presentation doesn't waste any time, jumping into a video from MTV titled "Everything You Know About Thanksgiving Is Wrong."

The war on Thanksgiving is real and it's spectacular.  While most of us are celebrating a day intended to remind us to be thankful for the various blessings in our lives, there will always be some people so consumed with politics that they will play a role equivalent to the Grinch at Christmas.  That seems to be the point being made this week by Matt Lewis in his latest column at the Daily Beast.  The holiday is a target for some on the left who equate it to the genocide of indigenous Americans, colonialism and slavery.  Matt further argues that there are some on the conservative side of the fence who have given up on the idea of American exceptionalism and might prefer some sort of monarchy where obedience to God and country are mandatory, stomping out some of the disruptive proclamations of the modern left.

The Forgotten History of America's Thanksgiving and What It Commemorates.  Thanksgiving is the oldest national holiday in the United States.  However, it's observation is not a continuous presence in American history.  While the celebration of Thanksgiving predates even the founding of the nation, it was proclaimed by George Washington, then ignored by Thomas Jefferson.  From then on, it was sporadically observed until Abraham Lincoln, who once again introduced a National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving to the United States.  Indeed, it was Lincoln who set the day as the last Thursday in November.

A Response to Thanksgiving History as Told by the NYT.  The NYT gives space to a lily-white George Washington University History Professor, David J. Silverman, who, surprise, thinks that Thanksgiving is a tragedy of colonialism.  He states that the "Native American past and present tend to make white people uncomfortable because they turn patriotic histories and heroes inside out and loosen claims on morality, authority and justice."  According to this [writer], white people were evil, while red people were pristine, good, and with a culture that was "every bit as ancient and rich as in Europe."  Thanks for the Howard Zinn version of history, professor.  The reality is that all of the Eastern woodland Indian tribes were a stone age people without iron metallurgy or even the wheel.  They were in constant warfare with other tribes each trying to take the other's land or defend their own.

How Capitalism Made Thanksgiving Possible.  Many folks don't realize it, but the English Puritans who settled Plymouth, Massachusetts initially adopted a socialist system of profit sharing to provide for their material needs.  Under this proposed system each man in the colony would work the farms and fields, and each would receive an equal portion of the harvest.  It did not take long for Colonial Governor William Bradford to learn that this was a recipe for economic and cultural disaster.  The unintended, although predictable, consequence of such collectivism in early colonial America was starvation and economic stagnation.

Why The Left Hates Thanksgiving.  Why is it so hard for the left to be thankful?  The answer is as easy as pumpkin pie.  The left is a movement built on resentment.  And resentment and gratitude are opposing emotions.  That is why the left really hates Thanksgiving.  The revisionist autopsies of American history and the guides to sensitively calling your uncle a racist are about substituting resentment for thankfulness.  Whether it's a family getting together once a year, the Pilgrims and the Indian tribesmen breaking bread or the White House press corps being asked to talk about the good things in their lives, a moment of thankfulness has to be ruined with resentment.  Resentment is the force that gives the left meaning.

Here's why we should still celebrate the Pilgrims at Thanksgiving.  For most American families, Thanksgiving is a time to gather with loved ones, eat delicious food, and perhaps watch some football.  But not everyone is pleased with the celebration of this holiday, and some have taken to maligning its "originators," the Pilgrims.  An editorial in Al Jazeera labeled Thanksgiving a "thoroughly nauseating affair," one that is "saturated with disgrace."  Other articles have called the Pilgrims genocidal toward Native Americans, or argued that the original idea of a Thanksgiving feast is a "myth."  "Debunking" the nature and origin of Thanksgiving seems to be turning into its own cottage industry.

The Origins of Thanksgiving.  The original Pilgrims belonged to the "English Dissenters" a religious group who wanted to worship God in their own way, without belonging to the hierarchical state church.  At that time, they had suffered persecutions for not attending official "Anglican" church services.  Genuine Puritans obliged the government of King James I, and attended Church of England services.  Anyone who did not attend these official Sunday services was fined.  Two of the leaders of the English Dissenters had been executed for "sedition," and these executions hastened the desire of the Pilgrims to leave England.  The Netherlands had provided a safe refuge for many of their number, but America seemed more promising.

What Our Presidents' Thanksgiving Proclamations Tell Us About America.  George Washington issued the first presidential proclamation on October 3, 1789, recommending all Americans to set aside November 26 as a "Day of National Thanksgiving."  He and his successors through James Madison issued similar proclamations, but only sparingly and at various times of the year.  From 1815 through 1860 there were no thanksgiving proclamations whatsoever.  Abraham Lincoln, who venerated Washington and often followed his example, began issuing proclamations his first year in office.  But not until October 3, 1863, the very same day Washington had done 74 years earlier, did the annual tradition begin.

The Origins and Traditions of Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is a venerable and much-beloved American holiday.  In colonial times it was primarily a harvest holiday, in which the colonists offered thanks for a good harvest, sometimes by feasting, sometimes by fasting.  A holiday was already celebrated in the Spanish colony of Florida in the 16th century, and in the British colonies of Virginia and Massachusetts in the 17th century, most famously in 1621, when the Pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts celebrated their first successful harvest in the company of some of the Native American tribesmen.  Thanksgiving became a regularly celebrated national holiday only during the Civil War, when Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a day of national Thanksgiving in 1863.  The holiday became fixed to the fourth Thursday in November by an act of the United States Congress in 1941.

George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation.  Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and — whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness": [...]

Easter is a pagan holiday that has morphed its way into Christianity..  [Scroll down]  But the word being translated "Easter" [in Acts 12, verse 4] is "Pascha" which is the Greek word for Passover.  Verse 3 proves it is a reference to Passover because Passover is the beginning of the Days of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12).  Easter is a single day, but "after the Passover" is a reference to Passover and the entire week of the Days of Unleavened Bread.  Saying they wanted to apprehend him after Easter makes no sense in a Jewish sense because they would have no respect to the anniversary of a resurrection they did not believe in nor would they have respect for the observance of a fertility goddess.  This is a very basic look at Easter and why it's not biblical.

The Ancient Pagan Origins of Easter.  Easter is a festival and holiday celebrated by millions of people around the world who honor the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred three days after his crucifixion at Calvary. [...] While Easter, as we know it today, was never a pagan festival, its roots and many of its traditions have associations with ancient pagan customs and beliefs.  According to the New Unger's Bible Dictionary:  "The word Easter is of Saxon origin, Eastra, the goddess of spring, in whose honour sacrifices were offered about Passover time each year.  By the eighth century Anglo-Saxons had adopted the name to designate the celebration of Christ's resurrection."  However, even among those who maintain that Easter has pagan roots, there is some disagreement over which pagan tradition the festival emerged from.

Is Easter Pagan?  The Holiday's Origins and History.  [Scroll down]  One principal objection to this feast is the name "Easter."  It is often said that this name is a thinly veiled pagan name drawn from the Babylonian fertility goddess Ishtar, also known as Astarte or Ashtoreth in other pagan cultures encountered by the Israelites in biblical times.  These names are certainly similar to the name "Easter."  However, as I note in other articles, the name "Easter" is only known from one single historical source, written by the Venerable Bede, an eighth-century English Christian monk.  Bede briefly identifies the name as referring to a pagan goddess that formerly had a feast at a similar time, and that the old name was used to celebrate the new Christian feast.  This is a clear example of syncretism, where Christian and pagan elements are mingled since a pagan Anglo-Saxon name came to be associated with the Christian feast.  But Bede did not seem troubled by this name, nor did anyone else down through history until fairly recent times.

Easter Sunday.  Easter or Ishtar, also known by her biblical name Semiramis and later called the "Queen of heaven" was the widow of Nimrod and mother of Tammuz.  Easter is the bare breasted pagan fertility goddess of the east.  Legend has it that she came out of heaven in a giant egg, landing in the Euphrates river at sunrise on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox, busted out, and turned a bird into an egg laying rabbit.  To honor this event, pagan sun-worshippers would go out early in the morning and face to the east to watch their sun-god arise over the horizon before having a mass (sacrifice) in which the priest of Easter would sacrifice three month old human infants and take the eggs of Easter and [dye] them in the blood of the sacrificed infants.  The blood-red colored Easter eggs would later hatch on December 25th, the same day her son Tammuz the reincarnate sun-god would be born... how convenient!  Easter married her son Tammuz who was by legend the reincarnate sun-god.  Tammuz went pig hunting and was gored to death by a wild boar and that is why pagans eat ham on Easter.  Because Tammuz was killed when he was forty years old, pagans fast one day for each of the years that he lived leading into Easter.  This practice is known as Weeping for Tammuz by pagans but called Lent by Catholics.

Easter.  Easter is a very peculiar Christian holiday, which doesn't fall on a specific date as all the other festivities, but it is based on the cycle of the moon: in fact, it falls on the first Spring Sunday after the new moon.  The Jewish root of the Christian Easter Holiday are widely known: the Christian festivity is in fact connected to the holiday of Passover, which has its foundation in the exodus of the Jews from Egypt.  But many traditions associated with Easter show completely different (and pagan) origins:  in fact, the word "Easter" itself comes from the name of Eostre, the Germanic goddess of Spring.  The famous Easter Eggs and the Easter bunny, which is supposed to deliver candies to the kids, were originally associated with Eostre, as symbols of rebirth and fertility.

Paganism and Easter.  The only time the word "Easter" is found in the Bible (Acts 12:4), it is there by mistranslation.  The word in the original Greek is "Passover."  Jesus died at the time of the Passover feast, but the Passover is not Easter and Jesus did not die at Easter time.  Easter is an ancient spring festival.  Long before the time of Christ, the pagan goddess Ishtar, or sometimes known as Astarte or Ashtoreth, was worshiped in different countries.  Our modern practice of sunrise worship originates from the pagan festival honoring Ishtar.  The story of Easter also helps explain how Sunday became sacred and the origin of virgin worship.  Centuries before the birth of Christ, Satan encouraged people to have religious beliefs and practices that would imitate the coming Saviour's resurrection.  This statue represents the mother goddess figure, known under many names such as Artemis, Diana, and Cybele.  This figure becomes Mary in Catholic circles.  This was a brilliant strategy that kept people from recognizing and appreciating the plan of salvation.  Because pagans had similar beliefs of a "resurrection" before Christ, it is much easier to say that Christ's resurrection was just another version of the same old pagan story from long ago that has nothing to do with reality or a plan of salvation of any kind.  Many scoffers use this type of reasoning to explain away the Bible's truths.

Alternative viewpoint [#1]:
Is the Name "Easter" of Pagan Origin?  According to various sources, the name Easter has its origin with a goddess of the Anglo-Saxons named Eostre (also Estre, Estara, Eastre, Ostara, and similar spellings in various sources).  It is believed that she is the goddess of the dawn and was worshipped in the spring by pagans in Northern Europe and the British Isles.  In The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop claimed Eostre is actually a name derived from the Babylonian goddess Astarte.  Hislop extended this connection to include goddesses from around the world:  Ishtar, Ashtoreth, Venus, and others.  In fact, Hislop argued that all of the systems of gods and goddesses find their origin with Nimrod and his wife Semiramis at the Tower of Babel.  Thus, every primary god is a figure of Nimrod, and every primary goddess is a figure of Semiramis.  Similar claims are made by Ralph Woodrow in his 1966 book Babylon Mystery Religion, but Woodrow drew heavily on Hislop's work to support his claims.  The thesis of each of these books is to connect the modern practices of the Roman Catholic Church to the idolatrous worship of various gods.  While many of the claims in the books are sound, the connection of Eostre to these other goddesses is tenuous at best.

Alternative viewpoint [#2]:
Does Easter Have a Pagan Origin and Roots?  [Quoting whom, they do not say:]  "All the fun things about Easter are pagan.  Bunnies are a leftover from the pagan festival of Eostre."  Hot cross buns are related to "Israelites baking sweet buns for an idol, and religious leaders trying to put a stop to it."  Eventually, "defiant cake-baking pagan women" were successful and a cross was added to the buns to Christianize them.  Today we eat chocolate bunnies and hunt for colorful eggs.  The hare and egg are symbols "associated with Eostre, representing the beginning of Springtime.  In Germanic mythology, it is said that Ostara a.k.a. Eostre "healed a wounded bird she found in the woods by changing it into a hare.  Still partially a bird, the hare showed its gratitude to the goddess by laying eggs as gifts." [...] "Easter" is only a name, adopted and transformed over centuries to become a Christ-centered reference until recent generations where many young people no longer recognize the name of Jesus as anything more than an expletive.  However, using the name Easter "is not a problem" because "the origin of the word does not mean that the word is bad."  If we want to "be consistent and avoid using [pagan] words," Christians will also have to find new names for the planets and the days of the week.  "Christians remember that Jesus, after dying on the cross, rose from the dead, showing that life could win over death.  For Christians, the egg is a symbol of the tomb [...] while cracking the egg represents Jesus' resurrection.  In the Orthodox tradition, eggs are painted red to symbolize the blood Jesus shed on the cross."  Easter traditions can be redeemed, and the fun of Easter is still permissible.

America's Stunning Embrace Of Paganism Signals The End Of This Country As We Know It.  It's hard to survey the state of our country and not conclude that something is very wrong in America.  I don't just mean with our economy or the border or rampant crime in our cities, but with our basic grasp on reality itself. [...] America was founded not just on certain ideals but on a certain kind of people, a predominantly Christian people, and it depends for its survival on their moral virtue, without which the entire experiment in self-government will unravel.  As Christianity fades in America, so too will our system of government, our civil society, and all our rights and freedoms.  Without a national culture shaped by the Christian faith, without a majority consensus in favor of traditional Christian morality, America as we know it will come to an end.  Instead of free citizens in a republic, we will be slaves in a pagan empire.

The Declaration of Independence Founded a Theistic Republic.  Mike Johnson opened his tenure as Speaker of the House with a speech citing the creator God mentioned in the Declaration of Independence.  The speech drew criticism from columnists in the Washington Post, Time, PBS, and the New York Times, among others.  Much of it shifted between Johnson's support of Trump, his church affiliations, and his penchant for employing biblical language.  Each of the columns raced to the accusation that Johnson is a Christian nationalist.  Yet none of them offered a counterargument to the fact that the Declaration of Independence actually does reference God in the course of justifying America's separation from the British.  The Declaration in fact makes four references to God, using the parlance of the 18th century.  The first reference is in its opening paragraph, which appeals to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God," thus grounding the legitimacy of the new "thirteen united States of America" in natural law and its divine author.  This nation endeavors to conform to God's moral order from its inception.

Politics Is Downstream from Culture, but What Is Culture Downstream From?  America was fortunate to be founded when that religion was a passionate, decentralized, and freedom-loving Christianity as the basis for historic American religious tolerance.  When America could, broadly speaking, be described as one nation under God, the tripartite cycle of religion, culture, and politics originated in generative energy from the beliefs of distinctly American, pro-God religious consciousness that inspired the exploration of truth, meaning, and joy of a national cultural idiom, which in turn influenced the parameters of political endeavors.  In classical, pro-God America, the inspiration for a civilization of freedom and equality came from the unifying assumptions of theistic belief.  The assumptive belief in God and in the universal divine nature of all humans enabled the generation of a predominantly uplifting culture, which in turn was upstream from a generally lawfully and respectfully conducted political process.  That one nation under God has been irrevocably broken into two, irreconcilable American civilizations, one based in life and the other based in death.

Is Christianity the Religion of America?  Last week, we discussed the first Muslim representative elected to the Pennsylvania legislature who demanded an apology from another member because they began their session with a prayer to Jesus Christ, calling it 'highly offensive.'"  I received a message from a reader, who I believe to be sincere, stating, "The Founders NEVER intended to favor Christianity over any other religion...  None of the founders were explicitly Christian except the couple who were ministers.  These arguments that the founders favored Christianity are historically incorrect, divisive, and anti-American.  Your intent is only to rile up fear for political purposes."  Let's take a look at what a majority of our Founders believed. [...]

Anarchy is Swallowing Up the Social Order.  The true conservatives have it right.  We need to go back to our Christian biblical moral roots, and to checks and balances and federalism as understood by the Founders, as well as a more unwavering belief in free enterprise. [...] The biblical/founding values are based on government's existence to promote the well-being of the individuals living under that government, individuals as individuals, not members of a subgrouping according to sex, race, age, mental functioning, health, etc.  Thus, there is a divergence between the path taken by government in recent decades and the philosophical premises of our society as built upon a foundation of biblical morality.

Your Family Can Save Our Civilization.  We have dignity not because a government deigns to give us dignity.  And we don't have dignity simply because we're the most intelligent animal.  We have dignity because, as the Bible tells us, we are made in the image of our God.  There is a reason that the founding document of this great nation has the word "Creator" with a capital-C in it.  All of this garbage about the founders being deists — oh really?  Read what they wrote.  Listen to what they said.  They were Christians and they believed that our unalienable rights came because we are made in the image of our Creator.

Did America Have a Christian Founding?  In 1776, every European American, with the exception of about 2,500 Jews, identified himself or herself as a Christian.  Moreover, approximately 98 percent of the colonists were Protestants, with the remaining 1.9 percent being Roman Catholics. [...] Puritans separated church and state, but they clearly thought the two institutions should work in tandem to support, protect, and promote true Christianity.  Other colonies, however, are often described as being significantly different from those in New England.  Historian John Fea, for instance, contends that "the real appeal of Jamestown was economic opportunity and the very real possibility of striking it rich."  It is certainly the case that colonists were attracted to the New World by economic opportunity (in New England as well as in the South), and yet even in the southern colonies the protection and promotion of Christianity was more important than many authors assume.

The Protestant Work Ethic and the Founding of America.  Lost in the shuffle in the left-right divide nowadays is the historical fact that religious Protestants founded this country in the seventeenth century.  How religious were they?  They refused to allow anyone to serve in local governments who would not forswear the "papacy" and allegiance to Rome.  Record after record proves it.  Were they religious bigots?  Maybe by our modern standards, but all the provinces, which morphed into states, were always nervous about attacks from France and its Indian allies, for they wreaked havoc in New England from Canada often enough.  They were genuinely afraid of spies when the French Huguenots settled among them.  They were also nervous about a Spanish invasion.

Our Founders' Christian Faith Helped to Ensure Our Independence.  As Americans celebrate July 4, our Independence Day, it is worthwhile to remind ourselves that our great nation was founded by men and women who shared a strong faith in God and trust in His Divine Providence.  Below are some remarks about our religious heritage from the Founders.  Enjoy them and share them. [...]

America's Christian Roots, In the Words of Our Founders.  Barely a week goes by without some challenge to our nation's Judeo-Christian roots in the name of the separation of church and state.  But as another Fourth of July is upon us, it's interesting to note what the founders said in their own words.