Leaders Angry at Democrats, McCain | theledger.com: "Saturday, May 28, 2005 | By KEVIN ECKSTROM & ADELLE M. BANKS | Religion News Service
WASHINGTON -- Richard Land, James Dobson and Paul Weyrich are angry -- angry at 'activist' judges who they say are legislating from the bench, angry at Democrats who try to derail judicial nominations and angry at Republicans who are allowing the filibuster to survive.
But these leaders of the Christian right reserve a special anger for Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who helped broker a compromise on judicial nominees with seven Democrats and six other Republicans.
McCain can 'forget about his presidential ambitions' in 2008, said Weyrich, co-founder of the now-defunct Moral Majority and president of the Washington-based Free Congress Foundation."
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Judge: Parents can't teach pagan beliefs
Judge: Parents can't teach pagan beliefs: "May 26, 2005 | Judge: Parents can't teach pagan beliefs | By Kevin Corcoran | kevin.corcoran@indystar.com
Father appeals order in divorce decree that prevents couple from exposing son to Wicca.
An Indianapolis father is appealing a Marion County judge's unusual order that prohibits him and his ex-wife from exposing their child to "non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals."
The parents practice Wicca, a contemporary pagan religion that emphasizes a balance in nature and reverence for the earth.
Father appeals order in divorce decree that prevents couple from exposing son to Wicca.
An Indianapolis father is appealing a Marion County judge's unusual order that prohibits him and his ex-wife from exposing their child to "non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals."
The parents practice Wicca, a contemporary pagan religion that emphasizes a balance in nature and reverence for the earth.
Friday, May 27, 2005
'James Dobson: Who does he think he is, questioning my conservative credentials?' ... 'Some of his language and conduct is quite un-Christian
Daily Kos :: Political Analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation.: "Lott vs Dobson | by kos | Mon May 23rd, 2005 at 12:35:46 PDT
If Frist fails, expect more of this.
'James Dobson: Who does he think he is, questioning my conservative credentials?' Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., said in an interview. Dobson, head of the conservative group Focus on the Family, criticized Lott for his efforts to forge a compromise in the fight over the judges. Lott is still angry. 'Some of his language and conduct is quite un-Christian, and I don't appreciate it,' the senator said.
Dobson is seriously overreaching, and he'll be scapegoat number one if Frist fails. And since Frist has hitched his wagon to the Dobson express... "
If Frist fails, expect more of this.
'James Dobson: Who does he think he is, questioning my conservative credentials?' Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., said in an interview. Dobson, head of the conservative group Focus on the Family, criticized Lott for his efforts to forge a compromise in the fight over the judges. Lott is still angry. 'Some of his language and conduct is quite un-Christian, and I don't appreciate it,' the senator said.
Dobson is seriously overreaching, and he'll be scapegoat number one if Frist fails. And since Frist has hitched his wagon to the Dobson express... "
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
pushing US to become a "theocracy.": "I don't want us to become another Saudi Arabia or another Iraq"
DenverPost.com - HOME: "05/25/2005 02:21:00 AM | Religious right vows payback for brokers of filibuster pact | By Eric Gorski | Denver Post Staff Writer
This week's compromise over Senate filibusters greatly disappointed Focus on the Family and its allies, who believed November election victories would help fulfill their long-held wish for a conservative makeover of the federal judiciary.
But representatives from conservative Christian groups who made the filibuster their signature issue suggest a severe price might be paid by the 14 Democrats and Republicans who brokered the last-minute deal.
'Any of them who have White House aspirations should get used to living in the doghouse,' said Jan LaRue, chief counsel of Concerned Women for America."
...
James C. Dobson, founder of the Colorado Springs-based Focus, urged supporters to flood the Senate switchboard with calls to do away with the filibuster.
"We share the disappointment, outrage and sense of abandonment felt by millions of conservative Americans who helped put Republicans in power last November," Dobson said in a statement. "I am certain that these voters will remember both Democrats and Republicans who betrayed their trust."
...
Salazar agitated ministry leadership again Tuesday by saying Dobson and other Christian conservatives are pushing the country to become a "theocracy."
"I don't want us to become another Saudi Arabia or another Iraq, and I think that people who are part of that radical right would have our country go in that direction," Salazar said in an interview with MSNBC.
This week's compromise over Senate filibusters greatly disappointed Focus on the Family and its allies, who believed November election victories would help fulfill their long-held wish for a conservative makeover of the federal judiciary.
But representatives from conservative Christian groups who made the filibuster their signature issue suggest a severe price might be paid by the 14 Democrats and Republicans who brokered the last-minute deal.
'Any of them who have White House aspirations should get used to living in the doghouse,' said Jan LaRue, chief counsel of Concerned Women for America."
...
James C. Dobson, founder of the Colorado Springs-based Focus, urged supporters to flood the Senate switchboard with calls to do away with the filibuster.
"We share the disappointment, outrage and sense of abandonment felt by millions of conservative Americans who helped put Republicans in power last November," Dobson said in a statement. "I am certain that these voters will remember both Democrats and Republicans who betrayed their trust."
...
Salazar agitated ministry leadership again Tuesday by saying Dobson and other Christian conservatives are pushing the country to become a "theocracy."
"I don't want us to become another Saudi Arabia or another Iraq, and I think that people who are part of that radical right would have our country go in that direction," Salazar said in an interview with MSNBC.
Danieltown Baptist Church [sign] reads "The Koran needs to be flushed," [... free speech or religious incitement?]
The Digital Courier: Church sign sparks debate: "
By JOSH HUMPHRIES Daily Courier Staff Writer
FOREST CITY -- A sign in front of a Baptist church on one of the most traveled highways in the county stirred controversy over religious tolerance and first-amendment rights this weekend.
A sign in front of Danieltown Baptist Church, located at 2361 U.S. 221 south reads "The Koran needs to be flushed," and the Rev. Creighton Lovelace, pastor of the church, is not apologizing for the display.
"I believe that it is a statement supporting the word of God and that it (the Bible) is above all and that any other religious book that does not teach Christ as savior and lord as the 66 books of the Bible teaches it, is wrong," said Lovelace. "I knew that whenever we decided to put that sign up that there would be people who wouldn't agree with it, and there would be some that would, and so we just have to stand up for what's right."
...
She said that according to Islamic faith, a follower does not even touch the Koran without going through a ritual cleansing. Muslims believe the physical book to be a sacred item that is treated with respect and reverence, much like the image of Jesus in Christianity, according to a report on National Public Radio.
By JOSH HUMPHRIES Daily Courier Staff Writer
FOREST CITY -- A sign in front of a Baptist church on one of the most traveled highways in the county stirred controversy over religious tolerance and first-amendment rights this weekend.
A sign in front of Danieltown Baptist Church, located at 2361 U.S. 221 south reads "The Koran needs to be flushed," and the Rev. Creighton Lovelace, pastor of the church, is not apologizing for the display.
"I believe that it is a statement supporting the word of God and that it (the Bible) is above all and that any other religious book that does not teach Christ as savior and lord as the 66 books of the Bible teaches it, is wrong," said Lovelace. "I knew that whenever we decided to put that sign up that there would be people who wouldn't agree with it, and there would be some that would, and so we just have to stand up for what's right."
...
She said that according to Islamic faith, a follower does not even touch the Koran without going through a ritual cleansing. Muslims believe the physical book to be a sacred item that is treated with respect and reverence, much like the image of Jesus in Christianity, according to a report on National Public Radio.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Pro-family leaders are expressing outrage over a compromise deal in the Senate that will allow a vote on some of the president's heretofore filibuster
News from Agape Press: "Senate Compromise Amounts to 'Betrayal,' Say Pro-Family Leaders | By Fred Jackson, Jody Brown, and Bill Fancher | May 24, 2005
(AgapePress) - Pro-family leaders are expressing outrage over a compromise deal in the Senate that will allow a vote on some of the president's heretofore filibustered judicial nominees, but preserves the tactic for liberal Democrats to use against nominees they deem too conservative."
(AgapePress) - Pro-family leaders are expressing outrage over a compromise deal in the Senate that will allow a vote on some of the president's heretofore filibustered judicial nominees, but preserves the tactic for liberal Democrats to use against nominees they deem too conservative."
Friday, May 20, 2005
Congress moves to restrict court rulings on God
May 18, 2005 Headlines | Congress moves to restrict court rulings on God: "May 21, 2005
WASHINGTON — Conservatives balk at accusations that the current Congress and the Bush administration are intent on turning the United States into a theocracy. Yet, a bill sponsored by 28 members of the U.S. House and Senate looks like a move in that direction.
According to the text of the bill, the proposed Constitution Restoration Act of 2005 would remove the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction over “any matter to the extent that relief is sought against an entity of Federal, State, or local government, or against an officer or agent of Federal, State, or local government (whether or not acting in official or personal capacity), concerning that entity’s, officer’s, or agent’s acknowledgment of God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government.”
...
If passed, the bill also would limit the ability of judges to interpret the Constitution if it involved “any constitution, law, administrative rule, Executive order, directive, policy, judicial decision, or any other action of any foreign state or international organization or agency, other than English constitutional and common law up to the time of the adoption of the Constitution of the United States.”
Judges who fail to comply could be impeached or prosecuted.
WASHINGTON — Conservatives balk at accusations that the current Congress and the Bush administration are intent on turning the United States into a theocracy. Yet, a bill sponsored by 28 members of the U.S. House and Senate looks like a move in that direction.
According to the text of the bill, the proposed Constitution Restoration Act of 2005 would remove the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction over “any matter to the extent that relief is sought against an entity of Federal, State, or local government, or against an officer or agent of Federal, State, or local government (whether or not acting in official or personal capacity), concerning that entity’s, officer’s, or agent’s acknowledgment of God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government.”
...
If passed, the bill also would limit the ability of judges to interpret the Constitution if it involved “any constitution, law, administrative rule, Executive order, directive, policy, judicial decision, or any other action of any foreign state or international organization or agency, other than English constitutional and common law up to the time of the adoption of the Constitution of the United States.”
Judges who fail to comply could be impeached or prosecuted.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Florida Graduations Can Be Held at Church
Newsday.com: Florida Graduations Can Be Held at Church: "By MIKE BRANOM | Associated Press Writer | May 18, 2005, 5:29 PM EDT
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A federal judge ruled Wednesday that four public high schools can hold graduation ceremonies in a church and do not have to cover up the 16-foot cross in the sanctuary.
U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell refused to stop the ceremonies because the plaintiffs -- a student, her Buddhist father and an atheist parent who contend the use of Calvary Chapel in Melbourne violates the separation of church and state -- filed their case too late. "
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A federal judge ruled Wednesday that four public high schools can hold graduation ceremonies in a church and do not have to cover up the 16-foot cross in the sanctuary.
U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell refused to stop the ceremonies because the plaintiffs -- a student, her Buddhist father and an atheist parent who contend the use of Calvary Chapel in Melbourne violates the separation of church and state -- filed their case too late. "
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Teenage graduates of the program, after signing a covenant "before God Almighty" to remain virgins, receive a silver ring inscribed with a Bible passa
ACLU Sues HHS Over Abstinence Aid: "By Ceci Connolly | Washington Post Staff Writer | Tuesday, May 17, 2005; Page A10
The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit yesterday against the Department of Health and Human Services, accusing the Bush administration of spending federal tax dollars on an abstinence education program that promotes Christianity.
Filed in federal court in Boston, the lawsuit alleges that the programs and educational materials distributed by Silver Ring Thing are "permeated with religion" and use "taxpayer dollars to promote religious content, instruction and indoctrination."
Silver Ring Thing is a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit that promotes abstinence until marriage through its Web site, brochures, videos and seminars. Teenage graduates of the program, after signing a covenant "before God Almighty" to remain virgins, receive a silver ring inscribed with a Bible passage that the group renders as "God wants you to be holy, so you should keep clear of sexual sin."
The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit yesterday against the Department of Health and Human Services, accusing the Bush administration of spending federal tax dollars on an abstinence education program that promotes Christianity.
Filed in federal court in Boston, the lawsuit alleges that the programs and educational materials distributed by Silver Ring Thing are "permeated with religion" and use "taxpayer dollars to promote religious content, instruction and indoctrination."
Silver Ring Thing is a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit that promotes abstinence until marriage through its Web site, brochures, videos and seminars. Teenage graduates of the program, after signing a covenant "before God Almighty" to remain virgins, receive a silver ring inscribed with a Bible passage that the group renders as "God wants you to be holy, so you should keep clear of sexual sin."
Sunday, May 15, 2005
George W. Bush, 'the jury is still out' on the debate between creationism and evolutionary theory
AxisofLogic/ Featured: "The 'Objectivity' of Creationism and 'Intelligent' Design | By Dr. Gerry Lower | May 14, 2005, 18:37
May14, 2005 -- According to George W. Bush, 'the jury is still out' on the debate between creationism and evolutionary theory. This is convenient for Bush because it ensures the political support of Old Testament religious fundamentalists. In historical fact, however, the jury has been in and the verdict long since read out loud. The debate has been over since the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, when creationism was tested in a court of law. Today, 80 years later, the jury has been called back out by the people of Kansas to see if creationism can be saved by giving it a new name, 'intelligent design.'
...
If the results of the Kansas hearings on evolution are not similar to the results of the Scopes Monkey Trail of 1925 (which made Tennessee the laughing stock of the nation for years and caused god to hasten the departure of his legal counsel, William Jennings Bryan), then thoughtful Americans are in a good deal of trouble, because they are under the dominion of those who, after two millennia, still "know not what they do."
To be sure, the trouble creationism has with the word, "objective," it also has with the word "compassion." Unprovoked war can be abided only in the absence of compassion and comprehension. America's classrooms need to teach our children to be thoughtful and caring. That is all.
May14, 2005 -- According to George W. Bush, 'the jury is still out' on the debate between creationism and evolutionary theory. This is convenient for Bush because it ensures the political support of Old Testament religious fundamentalists. In historical fact, however, the jury has been in and the verdict long since read out loud. The debate has been over since the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, when creationism was tested in a court of law. Today, 80 years later, the jury has been called back out by the people of Kansas to see if creationism can be saved by giving it a new name, 'intelligent design.'
...
If the results of the Kansas hearings on evolution are not similar to the results of the Scopes Monkey Trail of 1925 (which made Tennessee the laughing stock of the nation for years and caused god to hasten the departure of his legal counsel, William Jennings Bryan), then thoughtful Americans are in a good deal of trouble, because they are under the dominion of those who, after two millennia, still "know not what they do."
To be sure, the trouble creationism has with the word, "objective," it also has with the word "compassion." Unprovoked war can be abided only in the absence of compassion and comprehension. America's classrooms need to teach our children to be thoughtful and caring. That is all.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Academy critic says she was fired: co-wrote a report last year that criticized "strident" evangelizing of cadets by Christian officers
USATODAY.com - Academy critic says she was fired: "Posted 5/11/2005 11:14 PM Updated 5/12/2005 12:42 PM | By Patrick O'Driscoll, USA TODAY
COLORADO SPRINGS — An Air Force Academy chaplain who co-wrote a report last year that criticized "strident" evangelizing of cadets by Christian officers said Wednesday that she was fired by the academy's head chaplain.
The chaplain, Capt. Melinda Morton, spoke out as a Pentagon task force began a three-day visit to the academy here to examine complaints of Christian religious bias on campus. It is to report back to the Pentagon by May 23.
Morton, a Lutheran minister and executive officer to the chief chaplain, Col. Michael Whittington, said in an interview that he dismissed her from that job last week. She said it happened after he pressured her to deny details of what happened at a religious service that was held during last summer's training for new cadets.
COLORADO SPRINGS — An Air Force Academy chaplain who co-wrote a report last year that criticized "strident" evangelizing of cadets by Christian officers said Wednesday that she was fired by the academy's head chaplain.
The chaplain, Capt. Melinda Morton, spoke out as a Pentagon task force began a three-day visit to the academy here to examine complaints of Christian religious bias on campus. It is to report back to the Pentagon by May 23.
Morton, a Lutheran minister and executive officer to the chief chaplain, Col. Michael Whittington, said in an interview that he dismissed her from that job last week. She said it happened after he pressured her to deny details of what happened at a religious service that was held during last summer's training for new cadets.
God's Own Party: seeking church membership lists and mailing postcards implying Democrats wanted to ban the Bible
TomPaine.com - God's Own Party: "Jim Wallis | May 12, 2005
Jim Wallis is convener of Call to Renewal, a network of churches and faith-based organizations working to overcome poverty, and editor of Sojourners magazine. His is also the author of the best-selling book God's Politics.
Several weeks ago, Episcopal priest and former Republican Senator John Danforth began an op-ed in the New York Times by writing: 'By a series of recent initiatives, Republicans have transformed our party into the political arm of conservative Christians.' And, I would add, some religious right leaders are trying to transform the church into the religious arm of conservative Republicans. Either way, these partisan attempts to hijack faith and politics are wrong.
Yet each week brings a new outrage. This week's news was of a Baptist church in North Carolina, where nine members, including three deacons, say they had their membership revoked because they were Democrats who supported John Kerry. According to the Charlotte News-Observer, the nine walked out of a church meeting when Pastor Chan Chandler asked them to sign documents agreeing with his political views. When they left, members remaining voted to terminate their membership.
While the pastor has attributed it to a 'misunderstanding,' the former members say that last fall he told the congregation that anyone who planned to vote for Kerry should either leave the church or repent. One, a 75-year-old deacon, told the News-Observer, 'He went on and on about how he's going to bring politics up, and if we didn't agree with him we should leave. I think I deserve the right to vote for who I want to.' News reports today indicate that Pastor Chandler is resigning.
It's the latest outrage in a continuing pattern. Last year, news stories included Republicans seeking church membership lists and mailing postcards implying Democrats wanted to ban the Bible. Just a few weeks ago, religious right speakers held what they billed as 'Justice Sunday—Stopping the Filibuster Against People of Faith' in support of President Bush's judicial nominees. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council was quoted in the New York Times as saying Democrats 'have targeted people for reasons of their faith or moral position.'"
Jim Wallis is convener of Call to Renewal, a network of churches and faith-based organizations working to overcome poverty, and editor of Sojourners magazine. His is also the author of the best-selling book God's Politics.
Several weeks ago, Episcopal priest and former Republican Senator John Danforth began an op-ed in the New York Times by writing: 'By a series of recent initiatives, Republicans have transformed our party into the political arm of conservative Christians.' And, I would add, some religious right leaders are trying to transform the church into the religious arm of conservative Republicans. Either way, these partisan attempts to hijack faith and politics are wrong.
Yet each week brings a new outrage. This week's news was of a Baptist church in North Carolina, where nine members, including three deacons, say they had their membership revoked because they were Democrats who supported John Kerry. According to the Charlotte News-Observer, the nine walked out of a church meeting when Pastor Chan Chandler asked them to sign documents agreeing with his political views. When they left, members remaining voted to terminate their membership.
While the pastor has attributed it to a 'misunderstanding,' the former members say that last fall he told the congregation that anyone who planned to vote for Kerry should either leave the church or repent. One, a 75-year-old deacon, told the News-Observer, 'He went on and on about how he's going to bring politics up, and if we didn't agree with him we should leave. I think I deserve the right to vote for who I want to.' News reports today indicate that Pastor Chandler is resigning.
It's the latest outrage in a continuing pattern. Last year, news stories included Republicans seeking church membership lists and mailing postcards implying Democrats wanted to ban the Bible. Just a few weeks ago, religious right speakers held what they billed as 'Justice Sunday—Stopping the Filibuster Against People of Faith' in support of President Bush's judicial nominees. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council was quoted in the New York Times as saying Democrats 'have targeted people for reasons of their faith or moral position.'"
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Air Force General in Probe Is Nominated for a 2nd Star
Air Force General in Probe Is Nominated for a 2nd Star: "May 10, 2005 latimes.com : Religion | THE STATE | From Associated Press
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — The Pentagon said Monday that it wanted to promote one of the top commanders at the Air Force Academy, a 'born-again' Christian who has been the subject of complaints that he improperly mixed religion with education.
The announcement came one day before the scheduled arrival of a task force investigating allegations that cadets were pressured to attend religious services, public prayers were held before official events and Jewish cadets were harassed.
Brig. Gen. Johnny Weida, the academy's No. 2 officer, was nominated to receive the second star of a major general.
In an e-mail in May 2003, Weida urged cadets to "ask the Lord to give us the wisdom to discover the right…. The Lord is in control. He has a plan for … every one of us."
Later he issued a memo stating that cadets were accountable first to their God.
Through a spokesman, Weida declined to comment Monday. Earlier, academy officials said Weida now runs his messages by several other commanders before sending them.
...
"I am absolutely shocked that anyone would get a promotion in the middle of an investigation in which he is a central figure…. It casts doubt on the seriousness of this ongoing investigation," said the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. His group conducted an investigation of religious intolerance at the academy and has threatened a lawsuit.
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — The Pentagon said Monday that it wanted to promote one of the top commanders at the Air Force Academy, a 'born-again' Christian who has been the subject of complaints that he improperly mixed religion with education.
The announcement came one day before the scheduled arrival of a task force investigating allegations that cadets were pressured to attend religious services, public prayers were held before official events and Jewish cadets were harassed.
Brig. Gen. Johnny Weida, the academy's No. 2 officer, was nominated to receive the second star of a major general.
In an e-mail in May 2003, Weida urged cadets to "ask the Lord to give us the wisdom to discover the right…. The Lord is in control. He has a plan for … every one of us."
Later he issued a memo stating that cadets were accountable first to their God.
Through a spokesman, Weida declined to comment Monday. Earlier, academy officials said Weida now runs his messages by several other commanders before sending them.
...
"I am absolutely shocked that anyone would get a promotion in the middle of an investigation in which he is a central figure…. It casts doubt on the seriousness of this ongoing investigation," said the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. His group conducted an investigation of religious intolerance at the academy and has threatened a lawsuit.
H.R. 235, to allow clergy to endorse candidates from the pulpit and still retain a tax exemptio n -- after Democrats ejected from church
Tribe Discussion: ! Fun With Fundies ! - tribe.net: "May 07, 2005 - 02:00 PM | keep churches out of politics | www.au.org/site/News2
<
Lynn said matters will become even worse if a bill now pending in Congress becomes federal law.
H.R. 235, a measure introduced by Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), would allow clergy to endorse candidates from the pulpit and still retain a tax exemption of their house of worship. >>
i don't think any words are necessary to convey what an atrocious idea this is. PLEASE, everyone - contact your reps and tell all your people to as well. what this bill proposes is a direct violation of separation of church and state.
*if you haven't heard the background story, it can be found here:
www.dailykos.com/story/200...5/211218/4946
basically, a pastor said 'if you didn't vote for bush, repent your 'sin' and leave this church'"
<
Lynn said matters will become even worse if a bill now pending in Congress becomes federal law.
H.R. 235, a measure introduced by Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), would allow clergy to endorse candidates from the pulpit and still retain a tax exemption of their house of worship. >>
i don't think any words are necessary to convey what an atrocious idea this is. PLEASE, everyone - contact your reps and tell all your people to as well. what this bill proposes is a direct violation of separation of church and state.
*if you haven't heard the background story, it can be found here:
www.dailykos.com/story/200...5/211218/4946
basically, a pastor said 'if you didn't vote for bush, repent your 'sin' and leave this church'"
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Those who think warnings about 'theocracy' are an exaggeration should take a closer look at 'Justice Sunday: Filibustering People of Faith,'
WHATREALLYHAPPENED.COM: "Progressives who think warnings about 'theocracy' are an exaggeration should take a closer look at 'Justice Sunday: Filibustering People of Faith,' the Christian Right telethon headlined by Senate Majority Leader William Frist. Envision the carefully designed image that the far-right Family Research Council, the main organizer of the April 24 event, beamed into conservative churches across the country: a political rally from a large, comfortable mega-church in Louisville, with a middle-class audience listening with rapt attention to political operatives who self-identify as religious leaders-and at the bottom of the screen, streaming video with the photos, names and phone numbers of targeted U.S. senators. The visual message was clear: the church is dominant over the state and senators should toe the line on eliminating the filibuster and confirming Bush judges or pay the price.
Posted May 8, 2005 08:43 AM PST
Category: DICTATORSHIP
This, needless to say, violates the rules under which churches are granted tax-exempt status.
'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...' --- First Amendment
'... the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion...' -- Treaty of Peace and Friendship Between the United States and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli of Barbary, 1796-1797
'All persons shall have full and free liberty of religious opinion; nor shall any be compelled to frequent or maintain any religious institution' -- Thomas Jefferson, The Virginia Constitution
'I may grow rich by an art I am compelled to follow; I may recover health by medicines I am compelled to take against my own judgment; but I cannot be saved by a worship I disbelieve and abhor.' -- Thomas Jefferson, 1776
'I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibit the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state. ' -- Thomas Jefferson as President
'The divorce between Church and State ought to be absolute. It ought to be so absolute that no Church property anywhere, in any state or in the nation, should be exempt from equal taxation; for if you exempt the property of any church organization, to that extent you impose a tax upon the whole community.' -- James A. Garfield
'We all agree that neither the Government nor political parties ought to interfere with religious sects. It is equally true that religious sects ought not to interfere with the Government or with political parties. We believe that the cause of good government and the cause of religion suffer by all such interference.' -- Rutherford B. Hayes
'To discriminate against a thoroughly upright citizen because he belongs to some particular church, or because, like Abraham Lincoln, he has not avowed his allegiance to any church, is an outrage against that liberty of conscience which is one of the foundations of American life.' -- Theodore Roosevelt
'If there is one thing for which we stand in this country, it is for complete religious freedom, and it is an emphatic negation of this right to cross-examine a man on his religion before being willing to support him for public office.' -- Theodore Roosevelt
'There is nothing so despicable as a secret society that is based upon religious prejudice and that will attempt to defeat a man because of his religious beliefs. Such a society is like a cockroach--it thrives in the dark. So do those who combine for such an end.' -- William Howard Taft
'The only way to gaurentee religious freedom for all is to deny civil power to all religion.' -- Michael Rivero"
Posted May 8, 2005 08:43 AM PST
Category: DICTATORSHIP
This, needless to say, violates the rules under which churches are granted tax-exempt status.
'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...' --- First Amendment
'... the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion...' -- Treaty of Peace and Friendship Between the United States and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli of Barbary, 1796-1797
'All persons shall have full and free liberty of religious opinion; nor shall any be compelled to frequent or maintain any religious institution' -- Thomas Jefferson, The Virginia Constitution
'I may grow rich by an art I am compelled to follow; I may recover health by medicines I am compelled to take against my own judgment; but I cannot be saved by a worship I disbelieve and abhor.' -- Thomas Jefferson, 1776
'I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibit the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state. ' -- Thomas Jefferson as President
'The divorce between Church and State ought to be absolute. It ought to be so absolute that no Church property anywhere, in any state or in the nation, should be exempt from equal taxation; for if you exempt the property of any church organization, to that extent you impose a tax upon the whole community.' -- James A. Garfield
'We all agree that neither the Government nor political parties ought to interfere with religious sects. It is equally true that religious sects ought not to interfere with the Government or with political parties. We believe that the cause of good government and the cause of religion suffer by all such interference.' -- Rutherford B. Hayes
'To discriminate against a thoroughly upright citizen because he belongs to some particular church, or because, like Abraham Lincoln, he has not avowed his allegiance to any church, is an outrage against that liberty of conscience which is one of the foundations of American life.' -- Theodore Roosevelt
'If there is one thing for which we stand in this country, it is for complete religious freedom, and it is an emphatic negation of this right to cross-examine a man on his religion before being willing to support him for public office.' -- Theodore Roosevelt
'There is nothing so despicable as a secret society that is based upon religious prejudice and that will attempt to defeat a man because of his religious beliefs. Such a society is like a cockroach--it thrives in the dark. So do those who combine for such an end.' -- William Howard Taft
'The only way to gaurentee religious freedom for all is to deny civil power to all religion.' -- Michael Rivero"
Friday, May 06, 2005
North Carolina church EXCOMMUNICATES all Democrats!!!
Global News Matrix - North Carolina church EXCOMMUNICATES all Democrats!!!: "Posted on Friday, May 06 @ 11:28:45 EDT by drew
Legal News Video Here
Unreal...East Waynesville Baptist asked nine members to leave. Now 40 more have left the church in protest. Former members say Pastor Chan Chandler gave them the ultimatum, saying if they didn't support George Bush, they should resign or repent."
Legal News Video Here
Unreal...East Waynesville Baptist asked nine members to leave. Now 40 more have left the church in protest. Former members say Pastor Chan Chandler gave them the ultimatum, saying if they didn't support George Bush, they should resign or repent."
Thursday, May 05, 2005
“Let man worship one God, twenty Gods, or no God, be he Jew, Turk, Pagan, or Infidel, he is eligible to any office in the state.”
AxisofLogic/ Featured: "America's Most Insidious, Immoral Movement | By Lee Salisbury | May 2, 2005, 12:10
Lead by the likes of Jerry Falwell, Tim LaHaye, Tom DeLay and Karl Rove an army of misguided Christian fundamentalists, the Religious Right continue to push for tearing down the “wall of separation” established by America’s founding fathers. They claim there is no “wall of separation”, and that the framers of the Constitution intended that America be a Christian nation, implying that America’s laws should reflect biblical law. A brief survey of America’s history, taken from Robert Boston's Why The Religious Right Is Wrong, reveals what life in America was like before our Constitution was adopted when in fact Christian theocrats did rule the colonies.
In Massachusetts the Puritans ... established a theocratic rule regulating every aspect of life based upon their interpretation of the bible.
Anne Hutchinson was expelled by Gov. Winthrop because she dared to hold unauthorized meetings in her home. John Wheelwright was tried, found guilty, and banished because his preaching was heretical. A band of Quakers were hanged by these Puritan Christians. Massachusetts’ most notable act of church/state theocratic rule was the Salem witch trials of 1692. Nineteen women were accused of witchcraft.
Quakers were cruelly persecuted in almost every colony. ...
In Virginia, the Anglican Church was the state church. Quakers and Catholics were barred. Baptists were often imprisoned or publicly whipped. ...
... This was the America that spawned the thinking of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison that sought an answer to how true religious freedom could be achieved without hindering the practice of religion. Their conclusion: a secular nation that showed no favoritism toward any religion.
Baptist minister John Leland reflected the thoughts of Christians fighting for religious freedom. In response to Jefferson’s letter explaining the “wall of separation” to Baptists in Danbury, Connecticut, Leland wrote, “Government should protect every man in thinking and speaking freely…all should be equally free” On another occasion Leland wrote, “Let man worship one God, twenty Gods, or no God, be he Jew, Turk, Pagan, or Infidel, he is eligible to any office in the state.”
The Constitution fashioned in 1787, largely by Madison, is a secular document. It makes no mention of God, Jesus Christ, a Supreme Being, or the Ten Commandments. Thus, the Constitution’s Article 6 reads, “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any public office.” The First Amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” It is this secular document showing no religious favoritism which is responsible for freedom of religion and conscience unique to America.
Lead by the likes of Jerry Falwell, Tim LaHaye, Tom DeLay and Karl Rove an army of misguided Christian fundamentalists, the Religious Right continue to push for tearing down the “wall of separation” established by America’s founding fathers. They claim there is no “wall of separation”, and that the framers of the Constitution intended that America be a Christian nation, implying that America’s laws should reflect biblical law. A brief survey of America’s history, taken from Robert Boston's Why The Religious Right Is Wrong, reveals what life in America was like before our Constitution was adopted when in fact Christian theocrats did rule the colonies.
In Massachusetts the Puritans ... established a theocratic rule regulating every aspect of life based upon their interpretation of the bible.
Anne Hutchinson was expelled by Gov. Winthrop because she dared to hold unauthorized meetings in her home. John Wheelwright was tried, found guilty, and banished because his preaching was heretical. A band of Quakers were hanged by these Puritan Christians. Massachusetts’ most notable act of church/state theocratic rule was the Salem witch trials of 1692. Nineteen women were accused of witchcraft.
Quakers were cruelly persecuted in almost every colony. ...
In Virginia, the Anglican Church was the state church. Quakers and Catholics were barred. Baptists were often imprisoned or publicly whipped. ...
... This was the America that spawned the thinking of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison that sought an answer to how true religious freedom could be achieved without hindering the practice of religion. Their conclusion: a secular nation that showed no favoritism toward any religion.
Baptist minister John Leland reflected the thoughts of Christians fighting for religious freedom. In response to Jefferson’s letter explaining the “wall of separation” to Baptists in Danbury, Connecticut, Leland wrote, “Government should protect every man in thinking and speaking freely…all should be equally free” On another occasion Leland wrote, “Let man worship one God, twenty Gods, or no God, be he Jew, Turk, Pagan, or Infidel, he is eligible to any office in the state.”
The Constitution fashioned in 1787, largely by Madison, is a secular document. It makes no mention of God, Jesus Christ, a Supreme Being, or the Ten Commandments. Thus, the Constitution’s Article 6 reads, “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any public office.” The First Amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” It is this secular document showing no religious favoritism which is responsible for freedom of religion and conscience unique to America.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
US terms for Aids help seen increasingly to press its anti-abortion, pro-abstinence sexual agenda on poorer countries
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Brazil spurns US terms for Aids help: "Sarah Boseley and Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington | Wednesday May 4, 2005 | The Guardian
Brazil yesterday became the first country to take a public stand against the Bush administration's massive Aids programme which is seen by many as seeking increasingly to press its anti-abortion, pro-abstinence sexual agenda on poorer countries.
Campaigners applauded Brazil's rejection of $40m for its Aids programmes because it refuses to agree to a declaration condemning prostitution.
The government and many Aids organisations believe such a declaration would be a serious barrier to helping sex workers protect themselves and their clients from infection."
...
Brazil yesterday became the first country to take a public stand against the Bush administration's massive Aids programme which is seen by many as seeking increasingly to press its anti-abortion, pro-abstinence sexual agenda on poorer countries.
Campaigners applauded Brazil's rejection of $40m for its Aids programmes because it refuses to agree to a declaration condemning prostitution.
The government and many Aids organisations believe such a declaration would be a serious barrier to helping sex workers protect themselves and their clients from infection."
...
Monday, May 02, 2005
Robertson: "I don't think He reverses the laws of nature." ... Gay flags "bring about terrorist bombs, it'll bring earthquakes, tornadoes ..."
Pat Robertson's contradictory theology: God won ... [Media Matters for America]: "Pat Robertson's contradictory theology: God won't stop a tsunami -- but might respond to Gay Days with an earthquake"
Responding to a question from ABC host George Stephanopoulos about why a God "so involved in our daily life" would allow a tsunami to kill hundreds of thousands of people, Rev. Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition of America, replied: "I don't think He reverses the laws of nature." ...
...
After Orlando, Florida, city officials voted in 1998 to fly rainbow flags from city lampposts during the annual Gay Days event at Disney World, Robertson issued the city a warning: "I don't think I'd be waving those flags in God's face if I were you. ... [A] condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation. It'll bring about terrorist bombs, it'll bring earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor."
Responding to a question from ABC host George Stephanopoulos about why a God "so involved in our daily life" would allow a tsunami to kill hundreds of thousands of people, Rev. Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition of America, replied: "I don't think He reverses the laws of nature." ...
...
After Orlando, Florida, city officials voted in 1998 to fly rainbow flags from city lampposts during the annual Gay Days event at Disney World, Robertson issued the city a warning: "I don't think I'd be waving those flags in God's face if I were you. ... [A] condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation. It'll bring about terrorist bombs, it'll bring earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor."
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Onward Christian Airmen "clear preference for Christianity at the academy, so that everyone else feels like a second-class citizen."
Onward Christian Airmen: "April 29, 2005
Last week I reported on the toughest 44 Jews in the world, referring to the 44 Jews who were opressing nearly 3800 airmen at the Air Force Academy. Of course, they were doing nothing of the sort, but rather were themselves the subject of abuse from proselytizing evangelicals who attend, teach, and run the Academy. The report listed up to 55 complaints, and if Barry Lynn's Americans United (a group I generally treat with great skepticism) is correct, the situation is worse than I even imagined:
Religious intolerance is systemic and pervasive at the U.S. Air Force Academy and, if nothing changes, it could result in "prolonged and costly" litigation, according to a report issued Thursday by a group advocating strict separation of church and state.
The 14-page report listed incidents of mandatory prayers, proselytizing by teachers, insensitivity to religious minorities and allegations that evangelical Christianity is the preferred faith at the institution.
"I think this is the most serious, military-related systemic problem I have ever seen in the decades I've been doing this work," said Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "There is a clear preference for Christianity at the academy, so that everyone else feels like a second-class citizen."
The actual report can be found here (.pdf), and some of the abuses listed include the following:
Last week I reported on the toughest 44 Jews in the world, referring to the 44 Jews who were opressing nearly 3800 airmen at the Air Force Academy. Of course, they were doing nothing of the sort, but rather were themselves the subject of abuse from proselytizing evangelicals who attend, teach, and run the Academy. The report listed up to 55 complaints, and if Barry Lynn's Americans United (a group I generally treat with great skepticism) is correct, the situation is worse than I even imagined:
Religious intolerance is systemic and pervasive at the U.S. Air Force Academy and, if nothing changes, it could result in "prolonged and costly" litigation, according to a report issued Thursday by a group advocating strict separation of church and state.
The 14-page report listed incidents of mandatory prayers, proselytizing by teachers, insensitivity to religious minorities and allegations that evangelical Christianity is the preferred faith at the institution.
"I think this is the most serious, military-related systemic problem I have ever seen in the decades I've been doing this work," said Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "There is a clear preference for Christianity at the academy, so that everyone else feels like a second-class citizen."
The actual report can be found here (.pdf), and some of the abuses listed include the following:
White House press corps need to provide racial information to get access: vs. 'racial profiling is wrong and we will end it in America.'
Daily Kos :: Bush Parties While Engaging in Racial Profiling: "by Congressman John Conyers | Sun May 1st, 2005 at 11:57:13 PDT
Last night, while the president, the first lady, and assorted establishment types yukked it up, his own administration continued to engage in the discredited tactic of racial profiling to condcut law enforcement. I was amazed, but perhaps not surprised, to learn that even the White House press corps -- although perhaps not Jeff Gannon --need to provide racial information in order to obtain access to the president.
According to Friday's Washington Post, the Secret Service claims the information is needed to 'allow for quicker and more accurate searches of criminal databases.' Ironically, this is the same president who in his first address to congress declared that 'racial profiling is wrong and we will end it in America.' I guess we didn't understand that 'end it' meant use it more than its never been used before. Rep. Nadler and I dished off a letter to the Secret Service (text below), asking them to explain and justify these race based police tactics. We'll say what they have to say.
"
Last night, while the president, the first lady, and assorted establishment types yukked it up, his own administration continued to engage in the discredited tactic of racial profiling to condcut law enforcement. I was amazed, but perhaps not surprised, to learn that even the White House press corps -- although perhaps not Jeff Gannon --need to provide racial information in order to obtain access to the president.
According to Friday's Washington Post, the Secret Service claims the information is needed to 'allow for quicker and more accurate searches of criminal databases.' Ironically, this is the same president who in his first address to congress declared that 'racial profiling is wrong and we will end it in America.' I guess we didn't understand that 'end it' meant use it more than its never been used before. Rep. Nadler and I dished off a letter to the Secret Service (text below), asking them to explain and justify these race based police tactics. We'll say what they have to say.
"
Group may sue the Air Force Academy, claiming the school allows evangelical Christians to harass cadets
Military.com: "Group May Sue U.S. Air Force Academy | Associated Press | April 30, 2005
DENVER - A national group that monitors the separation of church and state says it may sue the Air Force Academy, claiming the school allows evangelical Christians to harass cadets who do not share their faith.
'This is the most significant, systemwide example of religious discrimination I have seen in a military setting. Every cadet should be treated as a first-class citizen but instead those who are not evangelical Christians have a lower status,' said Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Lynn's group said it conducted a two-month investigation that included contacting about 15 cadets and staff, and has sent a report to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld."
DENVER - A national group that monitors the separation of church and state says it may sue the Air Force Academy, claiming the school allows evangelical Christians to harass cadets who do not share their faith.
'This is the most significant, systemwide example of religious discrimination I have seen in a military setting. Every cadet should be treated as a first-class citizen but instead those who are not evangelical Christians have a lower status,' said Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Lynn's group said it conducted a two-month investigation that included contacting about 15 cadets and staff, and has sent a report to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld."
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