Tag Archives: Religion

Governor Brewer vetoes S.B. 1062

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300px_JanBrewer_CityBckgrd_2013_MDPHOENIX – Jan Brewer, Governor of Arizona, announced her decision to veto the controversial Arizona S.B. 1062.

In her statement released on the Governor’s web site, she wrote:

I took the time necessary to make the RIGHT decision. I met or spoke with my attorneys, lawmakers and citizens supporting and opposing this legislation.

…

As Governor, I have protected religious freedoms when there is a specific and present concern that exists in OUR state.

And I have the record to prove it.

She said that the bill does not address specific current concerns of the State. “I have not heard of one example in Arizona where a business owner’s religious liberty has been violated,” she said. In her veto letter, she wrote:

The concerns raised by the proponents of this bill are not unfounded. As a result of actions taken by the Obama Administration, as well as some federal and out-of-state courts, I am increasingly concerned about government’s encroachment upon our religious freedom.

In a later paragraph she notes,

Senate Bill 1062, however, does not seek to address a specific and present concern related to Arizona businesses. The out-of-state examples cited by proponents of the bill, while concerning, are issues not currently existing in Arizona.

She stated that she recognizes that religious belief about marriage is being challenged as never before. The Senate bill, she feels, had the potential to create more problems than it would solve.

Bible stops two bullets to save life of Ohio bus driver, police say

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busmessage
A Bible saved the life of a Ohio bus driver after the man was shot twice in the chest early Monday, police said.

Rickey Waggoner, a Dayton RTA bus driver, was making a mechanical fix outside his bus when three assailants approached him and shot him in what appears to have been a gang initiation, the Dayton Daily News reported.

Waggoner was shot twice in the chest at close range, but a contemporary version of the Bible, titled “The Message,” absorbed the bullets that would otherwise have killed the 49-year-old bus driver, according to police documents obtained by the newspaper.

Read more at FOX News

Christians targeted in Iraq on Christmas Day

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iraq_christmas_bombThe persecution of Christians in Muslim countries is one of the most under-reported stories out there. It’s widespread and constant, carried out by terrorist undergrounds when it’s not condoned or indulged by the local government. When Islam gains power, it often develops serious “co-existence” problems. The global media really hates to discuss it for ideological reasons, but sometimes it’s impossible to ignore. From the Associated Press:

Militants in Iraq targeted Christians in three separate Christmas Day bombings in Baghdad, killing at least 37 people, officials said Wednesday.

In one attack, a car bomb went off near a church in the capital’s southern Dora neighborhood, killing at least 26 people and wounding 38, a police officer said.

Earlier, two bombs ripped through a nearby outdoor market simultaneously in the Christian section of Athorien, killing 11 people and wounding 21, the officer said.

The Iraq-based leader of the Chaldean Catholic Church, Louis Sako, said the parked car bomb exploded after Christmas Mass and that none of the worshippers were hurt. Sako said he didn’t believe the church was the target.

There were well over a million Christians in Iraq 20 years ago; it’s down to less than half that number today, and maybe closer to a third, depending on which estimates of the current population are most reliable. The usual factional violence and government-toppling insurgent agenda was also in play:

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad condemned the attacks in a statement.

“The Christian community in Iraq has suffered deliberate and senseless targeting by terrorists for many years, as have many other innocent Iraqis,” the statement read. “The United States abhors all such attacks and is committed to its partnership with the government of Iraq to combat the scourge of terrorism.”

Along with Christians, other targets include civilians in restaurants, cafes or crowded public areas, as well as Shiites and members of the Iraqi security forces, attacked in an attempt to undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government and stir up Iraq’s already simmering sectarian tensions.

Read more at Human Events

Daughters of American Revolution responds to report by FOX

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Merry Ann T. Wright; President General DAR.

Merry Ann T. Wright; President General DAR.

FOX News reported on January 2nd that the patriotic Daughters of the American Revolution was essentially removing God from their material. A commenter to this blog responded, “The FOX News report wasn’t entirely accurate. Not all references have been removed–some references. I’m not happy with these changes but am not happy with the reporting on them either. I’ve heard some ugly things said about the DAR today.”

The changes to the Ritual and Missual were made in April of 2012 and that is when the questions rose. Apparently some members were upset over the new changes.

The FOX report claimed that they sought a statement from the office of the President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution and they did not respond. FOX repeated the claim in their updated report. It is not known whether or not Todd Starnes of FOX sought information from the official web sites of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The response from the Daughters of the American Revolution headquarters came the day the FOX report went viral.

In an email response, DAR Public Relations officer Bren Landon stated, “I personally received a voice message and email from FOX on the afternoon of Jan. 2 but I was flying back to DC after the holidays and was unable to access my messages. I do believe that they should have received my out of office voice mail and email messages alerting them that I was out of the office and unable to get back to them until I was back in the office. There has been no indication that, in my absence, FOX News tried to reach the President General or anyone else at the organization by calling the main DAR headquarters phone number or the President General’s Office.”

With the attack on Christianity in this country and the recent vote of the Democratic party to remove God from it’s material, it is not hard to presume yet another assault on Christianity without hearing the other side. [For example]

In an official press release of January 3rd, the NSDAR stated, “NSDAR is disappointed to learn that false and incorrect information has recently been circulated regarding the 2011 edition of the DAR Ritual and Missal and the use of the name Jesus Christ in prayers and other ceremonial events of the National Society. The purpose of this message is to clarify NSDAR’s position on the matter for anyone who has not previously viewed the blogs written by President General Merry Ann T. Wright.”

“First, the question was posed by a national media group that if the motto of DAR is God, Home and Country, then ‘…why is DAR taking out references to God…’ in its printed material,” the statement said. ” Nothing could be further from the truth.” The 113 page Ritual and Missual contains over 300 references to God.

President General Merry Ann T. Wright points out in an April 2012 entry on her blog, “Our DAR Motto was originally: ‘Home and Country’ and it wasn’t until 1978 that it was revised to be ‘God, Home and Country’.”

The official statement said, “Second, the allegation has been leveled that Chaplains and others have been told not to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Again, this is an absolute falsehood. Each Chaplain and other officers are strongly encouraged to create their own prayers into which they may insert the name of Jesus Christ as deemed appropriate for the occasion and the audience.”

President General Wright stated emphatically, “We have in no way mandated that one must or must not use the name of Jesus Christ in the prayers. In our DAR rituals, prayers are included. Most of the prayers begin with ‘Our Father’ or ‘Almighty God’ and end ‘in Your Holy Name.’ Christ’s prayer, known as The Lord’s Prayer, the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, Easter and Passover prayers and prayers for other religious observances are included.”

In a May 2012 update on the blog of the President General, Merry Wright commented, “Freedom of religion and expression are at the heart of the founding of our Nation and are ingrained in the hearts of all members as we strive to honor and remember our Patriots who secured our liberty with their blood, their fortunes and their lives. Nowhere is that more clear than in the First Amendment to our Constitution where the framers said: ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . . .’ The Patriots who wrote that amendment started their meetings with a prayer, as did the Congress which incorporated NSDAR in 1896 and every session of the U.S. House and Senate since then.”

That very statement, of course, is the reason Christians question why they are excluded from government venues and schools.

She also added some comments from members of the Daughters of the American Revolution:

“Each person has a right to their religious preferences and that is just what our forefathers did when they signed the Constitution. . . that is why we honor these ancestors . . . because they fought for the right of religious freedoms.”

“I am so proud of your statement . . . . ‘Tradition is a guide and not a jailer’ -W. Somerset Maugham”

“I fully support your efforts to make the NSDAR Ritual inclusive and hope others will pray about there [sic] opposition to the new handbook.”

Some of the most recent comments on the FOX update:

I am a DAR member who is very upset about this! NAME the “few” that have changed the missal and Ritual book. Let’s put the heat on them to face the 170,000 members. They don’t speak for me. If the ones who are taking Christ out of DAR then the Christians need to leave…. how many do you think will still be there? Lee Reith, North Carolina Chapter.—Wilma Lee Hostetter Reith

Rewriting history, yet again! I’m seeing a double standard here ~ intolerance, but not from Christians!—Kathy Stuart Wilson

I don’t understand why people who don’t like an organizations beliefs feel they have to change it rather than create their own organization reflecting their own beliefs. On second thought, it seems to be an anti-christian strategy, infiltrate “Christian” organizations and change them from the inside. “Wolves in sheep’s clothing.” is how the Apostle Paul put it. The Boy Scouts of America is another example of the same thing happening.—Erica Gautreaux Babin

Some of these may not be from DAR members.

The NSDAR has provided copies of the Ritual and Missals from 1903 to today in PDF online.

Daughters of the American Revolution kicking God out of country

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(See full interview)

Todd Starnes of FOX radio is reporting the the oldest women’s patriotic organization is removing God from all of their literature and their prayers.

The Daughters of the American Revolution president general has apparently ordered the removal of God as a sign of religious freedom and tolerance. To be a member of the group you must be a direct descendant of someone involved in the American Revolution.

Todd Starnes writes:

“The dispute has been brewing for more than a year when DAR members learned that the newly revised Ritual and Missal books – the primary guide for chaplains – were altered. They noticed that the name of Jesus Christ had been omitted.

“The DAR president general [Merry Ann T. Wright] did not return calls seeking comment for this story.”

According to the report, a state chaplain notified members in a newsletter:

“The newly updated Missal and Ritual was written to reflect the desire to be considerate of other belief systems,” the statement read. “The Chaplain General uses scripture from both the Old and New Testaments and prays in the name of God without reference Christ. Chapter and district chaplains need to follow the example set by the National Society.”

The statement also reminded members to “appreciate the differences in members’ religious beliefs and to adapt our rituals and prayers to respect these differences.”

In the aftermath of the War for Independence, the First Amendment was added to the Bill of Right to prevent requiring people to worship God of the Holy Bible according to a State run religion such as the Anglican Church in England. One of the historic reasons colonist left England was to gain freedom to worship God according to their conscience. The First Amendment also was to give freedom of speech, but some outraged members spoke to Starnes anonymously for fear of being kicked out of the organization.

One member said:

“It’s horrible, I mean how dare they. They’re supposed to be doing it out of inclusion and to me it is exclusion. If they are saying well it’s because of religious freedom and tolerance then my question is if someone is so incensed over the name of Jesus and words like ‘white crosses’ that reference soldiers who died for America, is it not they who are intolerant?”

The DAR was founded in 1890 as a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization. Membership is open to any woman who can prove they are a lineal descendant of a patriot from the American Revolution. The organization has 170,000 members in 3,000 members.

Pakistan mob burns man accused of desecrating Koran alive

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(Reuters) – A mob broke into a Pakistani police station and burnt a man accused of desecrating the Koran alive, police said Saturday, in the latest violence focusing attention on the country’s blasphemy laws.

The man was a traveler and had spent Thursday night at the mosque, said Maulvi Memon, the imam in the southern village of Seeta in Sindh province. The charred remains of the Koran were found the next morning.

“He was alone in the mosque during the night,” Memon said. “There was no one else there to do this terrible thing.”

Villagers beat the man then handed him over to police. A few hours later, a crowd of around 200 stormed the police station, dragged the man out and set him on fire, said Usman Ghani, the senior superintendent of police in Dadu district.

Read more at Reuters.

Navy Cancels Nativity over Atheist Complaint

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Photo from God and Country web site.

Photo from God and Country web site.

By Todd Starnes

The website Christian Fighter Pilot first exposed the controversy – and noted sarcastically that service members in Bahrain “have now experienced the friendly influence of atheism on their holiday.”

The Navy directed service members serving in Bahrain to cancel and dismantle a “Live Nativity” after receiving a complaint from a military atheist group who said the manger scene endangered Americans serving in a Muslim country and violated the U .S. Constitution.

The chaplain at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain confirmed to Fox News the nativity scene was cancelled – but referred any further comments to the NSA’s public information officer.

The “Live Nativity” was a long-standing tradition at NSA Bahrain that featured the children of military personnel dressed as shepherds, wise men, along with Mary and Joseph. It was part of a larger festival that included a tree lighting, Christmas music and photographs with Santa Claus and a camel.

But the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers objected to the Nativity and filed a complaint with the Navy’s Inspector General. They argued the Nativity promoted “Christianity as the official religion of the base.”

Read more at FOX News

Will science someday rule out the possibility of God?

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Over the past few centuries, science can be said to have gradually chipped away at the traditional grounds for believing in God. Much of what once seemed mysterious — the existence of humanity, the life-bearing perfection of Earth, the workings of the universe — can now be explained by biology, astronomy, physics and other domains of science.

Although cosmic mysteries remain, Sean Carroll, a theoretical cosmologist at the California Institute of Technology, says there’s good reason to think science will ultimately arrive at a complete understanding of the universe that leaves no grounds for God whatsoever.

Carroll argues that God’s sphere of influence has shrunk drastically in modern times, as physics and cosmology have expanded in their ability to explain the origin and evolution of the universe. “As we learn more about the universe, there’s less and less need to look outside it for help,” he told Life’s Little Mysteries.

He thinks the sphere of supernatural influence will eventually shrink to nil. But could science really eventually explain everything?

Read more at NBC News

Missouri legislature upholds religious liberty bill.

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On Sept. 12, the Missouri legislature voted to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of religious liberty bill, SB 749. The Missouri Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state’s bishops, strongly supported SB 749, adding that it “upholds religious liberty in a very practical way. Under this bill, no one can be forced to pay for surgical abortions, abortion-inducing drugs, contraceptives or sterilizations when this violates their moral or religious beliefs.”

Read more at the Examiner.com

Holder Orders Family: Give Up Your Religion or Your Business

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By Terence P. Jeffrey | cnsnews.com

(CNSNews.com) – The Justice Department last week presented the Newland family of Colorado–who own Hercules Industries, a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning business–with what amounted to an ultimatum: Give up your religion or your business.

“Hercules Industries has ‘made no showing of a religious belief which requires that [it] engage in the [HVAC] business,” the Justice Department said in a formal filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.

In response to the Justice Department’s argument that the Newlands can either give up practicing their religion or give up owning their business, the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing the family, said in a reply brief: “[T]o the extent the government is arguing that its mandate does not really burden the Newlands because they are free to abandon their jobs, their livelihoods, and their property so that others can take over Hercules and comply, this expulsion from business would be an extreme form of government burden.”

Read more at Fox News