The Ten Commandments are okay in some cases, not okay in others.
Once again, the Courts have confirmed their confusion regarding America's heritage and its importance. Or, they have once again confirmed that they have a very different vision for America than that of the Founding Fathers and probably the vision you and I share.
In separate 5-4 rulings, the Supreme Court said the Ten Commandments monument on the Capitol Grounds in Austin, Texas was okay, but the displays in Kentucky were not okay.
Justice Antonin Scalia released a stinging dissent concerning the Court's decision in the Kentucky case. He wrote, "What distinguishes the rule of law from the dictatorship of a shifting Supreme Court majority is the absolutely indispensable requirement that judicial opinions be grounded in consistently applied principle."
Sitting judges across America are, in my opinion, generally hostile toward Christianity. At least, a majority of them are. Rather than basing their opinions as Justice Scalia wrote in, "grounded, consistently applied principle," they are responding to political pressure from the left and advancing their own political and philosophical beliefs, which is progressive secularism.
The secularist not only wants God out of the public picture entirely, but wants man to replace God as the ultimate source of wisdom and revelation.
It is frightening to see us debating the very law that preserved this nation for over 200 years.
There is no question in my mind that we are well on the road to extracting God from our public life. This is not only an assault on God Himself, but on the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims as a matter of law that this nation recognizes God, as the Creator, and that His laws, which are based on the Ten Commandments, gave us the inalienable rights which we exercise.
Every American who believes in this country and what it has stood for during its rise to prominence and prosperity, must now choose sides.
Either America will be sustained by the Godly wisdom of our Founding Fathers and the documents they drafted, which led to our greatness, or we will reject those documents and the Judeo-Christian belief that support them.
Those who recognize the basis of our greatness and consistently apply those principles to their opinions must replace activist judges with a secularist agenda.
We are facing the most challenging period in America's history since the Civil War. It is a battle for the very soul of our nation. It is the battle to preserve traditional, Judeo-Christian morality and virtue.
At a time in my own personal life when my friends and peers are kicking back a little to enjoy life without as much responsibility, I find I simply cannot do that.
In fact, I am accelerating my activities and broadening my base of involvement.
I will be sharing a specific update on this within the next few days.
There is much to do. "To whom much is given, much is required."
"Finally, let us not forget the religious character of our origin. Our fathers were brought hither by their high veneration for the Christian religion. They journeyed by its light and labored in its hope. They sought to incorporate it's principles with the elements of their society, and to diffuse it's influence through all their institutions, civil, political, or literary." – Daniel Webster
_______________________________ Gary Randall President & Chairman Faith and Freedom Foundation
The Chinese Government is encouraging Internet use for businesses and education, but is trying to ban it's use for access to material deemed "subversive." Although that sounds noble and moral, some of the "subversive" words are "democracy", "human rights" and "freedom."
Trying to ban part of the Internet brings to mind the old clique, "trying to herd cats."
That is going to be a tough task, but the Chinese government feels they are up for it.
Microsoft launched the MSN CHINA portal on May 26th. Since then, more than 5 million blogs have been sent; and the Chinese people are just hitting their stride. The government has installed filtering tools, registration requirements, and other surveillance to ensure that the rules are enforced. All Website owners must register with the government by June 30th or face fines.
The consequences of defying the government limits can be severe: at least 54 people have already been jailed for posting essays or other context deemed "subversive."
No question, there are things on the Internet that are very bad and very destructive, but the differences between the Chinese government and the United States are striking.
China gives "freedom" to the people in the way they deem most appropriate. In the U.S., we accept freedom as a gift from God and have established our government to defend and protect the gift.
No wonder people from all over the world are standing in line to get into the U.S. and there are no lines of those wanting out.
So, while the people of the most populus nation on the earth are forced to delete the word "freedom", you and I are living it.
America is truly the greatest country in the history of the world, because it was established on the basis of Judeo-Christian principles.
Exercise and enjoy your freedom. And remember, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." – Thomas Jefferson.
_______________________________ Gary Randall President & Chairman Faith and Freedom Foundation
Is it just me, or is something very wrong with the sensitivity, tolerance, “we’re all the same� movement that is advanced daily by the mainstream press?
Today, the Washington Post carries yet another story on the abuse perpetrated by Homeland Security. They are reporting that authorities are enforcing minor immigration violations by Muslims and Arabs, while ignoring millions of other immigrants who violate the same laws.
The Washington Post quotes David Cole, a Georgetown University professor who is critical of our Government’s anti-terrorism policies. “The approach,� says Mr. Cole, “is basically to target the Muslim and Arab community with a kind of zero-tolerance policy. No other community in the U.S. is treated with a zero-tolerance enforcement.�
Is it just me, or is there a fairly good reason to pay attention to the Muslim and Arab communities?
Zero-tolerance doesn’t sound too bad, actually. A few guys flying airplanes or one individual with a bomb strapped to their body or a handful of anthrax or a vial of serum seems to suggest that zero-tolerance is an excellent idea.
While the Washington Post and others would lead you to believe that America is a non-compassionate, intolerant government, nothing could be further from the truth. America is the most benevolent nation in the history of the world. The freedoms available here in this country are unequaled in any other country in the world. Because of our strong Judeo-Christian heritage and the “do unto others as you would have them do unto you� teachings of Jesus which have been integrated into our legal system, all people, including Muslims and Arabs, enjoy more freedom here than in their own country.
And regarding sensitivity, have you read the rules published by the Department of Defense regarding the inspecting and handling of detainee's Korans at Guantanamo Bay?
If you have a moment, click the link below and read the actual procedure.
I wish the Bible could be handled with as much “sensitivity�.
A recent poll conducted by AP-IPOSOS affirmed what many of us already know. American’s consider religion central to their lives and support the idea of giving clergy a say in public policy.
The poll showed that when U.S. politicians try to blend religion and politics, they find a comparative receptive climate. Nearly all US respondents said faith was important to them and only 2 percent said they did not believe in God. Almost 40 percent said religious leaders should try to sway policy makers, because some of the most pressing issues in our country involve moral questions – such as gay marriage, abortion, and stem-cell research.
Yet, even with so many Americans asking for leadership from the clergy, I hear many Christians and Christian leaders express their reluctance to speak to anything that can be seen as “political.�
If we as people of faith do not lead, who then will provide leadership? And what is our responsibility to the next generation?
The freedom we enjoy in America today was established by the courage, wisdom, and faith of our Founding Fathers. It will be sustained by nothing less from this generation.
History gives us a clear snapshot of those who made America great.
John Peter Muhlenberg was such a person. He was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1774. He was also a pastor.
While preaching a Sunday morning message on Ecclesiastes 3:1, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven,� John closed his message by saying, “In the language of Holy writ, there is a time for all things. There is a time for war and a time for peace. There is a time to preach and a time to fight.�
He then removed his clerical robe to reveal that he was wearing the uniform of a soldier in the Revolutionary Army. Three hundred men responded and that afternoon Pastor Muhlenberg and the 300 marched off to join General Washington’s troops, becoming the 8th Virginia Regiment, with John Peter Muhlenberg as their Colonel.
Forty-six years later, John Quincy Adams described the Revolution by saying, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.� July 4, 1821.
In 1844, an older John Quincy Adams said, “Posterity, you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.�
As with the American Revolution, there is today much to be saved and much to be lost.
With many Americans asking for leadership that represents traditional, Biblical values, can we do less than join in the battle for the soul of America?
Thank you, Mr. Adams, Reverend Muhlenberg, and your many colleagues, who gave us this great country and preserve our freedom. We will do our best to “make good use of it.�
The Smithsonian Institution has withdrawn it’s sponsorship of a film called, “The Privileged Planet – The Search for Purpose in the Universe,� a documentary based on an ISU professor's book in support of Intelligent Design theory. The basic thesis of "Privileged Planet" is that the rare conditions, which make Earth habitable, show it was designed for humans. It also argues the universe was meant for discovery and that the Earth's rare conditions make it the optimal place from which to study the universe.
When the Smithsonian first saw the film produced by “The Discovery Institute,� they were excited about sponsoring it and showing it to the public. They paid The Discovery Institute $16,000 dollars and began the process by inviting dignitaries to preview the film.
Now, the Smithsonian has withdrawn their support. Rob Crowther, director of communications at the Discovery Institute, believes it was pressure from evolutionists that convinced the Smithsonian to withdraw support. Crowther says the Smithsonian is now claiming the film is not scientific.
There are two things here that stand out to me.
1. The folks, who champion free expression and open-mindedness, aren’t.
2. Institutions respond to the complaints of people. As conservatives, people of faith, we must continue to make our voices heard on the issues that are important.
Once again the mainstream media is leaning so far to the left that it seems they are genetically handicapped (I guess the word is “challenged�).
I have watched the Mark Felt story (Deep Throat) unfold over the past week or so with increasing amazement. Just when you think that maybe, just maybe, the mainstream press will at least take a momentary pause in the advancement of their secularist mission after the embarrassment of Dan Rather, the Newsweek story, and other such distorted reports, you realize that you, of course, would be wrong.
According to everyone from NPR to PBS to CNN to Katie Couric, Mark Felt is a hero. He helped bring down the bad guy – Richard Nixon, and his friends. Fox News is the only outlet I’ve heard who has not fallen in line on the “hero� story.
This is frightening. Here’s why.
First, it’s frightening because Mr. Felt used illegal means by handing out the results of FBI investigations to the press. It’s frightening to realize that a top FBI official can actually handout FBI files on someone because he thinks he has good reason to do so.
Think where that could go with a Hillary Clinton in the White House.
Secondly, it’s frightening because this story, as it is presented by the media, affirms situational ethics and relativism. It’s sad that America is at the place where we say a good end justifies any means.
I personally believe that a society which rejects the idea of “good� and “evil,� right and wrong, black and white, is a society that will call the likes of Mark Felt, a hero.
Fortunately, there is still a majority of Americans who reject the so-called “progressives� mission to totally secularize America. These folks also have a growing skepticism toward the mainstream news media.
Think about this:
“America must raise an empire of permanent duration, supported upon the grand pillars of truth, freedom, and religion, encouraged by the smiles of justice and defended by her own patriotic sons.� General Nathaniel Greene, 1776.
The ABC television network is making a programming mistake that I think will be costly. This summer they will be airing a reality show, “Welcome to the Neighborhood� in which the Christians are portrayed as bigoted, self-righteous and judgmental.
The program features seven diverse families vying for a new house on a suburban cul-de-sac. The neighbors will pick the winner.
Movie Guide’s Ted Baehr said the Christian contestants will be the ones that people love to hate.
It’s interesting that shows that do not debase people of faith are at the top of the ratings, however, Hollywood seems committed to continue making shows that portray Christians in a negative light. And ABC is willing to air them.
Tim Wildman, president of the American Family Association has again weighed in with the best advice regarding this upcoming summer show: “Find out who the advertisers are and contact them. That’s the best way to impact a television program or series.�
I might add, be careful that in your calls to ABC Network and its sponsors you don’t become the stereotype you’re protesting.
QUICK LINKS
