Two weeks ago, I reported on Pastor Ake Green’s court case that was coming up to the Sweden Supreme Court. If convicted, he was facing up to 4 years in prison as dictated by the new Swedish law against hate speech.
The whole world was watching this important court case, as it could have opened the floodgates to further persecution of the church. But Goliath again lost to David, and Pastor Green was completely vindicated by the court in a 5-0 decision.
The WorldDailyNet reported:
The court ruled Ake Green was free to espouse his religious views even if they were deemed offensive by some, though prosecutors said the high court’s decision will not lead to acceptance of "gay bashing."
They noted the court recognized Green’s comments were made during a religious sermon and did not incite others to take harmful actions against homosexuals.
Pastor Green commented in a radio broadcast following his acquittal, "This means we can continue to speak the way we have, and therefore it feels very good that they have ruled in a way that that there should not be any infringement in our way of preaching,"
Posted by hostdime as Persecuted Church at 2:50 AM EST
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From Tony Perkin’s Newletterr, www.frg.org.
Boston’s Mayor and Parks Commissioner has yielded to cries from people across the country: Beantown’s 
"holiday tree" will be a Christmas tree, after all. The Christmas tree is an annual gift from Nova Scotia to thank the people of Boston for their great generosity following the explosion of a munitions ship in Halifax harbor during World War I. When he heard that the tree would no longer be called a Christmas tree, the Canadian donor said he’d rather put the majestic evergreen "in the chipper." Meanwhile on the West Coast, Encinitas, California, Mayor Dan Dalager braved criticism from the politically correct crowd. He renamed that city’s holiday parade a Christmas parade. That’s the name it proudly wore for decades, the Mayor explained. Mayor Dalager, a lifelong resident of the thriving coastal city, upset the local Girl Scouts council as well as the vice president of the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Southern California. The dog club veep identified herself as an atheist. She did not, apparently, poll the dogs. Many of us think the celebration of Christmas is going to the dogs in this country when we see news stories about shoppers on "Black Friday" scuffling with Wal-Mart security guards. Fighting for what? A cheaper toy? A discounted laptop? The latest X-box? At times, it seems we went to sleep in George Bailey’s friendly hometown in It’s a Here’s How You Can Help
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Return to ‘Christmas’ Parade Upsets Some
Posted by Walt as Family Values at 12:51 PM EST
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For our part, we find it far more easy to believe that the Lord made us than that we were developed by a long chain of natural selections from floating atoms which fashioned themselves. - C. H. Spurgeon
Posted by Walt as C.H. Spurgeon Gems at 10:35 AM EST
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Last week in the New Zealand Herald, it was reproted that archaeologists digging at the biblical home of Goliath have unearthed a shard of pottery bearing the Philistine’s name, lending credence to the Biblical tale of David’s battle.
While the discovery does not prove Goliath’s existence, it does support the Bible’s depiction of life at the time of the supposed battle, said Dr Aren Maeir of Bar-Ilan University in Israel.
"It means there were people there named Goliath at the time. It shows David’s story reflects the cultural reality of the time."
Some scholars believe that the story of David slaying the giant Goliath is a myth written down hundreds of years later, but Maeir said finding the scraps gave credence to the biblical story.
The shard dates to about 950BC, within 70 years of when biblical chronology says David squared off against Goliath, making it the oldest Philistine inscription found.
It was at Tel es-Safi in southern Israel, thought to be the site of the Philistine city of Gath.
Posted by Walt as Biblical Archeology at 6:57 PM EST
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An appropriate post written by Tony Perkins of www.frc.org
Thanksgiving is uniquely American. There are of course regional twists to the holiday. Ours consists of fried turkey, cornbread dressing, sweet potato crunch and my favorite - sweet potato pie. It is a time for families to gather together in prayer around the table. As you join with family and friends, take time and reflect on that first Thanksgiving. William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth, proclaimed the first official day of Thanksgiving in October of 1621. What were they thankful for? One year after arriving, the Pilgrims stood at about half their original number. Not quite one year earlier they had arrived in New England from Holland after a 66-day journey across the North Atlantic. During that first winter 47 of the 102 Pilgrims were lost to disease and starvation. If it hadn’t been for Squanto, the young Patuxent Indian, the second winter might have claimed them all. Squanto had been taken captive by slave traders, but monks in Spain purchased his freedom and taught him the Christian faith. He made his way to England, learned our language, and thence returned to America. He was there to welcome the Pilgrims shortly after their arrival. Squanto taught them how to plant corn in New England’s rocky soil. He shared his special knowledge of forests and rivers. Governor Bradford said Squanto had been sent by God to be the little band’s Joseph.
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Posted by Walt as General at 10:25 PM EST
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There were many voters in this month’s elections that were upset and offended because of the location of the polls. The Whitehall Township in Pennsylvania normally uses houses of worship for their polls. This year for the first time, the Lehigh Valley County election board decided to the Lehigh Valley Islamic Center. There were many voters who had family members in Iraq and Afghanistan who were understandably offended.
The Morning Call, which reports Lehigh Valley local news, indicated that one-third of the voters at the mosque expressed concerns about voting there.
This past Monday, November 21, representatives of the Philadelphia office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Lehigh Valley Muslim community responded to the concerns of the Whitehall Township voters. The Council on American-Islamic Relations describes its mission as enhancing the understanding of Islam, encouraging dialog, protecting civil liberties, and empowering American Muslims.
Last year, the group launched a "Not in the Name of Islam" campaign, an effort to "disassociate Islam from terrorism," but incidents such as the Lehigh Valley voting flap suggest the campaign’s message has not reached some Americans.
But in a previous post, American Mosque’s Duplicity Exposed, it was pointed out that what the Muslims tell the non-Muslims in a recruiting class is quite different that what is spoken to the true Muslims.
Muhammad taught his followers not to tell the truth to infidels. This is a direct violation of God’s 9th Commandment: “Thou shall not bear false witness.”
I believe the concerns of the voters of Whitehall Township are indeed justified.
Posted by Walt as Islam at 11:49 AM EST
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The California atheist, Michael Newdow, who filed suit to remove "under God" from the "Pledge of Allegiance" is at it again!
He is suing to remove "In God We Trust" from all of our currency in the most liberal-left activist Federal Court, the infamous 9th Circuit. "In God We Trust" has been on our currency for over 141 years. The U.S. Congress approved incorporating "In God We Trust" into the new design of our currency on April 22, 1864.
In an article recently published by CNSNews.com, Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the conservative American Center for Law and Justice, called Newdow’s new lawsuit "another attempt to use the legal system to remove a legitimate reference to the religious heritage of America."
"Mere acknowledgment of God by the government cannot be said to be ‘establishment of religion,’ such that it would violate the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution," Sekulow said. "The nation’s history is replete with examples of acknowledgment of religious belief in the public sector."
Therefore, "our national motto, ‘In God We Trust,’ is not only permissible, but constitutional as well," Sekulow added, noting that the Supreme Court has on several occasions referenced the national motto as a legitimate expression of our religious heritage.
In response to this new attack on the reference of God, is being meet by may conservative groups who are mobilizing to against Newdow. The American Family Association is urging all Americans to sign their petition urging Congress to re-introduce Rep. Chip Pickering’s constitutional amendment. The AFA says Newdow is trying to make atheism the established religion of the United States.
The Family Research Council is also warning about the activist judges, especially the very liberal-left 9th U.S. Federal Circuit Court, who could make Newdow and others like him lethal against the U.S. Constitution.
Posted by Walt as Constitutional Issues at 1:50 PM EST
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The Vatican takes a stance on the science debate between evolution and intelligent design. But their stance to me is a step backward. To refute the evidence of an intelligent designer is the same as saying God is not an intelligent designer of the universe who did not had a specific purpose when He created all the universe. Therefore the Vatican must see creation as a random event.
In an article published yesterday in the Gadstone Times, Vatican Official Refutes Intelligent Design
The Vatican’s chief astronomer said Friday that "intelligent design" isn’t science and doesn’t belong in science classrooms, the latest high-ranking Roman Catholic official to enter the evolution debate in the United States.
The Rev. George Coyne, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, said placing intelligent design theory alongside that of evolution in school programs was "wrong" and was akin to mixing apples with oranges.
"Intelligent design isn’t science even though it pretends to be," the ANSA news agency quoted Coyne as saying on the sidelines of a conference in Florence. "If you want to teach it in schools, intelligent design should be taught when religion or cultural history is taught, not science."
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Posted by Walt as Creation at 11:25 AM EST
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President Bush is touring Asia and was given the newly released report, Thank You Father Kim Il Sung,on North Korea’s tragic human rights violation against Christians.
We know that North Korea is a a dictatorship totalitarian society with one 
of the highest human rights violation in the world. Christianity is not welcomed by the N. Korean government. Their society is closed and religious freedom is non-existent. All Christians are hunted like animals and persecuted in the most horrifying means.
North Korea literally keeps its citizens inf the dark. The satellite photo taken at night shows the extent of the the availability of electricity in N. Korea. No electricity, no contact to the outside world. Satellite pictures taken in the day show prison camps the size of large cities.
In todays New York Sun, a horrific and graphic article was published attesting to the atrocities against N. Korean Christians.
WASHINGTON - A woman in her 20s executed by a firing squad after being caught with a Bible. Five Christian church leaders punished by being run over by a steamroller before a crowd of spectators who "cried, screamed out, or fainted when the skulls made a popping sound as they were crushed." (New York Sun)
We must continue our prayers for the persecuted church.
Posted by Walt as Persecuted Church at 7:31 AM EST
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Washington, D.C. - On November, 8, voters in the Lone Star state voted "YES" on Proposition 2, which protects the institution of marriage in Texas from radical homosexuals and activist judges.
"Despite the effort of homosexual activists from around the nation to thwart traditional marriage, Texas became the 15th state in the last 18 months to take a stand for marriage and traditional values," said Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council.
"Texans voted on a strong marriage amendment that addressed not only same-sex ‘marriage,’ but any other configuration masquerading as marriage. The turnout for the off-year election, in which only propositions were on the ballot, was the highest turnout in over a decade.
"The victory in Texas once again shows how strongly the American public supports marriage. You would think the politicians in Washington would get the message. However, many of them apparently have a persistent case of cold feet and have refused to join the American people in defending marriage against homosexual activists and activist judges who are trying to redefine marriage for the nation.
"Despite the record breaking number of voters going to the polls in Texas in support of the state amendment lawsuits challenging the results can be expected. Only a U.S. Constitutional Amendment that protects marriage can ensure the hard work in the states is not in vain. Today Senator Brownback (R-KS) marks up the Marriage Protection Amendment that would define in the Constitution that marriage is between one man and one woman."
To interview Tony Perkins please contact Amber Hildebrand in the FRC Press Office at adh@frc.org or 202.393.2100.
Posted by Walt as Family Values at 9:40 AM EST
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