What Happened to Freedom of Speech and Religion?

There is a great article at the Creation Moments website. Here is a snippet.

To a large extent, Christians are shut out of the pagan academic marketplace. Certainly, creationists are shut out of the public school system. Even Intelligent Design (ID) has been censored from academia. In the spring of this year, Iowa State University denied tenure to an overwhelmingly qualified professor because of his work on a pro-ID book. Professor Guillermo Gonzalez had published 350 percent more peer-reviewed papers than the standard required, and his department had nominated him for an award for outstanding research achievement in early 2004. He was a rising star. But after his ID book came out in late 2004, his 2006 tenure application was denied.

This is one of the things that really chaps my hide. Freedom of religion to me should include everyone. And (since there are certainly some irreligious intelligent design advocates) freedom of speech should include everyone. More and more our culture is not just proclaiming "separation of church and state" (which isn't actually in the constitution). Instead our culture is proclaiming separation of the Judeo-Christian God and anything public. For example, this summer my family and I went to an international day at our local library. Much to my horror it opened with a prayer to a Hawaiian goddess. Not just a mention of this dance was used in prayer to such-and-such Hawaiian goddess. No. It was a full blown statement of this is a prayer we are praying to the goddess in Hawaiian and this is what it means. Now imagine if at the start of the program there had been a prayer in Latin to Jesus that was translated and identified as such. There would have been an uproar of protest. And maybe I should have protested. I was so shocked I didn't know what to do. My husband and I did talk to our kids about it afterward.

I pray that God help me remember to be bold for Him no matter what the culture says. For we are to be set apart.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Remember to thank God who gives all good things. I am especially thankful for salvation in Christ, my loving husband, and the opportunity God has given us to participate in the bringing up of two young souls.

Janet Folger's Letter From Jail

Nov. 20, 2010

To the Resistance:

I'm writing this letter from prison, where I've been since the beginning of 2010. Since Hillary was elected in '08, Christian persecution in America has gotten even worse than we predicted.
When the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" was signed into law, my radio program was yanked off the air along with all the others that dared discuss moral issues on Christian radio. The networks just couldn't bring themselves to air a pro-abortion program or one that advocates the homosexual agenda for the government mandated "balance" because broadcasting lies went against their basic beliefs – I don't blame them.

We knew "Thought Crimes" was in danger of becoming law back when it passed Congress in 2007, but thankfully, President Bush kept his promise to veto it. But, tragically, Hillary signed that most dangerous bill in America – ushering in the criminalization of Christianity. And now, even my book, "The Criminalization of Christianity," has been banned as "hate speech" just as I predicted when I wrote it back in 2005.

When the "Employment Non-Discrimination Act" ("Thought Crimes" for the Workplace) became law, businesses and ministries were targeted by homosexual activists and were forced to close when they wouldn't comply with a law forcing them to hire those opposed to their beliefs on moral issues.

If you would like to read the rest of the article, go here. I thought it was really good. If you want to stop the above article from becoming a reality, give to the Huckabee campaign by clicking on the ticker above. Today is the big November 20th drive. Let's all do our part.

The Harsh Truth About Public Schools (Part 2)

This is the second part of my thoughts on Bruce Shortt's The Harsh Truth About Public Schools. If you would like to read the first part, go here. The thing I found most interesting in the second half of the book was the section starting on page 320 about all of the "but"s people use to squirm out to taking their children out of public school.

"But our government school is different."
Read the book. If you still think that the federal laws, court decisions, and teacher's unions do not assure that your government school teaches a secular humanist world view, read the book again.

"But my child is salt and light."
If this was being said of well grounded college students with a great Christian world view, I might agree. To expect a 8-year-old to withstand the constant spiritual battery of a government school let alone change it is mind boggling. Children must be trained before they can be sent out.

"But we can't just withdraw from culture."
". . . if all Christians withdrew their children from government schools, sending children to government schools would no longer represent the cultural norm - we would have changed it."

"But our pastor hasn't said it's a problem."
Really, if you can't think and reason for yourself, I feel very bad for you and worry about your spiritual well being.

"But our government school has some Christian teachers."
Even Christian teachers are bound by the law, curricula, etc. that make getting a Christian education via government schools impossible. All they can provide is a less corrosive environment. They cannot teach Christian values such as you matter because God created us and loves us. They cannot teach that there is right and wrong and God decides what is right and wrong.

"But what about socialization?"
Christian children can't be Christian and be just like the world. That said, there are plenty of ways to let your kids interact with other kids and grown-ups. Church, karate, going to the dog park, going to the library, inviting people over for dinner, etc. are all examples of this.

"But what about extracurricular activities?"
Really if cheerleading and chess club are more important to you than your children's spiritual well fare, I feel sad for your kids. That being said there are 4-H, boy scouts, church choir, etc. that anyone can participate in.

"But what would my family and friends think?"
WHO CARES?! God's opinion is the only one that matters.

"But we went to public schools and we turned out just fine."
I went to public schools too. I didn't get pregnant or do drugs or get involved in the occult. I also don't think that I reached my full spiritual potential in school despite reading the Bible daily and having Christian parents who made sure that we did at least know the Bible. And government schools get worse every year because of new court decisions, laws, etc.

"But we can't afford it."
My husband and I probably live below the "poverty line", but we do NOT send our kids to public school. Be willing to sacrifice. Be creative. You can do it.

"But we can't send our children to Christian school and I don't think I am qualified to teach."
If you don't think that you are qualified to teach, read chapter 5 of the book. Also, I suggest that just as any person that knows how he/she was saved can teach the Gospel anyone who is literate and can learn can teach their children. If you need a jump start, you can always purchase curricula.

"But we can't send our children to Christian school and don't have time to homeschool."
First of all, it only takes three (or less) hours a day to homeschool your kids. Second, I think that most of us can sacrifice TV time, reading the newspaper, surfing the web, etc for the sake of our children.

I highly recommend The Harsh Truth About Public Schools for anyone who wants a thorough and well-thought-out read.

Confession of National Sin

I have been reading the end of the Old Testament recently. It struck me that those leaders (Daniel, Ezra, etc.) are mentioned confessing for the nation. While I am certainly not a leader, I thought it would be a good thing to start including in my daily prayers. I am sure that there are more things to add and will probably do so in the future.

O LORD, I confess that we Christians in this country have allowed evil to gain ground and we have not aggressively taken ground for the Kingdom. We allow children to be killed at abortionists' hands so that we can be more materialistic, more sexually immoral, and more self-centered. We have allowed our children’s soul’s to be destroyed at day-cares and public schools for the sake of money and fitting in and because of apathy. We do not strive for excellence, but are OK with offering you a living sacrifice of mediocrity. We have not kept our promises to stay married and have gotten divorced for no scriptural reason. Because of divorce our children have suffered yet again. We have not trusted in your scripture to be inerrant and so have allowed our children to be taught that they came from hydrogen gas and will turn to dirt when they die. We have allowed them to be taught that they are soulless animals acting only on instinct and intelligence. Because of this many of our children lose faith or never find it. We have become dependent on preachers for our Bible knowledge, youth ministers to develop faith in our children, and programs to bring people to you. So there are thousands of churches that are full of mature people who have been Christians a long time and yet are not mature spiritually and do not participate in the harvest of souls. O LORD, change the face of our country and your church. There are so many fronts to fight on. Help me to stand firm. Help me know my assignment in the battle. Forgive your Church for losing your passion for the lost. Forgive us for being divided and divisive. We have sinned on both extremes and compromised scripture to be “unified” while at the same time holding on to traditions of men instead of embracing unity. O God, our sins are piled up like a mountain before us and we are largely blind to the mountains existence. We have not stayed separate from the world and so are blind to our worldliness. We have bought the lie that love means having good feelings about someone. We have not lived out love by doing good for a persons body, mind, and soul.

Great Pro-life Voting Article by Another Blogger

Randy Alcorn had a great post today about Christian responsibility and voting pro-life. Read the whole thing here. Here are some quotes from it.

the reader comment that most grabbed my attention was, “Pat Robertson just endorsed, formally, Rudy Giuliani. I would love your thoughts on that.” I found the video clip of Pat Robertson’s endorsement of Rudy G. That was the moment when things changed. This was no longer politics, which I dislike, it was a full-blown moral issue, full of biblical and theological and Christian implications.

Really, what are secular people to think? All the years that Christians have said unborn babies were precious, their lives were sacred, marriage between a man and a woman was sacred, marriage vows were sacred and family was sacred….were they just kidding? Because now some of the same Christians are saying “we support for president a man who has demonstrated that none of those are sacred to him.”So what is sacred now? Being conservative? Being a Republican? Please. I am a disciple of Jesus.

Let me respond to the people, including some who commented on last week’s blog, who are adamantly ABC (Anybody But Clinton). Here’s a quote:

Christian Conservatives must decide on who is best to beat Hillary. That is THE most important point. Huckabee is great, but he WILL not beat Hillary. Whomever wins the Republican nomination must be supported by ALL Republicans. If we step back because we don’t like the candidate we as Christians will be voting in Hillary Clinton. This CANNOT happen.

I mean no disrespect, but actually, yes, there ARE worse things than Hillary being elected. In my opinion, having to stand before God to answer for compromising biblical convictions and acting as moral hypocrites by voting for an unprincipled man who will not defend the innocent and care for his own family is far worse. God will not judge me in light of whether I’ve followed conservativism or promoted Republicanism, but as to whether I have honored my Lord Jesus.

Is there a time for pragmatism? Sure. As long as you can stay within the realm of righteous principles, then go ahead and weigh pragmatic considerations, as a matter of wisdom. But there is no wisdom in unrighteousness. If you are tempted toward a pragmatic action that violates Scripture and conscience, do not succumb to that temptation. To do so is sin.

When Christian Leaders Betray Their Own Principles

The following quote is from Mr. Murray from Religious Freedom Coalition in his blog. He is discussing why several Christian leaders have abandoned their principles by endorsing people for president that are not staunchly pro-life and/or pro-marriage.

Why is the social conservative movement in the United States committing suicide? The answer is power politics. Evangelical conservative leaders are backing candidates they think will win rather than those who have been consistent social conservatives with 100% pro-life records. Many other endorsements I will not mention here have surprised me, but all seem to have one theme: “We need someone who can beat Hillary.” The assumption is that the GOP must choose a “centrist” presidential candidate or Hillary will win. The logic goes, “We need a New York liberal to beat their New York liberal.” By that logic Ronald Reagan would not have gotten the GOP presidential nomination. Reagan was too conservative to be electable by the National Right to Life Committee standards and those of many other social conservative leaders today.

Meanwhile the rank and file members of social conservative organizations are being turned off by their leadership. While National Right to Life has endorsed Fred Thompson, his numbers continue to fall in Iowa and New Hampshire while those of Governor Mike Huckabee continue to rise. Huckabee is now in a solid 2nd place in Iowa behind Governor Mitt Romney who has spent $21 million in that state alone. Huckabee has spent just $500,000 there and he has such momentum that he may well take first place on Election Day. Thompson is in fourth place in Iowa and fifth place in New Hampshire where Huckabee recently passed him. The national polls don’t matter at all because most of those folks will actually never vote in a primary.

First, I thank God that the head of the Church is Christ and we "rank and file" Christians are not bound to follow our "leaders" when they turn from the path that Christ would have us follow. So I encourage everyone to vote your values.

Second, when you go to the ballot box for the primary vote for the person you think is the best candidate. Do not try to predict the future! Vote with your conscience.

Third, if you want Mike Huckabee to win, give his campaign a donation. If people don't know about him, how can they decide to vote for him.