The Anti-Christian Crusades
The Anti-Christian Crusades
It is nearly Christmas and we will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in the usual traditions. Almost. The politically correct among us are waging a battle to equalize, diminish and remove Christianity from our public lives.
In this country, perhaps more so than anywhere in the world, national identity is linked with our religious heritage. From the very beginning of European immigration to these shores, establishment of churches and social order depended upon the Christian faith. Long before Columbus, in A.D. 1000, Leif Eriksson brought the first European settlers and Greenland became a Christian Settlement. One account places the Knights Templar in North America in the early 1300s. This land was populated with Catholic and Protestant Christians even before migration of Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or members of other faiths.
It is good to remain at peace with all people, so far as possible without surrender. But appeasement of those who would deny the validity and importance of Christ in Christmas goes too far. There is an anti-Christian bias in this country, and it is more on display at Christmas season than any other time. In October Target Superstores banned the Salvation Army's kettles from the front of their stores. They also banned the use of "Merry Christmas" from their in-store promotions and from their advertising. The American Family Association asked for a boycott of Target during the Thanksgiving weekend—the busiest shopping weekend of the year. Refusal to surrender was evidenced in USA Today’s November 16th article: Target announced it would miss holiday sales projections. On that news, its shares fell seven percent.
The Supreme Court can huff and puff about separation of church and state. And its interpretations have created anti-Christian social and legal precedent. We hear the word tolerance all the time. Practically every time, a controversially moral issue arises. Secular liberalism, chiefly promoted by the ACLU, intimidates its critics into silence and casts cultural suspicion upon them. At the same time it makes a host of moral judgments on racism, affirmative action, abortion, same-sex marriage and church-state issues. Yet secular liberalism offers no firm reason why people ought to be tolerant of anti-Christian ideas.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship Him. How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! In the Christian faith it is better to display a humble spirit. So, be on good terms with all people. But do not surrender. Merry Christmas and may God bless you.
posted by Larrys at 10:27 AM
11 Comments:
Maryland Toleration Act of 1649
September 21, 1649
An Act Concerning Religion.
Forasmuch as in a well governed and Christian Common Weath matters concerning Religion and the honor of God ought in the first place to bee taken, into serious consideracion and endeavoured to bee settled, Be it therefore ordered and enacted by the Right Honourable Cecilius Lord Baron of Baltemore absolute Lord and Proprietary of this Province with the advise and consent of this Generall Assembly:
That whatsoever person or persons within this Province and the Islands thereunto helonging shall from henceforth blaspheme God, that is Curse him, or deny our Saviour Jesus Christ to bee the sonne of God, or shall deny the holy Trinity the father sonne and holy Ghost, or the Godhead of any of the said Three persons of the Trinity or the Unity of the Godhead, or shall use or utter any reproachfull Speeches, words or language concerning the said Holy Trinity, or any of the said three persons thereof, shalbe punished with death and confiscation or forfeiture of all his or her lands and goods to the Lord Proprietary and his heires.
There is more... http://www.townhall.com/townhall/america101.html?rowid=4
Magna Carta, 1215
1. First of all have granted to God, and, for us and for our heirs forever, have confirmed, by this our present charter, that the English church shall be free and shall have its rights intact and its liberties uninfringed upon. And thus we will that it be observed.
The Mayflower Compact
November 11, 1620
In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc.
Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, convenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience.
Companies Ban 'Christmas,' Not Worried About Backlash
Several retailers have joined in the push to ban the use of "Christmas" in their in-store promotions and retail advertising. The new push to eliminate "Christmas" and replace it with "Happy Holidays," "Season's Greetings," etc. is gaining ground with several retailers participating.
Not wanting to offend a handful of complainers, these companies are willing to offend the vast majority who hold Christmas as a time to celebrate the birth of Christ. Their attitude is that those who identify themselves as Christians don't care if they eliminate "Christmas."
While it is too late to make changes this year, we have already sent letters to several major retailers we have identified as participating in banning "Christmas," asking them to put Christmas back into their in-store promotions and retail advertising next year. We have sent letters to the chairmen of Target, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Kmart/Sears, Costco, Kohl's and Lowe's about their practice. (Lowe's even refuses to promote their trees as Christmas trees, but calls them "Holiday Trees." Their toll-free number is 1-800-445-6937.)
Please sign our petition letting these companies know that banning "Christmas" in their promotions and advertising next year will result in a loss of business. As we identify other companies participating in this practice, we will contact them.
We need your support to be effective. That is why we need your petition. Please help us get the word out by forwarding this to your friends and family. Many of them will want to participate. We will keep you informed on which companies make changes and which ones refuse.
Thanks for caring enough to get involved.
Sincerely,
Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association
It's the Winter Solstice, Charlie Brown
David Limbaugh's book "Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity" will make you cry for your country. (But don't pray for your country if you are anywhere near a public school!) Released [in 2003] Limbaugh's copiously researched book documents how the courts, the universities, the media, Hollywood and government institutions react to any mention of Christianity like Superman recoiling from kryptonite, Dracula from sunlight, or Madonna from soap and water. His straight, factual narrative of what is happening in our public schools makes you wonder how much longer America can survive liberalism.
"How To Talk To A Liberal," Ann Coulter
Citizen Magazine, November 2005
http://www.family.org/cforum/citizenmag/features/a0038338.cfm
The Architecture of a Smear
What you don't know about the campaign to end public prayers at the Air Force Academy, and what you can do to protect the military from future attacks on faith.
by Stephen Adams
The news could have been worse. The U.S. Air Force's new guidelines for religious tolerance, released in late August, didn't ban all forms of public prayer and worship at the Air Force Academy, as some liberal critics had demanded. The Air Force still allows "brief, nonsectarian prayer" at special ceremonies or in "extraordinary circumstances" such as "mass casualties, preparation for imminent combat and natural disasters," but "usually" not at "staff meetings … and sporting events."
By all accounts, the policy is aimed directly at evangelicals, whose numbers are growing among the ranks of cadets and chaplains at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Air Force football coach Fisher DeBerry, a churchgoer, got the message. Soon after the guidelines were released, he canceled team prayers in the locker room.
Around the same time, officers at the U.S. Naval Academy said they would continue to allow mealtime prayers, rejecting demands from some of the same critics who pressured the Air Force Academy. But the Navy is becoming increasingly isolated in its acknowledgment of faith.
The trend alarms some key members of Congress.
"While religious intolerance is inappropriate, so is trying to scrub religion from public life, including at the [Air Force] Academy," said U.S. Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colo., whose district includes the Academy. "We're trying to build character in young Americans there, and for many their religious faith is a part of their character. It's the kind of thing that drives people many times to make sacrifices you wouldn't make otherwise. You jump on a live grenade so it won't kill your buddy."
Yet some pressure groups refuse to back down in their efforts to eliminate all expressions of faith in the American military. They're the same people who criticized Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ as anti-Semitic, and who demand that Ten Commandments displays be removed from courthouses and state capitols. But some faces are not as familiar; they include a Yale Divinity School professor who's protested the military, and a newspaper in the Air Force Academy's hometown that was more than willing to report the Yale professor's allegations.
This ambush led a Texas congresswoman to write her colleagues a letter of warning.
"I am very concerned about the long-term impact this excessively negative publicity will have on these bright, energetic young people from all over America who are dedicating themselves to the service of our Nation," wrote U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas., last summer. "The steady stream of untrue, and sometimes outlandishly unfair, assertions leaves the totally inaccurate impression of … rampant proselytizing."
The fight spilled onto the floor of the U.S. House when Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., offered an amendment to a military appropriations bill to condemn the Academy for "coercive and abusive religious proselytizing." U.S. Rep. John Hostettler of Indiana, incensed by Obey's language, rose to the podium to launch a salvo of his own. "Like a moth to a flame," he declared, "Democrats can't help themselves when it comes to denigrating and demonizing Christians."
Hostettler later retracted his remarks; Obey's amendment was rejected.
Hostettler, a church-going Baptist, told Citizen, "We should recognize what's going on for what it is, and that is the attempted removal of Christianity from virtually all public forums."
Full story at http://www.family.org/cforum/citizenmag/features/a0038338.cfm
Georgia Baptist Convention panel votes to sever ties with Mercer
By Linda S. Morris and Tim Sturrock
TELEGRAPH STAFF WRITERS
The executive committee of the Georgia Baptist Convention voted Monday to sever ties with Mercer University.
The decision came during the convention's annual meeting in Columbus, according to a news release. In order to become official, delegates would have to vote on the issue at two consecutive annual meetings of the convention. The first vote could come today.
"I am very disappointed by this action," Mercer University President R. Kirby Godsey said in a news release. "The partnership between the Baptists of Georgia and Mercer University has existed for almost 175 years."
He said if the convention votes to break the relationship, it would be "a strategic loss for both the convention and the university."
Judith Lunsford, a public relations official for Mercer, said she did not know why the convention's executive committee made its decision.
Efforts to reach the public relations representative for the Georgia Baptist Convention were unsuccessful Monday night.
Griffin Bell, a Mercer trustee and a 1948 graduate of Mercer, said he suspects the committee members were upset over an October event at Mercer called the Mercer Triangle Symposium. The symposium sponsored a National Coming Out Day in October.
"I would surmise that that's what it's about," Bell said. Executive committee members "were quite upset with the gays and lesbians on the campus, and I supposed that had something to do with the action of the executive committee. I understand they might be embarrassed about the lesbian-gay meeting, but in time that will pass. I really feel bad about it from both sides."
He said some kind of event had to cause such a drastic measure.
"It couldn't be some long-standing thing. Otherwise we would have been negotiating about it," Bell said. "This was no negotiating at all. It was out of the blue. They obviously became very upset about something."
Amid the controversy, the Mercer Triangle Symposium disbanded Monday.
According to a Baptist Press story, The Mercer Triangle Symposium sponsored a National Coming Out Day and promoted the event in The Cluster, the Mercer campus newspaper. The Cluster published the names of 29 faculty and staff who supported the organization and its goals.
That event caused a leading member of the Baptist community to question Mercer as a place where Baptist parents can send their children, according to the Baptist Press report.
J. Robert White, Georgia Baptist Convention's executive director, told Baptist Press he was "deeply concerned to learn of the homosexual coming out day held at Mercer."
"The thing that concerns me most deeply is the disregard for the physical, mental and emotional well-being of the students by those who promoted this event and other similar activities that apparently take place with regularity on the campus," White said.
White also told the Baptist Press, "If there was no spiritual reason whatsoever to discourage homosexuality, certainly the blight of AIDS should be adequate to surmise, 'This is not a good thing to promote at our university.' "
The Baptist Press story quoted a statement by Godsey sent to The Christian Index, the Baptist newspaper of Georgia, which said, "The Mercer Triangle Symposium is an organization recognized by the Student Government Association, and though the University does not sponsor this organization, we do respect the right of students to assemble and discuss wide-ranging social and religious issues."
At times over the years, Mercer University and Godsey have had a rocky relationship with the Georgia Baptist Convention, which founded the college and provides financial support.
In 1987, a campaign by conservative layman Lee Roberts to bring down Mercer's management boomeranged. Before the Georgia Baptist Convention that year, he charged Godsey with heresy and allowing moral debauchery on the Macon campus.
There was a bid to change the method of electing Mercer's trustees, but a counter-offensive by moderates not only beat back that bid, but it cost conservatives their hold on the convention presidency.
Godsey describes himself as a religious moderate who follows traditional Baptist principles. Some conservative Georgia Baptists, however, have argued over the years that he, and Mercer, are not properly teaching the faith.
Things came to a head in 1996 when Godsey published, "When We Talk About God ... Let's Be Honest." Among other things, the book maintained that the Bible should not be interpreted literally.
At the time, the Georgia Baptist Convention approved a resolution saying Godsey had "departed significantly from Baptist doctrine" and "hinders our entire mission of Christian education."
(Information from Baptist Press and The Telegraph's archives was used in this report.)
I am a citizen of Henry County and I think Christ is doing just fine here.
While I don't completely disagree with your comments, I have to say that there is an absolute STRANGLEHOLD on any non-Christian based life here in Henry County.
This "perceived war" on Christianity is quite untrue; it is spreading like wildfire.
I do agree that forcing folks to not say "Merry Christmas" is bunk. This is America and that works for both sides of the bible.
I, myself, am a Secular Humanist and have been rejected, degraded, and demoralized because of my beliefs. Is it so much to ask that I (and others like me) be able to feel welcome in a community, school, or federal building. It would be nice to be able to go through life without being told that I'm going to Hell. It would be nice if my little girl didn't come home crying because the other kids at school threw rocks at her. Why? Because she has an atheist for a mother.
We're not waging war with Christianity; we just want to be accepted in a universally sound environment. Christianity is a beautiful religion when it's practiced right. We don't want to end it. We'd just rather have our public schools, courtrooms, and other government buildings to be accepting of all beliefs.
"They're trying to take Christ out of Christmas!"
The fact is that all of our traditional ways of celebrating Christmas, are really old heathen customs of marking the winter solstice; from decorating trees, hanging wreaths, kissing under the mistletoe and burning the yule log, to caroling, feasting, drinking and exchanging gifts. Even Santa was coming down chimneys long before that Catholic bishop from Turkey came on the scene.
It was decided by Constantius II in 354ad that Jesus's birth would be celebrated on the same birth date that all the other heathen virgin born saviors shared- December 25th. How convenient. It wasn't even called "Mass of Christ" til the 11th century.
Christians in this country are just mad and even scared that they don't get (more) special treatment at Christmas because of the very small but growing minority of folks who don't want to be reminded that "Jesus is the reason for the season" where they shop and don't think specifically religious displays are appropriate on public land or in public schools.
I wonder if there was such an amount of loud Christian whining when they realized the attempt to insert their religion into Halloween was failing?
Here is a great list of examples of just how bad it is for Christians in America from infidels.org
I'm certainly glad this has finally been brought out into the open. The anti-Christian bias in our society has reached absurd proportions. Consider:
1.During the 1988 election campaign, George Bush said that Christians should not be considered patriots or real American citizens.
2.Bill Clinton steadfastly refuses to give any speeches at local churches.
3.Both major political parties are dominated by anti-Christians. The Republican party, for example, gave us such hardcore atheists as Pat Buchanan, Dan Quayle, Phyllis Schlafly and Ronald Reagan. And the Democrats have given us such personalities as the Rev. Martin Luther King and the Rev. Jesse Jackson both noted for their vicious attacks on all forms of Christianity.
4.Let's talk about the media. On Sunday mornings, nearly all major television channels broadcast pro-atheist shows; it is nearly impossible to find religious programming during that time period. Further, Madalyn Murray O'Hair has her own cable TV channel, while Pat Robertson has been unable to obtain one for himself.
5.Most major newspapers run a special weekly section devoted to Atheism. There are no equivalent sections for religious news.
6.Anti-Christian shows such as the American Atheist Forum are broadcast by major national networks. Meanwhile, Billy Graham is only able to get on the air through public access TV, which is watched by few people.
7.It is almost impossible to find a shopping mall with a Christian Armory book store, while Atheist Book Centers are featured prominently on every corner.
8.While atheist couples who marry rarely have any difficulty finding a place to do so, it is nearly impossible for Christian couples to find a church where they can marry.
9.For that matter, churches themselves are extremely rare, while atheist meeting centers can be found every few blocks.
10.Recently, several atheists have shot and killed Christian priests as they were going to work in their churches. Similarly, atheists are well-known for blockading churches on Sunday mornings
11.Nearly all of our elected public officials are atheists; they even have to swear on a copy of Darwin's "Origin of Species" in order to take office.
12.In a similar vein, jurors must take an oath upon a copy of the Skeptical Inquirer before they can serve. There have even been court cases thrown out because one of the jury members was a Christian who insisted on swearing on a Bible.
13.Even our language reflects the radical anti-Christian bias that pervades our society. For example, when somebody sneezes, most people say "Darwin bless you." Similarly, "Voltaire dammit!" is a common cussword
14.All of our money has the atheistic slogan "We do not trust in God" printed on it.
15.In school, our children are made to recite the pledge, "One nation, anti-God, indivisible...."
16.One cannot rent a hotel room without finding a copy of Nietzsche's The Anti-Christ in the room
17.Organizations such as the Boy Scouts deny membership to Christians
18.Christian churches are forced to pay exorbitant taxes
19.You can't drive anywhere without seeing a Darwin fish or a "Jesus Was A Fraud" bumper sticker stuck to a car
20.Georgia recently passed a new law requiring schools to have a "moment of noise" during which children are encouraged to degrade Christianity
21.Many Christians are afraid to admit their Christianity to their parents and friends, for fear their kin will consider them immoral Christian scum and want nothing to do with them
22.At presidential inauguration ceremonies, Madalyn Murray-O'Hair (that well-known friend of several presidents) gives a short pro-Atheism speech
23.For decades, high school and college commencement ceremonies have included brief speeches at the beginning and end of the ceremony in which Atheism is praised and Christians deemed irrational. Christians who object to the practice, or who ask for an opening prayer instead, are regarded as cranks at best and subversives at worst
24.Most hospitals are full of atheist symbols, and many prominently feature statues of Nietszche, Darwin, and so forth
25.Atheist magazines such as "Atheism Today," "Today's Atheist Woman," "Atheist Homeschooler," "The Atheist Century," "Atheist Ministry," "The Atheist Archeological Review," "Atheist Parenting Today" and "The Atheist Science Monitor" are featured prominently in newsstands across the country.
26.Businesses often refuse to admit that they are Christian-owned and operated, for fear of being boycotted by their atheist customers. Meanwhile, atheist-owned businesses often feature Darwin-fish logos in their ads
27.There are large networks of atheistic private schools in America, while it's nearly impossible to find a private Catholic school
28.Christian gatherings and funerals are often disrupted by atheists shouting slurs and holding signs that read, "Nature hates Christians
29.Atheists regularly go door-to-door on Sunday mornings asking people not to go to church with them.
30.Despite the overwhelming number of atheists in the general population and in powerful legislative positions, when they don't get their own way, atheists whine that this is an anti-atheistic country
This happened in Douglasville Ga but....
Mike Everson the Chairman of the Executive Committee finally got what he deserved by someone who created a website ( the computer support guy who was also a member) and exposed Mike for what he was.
His son Jarrod was caught in Porn, the Music Minister was caught in Porn, Mike was exposed for all kinds of "unbiblical and unethical issues" etc., at his church. (dismissed widows and 9 month pregnant ladies plus many others for standing against him on many issues at this church)
Eventually had to give up Chairmanship and Resigned as Pastor of Prays Mill Baptist. Now maybe Shorter and Mercer got the favor returned to the "instigator" of hate between the Ga Baptist Convention and these two colleges. The Bible says' "you will one day reap what you have sowed".
What a hypocrite he turned out to be.
Great job computer guy at Prays Mill!
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