By Dr. D | January 5, 2009
A Catholic church in the Castro district of San Francisco has been vandalized with spray-painted swastikas and a message against the Pope.
This particular parish, the Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church on Diamond Street, is known to be gay-friendly and most of the parishioners of this church actually voted against Prop 8. Nevertheless they were probably targeted because the Catholic Church as a whole supported the Traditional Marriage Amendment.
Response: File this under- ’shoot yourself in the foot’. The election is over but nearly every politician has come out afterward in support of gay marriage and has supported the legal defeat of Prop 8. These kind of actions actually turn off the majority of Californians that might be persuaded one way or another.
These activists are actually helping those of us who support traditional marriage. *Top
Filed under: Culture & Religion, Culture Wars, Gay Activists, Homosexual Marriage, News Commentary | 1 Comment »
By Dr. D | January 3, 2009
The Chronicles of Eurabia continues. The Muslim dominated Malmö suburb of Rosengård, Sweden has become such a dangerous center of Islamic unrest that the police have hired a private security firm to protect the local police station. The station and the police had been a continuing target of fireworks, vandalism and stone-throwing Islamic youths.
Malmo has been at the center of Muslim unrest in Sweden, just google ‘Malmo’ and check out all the recent articles.
Response: The Swedish like many Europeans were happy to receive the Muslim immigrants at first. The problem is that those in the West fail to understand that Islam is far from being just another religion–it is at its core a way of life. A way of life which is in many ways at odds with much of the free societies that it is transplanted in.
Moderate Muslims who attempt to adapt and get along seem to be increasingly in the minority in the Islamic communities of Europe. So many of the mosques are dominated by extremists who actually sow unrest and conflict among the European Muslims, particularly the youth. *Top
Filed under: Culture & Religion, Culture Clash, Europe, Islam, News Commentary, Religious Conflict | 1 Comment »
By Dr. D | January 2, 2009
Gideons International is celebrating its 100th anniversary dispensing Bibles. The Gideons began to place Bibles in American hotel rooms in 1908. Since then they have distributed close to 1.5 billion scriptures in 187 different countries and in 85 languages, including 76.8 million distributions last year alone to hotels, hospitals, schools, prisons, and the military.
The Gideons are nondenominational group run by businessmen which traditionally has tried to keep a low profile. The Bible distribution itself is carried out by volunteers, mostly evangelical business and professional men and their wives.
Response: Congratulation Gideons!
Over the years there have been literally thousands of testimonies from folks who said their lives were blessed and literally changed by the hotel room Bibles, including many who say they went to the hotel with an intent to commit suicide.
Unfortunately, some hotel chains are beginning to reject the free Bibles using ‘religious diversity’ as an excuse–not wanting to offend anyone. Other chains have offered a variety of different religious literature to their patrons.
Hopefully, the venerable hotel room tradition doesn’t become become another front in the continuing culture wars. *Top
Filed under: Culture & Religion, News Commentary, The Bible | 1 Comment »
By Dr. D | January 1, 2009
Filed under: News Commentary | 1 Comment »
By Dr. D | December 31, 2008
Atheist Michael Newdow and a group of 17 atheist individuals along with 10 different atheist groups are seeking a court injunction to remove any reference to God at the swearing-in of President-elect Barack Obama. The atheists are alleging that such references are unconstitutional violating the separation between church and state.
They are seeking to eliminate the prayers traditionally given during the inauguration ceremony and particularly to eliminate the traditional phrase, “so help me God”, from the actual oath.
Dr. Newdow failed in similar legal challenges to the 2001 and 2005 inaugurations of President George W. Bush.
Response: Newdow is a publicity hound for sure. Fortunately I can’t find even one legal expert that gives the atheists any chance of success in their current challenge.
Prayers and the phrase- “so help me God” have been a part of the inauguration ceremony from the very beginning with the swearing-in of the first President- George Washington.
A majority of the framers of the Constitution were alive at the time and many were present at the first inauguration. Not one of them objected to the Prayers or the references to God. Obviously their understanding of the ’separation of church and state’ was considerably different than Dr. Newdow’s et al. *Top
Filed under: -Atheism, -Freedom of Religion, -Politics & Religion, Culture Clash, News Commentary | 6 Comments »
By Dr. D | December 30, 2008
Illinois pharmacists are legally challenging Governor Blagojevich’s executive order that forces them to dispense “emergency contraception”, like the ‘Morning-after pill’, against their wills. The pharmacists are suing because the order violates their religious beliefs against dispensing abortifacients.
According to Brian Rooney of the Thomas More Law Center , the governor’s order violates a law already in place to protect the pharmacists:
“There is a law in Illinois that allows pharmacists and pharmacies to allow their rights to conscience to take precedence over these kinds of things.”
“When you have a duly enacted statute of law by the legislature, it always takes precedence over an executive order.”
Gov. Blago’s executive order is causing considerable trouble in the industry. Pharmacists are losing their jobs over refusing to dispense medications which violate their deeply held religious and moral beliefs. Rooney is hoping that the lawsuit which they are supporting will quickly resolve this issue.
Response: This is a problem that pharmacists in nearly every state are facing. Some drug stores are forcing their employees to follow through against their beliefs. Freedom of religion and conscience is at issue and many want to disregard the rights of individuals in favor of commerce. Throw in a progressive agenda that liberal politicians buy in to and you have the beginnings of oppression and persecution.
Doctors and nurses are beginning to face a similar situation in regards to abortion. Some hospitals are trying to force their employees to participate in procedures which are against their consciences. *Top
Filed under: -Freedom of Religion, Abortion, Culture & Religion, Culture Clash, News Commentary, Sanctity of Life | 1 Comment »
By Dr. D | December 29, 2008
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed suit against Forsyth County, North Carolina because some of the prayers at the county board meetings end with references to Jesus.
According to the OneNewsNow Report the ACLU is willing to settle the case in exchange for compensation and more generic prayers:
“[The ACLU] said that if the commission will give in, that they will give up the opportunity for allowing prayer — sectarian fashion — or, let’s be honest and frank about it, prayer in Jesus’ name…if they’ll give in on that and they’ll give the ACLU, get this, $60,000 in attorneys fees, then they’ll make their whole lawsuit go away”
However, the county is confident that they will eventually prevail in the case and not have to restrict participants in the opening prayers.
Response: Cases like this are going on all over the country. In most cases boards just stop having prayers all together. Those who believe that it is a constitutional violation to have public prayers should really sit down and read the thing.
While the framers were writing the Constitution they opened every meeting with prayers and on many occasions in the middle of particularly difficult meetings would stop and ask for God’s guidance and for His Holy Spirit to bring peace to the assembly. There was even at least one occasion when the very ’secular’ Benjamin Franklin suggested they take a break for prayer.
Apparently, those who wrote the Constitution in the first place did not think that prayer was a violation of their efforts and many but not all of the prayers did reference Jesus. *Top
Filed under: -Freedom of Religion, -Freedom of Speech, -Prayer, Culture Wars, News Commentary | 2 Comments »
By Dr. D | December 27, 2008
2008 has been a very rough year for the few hundred thousand Christians who remain in Iraq. At least this year the government acknowledged Christmas as an official holiday for the first time.
On Christmas Day, Chaldean Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly praised the establishment of Christmas as an official Iraqi holiday:
“I thank the government for giving chances to all to serve each other for the general benefit, and I thank it too for making this day an official holiday where we pray to God to make us trust each other as brothers. …I thank the visitors here and ask them to share happiness and love with their brothers on Christmas; by this they will build a glorious Iraq.”
At least one senior Shiite cleric, Ammar al-Hakim, attended the Mass as a gesture of cooperation with Christians and noted:
“We came here to bring a message of love, respect and gratitude to our Christian brothers and to share happiness with them as we have shared sadness with them during the cruel targeting they came under. We will do our best for equality between people and a good life for all, whatever their religious, sectarian and ethnic background.”
Response: Iraqi Christians toned down their usual Christmas celebrations in order not to encourage persecution. At least the government came through and gave the Christian minority a real present and boost for Christmas in declaring December 25 to be an official holiday. *Top
Filed under: -Christmas, Culture & Religion, Iraq, News Commentary | No Comments »
By Dr. D | December 26, 2008
KANSAS CITY, Mo.: They showed up at work, in the malls, restaurants, and even at Starbucks dressed like Jesus.
About 400 members of Praise Chapel Christian Fellowship in Kansas City, Kansas promised their Pastor to don the Jesus clothes to put Christ back in Christmas and remind everyone that Jesus is the real ‘reason for the season’.
Pastor Kelly Lohrke observed:
“I know it’s a crazy idea…I know it’s a radical idea. Christians can have fun with their faith and sharing their faith.”…”We’ve gotten nothing but positives,” …”Next year, we are going to make this a big deal.”
Pastor Lohrke said he came up with the idea as a response to the removal of crosses, nativity scenes and other religious symbols from public view during the Christmas season.
Response: An great example of Christians fighting back in the continuing ‘war on Christmas’. A good idea that can maybe be expanded on next year. *Top
Filed under: -Christmas, Culture & Religion, Culture Wars, War on Christmas | 1 Comment »
By Dr. D | December 24, 2008
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled on Channel 4 in the UK to give an address on Thursday evening as an alternative to the traditional Christmas address from Queen Elizabeth.
Ahmadinejad will tell Britons on Christmas Day that:
"The crises in society, the family, morality, politics, security and the economy … have come about because the prophets have been forgotten, the Almighty has been forgotten and some leaders are estranged from God,"
"If Christ were on earth today, undoubtedly he would stand with the people in opposition to bullying, ill-tempered and expansionist powers."
Response: It is incredible that Channel 4 would be carrying a ‘alternative’ message like this on Christmas Day. Particularly a diatribe against their own country as one of the "bullying, ill-tempered and expansionist powers".
For Ahmadinejad to speak supposedly on behalf of Jesus is actually a slap-on-the-face for Christians–this is the ultimate bah humbug!–an event in the continuing war on Christmas scheduled on Christmas Day itself! *Top
Filed under: -Ahmadinejad, -Christmas, Culture & Religion, Culture Wars, News Commentary, War on Christmas | 1 Comment »
A Catholic church in the Castro district of San Francisco has been vandalized with spray-painted swastikas and a message against the Pope. 
