According to a federal judge, a parent has no rights if a child wants to be a transgender and go through a sexual change. Here’s the story from Heat Street:

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Minnesota mother who accused school officials, health care providers and doctors of violating her parental rights for letting her daughter undergo a sex change without her permission. …

Anmarie Calgaro made international headlines last year after she sued her 17-year-old transgender daughter, as well as multiple state agencies for their role in assisting the teenager—who goes by the initials E.J.K— transition from male to female.

“I was not consulted or informed about this in any way”

she told the press at the time.

Her lawsuit challenged a Minnesota law that allows minors to access medical care and procedures without their parent’s consent.

<Read the whole article>

Response: This is an interesting case but many dismiss its’ importance because the 17 year old ‘child’ no longer lived with her mother and was considered to be technically but not ‘legally’ emancipated.  However, the judge basically claimed that it was irrelevant in this case and the parent would have had no rights anyway. In final analysis this ruling could leave the door open for the same thing to happen to parents that are still actively caring for their minor children.

There was a time in America when a parent needed to be consulted before a school nurse could even dispense an aspirin to a child. Now it has become politically correct to ignore the parents as much as possible when it comes to teaching and helping minor children understand and participate in the new progressive ‘sexual’ revolution/religion in the dominant culture. The touchstones and relics of worship in the new progressive false religion include: ‘free’ sex, abortion, homosexuality, bisexuality, same-sex marriage, transgender and indefinite identification among others. All of these now trump and supersede religious liberty and parental rights according to some government agencies and judges across America. All supposedly for the betterment of a progressive society.

When it comes to superseding parental rights- first it was all about providing children with needed sexual education and understandings that would remediate the limited and biased parental views. Then it was all about providing children with contraceptives and even abortions without parental consent. Now the latest is bowing to the idol of transgenderism and even providing sex-change surgeries without parental consultation?

A couple of years ago the State of California declared that a minor child could on any given day decide their own gender at school with out parental consultation. Now we have in this case a ‘bridge too far’ where the State of  Minnesota has dispensed with any kind of deference or respect to parenthood and family values and has decided to take the ‘parental’ authority in the hands of the state in a pattern reminiscent of the old soviet communist empire. What is next? When it comes to the power of the new false Politically Correct LGBTQ Sexual Religion all bets are off.               *Top

A school worker has been told by her boss that saying- “I will pray for you” to a coworker will result in ‘disciplinary action’ or even get you fired. Here’s the story from the PJ Media:

A Maine school worker is afraid to express her faith or even to wear religious jewelry, out of concern that her school would fire her. She had told one of her coworkers, who attended the same church, that she would pray for him. While he thanked her at the time, he later seemed to use the event as ammunition to retaliate against her. A letter from her employer explicitly forbade any religious phrases on school property, even in private.

"Stating, ‘I will pray for you’, and ‘you were in my prayers’ is not acceptable – even if that other person attends the same church as you," the school declared in a letter last September, threatening disciplinary action for any further religious "interaction" that would be "deemed unprofessional."…

According to Jeremy Dys, senior counsel at First Liberty Institute who took on this case:

"School employees are not required to hide their faith from each other while on campus."

"What Augusta Public Schools did by punishing Toni for discussing her faith in a private conversation with a coworker is unconscionable," added Timothy Woodcock, an attorney with Eaton Peabody. "The law is clear: employers cannot discriminate against employees who privately discuss their faith while at work."

<Read the whole article>

Response: There is an increasing and ongoing trend in public schools against religious freedom. Administrators mistakenly believe that the public schools are ‘no religion zones’ and workers and students must leave their First Amendment rights behind when they enter school property. The only exception to that rule seems to be accommodation for Muslim prayers.

The courts have repeatedly ruled that the First Amendment applies to workers, teachers, and students in public schools. Students are free to pray even with other students as long as the school or teachers do not officially lead or demand it. It should be the same for workers and teachers.

Hopefully the lawsuit against the school district will resolve this issue in favor of religious liberty for school workers and school administrators all across America will pay attention.                    *Top

       (Image: Wikipedia)

A major American Newspaper has printed an article encouraging readers to cast spells against the President. According to the article, thousands of witches all around the world have already performed incantations against President Trump. From the LA Times:

I cast a spell on the president. I was not alone. Thousands of witches, believers and people like me all over the world performed “A Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him” under the waning crescent moon last month. It was not meant to physically hurt him, only to keep him from succeeding at his tasks. Now he’s complaining he’s the object of a “witch hunt.” Maybe the spell is working.

I heard about the incantation from the Oracle of Los Angeles. I’m on her email list and the subject line “Bind Trump, not your breasts” caught my eye. The binding-spell movement started with an article on Medium posted by Michael M. Hughes, a writer and magician. I don’t believe in the devil, but I do believe our country has gone to hell, and I am willing to try anything to save us.

Response: It is incredible to me that a major American newspaper would print this story. I guess anything goes anymore in our media culture except Christianity? Notice that the writers says that she will ‘try anything’ to stop Trump. Quite an admission.

For once I am not going to encourage our readers to ‘read the whole article’ since it is so full of spiritual distortion and deception. If you do, use discernment.

The writer equates Christian prayer with witches spells. It is time for Christians to demonstrate the difference and rise up and commit to praying daily for our leaders including President Trump regardless of our personal politics. After all, the Apostle Paul counseled Christians in the 1st century to pray for their Roman rulers. Time for Christian to step into the gap being created by our spiritual enemy in the dominant culture.             *Top

There use to be a time in America when close to 99% believed in God. Now some are claiming that over a quarter of the country no longer share that belief even if they have not fully embraced an ‘atheist’ identity. I believe that it is now increasingly important for Christians to be able to understand some of the philosophical and scientific arguments for the existence of God.

Here’s a very interesting article by Robert H. Nelson: “Five Rational Arguments Why God (Very Probably) Exists”

This comes from an academic perspective and includes 5 excellent scientific, philosophical, and historical arguments on why God probably does exist. Not the typical explanations that you might get from your pastor. Well worth the read.                *Top

Anyone reading newspapers, watching newscasts, or listening to radio news can easily figure out that the main stream media doesn’t like our new President and his administration. A new Harvard study not only confirms that there is a definite on-going media bias but demonstrates that the amount of negative stories against President Trump is unprecedented and far worse than any recent executive had to face. Here’s the story from Heat Street:

A major new study out of Harvard University has revealed the true extent of the mainstream media’s bias against Donald Trump. …

Academics at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy analyzed coverage from Trump’s first 100 days in office across 10 major TV and print outlets.

They found that the tone of some outlets was negative in as many as 98% of reports, significantly more hostile than the first 100 days of the three previous administrations: …

The picture was very different for other recent administrations. The study found that President Obama’s first 100 days got a good write-up overall – with 59% of reports positive.

Bill Clinton and George W Bush got overall negative coverage, it found, but to a much lesser extent than Trump. Clinton’s first 100 days got 40% positivity, while Bush’s got 43%…

<Read the whole article>

Response: We have been commenting on media bias for many years and the fact is it is far worse than it use to be. Increasingly the major university schools of journalism are dominated by secular folks of the far left and students are taught that it is their job to change the world ‘for the better.’ In most cases ‘better’ includes a leftist/progressive politically correct world view that distains religion, particularly Christianity, conservatism, and any kind of national identity.

Since President Trump Seems to be on the opposite side of every issue that they hold dear he is considered to be an ‘enemy’ that needs to be eliminated. Every story is formed to fit a negative narrative and every fact is presented in a way to support their distain for the President and his administration. From the media’s perspective it is no longer their job to merely present the facts and let the people in a democratic society decide for themselves. It is obviously their view that the terrible conservative voters that voted for Trump in the first place must be forced to change their minds.

The firing of FBI’s Comey is a case in point. Last year the press and the progressives were calling on President Obama to fire the Director but when Trump actually does it they take an opposite view immediately. Comey was incompetent and everyone knows it and I’m pretty well tired of the huge negative media coverage and feeding frenzy.

Some will say that Trump may be causing some of his own problems by the way he is treating the press. Which came first the chicken or the egg- Trump’s attack on the media or the media against Trump? Sometimes I do believe that the President has caused some of his own problems through political inexperience and with his demonstrated ‘foot in the mouth disease’ on Twitter.

Nevertheless, I have had enough of the way the media is distorting the facts to fit their own progressive world views and narrative. I am hoping and trusting that millions of Americans are also getting fed up and see though the obvious media bias against President Trump and anything conservative or Christian. 

There was a time in America when the major news folks were among the most trusted public figures but that is no longer the case as the lines between actual hard news, biased narratives, and ‘fake’ reporting has become increasingly blurred.              *Top

The Lexington Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission attempted to force a Christian printer to produce T-shirts for a gay pride event. The Christian businessman has now won his second appeal in court against the commission. Here’s the story from the FaithWire:

A Kentucky appeals court has ruled that the government cannot force a Christian printer to make T-shirts for a gay pride event after the government previously stepped in and punished the businessowner for refusing to do so.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled 2-to-1 that Blaine Adamson, owner of Hands on Originals, a print shop based in Lexington, Kentucky, is correct in his argument that being forced to create the T-shirts was a violation of his religious beliefs, according to the Becket, a law firm devoted to the defense of religious liberty.

“The court agreed with Becket, top legal scholars, and LGBT business owners, who all stood up for the rights of artists to choose what messages they would promote, without fear of government punishment,” the firm said in a statement. “(The) ruling emphasized that ‘the ‘service’ [the printer] offers is the promotion of messages. The ‘conduct’ [the printer] chose not to promote was pure speech.’”

<Read the whole article>

Response: We have been following this case for some time now because of the implications for similar cases around the country against Christian business owners. In several cases Christians have lost their businesses due to fines and punishments handed out by government agencies. At some point we are hoping for one of these cases to make it all the way to the US Supreme Court and for religious liberty to finally triumph.

This case may stop here with 2 wins for a Christian business. If it does go on, it will go next to the Kentucky Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the costs would continue to escalate which is why many Christian business owners are forced to give in or up. Thanks to organizations like Becket and the Alliance Defending Freedom, along with the Pacific Justice Institute for making it possible for Christians to respond to government intrusion upon their faith and businesses.               *Top