Thread: Anti Christian Defamation

Quote from Douglas

Certainly some of the founders were various forms of Christianity and a few were of other Judaic beliefs, with some atheists.

Most of our founders were deists, actually. Yes, we had Christians and atheists(I think we had a Jewish founder too), but our country was more based on some principles of the Enlightenment period.

I can imagine some of the founders were indeed naive enough to assume that the USA would be Christian without it being declared as such but that seems strange given the amount of debate and discussion there was over drafting the document.

There was a clear understanding on what was desired in our country, a nation built on religious freedom(I mean come on, it's right there in our Constitution)

I do not at all mean to disagree with the concept that the USA is fundamentally Christian; just saying that I find the idea that it was founded as such to be unsupported.

We're certainly influenced by Christianity, but at this juncture we are not a Christian nation, any notion to that effect is a mark of ignorance. Hell, my husband and I are pagan and we have atheist, Buddhist, Jewish ,and Christian friends.

Ways out of the Christian ghetto: Jewish writer Joseph Weiler on the retreat of Christians in Europe.

Ways out of the Christian ghetto
A Jewish scholar reflects on what can reverse the retreat of Christians before militant secularism.

The following is a chapter by Joseph Weiler from Exiting a Dead End Road: a GPS for Christians in Public Discourse, a new book published by Kairos Publications in Vienna, and edited by Gudrun and Martin Kugler.
It was Dr Weiler who first coined the term "Christianophobia", in 2004, and also first referred to the Christian "ghetto" in Europe. He is the author of A Christian Europe (2007) and currently holds the European Union Jean Monnet Chair at New York University Law School. This essay from Exiting a Dead End Road is reproduced here with the permission of the publishers. The book can be ordered...

And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God (Micah VI:8)

Et quid Dominus requirat a te: Utique facere iudicium, et diligere misericordiam, et sollicitum ambulare cum Deo tuo (Michea 6:8)

It is with fear and trembling that I write these words. A lion in a den of Daniels, a Jew, who ontologically remains faithful to the Old Testament as the Only Testament and must refuse the invitation of all others, is invited to reflect on how Christians may break out of their self imposed Ghetto in today’s Europe.

I pray to the God of Israel with the words of the Psalmist: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

*****

Walk humbly with your God – this should be the guiding light in any consideration of "breaking the walls of the ghetto". This is not a manifesto for militancy but for internal liberation and external maturation.

There are, in my view, three dimensions to the internal walls built by the communities of Christian faith in Europe.

Reason-faith dichotomy

The first concerns the (false) reason-faith dichotomy – the notion that religion and faith stand apart from the universe and vocabulary of reason and rationality...

‘Que(e)rying Religion’ - Ontario panel tackles ‘LGBT’ opposition in schools

by Patrick B. Craine


TORONTO, Ontario, February 17, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In the wake of the successful campaign by homosexual activists to overturn a pro-family equity policy at the Halton Catholic District School Board, the University of Toronto held a forum February 10th to discuss how to handle religious opposition to “LGBT” issues in schools...


Another organizer was a U of T group named Que(e)rying Religion, which aims to convince people of faith that homosexual acts and relationships are acceptable and normal.
The event heightens the concerns of many pro-family leaders that homosexual activists are working with the Ontario government to ensure the province’s schools affirm the homosexual lifestyle, under the guise of combating “homophobia” and promoting “safe schools.”


Pro-family leaders have argued, for example, that the McGuinty government’s equity and inclusive education strategy is a Trojan horse that imposes special rights for homosexuals....


The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that homosexual acts are gravely depraved and the homosexual inclination itself is objectively disordered. At the same time, it condemns “unjust discrimination” against homosexuals and calls them to live chastity.


Abualsameed spoke about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, often cited as a Scriptural condemnation of homosexuality; however, he interpreted it as a condemnation of a sin against hospitality. He did note, however, that he was concerned about teachers and others pushing youth to “come out,” or about youth being referred for counseling without parents’ knowledge.

McGrath claimed that the Torah doesn’t condemn homosexuality per se, saying that it merely condemns anal sex between men, but not same-sex relations between women...


Crawford told LifeSiteNews that the faith-associated homosexual panelists appeared to be sincere, rather than simply aiming to overthrow religious belief. “My heart goes out to them. They seem to truly believe that Scripture is not opposed to homosexual acts,” she said. “I think it’s that they don’t want to abandon their faith, so they have to change the meaning of God’s condemnation of same sex acts in order to practice both their faith and the behaviour God has told them is abominable.”


“Unfortunately, they’re misguided and promoting a dangerous threat to the chastity and the morals of the youth they counsel,” she added.

Churches Under Attack

http://em.adfmail.org/CT00009703MTA1...L?D=2011-02-23

Chicago City Council Ok's Disruption and Intimidation
California Family Council

According to California Penal Code 302(a) any person who "intentionally disturbs or disquiets any assemblage of people met for religious purposes... by profane discourse, rude or indecent behavior, or by any unnecessary noise, either within the place where the meeting is held, or so near it as to disturb the order and solemnity of the meeting, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment."

Other states have similar laws yet these laws have done little to deter homosexual activist from disrupting religious gatherings in Michigan 'Jesus is a homo' Homosexuals Disrupt Church Service - U.s. - Catholic Online , San Francisco, in several other parts of the country and now in Chicago.

The Gay Liberation Network gathered for a rally outside of Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago on the eve of Valentine's Day. The GLN's purpose was to protest the "anti-gay bigots" who support marriage between one man and one woman and also attend Mass at the Catholic cathedral. The group targeted Cardinal Francis George of Chicago who has spoken in favor of traditional marriage.

According to footage the protestors held signs that said "its time to stop being nice to anti-gay bigots" or "the Catholic leadership has ranged itself against equal right for LGBT community [members] for too long!" Parishioners were mocked, were recipients of angry protestors shouting and calling them names, and the city left Mass attendees fending for themselves.

The city of Chicago ordered its police not to enforce the law, which prohibits disruption of services. The Chicago City Council announced that police would not back the Holy Name Cathedral in this instance.

Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM Home - National Organization for Marriage), decried the move. He said, "It's outrageous that the city of Chicago stepped in and basically told police not to enforce a law for this one occasion... Gay Liberation Network is not above the law. If the city believed the ordinance was unconstitutional they should either repeal it for everyone, or go to court to get a determination. What happened instead was indefensible: stripping Catholics of their legal right to attend religious services peacefully. We don't know yet if this signals a new phase in the gay marriage movement: organized protests at churches nationwide."

"It is one thing to oppose traditional marriage but it is another thing to order the local law enforcement agency to ignore the law to further a political agenda and intimidate supporters of marriage," says Karen England.

Jeff Field, a spokesman for the Catholic League, said the council's decision was "disappointing to say the least."

"Everybody has a right to practice their religion. For the city council to deny that right for Catholics is disappointing...you wonder if they would allow protests in front of a mosque or a synagogue during their religious services," said Field.

To view the video released by NOM click YouTube - Organized Gay Protest Denounces Catholics as Bigots in Front of Chicago Cathedral.

The city of Chicago ordered its police not to enforce the law..

Some people in the UK are calling for our police chiefs to be elected. I see it as opening the door to the same corruption that we see in the USA. At present in the UK, police of any rank can only be removed for non-performance and - as the courts show - are answerable to the law (which is not to deny corruption - the police are no more lawful than the average citizen). If any politician were to interfere in the performance of a police officer doing his duty to uphold the law, he'd likely find himself cautioned, possibly arrested.

Sorry to hijack the thread a bit but I see a need to highlight this issue to Britons whenever possible - say no to elected (i.e. controlled by someone) police chiefs.