To Those Who Cry Foul Regarding The Israel Offensive..

This is the second account (the first being here) I've heard of Israel warning before they attacked. If people don't get out of the way it is their own fault. I don't see anything in the news about the Israelites being warned before having missiles launched into their residential areas.

Girl Sues School For Violation of Her Freedom of Speech

And I say, good. Story here.

Warren Wants Us to Change the World

I want this blog to get you thinking – and praying – for the coming spiritual reformation in the world, a reformation not of how we believe but a reformation of what we, as the Church, do.

- Rick Warren

You know, I think Bono and Rick could be best friends. ::sigh:: Look, I'm all for helping people, for feeding people, for finding cures for disease, but you know what I'm all about more than that? The truth. Darn that pesky word, TRUTH. God's truth. You know that book, probably a black one stuck in the corner of a dusty shelf that says something about Holy on the front? That's God's word. That is where we, first and foremost, will find our guidance and rulers to line up to. The problem is the fact that is dusty, many people just don't know His Word anymore and because of that they do what is right in their own eyes.

I'd much rather see people reform what they think and believe. Why? Because when you really let God's Spirit open your eyes to His Word, your actions will change. Why do we walk around focusing so much on the outside and ignore the inside? Rick, I'm sure you'll continue right on down this path trying to get people to "do" more, but I think a better start really would be at what we believe, since a large population of the "church" has no idea and have no reason to change because of that painful ignorance.

Rick Warren Hopes for 3rd Revival Movement in Korea

Link.

Boy Survives 11 Story Fall

The doctor says he can't attribute the boy's survival to anything but good luck, but I can. Praise God this child's life was spared, it is my hope that he understand it is God's hand that kept him alive.

The cloned baby with two mothers

The Newcastle University team will transfer the pro-nuclei - the components of a human embryo nucleus - made by one man and woman into an unfertilised egg from another woman.
...
"I would use the analogy of simply replacing the battery in a pocket radio to explain what we are doing. You are not altering the radio at all - just giving it a new power source.

Story.

The scientists claim they are doing this to help prevent genetic diseases while "pro-lifers" are concerned that this is just another step in the direction of designer babies. What implications shall come if this succeeds? Will we begin to see lawsuits for parental rights from the extra mother? Will the UK enlarge the definition of marriage in these cases to include one man and two women? Will the extra women be required to release any rights she might feel she has if she donates an egg for the procedure?

Life Goes On for Southern Decadence and Mardi Gras

"It's New Orleans, man. We're going to celebrate," Matt Menold, a 23-year musician wearing a sombrero and a guitar slung on his back, told the Associated Press...
"The shocking callousness of New Orleans' gay activists towards the severe suffering of its fellow citizens cannot be adequately articulated in a news report," says James Hartline, a former homosexual, who describes the "Southern Decadence" festival as being "replete with tens of thousands of men and women engaged in public nudity, prostitution, illegal drug use and destructive public S & M sex."

World Net Daily

Probably the last thing a city inundated with water and filled with human misery needs is a parade, much less a Mardi Gras.

But just a week after Hurricane Katrina unleashed its devastation, there already are signs that New Orleans is remaining loyal to its partying ways.

Washington Post

Southern Decadence is billed as the largest gay event in New Orleans. Organizers probably didn't have Katrina in mind when they posted a history of the event on their official website, but it was oddly prophetic.

"Not even the fire from a dragon's breath would keep participants and watchers from assembling in the 1200 block of Royal Street on the first Sunday before Labor Day for a celebration that has gotten bigger and more wonderfully insane each year since its casual creation in 1972," it said...
"Everyone's drinking. We're all happy," said Andy O'Brien, 23, a bare chested carpentar's apprentice who has been getting by on canned goods, borrowed food from shuttered bars and help from friends and neighbors.

Mercury News

Thousands are homeless, hundreds if not thousands are dead, and they are going to party anyway. They're going to have their parades even if they have to step over the bodies in the streets to do so. "Everyone's drinking. We're all happy," says one person. You'd never know there was any devistation going on by the way some people talk. It's all about parties, parades, and getting drunk to some. Meanwhile the rest of the city is trying to put their lives back together.

FDA official resigns over contraception policy

A high-ranking Food and Drug Administration official resigned Wednesday in protest over the agency's refusal to allow over-the-counter sales of emergency contraception.

Full story.

Good riddance. If she's going to leave because the FDA realizes there is no way to keep underage kids from getting hold of the pill then they are better off without her.

"The recent decision announced by the Commissioner about emergency contraception, which continues to limit women's access to a product that would reduce unintended pregnancies and reduce abortions, is contrary to my core commitment to improving and advancing women's health."

Where do I start? First off, this only reduces known abortions. If it had been passed there would be countless more abortions that would have not been noted by the medical field because women could have done it at home without ever having to see a doctor. Heck, they may not have even known conception had taken place. This does not, however, change the fact that a fertilized egg got flushed out of the body. A child has been lost each and every time this happens. Just because it doesn't look like a baby yet doesn't change the fact that there has been conception and that child deserves a chance to survive.

Second, I really don't see the decision to keep this as a prescription as limiting anything other than undocumented abortions. Why exactly is it so bad to have women go to their doctors to get the pill? The only thing this decision is limiting is teens being more careless with their premarital sexual activity.

CA State Senate Votes to Let Gays Marry

SACRAMENTO — The California Senate voted Thursday to allow homosexuals to marry, becoming the first legislative body in the United States to embrace the idea and setting off a scramble for three votes needed for passage in the Assembly...

The measure passed by the minimum number of necessary votes, 21-15, after a sometimes personal debate in which both sides acknowledged the momentous nature of the vote...

Schwarzenegger's spokeswoman, Margita Thompson, said that although the governor supports domestic partnerships, he does not agree with legislatively allowing gay marriages.

Story.

North Carolina passes lottery

North Carolina was the last state on the East Coast without a lottery, but thanks to the Democrates and Lt. Gov. Beverly Purdue that has all changed.
Story.

Allstate copycat...Sort of

It seems an office in California has decided to disallow an employee's right to display a sticker supporting traditional marriage in his cubicle while allowing others to display religious things in theirs. This raises a few questions. First, what did the sticker say? Secondly, what is the company's policy for allowances of religious materials? And really, if it was a bumper sticker, shouldn't it be on his bumper? But if the company is allowing others to display things that express their stances on religion, politics, or social issues, then they really have no basis for not allowing this.

(AgapePress) - A computer technician in California has filed a lawsuit against his employer after being reprimanded for expressing his support for traditional marriage at work.

The employee at a private Orange County company works at an office where co-workers are allowed to have personal, religious and political messages in their cubicles. But when he placed a bumper sticker supporting traditional marriage in his own cubicle, his supervisor ordered him to remove it. The worker removed the sticker but was still demoted and reprimanded.

Full Story.

Southern Decadence

Unofficially dubbed the “gay Mardi Gras,” Southern Decadence is filled with dozens of parties and thousands of uninhibited gay men frolicking in the street in search of beads and brethren. The event culminates with a Sept. 4 parade featuring elaborate and risqué costumes inspired by this year’s 1920s theme, “Jazz & Jezebels.”
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SOUTHERN DECANDENCE earned its reputation by being one of the most unapologetically racy exhibitions of gay life, where outlandish costumes and outdoor sex were the norm.

Source.

Gay sex in the streets huh? Sounds like fun. Not to be a prude or anything, but sex (gay or otherwise) shouldn't be conducted in public. I don't want to see you go at it with your "partner" and I'm sure you wouldn't want to see me. Now, the article does go on to say that they have a campain in place encouraging the sex acts to be taken indoors because they don't want anyone to be arrested for "lewd behavior," what about modesty and respect for others around you? Sex is supposed to be an act conducted in love (between 1 man and his FEMALE wife), not in an attempt to show your contempt for the people who don't approve of your actions. And that is what this whole party reads to me. The gay community is throwing a sex fest. Men frolic in the streets holding each other; this is a week of pure Hey look at us! We are GAY! And we're standing in front of your places of buisness, homes, and churches just to tell you we can and will do anything we feel like doing.

I can't help but wonder, what do the parents in New Orleans do with their children during festivities like this? How do you shield them from the sin and perversion? The same question stands for Mardi Gras. It's just another excuse to sin in abundance in public, and it is widely accepted as just good ol' fun.

The official website could easily be mistaken for a porn website.

Air Force issues religious guidelines

"Public prayer should not usually be included in official settings such as staff meetings, office meetings, classes or officially sanctioned activities," the new interim policy says.

Source.

Georgia Officials Face ACLU Lawsuit After Praying in Christ's Name

(AgapePress) - A Georgia county is being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union over its pre-meeting prayers. The suit claims one prayer at a recent Cobb County Commissioners' meeting ended "in the name of Jesus our Savior," which phrase, according to the ACLU, puts the invocation in violation of the Constitution of the United States...

Full story.

FDA delays decision about morning after pill & prescriptions

CNN's Article

::sigh:: I deleted everything I just wrote. Just read it.

Same-sex parents' rights expanded

California court says both partners are considered moms

By Adam Liptak
New York Times News Service
Published August 23, 2005

The California Supreme Court ruled Monday that both members of a lesbian couple who plan for and raise a child born to either of them should be considered the child's mothers even after their relationship ends.

The court, stepping into largely uncharted legal territory concerning same-sex couples and parenting, issued decisions in three cases, ruling that women whose partners gave birth had parental rights or obligations in all three.

The cases involved a request for child support, a petition to establish parental rights, and a challenge to a lower court ruling issued before a child's birth that the child should have two women listed as parents on her birth certificate.

"We perceive no reason," the court ruled, "why both parents of a child cannot be women."

Courts in about half the states have allowed members of same-sex couples to adopt their partner's children. Monday's decisions considered the separate question of whether the law could require former members of such couples to assume parental rights and obligations.

Being a legal parent "brings with it the benefits as well as the responsibilities," said Justice Joyce Kennard, according to The Associated Press.

...

Kansas schools OK scrutiny of evolution

Full story.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- The Kansas Board of Education voted 6-4 Tuesday to include greater criticism of evolution in its school science standards, but it decided to send the standards to an outside academic for review before taking a final vote.

The Kansas school system was ridiculed around the country in 1999 when the board deleted most references to evolution. The system later reversed course, but the language favored by the board Tuesday comes from advocates of intelligent design.

Gender-Neutral Hymnal

As if the TNIV Bible wasn't bad enough. Now, to go along with your man centered, purpose driven church service and your Message "Bible" you can have a hymnal that is also politically correct. Wouldn't want all us women folk to get offended by having to sing about God the Father, God the Son, or how Jesus is the Husband of the Church, or anything silly like that.


Lutherans Hope Updated Gender-Neutral Hymnal Will Have Diverse Appeal

By Jenni Parker
August 19, 2005

(AgapePress) - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has approved development of a new, more gender-neutral hymnal. At its 2005 national convention, the denomination gave the nod to the plan, already under way, for an update of the 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship, which will eliminate the "Father" terminology and male pronouns used in reference to God. The hymnal overhaul will include other gender-neutralizing and diversity-affirming changes to traditional Lutheran worship lyrics and liturgies as well.

The new hymnal's intentional use of gender-neutral language will encompass not only the lyrics of many songs, but also the proposed liturgical texts, in which there are options for prayers that refer to God and Jesus as "holy eternal majesty" and "holy incarnate word" instead of "father" and "son." Also, while some traditional songs have been left alone, others have undergone minor changes, such as exchanging male terms for humanity with terms that include both men and women. In some cases, both a traditional version and an alternate, gender-neutral version of certain songs have been included.

At the same time, 300 new worship songs have been proposed for inclusion in the revised Lutheran Book of Worship, while more than 200 traditional hymns likely will not make it into the new edition. In choosing new songs, the church is making a particular effort to span different cultures and worship styles. For example, along with some traditional hymns of European origin, proposed additions include songs with African and Asian roots. And many songs in the new hymnal were specifically chosen for their adaptability to varied musical settings, from churches with a choir and an organist to those with a contemporary praise and worship band.

The ELCA has actually been working on the new worship book for the past five years, consulting with hundreds of churches and worship leaders across America. Rev. Michael Burk, worship director for the denomination, says some Lutherans are anxious to see the traditional biblical references to God as male preserved in the hymnal, while other church members insist the denomination's worship songs should be free from gender language that many consider noninclusive.

Burk says compilers of the new hymnal are making every effort to "strike a balance" between those conflicting views. "We are a global church," he adds, "and our worship ought to reflect that."

According to a report in the Plain Dealer newspaper, the ELCA's Churchwide Assembly will not do a line-by-line edit of the Lutheran Book of Worship or vote the new hymnal up or down. What delegates are being asked to do is to direct the denomination to complete the liturgical review of the book and make final revisions.

Use of the new hymnal will not be mandated in local churches, but it is likely that it will gradually be adopted by most of the ELCA's approximately 10,600 congregations as they either purchase the book immediately or buy it when the time comes to replace their old hymnals.

Court Sides with Student on Right to Wear Scripture-Bearing Shirt

Court Sides with Student on Right to Wear Scripture-Bearing Shirt

By Jim Brown
August 19, 2005

(AgapePress) - A federal judge has told an Ohio school district it can no longer bar a middle school student from wearing a t-shirt with a Christian message.

Judge George Smith has ruled that Sheridan Middle School in Thornville violated the constitutional rights of student James Nixon by prohibiting him from wearing a t-shirt bearing a quote from the Bible verse John 14:6. The front of the shirt reads: "Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.'" The back of the shirt contains the statements: "Homosexuality is sin. Islam is a lie. Abortion is murder."

Although no complaints were filed over Nixon's t-shirt, a few school officials -- described by the student's attorney as "overzealous" -- deemed its message may be "offensive" to some individuals and "potentially disruptive," and thus could not be displayed.

Nixon's attorney, James Nelson of the Orlando-based American Liberties Institute, says the decision handed down by Judge Smith has a "broad, sweeping significance," especially for students in the southern district of Ohio, many of whom he says were watching for the outcome.

"Other students and parents had been waiting for this decision to know whether or not their own children and students may now wear their shirts," Nelson shares.

Nelson asserts the judge's ruling sets a persuasive precedent. "We believe that Judge Smith really worked through the issues well, in a way that some courts don't," the attorney says. "He truly picked apart the precedent and the cases from the Supreme Court and other jurisdictions and tried to make a very comprehensive and coherent opinion which could be utilized by other courts across the country."

The attorney feels that due to the jurisdiction of Smith's court over other schools and school districts, the ruling will allow students to freely express their viewpoint on the same issues and to wear the same t-shirt to school.

Israel Evacuates Most Gaza Settlers, Many Kicking and Screaming

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish settler weeps as he is escorted from synagogue in Neve Dekalim settlement
















I weep for those suffering because of man's lack of acknowlegement of God's covenant with Israel.