The Case for Christmas
Atheist-turned-Christian
Lee Strobel, former award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune, is
a NY Times best-selling author of nearly twenty books and has been
interviewed on numerous national television programs, including ABC's
20/20, Fox News, and CNN. http://www.leestrobel.com/Bio.htm
Holiday or Christmas
trees? It’s a free
country. Well, at least
until government agencies prohibit the use of certain words. Who else buys cut evergreen
trees to decorate and display in their living rooms? Jews for Hanukkah? Blacks for Kwanza? Muslims for Al-Hijra? Wiccans for Yule? Humanists for HumanLight? Buddhists for Bodhi? Christmas trees are for Christmas. Christian
symbolism of the Christmas Tree and other Christmas Traditions.
Christmas with a
Capital “C.”
GOP gets in the act of censoring the name of
Christ. The Republican
Party of Bernalillo County will have its annual Holiday Party, December
20th, 2009 at 3:30 pm.
Formerly the RPBC Christmas Party, now is called a Holidy Party. Time for another party? Consider registering Democrat and ousting liberals
in the primaries. Consider
a Christian party like the Constitution
Party. “The
Constitution Party gratefully acknowledges the blessing of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ as Creator, Preserver and Ruler of the Universe and
of these United States. We hereby appeal to Him for mercy, aid,
comfort, guidance and the protection of His Providence as we work to
restore and preserve these United States. This great nation was founded,
not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions but on the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths
have been and are afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship
here. The goal of the Constitution Party is to restore American
jurisprudence to its Biblical foundations and to limit the federal
government to its Constitutional boundaries.”
Preamble of the NM Constitution: “We, the
people of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of
liberty, in order to secure the advantages of a state government, do
ordain and establish this constitution.”
Liberty Council – Naughty
& Nice List of stores actively banning the name “Christmas” and
those openly celebrating Christmas.
What if …
“Congress shall make no law respecting
an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of
the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a
redress of grievances.”
What if America was “free” from
“religion?” Assume for a
minute that “religion” was belief in any deity or deities. Assume that FFRF wants to eradicate
all “religious” influence.
This would mean the abandonment of all Judeo-Christian
principles in favor of atheist principles. The First Amendment (FA) limits the power of government,
establishing the right of free speech in a diverse society. A Communist government, on the
other hand, seeks to suppress any “truth” not endorsed by the ruling
Party – applicable to both church and civil government.
“Reality exists in the human mind, and
nowhere else. Not in the individual mind, which can make mistakes, and
in any case soon perishes: only in the mind of the Party, which is
collective and immortal. Whatever the Party holds to be the truth, is
truth. It is impossible to see reality except by looking through the
eyes of the Party.” – George Orwell, 1984
What FFRF is demanding, is that the vast majority
of Americans who claim Christianity keep their religion to themselves
while a small minority basically rule the world. “Nearly eight-in-ten
(78.4%) adults report belonging to various forms of Christianity, about 5%
belong to other faiths and almost one-in-six (16.1%) are not affiliated
with any particular religion (May
2007 Pew Survey). To
what “morality” do atheists appeal? The Humanist
Manifesto attempts to establish an “ability and responsibility to
lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity,”
yet appeals to no absolute source. Why would the opinon of atheists “guided by reason,
inspired by compassion, and informed by experience” be better than the
Truth claims of God Almighty?
Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
Religion is
Poison
Vintage Russian Propaganda Poster
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Atheists claim that man is temporal,
good, and evolving for the better. The Bible says that man is eternal, sinful, and
needs redemption. What
man can determine the “greater good of humanity?” If the Party determines that
genocide is necessary, then genocide is for the greater good. If the Party determines that
religion is poison, then persecuting any religious group is for the
greater good. If the
Party determines that [substitute ANYTHING], then ANYTHING the Party
promotes is for the greater good.
Our Founders believed that due to
the sinful nature of man, government needed accountability to the people. If the people become corrupt,
then so shall the government.
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious
people. It is wholly inadequate to the
government of any other.”
John Adams, 1776
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The poster above is typical propaganda of the
time, based on some truth that was distorted into a lie. The old woman – represents the
faithful of the church, mostly old women. However, this old woman is made to look hag-like,
like a witch which is part of Russian tradition, an image of something
to fear – cruelly pulling the girl by her hair. The church is crooked, and bent
– there was truth in this.
Remember Rasputin was a monk, but from a rural corruption of the
church. The church of this
time was associated with the “crooked” government of the tsar. The school is straight and
organized (a precept of communism – organization). The airplane over the school
represented technology and the future. The clean-cut young man with the trumpet on the
school is a counter point to the old, shadowy figure on the church
holding the rope to ring the bell. The young girl is the “good” communist youth
wanting to go to the place the Party says is the “good” place. All this propaganda was proven
false, except the corruption of the Church in Russia. A lesson to the Church in
America. Don’t wander from
the Truth. – Curtis
RUSSIA:
When God Is Forgotten, Time Magazine, Aug. 23, 1954
The Kremlin was getting increasingly concerned by the stubborn survival
of that old "capitalistic superstition," Christianity, inside
the Soviet Union. The trade-union paper Trud sent out appeals to all
"local intelligentsia" to get out and sell the true faith,
atheism. Doctors should propagandize their patients, veterinarians should
lecture farm workers, added Radio Moscow. The Communist youth paper,
Komsomolskaya Pravda, was particularly upset by religious
"infection" of the young, and last week provided parents with
what it considered helpful slogans to pass along to the kids: "Religion
is poison—keep children away." "Bread is given us not by
Christ, but by machines and collective farms." "When God is
forgotten, life is better." "Without God and priests there
are more sheaves in the fields."
On Atheism – A Religion by Law
The FA guarantee for free exercise of
religion was originally understood to exclude atheism, since atheism
was not a religion.
However, in Theriault v. Silber (453 F.Supp. 254 W.D.Tex.
1978), the court determined that the FA was too narrow. It decided that the meaning of
the FA’s religious clause should be expanded to cover those who have no
religious beliefs. “Atheism
may be a religion under the establishment clause.” Malnak v. Yogi (440
F.Supp. 1285,1287 D.C.N.J. 1977)
“Secular humanism may be a religion for purposes of First
Amendment.” Grove v.
Mead School District (753 F.2d 1528, 1534 9th Cir.
1985) www.wallbuilders.com
The Founders understanding of “religion” at the
time of the FA is revealed from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary: RELIGION, n.
relij'on. [L. religio,
from religo, to bind anew; re and ligo, to bind. This word seems originally to
have signified an oath or vow to the gods, or the obligation of such an
oath or vow, which was held very sacred by the Romans.] 1. Religion, in its most comprehensive sense, includes
a belief in the being and perfections of God, in the revelation of his
will to man, in man's obligation to obey his commands, in a state of
reward and punishment, and in man's accountableness to God; and also
true godliness or piety of life, with the practice of all moral
duties. It therefore
comprehends theology, as a system of doctrines or principles, as well
as practical piety; for the practice of moral duties without a belief
in a divine lawgiver, and without reference to his will or commands, is
not religion.
Since atheism was not a religion, it was not
subject to the protection of the FA. Now, by legal precedent, atheism and secular
humanism are religions protected by the FA. Even polls of
religious affiiation include atheism. However, this does complicate matters. In its attempts to remove
“religion” from public schools through the dogma of Darwinism,
“tolerance,” and sexual freedom, the government has only established
the religion of atheism and secular humanism, while prohibiting the
Judeo-Christian principles of our Founders. The FA recognizes only “Congress” as relevant to the
establishment or prohibition of religion. Therefore, States should decide how to administer
the teaching of “religion” in public schools. “Separation of School and State” is not an option
when all belief systems are “religions.” It is a difficult debate of our society – how to
neither establish nor prohibit religions. One obvious solution would be to take the decision
out of the hands of government and give it to the people – choice in education.
That is why Educate
New Mexico is continuing to fight for the kids of New Mexico. They
are working with our state legislature to pass the "Equal
Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit" which will be generated by
providing individual and corporate taxpayers who file a New Mexico
income tax return a tax credit for contributions to a Scholarship
Granting Organization (SGO). Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO)
funds are qualified, non-profit (501c3) organizations that distribute
scholarships to families to be used at the school of their choice.
That is why Origins Education is
continuing to fight for the kids of New Mexico. They support the New
Mexico Controversial Science Topics Education Bill and provide
scientific information that challenges Darwinian theory. The bill
stipulates that teachers cannot be prohibited from including relevant
scientific information on either the strengths or weaknesses pertaining
to controversial scientific topics (including biological and chemical
evolution) when those subjects are taught in the public schools. The
bill pertains solely to the teaching of scientific information and
specifically does not protect the promotion of any religion, religious
doctrine, or religious belief. Students may be held accountable for
knowing and understanding material taught, but they may not be
penalized because they subscribe to a particular position on the
controversial scientific topic being taught.
That is why Right
to Life New Mexico, CareNet
Pregnancy Center of Albuquerque, and Project Defending Life are
continuing to fight for the kids of New Mexico. The American Declaration of
Independence states a foundational belief in God and the right to human
life (because of that foundational belief). “We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Informing parents and youth of the reality of human
life before birth has been one of the most effective means of changing
the tide of legalized abortion.
That is why Traditional
Values Action Committee and Voices for Family Values
are continuing to fight for the kids of New Mexico. Traditional marriage and family
are the foundation of American society. Remove those foundations, and society
collapses. Marriage and
family are under attack on many fronts – from divorce to the homosexual
agenda.
Organizations like FFRF have money from supporters
to influence “unbelievers” with their propaganda of “separation of
church and state” – a phrase not found in the Constitution or its
Amendments. Please
consider supporting the conservative organizations above with an
end-of-year donation to help equalize the playing field. Ask your church to pray
for and add a budget line for these and other conservative
organizations. Support
these organizations with calls to your Legislators and
Congressmen. For a model
of what NM can do with your support, see the AZ Policy Council. Apathy is our worst enemy,
inspired by satan. Thanks
to FFRF for a reminder to reconsider our Founding principles.
Action
Focus on the Family President and CEO, Jim Daly,
joined Chuck Colson, Professor Robby George, Bishop Harry Jackson, and
scores of other Christian leaders, in issuing the Manhattan
Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience.
"Because the sanctity of human life, the
dignity of marriage as a union of husband and wife, and the freedom of
conscience and religion are foundational principles of justice and the
common good, we are compelled by our Christian faith to speak and act
in their defense. In this declaration we affirm: 1) the profound,
inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature
fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal
dignity and life; 2) marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman,
ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by
believers and non-believers alike to be the most basic institution in
society and; 3) religious liberty, which is grounded in the character
of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of
human beings created in the divine image."
The seven-page document closes with this strong
statement of conviction: "Because we honor justice and the common
good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our
institutions to participate in abortions, embryo destructive research,
assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will
we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual
partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain
from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and
immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly
render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we
render to Caesar what is God's."
As of Nov 25, over 110,500 people had signed their
names to the document. Please read, download the entire declaration,
and/or sign your name in agreement.
www.ManhattanDeclaration.org
Call/Email
Your Senators and ask him/her to support an amendment to include the
Stupak-Pitts anti-abortion funding language in H.R. 3950.
Community
Sanctity of Life Awareness and Unity Day in Santa
Fe will be on Fri, Jan 22 (anniversary of Roe vs. Wade tragedy). This is
the largest Pro-Life event in New Mexico. Last year over 3000 people
were there for the march from the Cathedral to the Round-house. Please
mark your calendar and plan to attend. More details at Project Defending
Life.
Albuquerque Right to Life will host a luminaria
memorial on Sat, Jan 23, at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 7500 Paseo
Del Norte NE, Albuquerque.
One thousand luminaria bags with five names written on each bag
will be placed at the cemetery beginning at 3:30PM. More than 5000 unborn children
are aborted in New Mexico each year so this service is to honor each
one of them. A memorial
service in the chapel will commence at 5:30PM and will Include the four
seventh grade students who were winners at the Christian Heritage Speech
Contest. Also one of
Albuquerque’s board Members who experienced abortion personally will
share her story with us.
Please join us to remember the children. If you have questions,
please call Charlene at 505-345-4423.
Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, Sun, Jan 24.
· http://www.rtl.org/sohls.html
· http://www.sohls.org/
· http://www.care-net.org/custom/aboutsohls.php
Doug
Axe will be the presenter at the IDnet
science meeting on Tue, Jan 26 at the UNM Law
Building. Doug is doing some
very interesting research on proteins and the assembly of
proteins. His work has a
direct implications for origin of life theories.
Joe Renick, Mike Kent, and Mike Edenburn will be teaching a
semester-long Intelligent Design class on Monday nights (6:30-9:30) for
the Albuquerque
Christian College starting Jan 11. The class can be taken for credit with tuition of
$750 or it can be audited for $375. Some scholarships may be available. A tentative outline for the
class is given below.
1/11 Introduction to intelligent design
(Renick)
1/18 Objectives of
the intelligent design movement (Renick)
1/25 Showing and
discussion of Expelled (Renick)
2/01 Evidence for
design in cosmology and physics I (Kent)
2/08 Evidence for
design in cosmology and physics II (Kent)
2/15 Evolution in
perspective I (Edenburn)
2/22 Evolution in
perspective II (Edenburn)
3/01 Evidence for
design in biology (Edenburn)
3/08 Book review of
Signature in the Cell
3/15 Perspectives on
science (Kent)
3/22 Science and
Christianity (Renick)
4/05 Intelligent
design in education (Renick)
4/12 Legal
background and religious views (Edenburn)
4/19 Survey of
intelligent design literature (Kent)
4/26 Book reviews of
student selected books (Kent)
40 Days for Life will be held
Feb 17 - Apr 2 (during Lent). Nationwide, over 600 babies were saved
during the Fall 40 Days campaign. Please plan to participate during Lent
and help save more lives. More information at www.40daysforlife.org/albuquerque.
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