Clipmarks | wiccantexan's 'christian' clips

Funeral no time for "altar call"

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:38:47 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: " A: The “altar call” is one of the most distinctive and controversial elements of evangelical Christianity. It was “invented” about 150 years ago by American evangelist Charles Finney and popularized by Dwight Moody and especially Billy Graham. The people who come to the altar say a sinner’s prayer and accept Jesus as their Lord and savior."

Clip Source: www.buffalonews.com

Q: I’ve attended two memorial services in two weeks, both at nondenominational Christian churches (I’m Catholic). Toward the end of each service, both of which were respectful and quite lovely, the minister announced an “altar call,” stating that Jesus was the only way to salvation, and that those who had not come to Jesus should do so at that very instant! This exercise lasted a good 10 minutes.

I’m a pluralist, so I don’t believe accepting Jesus is the only path to salvation, and I was very uncomfortable for my Jewish and Muslim friends in attendance. Is this a new trend? Is it appropriate? It seems as though the minister was taking advantage of a captive audience. However, no matter how offended anyone might have been personally, no one was going to be disrespectful by walking out.

Tags: religion, belief, christian, christianity, church, respect

Doctors Can't Deny Lesbians Care on Religious Grounds

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:56:45 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

The California Supreme Court today ruled unanimously that doctors cannot cite their religious beliefs as grounds to deny gay and lesbian patients medical care.

Justice Joyce Kennard ruled that two Christian fertility doctors who refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian couple cannot claim a free speech or religious exemption from California's anti-discrimination law.

The ruling extends a state law barring sexual orientation-based discrimination to the medical profession.

In 1999, after a year of surgeries and hormone treatments — all covered by insurance — Benitez was finally ready to get pregnant. But at the crucial moment, her doctor refused to do the procedure for "religious" reasons.

Benitez is a lesbian and sued her doctors under California's civil rights laws, charging that they discriminated against her because of her sexual orientation.

Tags: medical, gay, lesbian, religion, belief, discrimination

The Christian Presidency

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:29:24 GMT

clipped by: boniface

Clip Source: www.wildhunt.org

Any illusion one might have had that the race for America's chief executive is a secular affair was thoroughly shattered yesterday at the Saddleback Civil Forum on The Presidency. Evangelical superstar Rick "Purpose Driven Life" Warren got the two candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, to sit down individually in his church, submit to his questions, and expound on concerns most important to evangelical Christians.

"Some of the questions Pastor Warren posed crossed the line and promoted the fiction that the American people are electing a pastor-in-chief, rather than a commander-in-chief. Questions like 'What does it mean to trust in Christ?' create a religious test for public office and should have no place in the political discourse for a secular office. America is the most religiously diverse country in the world, and Christianity is only one of those faith traditions. Millions of voters who tuned in tonight will feel disenfranchised by some of the questions posed in this forum."

McCain is the Anti-Christ say Biblical Scholars

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:53:17 GMT

clipped by: josegsotelo

Clip Source: www.thenation.com

Election Shocker!

Biblical scholars in Colorado Springs have uncovered startling evidence that Senator John McCain may be the Antichrist. Their conclusions, while highly controversial, may have a dramatic impact on the 2008 elections, since many Bible-believing Christians have already expressed doubts about McCain's fealty to Christianity.

"What started us looking at this issue is the fact that Senator McCain has declared his intention to maintain US forces in Iraq for a hundred years," said David Jenkins, a leading Biblical scholar. "That means that McCain wants to control Babylon for at least a century." According to many scholars of the Book of Revelation, the Antichrist will try to rebuild the ancient city of Babylon in order to use it as a springboard for an international effort at world domination. Ultimately, the Antichrist will marshal forces from Babylon to spark a showdown with Christian and Jewish-led forces in the battle of Armageddon.

An Antichrist Obama in McCain Ad?

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 02:39:10 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.time.com

It's not easy to make the infamous Willie Horton ad from the 1988 presidential campaign seem benign. But suggesting that Barack Obama is the Antichrist might just do it.

That's just what some outraged Christian supporters of the Democratic nominee are claiming John McCain's campaign did in an ad called "The One" that was recently released online. The Republican nominee's advisers brush off the charges, arguing that the spot was meant to be a "creative" and "humorous" way of poking fun at Obama's popularity by painting him as a self-appointed messiah. But even this innocuous interpretation of the ad — which includes images of Charlton Heston as Moses and culled clips that make Obama sound truly egomaniacal — taps into a conversation that has been gaining urgency on Christian radio and political blogs and in widely circulated e-mail messages that accuse Obama of being the Antichrist.

"The language in there is so similar to the language in the Left Behind books,"

Tags: religion, advertising, politics, obama, mccain

Controversial U.S. Church Group Stopped At Border

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 02:32:37 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.nationalpost.com

Residents rallied Thursday to protect the family of a young man murdered on a Greyhound bus last week from a posse of radical religious protesters planning to portray Tim McLean's death as God's wrath.

Earlier this week, the Westboro Baptist Church - an organization branded as a hate group and infamous for protesting the funerals of slain U.S. soldiers - announced they would picket Mr. McLean's funeral to let Canadians know that his decapitation was God's response to Canadian policies enabling abortion, homosexuality and adultery.

But Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of church's founder, Fred Phelps, said a small group of protesters was stopped at the Canada-U.S. border on Thursday afternoon.

The resistance to the planned funeral protest started on Facebook yesterday morning when Jim Cotton, a resident of Winnipeg Beach, launched a page asking city residents to help protect Mr. McLean's funeral.

Mr. Taylor's plan worked.

Tags: church, christian, hate, religion, god

Dozens blinded in India looking for Virgin Mary in the sun

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:47:42 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

At least 50 people have lost their sight after staring at the sun hoping to see an image of the Virgin Mary, according to reports.

Alarmed health authorities in India's Kottayam district have set up a sign dispelling rumours of a miraculous image in the sky and warning of the dangers of looking into direct sunlight.

Forty-eight cases of sight-loss, allegedly caused by photochemical burns on the retina, have been recorded at St Joseph's ENT and Eye hospital in the region since Friday.

Despite warnings, and the potentially harmful effects of their actions, believers are allegedly still flocking to a hotelier's house in Erumeli near where the divine image is said to have appeared.

The hotelier, who has since moved, had claimed that statues of the Virgin Mary in his house have been crying honey and bleeding oils and perfumes.

Tags: india, christian, health, sun, medical

10 Unconventional Religious Artifacts

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:41:46 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

Religious images seem to have appeared over the years in everything from a sliced potato to 400-year-old granite, and some lucky finds from around the world have sold for thousands of dollars on eBay and reportedly delivered divine messages.

The following is a list of the top 10 improbable relics — which may or may not be worth their weight in gold.

1. Virgin Mary on Rye

2. Nun Bun

3. Holy Cow

4. Potato-Salad Jesus

5. Cooking-Pan Jesus

6. Fish-Stick Jesus

7. Fish-Bone Jesus

8. Granite Jesus

9. Miraculous Melon

10. Virgin Mary in a Tree

• Click here to see photos of the unlikely religious icons.

Tags: religion, belief, christian

Satanist Father, Christian Mother Fight For Sunday Morning Custody Rights

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 02:48:52 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

A custody battle between a Satanist and his Christian ex-wife has raised constitutional issues after both demanded the right to share their religion with their three young children.

Kristie Meyer has cited the religious beliefs of her former husband, Jamie, as the main reason why an Indiana judge should restrict his visitation rights.

She wants the three to go to church on Sunday mornings - technically, when they are with Mr Meyer - but points out they are unlikely to do so if they are with their father, a member of an organisation calling itself the Church of Satan.

However, legal experts have warned that the American Constitution prevents judges from showing a religious preference.

Meyer may now be asked to prove that Satanism, which he says is about celebrating man's desires rather than worshipping the devil, is a real faith.

his former wife may have to show that Satanism - which is recognised as a religion by the US Internal Revenue Service - is harmful to their daughters' upbringing.

Tags: satan, satanism, christian, religion, children, rights, legal

Messianic stone tablet stirs debate

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:16:35 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com

Scriptural scholars are abuzz over a stone tablet that is said to bear previously unknown prophecies about a Jewish messiah who would rise from the dead in three days. But there are far more questions than answers about the tablet, which some have suggested could represent "a new Dead Sea Scroll in stone."

Do the tablet and the inked text really date back to the first century B.C., as claimed? Where did the artifact come from? Can the gaps in the text be filled in to make sense? Is the seeming reference to a coming resurrection correct, and to whom does that passage refer? Finally, what impact would a pre-Christian reference to suffering, death and resurrection have on Christian scholarship?

Such questions are being addressed this week in Jerusalem, at an international conference marking the 60th anniversary of the Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery. They're also being addressed in reports about the "Vision of Gabriel" tablet that have trickled out over the past few months.

Tags: jewish, christianity, history

Would Garlic Protect Us From the Courts?

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:40:47 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: More insanity from Texas which seems to have more than its share. This superstitious stupidity really needs to end. This religious immunity from critical scrutiny has existed for too long. It's time to begin shinning a light on these barbaric practices practiced by this death cult.

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

Texas court approves traumatic exorcisms

Well now…if you've had a hankerin' to torture, abuse, and do who knows what else to people at your whim, here's what you do: move on down to Texas and set up a religion. The Texas Supreme Court just ruled on a case in which a young woman was subjected to extreme distress and restraint during a church-run exorcism

The court ruling basically says that because this church carries out this practice all the time, and because adherents of the religion accept it, it's OK to pin people to the floor and scream at them for a few hours.

"The laying of hands" and the presence of demons are part of the church's belief system and accepted as such by its adherents," the ruling said in part.

Hello, world. In the United States, it is not considered unusual to accuse teenagers of being possessed by demons, and we subject them to frightening magic rituals to cast out such satanic forces with some regularity.

Tags: religion, exorcism, superstition, fundamentalism, christian

Church and State Collide On the Highway

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:17:25 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: "More to the point: If your faith is so strong that it would inspire you to voluntarily stand in line at the DMV — and let’s face it, that’s strong — then why do you need it stamped in cold, hard metal on your vehicle’s ass?"

Clip Source: www.independent.com

This just in: Rational thought is backed up for miles along South Carolina’s roadways, where a serious traffic collision between Church and State has left our Constitution in critical condition.

The state recently approved a series of government-issued license plates bearing the words “I BELIEVE” and the image of a Christian cross in front of a stained-glass window. In addition to boasting their state-sanctioned love for square dancing, wild turkeys, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., South Carolina residents can now share their devotion to Jesus Christ with anyone lucky enough to be eating their dust.

The plate was proposed by Republican state Sen. Larry Grooms “to allow people of faith to have an expression of their belief.” Apparently ichthys fish and “God is my copilot” bumper stickers just weren’t converting heathens like they used to.

Critics, including the ACLU, say the state-issued plates are a government endorsement of religion.

Tags: church, state, cars, government, religion

Pagan Woman Accuses Shelter of Discrimination

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:24:22 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: If they accept federal funds, they cannot discriminate. This is from an article about the opening of the center:

"A grant from Access to Recovery-Idaho, a federally funded program that makes money available to traditional and faith-based recovery programs, is helping to pay the utilities at the house and for the administration."

Clip Source: www.kidk.com

A young lady seeking help from a faith-based temporary housing program in Idaho Falls is on the streets tonight, looking for shelter.

I spoke with Rachel "Raven" Litzau this afternoon after she was kicked out of the Ruth House. She tells me the organization is discriminating against her because of her beliefs.

Litzau came to the Ruth House two weeks ago with her 17-month-old son. She was trying to get away from her abusive husband and get back on her feet.

The Ruth House is a non-denominational christian housing center. They say they will accept anyone, but Litzau is pagan. And she tells me that quickly became a problem.

"It was along the lines of, 'Oh, well we've had a lot of complaints about this,' and then suddenly it was like she saw my ring for the first time, and said, 'Oh, and that's got to go that's satanic and your jewelry has to go,' and I said, 'I'm sorry I can't do that. It was really insulting because there's a big difference between satanism and paganism," says Litzau.

Tags: pagan, woman, religion, belief, faith

Marine removed from duty over Bible coin

Fri, 30 May 2008 23:45:12 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

A U.S. Marine in Iraq has been removed from duty amid complaints that he was handing out coins with Bible verses at an American checkpoint, the military said Thursday.

U.S. military regulations prohibit religious proselytizing.

At least one of the coins is stamped with the words "Where will you spend eternity?" according to a report published Thursday by McClatchy Newspapers.

The other side of the coin reportedly contains a verse from John 3:16 that reads, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

Several Falluja residents said they were given the coins over a two-day period and complained that U.S. troops, whom they consider foreign occupiers, were acting as Christian missionaries.

The reports stoked religious concerns in Iraq just weeks after Iraqi police discovered that a U.S. soldier had used the Quran, Islam's holy book, for target practice.

Tags: religion, belief, christian, christianity, islam, muslim, bible, prostelytizing, marines, military

Pagan tomb under St. Peter's Basilica reopened

Thu, 29 May 2008 04:01:16 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

The Vatican unveiled the largest and most luxurious of the pagan tombs in the necropolis under St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday after nearly a year of restoration work.

A family of former slaves built the Valeri Mausoleum during the second half of the second century, when Emperor Marcus Aurelius ruled. It is one of 22 pagan tombs in the grottoes under the basilica.

Emperor Constantine, a convert to Christianity, had the pagan burial grounds covered up in the fourth century so the basilica could be built over the site holding St. Peter's tomb.

The tomb tells the history of the family, particularly in bas reliefs, of a girl and a boy from the Caius Valerius Herma family. The children died young, possibly from plague. Such stuccoed objects as a quill pen and a skein of yarn tell the tale of daily life in the Valeri family. Reliefs of major gods and other pagan figures attest to their strong religious belief.

Tags: pagan, christian, vatican, tomb, history, ancient, god, religion, belief