DP Starting Coverage of Rahman Case

Now the word is getting out. Did the blogsphere push the DP on this?

Update: Now Germany and Italy say they’ll move on this, if necessary. What say you America?

Family Research Council Speaks Out in Rahman Case

As usual, Tony Perkin’s is spot on. Here’s what he put in today’s Washington Update:

“Freedom of worship is an important element of any democracy and these are issues as Afghan democracy matures that they are going to have to deal with increasingly,” says State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. This is all he offers in response to a threatened judicial murder. Abdul Rahman is being tried for apostasy in American-liberated Afghanistan. Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) so far has been silent. Hooper is usually quick to decry any anti-Muslim slight. By not speaking out against this outrageous action, CAIR is dealing with the issue. The judge in Rahman’s case soothingly assures us that all will be forgiven if he renounces his Christianity because “Islam is a religion of tolerance.” Really? Today, I sent letters to President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and to Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), the respective foreign affairs committee chairmen. Religious freedom is not just “an important element” of democracy; it is its cornerstone. Religious persecution leads inevitably to political tyranny. Five hundred years of history confirm this. Americans have not given their lives so that Christians can be executed.

I’m with you Tony. Has our world already spun out of control?

What ‘Separation of Church and State’ REALLY Means

It seems we all must do our part to fight the rewriting of history. The words “separation”, “church”, or “state” do not appear in the first amendment of our Constitution, though many will lead you to believe they do. Look it up for yourself.

Here is where the concept did come from:

I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church and State. 1

You can find a more thorough reading on the topic by scholar and author David Barton.

The primary point that we all should understand is that the government was designed by the Founding Fathers to not promote any single religion over or above any other religion. Each citizen is supposed to have the freedom to choose whatever legitimate religion they desire. (Much of that idea is currently under attack by groups like Americans United for Separation of Church and State as they seek to denegrate Christianity while giving other religions a pass.)

You see, the wisdom behind this position ensures that America doesn’t become a country of religious intolerance or worse, much much worse, a country of religious persecution. Which brings us to Afghanistan today. As I noted in yesterday’s Dojo Info, Abdul Rahman is being put on trial by his country for choosing to believe a religion other than the state-mandated one, Islam. The penalty for Abdul would be death. And the sting of all stings is that it was his own family that turned him in. What does that remind you of?

It seems the blood of our soldiers who’ve died to help liberate Afghanistan from the oppressive regime of the Taliban is being tainted, demeaned by a government who wants to kill it’s own citizens for merely believing something other than what they want them to believe.

Can you see how lucky we are to live in a country where freedom is cherished? At least, for now.

I’m not sure what can be done to save Abdul’s life, but we can ask our President to do something. Then we can spread the word about how Islam is not a religion of peace, like so many want us to believe. Any religion that teaches that it’s right to kill people for merely believing something different, is a religion we should all be speaking out against.

1. Thomas Jefferson, Jefferson Writings, Merrill D. Peterson, ed. (NY: Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., 1984), p. 510, January 1, 1802.

The God Factor

Human beings are so incredibly diverse. Not only in our genetic makeup but mixing in our life experiences futher increase our uniqueness. How we see God (or choose not to see) is as varied as the design of a snowflake. So maybe it’s like the Indian proverb about an elephant?

Several blind men were asked to describer the elephant before them.

The first man felt only the elephant’s trunk. So he described it as long and cylindrical, with the ability to pick things up.
The second man felt only the ears. He described the elephant as being a flat, floppy animal.
The third man felt only the midsection of the elephant’s body. He described the elephant as a large, round sturdy animal.
The fourth felt just a leg of the elephant. So he described the elephant as a thick cylinder that bends in the middle.
The fifth man who felt only the tail described it as long and thin, narrowing to a point at the end.

None of us have seen all of God. We each have whatever knowledge we have based on our searching and His revelation. And even though we know we won’t get the whole picture until the next life, we should never tire of the seeking. It’s in this vein that reading Cathleen Falsani’s book can help us see more that we currently have glimpsed.

YL Rap Vid

Don’t know how many of you are familiar with YoungLife but it’s a fabulous organization that reaches kids where they are. You’ve got to earn the right to be heard so it’s not pushing religion it’s about building relationships and, one more thing, the leaders are crazy, whacked-out freaks. Just check these guys in a production they call Lazy Wednesday.

New York Case Highlights Anti-Christian Bias

This from Tony Perkin’s of the Family Research Council underscores the reality of an anti-Christian viewpoint in many sectors of our nation:

A three-judge panel of the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has just issued a split ruling in Skoros v. City of New York that shows how actively hostile to Christians and Christianity elements of the federal judiciary and the liberal education establishment have become. The issue was whether New York’s public schools should display a creche during the Christmas season. The suit was brought by Christians who complained that the city’s public schools were displaying menorahs during Hanukkah and the star and crescent during the Muslim month of Ramadan but banning the creche. The school system had said YES to the menorah and star and crescent, finding them acceptable secular symbols, but NO to the creche. This incredible, illogical, thoroughly dishonest policy seethes with hostility to the Christian faith–yet the court upheld it.

If Christians think to “sit out” the political battle, then it won’t be much of a battle and expressing one’s faith could be considered a criminal act. Seriously.

Sin is Sin is Sin

To begin, I’m as guilty as the next; more than some, less that others. I’m guessing that it’s just easier to call out certain kinds of behaviors as sin while giving others a pass.

Mollie at GetReligion humbles me with her piece about how Christians are not being consistent, called Some sins are okay. Her point, a movie like Brokeback Mountain gets a great deal of criticism in how it normalizes, even romaticizes homosexual behavior while movies like Hostel with their hyper-violent themes hardly catch any flack at all.

Great point Mollie, thanks. Anything that keeps us from honoring God with our lives should be tossed out. It’s really that simple.

Billy Taylor’s Remarkable Story

Do you like bad news? Of course not. But that’s what we’re served on a daily basis by much of the media. So I’m always on the lookout (Send me links!) for good news; stories where people overcome the odds, or perform some almost miraculous feat, or where God helps an individual become better than they were before. This story includes all three.

Billy Taylor’s story is a riches to rags and back to riches story. Taylor was a superstar running back at the University of Michigan. But in 1972, after leading his team to three incredible seasons, his world came crashing down around him. I’ll let you read the article for details, but it was truly a nightmare. He spiraled downward until he became nothing more than an alcoholic, homeless person… for 25 years.

In 1997, he heard the voice of God. It changed him so profoundly that he hasn’t touched alcohol since. Today he’s touching the lives of kids who are facing the same kind of problems he faced. He’s also written a book called Get Back Up. It’s a powerful story of a man far from perfect, who’s shown what can be done in the face of tragedy.

“The man who gives up accomplishes nothing and is only a hindrance. The man who does not give up can move mountains.” -Ernest Hello

Tebow: Talent and Integrity

It may be my entering those “middle years.” Or, it could be I’m softening up as a result of working with the 7-year-olds on my son’s YMCA basketball team. More likely it’s a result of being so active in my two boys’ lifes with a baby on the way. Whatever the case, I’m easily moved these days, to put it mildly.

Last week I was glued to my TV watching ESPN’s profile piece on High School senior Timmy Tebow. He’s the fifth child of some strong Christian parents who home school and take annual mission trips to the Philippines. And despite the fact that he was the nation’s #1 ranked Quarterback, it’s his attitude that impresses me most; built on a strong foundation of faith. Well, that and his intense desire to win. In one game, he played the entire 4th quarter on a broken leg and lead his team to a victory.

It’s going to be impossible for Tebow to live up to the expectations, in fact, some bloggers are already calling him a bust. But now that Tubow has committed to Florida, he’ll be out there for the world to see. As ardent Kentucky fan, football season is annually brutal. But with Tebow on the scene, I’ll be cheering for the Gators solely to see this fine young man succeed.

The Meaning Behind the Movie

Here are just a few of the religious efforts built around the Chronicles of Naria. These come via the Web Evangelism Bulletin. We still haven’t taken our boys to see the film yet because I’ve been out of town. But we plan to next week and I’ll be sure to write and post a review.

• Narnia tracts in the United Kingdom
• How C S Lewis’s fairy tales can impact your friends for Christ
• CCCI has recast their 4 Spiritual Laws as a single Narnia-based gospel page
• Dave Buckna has created a Narnia-based quiz available for syndication into print or web media
• An in-depth look at the author if these stories—C S Lewis

Swedish Court Rules Rightly in Green Case

Wow, these stories just keep coming. I’ve just learned about a pastor in Sweden named Ake Green. He preached from the Bible how homosexuality is not what God intended when He created man and woman. So what happens? He was put on trial.

Fortunately, Sweden’s highest court ruled 5-0 that he had not violated any laws. It’s a good thing, because once you have courts determining how to interpret Scripture, it’s just a short jump to the state dictating what you can or can not think.

Not everyone was happy with the verdict. Birgitta Rydberg, a member of the Swedish Parliment said that Ake Green would probably go to hell when he died. “That’s where you go if you call yourself a Christian and defy the Christian message of love,” Rydberg said. Sounds like someone hasn’t read the entirety of Bible.

Lowe’s Listens

I posted a couple of days back that Lowe’s wouldn’t sell “Christmas Trees” but instead they’d sell “Holiday Trees.” Well, they’ve changed their minds. Thanks to a tremendous response from their customers nationwide they’ll be called the trees by their true name. It’s good to know that businesses will still put business before politics.

Intelligent Design as Alternate to Evolution

The problem with the debate between evolutionists and their opponents is that it has ceased to be scientific. Sure, it might have started that way but now it’s become a “religion” to them. Just the thing they claim to be fighting.

I noticed today that Intelligent Design is ranking in the Top 10 over on the zeitgeist. There’s a firestorm of interest in the topic lately. It’s even inspired a prize-winning piece of art.

What’s important to understand is that intelligent design is just a theory. Just like evolution is a theory. Since we can’t go back in time, we’ll never know for sure. Now, there are groups are now cropping up to further the dialog and promote the idea that intelligent design should be considered alongside evolution. After all, should we consider all the possibilities when we’re investigating life’s biggest question—where did we come from?

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

When Milwaukee Bucks star Michael Redd bought his Dad a gift, he went all out. All the way up to heaven. Say what? Yep, Redd bought his Dad a new church.

It’s a handsome church, I’ll give you that. Pristine white exterior. Steeple. Stained glass windows. Rose-colored interior. Seats 500, easy. Your dad, pastor James W. Redd, says he still can’t believe the dream came true.

“Every now and then you catch yourself drying tears,” says the longtime pastor.

It’s great to see someone display the opposite kind of characteristic we’re used to seeing from many NBA spoiled brats. When questioned about the enormous NBA salaries, player’s union president Patrick Ewing said, “They make a lot of money, and they also spend a lot of money.” I don’t think Patrick had this kind of purchase in mind.

Baby Charlotte Turns Two

Even when the doctors say there’s no hope; even when your friends tell you to move on; even when the world seems to say, “You’re not worth much.”

Persevere. God greatly values each life.

It’s great to see that Charlotte is still with us. If anything is worth fighting for, it’s life. How people can consider other factors more important is ultimately a “me first” attitude.