Courts Can’t Be ‘Swayed by Christian Values’ or Promote ‘Virtue and Morality,’ UK Judge Says

LONDON, October 31, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Sir James Munby, president of the Family Division of the British court system has said that only “secular” judges can serve a “multicultural” society, and that judges must not “be swayed by Christian values.”

“A secular judge must be wary of straying across the well-recognized divide between church and state,” Munby said in a speech to the first annual conference of the Law Society’s family law section in London.

In a speech in London last night, Munby disparaged “Victorian judges” who promoted ‘virtue and morality.” Such judges discouraged “vice and immorality” while maintaining a “very narrow view of sexual morality.”

“Happily for us, the days are past when the business of judges was the enforcement of morals or religious beliefs,” he said.
He praised the “disappearance, in an increasingly secular and pluralistic society, of what until comparatively recently was in large measure a commonly accepted package of moral, ethical and religious values.”

Munby said modern judges had in a sense displaced Christian clergy, whom, he said, have relinquished their prior position as the “defining voices of morality and of the law of marriage and the family.”

Anthony Ozimic, communications manager of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), told LifeSiteNews that this is not the first time Munby has “used his position to give succour to the idea that the move away from Judeo-Christian morality represents progress.”

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I believe the UK judge has got it all wrong and that is why I agree with Ravi Zacharias  who said:

In defining what is good in a culture,  humanists and atheists cannot provide a rational argument for what is exemplified by the idea of being good, instead they can provide only a pragmatic argument, which is insufficient.  El Greco


 

Angel Helps Lead Muslim to Christ

After a powerful visitation by an angel brought a Muslim to his knees in repentance and faith, relatives hostile to Christianity locked the man in a cellar. After languishing for days in the dark and musty underground chamber, police set him free.

Maheen (left) with Paul Ciniraj

Maheen had always been an observant Muslim in his town in India. At his place of employment, he was given a Bible, but once he took it home, the pages were never opened.


“He did not care about it, but just kept it in his room,” says Paul Ciniraj, founder of Paul Ciniraj Ministries. But that was about to change, due to an unexpected visit one evening.

As Maheen slept, an angel came to him, touched his shoulder and said, “Read Acts 26:23 from the Holy Scripture which you received.” Maheen thought it was a strange dream and went back to sleep. 

A short time later, the angel touched his shoulder again – this time more firmly -- and said, “Get up and read Acts 26:23 from the Bible. It is a verse for you.”
Still groggy and half-asleep, it was difficult for Maheen to process what happened. He decided to ignore the unusual dream and go back to sleep. 

A third time the angel appeared while Maheen slept. This time, the angel nudged him strongly and said, “Get up and read the Bible as I said.”
This time, Maheen bolted out of bed, frantically grabbed his new Bible, and began to read from the Book of Acts: “That the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He should be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” (Acts 26:23)

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Indian Court Finds Hindus not Guilty in Attacks on Christians

A court in India’s Orissa state has acquitted 54 Hindu activists who were charged with setting fire to a Baptist church and the homes of 14 Christian families during the anti-Christian violence of Christmas 2007.

The court found the defendants not guilty because of an alleged “lack of evidence”—although Christian witnesses found the evidence overwhelming. The acquittals, coming after years of delay in bringing the defendants to trial, continue a pattern of legal impunity for the Hindu extremists who killed over 100 people and drove more than 50,000 from their homes in the Kandhamal region.

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Iran Metes out 80 Lashes to Christians for Communion Wine Drinking

The Jerusalem Post reports: “An Iranian court sentenced four Iranians to 80 whips for drinking wine during communion and possession of a satellite antenna. Christianity Society Worldwide, an advocacy organization for religious freedom, reported on the punishment last week on its website.
A court in the city of Rasht sentenced the four Iranian Christian men on October 6. Rasht is located on the Caspian Sea in Iran’s northern province of Gilan and has a population of over 600,000…

Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), said, ‘The sentences handed down to these members of the Church of Iran effectively criminalize the Christian sacrament of sharing in the Lord’s Supper and constitute an unacceptable infringement on the right to practice faith freely and peaceably. We urge the Iranian authorities to ensure that the nation’s legal practices and procedures do not contradict its international obligation under the International Convent on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to guarantee the full enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief by all of its religious communities.’

In an October UN report on Iran’s human rights record, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, wrote ‘at least 20 Christians were in custody in July 2013. In addition, violations of the rights of Christians, particularly those belonging to evangelical Protestant groups, many of whom are converts, who proselytize to and serve Iranian Christians of Muslim background, continue to be reported.’...”

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Nasrallah Blames Saudis for Syria's Problems

Israel National News reports: “The head of the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, has accused Saudi Arabia of blocking a political solution to the conflict in Syria, AFP reports.

Speaking on Monday on a large screen set up in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Nasrallah said the Gulf kingdom was ‘furious because the situation in Syria has not worked out in its favor.’
Saudi Arabia has been a key backer of rebel groups fighting to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad since March 2011.

‘Today, political dialogue and the search for a political solution are enjoying international, regional and interior support ... but there is a state in the region which is furious (about the proposed Geneva II peace conference), and its name is Saudi Arabia,’ Nasrallah charged…”

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Arab MK: Israel Must Submit to Arab Demands or Disappear

On Wednesday MK Ibrahim Sarsour of the Arab Ra'am-Ta'al party accused the Israeli government of endangering Middle East stability in failing to make peace with the Palestinians, declaring that Israel must either submit to Arab demands or disappear.

He further claimed Israel was the "sole cause" preventing advances in the peace talks because it continues to refuse to withdraw to the 1949 ceasefire lines, divide Jerusalem and let Arabs who fled in 1948 return with their descendants.

Sarsour concluded by threatening that "whoever doesn't agree to divide Palestine into two countries...will deal with...a demand for all of Palestine from the sea to the [Jordan] river."
He added that Israel has to decide to exist while recognizing all Palestinian rights, such as the right of refugee return, or else "cease existing."

The statements were made in the course of his speech before the Knesset plenum, concerning the vote of no confidence which he presented on behalf of the Arab parties.
Sarsour's position mimics the Palestinian Authority (PA) statement, also from Wednesday, which called the Israeli demands for security a "hardline position." Meanwhile, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas declared at the celebratory welcome of 26 murderers released Tuesday night as a peace talk "gesture" that there would be no peace until all Arab terrorists were released.

Sarsour's extreme statements are by no means his first controversial words. On October 19, Sarsour called on the "Islamic nation" to "liberate" Jerusalem from the Jews, who he claims have no right to the city, and praised Gaza Hamas head Isma'il Haniyeh's speech calling for an Intifada.
On October 9 he said the Jewish patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were actually Muslim.
Islam was founded in the 7th century CE, thousands of years after the era of the Hebrew Forefathers.

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The Greek Spirit in World War II

• 1. Greeks in World War II 
• 2. Greece, during WWII, was the only country that was forced to confront the armies of four countries simultaneously: Albania, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria. 
• 3. DURATION OF RESISTANCE (in days): Greece 219, Norway 61, France 43 (The superpower at the time),  Poland 30, Belgium 18, Holland 4, Yugoslavia 3, Czechoslovakia 0, Luxemburg 0, Denmark 0 (The Danes surrendered to a Hitlers motorcyclist who was conveying Hitler's request to the Danish king for the crossing of the Nazi armies. The Danish king indicating submission surrendered his Crown to the motorcyclist to take to Berlin and Hitler....) 
• 4. TOTAL GREEK LOSES CAUSED BY OCCUPYING POWER• Albanians 1165• Italians 8000• Bulgarians 25,000• Germans 50,000 
• 5. TOTAL LOSES IN POPULATION PERCENTAGES• Greece 10%• Soviet Union 2.8%• Holland 2.2%• France 2%• Poland 1.8%• Yugoslavia 1.7%• Belgium 1.5%
• 6. Quotes on/about the Greeks:
• 7. “For the sake of historical truth I must verify that only the Greeks, of all the adversaries who confronted us, fought with bold courage and highest disregard of death.." - Adolph Hitler (From speech he delivered to Reichstag on 4 May 1941)
• 8. "The word heroism I am afraid does not render the least of those acts of self-sacrifice of the Greeks, which were the defining factor in the victorious outcome of the common struggle of the nations, during WWII, for the human freedom and dignity. If it were not for the bravery of the Greeks and their courage, the outcome of WW II would be undetermined." Winston Churchill(Paraphrased from one of his speeches to the British Parliament on 24, April 1941)
• 9. Until now we used to say that the Greeks fight like heroes. Now we shall say: The heroes fight like Greeks." Winston Churchill (From a speech he delivered from the BBC in the first days of the Greco-Italian war)
• 10. "I am sorry because I am getting old and I shall not live long to thank the Greek People, whose resistance decided WW II." Joseph Stalin(From a speech of his broadcast by the Moscow radio station on 31 January 1943after the victory of Stalingrad and the capitulation of German 6th Army Field MarshalVon Paulus).
• 11. "If the Russian people managed to raise resistance at the doors of Moscow to halt and reverse the German torrent, they owe it to the Greek People, who delayed the German divisions during the time they could bring us to our knees." Georgy Constantinovich Zhoukov, Field Marshal of the Soviet Army: Quote from his memoirs on WWII)
• 12. "Regardless of what the future historians shall say, what we can say now, is that Greece gave Mussolini an unforgettable lesson, that she was the motive for the revolution in Yugoslavia, that she held the Germans in the mainland and in Crete for six weeks, that she upset the chronological order of all German High Command's plans and thus brought a general reversal of the entire course of the war and we won." Sir Robert Antony Eden Minister of War and the Exterior of Britain 1940-1945, Prime Minister of Britain 1955-1957 - Paraphrased from a speech of his to the British Parliament on 24/09/1942)
• 13. "It would not be an exaggeration to say that Greece upset the plans of Germany in their entirety forcing her to postpone the attack on Russia for six weeks. We wonder what would have been Soviet Union's position without Greece." Sir Harold Leofric George Alexander(British Field Marshal during WWII - Paraphrased from a speech of his to the British parliament on 28 October 1941)
• 14. "I am unable to give the proper breadth of gratitude I feel for the heroic resistance of the People and the leaders of Greece." Charles de Gaul(From a speech of his to the French Parliament after the end of WWII).
• 15. Maurice Schumann Minister of the exterior of France 1969-1973, member of the French Academy 1974 "Greece is the symbol of the tortured, bloodied but live Europe. Never a defeat was so honorable for those who suffered it." (From a message of his he addressed from the BBC of London to the enslaved peoples of Europe on 28 April 1941, the day Hitler occupied Athens after a 6-month war against Mussolini and six weeks against Hitler).
• 16. "You fought unarmed and won, small against big. We owe you gratitude, because you gave us time to defend ourselves. As Russians and as people we thank you." Moscow, Radio Station when Hitler attacked the U.S.S.R.
• 17. "The war with Greece proved that nothing is firm in the military and that surprises always await us." Benito Mussolini (From speech he delivered on 10/5/1941)
• 18. "On the 28th of October 1940 Greece was given a deadline of three hours to decide on war or peace but even if a three day or three week or three year period were given, the response would have been the same. The Greeks taught dignity throughout the centuries. When the entire world had lost all hope, the Greek people dared to question the invincibility of the German monster raising against it the proud spirit of freedom." Franklin D Roosevelt, US President 1933 - 1945
• 19. The heroic struggle of the Greek people... against Germany's attack, after she so thunderously defeated the Italians in their attempt to invade the Greek soil, filled the hearts of the American people with enthusiasm and moved their compassion. Franklin D Roosevelt, US President 1933 - 1945
• 20. On 10 April 1941, after the Greek capitulation to Germany, the northern forts of Greece surrendered. The Germans expressed their admiration to the Greek soldiers, declared that they were honored and proud to have as their adversary such an Army and requested that the Greek commandant inspects the German army in a demonstration of honor and recognition! The German flag was raised only after the complete withdrawal of the Greek Army
• 21. A German officer of the air force declared to the commander of the Eastern Macedonia division group, Lieutenant General Dedes, that the Greek Army was the first army on which the Stuka fighter planes did not cause panic."Your soldiers" he said, "instead of fleeing frantically,as they did in France and Poland, were shooting at us from their positions."
• 22. "BECAUSE ONLY WE, CONTRARY TO THE BARBARIANS, NEVER COUNT THE ENEMY IN BATTLE" - AESCHYLUS (father of tragedy) .

Source : By Nick Karamolegos

Army Warns Soldiers of Christian, Tea Party 'Threat'

Soldiers at a pre-deployment briefing at Fort Hood say they were told evangelical Christians and Tea Party members were a threat to the nation, according to FOX News.

According to FOX journalist Todd Starnes, another soldier attending the briefing says they were told groups like the American Family Association were "tearing the country apart."

The soldiers were also reportedly told donating to such groups could lead to punishment under military code because some of them had been classified as hate groups.

See more at CBN News

Παγκόσμιος παράδεισος της πορνείας η Ελλάδα!

Χιλιάδες αλλοδαπές συρρέουν για να πιάσουν "δουλειά" ως ιερόδουλες

 «Σαν να μην της έφταναν τα προβλήματα που άφησε πίσω της η οικονομική κατάρρευση της, με τα ναρκωτικά να λυμαίνονται τους δρόμους της, τους μετανάστες να πέφτουν θύματα ξυλοδαρμών και δολοφονιών σε κάθε γωνιά της και με την αστυνομία να συγκρούεται βάναυσα με τις ομάδες αναρχικών, η Ελλάδα έρχεται αντιμέτωπη και με ένα άλλο μεγάλο πρόβλημα: την σωματεμπορία και σεξουαλική εκμετάλλευση.

Παρ' όλο που η πορνεία στην Ελλάδα είναι νόμιμη, τα τελευταία χρόνια o αριθμός των δηλωμένων «εργατριών του σεξ» έχει υποσκελιστεί από ένα τσουνάμι ξένων αδήλωτων γυναικών που λέγεται ότι προσφέρονται έναντι ευτελών ποσών που φτάνουν μέχρι και τα 5 ευρώ. Τα περισσότερα από αυτά τα κορίτσια οδηγούνται παράνομα στην Ελλάδα από ξένες χώρες – ένα φαινόμενο το οποίο αδυνατεί να θέσει υπό έλεγχο η χώρα».

Έτσι προλογίζει εκτενές άρθρο του στο online περιοδικό Vice.com o Gregory Frye, συνοδευόμενο από εξαιρετικό φωτογραφικό υλικό της Μυρτούς Παπαδοπούλου, το οποίο αποτελεί μέρος ενός γενικότερου πρότζεκτ της που στόχο έχει την καταγραφή των ζωών των ιερόδουλων, προσφέροντάς τους την ίδια στιγμή πρακτική βοήθεια.

Σε παλαιότερο σχετικό άρθρο του στο protagon.gr, ο Βαγγέλης Γεωργίου σημείωνε:
«Από τα κιτρινισμένα όμως ΦΕΚ του 1936 ο όρος της σωματεμπορίας σήμερα έχει διευρυνθεί και πλέον σημαίνει διακίνηση ατόμου με σκοπό τη σεξουαλική ή οικονομική του εκμετάλλευση ή ακόμα και την αφαίρεση των οργάνων του μέσω βίας, απειλής βίας ή και εξαπάτησης. Σήμερα η Εμπορία Ανθρώπων(Human Trafficking) θεωρείται η τρίτη πιο επικερδής δραστηριότητα στον κόσμο μετά τo εμπόριο ναρκωτικών και όπλων. Tο 80% σχεδόν των περιπτώσεων σωματεμπορίας αφορά την σεξουαλική εκμετάλλευση (Sex Trafficking)(ΟΗΕ, 2012), ενώ ο «ροζ τζίρος» αγγίζει τα 28 δισεκατομμύρια ετησίως(Financial Action Task Force 2011).

Για τους traffickers η Ελλάδα θα αποτελεί πάντα ιδανικό χώρο να πουλήσουν ή να περάσουν το προϊόν τους καθώς γι' τους λόγω της γεωγραφική της θέσης θα είναι πάντα η χώρα των δύο ηπείρων και πέντε θαλασσών. Αυτοί οι adventurers φέρνουν νέα κορίτσια κυρίως από Βουλγαρία και Ρουμανία και δευτερευόντως από Ρωσία, Αλβανία, Ουκρανία, Μολδαβία και Νιγηρία, χώρες με αποσαθρωμένο οικονομικό και κοινωνικό ιστό.

Μόνο τη δεκαετία 1990-2000 στην Ελλάδα περίπου 2.000.000 άνδρες έκαναν χρήση υπηρεσιών θυμάτων trafficking. Μην αναρωτιόμαστε λοιπόν, ο νόμος της προσφοράς και ζήτησης γιατί να μην ισχύει και στη χώρα μας;».
Επίσης, σχετικά πάντοτε με το θέμα, η κοινωνιολόγος-εγκληματολόγος Ρούλα Βαρτελάτου σημείωνε στο psychografimata.com, αναφερόμενη στις διαστάσεις του φαινομένου σε όλο τον κόσμο:

Ο όρος «trafficking» είναι ένας αγγλόφωνος όρος που έχει επικρατήσει και καθιερωθεί στον χώρο της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης αλλά και ανά τον κόσμο για να υποδηλώσει το κοινωνικό φαινόμενο της διεθνικής σωματεμπορίας. Ετυμολογικά κατάγεται από την λέξη "traffic" δηλαδή την διαδικασία της κίνησης. Με τον όρο trafficking εννοούμε μεταφορικά, την διακίνηση ατόμων από χώρα σε χώρα.

Ο επίσημος ορισμός του trafficking αντλείται διεθνώς από το «Πρωτόκολλο των Ηνωμένων Εθνών για την Αποτροπή Καταστολή και τη Τιμωρία της Παράνομης διακίνησης Προσώπων με σκοπό τη Σεξουαλική και Οικονομική Εκμετάλλευση ιδιαίτερα Γυναικών και Παιδιών» και αφορά τη στρατολόγηση, μεταφορά, μετακίνηση, εγκατάσταση , ή παραλαβή προσώπων, μέσω απειλής, ή χρήσης βίας, ή άλλων μορφών εξαναγκασμού, της απαγωγής, του δόλου, της εξαπάτησης, της κατάχρησης της δύναμης, της κατάχρησης μιας τρωτής ή ευάλωτης θέσης, της προσφοράς ή της αποδοχής οικονομικού ή άλλου οφέλους για την επίτευξη της σύμφωνης γνώμης ενός προσώπου το οποίο ασκεί έλεγχο ή εξουσία επί άλλου προσώπου για το σκοπό της εκμετάλλευσης.

 Η εκμετάλλευση περιλαμβάνει, την εκμετάλλευση της πορνείας ή άλλες μορφές σεξουαλικής εκμετάλλευσης, την εξαναγκαστική εργασία, ή παροχή υπηρεσιών, τη διαμόρφωση συνθηκών σκλαβιάς, ή τη λήψη σωματικών οργάνων. Ο ορισμός αυτός είναι γνωστός ως «Πρωτόκολλο του Palermo» (2000) ή «Πρωτόκολλο του Trafficking».

Το κυρίαρχο σχήμα του Trafficking είναι το εξής: χώρα προέλευσης, χώρα διαμετακόμισης και χώρα υποδοχής.
Σύμφωνα με τα στοιχεία του ΟΗΕ για το trafficking υπολογίζεται ότι περίπου 2,5 εκατομμύρια άνθρωποι υποχρεώνονται σε καταναγκαστική εργασία. Η πλειοψηφία των θυμάτων είναι ηλικίας μεταξύ 18 – 24 ετών, ενώ περίπου 1,2 εκατομμύρια παιδιά πέφτουν θύματα του trafficking. Τα ετήσια κέρδη του «εμπορίου λευκής σαρκός» υπολογίζονται στα 26 δισεκατομμύρια ευρώ σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο. Το 49% των κερδών πραγματοποιείται στις βιομηχανικές χώρες, ενώ το 52% όσων «στρατολογούν» τα θύματα.

Όπως και με τη μετανάστευση, οι χώρες προέλευσης, διαμετακόμισης, και προορισμού των θυμάτων διεθνικής σωματεμπορίας αλλάζουν συνεχώς λόγω της οικονομικής και πολιτικής αστάθειας παγκοσμίως.

Σύμφωνα με τα στοιχεία της UNGIFT (OHE – Παγκόσμια Πρωτοβουλία για την Καταπολέμηση του Trafficking) το 43% των θυμάτων εξωθούνται στην πορνεία, ενώ ένα μεγάλο ποσοστό οδηγείται ως φθηνό εργατικό προσωπικό σε μεγάλες βιομηχανίες τροφίμων, ποτών και υφαντουργίας στις αναπτυσσόμενες χώρες.
Περίπου 12.000 παιδιά εργάζονται στις φυτείες κακάο στην Ακτή Ελεφαντοστού. Εκατοντάδες παιδιά έχουν πουληθεί από τους γονείς τους για να δουλέψουν σε ψαράδικα ως δύτες στη λίμνη Βόλτα της Γκάνας, όπου με τα μικρά και λεπτά τους δάχτυλα ξεμπλέκουν τα δίχτυα.

Έκθεση του Γραφείου του ΟΗΕ αναφέρει πως 127 χώρες του πλανήτη αποτελούν χώρες προέλευσης των θυμάτων του trafficking, 98 χώρες είναι οι ενδιάμεσοι σταθμοί, ενώ τελικό προορισμό αποτελούν 137 χώρες. Επιπλέον, το UNODC (γραφείο του ΟΗΕ για την καταπολέμηση των ναρκωτικών και του εγκληματος) εντόπισε το καλοκαίρι 2007 κατά τη διάρκεια των ένοπλων συγκρούσεων στο Λίβανο, ότι οι περιοχές στις οποίες δραστηριοποιούνται οι διακινητές του trafficking, είναι χώρες με σχετική αποσταθεροποίηση λόγω πολέμου ή ένοπλης βίας. Έτσι, για παράδειγμα, στόχος τους αποτελούν περίπου 300.000 άνθρωποι που έμειναν στις Φιλιππίνες, την Αιθιοπία και τη Σρι Λάνκα, όταν οι ξένες εταιρείες στις οποίες εργάζονταν αναγκάστηκαν να εγκαταλείψουν τις χώρες αυτές.

For an English translation  of this article written in Greek, please use the Translation tool on this site.

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Yemeni 'Burns Daughter to Death for Contacting Fiance'

BBC News reports: “A 15-year-old Yemeni girl was burned to death by her father for getting in touch with her fiancé before their wedding, police say.

The 35-year-old man was arrested after the teenager's death in the remote village of Shabaa, in Taiz province.
‘The father committed this heinous crime on the pretext that his daughter had been keeping in contact with her fiancé,’ a police statement claimed.

Local news websites said he had caught the pair chatting on the telephone.

Traditional tribal customs in some parts of Yemen prohibit contact between men and women before marriage.
Last year, the UN Human Rights council raised concerns about so-called ‘honour killings’ in the country. Perpetrators were not charged with murder, and faced only a six-month to one-year prison sentence, it found.

Accorded a low status in the family and community, many Yemeni women are subjected to various forms of violence, deprivation of education, early and forced marriages, sexual abuse, restrictions over freedom of movement, forced pregnancy, and female genital mutilation…”

Continued

Ex-Mossad Head: Obama Spies on Us, Too

Israel National News reports: “It is very likely that American spy agencies are listening in on Israeli leaders’ phone calls, as they are accused of having done in Germany and dozens of other countries, former Mossad head Danny Yatom told Maariv/nrg.

‘It could very well be that it happened here, too, because when the Americans think they need to listen in on someone, that’s what they do,’ he stated.

The White House is probably particularly interested in hearing what Israeli leaders say about regional issues that America is involved in, such as Israel’s talks with the Palestinian Authority, or the deal that Western powers are likely to reach with Iran’s leaders over the Iranian nuclear program, he said.
United States President Barack Obama and his staff want to know what Israeli leaders really think ‘so that they can counter the arguments Israel brings up regarding these topics,’ he explained.

America has been listening in on the leaders of friendly states for years, he noted, and if Israeli phones were bugged, ‘it wasn’t necessarily only in Netanyahu’s time.’

Yatom took a critical view of the American approach. ‘The Americans – rightly – see themselves as a superpower, but they are wrong in thinking they can do whatever they want… Ultimately if [allegations of eavesdropping] are proved true, the Americans will have no choice but to apologize for what they did, but they’ll keep doing it,’ he said…”

Continued

Instead of Arrest, Officer Pays for Shoplifter's Groceries

What would you do if you had no money to buy food for your family? A broke single mother of three in Florida felt she had no choice but to take food from a supermarket. 

As Jessica Robles was leaving with a cart full of unpaid groceries, Miami-Dade Police Officer Vicki Thomas arrived to the scene.  

"I asked her, 'Why did you do that, what would make you do that?' And she said, 'My children were hungry,'" Thomas remembered.

Robles said she thought for sure she would be arrested. What Thomas did next surprised everyone.

"I made the decision to buy her some groceries because arresting her wasn't going to solve the problem with her children being hungry," Thomas said.

In total, she gave the family $100 worth of groceries.

"To see them go through the bags when we brought them in, it was like Christmas. A hundred dollars to me was worth a million," she said.

"All I want to tell her is thank you from the bottom of my heart," Robles said, wiping away tears.

The mother of three is now going to a local food bank while looking for work. She said when she gets back on her feet she will bless others the way Thomas blessed her.

Source

Top Muslim Authority Unwittingly Equates Jihad with Terrorism

A recent Arabic article appearing in Egypt's Al Ahram newspaper titled "Is Terrorism Jihad?" written by Islamic law expert Dr. Abdul Fatah Idris offers important lessons-from the fact that jihad does involve subjugating non-Muslims to why the Western mentality is still incapable of acknowledging it.
Idris, professor and chairman of Al Azhar University's Department of Comparative Jurisprudence at the Faculty of Sharia Law, is a well-reputed legal scholar. He begins his article by defining terrorism and quoting several international bodies that, in his words:

define terrorism as an act of violence or threat of violence coming from an individual either on his own volition or in participation with other individuals. It targets people or organizations or places or means of transportation or the general public in order to threaten or cause injuries or deaths of the people or simply to cripple the effectiveness of international organizations or to cause the loss or damage of those places or properties or to tamper with transportation to interfere in the friendly relations between countries or between the inhabitants of several countries or to extort concessions from some countries.
 

The conspiracy to commit or to intend to commit or to participate in the committing or to incite the general public to commit the aforementioned crimes constitutes the crime of international terrorism. The first clause of the Geneva Convention which was adopted by Suppression of Terrorism Conference held in Geneva in 1937 defines terrorism as a criminal act directed against a specific nation with the aims of creating a state of terror in the minds of specific people or a group of people or the general public.

Idris also mentions how "the Islamic Research Academy, in its report issued on November 4th, 2001, defines terrorism as terrorizing innocent people and the destruction of their properties and their essential elements of living and attacking their finances and their persons and their liberties and their human dignity without right and spreading corruption throughout the land" [emphasis added].
Note that, although he quotes from several international bodies, it is only the "Islamic Research Academy" that includes words like "innocent" and "without right," both of which clearly leave much wiggle room to exonerate terrorist acts committed against those perceived as not being "innocent" or who it is a right to terrorize, which according to many Muslims, includes the West.

Read more, here.

How the Devil Uses Halloween to Attack Your Children

Do demons really want to harm my child? The answer is yes. Demons really do want to harm our children and they may use ghosts and goblins to gain access. The greatest danger to children comes from an unseen force. It is Satan and his army of darkness. This evil spiritual army is obsessed with and completely focused on keeping as many men, women and children eternally separated from the love of God and the saving grace of Jesus. We must not assume that our children are not a threat to darkness. The enemy’s purpose is to grip and blind every generation, establishing strongholds in the lives of our children from a very young age.

God created mankind because He has a Father’s heart and He wanted children to love. Just as earthly fathers and mothers long to have children born out of loving relationship, our heavenly Father also yearns for relationship with us, His children. Therefore, from the time we are conceived, through birth and throughout our lives, the enemy will set up traps, snares, and schemes in order to keep us bound to lies of darkness and paralyzed from reaching our fullest kingdom potential.

He is a predator looking to kill, steal, and destroy all that God wants to release in our lives.
We would all agree that at our time in history darkness is alive and well. I do not say this to generate fear. Nor do I believe that Satan is as powerful as our Lord—absolutely not. But we live in a dark time in history, and the following statistics from the Teen Mania website prove that this is the case. This generation is in great need of the truth.

• Ninety-one percent say there is no absolute truth.
• Seventy-five percent of teens in America believe the central message of the Bible is, “God helps those who help themselves.”
• Fifty-three percent believe Jesus committed sin (40 percent of born-again teens believe Jesus committed sin).

This younger generation is seeking. They are going to see, experience, and be a part of the most strategic and intense times in the history of the Christian church. They are going to witness firsthand amazing events unfold in our world and miraculous signs and wonders that even the prophets of the Bible wrote about. But there is a battle of darkness raging to keep them out of the light and in deception.

I love what Paul wrote to his spiritual son Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11–14, 20, as he obviously knew the dangers that his spiritual son would face and instructed him on how to rise above the traps of the world and the enemy.

Continued, here.

Jerry Coyne's Twisted History of Science and Religion

Jerry Coyne is an esteemed evolutionary biologist. But, together with the other New Atheists, he vehemently berates religion in a way that can detract from his important work of explaining evolution to the layperson.

In his latest post on the topic, he promotes the false belief that there is a fundamental conflict between science and religion, and he even makes the wild (and admittedly unproven) claim “that had there been no Christianity, if after the fall of Rome atheism had pervaded the Western world, science would have developed earlier and be far more advanced than it is now.” (For some thoughts on that theory, see this post.)

Historians have long realized that the great conflict between science and religion is a myth. But it continues to be an article of faith among the New Atheists. In contrast to his views on evolution, Dr. Coyne thinks that he can ignore the evidence from history and disregard the settled view of experts in the field. But, being a scholar and a rational man, we’re sure that he will change his mind if shown to be wrong.

So let’s examine some of the reasons Dr. Coyne presents for rejecting the consensus view of historians that Christianity has generally been supportive of science (notwithstanding some quarrels along the way)........................................................................................................................................

Continued, here.

Militants Pound Christian Town in Reef Hama

The militants fired several rockets on the Christian town of Saqlibeh in Reef Hama. 

There has been no report on the possible number of casualties and damage to properties by the Monday attacks.

In a similar attacks on Sunday, the Syrian armed rebels pounded Christian-populated areas of the capital city of Damascus with mortar shells.

The militants fired several mortar shells on the Christian districts of Al-Qasa and Al-Abaseen in Damascus after midday.

No one was hurt in the mortar attacks, but material loss has been reported.

Earlier this week, the armed rebel groups targeted many Christian and Muslim worship places, especially the Lady Church and Constantine and Helena Church in Yabroud in Damascus Countryside with two explosive devices.

An official source said that militants detonated two explosive devices planted on the roofs of the churches, causing large material damage to the crosses with no human casualties, Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against the Syrian police, border guards, statesmen, army and civilians being reported across the country.

Thousands of people have been killed since terrorist and armed groups turned protest rallies into armed clashes.

The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.

 

 Continued
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The Obama-led Western Powers are supporting these rebels who are responsible for the recent chemical attacks on civilians and the total decimation of the Christian population. El Greco

Colorado Cemetery Director Bans ‘Jesus’ From Being Engraved on Tombstone

STERLING, Co. – A city in Colorado has agreed to allow the name of Jesus to be engraved on a tombstone for a local pastor’s wife after the cemetery director refused the inscription and stated that it could be offensive.

Linda Baker, wife of Mark Baker, the pastor of Harvest Baptist Church in Ovid, Colorado, recently passed away following a battle with cancer. According to reports, one of her last wishes was that her tombstone be engraved with an Ichthus fish and the name of Jesus in the center.
However, when her family advised the director of the city-owned cemetery of the desired inscription for the marker, he stated that he could not grant the request. Shawn Rewoldt explained that the fish would be acceptable, but the name of Jesus presented a problem.

“At first they told us it wouldn’t fit,” daughter-in-law Stacy Adams told conservative commentator Todd Starnes. “But after we kept pushing them, the cemetery director told us that it might offend somebody. They weren’t going to allow it.”

But she said that there are numerous other Christian-themed tombstones in the cemetery.
“There are full Scriptures everywhere you look,” Adams told WTSB. “You can’t walk two feet without tripping over them.”
She states that Rewoldt asked her what she would think if a family wanted to put a swastika on someone’s headstone. Adams replied that each person has their own wishes of how they would like to be remembered. Continued...

World Risks 'Historic Mistake' on Iran, Warns Netanyahu

The world risks making a “historic mistake” if it eases the pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, warned last night on the eve of crucial negotiations to resolve the crisis.

Talks resume in Geneva for the first time in six months today with expectations high for a compromise deal that could see Britain, America and other Western countries abandon crushing sanctions in return for Tehran accepting strict controls on its atomic facilities. Iran’s chief negotiator even suggested yesterday that a “road map” for a peaceful solution to the impasse could be agreed by tomorrow.

But Mr Netanyahu warned that it was only the crippling economic pressure of sanctions that had forced Iran back to the negotiating table in the first place and that it would be foolish to relax them now. “It would be a historic mistake to ease the pressure on Iran a moment before the sanctions achieve their objective,” he said. “Particularly at this moment we must not give up on them, we must keep up the pressure.”

Any move to let up would strengthen Iran’s “uncompromising elements” around the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who would be “perceived as the winner”, Mr Netanyahu said.
Mohammad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister and chief negotiator, is expected to present the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, the so-called P5+1, with new terms at today’s talks.

Continued, here.

Terror Arrests in Britain Prevented 'Kenya-Like' Attack

Sunday’s arrests of four terror suspects in London allowed Britain to avert a plot to orchestrate a large-scale terror attack similar to the assault on Kenya's Westgate mall, reports The Associated Press.

Police were questioning four men in their 20s on suspicion of terrorism after they were detained Sunday in pre-planned, intelligence-led raids.

A British security official said on Monday that the men were planning a shooting spree akin to the Westgate attack in Nairobi, in which at least 67 people died.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was not clear how advanced the planning was but that any attack was not imminent.

Metropolitan Police did not identify the suspects or say what, if any, charges, they may face. The men were all British nationals between the ages of 25 and 29, with roots in Turkey, Pakistan, Algeria and Azerbaijan.

The force confirmed that the London police firearms unit took part in the arrests. British police rarely carry weapons and their involvement suggested concern that men might have been armed.

Continued, here.

Saudi Arabia Declines UN Security Council Seat

Reuters reports: “Saudi Arabia, in a display of anger at the failure of the international community to end the war in Syria and act on other Middle East issues, said on Friday it would not take up its seat on the United Nations Security Council.

The kingdom condemned what it called international double standards on the Middle East and demanded reforms in the Security Council, which has been at odds on ways to end the fighting in Syria.

Unlike in the past, when Riyadh's frustration was mostly directed at Russia and China, it is now also aimed at Washington, its oldest international ally, which has pursued policies since the Arab Spring that Saudi rulers have bitterly opposed.

Citing the Security Council's failure to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, take steps to end Syria's civil war and stop nuclear proliferation in the region, Riyadh said the body had instead perpetuated conflicts and grievances…”

Source

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Mark Burnett Calls ‘Son of God’ Movie 'Jesus for a Whole New Generation'

Son of God, the Twentieth Century Fox feature film from the creators of The Bible miniseries, will be released in theaters nationwide Feb. 28, 2014. This motion picture will bring the story of Jesus’ life to audiences through the same cinematic storytelling that Fox says has made The Bible the best-selling miniseries of all time.

Producer and Actress Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel, The Bible) and Producer Mark Burnett (The Voice, Survivor, The Apprentice, The Bible) brought the epic miniseries to television audiences around the world with their company LightWorkers Media. The series became the No. 1 cable entertainment telecast of the year, one of the fastest-selling TV-to-disc titles ever and went on to garner three Emmy Award nominations.

The producers are excited that their Jesus narrative will finally be seen on the big screen.
“We are very excited to be working with Twentieth Century Fox to release Son of God as a major motion picture,” said Downey and Burnett. “We responded to an overwhelming demand for the greatest story ever told to be seen as a shared experience on the big screen. It's the story of Jesus for a whole new generation.”

Source

Angry Atheists Continue Relentless Attack on the Ground Zero Cross

Following a big victory for the Ground Zero Cross earlier this year, where a federal judge threw out an atheist lawsuit to tear down the Cross, angry atheists are now appealing that ruling to a federal appeals court.

The Ground Zero Cross, two intersecting steel beams found in the wreckage of the World Trade Center, became a symbol of hope and healing for first responders on the ground in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and for thousands of Americans across the nation.

Angry atheists, from the particularly vitriolic American Atheists, demanded that it be torn down. They attempted to make a federal case of their hurt feelings and lost.

The trial court correctly noted that the Cross was a historic artifact--an actual piece of 9/11 history. It really meant something to those affected.

The angry atheists’ reaction was unsurprising. “We are angry that we have to have this fight,” said the president of the group, David Silverman.

Despite their unmitigated rage, placing this cross in a museum does not violate the Constitution. As the Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the Constitution’s “goal of avoiding governmental endorsement does not require eradication of all religious symbols in the public realm.” Simply put, the Constitution is not an atheist manifesto.

The fact is their lawsuit alleges that the mere “existence of the cross” has given them “depression,” “anxiety,” “mental pain and anguish,” and even “headaches.” For those who claim to have no faith, they are assigning near supernatural qualities to the cross.

Ironic as it is, their challenge to the cross, its historic significance, and the real impact it had on thousands of Americans is real.
We are preparing to file a critical amicus brief defending the Cross in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Stand with us and sign your name to our brief today.

Source

‘He Will Not Be Mocked’: House Stenographer Dragged Off Floor for Speech About God, Freemasons

WASHINGTON – The stenographer for the U.S. House of Representatives was dragged off the floor last night as she began presenting a speech about God and Freemasons while lawmakers voted to end the government shutdown and raise the debt limit.

Dianne Reidy, who keeps record of proceedings for the House, was transported to a local hospital for evaluation following the incident.

According to reports and video footage, Reidy approached the microphone as the vote was underway. She then began to present an admonishment to Congress, gesturing with her hand as she spoke.
“He (God) will not be mocked,” Reidy declared three times. “The greatest deception here is that this is not one nation under God. It never was. It would not have been.”

“The Constitution would not have been written by Freemasons,” she continued as she was approached by two members of House security, who began pulling her away by her arms. “They go against God. You cannot serve two masters. Praise be to God, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Continued, here

Christian Judge Reprimanded for Refusing to Officiate Same-Sex 'Weddings'

A Christian judge in Washington was recently reprimanded by the state Judicial Conduct Commission for refusing to officiate same-sex 'weddings.'

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Gary Tabor had made met with court employees following last year's election, which legalized the practice in Washington, and informed his colleagues that he did not feel comfortable with performing homosexual ceremonies.

An attendee of the meeting leaked Tabor's comments to reporters, who in turned contacted the judge for further explanation.

Tabor reiterated that he did not wish to participate due to "philosophical and religious reasons," and advised that his decision was a personal conviction and not the official position of the court.

He stated that he believed that as long as other judges were in place to officiate the ceremonies, that he could choose to decline.

Judges are not required to perform weddings, but should they choose to avail their services to the public, Washington state bars justices from turning away homosexuals.

Due to continued scrutiny over the matter, Tabor soon decided to decline requests to officiate ceremonies of any kind and get out of the marriage business altogether.

 Source