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Five Christians arrested for preaching at a public "gay" celebration
in Philadelphia still face felony charges after a city prosecutor
called their Biblical message "hateful" and "disgusting."
Attorneys from the AFA Center for Law & Policy (CLP) are defending
four of the Christians, who were arrested October 10 for reading
Scripture, singing hymns and holding signs declaring that homosexuality
is a sin. The homosexual "Outfest" was open to the public. Originally
11 believers were arrested, but charges have been dropped against
all but five. A 17-year-old girl is facing a separate trial.
In addition to municipal and state courts, CLP attorneys have been
in federal district court twice, seeking emergency relief for their
clients. Both times their efforts have been rebuffed.
Evidence arose during the preliminary hearing which seemed to establish
the city’s hostility toward the Christians’ message. Assistant
District Attorney Charles Ehrlich characterized their preaching
and signs bearing Biblical quotes as "hateful, disgusting, despicable
words" and as "fighting words."
While four of the Christians face an unknown number of years in
prison if convicted, Michael Marcavage, who led the ministry outreach,
faces a maximum of 47 years in state prison.
The next hearing dates are scheduled for February 17 and 18.
Top
music artists push 'gay' agenda
Over 30 music artists spanning a broad spectrum of generations
and genres are singing in one accord on a recently released album
titled Love Rocks.
Although the two-disk CD set is a compilation of 32 different songs
from some of the nation’s top names in the music industry,
the artists are harmonious in the pro-homosexual message they are
voicing.
The CD was scheduled for release February 8, just prior to Valentine’s
Day, by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the HRC Foundation in
partnership with Centaur Entertainment. One hundred percent of the
album’s net proceeds will go toward HRC’s push for "equality."
The HRC is the nation’s largest "gay," lesbian, bisexual and
transgender rights organization.
"The artists who joined together to create Love Rocks understand,
like millions of Americans, that commitment should be treated with
dignity, respect and equality," said Gregory Lewis, an HRC associate
director who managed the project.
For example, singer and actress Mandy Moore, who is a contributor
to the CD, said, "Humankind has its problems, but love isn’t
one of them.
"When two people – regardless of gender – long to care
for each other, to protect each other, to treasure each other, we
should do everything we can to foster that. I’m proud to be
part of this album, which does just that."
Yoko Ono, who sings "Every Man Has a Man," is also swelling with
pride to be able to use the CD as a megaphone for her beliefs.
"The Constitution of this country is based on human rights and
justice and freedom….," Ono said. "For [politicians] to say,
‘OK, we’re going to change the Constitution so the gays
can’t get married,’ I think it is outrageous… I just
immediately started to feel that it was important to send that message
out that anybody can fall in love regardless of the difference of
religion, or race, or sex, or age. Love is love. It’s beautiful."
But according to Melissa Fryrear, a former lesbian and now a gender
issues analyst at Focus on the Family, the CD’s connotation
of the word "love" is deceptive.
"Gay activists are trying to find an argument that carries emotional
weight: ‘love,’ after all, sounds good to everyone," Fryrear
said. "…Their definition is meant to mean the acceptance and
the celebration of homosexuality."
Due to the blatant agenda of the CD and the artists behind it,
Fryrear views the project as "another example of celebrities using
their platforms to promote the liberal ideological agenda that equates
homosexuality with heterosexuality."
Other artists featured on the CD include: Christina Aguilera, Pink,
Dixie Chicks, Carole King, Melissa Etheridge, Kimberly Locke, Dolly
Parton, and Randi Driscoll, who sings an arrangement of the hymn
"Amazing Grace" combined with her single, "What Matters."
www.bpnews.net, 1/28/05; www.hrc.org,
1/28/05
CULTURE
Career
day speaker names exotic dancing as lucrative career
Due to an endorsement of exotic dancing as a valid career
choice, school officials in Palo Alto, California, are reconsidering
their choice of William Fried as a popular career day speaker.
For the past three years, Fried has been invited by Jane Lathrop
Stanford Middle School to share his 55-minute presentation titled
"The Secret of a Happy Life." This year it included distribution
of a tip sheet containing 140 potential careers. Alongside suggestions
of accounting and nursing, the list offered exotic dancing/stripping
as a profitable choice for females.
Fried verbally informed his audience of eighth-grade students that
an exotic dancer can make $250,000 or more per year based on bust
size.
Known to be an inspiring speaker with a positive tone, Fried upset
school officials, students, and parents, alike with this year’s
message.
Letters of apology are to be sent home with students as school
officials determine if any future invitations for Fried still stand.
Associated Press, 1/14/05
EDUCATION
Campuses
now major front in culture war
For decades, network television, public schools, and abortion clinics
were some of the main fronts in the nation’s culture wars.
Now, however, college and university campuses are becoming a major
battleground, as Christian and conservative students are fighting
what they call an entrenched and ferocious liberal and humanistic
monopoly that tries to silence all dissent.
USA Today highlighted a recent study by researcher Daniel Klein
of Santa Clara University in California. He found that, nationwide,
Democrats outnumber Republicans 7-1 among university faculty members
in the social science and humanities departments. In departments
like anthropology, the disparity grew to 30-1.
Do such overloaded faculties make any difference in the classroom?
In an attempt to document what students thought, the American Council
of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) commissioned a survey which questioned
students on 50 top U.S. college and university campuses.
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the ACTA report found
that 49% of all students said their professors use classroom time
to advance their personal political views and "frequently comment
on politics in class even though it has nothing to do with the course."
Even worse, said the WSJ article, 29% of students responding in
the ACTA survey said they felt they had to agree with the professor’s
political or social views "in order to get a good grade."
Anne Neal, ACTA president, told WSJ: "If these were reports of
sexual harassment in the classroom, they would get people’s
attention."
Conservatives are fighting back. Students for Academic
Freedom provides information for students and student groups
who feel beseiged by the liberal atmosphere on campus. And the Foundation
for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) defends students who
have had their constitutional rights violated by colleges and universities.
World magazine noted that FIRE has been involved in more
than 600 such cases since 1999.
Another option for Christians: foregoing the secular campus altogether.
In the WSJ, author Charlotte Allen said, "America’s 700-plus
religiously affiliated colleges and universities are enjoying an
unprecedented surge of growth and a revival of interest."
In a review of the new book God on the Quad, written by
Naomi Schaefer Riley, Allen said statistics reveal that the number
of students attending the 100 schools that make up the Council for
Christian Colleges and Universities has risen 60% between 1990 and
2002.
These religious colleges and universities have pumped some 1.3
million graduates into the culture – making them what Riley
calls a "missionary generation."
Wall Street Journal, 12/3/04, 1/6/05;
USA Today, 12/27/04; World, 12/18/04
ENTERTAINMENT
Hollywood
snubs ‘The Passion of the Christ’
Hollywood remains antagonistic to religion in general – and
specifically the Christian faith – as evidenced by this year’s
Academy Award nominations, according to an industry critic.
The Passion of the Christ, one of 2004’s most dynamic
and influential films, was shut out from all major Oscar categories,
picking up nominations only for makeup, cinematography and musical
score.
The rejections in more important categories, such as Best Picture
or Best Actor, "illustrate Hollywood’s profound, almost pathological
discomfort with the traditional religiosity embraced by most of
its mass audience," said conservative movie critic Michael Medved,
in a USA Today op-ed piece.
Medved noted that movies with a secular view of controversial cultural
issues were nominated for major award categories, such as Million
Dollar Baby (euthanasia), The Sea Inside (assisted suicide),
Vera Drake (abortion), and Kinsey (sexual revolution).
Last October, Sean Smith interviewed studio executives, producers
and members of the Academy – who nominate movies for the Academy
Awards – and reported on which movies had a good chance for
Best Picture. Guaranteed to not make the list, he said in his Newsweek
article: The Passion of the Christ.
Everyone said "a Passion best-picture nod is almost unthinkable,"
Smith said, noting that the charge of anti-semitism carried a lot
of weight. "Hollywood, with its Jewish roots, did not experience
The Passion as a transcendental religious and emotional event,
as so many other viewers did."
One Hollywood insider told Smith, "A lot of older Academy voters,
who are largely Jewish, refuse to even see this movie. There’s
a level of animosity toward this film that is very real. When I
talk to the members, I hear it over and over again."
If The Passion was controversial, Medved – who is also
Jewish – isn’t buying that as an excuse for the Academy
snubbing the film.
"[F]ar greater religious controversy didn’t scare away the
Academy 16 years ago, when its members honored Martin Scorcese with
a surprise best-director nomination for The Last Temptation of
Christ," Medved said, despite condemnation of the film by Catholic
and Protestant groups.
USA Today, 1/26/05; Newsweek, 10/25/04
HOMOSEXUALITY
Homosexual
groups unite to push agenda
For those who ridicule the whole notion of a homosexual "agenda,"
a recent press release from a new coalition of lesbian, "gay," bisexual
and transgendered (LGBT) groups was unwelcome news.
In a joint statement released January 13, an alliance of 22 organizations
spoke of a "shared vision," which includes the legalization of same-sex
marriage, the continuation of promotional efforts throughout the
nation’s public school systems, the inclusion of "sexual orientation"
in federal hate crimes and nondiscrimination laws, and an end to
the ban on homosexuals in the military.
The coalition consists of LGBT groups such as the Human Rights
Campaign; Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation; Gay, Lesbian
and Straight Education Network; the National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force; and the American Civil Liberties Union Lesbian & Gay
Rights Project.
"The speed with which our movement is advancing on all fronts is
absolutely historic – and it hasn’t happened by chance
or by accident," said the press release. It cited the LGBT movement’s
"instruments" of change: "lobbying, electoral politics, impact litigation,
grassroots organizing, public education, media advocacy and more…."
The statement also accused pro-family groups of continuing to "confuse,
distort and subvert the public debate," even while homosexuality
continues to become more acceptable in the hearts and minds of the
American public.
www.planetout.com, 1/13/05; www.hrc.org,
1/13/05
Schools
must do more, says ‘gay’ group
A pro-homosexual organization began 2005 with a demand that the
public school system do more to normalize "gay," lesbian, bisexual
and transgendered (LGBT) lifestyles.
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) released
a study in January that claimed public schools were failing to educate
students about homosexuality and were failing to protect LGBT students.
According to PFLAG’s numbers, 95% of school counseling departments
had little or no resources for homosexual kids, and 70% of schools
did not train faculty to stop harassment of LGBT students.
Nevertheless, some parents think their schools are, in fact, already
pushing the homosexual agenda too far. In Massachusetts, one mother
is upset that at her kids’ school, John Glenn Middle School,
a rainbow flag flies overhead and pink triangles adorn classroom
doors.
Also in Massachusetts, that state’s legalization of same-sex
marriage may be emboldening homosexual teachers within the public
school system to promote their own lifestyle to kids. For example,
according to an interview on National Public Radio’s (NPR)
All Things Considered, lesbian eighth-grade teacher Deb Allen
said she explicitly teaches her students about lesbian sex, including
the use of sex toys.
NPR reporter Tovia Smith said, "Already, some gay and lesbian advocates
are working on a new "gay"-friendly curriculum for kindergarten
and up."
But this is not just a phenomenon occurring in the liberal northeast
section of the U.S. In Kentucky, a federal judge ordered Boyd County
middle and high schools to require all teachers and students to
attend diversity and tolerance classes on the subject of homosexuality.
The decision came after a lawsuit was filed by the American Civil
Liberties Union, after the county school system refused to allow
a Gay-Straight Alliance student group to meet on campus.
www,planetout.com, 1/7/05; AgapePress,
1/13/05; NPR, 9/13/04; www.dailyindependent.com, 8/3/04
Illinois
law threatens religious freedoms
A new law passed by the Illinois legislature and signed by Gov.
Rod Blagojevich is being applauded by homosexuals but condemned
by Christians in that state.
"Gay" and lesbian activists are cheering the fact that the measure
makes Illinois the 15th state in the nation to add "sexual orientation"
to its nondiscrimination law.
Christians, however, note that there is no religious exemption
provided by the law, meaning that churches could be forced to hire
homosexuals for jobs, even though Scripture clearly declares that
lifestyle to be a sin.
An analysis of the law by Ungaretti & Harris, an Illinois law
firm that specializes in labor and employment issues, raises frightening
implications for churches.
The firm noted in a press statement: "While many such municipal
prohibitions on sexual orientation discrimination expressly exempt
religious organizations from their coverage, the new amendment to
Illinois’ Human Rights Act does not. … [T]he measure may
ultimately force courts to consider and balance its ban on sexual
orientation discrimination with State and Federal constitutional
safeguards of religious freedom."
Illinois Family Institute executive director Peter LaBarbera said
the state was overstepping its authority. "Since when do politicians
get to interpret sacred religious teachings for the rest of us?"
he said in a press release.
www.planetout.com, 1/24/05; www.uhlaw.com,
1/31/05; www.illinoisfamily.org, 1/21/05;
www.worldnetdaily.com, 1/21/05
High
court lets ‘gay’ adoption ban stand
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to consider the constitutionality
of Florida’s law forbidding same-sex adoption. The decision
marks the end of a legal challenge that sought to have that law
declared unconstitutional.
Left standing is the ruling of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals,
which upheld Florida’s ban. While the Supreme Court’s
refusal to hear the case does not have the impact of an actual ruling,
at least one conservative still thinks the move will have an impact
nationwide.
"I believe as a result of this case being allowed to stand and
the law continuing to be in effect that children in Florida will
be benefited," said Mathew D. Staver, president and general counsel
of Liberty Counsel, a conservative nonprofit group that litigates
constitutional issues. "But not only that – I think other states
will follow Florida’s lead to enact similar laws" banning adoptions
by homosexuals.
Like other conservatives, Staver contends that, under Florida law,
adoption is a privilege rather than a right, and not a private decision
but a public act. He said the Florida legislature properly determined
that homosexual adoption is not in the best interests of children,
and that the legislature has a "legitimate interest in encouraging
a stable and nurturing environment for the education and socialization
of its adopted children" by seeking to place them in homes that
have both a mother and father.
AgapePress, 1/11/05
PORNOGRAPHY
Reports
of child porn increase by the year
According to statistics recently released by the National Center
for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), child pornography
reports increased 39% in 2004. The heightened percentage of reports
comes as no surprise.
"This is the seventh year that our statistics show a significant
and steady increase in child pornography reports to the CyberTipline,"
said Ernie Allen, president and CEO of NCMEC.
According to NCMEC, CyberTipline was established in 1998 and is
"a congressionally mandated mechanism for reporting child exploitation."
As explained by InternetWeek.com, it "also tracks child prostitution,
online enticement, sexual molestation, child sex ‘tourism,’
but child pornography is by far the most frequently reported problem."
"This upward trend is very disturbing and shows the seriousness
of this issue," Allen added.
However, the increase in reports does reveal the compliance of
Internet service providers with federal law that requires them to
take action against child porn.
www.internetweek.com, 1/11/05; www.missingkids.com,
1/27/05
Columbia
House launches porn business with Playboy
Columbia House is cashing in on the $12 billion porn business by
joining forces with Playboy
Entertainment to launch an adult video club called Hush.
Hush subscribers will make their porn selections from a monthly
catalog of titles.
"[However], this will be a separate subsidiary," said Jim Litwak,
senior vice president of marketing at Columbia House.
Litwak claims Columbia House is not piggybacking on its current
members. Rather, Columbia House will be responsible for the distribution
of the pornography while Playboy markets the products based on its
adult direct-mail list with names in the millions. Yet, the new
business is expected to be a "slow build.’
But regardless of its growth rate, entertainment analyst Dennis
McAlpine of McAlpine Associates believes Columbia House should be
aware of possible consequences resulting from its decision to push
pornography.
"Columbia House might bring in some negatives because of the association
[with Playboy]," McAlpine said. "It’s more risky for Columbia
House than for Playboy."
Throughout the past 50 years, Columbia House has garnered a membership
of over 8.5 million people.
Hush will be promoted through direct mail, ads in adult magazines
and on Howard Stern’s syndicated radio show.
www.nypost.com, 1/9/05
PRO-LIFE
PPFA
hits rocky times
A group working to oppose the activities of America’s largest
abortion provider released its exclusive analysis of that organization’s
2003-2004 annual report, which indicates the company is losing clinics
and donor support, while increasing the number of abortions it performs
each year.
American Life League’s STOPP International has monitored the
operations of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) for
20 years. Now, putting PPFA’s latest report in historical perspective,
the pro-life group is pointing out some trends that may spell trouble
for the abortion mill.
Jim Sedlak, executive director of STOPP International, summarized
the report’s revelations: "Increases in abortions, more money
from taxpayer pockets, and bigger profit margins – all while
clinics are closing down and donations are dwindling."
Private donations to the "family planning" organization declined
for the second time in three years, as contributions and bequests
dropped 17%, and the income of its national headquarters dropped
by 19.8%. But at the same time, elected officials gave PPFA a record
$265.2 million, or nearly a third of its $810 million income.
Still, in the last year the number of Planned Parenthood clinics
nationwide declined from 866 to 849, and STOPP noted that since
the abortion provider’s heyday in 1995 – when it operated
938 clinics – it has closed a net of 89 facilities.
However, the number of surgical abortions performed at PPFA facilities
has increased, with 138 children aborted for every adoption referral
to an outside agency. In 1997, the first full year of current president
Gloria Feldt’s term, the organization’s abortion/adoption
ratio was 18-1. But abortions have risen consistently under Feldt,
and adoption referrals have dropped.
The head of STOPP said PPFA’s annual report shows "the public
is increasingly rejecting Planned Parenthood’s radical agenda,
but apparently our elected officials haven’t gotten the message."
Sedlak urged Americans to join expanding efforts to close Planned
Parenthood clinics and put pressure on politicians to stop "the
obscene amount of taxpayer money" being funneled into the abortion
chain.
See the facing page for information on how you can contact your
representative and senators in Washington, D.C.
AgapePress, 12/28/04
California
AG keeps parents in the dark
California Attorney General Bill Lockyer recently issued an opinion
barring the state’s schools from informing parents of their
children leaving campus to obtain confidential medical services.
Such services include abortion, AIDS treatment and psychological
analysis.
According to WorldNetDaily, teacher unions and groups such as Planned
Parenthood had asked for the opinion because they are opposed to
efforts to institute a policy requiring parental notification and
consent when students sought to leave campus for medical help.
The attorney general’s opinion means schools must tell "both
students and their parents that students are allowed to be excused
from school for confidential medical appointments without parental
consent."
Lockyer based his opinion on the state’s medical emancipation
statutes, which grant students confidentiality in such matters.
Karen England of the Capitol Resource Institute points out the
presence of Planned Parenthood representatives at school board meetings
in an attempt to argue against the adoption of "parent-friendly"
policies.
"It is amazing that the attorney general can put out such an opinion
despite the fact that there is not a single statute or any case
law that prohibits school districts from letting a parent know when
their child is going to leave campus," said Amy Koons, Capitol Resource
Institute attorney.
The opposition claims that there is no statue requiring parental
consent.
As the arguments continue to brew, Mike Spence, president of West
Covina Unified School District, notes, "The attorney general doesn’t
get to dictate law. It is simply an opinion. This is not the determination
of the legislature or a court."
However, it is important to realize that the opinion can carry
persuasive weight in court.
www.worldnetdaily.com, 12/3/04
RELIGION
Controversial
TNIV Bible released
Zondervan Publishing House has released its complete version of
the "gender-neutral" Today’s New International Version (TNIV),
again stirring up criticisms that the publisher has altered the
Word of God.
The controversy began in 1997, after World magazine said
Zondervan was planning a gender-neutral Bible. However, in 2002,
Zondervan rolled out a gender-neutral New Testament, which was denounced
by many conservative scholars. Some 118 critics signed a letter
listing their concerns, according to USA Today.
Zondervan is the world’s largest publisher of Bibles, and
the original NIV is the most widely read translation in the world.
The Associated Press noted that Lifeway Christian bookstores –
with 122 stores in 23 states – will not carry the TNIV. Lifeway
is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, which voted
in 2002 to reject the TNIV over its gender-neutral approach.
USA Today, 1/17/05; AP, 1/27/05
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