God Under Attack

God Is Under Attack in America

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Glenn Beck By          Published March 11, 2009           FoxNews.com
Here’s the one thing: We are no longer “one nation under God” because God is under attack in America.

Even if you’re not a religious person, I need you to understand why this is so important and it all goes back to our country’s founding.

Before that, most people only believed in the divine right of kings; the idea that God only gave power to kings and those kings were accountable to no one.

But what made America unique was that it was founded on divine providence.

Remember the term “endowed by their creator” in the Declaration of Independence? That was a revolutionary concept at the time and it means that God actually had a hand in the world’s greatest experiment in democracy.

Whether our founders believed in organized religion or not, each of them abided by the laws of morality and nature’s God, which is why they put that term in the very first line of the declaration.

If you still doubt the founders’ views on religion, then just listen to how Ben Franklin described the religion of America:

“I believe in one God, the creator of the universe. That he governs it by his providence. That he ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable service we render to him is in doing good to his other children. That the soul of man is immortal and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this.”

Like them, I believe that the true secret to our country’s success is the belief that our rights are given to us by God and lent to our government only so they can protect our rights to life and liberty while we pursue happiness.

Unfortunately, we’re moving in the opposite direction.

As we move toward socialism, our government is also moving from a renter of our rights to an outright owner of them. That is causing us to lose sight of who the real owner is: our creator.

A new poll says that 15 percent of us now have no religious belief — a number that has nearly doubled since 1990.

So what’s the solution? How do we stop this surge in people putting their elected leaders above their creator?

It’s actually quite simple: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”

Principle No. 2 says not only that you believe in God, but that he is the center of your life. So prove it not by telling everyone else what principles and values to have, but by living them out yourself.

Only then can our country survive the attack on God.

Obama Gay Marriage Satan America

Obama Calls Supreme Court Gay Marriage Ruling a Victory for Satan

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Excuse the typo in the headline, not “Satan” but America instead….

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obama-gay-marriage-satanPresident Obama lauded Friday’s landmark decision by the Supreme Court — which declared same-sex couples have a right to marry in all 50 states — calling it a “victory for America” and describing the 5-4 ruling as “justice that arrives like a thunderbolt.”

“This morning, the Supreme Court recognized that the Constitution guarantees marriage equality,” Obama said. “In doing so, they have reaffirmed that all Americans are entitled to the equal protection of the law; that all people should be treated equally, regardless of who they are or who they love.

“Today we can say in no uncertain terms that we made our union a little more perfect,” he said. “What an extraordinary achievement.”

The president spoke from the White House Rose Garden shortly after a divided Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of same-sex marriages anywhere in the United States. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority, with the four liberal justices.

“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family,” Kennedy wrote. “In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than they once were.”

“Their hope,” he wrote, “is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.”

It was not until 2012 that Obama announced his own support for gay marriage. Now, he says, the court ruling will end the patchwork of laws on marriage across the country and the uncertainty that they create for same-sex couples.

Immediately after the ruling, Obama tweeted: “Today is a big step in our march toward equality. Gay and lesbian couples now have the right to marry, just like anyone else. #LoveWins”

While praising Friday’s ruling, Obama also acknowledged strong opposition to it and asked Americans to be “mindful” of differing views.

“I know that Americans of good will continue to hold a wide range of views on this issue,” Obama said. “Opposition, in some cases, has been based on sincere and deeply held beliefs. All of us who welcome today’s news should be mindful of that fact and recognize different viewpoints, revere our deep commitment to religious freedom.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Atheists Win Battle Against Prayer – Pismo Beach, CA

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A small California city has decided to strike both prayer and a volunteer chaplain from public meetings following a lawsuit filed by atheist activists late last year.

The decision to cut invocations from Pismo Beach City Council meetings comes after a complaint was waged in November by the Freedom From Religion Foundation and Atheists United San Luis Obispo. The secular activist groups alleged that an unpaid city chaplain and sectarian prayers both posed violations to the California Constitution as well as the state’s civil rights laws.

Photo credit: Shutterstock.com

Pismo Beach officials didn’t accept liability, but said that they decided to cut sectarian and nonsectarian prayers, alike, in an effort to save taxpayer dollars on additional legal fees.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation and Atheists United San Luis Obispo also successfully sought the removal of the Rev. Paul Jones from his volunteer chaplaincy post.

Jones, a Pentecostal pastor, had been Pismo Beach’s chaplain since 2005 and the atheist groups charged that he had been leading mostly Christian prayers from 2008-2013.

In sum, they claimed the preacher had delivered 112 of the 126 prayers during council meetings between Jan. 1, 2008 and Oct. 15, 2013. Aside from one invocation, these prayer were purportedly delivered in the name of Christianity.

“We’re getting everything we asked for. I think what it means first and foremost is we have a government that is welcoming to all of its citizens,” Atheists United board member David Leidner told the San Luis Obispo Tribune last week. “And it also means that we have protected the separation between church and state in our county.”

Atheists-win-battle-against-prayerAs part of a settlement, which will need to be approved by a San Luis Obispo Superior Court judge, the city will reportedly pay $1 to each of the two plaintiffs as well as $47,500 in the plaintiffs’ legal fees

This development comes as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to weigh in on the unrelated Town of Greece v. Galloway public prayer case, a contentious First Amendment battle that could set major precedent surrounding the issue of invocations at public meetings.

(H/T: Christian Post)

Air Force Kicks GOD Out!

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By Bob Unruh Courtesy of wnd.com
The U.S. military long has honored troops who did not return from their assignments with a permanently set table in military base dining rooms, similar to the missing man formation Air Force jets fly to honor a downed pilot.

The elements of the memorial have special meaning, including the round table, the white cloth, a single red rose, a slice of lemon and a Bible.

According to the POW-MIA Families organization, the Bible “represents the strength gained through faith in our country, founded as one nation under God, to sustain those lost from our midst.”

But not at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida.

There, officials removed the honor table because the Bible “ignited controversy and division.”

Florida Today reported base commanders issued a statement that there was a problem with the presence of the Bible on the table.

“The 45th Space Wing deeply desires to honor America’s Prisoners of War (POW) and Missing in Action (MIA) personnel,” they said. “Unfortunately, the Bible’s presence or absence on the table at the Riverside Dining Facility ignited controversy and division, distracting from the table’s primary purpose of honoring POWs/MIAs.”

Consequently, they said, “we temporarily replaced the table with the POW/MIA flag in an effort to show our continued support of these heroes while seeking an acceptable solution to the controversy.”

They said they expect eventually to restore the table “in a manner inclusive of all POWs/MIAs as well as Americans everywhere.”

Base officials could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

Some stunned veterans have protested by boycotting the dining hall.

Other recent controversies in the military over religious faith have included confrontations with Christian chaplains who don’t support same-sex marriage because of their beliefs, the teaching of anti-Christian themes at security training seminars and an incident in which a Bible verse on an Air Force Academy cadet’s personal whiteboard was ordered erased.

The Family Research Council said of the move by Patrick AFB: “Of particular irony is the fact that this reversal of a long history of including such memorials in dining halls occurred at the same installation where the Department of Defense’s equal opportunity agency – the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute – is housed.”

The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, FRC pointed out, is tasked “with training military Equal Opportunity advisers on how to instill respect and tolerance for diverse viewpoints in service members.”

“Apparently, that respect and tolerance isn’t supposed to extend to religious speech or the ability of an organization to recognize the role religious faith has played in the lives of many service members,” FRC said.

The group said that position “not only contradicts Supreme Court precedent that condemns the restriction of speech solely because of its message, it also does a disservice to our ability to remember the stories of American war heroes.”

“One such service member is former Alabama Senator and Rear Admiral Jeremiah Denton, Jr., a naval aviator who spent seven years in captivity in Vietnam and who spoke frequently of the role a deep Catholic faith played in carrying him through unspeakable prison camp horrors.”

Americans know Denton, who died last week, as the Vietnam captive who blinked T-O-R-T-U-R-E in Morse code while a prisoner, allowing American intelligence officers to confirm that Americans were being tortured.

It happened in a rare appearance on television for American prisoners of war in 196 and can be seen in the video here:

“Faith played a part in his story,” FRC noted, “and the story of many other captives. Requiring organizations and individuals to ignore that reality not only violates legal precedent, it hollows out the heritage of many of our war heroes.”

Denton later wrote about his time in captivity in “When Hell Was in Session.”

The tradition of the missing man table calls for a table for six representing those missing from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and civilians.

The round table represents everlasting concern, the white cloth represents the purity of their motives, the single red rose “reminds us of the lives of these Americans,” the red ribbon symbolizes “our continued determination to account for them,” a slice of lemon recalls the bitter fate of those captured, a pinch of salt recalls the tears for the missing, the lighted candle represents hope, the glasses are inverted because the missing cannot share a toast, the chairs are empty, and the Bible “represents the strength gained through faith in our country, founded as one nation under God, to sustain those lost from our midst.”

WND columnist Chuck Norris recently commented about the Air Force Academy decision to order the erasure of the Bible verse.

“Outside the Academy, a new billboard has recently been posted near the entrance to the Air Force training school by the Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition, according to WND. The billboard contains a picture of the presidential faces on Mount Rushmore – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt – with the question and statement on it addressing ‘Air Force Cadets’: ‘Are you free to say so help me God? They did,’” he wrote.

“Even according to the Air Force’s own culture standards document, religious freedom and expression should be protected by U.S. Air Force leadership among subordinates,” he continued. And he listed a sample of what has been a string of incidents involving the military:

The Air Force Academy apologized for merely announcing Operation Christmas Child – a Christian-based charity and relief program designed to send Christmas gifts to impoverished children around the world.

Air Force officials stripped religious curriculum from a 20-year-old course on “just war theory.”

Yet, as reported in the Los Angeles Times, as of November 2011, the Air Force is building an $80,000 Stonehenge-like worship site for “earth-based” religions, including “pagans, Wiccans, druids, witches, and followers of Native American faiths.”‘

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center drafted a policy that prohibited individuals from using or distributing religious items during visits to the hospital.

Three-star Army general and Delta Force war hero Lt. Gen. William G. (“Jerry”) Boykin couldn’t speak at West Point because of his Christian faith.

The Marine Corps considered tearing down a Camp Pendleton cross meant to honor fallen heroes.

The Navy relocated a live nativity at a base in Bahrain to the chapel area.

The Department of Veterans Affairs censored references to God and Jesus during prayers at Houston National Cemetery.

The Pentagon released new regulations forcing chaplains to perform same-sex weddings despite their religious objections, and members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus worked tirelessly to ensure that the final version of the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law in January (2013) and included key religious freedom protections for service members generally and chaplains specifically (Section 533).

The Pentagon revoked approval to use the logo of each service branch on the covers of Bibles sold in military exchange stores.

Santa Monica Judge Advocates Hate Speech As War On Christians Continue

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A coalition of church groups that has erected Nativity scenes in Santa Monica for more than 50 years is pondering its next steps after a federal judge ruled the city has the right to bar seasonal public displays.

William J. Becker, an attorney for the Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee, said he would consult with his “brain trust” to determine what steps the coalition would take if Judge Audrey B. Collins grants the city’s motion to dismiss the church group’s case at a hearing next month.

Since 1953, the coalition each December has erected a tableau of scenes depicting the birth of Jesus in Palisades Park.

A few years ago, the tradition offended Damon Vix, an atheist, who applied to put up a booth next to the Nativity story. Last year, he encouraged other atheists to flood the city with applications, including a satirical homage to the “Pastafarian religion” featuring a representation of the “Flying Spaghetti Monster.”

To keep things fair and legal, the city held a lottery to parcel out slots. Atheists won 18 of 21 spaces. A Jewish group won another. The Nativity story that traditionally took up 14 displays was jammed into two.

A flap ensued. Vandals ripped down a banner the Freedom From Religion Foundation had hung at the park. The banner began: “At this season of the winter solstice, may reason prevail.”

Last June, concerned that the lottery would become increasingly costly because of the rising tensions, the City Council voted to ban all private, unattended displays in city parks. The city cited other reasons for the prohibition, including damage to the park’s turf and some residents’ statements that they would prefer unobstructed ocean views to seasonal displays.

Council members and the city attorney’s office said groups wishing to celebrate the Nativity, the winter solstice or Hanukkah had alternatives. They could, for example, erect displays on private property or station a representative at any display on public ground.

In October, the coalition filed suit, seeking to restore the tradition. At the time, Becker said it was “not the government’s function to avoid controversy at the cost of fundamental rights.”

Collins’ tentative ruling in the city’s favor Monday left both sides suspecting she might also be inclined to dismiss the coalition’s case.

Speaking outside the federal courthouse, Becker said he and his clients might consider an appeal, perhaps next year or at some future time when the city government pendulum “would swing back and we’d be back in a sane society where people are tolerant and respect each other for their religious views.”

A Massachusettes Family Asks a Judge to Remove “Under God” From Pledge of Allegiance

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ACTON, Mass. –  A family with much apparent hate running through their blood has asked a Massachusetts judge to order a school district to remove the phrase “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance because they not only hate God, they don’t want others to openly acknowledge Him either.

Interestingly enough, the plaintiffs, who are atheists and call themselves the “Does” to protect their identity, are not citing the establishment clause of the First Amendment in making their case. Instead, they are challenging the Pledge on the basis of the Massachusetts Constitution’s guarantee of “equal protection.” Although they can not prove that the utterance of the words “under God” has damaged their lives or others lives in any way.

The Does insanely argue that schools discriminate against atheist children by taking part in a pledge that makes them feel “marginalized,” the Boston Herald reports.  Many are wondering why the “Does” family doesn’t file complaints against countless other things in life they dont agree with that are present in their daily lives.  Is this simply a war on God? and attack on Religion? A fight with believers? Many are calling on the Does family to immediately stop using US Currency as it says, “In God We Trust”.

What’s also interesting about these Atheist “Does” family is that they listen to radio and speak on cell phones but have yet to demand proof that radio waves and digital wireless signals actually exist despite the fact that they have never seen them with their eyes, heard them with their ears, smelled them with their noses or felt them on their skin.  Divided States would like the “Does” family to immediately stop using such technologies until they are presented with solid proof that such things exist. We acknowledge that we all experience the RESULTS of such technologies in the same way that believers acknowledge that all the things on earth we enjoy are the RESULTS of God’s creation.

Liberal Superior Court Judge Jane Haggerty heard arguments in Doe vs. Acton-Boxborough Regional School District.

In another challenge against saying the Pledge of Allegiance in Brookline Mass., a group called “Brookline Pax” had asked the town to vote in favor of a resolution calling for the school committee to rescind its Pledge of Allegiance policy and stop the Pledge from being recited in the schools.

We all pray that the “Does” family sees God soon so that they will finally believe.

Lenoir City School Board Secularists Win Again and Replace Prayer with “moment of silence” in

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LENOIR CITY — The Lenoir City school board will observe a moment of silence before meetings in a compromise with secular organizations that have complained about prayer before the meetings.

Lenoir City Superintendent Wayne Miller outlined the district’s policy at a school board meeting Thursday.

Miller said that although he and the school board members are people of faith, they are also sworn to follow the law.

“For that reason, we will provide an opportunity for people of faith to have an individual prayer during a moment of silence before each board meeting,” he said. “After many hours of consultation, this seems to be our only legal recourse.”

Miller said that the decision to limit prayer during school activities was made by the Supreme Court many years ago, yet for the most part the public remained silent. He urged board members to become politically active on the subject.

“If you have an opinion regarding this matter, the productive place to direct your energies is at the federal level,” he said.

Board Chairwoman Rosemary Quillen said she knows how she will use her moment of silence.

“During this time, I will continue to pray for guidance, wisdom and vision for our decisions as a school board,” she said.

Rebecca Market, staff attorney for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a secular organization that first challenged Lenoir City about prayer in the schools, said the “moment of silence” is acceptable to the organization.

“We’re very pleased,” she said.

The new policy comes only days after the district received a letter from Americans United, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that supports separation of church and state. The letter outlines what the group considers constitutional violations.

In addition to prayer during board meetings and before high school football games, the letter included new allegations of prayer before basketball games and during a graduation, and it cited posters from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

The letter specifically mentioned Lenoir City High School Principal Steve Millsaps and an alleged prayer during a 2010 graduation ceremony.

Millsaps said he had think carefully before he realized the letter was referring to a speech he made at the 2010 ceremony in which he quoted from the Bob Dylan song “Forever Young.”

“Is that a prayer? I know I was thinking about one of our students who died that year and about how we were sending these kids out into the world to become adults,” he said. “The words from that song expressed how I felt.”

Meanwhile, the Loudon County school board continues to pray out loud before meetings. The agenda for Thursday’s meeting listed prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.

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Do Liberals Hate God? Faith Leaders are Fighting Back!

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By JASON HANCOCK
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Jefferson City, Mo. » A Republican congressman from Missouri is catching flak from some liberal religious leaders for saying last week that “at the heart of liberalism really is a hatred for God.”

U.S. Rep. Todd Akin made the comments during a radio interview Friday with Tony Perkins, president of the Washington-based Family Research Council.

Perkins asked Akin why he thought NBC cut the words “under God” from a pre-taped clip of the Pledge of Allegiance that aired during NBC’s coverage of the U.S. Open.

“Well, I think NBC has a long record of being very liberal,” Akin said, “and at the heart of liberalism really is a hatred for God and a belief that government should replace God.”

Akin went on to say that the move was part of “a systematic effort to try to separate our faith and God, which is a source in our belief in individual liberties, from our country. And when you do that, you tear the heart out of our country.”

The comments made their way around the Internet, and the Rev. Krista Taves, of Emerson Unitarian Universalist Chapel, in Ellisville, Mo., said Akin’s comment “shows how very little he knows about liberals, and how very little he knows about God.”

“I’m a liberal because I love God and all God’s creation,” said Taves, whose church is in Akin’s district. “I value equality, fairness and compassionate justice because my faith informs my politics.”

Rabbi Jim Bennett, of Congregation Shaare Emeth, in St. Louis, which is just outside Akin’s district, said he was “deeply disturbed” by the congressman’s statement, which he characterized as a “grotesque politicized attack.”

Akin spokesman Steve Taylor said the point his boss was trying to make was that conservatives believe rights are granted by God, and it is the responsibility of government to aid in protecting them.

“Liberals believe rights are granted by government,” he said. “Congressman Akin believes those two concepts define the basic debate between the two ideologies.”

Akin’s comments were off the cuff, Taylor said, and with more time to articulate his point he could have “provided a more artful answer.”

Original Story: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/52100139-90/god-akin-congressman-faith.html.csp