Monday, May 5, 2014

Majority of Americans Still Want "One nation, under God" in Pledge of Allegiance

http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/christian-trends/majority-of-americans-want-to-keep-under-god-in-pledge-of-allegiance.html

In the midst of multiple lawsuits over the possible removal of "one nation, under God," a recent study has actually indicated that the majority of Americans (85%) want to keep this statement in the Pledge of Allegiance. I was surprised by this data, but if it is actually accurate, then I agree that we should be listening to the majority of the population, and keeping this statement in the Pledge.

National Day of Reason

http://www.christianheadlines.com/columnists/denison-forum/humanists-compete-with-national-day-of-prayer.html

In response to the National Day of Prayer, the American Humanist Association sponsored their own National Day of Reason to occur on the same day. Many religious leaders were offended, claiming that the AHA was implying that faith was competing with reason. I agree that faith and reason can coexist, so while I do not fully support the National Day of Prayer, I also do not support the counter holiday either.

Authenticity of Gospel of Jesus' Wife in Question

http://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/research-raises-new-doubts-about-gospel-of-jesus-wife.html

Research has been revealed that raises new concerns about the authenticity of the Gospel of Jesus' Wife. The gospel was first introduced in September 2012 and has caused many scholars to research the authenticity of the document.

Satan Statue to be Built Next to Ten Commandments Monument

http://christiannews.net/2014/05/04/proposed-homage-to-satan-near-ten-commandments-monument-nears-completion/

A satanist group from New York is planning to erect a twelve foot statue of satan next to an existing Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the Oklahoma state capitol building. This seems like a massive amount of conflict just waiting to erupt. Christians in Oklahoma are definitely not going to be excited about a twelve foot satan statue next to their Ten Commandments monument.

Rick Perry Re-Baptized

http://www.christianpost.com/news/texas-governor-rick-perry-baptized-in-texas-river-118875/

Governor Rick Perry was re-baptized last month in Little Rock Creek. Governor Perry insists that he simply wanted to reaffirm his faith with this religious ceremony. Once again these devoutly religious people in such important political roles tend to scare me. Sometimes with Republicans it seems like a competition to see who is the most religious.

Religious Groups Outraged by Sarah Palin Comments

http://www.christianpost.com/news/religious-groups-demand-sarah-palin-apologize-for-saying-waterboarding-is-how-we-baptize-terrorists-118947/

Religious groups are outraged by Sarah Palin's statement in which she said that water boarding is the way she would baptize terrorists. It's nice to hear that people in the religious community are finally upset about an offensive comment from a republican politician.

Mega-Church Pastor/Senate Candidate Under Scrutiny for Accepting Church Offerings

http://www.christianpost.com/news/nc-gop-senate-candidate-mark-harris-under-scrutiny-for-accepting-church-offerings-119007/

Just another scary example of the mixing of church and state. A pastor of a mega-church in Charlotte, NC is running for senate and is being accused of wrongly accepting church contributions for his campaign. He is at risk of breaking a campaign finance law.

Atheist Church to Hold First General Assembly

http://www.christianpost.com/news/uks-atheist-church-holds-first-global-general-assembly-plans-expansion-119086/

A church in the United Kingdom known as the "Atheist Church" which has congregations every sunday, but does not worship any God, is holding its first "general assembly" to establish a church-like management system and discuss governing principles and "doctrines. I thought the belief in some type of God was essential for churches, but this U.K. church has proved me wrong.

Oklahoma School District Bans Prayer at Baseball Games

http://www.christianpost.com/news/oklahoma-school-district-bans-prayer-at-baseball-games-atheist-group-claims-success-119113/

An Oklahoma public school district agreed to bar coach-led prayers at baseball games. I think this is a step in the right direction, and I have to say I am very surprised that a school district ruled this way in Oklahoma of all places.

Guns in Church?!

http://www.christianpost.com/news/guns-in-church-119099/

A law was passed in Georgia allowing licensed gun owners to bring firearms into various public buildings, including churches. Many religious leaders are outraged over the passing of the law.

Crossfitt For Jesus

http://www.christianpost.com/news/texas-church-aims-to-boost-membership-by-promoting-crossfit-for-jesus-119151/

A nice example of a Church using its influence to truly benefit people's lives. Clear Creek Community Church in League City, Texas, in an effort to improve church attendance, is partnering with Crossfit to promote physical fitness. The church intends to explain the importance of maintaining a spiritual and physical balance through Christian-inspired exercises.

First Openly Gay Bishop Gets Divorced

http://www.christianpost.com/news/first-openly-gay-bishop-gene-robinson-announces-divorce-from-partner-of-25-years-119100/

Sad and disappointing news that the man holding the title of first openly gay bishop is now getting a divorce from his partner of twenty-five years.

Million Dollar Church Sold For $1.00

http://www.christianpost.com/news/arizona-baptist-church-sold-for-1-new-owners-move-from-school-cafeteria-to-1m-facility-119133/

I just thought this was a nice article about a church that truly practiced what they preached. They sold their estimated million dollar church property to a church that had been using an elementary school cafeteria for services. This is an example of Christian people actually living based on good Christian values, and it's really nice and refreshing to see.

Prayers Before Town Hall Meeting

http://www.christianpost.com/news/supreme-court-rules-new-york-town-can-hold-christian-prayers-before-meetings-119130/

Supreme court ruled that a small town in New York could in fact continue holding Christian prayers before their official town hall meetings. I don't actually have a problem with this specific ruling, but it does seem to be a blending of church and state, which always worries me a little bit.

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Chinese Government Destroys Christian Statues

http://www.christianpost.com/news/chinese-authorities-destroy-christian-statues-depicting-passion-of-christ-in-wenzhou-119055/

Chinese authorities in the city of Wenzhou removed all statues representing the Passion of Jesus from a hilltop Catholic site in the city, saying that the statues violated construction regulations. This is another disappointing example of the Chinese government inhibiting its citizens' rights.

Friday, May 2, 2014

The Abortion President...?

http://www.christianpost.com/news/dr-dobson-explains-remarks-at-natl-day-of-prayer-condemning-obama-as-the-abortion-president-118988/

James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, referred to President Obama as "the abortion president" during the Day of Prayer Event in Washington D.C.. In an interview with Fox News, Dobson went on to say that President Obama has done everything he can to promote abortion. It really makes me mad that someone as ignorant as James Dobson has as much voice and influence as he does. President Obama certainly is not anti-abortion, but to say that he has done everything he can to promote abortion is just a straight up lie. When I wrote about the National Day of Prayer in my previous post, I did not even know that James Dobson was involved with it. It would be one thing if the National Day of Prayer was actually just a day to promote prayer and spirituality, but of course completely insane fundamentalists like Dobson use the event to spew his ignorant views about politics. I was unsure about how I felt about the National Day of Prayer before, but now that I know that it is just a platform for religious extremists like James Dobson, I definitely do not support it at all.