JMC Live Interview with Salvation Army Youth Director Nate Vanderhoof

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Priest tells the poor in his congregation to shoplift and steal from stores

'Highly irresponsible': Father Tim Jones has been criticized after advising his congregation to shoplift following his Nativity sermon

Poor people who are desperate for cash have been advised to go forth and shoplift from major stores - by an Anglican priest.

The Rev Tim Jones said in his Sunday sermon that stealing from successful shops was preferable to burglary, robbery or prostitution.
He told parishioners it would not break the eighth commandment 'thou shalt not steal' because it 'is permissible for those who are in desperate situations to take food that they might not starve'.
But his advice was roundly condemned by police and the local Tory MP. Father Jones, 42, was discussing Mary and the birth of Jesus when he went on to the subject of how poor and vulnerable people cope in the run-up to Christmas.
'My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift,' he told his stunned congregation at St Lawrence and St Hilda in York.
'I do not offer such advice because I think that stealing is a good thing, or because I think it is harmless, for it is neither.
'I would ask that they do not steal from small family businesses, but from large national businesses, knowing that the costs are ultimately passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices.
'I would ask them not to take any more than they need. I offer the advice with a heavy heart. Let my words not be misrepresented as a simplistic call for people to shoplift.

Click to read more from Daily Mail

JMC Ministries Response

written by: Miranda Caverley

First and foremost I would like to ask this priest why his church would rather tell their congregation to break the 8th commandment along with the law and commit a crime than open up a soup kitchen, have a clothing drive or raise money to help those in need? When did the church stop caring about their community and tell them to turn to a life of crime?

How any person that says they are a servant of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ can condone this obviously is NOT following the teachings of the bible.  Jesus himself was a man without a home and was literally homeless, but he never stole or broke any commandment.  He was provided for and also was his disciples.  They never resorted to a life of crime or even told people to break even 1 commandment!

Even if the church won't try and help those in need there are charities like The Salvation Army that was founded right in London to reach out to those who were hungry, homeless, and in need. William Boothe was one of the most influential followers of Jesus.  He never told those in need to resort to a life of crime and steal.  He went to them and provided for their needs without breaking even 1 of God's commandments.  To me William Boothe and many others like him have fulfilled what Jesus told us we should do to help those in need.

In recent weeks there have been alot of churches in the news who are really going against the teaching of the bible and making a mockery of not only Jesus but also the church.  Here are the links to those stories

New Zealand Church under fire from Church Community over Controversal Billboard

Pastor allows women to be tattooed during Church Service in front of Congregation

 

Who really was Old St. Nick?

Written by Miranda Caverley

As a child when Christmas rolled around, my family would celebrate the birth of Jesus. But we also would await the visit of Santa Claus, or St. Nick. Especially all the gifts he would leave under our Christmas tree and in our stockings. When I was a child I never knew the history of St.Nick. That was until I was an adult and really started looking into the history of “Santa Claus”. How we came to celebrate this man who would visit us on Christmas Eve and brought presents to all the children in the world in just one night. That and also how “Santa Claus” has become more important than Jesus, and celebrating the birth of our Savior to most of the world. This is what I found out about the real St. Nick, and how the legend of Santa Claus became one of the main focuses of the Christmas season.

The Real St. Nick

Article from Joyful Heart Renewel Ministries

The Real St. Nick
(Santa Claus)

Written by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

"A vast multitude was imprisoned in every place," wrote an eyewitness. "The prisons -- prepared for murderers and robbers -- were filled with bishops, priests, and deacons ... so there was no longer room for those condemned of crimes."[1]

You'd hardly expect to find old St. Nick in jail. But St. Nicholas is more than a children's Christmas legend. He was flesh and blood, a prisoner for Christ, bishop of the Mediterranean city of Myra.

What do we know about the real St. Nicholas? He was born, ancient biographers tell us, to wealthy parents in the city of Patara about 270 A.D. He was still young when his mother and father died and left him a fortune.

As a teen-ager, Nicholas' humility was already evident. He had heard about a family destitute and starving. The father had no money for food, much less the dowry needed to marry off his three daughters. He was ready to send his oldest girl into the streets to earn a living as a prostitute.

Under the cover of night, Nicholas threw a bag of gold coins through the window of their humble dwelling. In the morning the father discovered the gold. How he rejoiced: his family was saved, his daughter's honor preserved, and a dowry for her marriage secured. Some time after, Nicholas secretly provided a dowry for the second daughter. Still later for the third.

But on the third occasion, the girls' father stood watching. As soon as the bag of gold thudded on the floor, he chased after the lad till he caught him. Nicholas was mortified to be discovered in this act of charity. He made the father promise not to tell anyone who had helped his family. Then Nicholas forsook his wealth to answer a call to the ministry.

At the nearby city of Myra a bishop supervised all the churches of the region. When the bishop died, the bishops and ministers from other cities and villages -- Nicholas among them -- gathered to choose a successor.

Nicholas was in the habit of rising very early and going to the church to pray. This morning an aged minister awaited him in the sanctuary. "Who are you, my son?" he asked.

"Nicholas the sinner," the young minister replied. "And I am your servant."

"Come with me," the old priest directed. Nicholas followed him to a room where the bishops had assembled. The elderly minister addressed the gathering. "I had a vision that the first one to enter the church in the morning should be the new bishop of Myra. Here is that man: Nicholas."

Indeed they did choose him as bishop. Nicholas was destined to lead his congregation through the worst tribulation in history.

In A.D. 303, the Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered a brutal persecution of all Christians. Those suspected of following the Lord were ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods. Nicholas and thousands of others refused.

Ministers, bishops, and lay people were dragged to prison. Savage tortures were unleashed on Christians all over the empire. Believers were fed to wild animals. Some were forced to fight gladiators for their lives while bloodthirsty crowds screamed for their death. Women suffered dehumanizing torment. Saints were beaten senseless, others set aflame while still alive.

Yet persecution couldn't stamp out Christianity. Rather it spread. Third Century leader Tertullian observed, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church."

Those who survived Diocletian's torture chambers were called "saints" or "confessors" by the people, because they didn't forsake their confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. Nicholas was one of these.

Finally, after years of imprisonment, the iron doors swung open and Bishop Nicholas walked out, freed by decree of the new Emperor Constantine. As he entered his city once more, his people flocked about him. "Nicholas! Confessor!" they shouted. "Saint Nicholas has come home."

The bishop was beaten but not broken. He served Christ's people in Myra for another thirty years. Through the prayers of this tried and tested soldier of faith, many found salvation and healing. Nicholas participated in the famous Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. He died on December 6, about 343, a living legend, beloved by his whole city.

St. Nick of yuletide fame still carries faint reminders of this ancient man of God. The color of his outfit recollects the red of bishop's robes. "Making a list, checking it twice," probably recalls the old saint's lectures to children about good behavior. Gifts secretly brought on Christmas eve bring to mind his humble generosity to the three daughters.

Yet if he were alive today, this saint would humbly deflect attention from himself. No fur-trimmed hat and coat, no reindeer and sleigh or North Pole workshop. As he did in life centuries ago, Bishop Nicholas would point people to his Master.

"I am Nicholas, a sinner," the old saint would say. "Nicholas, servant of Christ Jesus."

[1] Eusebius, Church History, VIII, 6, 9.

NOTES: A great deal of legend has built up around St. Nicholas. The author has carefully selected material which he deemed to be the most credible accounts based on those found in Life of Nicholas by tenth century biographer Symeon Logotheta the Metaphrast, quoted by Charles W. Jones in Saint Nicholas of Myra, Bari, and Manhattan: Biography of a Legend (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978).

Santa’s reindeer history rooted in pagan god worship

The god Odin

Prior to the Christianization of the Germanic people, Odin was one of their major gods. Odin, on an eight-legged horse, would lead a hunting party through the sky during the Germanic holiday of Yule. Children would fill their shoes with carrots, straw or sugar and place them near the chimney for Odin’s flying horse to eat, according to Siefker. Odin would then fill the empty boots with gifts and candy. The practice evolved into hanging stockings and was brought to the United States by the Dutch.

So the god Odin’s flying eight legged horse that children laid food out for, has now turned into the 8 flying reindeer for Santa.

___________________________________

As Christians it is very hard to live in this world and not be influenced by all that is around us. Every year it seems that the true meaning of CHRISTmas is more and more over shadowed by “Santa Claus” and big sales at the dept stores, trying to boost up our struggling economy. The real reason for the season is the birth of A Savior Jesus Christ, who came to love and save the whole world. I wonder if we could focus more on Jesus’ birthday and not all the commercialism the holidays have turned out to be. If people would be just a little less stressed knowing that the greatest gift has already been given to us all?

We also should remember and share with others that St. Nicholas was a real man and share the “true” story of him. Not what the world has made him to be. But, a man of God that gave everything he had to those in need and devoted his life to God and spreading the gospel.

As a child of Christian parents who had me believe in Santa Claus, the flying reindeer and everything that is promoted today about Christmas. I have very fond memories of thinking Santa had come to visit and left me so many presents under the tree and even having my picture taken with Santa when I was a little girl. But now knowing the real history of Santa and even the flying reindeer and knowing it has its’ roots in pagan worship. It really makes me think about what our role as Christians should be in promoting this celebration of Santa Claus. As the world year after year focuses more and more on Santa, and pushes the birth of Jesus farther and farther out of the Christmas season.

I wonder if St. Nicholas were still alive today, and knowing that he has been placed higher than Jesus and even compared to a pagan god! If he would be standing in the streets preaching and protesting? Especially when looking at his life and how he was a humble man completely devoted to Christ, sharing the message of the gospel even when faced with death and torture.

In today’s society there are many Christians who allow their children to believe in Santa Claus. Then there are also many that don’t, and even feel that it goes against the teachings of the bible and is a sin in the eyes of God. While others don’t even celebrate anything on Dec. 25^th. Because, there isn’t any biblical proof that Jesus was even born on that day so they choose to celebrate nothing.

My reason for writing this article is to give you the facts and the truth. Because, the truth shall set you free. God gave us all a free will and we all must make this decision every year when Christmas rolls around. “Who we choose this day to serve” as the gospel says.

Will we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, and also remember a great man of God named Nicholas? A man who devoted his life to God and giving to those in need, and went home to be with the Lord on December 6^th. Or will we be Celebrating the legend of Santa Claus and his 8 flying reindeer? Will we sign our own names on the gifts we give to our friends and loved ones, or will we write “from Santa”?

Want to know the full history of Christmas? check out these links to The History Channels documentary

“Christmas Unwrapped”

             part 1     part 2    part 3      

part 4       part 5

 

New Zealand Church under fire from Church Community over Controversial Billboard

From the Associated Press: 
  A billboard at a New Zealand church depicting a downcast Joseph lying beside Mary in bed and the heading "God is a hard act to follow" provoked more than the intended reconsideration of the meaning of Christmas.

The sign was defaced by a paint-wielding vandal just hours after it was erected Thursday outside the St. Matthew-in-the-City Anglican church in Auckland, and triggered passionate and sometimes angry debate on talk radio and the Internet.

Church vicar Archdeacon Glynn Cardy said the billboard was intended to challenge stereotypes about the way Jesus was conceived and get people talking about the Christmas story.

"This billboard is trying to lampoon and ridicule the very literal idea that God is a male and somehow this male God impregnated Mary," said Cardy, who described his church as having very liberal ideas about Christianity.

"We would question the Virgin Birth in any literal sense. We would question the maleness of God in any literal sense," he said.

On the billboard - painted to mimic the fresco style commonly used in church murals - Mary and Joseph are in bed side-by-side. Joseph is looking down. Mary, looking heavenward, appears sad. The caption reads: "Poor Joseph. God is a hard act to follow."

Auckland Catholic Diocese spokeswoman Lyndsay Freer said the billboard implied the Virgin Mary and Joseph had just had sex and was inappropriate, disrespectful and offensive to Christians.

"We would see a billboard like that being used by an anti-Christian group to actually poke fun at the divinity of Christ," Freer told National Radio.

JMC Ministries Response

Written by Jeremy Caverley

We were informed about this article from Stephen Baldwin and Kevin McCullough's Radio show BMX Radio that is broadcast live every Saturday nights from 9-11 p.m. eastern. I called in and luckily had the chance to share my opinion about this issue, and hear Stephen and Kevin's feed back.  Thank you Stephen and Kevin for allowing me to share my thoughts on this issue. And also for taking a stand against what this "church" is doing and making a mockery of the our Saviors Birth.

Play to hear JMC Ministries live on air at BMX Radio

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No where in the bible does it say that God had sex with Mary or even laid with her. This is clearly a church compromising themselves to the extent of Blaspheming God and Jesus' birth. This story can also be compared to another story we shared here on the Eternal Flame News just a few days ago. About a Church that performed tattooing on women during a church service in the pulpit in front of the entire church.

This just proves that some churches are compromising and self justifying themselves Just to draw in a crowd and fill seats. We as true followers of the gospel and Jesus Christ need to pray for these churches, church leaders, and the church members that they see the error of their ways and turn back to God and realize they are not only being deceived, but in the process are deceiving others.

This is what the bible says about false teaching, false prophets, and deceivers.  Know the TRUTH and be set free this day!

What the Prophets of the Old testament said
Jeremiah 14:14
Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.

WHAT JESUS SAID
Matthew 7:15
[ A Tree and Its Fruit ] "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

Matthew 24:10-12

¹⁰At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹²Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,¹³but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

WHAT THE APOSTLES SAID
2 Peter 2:1
[ False Teachers and Their Destruction ] But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

1 John 4:1
[ Test the Spirits ] Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Hebrews 10:26-29

 ²⁶If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, ²⁷but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. ²⁸Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?

Bicyclists Plan Naked Protest Ride in front of Jewish Synagogue

Friday, December 18, 2009

 

NEW YORK —  Bicyclists planning a Saturday protest ride are calling it their "Freedom Ride" — free of clothing, that is. And they may be pedaling naked in a fierce snowstorm, if the forecast holds.

The removal of clothing is meant as a protest over the removal of a bike lane in Williamsburg, an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn.

The activists want to go topless in front of Hasidic residents who "can't handle scantily clad women" on wheels, bike messenger Heather Loop told a local newspaper earlier this week.

The newspaper, The Brooklyn Paper, suggested the scantily clad protesters might roll into the neighborhood at sundown Saturday — just as families leave synagogue services on the Sabbath.

Bicycling advocates claim Mayor Michael Bloomberg erased the bike lane because conservative residents don't like seeing women in skimpy clothing riding by every day.

Members of the Satmar branch of Judaism "don't want to see women in shorts," says Baruch Herzfeld, who runs a bike-sharing program in a community where Jewish women wear hefty skirts and blouses with long sleeves and men heavy coats and hats, even in summer.

"The rabbis want to keep their people in the 18th century, and they don't want the world to intrude into their enclave," says Herzfeld.

Not entirely true, says Leo Moskowitz, a resident with five children. He insists the main issue is safety.

"Kids can be knocked over because school buses are not allowed to stop in the bike lane — it's dangerous," says Moskowitz, a salesman at a telecommunications company who acknowledges that he feels "very uncomfortable" seeing women bare their legs in public.

The bike lane battle is pitting Hasids against hipsters and, in some cases, Jew against Jew.

Marc LaVorgna, a Bloomberg spokesman, says the city always consults members of a community when making changes that affect them. In this case, he said, city officials want riders to use a much safer lane nearby that he called "the Cadillac of bike paths" — a two-way path separated from car traffic. That bike lane also drew the wrath of some Satmars last year, but it stayed.

The participants in the ride do not have the support of Transportation Alternatives, a major cycling advocacy group.

"A ride with people in provocative undress doesn't make Bedford any safer, and it undermines efforts to bring the neighborhood together to solve the problem," says Wiley Norvell, a group spokesman.

The biggest challenge for the topless riders, however, might not be the law — it's legal to go topless in New York in public — but the weather: Forecasters are predicting as much as 10 inches of snow and brisk winds.

JMC Ministries Response

Written by Miranda Caverley

Just this year a woman was arrested for standing nude in the front door of her house. Because her house sits across the street from a school and children were seeing her naked.

But to have many people naked in front of a place of worship where children and possibly hundreds of others will see them is not grounds for an outcry to prosecute from the community other than the Jewish side of it.  This should be an outcry to stop this from every one from Christian, to Jew, to anyone that stands for moral values in America!

We can only pray that this protest is shut down and that children and the innocent are not subjected to this kind of filth.

Islamic Mosque to be built Near Ground Zero in New York

Posted December 17, 2009

By Chelsea Schilling

2009 World Net Daily

A new Islamic mosque will open its doors just steps from Ground Zero where Muslim terrorists murdered 2,751 people in the name of Allah on Sept. 11, 2001—and its leading imam, who conducts sensitivity training sessions for the FBI, has reportedly blamed Christians for the starting mass attacks on civilians.

The five-story building at Park Place, just two blocks north of the former World Trade Center site, was the site of a Burlington Coat Factory.  But a plane’s landing gear assembly crashed through the roof on the day19 Muslim terrorists hijacked the airliners and flew them into the Twin Towers in 2001.

Now Muslim worshippers currently occupy the building, and they plan to turn it into a major Islamic cultural center.

“The men and women stand up, raise their hands on either side of their head, and murmur ‘Allahuakhbar,’ bow and kneel again, “ reports Spiegel Online.

“Only in New York City is this possible,” Daisy Khan, executive director the American Society for Muslim Advancement, or ASMA, told the magazine. Khan is the wife if Imam Feisal Abdul Fauf, founder of ASMA.

They have leased the new prayer space as an overflow building for another mosque, Jasjid al-Farah, at 245 West Broadway in TriBeCa, where Rauf is the spiritual leader.

The building – vacant since that fateful day when time stood still as millions of Americans grieved the loss of loved ones, friends, family members, co-workers and strangers – was purchased in July by real-estate company Soho Properties, a business run by Muslims. Rauf was an investor in that transaction.

Just down the street, the Museum of Jewish Heritage honors victims of the Holocaust, and St. Peter's Church, New York's oldest Catholic house of worship, is located around the corner.

Rauf has announced his plans to turn the building into a complete Islamic cultural center, with a mosque, a museum, "merchandising options," and room for seminars to reconcile religions, "to counteract the backlash against Muslims in general, " Speigel reports. The project may cost as much as $150 million.

Rauf told the New York Times purchasing the building "where a piece of the wreckage fell sends the opposite statement to what happened on 9/11."

"It was almost obvious that something like this had to arise from the ashes of 9/11," Khan told Spiegel. "In some way, this has the hand of the divine written over it. It's almost as if God wanted to be involved."

The move is supported by the city. The mayor's director of the Office of Immigrant Affairs, Fatima Shama, told the Times, "We as New York Muslims have as much of a commitment to rebuilding New York as anybody."

On June 4, 2009, President Obama gave a speech to the Muslim world from Cairo, in which he stated:

I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles – principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings. … So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed. That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't. And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.

Click to read full article at the WND

'Witch hunt' expected under new U.S. 'hate crimes' law

Posted: December 13, 2009
6:57 pm Eastern

By Bob Unruh
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

The lawyer who handled the years-long battle by Pastor Stephen Boissoin over "hate speech" charges for a letter he wrote to the editor of a local newspaper that cited the Bible's condemnation of homosexuality is forecasting a nationwide "witch hunt" in the U.S. prompted by an expanded "hate crimes" law signed by President Obama.

Gerald Chipeur,  who supervises law offices across Canada, worked from his Calgary headquarters on the defense of Boissoin, who was accused by a university professor of instigating hate against homosexuals with his letter to the editor.

As WND reported, an appellate court in Canada recently reversed the decision by an administrative judge that Boissoin was to pay $5,000 and give a written apology to the professor.

Alberta had adopted a "hate speech" law with promises it would be reserved for actions that accompany "hate speech." Boissoin's letter to the Red Deer Advocate criticized those who "in any way support the homosexual machine that has been mercilessly gaining ground in our society since the 1960s."

"Our children are being victimized by repugnant and premeditated strategies, aimed at desensitizing and eventually recruiting our young into their camps. Think about it, children as young as five and six years of age are being subjected to psychologically and physiologically damaging pro-homosexual literature and guidance in the public school system… Your teenagers are being instructed on how to perform so-called safe same gender oral and anal sex … Come on people, wake up!" Boisson wrote.

"Back Fired" shows how the faith that gave birth to tolerance is no longer tolerated!

University of Calgary professor Darren Lund filed the complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission . An administrative law judge later ordered the $5,000 payment and written apology from Boissoin along with instructions not to express his beliefs further.

Chipeur today told WND the damage to religious liberties from the case was immediate and dramatic and continues even though the decision has been overturned.

"I had church pastors, church school principals, board members coming to me for legal advice [when the case erupted]," he said. "They were saying, 'What should we do about our statement of faith, our bylaws, our policies. Should we just completely repeal them so that we won't have people offended?'"

Chipeur said his advice was for organizations to "tell the truth as you see it from the Bible" and the law firm's job was to defend that right.

"Even though I gave them that advice, many pulled punches," he said. "They reversed policies, they buried their statements of faith, ran for the hills. They tried to do everything they could."

Benjamin Bull, chief counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, agreed with the damage assessment.

"Homosexuals got exactly what they wanted. In the marketplace of ideas, one side has now been censored," he said. "This [situation] is exactly what homosexual activists have in mind."

That damage – the suppression of religious beliefs because of the intimidating effect of the lawsuit – continues today, Chipeur said.

"I can tell you there was significant damage from the decision. People continue to be afraid. People aren't going to feel safe overnight. That was the impact of the decision. Christians became afraid," he said.

"They're only human. They were frightened. They acted upon that fear, and started to reverse policies that had been in place forever," he said.

Chipeur described the core problem with the Boissoin case as a misunderstanding on the part of many who believe "hate crimes" laws will make "everyone love everybody."

Further, there are minorities who are not happy with the liberty to live their lives as they choose; they demand government endorsement and approval. Once given that, they then want to crack down on anybody who disagrees with them, he warned.

In practicality, he said, such "hate" laws – the ones in Canada and the U.S. are similar – are intended to address actions, not thoughts.

"This legislation does not address your ability to think it. It does not address your ability to speak it. It does affect your ability to act on this, to prevent someone from having a job, to get accommodations to buy things because of race, religion or sexuality," he said.

But Chipeur said he expects the same issues now to be raised in the U.S., because of the expanded "hate crimes" law signed by Obama.

"I would be shocked if you did not have 100 times more problems with this legislation than we are. Your system is set up to encourage lawyers to do this, and you have so many more people, there is more opportunity for people to take offense," he said.

"There are certain people in society who look to the government for everything, including to help them with their hurt feelings. The government was never made for that," he said.

Regardless, "there are those who want the government to bless their approach to life, whatever it is, because they have this view. They come to the point they want the government to say … you are right."

"We've learned from history that's a very bad idea. You get persecution, which is exactly what's happening here," he said.

Then those interests want the "power of the state to punish anyone who disagrees," he said. The result is, "doing exactly what we did 500 years ago. They will be going on a witch hunt, [repeating] the Spanish Inquisition."

"This is not theoretical. We've already seen it, hospitals, school boards, religious organizations pummeled with this. There are board meetings going on as we speak … talking about what they can do to avoid having complaints," he said.

The Boissoin appeals court ruling did not strike down the "hate speech" law, but it sets limits for its use. The Alberta ruling means "hate speech" laws cannot be used to silence religious expression or public debate simply because someone takes offense. Such a provision would, in fact, violate the Canadian Charter of Human Rights, the ADF said.

The accuser in such a case "must demonstrate that the speech contributed to actual harm," ADF said.

Obama signed the "Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act" in October after Democrats strategically attached it to a "must-pass" $680 billion defense appropriations bill.

The law cracks down on any acts that could be linked to criticism of homosexuality or even the "perception" of homosexuality. As Congress debated it, there were assurances it would not be used to crack down on speech. But with the law only weeks old, it has yet to be tested in court.

Days after Obama signed it, in response, pastors and other Christian leaders gathered to read from the Bible at a rally organized with the help of Gary Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Coalition.

Click to read the rest of this article at the WND

Washington D.C. Signs Same Sex Marriage Bill In A Church

Washington (CNN) -- The nation's capital city took a major step Friday toward legalizing same-sex marriage.
District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty signed a measure recognizing such marriages as legal. The district council overwhelming passed the bill Tuesday, following a similar vote December 1.
Fenty signed the measure at All Souls Church, a Unitarian Universalist house of worship in the northwest part of the district that is known for its diversity and for the welcoming of same-sex couples.
The measure now goes to Congress for a 30-day review period, but it's considered unlikely that the Democratic majority on Capitol Hill would block the bill. By law, Congress has the right to review and overturn laws created by the District of Columbia's council.
If the measure becomes law, the district will join Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and Iowa in legalizing same-sex marriages. A law legalizing such marriages in New Hampshire takes effect January 1.

Click to read full article at CNN.com

JMC Ministries Response

Written by: Jeremy and Miranda Caverley

Leviticus 18:22 (New International Version)

 ²² " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.

Leviticus 20:13 (New International Version)

 ¹³ " 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

1 Corinthians 6:9,10

⁹Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders ¹⁰nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Titus 1:16 (New International Version)

¹⁶They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

Psalm 15:1,2

¹ LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
       Who may live on your holy hill?² He whose walk is blameless
       and who does what is righteous,
       who speaks the truth from his heart

Note: All Scriptures can be found at Biblegateway.com

Top 10 Animated Christmas Movies for 2009 by Fox News

Top 10 Animated Christmas Movies for 2009

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Frosty the Snowman

Mickey's Christmas Carol

The Snow Man

The Nightmare Before Christmas

The Year Without A Santa Claus

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

The Polar Express 

Christms Display of Jesus Shooting Santa Claus Has one California Community in Uproar

Friday, December 18, 2009

A California neighborhood reportedly is up in arms after a resident decorated his lawn with a depiction of Jesus shooting Santa Claus.
The controversial Christmas display shows Jesus pointing a double-barrel shotgun at Santa's dead body as Rudolph lays sprawled across the hood of a pickup truck nearby, WNCT reported.
Neighbors in Nipomo, Calif., called for the display to be removed, but its maker Ron Lake called it a work of art — in which Santa represents the commercialization of Christmas, the station reported.
"It's an expression of my repressed creativity," Lake told WNCT.
Police said that because Lake built the display on private property they cannot force him to take it down. Some residents plan to start a petition, the station reported.

Click to read article from Fox News

Christian Photographers Sued for refusing to take pictures at Same Sex Commitment Ceremony

A state court in New Mexico has upheld a ruling against Jon and Elaine Huguenin.  As owners of Elane Photography, they declined to photograph a same-sex commitment ceremony in 2006 and were sued. 
The court ruled the owners had violated a nondiscrimination law. 
Jordan Lorence, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), said it exposes the threat such laws pose to religious liberty.
"The court showed very little respect for that," he said, "and said that this was no different than a caterer serving food and was liable to this same-sex couple."
Lorence points out New Mexico hasn't legalized same-sex unions.
"So, these couples are going through these ceremonies that have no legal significance to them," he said.  "They're using these non-discrimination laws like 'blasphemy' laws, and they're going on witch hunts to root out the heretics and punish them." 
ADF plans to appeal.

Click to read article from the Citizen Link

JMC Ministries Response

written by: Jeremy and Miranda Caverley

 We as Christians must pray and uplift our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus said if we follow His teachings, and take a stand against what the world tries to make us conform to. We will face persecution. Our hope is in Him and knowing that this world is not our home, but in heaven eternally.  

Job 19:25-27 (New International Version)

 ²⁵ I know that my Redeemer ^[a] lives,
       and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. ^[b]
 26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
       yet ^[c] in ^[d] my flesh I will see God;
 ²⁷ I myself will see him
       with my own eyes—I, and not another.
       How my heart yearns within me!

Teacher Suspended for Taking Students to Hooters Restaurant

Thursday, December 17, 2009

 From the Associated Press
PHOENIX —  A Paradise Valley music teacher whose students performed at a presidential inauguration event has been put on administrative leave after taking 40 students to Hooters.
School district spokeswoman Judi Willis says that choir director Mary Segall accompanied choral students to an event last week, and during the outing the students ate lunch at a Hooters restaurant.
She says that Segall explained to officials that the restaurant, known for its waitresses' somewhat revealing attire, was the only place that could accommodate a group of that size. Segall could not be reached for comment.
Willis says the district believes there were other options for lunch in downtown Phoenix.
Hooters spokesman Mike McNeill says he's unfamiliar with the incident and could not comment.
Segall plans on retiring in January, and Willis says she does not know if she'll return before then.

JMC Ministries Response

written by Jeremy Caverley

It show a lack of irresponsibility on the teachers part saying that the only place where the children could be fed for lunch was at hooters.  There are fast food restaurants and other places for example McDonald's, Burger King etc. that accommodate bus loads of people sometimes on a daily basis. For the teacher to say that there was no other place to go is just ridiculous. 

It is outrageous when a 3nd grader is told by her teacher that she cannot read her bible during quiet time in class.  While another child a 2nd grader draws a picture of Jesus the teacher says the picture was too violent and is told he has to under go psychiatric evaluation. But a teacher can take children to a place like Hooters where there is scantily clothed women and where beer and alcohol is served and no one does anything until after the incident has happened not one child should have ever been exposed to that.

School is no longer a place of learning. It is a war zone where we send America's children everyday, and pay taxes to those schools so they can treat our children this way.  When will you the parents take a stand and say this is enough NO MORE!

1 Corinthians 6:12,13
¹²"Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything. ¹³"Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

Pastor allows women to be tattooed during Church Service in front of Congregation

The sight of a woman being tattooed live on the altar accompanied by the sound of a buzzing ink gun provided a startling backdrop to Sunday's evangelical sermon.

Your parent's church service this was not. In the drive to stay relevant, the Gold Creek Community Church has been hosting a series called "Permanent Ink" that featured Sunday's live-tattoo finale.

The Mill Creek church is not exactly staid — booming 20-minute rock sets launch regular sermons — yet the pastors acknowledge this series was pushing societal norms.

"We've said from the start that we are not advocating tattoos — nor discouraging them," said pastor Larry Ehoff.

"We think of it as amoral. It's neither immoral nor moral, it's just the choice of a person."

Ehoff said the church is telling the same story of Jesus as always, it's just finding different ways to tell it.

Sharon Snell was one of several congregants who volunteered to be tattooed Sunday. At the noon service, she got on stage and faced away from about 150 parishioners while tattoo artist Matt Sawdon worked on the image of a police shield on her lower back.

It was Snell's third tattoo and represents her husband's work as an Everett police officer. Snell said last month's shooting death of Seattle police Officer Timothy Brenton forced her to confront the fragility of life and the dangers inherent in her husband's job.

"Anything can happen at any time," Snell said. "Him being an officer is a big part of my life and of who I am."

As Snell's tattoo took shape, pastor Dan Kellogg told the congregation that permanent markings, both good and evil, are mentioned in the Bible. The most famous symbol, he said, is "666," the sign of the devil.

But there's also mention in the Bible of markings on Jesus, saying he is the king of kings and lord of lords, Kellogg said.

Another congregant who volunteered was Erica Armendariz, who was getting work done on an arm tattoo she calls her "faith sleeve." "Surprisingly, I was not nervous to get up on stage," she said, adding that the tattoo process, which in her case stretched through two sermons, was getting painful toward the end.

Click to read full article at the Seattle Times

JMC Ministries Response

written by: Jeremy and Miranda Caverley

We found out about this article from the Jesse Woodrow show today and knew we had to share it.  We also recorded a audio clip from Jesse's show where he interviewed the pastor of this church who had the tattooing.

Comment | Copy This

The show was a very heated debate not only between Jesse and the pastor of the church, but also in the chatroom.  People appalled that a pastor would allow such things to take place not only in the house of God, but even in the pulpit. But, the pastor in his own words said, "there was nothing wrong or sinful about allowing someone to be tattooed in the church" Even after bible scriptures were shared that clearly stated that it was sin in the eyes of God and should not be taking place especially in God's house the pastor still maintained that it was not going against the teachings of the bible.

Leviticus 19:28

²⁸ " 'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.

Matthew 5:17,18

¹⁷"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.¹⁸I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

1 Corinthians 3:16-19 

¹⁶Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? ¹⁷If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.  ¹⁸Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. ¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"

1 Corinthians 6:19,20

¹⁹Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;²⁰you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

These were just a few of the scriptures that were shared during the show.  Many listeners called in asking the pastor how he thought allowing this in the house of God was not wrong or sinful. Many times the pastor did not answer the questions, or simply tried to change the subject.  He did say, "God doesn't look at the outside, he looks at the inside." Jessee Woodrow then asked him, "so if a prostitute, or stripper comes to your church and gets saved does that mean she doesn't have to stop wearing her stripper clothes and mini skirts?" The pastor simply answered, "God focuses on the inside.

Want to share you opinion on this? You can vote on our "Do you think professing Christians getting a tattoo is a sin?"This poll will end on January 4th 2010

EFN Press Release:The Rutherford Institute Defends Second Grader Forced by School Officials to Undergo Psych Evaluation for Drawing Crucified Jesus

12/16/2009

The Rutherford Institute Defends Second Grader Forced by School Officials to Undergo Psych Evaluation for Drawing Crucified Jesus

Contact: Nisha N. Mohammed, The Rutherford Institute, 434-978-3888, 434-466-6168 cell, nisha@rutherford.org
TAUNTON, Mass. -- The Rutherford Institute has come to the defense of the family of a second grader who was allegedly forced by school officials to undergo psychological evaluations after he drew a picture of a stick figure Jesus on the cross with X's over his eyes.

A copy of Jalen's drawing is available here.

"This is a case of overreaction by school officials," said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. "Jalen's drawing was simply a reflection of something he saw at a Christmas light show. The psychological damage to this family is appalling, and it is a clear-cut violation of their constitutional rights."

On December 2, 2009, Jalen Cromwell, a second grader at Lowell M. Maxham School in Taunton, Mass., was taken to the principal's office where he was questioned without the presence of, or even notification to, his parents regarding a drawing he had made earlier that day depicting a stick figure Jesus on the cross with X's over his eyes. The drawing reflected Jalen's impressions about a recent family trip to the Christmas lighting festival at LaSallette. However, Jalen's parents were later informed that, in keeping with school policy, he would not be permitted to return to school until he had undergone a psychological evaluation. Jalen has since informed his parents that he no longer trusts his teachers and does not want to continue attending the school due to the anxiety caused by this incident, a sentiment shared by his parents.

After being contacted by Jalen's family, attorneys for The Rutherford Institute agreed to intervene. In a letter to the superintendent of the Taunton Public Schools, Institute attorneys pointed out that the effective suspension of Jalen from school deprived him and his parents of their constitutional rights to due process and punished Jalen for engaging in expressive activity protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. In light of the fact that this incident has made Jalen's continued attendance at Maxham School untenable, Institute attorneys have also requested that the school arrange for Jalen to be transferred to an out-of-district school and for his parents to be compensated for the associated transportation costs. The Rutherford Institute has requested a response to its demand letter by 5 pm, EST, on Tuesday, December 22, 2009.

Click to Read full article at the Rutherford

70% of world population does not have Religious Freedom

By Frank James at The Two Way

About one third of the world's nations, accounting for almost 70 percent of global population, lacks religious freedom, according to a new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

Pew reports:

Global Restrictions on Religion, a new study by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, finds that 64 nations - about one-third of the countries in the world - have high or very high restrictions on religion. But because some of the most restrictive countries are very populous, nearly 70 percent of the world's 6.8 billion people live in countries with high restrictions on religion, the brunt of which often falls on religious minorities.

Some restrictions result from government actions, policies and laws. Others result from hostile acts by private individuals, organizations and social groups. The highest overall levels of restrictions are found in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran, where both the government and society at large impose numerous limits on religious beliefs and practices. But government policies and social hostilities do not always move in tandem. Vietnam and China, for instance, have high government restrictions on religion but are in the moderate or low range when it comes to social hostilities. Nigeria and Bangladesh follow the opposite pattern: high in social hostilities but moderate in terms of government actions.

Among all regions, the Middle East-North Africa has the highest government and social restrictions on religion, while the Americas are the least restrictive region on both measures. Among the world's 25 most populous countries, Iran, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan and India stand out as having the most restrictions when both measures are taken into account, while Brazil, Japan, the United States, Italy, South Africa and the United Kingdom have the least.

Click to read article from THE TWO WAY

Child Slavery in Pakistan

Surviving the Walk to SchooLA look at the dangers children face everyday just to get an education in the U.S.

JMC Ministries Response

Written by Miranda Caverley

A few days ago we posted a video that is related to this story by CNN entitled

Teen Violence is an everyday reality and serious problem in America along with a response.  CNN is doing a series of videos on the topic of youth on youth violence centering on Chicago Illinois.  We will be sharing these videos as they become available. In the hope that we can get the word out on what the children in the U.S are facing everyday in some of our communities.  This is a crisis that can not be ignored any longer if we want to secure a future for our future generations. 

UPDATE on 2rd Grader sent home from school for Drawing Picture of Jesus

 Read original article about this topic from Eternal Flame News


TAUNTON, Mass. —  A Massachusetts school district on Tuesday night denied a father's claims that his son was suspended for drawing a stick figure of Jesus on a cross.
The Taunton School District said in a written statement that the second-grade student was never suspended over the sketch and that a drawing circulated to reporters by the boy's father, Chester Johnson, is not the same one that was discovered by the teacher.
The district also denied that the boy and his classmates had been assigned to draw something that reminded them of Christmas or any other religious holiday.
Johnson, who had said his son was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after the drawing was discovered, did not return multiple phone messages from The Associated Press on Tuesday night about the school district's statements.
"This incident occurred nearly two weeks ago, it was handled appropriately, and the school staff and family had been working together in a cooperative and positive manner," the district said in a statement posted on its Web site.
School officials did not specify any action they took, but said they followed "well-established protocol," including reviewing the child's records and consulting with school psychologists.

Click to read Article from Fox News 

JMC Ministries Response

Written By Miranda Caverley

As more information about this incident comes in we will be reporting about it.  It seems that this is a really big mess that the school and the parents of the child are in.  Both sides giving totally different stories.  The school now even denying that the teacher ever gave the assignment to draw a picture about Christmas. With the school also saying the little boy told the teacher, that it was him on the cross and not Jesus. Now the school is saying the picture released of what the boy drew is NOT the picture he drew in school.  

So we must ask ourselves,  who we are to believe? The bible says "The Truth Shall Set You Free" and sooner or later the truth will come out.  But the facts are, the little boy did draw a picture of Jesus, The School had some kind of meeting with the boy and the parents about what the boy had drawn, and the child is attending school and is not currently suspended.


As Christians we must pray for this child and everyone involved in hope that the issue can be resolved, and that if this child or any child should draw a picture of Jesus that they not be disciplined to this effect.

 

3rd Grader Told Not Allowed to Read Bible in school

MYFOXNY.COM EXCLUSIVE - A teacher at the Madison Park Elementary School in Old Bridge, N.J., told a 3rd grader that the Bible was not appropriate reading material for quiet time, and ordered the girl to put the book away, according to the girl's parents.
Now the principal is apologizing, saying that the teacher made a mistake and that school policy absolutely does allow children to read the Bible or any other religious book during quiet reading time.
Michelle Jordat says her daughter, Mariah, cried when the teacher told her to put away the Bible. Jordat says her daughter's feelings were hurt and she was confused.
"This was injustice," Jordat says. "No other child has to go through this again."
Jordat accepted the principal's apology, but wants something in writing stating that reading the Bible is OK during personal reading time. She also says she will speak to a lawyer.
The Old Bridge Board of Education held a meeting Tuesday evening and addressed the issue for concerned parents.

click to read from Fox News NY

JMC Ministries Response

Written by Miranda Caverley

We are thankful that the school acknowledged that the teacher was wrong in the actions she took against the little girl. We also hope that the school has some kind of meeting with the teacher, on how she is running her class so that this incident doesn't happen again to any child in that school. 

It seems a lot of times people want to make up their own rules and enforce them on the innocent, or those who may not know their rights. Thankfully there are those out there still willing to stand up for those rights that we are entitled to .her in the U.S.

2nd Grader Sent Home from School For Drawing picture of Jesus

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

 
TAUNTON, Mass. —  A Taunton man says his 8-year-old son was sent home from school and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after drawing a stick figure Jesus on a cross.
The man told the Taunton Daily Gazette his second-grader made the drawing after his teacher asked children to sketch something that reminded them of Christmas. He said the teacher at Maxham Elementary School thought the drawing was too violent.
The father, who asked that his name not be used, said the family had recently seen a Christmas display at a religious shrine.
Superintendent Julie Hackett said she could not discuss an individual student and the school followed proper protocol.
Toni Saunders, an educational consultant working with the family, said the teacher was alarmed because the boy drew Xs in the eyes of Jesus.
JMC Ministries Response
Written by: Miranda Caverley
The schools think it is ok to show children sex ed videos, and teach them how to have sex. Then we have books like the one about the 2 homosexual penguins raising a baby penguin that are in some schools across the country “required reading” for children.  But to draw a stick figure picture of Jesus on the cross is   “too violent”? When we have children being caught up in violence everyday in school like the post we made yesterday about youth violence in America.  We have video games, and movies promoting violence, murder, rape, and every kind of debauchery you can imagine. But a stick figure of Jesus on the cross is so violent this 8 year old had to be punished.  So severely that he was sent home from school and now is being put into psychiatric evaluation.
When I was in school I can remember children drawing pornographic pictures, pictures dripping with blood, and all kinds of horrible things.  But they weren’t sent home from school. They were disciplined yes, and the picture was then thrown away.  The child wasn’t sent home and made a spectacle of.   This picture clearly had nothing to that effect.  Yes it displayed Jesus on the Cross, but there was no blood and guts dripping.  No graphic displays of what really happened to him.  It was just a stick figure. 
What it comes down to is this.  If the child would have drawn a monster or something to that extent with blood dripping from his mouth.  Then he possibly wouldn’t have been punished this severely, but the fact he drew something “religious” and it is against the law in the U.S to have such a thing in our schools, that is why the boy was sent home.
If this was my child I would be proud that when he was asked to draw something that reminded them of Christmas he thought of Jesus. Because, if it weren’t for Jesus there would be no Christmas.
Luke 18:16
But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.