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.

Teen Violence is an every day reality and serious problem in America

JMC Ministries Response
Written by: Miranda Caverley
The reality of Teen Violence has finally hit the mainstream Media as you will see in this video by CNN.  It is frightening how many young people are involved in violence, or even murder on a daily bases.  The fact that the media hasn't been covering this for years just shows us that the world is unconcerned with the children of today.  As you will hear in the video even the parents of these children who are dishing out this violence are telling their kids "you gotta stand up for yourself" The parents are contributing to the violence, and the children are only doing what they see and are taught.  If we are going to prosecute the children for the violence, shouldn't the parents have some kind of punishment for teaching the children to behave this way?

Many of our articles we have posted on Eternal Flame News are about youth.  The reason why we continue to post these kinds of stories is to get the word out.  We have a generation of children that is in serious trouble America, and if we don't stand up and reach out to the children of today who are living this kind of lifestyle of violence, drugs, and sex we are going to lose them.  They are our future and if we don't bring them up with morals and the values our country was founded on I feel we are heading for very dark times in our Nation.

Teen Raises Money for Children in need this Christmas

At a time when most teenagers are thinking about their own Christmas presents, Tyler Noble is busy making Christmas brighter for 18 other teens.

Noble, an 18-year-old Zane Trace graduate has been collecting money for Project Hope, to help sponsor local families who need some help this holiday season.
"It actually started in October, I was watching 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' and the part where the little girl doesn't have anything for Christmas just kind of hit me," he said.

"A lot of the service organizations focus on kids up to age 12, so I wanted to do something for that other group of kids," he said.

Tyler raised $1,700, surpassing his goal of $1,500. He then went to Job and Family services to get the names of some local kids whose families might need some help this year. All the 18 kids Tyler is helping are between the ages of 13 and 18. He said kids in that age group often are left out this time of year.

Click to read more From the Chillicothe Gazette

JMC Ministries Response

written by Miranda Caverley

This article is from our local newspaper.  It is such a blessing to see young men of God stepping out of their comfort zones and making a difference in their community and schools.

I am also a graduate of Zane Trace High School, and I am proud to know there are young men walking through those halls carrying the gospel of the Lord in their hearts. I pray that many other students at Zane Trace and others across our community are influenced by what this young man has accomplished to help others.  It gives us hope in our future generations when we see Godly children rising up and setting themselves apart from the world and everything it says is "cool"

We thank you for not conforming to the ways of this world, being soldiers for Christ, and continue to carry HIS love to all the world.

Uganda Remembers Death Penalty for Refusing Homosexual Relations With King Mwanga

The Death Penalty in Uganda

MEDIA ADVISORY, Dec. 11 /Christian Newswire/ -- By official count 22 young men were executed under Uganda's law on homosexuality. The law in question required that all men and boys in Uganda be willing to submit to the homosexual seduction of it's ruler, King Mwanga. When Ugandans began to convert to Christianity in the 1800s, a group of Catholics, led by Charles Lwanga, refused to allow themselves to be sodomized by the King. Enraged, King Mwanga had them torturously bound, marched 37 miles and then roasted alive in a fire pit. The date of their execution was June 3rd, 1886, and is today a national holiday commemorating Uganda's rejection of homosexuality and commitment to Christian values.
It should be no surprise, therefore, that modern Ugandans are very unhappy that homosexual political activists from Europe and the United States are working aggressively to re-homosexualize their nation. Ugandan citizens report a growing number of foreign homosexual men coming to their country to turn desperately poor young men from the slums into their personal houseboys, and that some girls in public schools have been paid to recruit others into lesbianism. Foreign interests have exerted intense pressure on Uganda's government to compromise its laws regarding sexual morality, often using their control over foreign aid funding for leverage....
As a Christian attorney and international human rights advocate who has worked closely with Uganda's pro- family movement, I have a special interest in this issue. In my view, homosexuality (indeed all sex outside of marriage) should be actively discouraged by society -- but only as aggressively as necessary to prevent the mainstreaming of alternative sexual lifestyles, and with concern for the preservation of the liberties of those who desire to keep their personal lifestyles private. Marriage-based culture served humanity very favorably during the centuries when homosexuality was disapproved but tolerated as a sub-culture in America, England and elsewhere. It has obviously not fared well in the decades since the so- called sexual revolution kicked open Pandora's Box and unleashed both rampant heterosexual promiscuity and "Gay Pride" on the world.
In March of this year I had the privilege of addressing members of the Ugandan parliament in their national assembly hall when the anti-homosexuality law was just being considered...
By Dr. Scott Lively

To: National & International Desks

Contact: Dr. Scott Lively,
413-250-0984

Full editorial at

http://www.defendthefamily.com/pfrc/newsarchives.php?id=4480922

 

JMC RESPONSE

Written by:

Jeremy Caverley

Many people are quick to judge and have a reaction without righteous judgment.

Proverbs 8:13-15 (New International Version)

¹³ To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
       I hate pride and arrogance,
       evil behavior and perverse speech.

¹⁴ Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
       I have understanding and power.

¹⁵ By me kings reign
       and rulers make laws that are just;

But at the same time some people decide to take out their own judgment like King Mwanga did. The debate between Christians who are against homosexuality isn’t something new to us. Each generation and culture has decided which path to take.

In today’s society we see a war going on between free love and marriage. And the deciding factor now is a court. God has been removed from the law of this Earth.

As history shows, the world will become more dark than ever before. Values will continue to morph until everything is not black or white anymore but a fine gray.

The Bible-God’s Holy Word and the law for Christians to follow-clearly states about sex and it’s true place in marriage between a man and a woman.

Matthew 19:4-6 (Amplified Bible)

⁴He replied, Have you never read that He Who made them from the beginning made them male and female,

⁵And said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be united firmly (joined inseparably) to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?^(A)

⁶So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder (separate).

Cross references:

1. Matthew 19:5 : Gen 1:27; 2:24

 

 

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (New Century Version)

^9-10 Surely you know that the people who do wrong will not inherit God's kingdom. Do not be fooled. Those who sin sexually, worship idols, take part in adultery, those who are male prostitutes, or men who have sexual relations with other men, those who steal, are greedy, get drunk, lie about others, or rob—these people will not inherit God's kingdom.

So now after reflecting on God’s word you have to make a choice! Will you become like King Mwanga and demand that all must obey your lifestyle or be put to shame, ridicule, or even death?! Certainly not I pray!

As Christians we must learn to love the sinner but not the sin. From my own point of view I don’t believe that homosexuality is a complete lifestyle but a sex act that you partake in.

Yes if you decide, to those who want to stop living as a homosexual, to change only the Lord can truly heal you.

Mankind has failed in reaching people for the Lord in this respect!

Too many Christians are shunned away because of there sinful natures. So with this in mind I must  now remind you that we that are the children of God and are high priests that can go directly to the Father in heaven. That ALL SIN is COMMON to MAN! That IRON does sharpen iron. We should learn to love one another and help reach those that are most in need of such a basic gift. The gift of love and forgiveness.

Proverbs 28:13 (New American Standard Bible)

¹³He who ^(A)conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
         But he who ^(B)confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.

Cross references:

1. Proverbs 28:13 : Job 31:33; Ps 32:3
2. Proverbs 28:13 : Ps 32:5; 1 John 1:9

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (Contemporary English Version)

¹²Even if you think you can stand up to temptation, be careful not to fall. ¹³You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations.

Proverbs 27:17 (New International Version)

¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron,
       so one man sharpens another.

Mark 3:28 (New Living Translation)

²⁸ “I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven

 

Church Taken to Court for feeding the homeless

Nov. 23 2009

A judge ordered a Phoenix church to stop feeding the homeless on its property, citing zoning violation.

Retired Arizona Supreme Court Justice Robert Corcoran ruled in early November that CrossRoads United Methodist Church in north Phoenix was functioning as a charity dining hall in a residential neighborhood.

CrossRoads, however, argues that it is not violating city ordinance because it is feeding the homeless as a ministry of the church and not as a dining hall. Once a week, the Methodist Church offers the homeless and the poor in the neighborhood a pancake breakfast before Saturday worship service.

Church officials decided to appeal the ruling last week.

“We must stand together with those of us who are suffering and for other ministries and churches on whom this decision will have a great impact,” said the Rev. Dottie Escobedo-Frank, senior pastor of CrossRoads, to the United Methodist News Service. “We just can’t stop caring for and feeding those who need us most.”

The church has a 50-year history of feeding the homeless and caring for the poor in the community.

But it was the very members of the community that raised concern about the church’s feeding ministry. Some residents complained about the homeless people wandering around the neighborhood, bringing trash to the area and cited fear of increased crime due to their presence.

“They broke into electric boxes and had their bikes and things chained up to fences, and set up camp right in our back yard,” said Talitha Cerino, who lives nearby, to the ABC News station in Phoenix.

“I don’t necessarily know that I would want to be walking down Central on a Saturday morning to see a parade of homeless individuals riding their bikes to get to their free meal in the morning,” Cerino said.

More than 100 people come each week for the pancake breakfast and service program.

Click to read rest of article at Christianpost.com