Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Homeless Man Stabbed After Saving A Woman from Being Mugged
JMC Ministries Response
To watch this video is so disturbing to see how people just pay no attention to a dying man on the side walk and even take pictures with their cell phones.
What have we become as a society here in The U.S when a man dies needlessly because all those people didn’t take the time to use those cell phones they took the pictures of him to call for help or stop and say this isn’t right a man lying on a side walk looking like he may be dead or injured.
Where is the compassion?! Where is the empathy?! For your fellow human man?!
The United States is known for being the first ones to help other Countries when they are attacked or have some terrible disaster happen. But what about our own People?! How can we help people in other countries when we can’t even help our own people here who are lying on side walks dying because they saved someone's life?
Friday, April 23, 2010
Federal Judge Blasts Arizona City ban on Sound of Church Bells
By Bob Unruh
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
 Bishop Rick Painter, sentenced for allowing church bells to ring |
"Churches shouldn't be targeted and punished for ringing their bells as a public expression of faith that's been done for centuries," said Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, which worked on the case.
"The federal court has made the right decision by declaring that the city's noise ordinance violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments," he said.
The federal judge, Susan R. Bolton, ruled that the city's ordinance was being used to prohibit "sound generated in the course of religious expression," even while it contained an exemption for ice-cream trucks to blare their promotions.
The case had been brought by St. Mark Roman Catholic Parish, Christ the King Liturgical Charismatic Church and First Christian Church. The court earlier issued a temporary order and today made that permanent.
"It is ordered granting plaintiffs' request for a permanent injunction, and permanently enjoining Defendant City of Phoenix from enforcing the Noise Ordinance … against any sound generated in the course of religious expression," the order said.
"It is further ordered granting plaintiffs' request for a declaratory judgment, declaring that the Noise Ordinance … when enforced against any sound generated in the course of religious expression, violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution."
The dispute heated up when Bishop Rick Painter of Christ the King was sentenced to jail and probation in June 2009 for violating the ordinance by ringing his church's bells.
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A Few years ago we heard the story of a pastor who was told not to ring the church bell to let people know that Church was starting. And that if he did he would be fined every time.
U.S Govt to appeal ruling against National Day Of Prayer
U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb in Madison ruled last week the National Day of Prayer that Congress established 58 years ago amounts to a call for religious action.
In a notice filed Thursday, the Justice Department said it will challenge the decision in the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. The notice came after about two dozen members of Congress condemned the ruling and pressed for an appeal.
The case was brought by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Madison-based group of atheists and agnostics who argue the National Day of Prayer violates the separation of church and state. Its co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor, said she was disappointed in the decision to appeal.
"I would have expected something better from a legal scholar," she said, referring to President Barack Obama's background as a law professor.
Her group planned to launch an online petition Thursday praising Crabb's decision and asking Obama, the principal defendant in the lawsuit, to "leave days of prayer to individuals, private groups and churches, synagogues, mosques and temples."
Crabb ruled the government could not use its authority to try to influence when and whether individuals pray, writing: "In this instance, the government has taken sides on a matter that must be left to individual conscience." She put enforcement of her ruling on hold until all appeals are exhausted.
The administration had argued the law simply acknowledges the role of religion in the United States.
Congress established the day in 1952 and in 1988 set the first Thursday in May as the day for presidents to issue proclamations asking Americans to pray. An Obama spokesman has said the president plans to issue a proclamation for the upcoming prayer day, May 6. Many other state and local officials typically follow suit.
The Justice Department signaled it would appeal not only Crabb's decision on the merits of the case but also her ruling last month that the defendants had the standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place.
Franklin Graham Disinvited by Army to Speak At National Day of Prayer
“I regret that the Army felt it was necessary to rescind their invitation to the National Day of Prayer Task Force to participate in the Pentagon’s special prayer service,” Graham said in a statement on Thursday.
I want to express my strong support for the United States military and all our troops. I will continue to pray that God will give them guidance, wisdom and protection as they serve this great country.”
Graham was expected to speak at the Pentagon on May 6, drawing the ire of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a watchdog group focused on religious favoritism in the military.
The group had been prepared to seek a temporary restraining order against National Prayer Day if it were “polluted by someone as hideously Islamophobic as Franklin Graham,” said Mikey Weinstein, head of the group.
In a 2001 op-ed piece, Graham wrote that he does not believe Muslims are evil, but he objects to the treatment of women in Muslim countries and Islam’s historic “persecution or elimination” of other religions.
On Thursday, Graham told Fox News that while he loves Muslims, “I speak out for people that live under Islam, that are enslaved by Islam and I want them to know they can be free through faith in Jesus Christ and Christ alone.”Council on American Islamic Relations spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said it is “completely inappropriate” for Graham to speak in front of a military audience.
“These are individuals who are potentially going to be stationed in Muslim majority nations, and they don’t need to hear from someone spreading hatred of Islam and Muslims,” Hooper said.
“What does that say to those who are going to be asked to serve in these regions and how is that going to affect their interaction with the local population?” Graham is honorary chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, a group that organizes Christian events that was invited to participate in National Day of Prayer by the Pentagon chaplain’s office.
An Army spokesman told the Associated Press the Pentagon’s relationship with the Christian group does not violate Defense Department rules.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Michigan College Students Protest Sexy Ads of American Apparel
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM)- Some students at Calvin College in Grand Rapids are boycotting a company because of its provocative clothing ads. The company, called American Apparel, often shows its models in see-through shirts and underwear.
The clothing is sold globally and is targeted at college students and young adults. Here in Michigan, there are stores in Ann Arbor and East Lansing. The clothes can also be found
online. It's those ads that some of the students say are too sexy.
Calvin College students Abbie Belford and Hannah Whyte call it pornography. Images show topless women, with bare bottoms. "It's extreme. It's disgusting," says Hannah.
The ads can be seen on the American Apparel website. The company has over 200 retails stores and makes all of its clothing in the United States. The company also promotes fair labor practices.
The socially conscious business practices impressed leaders at Calvin College. Abbie says students were given American Apparel t-shirts at orientation. She was told the college purchased them again this year. "I was like, oh great, another chance to support a good company and then he said, but don't visit their website. It's almost pornographic," says Abbie.
That's the first time Abbie and Hannah, who are involved in a student-led group called "Democracy Matters," looked at the website. They are now boycotting the company. "I want to see the rest of Calvin, all organizations, sign a petition, saying we will not buy from American Apparel until it changes its advertising techniques."
The women have printed up petitions. They've also created a Facebook page called "American Apparel: The Bare Facts" to protest the company and its ads. "We want to let them know that no, we are youth, but we do have morals, we have standards. This just crosses the line," says Hannah.
Calvin College says it already received the new t-shirts, but says it will support the student-led effort and will likely choose another company next year. The student group plans to hold a petition drive Wednesday on campus.
Creators Of South Park Gone Too Far
JMC Ministries Response
When Christians have been persecuted on this show a long with Jews. Had our Lord and Savior made fun of and blasphemed we did not want to kill these men who make this cartoon. We pray for them we forgive the creators of South Park for the horrible things they have done and said to make fun of Jesus Christ, God and our beliefs. Jesus said To love you enemies not kill them and murder them as this Islamist group is saying they want to do.
Obviously the creators of South Park are really just going too far and blatantly attack anyone and they are protected by freedom of speech but when we rise up and say this is wrong and try to make our voices heard many times people try to silence us.
These men and all who are involved in making this South Park show truly need to know the love of Christ because with out love there cannot be compassion and understanding towards you fellow man. Only then will they see that what they do in this cartoon week after week year after year is only hurting people. That is fragile line between verbally attacking someone or a group of people and having free speech.
We also must pray for those who seek to kill the creators of South Park because killing and violence only causes more hurt and chaos. Pray that the love of Christ fills their hearts and when they see these men who are using this cartoon series to make fun of people and cause hurt that they feel sorry for them and take pity on them and forgive them.
We live in a world full of hate and it is only growing more day by day we need to kill this hate with love, compassion and forgiveness.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sign Free Petition To ask President Obama to Reinstate National Day of Prayer
click to read full article from Christian News Wire
MEDIA ADVISORY, April 16 /Christian Newswire/ -- Federal Judge Barbara Crabb ruled in favor of atheist complainers at the Freedom from Religion Foundation, that government recognition of prayer violates the First Amendment. Crabb claimed her decision "carries out the Founders' plan of preserving religious liberty to the fullest extent possible in a pluralistic society," proving she actually believes the Founding Fathers, who prayed to the Judeo-Christian God in Congress, would now suddenly oppose public acts of prayer.
The Pray In Jesus Name Project, led by Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, has already gathered several thousand paper and electronic petition signatures asking President Obama to defend and reinstate public observance of the National Day of Prayer, which Congress created in 1952.
To sign the FREE petition asking President Obama to reinstate NDOP, visit: http://tinyurl.com/obamapray. Please also help our petition go viral by tweeting these words on Twitter/Facebook: "Sign Free Petition: Ask President Obama to reinstate the National Day of Prayer. http://tinyurl.com/obamapray. Please re-tweet many times."
But thus far, White House officials have not yet agreed to meet with Chaplain Klingenschmitt, or receive his petitions. Please call the White House at 202-456-1111 to leave a comment for Joshua Dubois, leader of Obama's faith initiative.
"As a former Navy Chaplain who was punished for praying 'in Jesus name' in uniform," said Klingenschmitt, "I will be joining thousands of people and scores of national ministry leaders at the MayDay2010.org event on May 1st, to pray at the Lincoln Memorial. I hereby invite President Obama to come pray with us, and receive our petitions in person that day."
Iceland Volcano: Startling Pictures from Iceland and the Enormous Ash Clouds
By Rhianna King
Dark, menacing and showing no signs of abating, this is the apocalyptic-style scene that has simultaneously captivated and terrified locals at the heart of Iceland's volcanic eruption.
As people in Britain and the rest of Europe are caught up with the unprecedented travel chaos caused by the eruption, those in Iceland are living with blankets of ash falling from the sky and fears of volcanic floods.
This stunning series of images shows how the black volcanic fog that has wreaked havoc across Europe has created an eerie spectacle.
It's behind you: Motorists escape the smoke and ash rising up from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano
Darkness falls: A farm is shrouded in black as the volcanic cloud spreads across Iceland
Spectacular: Lightning streaks across the sky as lava flows from a volcano in Eyjafjallajokul