Soldiers may be court martialed for sharing Christian faith

The Obama administration is not one to take their foot off the neck of Christians, but not so much the Muslims.

So President Barack Obama’s civilian appointees who lead the Pentagon are confirming that the military will make it a crime–possibly resulting in imprisonment–for those in uniform to share their faith. This would include chaplains—military officers who are ordained clergymen of their faith (mostly Christian pastors or priests, or Jewish rabbis)–whose duty since the founding of the U.S. military under George Washington is to teach their faith and minister to the spiritual needs of troops who come to them for counsel, instruction, or comfort.

Recall earlier Military ready to purge Catholics and Protestants and Evangelicals?

The military is getting ready for the purge of any servicemen and women who may not be ready to turn on their fellow citizens? Recall first  West Point think tank warns of dangerous conservatives?

The report issued this week by the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., is titled “Challengers from the Sidelines: Understanding America’s Violent Far-Right.” And just who are these “Violent Far-Right” folks?

It says anti-federalists “espouse strong convictions regarding the federal government, believing it to be corrupt and tyrannical, with a natural tendency to intrude on individuals’ civil and constitutional rights. Finally, they support civil activism, individual freedoms, and self government. Extremists in the anti-federalist movement direct most their violence against the federal government and its proxies in law enforcement.”

“While liberal worldviews are future- or progressive-oriented, conservative  perspectives are more past-oriented, and in general, are interested in  preserving the status quo,” the report says. “The far right represents a more  extreme version of conservatism, as its political vision is usually justified by  the aspiration to restore or preserve values and practices that are part of the  idealized historical heritage of the nation or ethnic community.”

Now we hear from and more at Breitbart

The Pentagon has released a statement confirming that soldiers could be prosecuted for promoting their faith: “Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense…Court martials and non-judicial punishments are decided on a case-by-case basis…”.

The statement, released to Fox News, follows a Breitbart News report on Obama administration Pentagon appointees meeting with anti-Christian extremist Mikey Weinstein to develop court-martial procedures to punish Christians in the military who express or share their faith.

(From an earlier report: Weinstein is the head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, and says Christians–including chaplains–sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in the military are guilty of “treason,” and of committing an act of “spiritual rape” as serious a crime as “sexual assault.” He also asserted that Christians sharing their faith in the military are “enemies of the Constitution.”)

Being convicted in a court martial means that a soldier has committed a crime under federal military law. Punishment for a court martial can include imprisonment and being dishonorably discharged from the military.

Military ready to purge Catholics and Protestant Evangelicals?

So now Catholics and Evangelical Protestants are classified as “extremist” religious groups alongside al Qaeda and the Ku Klux Klan.

The military is getting ready for the purge of any servicemen and women who may not be ready to turn on their fellow citizens? Recall first  West Point think tank warns of dangerous conservatives?

The report issued this week by the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., is titled “Challengers from the Sidelines: Understanding America’s Violent Far-Right.” And just who are these “Violent Far-Right” folks?

It says anti-federalists “espouse strong convictions regarding the federal government, believing it to be corrupt and tyrannical, with a natural tendency to intrude on individuals’ civil and constitutional rights. Finally, they support civil activism, individual freedoms, and self government. Extremists in the anti-federalist movement direct most their violence against the federal government and its proxies in law enforcement.”

Now we learn that the DOD is moving on for the purge?

The presentation identified seventeen religious organizations in a slide titled “religious extremism.” They include al Qaeda, Hamas, the Filipino separatist group Abu Sayyaf, and the Ku Klux Klan, which the slide identifies as a Christian organization..

The Defense Department came under fire Thursday for a U.S. Army Reserve presentation that classified Catholics and Evangelical Protestants as “extremist” religious groups alongside al Qaeda and the Ku Klux Klan.

“Men and women of faith who have served the Army faithfully for centuries shouldn’t be likened to those who have regularly threatened the peace and security of the United States,” said Col. Ron Crews, a retired Army chaplain and the executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty.

“It is dishonorable for any U.S. military entity to allow this type of wrongheaded characterization,” Crews said in a news release.

The Archdiocese for the Military Services, a Catholic organization that trains and endorses military priests and chaplains, said in a release that it was “astounded that Catholics were listed alongside groups that are, by their very mission and nature, violent and extremist.”

“Religious extremism is not limited to any single religion, ethnic group, or region of the world,” the slide explains, in language that closely resembles the text of a Wikipedia page on “extremism.”

While outfits such as al Qaeda and the KKK are explicitly violent, the presentation also lists Catholicism and evangelical Protestantism as extremist groups.

 

 The AMS called on the Pentagon “to review these materials and to ensure that tax-payer funds are never again used to present blatantly anti-religious material to the men and women in uniform.”

H/T: Free Beacon

Happy Easter!

He has Risen, he has Risen indeed!

From Andre Rieu’s “Live From Radio City Music Hall” in New York City 2004, with the Johann Strauss Orchestra and the Harlem Gospel Choir.

Happy Easter to everyone.

Christianity ‘close to extinction’ in places: An Islamic Victory?

Christianity faces being wiped out of the “biblical heartlands” in the Middle East because of mounting persecution of worshippers, according to a new report.

As we wind down this year and the season of holiday cheer comes to and end, it is easy to pass by one of the biggest stories that was under reported. That being the attack on Christianity throughout much of the world. Let us keep our brothers and sisters in our prayers. Here we go:

The study warns that Christians suffer greater hostility across the world than any other religious group.

And it claims politicians have been “blind” to the extent of violence faced by Christians in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

The most common threat to Christians abroad is militant Islam, it says, claiming that oppression in Muslim countries is often ignored because of a fear that criticism will be seen as “racism”.

The report, entitled Christianophobia, highlights a fear among oppressive regimes that Christianity is a “Western creed” which can be used to undermine them.

The “lion’s share” of persecution faced by Christians arises in countries where Islam is the dominant faith, the report says, quoting estimates that between a half and two-thirds of Christians in the Middle East have left the region or been killed in the past century.

“There is now a serious risk that Christianity will disappear from its biblical heartlands,” it claims.

The report shows that “Muslim-majority” states make up 12 of the 20 countries judged to be “unfree” on the grounds of religious tolerance by Freedom House, the human rights think tank.

It catalogues hundreds of attacks on Christians by religious fanatics over recent years, focusing on seven countries: Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Nigeria, India, Burma and China.

State hostility towards Christianity is particularly rife in China, where more Christians are imprisoned than in any other country in the world, according to the report.

READ THE REST HERE

H/T: THEFLYINGCAMELDOTORG

Christian Stations under pressure to do a ‘Glenn Beck Fast” for Lent

I found this piece over at Christian Post troublesome. Clearly, Glenn Beck attacked and gave a real drubbing to Churches who are heavily involved in so-called ”Social Justice” issues. At the time of his attack on those churches, he gave a number of  well thought out, and documented programs describing the evolution of how many of these Churches were becoming  radicalized without really understanding the basis or etiology of the political agenda. I am no big fan of Beck, mainy because I cannot take a steady diet of him. That said, I have learned much and have enjoyed his clips on the Progressive movement. It is hard to argue with primary sources that cannot be denied. Maybe I found this story disturbing  because I too felt a need to leave a Church for these same reasons. I am including a vid of Van Jones describing Social Justice. For more background that got Glenn into difficulty, our earlier post: Glenn Beck says Collective Salvation is demonic – Obama believes in it.

A good read over at the Eastern Right on Liberation Theology with links to the full Beck Program and an article by Pope Benedict regarding Collective Salvation. Pick up the story here

UPDATE: Caught this at  The Blaze :

The group credits Res Publica and True Majority for helping establish itself as a “religious version of MoveOn.org.” Res Publica is a progressive organization largely funded by George Soros’ Open Society Institute and boast board members such as John Podesta of the Center for American Progress and Eli Pariser, executive director of MoveOn.   In 2008, Soros’ Open Society Institute awarded two $400,000 grants to Faithful America.

Here tis from:Christian Post:

Faithful America describes itself as an online community of citizens motivated by faith to take action on social problems such as ending poverty, promoting economic security, promoting peace and restoring America’s commitment to human rights and diplomacy, preventing harmful effects of climate change, countering hate speech and misinformation in the media about people of faith, and working to build communities where immigrants and people of faiths are welcomed. (Their website says it all:http://www.faithfulamerica.org/) Got it! 

“The pressure on Beck and his sponsors is building. And the bottom line is no responsible person or company should support programming that promotes menacing conspiracy theories and tells listeners to flee from churches that talk about social justice,” said Faithful America in the statement. “This should go double for a company claiming to represent Christian values.”

“We invite WMCA and WNYM to use this Lenten period to reflect on their Christian values and make a commitment not to pick up Glenn Beck, during the next 40 days or any time after.”

Faithful America, an online community that claims to be made up of over 100,000 people of faith, is calling on two Salem Communications-owned radio stations in New York – WMCA and WNYM – to “give up Glenn Beck for Lent.”

The two Christian radio stations are the only ones left in the New York City area that have not made a commitment to remove Beck from their airwaves, according to Faithful America. From Philadelphia to Madison, radio stations have already dropped Beck’s program from their line-up due to falling ratings and poor content.

“Beck’s caustic remarks, fear-mongering and bigotry have led to a national backlash,” Faithful America asserts in a statement. More at Christian Post

From the Right Scoop:  Van Jones spoke at Guilford College in North Carolina a couple of days ago and defined Social Justice for the audience. He said that if you could write your life on a card and put it in a hat filled with cards from everyone else in your country, and that you could then be totally assured that any card you pulled out would be a good life for you to live, then you know you live in a social justice country.

As the makers of the video points out, that’s communism:

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Christian Converts remain in prison in Afghanistan

Previously  I did a post on Christian Said Musa sentenced to death in Afghanistan. The Media and Christian Churches are saying little if anything regarding this issue. He has recently been released. It is time to call attention to their plight. The events taking place in the Middle East could easily spiral out of control and result in a terrible genocide.

The organization this week also drew attention to the plight of six Afghan Christians, four of whom had featured in the controversial May 2010 television program, who fled to India and applied for asylum.

The six – two couples and two sisters – have recently had their asylum applications rejected by the U.N. High Commission for Refugees, according to Barnabas Fund.

“They now face deportation to Afghanistan, where they risk arrest and possible execution for apostasy under the country’s shari’a-based law,” the organization said.

An Afghan convert to Christianity facing the death penalty for apostasy has been freed, but others remain in prison, and advocacy groups say the underlying problem – the glaring absence of religious freedom in a country where American and other soldiers are fighting and dying – must be addressed.

Aidan Clay, ICC regional manager for the Middle East, warmly welcomed Musa’s release, but added that “the battle has not yet been won.”

He pointed to another Afghan Christian arrested for his faith, Shoaib Assadullah.

“We still have a long road ahead before we witness religious freedom in Afghanistan,” Clay said.

Assadullah, who is in his early- to mid-20s, is being held in a prison in the northern Mazar-e-Sharif district.

According to Barnabas Fund, a charity that helps Christians in Islamic societies, he was arrested in October after giving a New Testament in the national Dari language to another Afghan, who reported him to the authorities.

Assadullah has been threatened with the death penalty for apostasy unless he returns to Islam, Barnabas Fund says.

“The cases of these six dear brothers and sisters highlight the fact that Afghan converts to Christianity are safe neither inside nor outside the country,” said Barnabas Fund international director Patrick Sookhdeo. “It is a disgrace that they have been denied refuge when their very lives depend on it.”

More here CNS

Said Musa, Christian in Afghanistan to be hanged for conversion UPDATE

Update: ”I got confirmation today that he is out of the country,” Aidan Clay, International Christian Concern’s, told The Christian Post Thursday

Said Musa, the Afghan Christian who was facing the death sentence for converting from Islam, has been released from the prison in Kabul. But others remain in Prison. Here is an updated post I did: Christian converts remain in prison

More here at: Christian Post about Said Musa.

Here is a moving post from American Spectator that asks the question: Why are our soldiers dying? Said Musa is soon to be hanged for converting to Christianity in Afghanistan. Included in the story, is Said’s written letter asking us for help.

We hear little if anything about the wars we wage. A few stories about Said Musa have trickled out over the last few months, mainly by bloggers.

I make sure I visit Fallen Warriors on our blogroll every day,which lists the recently killed military men and women. I want to keep these faces fresh in my mind. These are the ones who were willing to give it all for a better Afghanistan. It gives me energy to keep writing our little blog in hopes it may make a difference. I search for the stories that have not yet, or should be making the headlines. This was one.

Do follow the embedded “Published”  link  and read his letter.

American Spectator

What are we doing allying in war with these barbarians? What evidence have they given us that they are actually a better government than the Taliban would be? How does propping them up as a government in Afghanistan, even if we win the war there, benefit us or humanity?

It has recently been reported from Afghanistan that a one-legged Afghan Red Cross worker and physiotherapist, Said Musa, 45, is shortly to be hanged by the government, or what passes for the government, for having converted to Christianity.

No defense lawyer will represent him. Some were reported to have dropped the case after receiving death threats. He has been held for about eight months in Kabul prison and reportedly tortured.

He was arrested last May while trying to find sanctuary in the German Embassy following renewed waves of persecution of Christians. He is said to have been offered a reprieve if he denied Christianity but has refused to do this. All this has been known in the West for some time.

The case raises several points. First, where are the protests from that oft-referred-to force, the moderate Muslims?

Second, where are the protests from secular humanists?

Third, where are the protests from the major Christian church leaders? The likes of the caprine Archbishop of Canterbury, for example, or the World Council of Churches, generally more than ready to jump on any trendy political bandwagon?

The Said Musa case has drawn some protests from some evangelical Christian groups. One group has published an extremely moving and courageous letter from Said Musa on the Internet. Yet for the most part the matter has been observed, like innumerable other recent cases of the persecution of Christians, with reactions ranging from rabbit-in-the-headlights paralysis to indifference.

Full story here at:   American Spectator

Obama Not Sure Our Rights Come From Our Creator?

Looks like we now know why he scurried on over to the Church on Sunday morning. Here is the Communion snafu or whatever . He no doubt was told, this might not be so good.

On Friday evening, when President Obama addressed the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, he quoted that passage as follows  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal [pause],(Check long 4 sec pause)–note the spinning eyeballs–  endowed with certain unalienable rights:  life and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

In Obama’s version, there is no “Creator.”

Only two plausible explanations spring to mind.  One is that President Obama isn’t very familiar with the most famous passage in the document that founded this nation; that even when plainly reading from a teleprompter, he wasn’t able to quote it correctly.  The other is that President Obama doesn’t subscribe to the Declaration’s rather central claim that our rights come from our “Creator” (also referred to in the Declaration as “Nature’s God” and “the Supreme Judge of the World”).

More at the weekly standard here

Russia: Christian Pastor Executed for Converting “Too Many Muslims” in Dagestan

While we enjoy our freedom of religion, I want to keep in mind that there is one that tolerates none other. And that is the Muslim Faith..which has become more of a political movement under the heading of a religion. We are the infidels…those to be destroyed. So while we have this civil debate over the building of the mosque on Ground Zero, with dubious financial support, let us not forget what they are about.

Pastor Artur Suleimanov, 49, was shot by unidentified gunmen recently while leaving Hosanna Christian Church in Dagestan on July 15.

Suleimanov was a Russian pastor who founded the biggest Protestant church in the Northern Caucasus region. The church has 1,000 members, 80 percent of whom were previously Muslim.

He was murdered recently after a media report said he deserved to die for converting too many Muslims.

Dagestan, located in the Caucasus mountains, is home to 2.6 million people, 91 percent of which are Muslim. Missionaries from outside Dagestan had not matched Suleimanov’s success, who was a native of the region.

Because the country borders Chechnya, it is often caught in the crossfire of a longstanding conflict between Russia and Chechen Sunni Islam separatists leading to many civilian deaths. Read more here

Hat Tip: Weasel Zippers: Weaselzippers

In The Land Of Mao, A Rising Tide Of Christianity

This certainly brings good news. To think that thirty years ago, this was unthinkable. A new revival?

NPR is presenting a five part series, and the  Chinese religious awakening is covered. You can go to NPR to hear the program here

Official Chinese surveys now show that nearly one in three Chinese describe themselves as religious, an astonishing figure for an officially atheist country, where religion was banned until three decades ago.

The last 30 years of economic reform have seen an explosion of religious belief. China’s government officially recognizes five religions: Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam and Daoism. The biggest boom of all has been in Christianity, which the government has struggled to control.

“God is rising here in China,” she says, gesturing around the cavernous church. “If you look at the U.S. or England, their gospel is very advanced. Their churches are rich, because God blesses them. So I pray for China.”

In the past, she has left the village to work in Shanghai. She says her belief in Christ was a lifeline in the alien metropolis and her church acted as her family.

“Whether they know you or not, they treat you as a brother or sister,” she says. “If you have troubles, they help out with money or material assistance or spiritual aid.” Read more here