MY SOAPBOX PERCEPTION AND REALITY: A REASON TO FEAR

William Andrew Dillard

There is an old saying that perception perpetrated long enough becomes reality. That principle often dominates in the world of ideas. One tuned in to news of current events, even occasionally, will hear much in the political arena of ideas about our country being a democracy. That simply is not true. The United States of America as a political system is a Constitutional Republic! There is a difference. It is an important difference.
The diffusion of power in a nation has always been a problem to freedom loving people. The world has had more than its fill of monarchies, oligarchies, democracies, communism, socialism, fascism, and dozens of aberrations of those forms. The wise founders of this nation wrestled in the world of ideas about how to fashion a government of, by, and for the people to insure the maximum freedom to individuals, and limited, but sufficient powers to government. Their wrestling and their wisdom paid off big time! In outspoken disdain for democracies with their consistent failures, and obvious disdain for monarchies and oligarchies, a new and far better form of government was hammered out that is under siege today more than most people realize.
Listen, listen. It is not “Constitutional Republic” that rolls off the tongue of would be rulers. Rather it is “Democracy” that one hears. Moreover that is repeated often and purposefully. When the thought pattern of democracy is ingrained enough, the tenants of a republic are set aside. When government becomes the expression of the majority vote of individuals, all the safeguards of the constitution are negated. It is a case of perception becoming reality.
Resistance to this infringement on the best form of government the world has ever known depends upon education and testimony. It really is incumbent upon every citizen to know what kind of government constitutes his homeland. It really is incumbent upon every citizen to discern error from truth and speak out about it. This nation is a nation of states all of whom have rights, and all of whom ratified the United States Constitution under which unparalleled freedom is enjoyed. It is the Electoral College that affords all of the states undeniable rights in selecting the executive branch leader of the nation. It is the Constitution of the United States of America that guarantees freedom of speech, religion, the right to bear arms, etc. Let it be proudly announced that we pledge allegiance not to a democracy, but the republic for which the flag stands. May it ever remain within the crafted confines of freedom until the absolute best ever form of government is initiated by the King of kings.

The University of Missouri and the Problems Promised in Prophecy

Nov10by Bro. Jeff Haney

” . . . For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom . . .” – Matthew 24:7

The world has not changed for the better over the last 20 centuries.  If the Lord’s timing is different than what many people think, it will not change for the better over the next 20 centuries.  Society is, and will be, all that the Bible tells us that it is, and will be, and one of the things that the Lord Jesus told us in “bright red ink on bright white paper” is that prior to His return, that rising racial turmoil will be a hallmark of a hell bound society.  He did not give it to us as a spiritual virtue either, He gave it to us as a sign and symptom of the season before He comes again.

I remember as a younger man reading the great Olivet Discourse with eagerness to see if I could see what no one  could see, or had seen in over 2000 years.  It never happened.  What did happen was that when I came to verse 7 I would wonder if the Lord was just repeating Himself for effect when He spoke of “nation – nation – kingdom – kingdom.”  Most people think of a “nation” and a “kingdom” as the same thing; but in fact they are not.

When we look behind the king’s English we find that the word for nation is the word “ethnos” in which we get our word, “ethnic” from.  According to Dr. Strong the root and concept of this word is “race”.  Now that being said, Jesus told us that “race would rise up against race” and that kingdom or country would rise up against country.  This is not a flowering promise for people to embrace, it is a thorn for us to be aware of, and understand what it means.  It means that things are happening (as always) just as Jesus said they would.

This prophecy is a pre-revelation of the sin in society as the world keeps on turning.  And the bad news is it is going to get worse . . . before it gets better.

After reading through the happenings of the Missouri campus and listening to the talking heads the only thing I see and hear is a plethora of people who are totally confused about what to do, and have no idea about how to get a handle on it.

The fact is that every white man, and black man, and green, red, and blue man for that matter is depraved from the substance of their soul.  The Biblical terminology is our “sin nature” – every man, woman, boy and girl has it.  In the context of the Missouri problem, (whether we are talking about Ferguson, or the U of M) the depravity of man, and the spiritual ignorance of the lost has mixed together for a confusing chaos the Lord is not the author of.

There is no doubt that black people have suffered, and do suffer from the abuse of somewhite people. Only a fool denies that fact.

Neither is there any doubt that some black people are so saturated with an “entitlement” spirit and “victimhood” attitude that they think it’s morally wrong to be white.

Don’t misunderstand – there are “entitlement minded white people” as well as “abusive black people”but those are the predominant generalizations that exist in society right now.

One protester that I read of made the statement, “this is 2015, we should be past this.”  I hope I don’t sound condescending when I say this, but what makes us think “2015” has anything to do with it.  The Bible says there is nothing new under the sun.  They could very well have said “It’s 1860 we should be past this.”  They could have said, “It’s 1950 we should be past this.”  Societies and civilizations do not “advance” with the passage of time, they digress.  Admittedly, in many places the fellowship and friendship between the white man and the black man is much better in our generation than it was in the previous, at least on a social level.   On many levels however what we are seeing in Missouri is not just about “black and white” it is about “conservative and liberal.”

The events that led to the conflict were purely a racial in nature.  Some of the things that have come about since the President and other officials have stepped down, have divided people not necessarily along the racial divide, but along the conservative/liberal divide.

At the end of the day, things are happening as Jesus said they would.  It is a tragedy, but it is the truth.  There is only one thing that will change it, and the world does not want to hear it, or accept it.  It is Jesus.  When Jesus enters the heart of  a man, the man changes.  If the man doesn’t change, then Jesus didn’t come in.  Jesus does not just come in to the heart of white men.  Nor does He just change the hearts of black men.  Jesus changes the hearts of lost men.  Until the hearts are changed, the minds will never be convinced.

The problems in Missouri are unredeemed hearts, unBiblical thinking, and uninterested people.  A good solid dose of repentance of sin, and faith in Jesus Christ is the only thing that will change anything, and therefore the only change worth making.

FREEDOM AND RIGHTEOUSNESS REQUIRES VIGILANCE

William Andrew Dillard

PARSON TO PERSON
FREEDOM AND RIGHTEOUSNESS REQUIRES VIGILANCE
As the United States of America wades deep into its third century of being a free and independent nation, it does so without the mainstream of its citizenry possessing the values and resolve that initiated it and supported it through tough, sad, hard, and happy times. That loss is fundamental, so fundamental that the nation as it was framed may not much longer endure. What happened? Think with me! Solomon wrote: “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.” Proverbs 6:6-11. The greatest gift a nation could hope to possess in war with another, would be to find them all asleep in the day of battle. Vigilance has its virtue, and sleep its calamity! In the spiritual warfare, the forces of evil have succeeded in rocking this nation to sleep on toxic materialism. When a majority of the population finds it more palatable to abandon its talent, mental acumen, self determination and personal freedom in favor of whoever will put the biggest check in the mailbox, the devil himself has no trouble garnering the necessary votes to rule. Even when it is known, but not fully comprehended that his rule will be enslavement. Such induced lethargy and sleep provided from the labor of others wins in the battle of preferences in an unprincipled people. This weekend, much celebration will mark yet another year to celebrate the founding of the United States of America. What a God-sent it has been to His people who for centuries yearned to be free to worship Him according to the dictates of their conscience and understanding of Holy Writ! However, judicial actions of the past half century affords much to lament in witnessing its decline. The shinning. global example of freedom and blessedness of this nation is a story of bloodshed, principle, dedication, and hard work. Let all who love this country stand fast in these things and be a part of its grand story. Let us all give ear anew to the words of the wise man who so eloquently penned, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” Proverbs 14:34

Author of Liberty or Not?

LIBERTY LETTERS WITH STEVE FARRELL

Is God the author of liberty, or not?

A valid, and need I say, vital question.

But in this age of secularism, humanism, and socialism, just try mixing God and government in the same breath and get ready for the snickers, sneers, hisses, and guffaws for daring to exercise one’s free speech as regards this off-limits, dangerous, homophobic subject.

Yet the right to free speech and freedom of religion is ours, and the question a must for all to at least consider.

A number of years ago, the dean of a Social Science Department scolded me in BIG RED LETTERS, highlighted by a BIG WITH EMOTION lecture, for infusing God and morality (via quoting the Founders) into a paper (and my portion of a group discussion) that focused on the historical foundation of ethics in American government.

The report was “very well written,” he condescendingly noted, “but inappropriate! No American university would accept your approach as valid!” The grade, a GPA destroying D minus.

I had no doubt about his assessment of America’s universities. (1) Admittedly, I half expected the unfair grade from this ‘ethical’ liberal who put political prejudice ahead of academic honesty. I was, after all, outspoken in class, hard-hitting in my school newspaper columns, and decidedly Christian and conservative. Here was his big chance to make an example of me, to frighten others into submission. He took it.

And it hurt, and he won, or so he thought.

But what of it? Early on, I decided that when it came to ‘getting ahead,’ my religion and morality would come first, and so I would be honest, come hell or high water or D minuses.

Pooh! on his humanistic ethics! “Thou shalt not bear false witness,” is an uncompromising command from the Deity—not something to be abandoned to appease such professors, politicians in my case, nor to settle scores and teach Christian conservatives a lesson about ‘how things are” in academia, like it or not, as he chose to do.

With ethics, however, you can do far worse and not think twice about it. Because when it comes to ethics, the ends justify the means; utilitarianism outbids God-given rights; morality (if the word hasn’t been outlawed) mutates into relativism; and so we have the kind of religion the mass murdering French and communist revolutionaries practiced — and in full fellowship, the secular religion of the American courts, where without conscience men and women abandon their oath of office to promote perversity and socialism, the very things at odds with our way of life – well, because ‘it’s ethical.’

And so it is.

That’s why we need something more solid to steady the arc of liberty than ethics; something that can stand the test of time against the unremitting onslaughts of crisis, propaganda, social change, and wars; something that will not give in, nor give up; something that feels no necessity to succumb and adapt and support the loudest voice, the strongest arm, or the golden calf opportunity.

George Washington knew what it was, and so do you.

Providence has connected the permanent felicity of a nation with its virtue. (2)

Virtue, that is, to Higher Laws. Thus, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.” (3)

He knew it. He saw and felt God’s miraculous hand aiding the colonists throughout the revolution and guiding her in the establishment of the best constitution the world had ever known.

In his First Inaugural Address, he noted:

No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency; and in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their united government the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities from which the event has resulted can not be compared with the means by which most governments have been established without some return of pious gratitude, along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seem to presage. (4)

With that in mind, he understood that

it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States … and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge. (5)

He was turning over the watch care of the nation to the Being whose right it is to preside, who was “the Great Author of every public and private good.” (6)

And why did he say this?

These reflections, arising out of the present crisis, have forced themselves too strongly on my mind to be suppressed. (7)

He believed it. He believed it with every fiber of his being. And why should you or I or any haughty and wicked instructor or government official or supposed patriotic legal organization take it upon themselves to suppress the truth about America from the very mouths of the men who founded this nation?

“In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness — these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens”, (8) concluded Washington in his Farewell Address.

That is the truth about the issue. No greater enemy of the state is there than those who labor to hide from man a view of whence cometh freedom, or who likewise labor to subvert the moral codes and Higher Laws that the very Author of our Liberty has laid down to keep us free.

Until we come to grips with this, and do and say more then we do and say presently – as is our right and duty, regardless of personal cost – one wonders how much we deserve to be called “citizen,” “child of God,” “honest, and moral man.”

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Get your copy of Steve Farrell’s inspirational novel, Dark Rose.

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Steve Farrell is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Moral Liberal, one of the original pundits with NewsMax.com (1999-2007), and the author of the inspirational novel Dark Rose. Steve also served as Press Agent for Defend Marriage, Managing Editor of Right Magazine, and is currently also serving as the Editor-In-Chief of the Center for Applied Philosophy’s, “Radical Academy,” a restoration project of The Moral Liberal. Steve’s projects at the Moral Liberal include Liberty Letters, Called Unto Liberty, They Were Believers, Founders Corner Library, the Americanist.

The Blessed Nation

 

Psalm 33:12

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance,” Psalm 33:12.

In 2008, I had my first opportunity to stand in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia and see the Liberty Bell. It really is not anything that special, it is just an old brass bell with a big crack in it. It is not a lot different than the old bell we used to ring at church camp back when I was a kid.

The Liberty Bell has significance because of what it represents. It was used to mark the signing and first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. This was the document that proclaimed America’s independence as a sovereign nation.

What struck me about the bell was the Scripture engraved around its crest. It’s a portion of Leviticus 25:10 and it states, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” For a nation that was founded on the guiding principle of freedom, these were pretty fitting words! It was also refreshing to see that God’s Word marked the symbol that represented our nation’s founding.

In today’s passage we see that it states, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” Sure, we know that in the context of this verse that nation that is spoken of and referred to as “the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance” is Israel. But the message of blessing to the nation who recognizes the true God as Lord is the same.

I want to be a part of a blessed nation because a blessed nation is a blessed people. Pray for our country. Pray that people will come to Jesus for salvation and return to the Lord for guidance.

 

JUST ASKING

Will you take a moment and pray for our nation?

Nathan Rogers

The Battle of Brooklyn Heights began August 27, 1776

American Minute with Bill Federer

British forces left Boston and headed to New York.

General George Washington moved his troops to New York, fortifying Brooklyn Heights.

Enthusiasm was high and Washington’s ranks swelled to nearly 20,000.

Before long, hundreds of British ships filled New York’s harbor, carrying 32,000 troops.

It was the largest invasion force in history to that date.

The thousands of wooden masts of the British ships were described as looking like a forest.

In Congress, May 1776, General William Livingston made a resolution which passed without dissent:

“We earnestly recommend that Friday, the 17th day of May be observed by the colonies as a day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer,

that we may with united hearts confess and bewail our manifold sins…and by a sincere repentance…appease God’s righteous displeasure,

and through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ obtain His pardon and forgiveness.”

In New York, General Washington ordered his troops, May 15, 1776:

“The Continental Congress having ordered Friday the 17th…to be observed as a Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer,

humbly to supplicate the mercy of Almighty God, that it would please Him to pardon all our manifold sins and transgressions, and to prosper the arms of the United Colonies,

and finally establish the peace and freedom of America upon a solid and lasting foundation;

The General commands all officers and soldiers to pay strict obedience to the orders of the Continental Congress;

that, by their unfeigned and pious observance of their religious duties, they may incline the Lord and Giver of victory to prosper our arms.”

On July 9, 1776, messengers from Philadelphia delivered to New York a copy of the Declaration of Independence, which Washington had read to his troops.

The Declaration mentioned God four times:

“Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God…”

“All Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…”

“Appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of
our Intentions…”

“With a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence.”

Citizens of New York pulled down the statue of the ‘tyrant’ King George and classes were stopped at King’s College, which later reopened as Columbia College.

On AUGUST 27, 1776, the Battle of Brooklyn Heights (Long Island) began.

It was the first major battle after America had officially declared its independence, and it was the largest battle of the entire war.

Washington expected an attack from the sea, similar to what the British did at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Instead, 10,000 British troops landed a distance from New York and a British loyalist led them through Jamaica Pass, marching all night long to make a surprise attack on the Continental Army from behind.

An estimated 3,000 Americans were killed or wounded compared to only 392 British casualties.

As General Washington watched 400 soldiers of the First Maryland Regiment charge six times directly into the British lines, allowing the rest of the Continental Army to find cover, he exclaimed:

“Good God, what brave fellows I have lost this day.”

British General Howe trapped the 8,000 American troops on Brooklyn Heights with their backs against the sea.

That night, Washington made the desperate decision to evacuate his entire army by ferrying it across the East River to Manhattan Island.

The sea was boisterous where the British ships were, but providentially calm in the East River allowing Washington’s boats to transport troops, horses and cannons.

The next morning, as the sun began to rise, half of the America troops were still in danger, but a “miraculously” thick fog lingered blocking the evacuation from being seen by the British.

Major Ben Tallmadge, Washington’s Chief of Intelligence, wrote:

“As the dawn of the next day approached, those of us who remained in the trenches became very anxious for our own safety, and when the dawn appeared there were several regiments still on duty.

At this time a very dense fog began to rise off the river, and it seemed to settle in a peculiar manner over both encampments.

I recollect this peculiar providential occurrence perfectly well, and so very dense was the atmosphere that I could scarcely discern a man at six yards distance…

We tarried until the sun had risen, but the fog remained as dense as ever.”

General Washington was on the last boat that left Brooklyn Heights.

Had the Americans not been able to evacuate, the war would have ended there.

As it happened, the British never again had such an opportunity to capture the entire American army at one time.

Washington wrote later that year, August 20, 1778:

“The Hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this-the course of the war-that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith.”

While in Brooklyn, New York, November 1, 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke of enemy tactics during World War II:

“Those forces hate democracy and Christianity as two phases of the same civilization.

They oppose democracy because it is Christian. They oppose Christianity because it preaches democracy…

We are a nation of many nationalities, many races, many religions bound together by a single unity, the unity of freedom and equality…”

FDR concluded:

“Whoever seeks to set one nationality against another, seeks to degrade all nationalities.

Whoever seeks to set one race against another seeks to enslave all races…

So-called racial and religious voting blocs are the creation of designing politicians who profess to be able to deliver them on Election Day…

But every American citizen…will scorn such unpatriotic politicians.

The vote of Americans will be American – and only American.”

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The Moral Liberal contributing editor, William J. Federer, is the bestselling author of “Backfired: A Nation Born for Religious Tolerance no Longer Tolerates Religion,” and numerous other books. A frequent radio and television guest, his daily American Minute is broadcast nationally via radio, television, and Internet. Check out all of Bill’s books here.

Peter Learned To Stand

 

Acts 2:22-24

 

“Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know,” Acts 2:22.

 

Peter Learned To Stand

 

Have you ever had enough and finally had to stand up for the real truth? Peter found himself in this very situation.

 

The filling of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost came forty days after Christ’s ascension. The ability to speak a language other than one’s own happened as the result of the Holy Spirit blessing. In God’s plan, the gospel could be spread into multiple nations at one time during this gathering of nations. But someone always has to put a damper on the Lord’s work even when it is going great.

 

Soon the naysayers found fault with the preaching and began to accuse the speakers as being full of new wine or in other words intoxicated. Peter had had enough and he stood up and began to preach. The religious people of Jerusalem thought they had a monopoly on the gospel, but Peter quickly shattered that thought. He reminded them of a prophecy in Joel and preached to them concerning Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.

 

Peter dared to preach the truth to a group of religiously nice but lost people and the Holy Spirit convicted their hearts. On that day about three thousand people believed the gospel and were baptized.

 

 

Reflection

 

Our responsibility as believers is to speak the truth and let the Holy Spirit convict.

 

Beverly Barnett

 

 

The Coming Kingdom

 

Micah 4:1-5

 

“For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever,” Micah 4:5.

 

 

The world has never known peace. There has never been a time when there was not a war—or at least an uprising—between nations or within a nation. It is pretty sad to think about, honestly, but constant fighting is a byproduct of our sinful nature. If the Spirit of God is not reigning in our hearts, when we are wronged, our first instinct is one of hatred or vengeance. That being the case, we will never know what world peace is as long as sinful men are at the helms of national governments.

 

But there is coming a day when all of the warfare, fighting, terrorism and revolutions will cease. When Jesus returns, He will usher in a kingdom, established and governed by Himself, in which even the reminders of warfare will be abolished. Micah foretells that even the swords will be beaten into plowshares, and spears into pruning hooks. Weapons that were once used for shedding blood in anger will be transformed into tools used for more noble and peaceful purposes.

 

As easy as it is to get caught up in the turbulence and turmoil of political uneasiness both here and abroad, take time to reflect upon the peace that will exist once Christ has returned to set up His kingdom. When He returns, He will order and govern the universe to function the way He originally intended, and no pride-filled scheme of men will be able to overthrow His authority.

 

 

JUST A THOUGHT

 

Will you trust God for peace today?

 

Mark Clements

 

 

Christian Photographers Ordered to Shoot Homosexual ‘Weddings’ Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court

 

ALBEQUERQUE – Attorneys for a Christian couple in New Mexico who were told by the courts that they may not refuse to shoot homosexual ‘weddings’ in the state have appealed the ruling to the United States Supreme Court.

 

As previously reported, Elane Huguenin and her husband Jon run Elane Photography in Albuquerque. In 2006, when Vanessa Willock, a lesbian, approached Elane and requested that she photograph her commitment ceremony, Huguenin declined, stating that she only covers traditional weddings.

 

The situation soon ended up before the New Mexico Human Rights Commission, who ruled against Huguenin in 2008, stating that she was guilty of violating the state’s “sexual orientation” discrimination law. New Mexico law prohibits “any person in a public accommodation to make a distinction, directly or indirectly, in offering or refusing to offer its services …to any person because of…sexual orientation.” The commission then ordered the photographer to pay nearly $7,000 in fines for refusing to shoot the ceremony.

 

Huguenin appealed the decision in December 2009, arguing that forcing her to go against her beliefs regarding homosexuality would be like forcing African Americans to photograph Klu Klux Klan members. Last June, the Mexico State Court of Appeals released a 45-page opinion upholding the guilty verdict.

 

The Christian legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) then appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously in August that Huguenin must shoot homosexual weddings despite her convictions. The panel was comprised of Justices Patricia Serna, Petra Jimenez Maes, Edward Chavels, Richard Bosson and Charles Daniels.

 

“[W]hen Elane Photography refused to photograph a same-sex commitment ceremony, it violated the NMHRA in the same way as if it had refused to photograph a wedding between people of different races,” the court concluded.

 

Justice Richard C. Bosson, who wrote a concurring opinion, had even stronger words regarding the matter. He asserted that while the Huguenins are being forced by the court to compromise the commandments of God, everyone must make concessions in life over matters that violate their conscience. He outlined that the Huguenins may freely live out their faith privately, but when it comes to running a public business, they will have to “pay the price” and check their Christian convictions at the door.

 

“The Huguenins are free to think, to say, to believe, as they wish; they may pray to the God of their choice and follow those commandments in their personal lives wherever they lead. The Constitution protects the Huguenins in that respect and much more. But there is a price, one that we all have to pay somewhere in our civic life,” he stated.

 

“That compromise is part of the glue that holds us together as a nation, the tolerance that lubricates the varied moving parts of us as a people,” Bosson asserted. “In short, I would say to the Huguenins, with the utmost respect: it is the price of citizenship.”

 

ADF has now petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case and affirm to the nation that businesses have the right to conduct commerce in accordance with their faith.

 

“The idea that free people can be ‘compelled by law to compromise the very religious beliefs that inspire their lives’ as the ‘price of citizenship’ is a chilling and unprecedented attack on freedom,” said Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence. “We are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to make it clear that no American has to abandon their constitutionally protected freedoms just to make a living. No American should be punished or put out of business simply for disagreeing with the government’s opinion on a moral issue.”

 

“Every artist must be free to create work that expresses what he or she believes and not be forced by the government to express opposing views,” added Legal Counsel Jim Campbell. “Should the government force an African-American photographer to take pictures of a KKK rally? A government that can force anyone to promote messages against his or her will is a government out of control.”

 

The post Christian Photographers Ordered to Shoot Homosexual ‘Weddings’ Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court appeared first on The Trumpet Online.

 

 

 

America, The Most Drugged Up Nation

 

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 10:41 PM PST

 

(NaturalNews) There is simply no denying the epidemic of drug addiction in the United States of America, or that this addiction is primarily centered around legalized pharmaceutical drugs rather than illicit street drugs. A recent analysis by the blog The American Dream highlights 18 shocking facts and statistics that show just how bad this addiction really is, and that it is only continuing to get worse.

 

Drug companies work very hard and spend obscene amounts of money convincing both the public and mainstream doctors that the latest blockbuster drugs will improve public health and well-being. Big Pharma, in fact, spends billions of dollars a year just on television advertising for drugs, which is a crucial tactic for maintaining this medical status.

 

But what few people realize is just how rapidly society is becoming dependent on pharmaceutical drugs, and particularly in the US where, in a recent survey, more than 50 percent of Americans admitted that they took at least one prescription drug within the past month. These are just prescription drugs, of course — millions more Americans regularly take over-the-counter medications like aspirin, cough medicines, and sleeping aids.

 

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that more than one quarter of all American children and teens now take prescription drugs on a regular basis, too — and this percentage is on the rise as well. Many of these children are taking dangerous psychiatric medications like Ritalin and Risperdal for so-called behavioral problems like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

 

Foster children, especially, bear most of the brunt of this fraudulent mental health treatment industry, which pumps them up with psychiatric medications even when they have no legitimate behavioral problems. In some cases, foster children are up to 53 times more likely than regular children to be taking five or more psychiatric medications at a time.

 

As far as adults are concerned, the percentage of adult women in the US that take antidepressants is higher than it is anywhere else in the world. American children are also three times more likely than children in Europe to be prescribed antidepressants. And the overall use of antidepressants in the US among all age groups doubled between 1996 and 2005, according to statistics.

 

And when all is said and done, pharmaceutical drugs, not illicit street drugs, take the first-place spot for causing the most drug-related injuries and deaths in the US. At least 200,000 Americans are now killed every year by pharmaceutical drugs, which is higher than the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents.

 

Be sure to read the full story at The American Dream:
http://endoftheamericandream.com

 

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