America’s Most Biblically-Hostile U. S. President

David Barton - 07/08/2014

America’s Most Biblically-Hostile  U. S. President When one observes President Obama’s unwillingness to accommodate America’s four-century long religious conscience protection through his attempts to require Catholics to go against their own doctrines and beliefs, one is tempted to say that he is anti-Catholic. But that characterization would not be correct. Although he has recently singled out Catholics, he has equally targeted traditional Protestant beliefs over the past four years. So since he has attacked Catholics and Protestants, one is tempted to say that he is anti-Christian. But that, too, would be inaccurate.  President Barack Obama He has been equally disrespectful in his appalling treatment of religious Jews in general and Israel in particular. So perhaps the most accurate description of his antipathy toward Catholics, Protestants, religious Jews, and the Jewish nation would be to characterize him as anti-Biblical. And then when his hostility toward Biblical people of faith is contrasted with his preferential treatment of Muslims and Muslim nations, it further strengthens the accuracy of the anti-Biblical descriptor. In fact, there have been numerous clearly documented times when his pro-Islam positions have been the cause of his anti-Biblical actions. Listed below in chronological order are (1) numerous records of his attacks on Biblical persons or organizations; (2) examples of the hostility toward Biblical faith that have become evident in the past three years in the Obama-led military; (3) a listing of his open attacks on Biblical values; and finally (4) a listing of numerous incidents of his preferential deference for Islam’s activities and positions, including letting his Islamic advisors guide and influence his hostility toward people of Biblical faith. 1. Acts of hostility toward people of Biblical faith: December 2009-Present - The annual White House Christmas cards, rather than focusing on Christmas or faith, instead highlight things such as the family dogs. And the White House Christmas tree ornaments include figures such as Mao Tse-Tung and a drag queen. [1] June 2013 – The Obama Department of Justice defunds a Young Marines chapter in Louisiana because their oath mentioned God, and another youth program because it permits a voluntary student-led prayer. [2] February 2013 – The Obama Administration announces that the rights of religious conscience for individuals will not be protected under the Affordable Care Act. [3] January 2013 – Pastor Louie Giglio is pressured to remove himself from praying at the inauguration after it is discovered he once preached a sermon supporting the Biblical definition of marriage. [4] February 2012 – The Obama administration forgives student loans in exchange for public service, but announces it will no longer forgive student loans if the public service is related to religion. [5] January 2012 – The Obama administration argues that the First Amendment provides no protection for churches and synagogues in hiring their pastors and rabbis. [6] December 2011 – The Obama administration denigrates other countries' religious beliefs as an obstacle to radical homosexual rights. [7] November 2011 – President Obama opposes inclusion of President Franklin Roosevelt’s famous D-Day Prayer in the WWII Memorial. [8] November 2011 – Unlike previous presidents, Obama studiously avoids any religious references in his Thanksgiving speech. [9] August 2011 – The Obama administration releases its new health care rules that override religious conscience protections for medical workers in the areas of abortion and contraception. [10] April 2011 – For the first time in American history, Obama urges passage of a non-discrimination law that does not contain hiring protections for religious groups, forcing religious organizations to hire according to federal mandates without regard to the dictates of their own faith, thus eliminating conscience protection in hiring. [11] February 2011 – Although he filled posts in the State Department, for more than two years Obama did not fill the post of religious freedom ambassador, an official that works against religious persecution across the world; he filled it only after heavy pressure from the public and from Congress. [12] January 2011 – After a federal law was passed to transfer a WWI Memorial in the Mojave Desert to private ownership, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the cross in the memorial could continue to stand, but the Obama administration refused to allow the land to be transferred as required by law, and refused to allow the cross to be re-erected as ordered by the Court. [13] November 2010 – Obama misquotes the National Motto, saying it is “E pluribus unum” rather than “In God We Trust” as established by federal law. [14] October 19, 2010 – Obama begins deliberately omitting the phrase about “the Creator” when quoting the Declaration of Independence – an omission he has made on no less than seven occasions. [15] May 2009 – Obama declines to host services for the National Prayer Day (a day established by federal law) at the White House. [16] April 2009 – When speaking at Georgetown University, Obama orders that a monogram symbolizing Jesus' name be covered when he is making his speech. [17] April 2009 – In a deliberate act of disrespect, Obama nominated three pro-abortion ambassadors to the Vatican; of course, the pro-life Vatican rejected all three. [18] February 2009 – Obama announces plans to revoke conscience protection for health workers who refuse to participate in medical activities that go against their beliefs, and fully implements the plan in February 2011. [19] April 2008 – Obama speaks disrespectfully of Christians, saying they “cling to guns or religion” and have an “antipathy to people who aren't like them.” [20] 2. Acts of hostility from the Obama-led military toward people of Biblical faith: June 2014 - Official U. S. government personnel, both civilian and military, in Bahrain (a small Arabic nation near Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran) must wear clothing that facilitates the religious observance of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.​ [21] March 2014 - ​Maxell Air Force Base suddenly bans Gideons from handing out Bibles to willing recruits, a practice that had been occurring for years previously. [22] December 2013 - A naval facility required that two nativity scenes -- scenes depicting the event that caused Christmas to be declared a national federal holiday -- be removed from the base dining hall and be confined to the base chapel, thus disallowing the open public acknowledgment of this national federal holiday. [23] December 2013 - An Air Force base that allowed various public displays ordered the removal of one simply because it contained religious content.[24] October 2013 – A counter-intelligence briefing at Fort Hood tells soldiers that evangelical Christians are a threat to Americans and that for a soldier to donate to such a group “was punishable under military regulations.”[25] October 2013 – Catholic priests hired to serve as military chaplains are prohibited from performing Mass services at base chapels during the government financial shutdown. When they offered to freely do Mass for soldiers, without regard to whether or not the chaplains were receiving pay, they are still denied permission to do so. [26] October 2013 - The Air Force Academy, in response to a complaint from Mikey Weinstein's Military Religious Freedom Foundation, makes "so help me God" optional in cadets' honor oath. [27] August 2013 - A Department of Defense military training manual teaches soldiers that people who talk about "individual liberties, states' rights, and how to make the world a better place" are "extremists." It also lists the Founding Fathers -- those "colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule" -- as examples of those involved in "extremist ideologies and movements." [28] August 2013 - A Senior Master Sergeant was removed from his position and reassigned because he told his openly lesbian squadron commander that she should not punish a staff sergeant who expressed his views in favor of traditional marriage. [29] August 2013 - The military does not provide heterosexual couples specific paid leave to travel to a state just for the purpose of being married, but it did extend these benefits to homosexual couples who want to marry, thus giving them preferential treatment not available to heterosexuals. [30] August 2013 - The Air Force, in the midst of having launched a series of attacks against those expressing traditional religious or moral views, invited a drag queen group to perform at a base. [31] July 2013 - When an Air Force sergeant with years of military service questioned a same-sex marriage ceremony performed at the Air Force Academy's chapel, he received a letter of reprimand telling him that if he disagreed, he needed to get out of the military. His current six-year reenlistment was then reduced to only one-year, with the notification that he "be prepared to retire at the end of this year." [32] July 2013 - An Air Force chaplain who posted a website article on the importance of faith and the origin of the phrase "There are no atheists in foxholes" was officially ordered to remove his post because some were offended by the use of that famous World War II phrase. [33] June 2013 - The U. S. Air Force, in consultation with the Pentagon, removed an inspirational painting that for years has been hanging at Mountain Home Air Force Base because its title was "Blessed Are The Peacemakers" -- a phrase from Matthew 5:9 in the Bible. [34] June 2013 – The Obama administration “strongly objects” to a Defense Authorization amendment to protect the constitutionally-guaranteed religious rights of soldiers and chaplains, claiming that it would have an “adverse effect on good order, discipline, morale, and mission accomplishment.” [35] June 2013 – At a joint base in New Jersey, a video was made, based on a Super Bowl commercial, to honor First Sergeants. It stated: “On the eighth day, God looked down on His creation and said, ‘I need someone who will take care of the Airmen.’ So God created a First Sergeant.” Because the video mentioned the word “God,” the Air Force required that it be taken down. [36] June 2013 – An Army Master Sergeant is reprimanded, threatened with judicial action, and given a bad efficiency report, being told he was “no longer a team player,” because he voiced his support of traditional marriage at his own promotion party. [37] May 2013 - The Pentagon announces that "Air Force members are free to express their personal religious beliefs as long as it does not make others uncomfortable. "Proselytizing (inducing someone to convert to one's faith) goes over that line," [38] affirming if a sharing of faith makes someone feel uncomfortable that it could be a court-marital offense [39] -- the military equivalent of a civil felony. May 2013 - An Air Force officer was actually made to remove a personal Bible from his own desk because it "might" appear that he was condoning the particular religion to which he belonged. [40] April 2013 – Officials briefing U.S. Army soldiers placed "Evangelical Christianity" and "Catholicism" in a list that also included Al-Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood, and Hamas as examples of "religious extremism." [41] April 2013 – The U.S. Army directs troops to scratch off and paint over tiny Scripture verse references that for decades had been forged into weapon scopes. [42] April 2013 - The Air Force creates a "religious tolerance" policy but consults only a militant atheist group to do so -- a group whose leader has described military personnel who are religious as 'spiritual rapists' and 'human monsters' [43] and who also says that soldiers who proselytize are guilty of treason and sedition and should be punished to hold back a "tidal wave of fundamentalists." [44] January 2013 – President Obama announced his opposition to a provision in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act protecting the rights of conscience for military chaplains. [45] June 2012 – Bibles for the American military have been printed in every conflict since the American Revolution, but the Obama Administration revokes the long-standing U. S. policy of allowing military service emblems to be placed on those military Bibles. [46] May 2012 – The Obama administration opposed legislation to protect the rights of conscience for military chaplains who do not wish to perform same-sex marriages in violation of their strongly-held religious beliefs. [47] April 2012 – A checklist for Air Force Inns will no longer include ensuring that a Bible is available in rooms for those who want to use them. [48] February 2012 – The U. S. Military Academy at West Point disinvites three star Army general and decorated war hero Lieutenant General William G. (“Jerry”) Boykin (retired) from speaking at an event because he is an outspoken Christian. [49] February 2012 – The Air Force removes “God” from the patch of Rapid Capabilities Office (the word on the patch was in Latin: Dei). [50] February 2012 – The Army ordered Catholic chaplains not to read a letter to parishioners that their archbishop asked them to read. [51] November 2011 – The Air Force Academy rescinds support for Operation Christmas Child, a program to send holiday gifts to impoverished children across the world, because the program is run by a Christian charity. [52]  November 2011 – President Obama opposes inclusion of President Franklin Roosevelt’s famous D-Day Prayer in the WWII Memorial. [53] November 2011 – Even while restricting and disapprobating Christian religious expressions, the Air Force Academy pays $80,000 to add a Stonehenge-like worship center for pagans, druids, witches and Wiccans at the Air Force Academy. [54] September 2011 – Air Force Chief of Staff prohibits commanders from notifying airmen of programs and services available to them from chaplains. [55] September 2011 – The Army issues guidelines for Walter Reed Medical Center stipulating that “No religious items (i.e. Bibles, reading materials and/or facts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit.” [56] August 2011 – The Air Force stops teaching the Just War theory to officers in California because the course is taught by chaplains and is based on a philosophy introduced by St. Augustine in the third century AD – a theory long taught by civilized nations across the world (except now, America).[57] June 2011 – The Department of Veterans Affairs forbids references to God and Jesus during burial ceremonies at Houston National Cemetery. [58] January 2010 – Because of "concerns" raised by the Department of Defense, tiny Bible verse references that had appeared for decades on scopes and gunsights were removed. [59] 3. Acts of hostility toward Biblical values: March 2014 - The Obama administration seeks funding for every type of sex-education -- except that which reflects traditional moral values. [60] August 2013 - Non-profit charitable hospitals, especially faith-based ones, will face large fines or lose their tax-exempt status if they don't comply with new strangling paperwork requirements related to giving free treatment to poor clients who do not have Obamacare insurance coverage.[61] Ironically, the first hospital in America was founded as a charitable institution in 1751 by Benjamin Franklin, and its logo was the Good Samaritan, with Luke 10:35 inscribed below him: "Take care of him, and I will repay thee," being designed specifically to offer free medical care to the poor. [62] Benjamin Franklin's hospital would likely be fined unless he placed more resources and funds into paperwork rather than helping the poor under the new faith-hostile policy of the Obama administration. August 2013 - USAID, a federal government agency, shut down a conference in South Korea the night before it was scheduled to take place because some of the presentations were not pro-abortion but instead presented information on abortion complications, including the problems of "preterm births, mental health issues, and maternal mortality" among women giving birth who had previous abortions. [63] June 2013 – The Obama Administration finalizes requirements that under the Obamacare insurance program, employers must make available abortion-causing drugs, regardless of the religious conscience objections of many employers and even despite the directive of several federal courts to protect the religious conscience of employers. [64] April 2013 – The United States Agency for Internal Development (USAID), an official foreign policy agency of the U.S. government, begins a program to train homosexual activists in various countries around the world to overturn traditional marriage and anti-sodomy laws, targeting first those countries with strong Catholic influences, including Ecuador, Honduras, and Guatemala. [65] December 2012 – Despite having campaigned to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, President Obama once again suspends the provisions of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 which requires the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the American Embassy there. [66] July 2012 - The Pentagon, for the first time, allows service members to wear their uniforms while marching in a parade - specifically, a gay pride parade in San Diego. [67] October 2011 – The Obama administration eliminates federal grants to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for their extensive programs that aid victims of human trafficking because the Catholic Church is anti-abortion.[68] September 2011 – The Pentagon directs that military chaplains may perform same-sex marriages at military facilities in violation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. [69] July 2011 – Obama allows homosexuals to serve openly in the military, reversing a policy originally instituted by George Washington in March 1778. [70] March 2011 – The Obama administration refuses to investigate videos showing Planned Parenthood helping alleged sex traffickers get abortions for victimized underage girls. [71] February 2011 – Obama directs the Justice Department to stop defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act. [72] September 2010 – The Obama administration tells researchers to ignore a judge’s decision striking down federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. [73] August 2010 – The Obama administration Cuts funding for 176 abstinence education programs. [74] July 2010 – The Obama administration uses federal funds in violation of federal law to get Kenya to change its constitution to include abortion. [75] September 16, 2009 – The Obama administration appoints as EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum, who asserts that society should “not tolerate” any “private beliefs,” including religious beliefs, if they may negatively affect homosexual “equality.” [76] July 2009 – The Obama administration illegally extends federal benefits to same-sex partners of Foreign Service and Executive Branch employees, in direction violation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. [77] May 2009 – The White House budget eliminates all funding for abstinence-only education and replaces it with “comprehensive” sexual education, repeatedly proven to increase teen pregnancies and abortions. [78] He continues the deletion in subsequent budgets. [79] May 2009 – Obama officials assemble a terrorism dictionary calling pro-life advocates violent and charging that they use racism in their “criminal” activities. [80] March 2009 – The Obama administration shut out pro-life groups from attending a White House-sponsored health care summit. [81] March 2009 – Obama orders taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research. [82] March 2009 – Obama gave $50 million for the UNFPA, the UN population agency that promotes abortion and works closely with Chinese population control officials who use forced abortions and involuntary sterilizations.[83] January 2009 – Obama lifts restrictions on U.S. government funding for groups that provide abortion services or counseling abroad, forcing taxpayers to fund pro-abortion groups that either promote or perform abortions in other nations. [84] January 2009 – President Obama’s nominee for deputy secretary of state asserts that American taxpayers are required to pay for abortions and that limits on abortion funding are unconstitutional. [85] 4. Acts of preferentialism for Islam: February 2012 – The Obama administration makes effulgent apologies for Korans being burned by the U. S. military, [86] but when Bibles were burned by the military, numerous reasons were offered why it was the right thing to do. [87] October 2011 – Obama’s Muslim advisers block Middle Eastern Christians’ access to the White House. [88] August 2010 – Obama speaks with great praise of Islam and condescendingly of Christianity. [89] August 2010 – Obama went to great lengths to speak out on multiple occasions on behalf of building an Islamic mosque at Ground Zero, while at the same time he was silent about a Christian church being denied permission to rebuild at that location. [90] April 2010 – Christian leader Franklin Graham is disinvited from the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer Event because of complaints from the Muslim community. [91] April 2010 – The Obama administration requires rewriting of government documents and a change in administration vocabulary to remove terms that are deemed offensive to Muslims, including jihad, jihadists, terrorists, radical Islamic, etc. [92] May 2009 – While Obama does not host any National Day of Prayer event at the White House, he does host White House Iftar dinners in honor of Ramadan. [93] 2010 – While every White House traditionally issues hundreds of official proclamations and statements on numerous occasions, this White House avoids traditional Biblical holidays and events but regularly recognizes major Muslim holidays, as evidenced by its 2010 statements on Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Hajj, and Eid-ul-Adha. [94] Many of these actions are literally unprecedented – this is the first time they have happened in four centuries of American history. The hostility of President Obama toward Biblical faith and values is without equal from any previous American president.   [1] Todd Starnes, "No Christmas in White House Holiday Card," Fox News Radio, 2011; Todd Starnes, "White House "Holiday" Card Spotlights Dog, Not Christmas," Fox News Radio, 2012; "White House Christmas Decor Featuring Mao Zedong Comes Under Fire," Fox News, December 24, 2009. [2] Todd Starnes, “DOJ Defunds At-Risk Youth Programs over “God” Reference,”Townhall, June 25, 2013. [3] Steven Ertelt, “Obama Admin’s HHS Mandate Revision Likely Excludes Hobby Lobby,” LifeNews.com, February 1, 2013; Dan Merica, “Obama proposal would let religious groups opt-out of contraception mandate,” CNN, February 1, 2013. [4] Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Minister Backs Out of Speech at Inaugural,” New York Times, January 10, 2013; Eric Marrapodi, “Giglio bows out of inauguration over sermon on gays,” CNN, January 10, 2013. [5] Audrey Hudson, “Obama administration religious service for student loan forgiveness,” Human Events, February 15, 2012. [6] Ted Olson, “Church Wins Firing Case at Supreme Court,” Christianity Today, January 11, 2012. [7] Hillary Rodham Clinton, “Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day,” U.S. Department of State, December 6, 2011. [8] Todd Starns, “Obama Administration Opposes FDR Prayer at WWII Memorial,”Fox News, November 4, 2011. [9] Joel Siegel, “Obama Omits God From Thanksgiving Speech, Riles Critics,” ABC News, November 25, 2011. [10] Chuck Donovan, “HHS’s New Health Guidelines Trample on Conscience,”Heritage Foundation, August 2, 2011. [11] Chris Johnson, “ENDA passage effort renewed with Senate introduction,”Washington Blade, April 15, 2011. [12] Marrianne Medlin, “Amid criticism, President Obama moves to fill vacant religious ambassador post,” Catholic News Agency, February 9, 2011; Thomas F. Farr, “Undefender of the Faith,” Foreign Policy, April 5, 2012. [13] LadyImpactOhio, " Feds sued by Veterans to allow stolen Mojave Desert Cross to be rebuilt," Red State, January 14, 2011. [14] "Remarks by the President at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia," The White House, November 10, 2010. [15] Meredith Jessup, “Obama Continues to Omit ‘Creator’ From Declaration of Independence,” The Blaze, October 19, 2010. [16] Johanna Neuman, “Obama end Bush-era National Prayer Day Service at White House," Los Angeles Times, May 7, 2009. [17] Jim Lovino, "Jesus Missing From Obama’s Georgetown Speech," NBC Washington, April 17, 2009. [18] Chris McGreal, “Vatican vetoes Barack Obama’s nominees for U.S. Ambassador,” The Guardian, April 14, 2009. [19] Aliza Marcus, "Obama to Lift ‘Conscience’ Rule for Health Workers,"Bloomberg, February 27, 2009; Sarah Pulliam Baily, "Obama Admin. Changes Bush ‘Conscience’ Rule for Health Workers," Christianity Today, February 18, 2011. [20] Sarah Pulliam Baily, "Obama: ‘They cling to guns or religion’," Christianity Today, April 13, 2008. [21] Hendrick Simoes, “US personnel in Bahrain prepare for Ramadan​,”Stars and Stripes, June 26, 2014. [22] Todd Starnes, "Bible controversy hits Air Force base," Fox News, March 15, 2014. [23] "Nativity scenes removed from Guantanamo dining halls after complaints,"Fox News, December 19, 2013. [24] Todd Starnes, "Air Force removes Nativity scene," Fox News, December 9, 2013. [25] Steven Ertelt, “Army Briefing Tells Soldiers Christians and Pro-Lifers are a “Radical” Threat,” LifeNews, October 23, 2013. [26] Todd Starnes, “Catholic priests in military face arrest for celebrating Mass,”Fox News, October 5, 2013; The Brody File, “Priest: Obama Admin. Denied Mass to Catholics,” CBN News, October 8, 2013. [27] Stephen Losey, "Academy makes 'God' optional in cadets' oath," Air Force Times, October 25, 2013. [28] Adan Salazar, "DoD Training Manual: ‘Extremist’ Founding Fathers ‘Would Not Be Welcome In Today’s Military’," infowars.com, August 24, 2013. [29] Chad Groening, "'I cannot answer your question:' Air Force Sgt. says lesbian commander booted him," One News Now, August 20, 2013. [30] "Military gives bonuses only to same-sex couples," WND, August 20, 2013. [31] Melanie Korb, "Air Force Invites Drag Queens to Perform on 'Diversity Day',"Charisma News, August 19, 2013. [32] Chad Groening, "Attorney demands answers for Air National Guard sergeant punished for beliefs," OneNewsNow, July 15, 2013. [33] Todd Starnes, "Chaplain Ordered to Remove Religious Essay From Military Website," FoxNews Radio, July 24, 2013. [34] Hellen Cook, “Pentagon Censors Christian Art,” Christian News Wire, January 21, 2010. [35] Todd Starnes, “Obama ‘Strongly Objects’ to Religious Liberty Amendment,”Townhall, June 12, 2013. [36] Todd Starnes, “Air Force Removes Video that Mentions God,” Fox News Radio. June 7, 2013. [37] Todd Starnes, “Army Punishes Soldier who Served Chick-fil-A,” Fox News Radio, June 5, 2013. [38] "Liberty Institute Calls On U.S. Department Of Defense To Abandon Shift In Military's Proselytizing Policy," PR Newswire, May 7, 2013; Todd Starnes, "Air Force Officer Told to Remove Bible from Desk," Townhall.com, May 3, 2013. [39] "Pentagon May Court Martial Soldiers Who Share Christian Faith," Breitbart, May 1, 2013. [40] Todd Starnes, "Air Force Officer Told to Remove Bible from Desk,"Townhall.com, May 3, 2013. [41] Jack Minor, "Military Warned 'evangelicals' No. 1 Threat," WND, April 5, 2013. [42] Todd Starnes, "Army Removes Bible Reference from Scopes," Fox News Radio, April 22, 2013. [43] "Chaplain endorsers ask Air Force for equal time," Alliance Defending Freedom, April 30, 2013. [44] Todd Starnes, "Pentagon: Religious Proselytizing is Not Permitted," Fox News Radio, April 30, 2013. [45] Billy Hallowell, “Obama Opposes NDAA’s ‘Rights of Conscience’ for Military Chaplains & Members, Vows to Protects Rights of Gays,” The Blaze, January 4, 2013; Paul Conner, “Obama calls NDAA conscience clause for military chaplains ‘unnecessary and ill-advised’,” The Daily Caller, January 3, 2013. [46] "U.S. military insignia no longer allowed on Bibles," CBN News, June 14, 2012. [47] Patrick Goodenough, "White House 'Strongly Objects' to Legislation Protecting Military Chaplains from Doing Same-Sex Weddings or Being Forced to Act Against Conscience," cnsnews.com, May 16, 2012. [48] Markeshia Ricks, "Bible checklist for Air Force lodges going away," Air Force Times, April 16, 2012. [49] Ken Blackwell, "Gen. Boykin Blocked At West Point," cnsnews.com, February 1, 2012. [50] Geoff Herbert, " Air Force unit removes 'God' from logo; lawmakers warn of 'dangerous precedent'," syracuse.com, February 9, 2012. [51] Todd Starnes, "Army Silences Catholic Chaplains," Fox News Radio, February 6, 2012. [52] "Air Force Academy Backs Away from Christmas Charity," Fox News Radio, November 4, 2011. [53] Todd Starnes, “Obama Administration Opposes FDR Prayer at WWII Memorial,” Fox News, November 4, 2011. [54] Jenny Dean, "Air Force Academy adapts to pagans, druids, witches and Wiccans," Los Angeles Times, November 26, 2011. [55] "Maintaining Government Neutrality Regarding Religion," Department of the Air Force, September 1, 2011. [56] "Wounded, Ill, and Injured Partners in Care Guidelines," Department of the Navy (accessed on February 29, 2012). [57] Jason Ukman, “Air Force suspends ethics course that used Bible passages that train missle launch officers,” Washington Post, August 2, 2011. [58] “Houston Veterans Claim Censorship of Prayers, Including Ban of ‘God’ and ‘Jesus’,” Fox News, June 29, 2011. [59] Todd Spangler, “U.S. firm to remove Bible references from gun sights,” USA Today, January 21, 2010. [60] Steven Ertelt, “President Obama’s Budget Eliminates Abstinence Education Programs,” Life News, March 5, 2014; Jennifer Liberto, “Sex abstinence program among Obama’s targeted cuts,” CNN Money, March 5, 2014. [61] Patrick Howley, "Obamacare installs new scrutiny, fines for charitable hospitals that treat uninsured people," The Daily Caller, August 8, 2013. [62] “The Story of the Creation of the Nation's First Hospital,” University of Pennsylvania Health System (accessed August 14, 2013). [63] Wendy Wright," USAID Rep Shuts Down Workshop on Abortion Complications," Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute, August 9, 2013. [64] "Obama Administration Ignores Outcries, Finalizes HHS Mandate Targeting Religious Freedom," Liberty Counsel, July 1, 2013; Baptist Press, "Moore, others: Final mandate rules fail," Townhall, July 1, 2013. [65] Tony Perkins, "Obama administration begins training homosexual activists around the world," LifeSiteNews, June 6, 2013. [66] Ken Blackwell, "Guest Opinion: Take a Risk for Peace. Move our Embassy to Jerusalem!," Catholic Online, June 5, 2013. [67] "Pentagon: Service members now allowed to wear uniforms in gay pride parades," NY Daily News, July 19, 2012. [68] Jerry Markon, "Health, abortion issues split Obama administration and Catholic groups," Washington Post, October 31, 2011. [69] Luis Martinez, "Will Same Sex Marriages Pose a Dilemma for Military Chaplains?," ABC News, October 12, 2011. [70] Elisabeth Bumiller, "Obama Ends ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Policy," New York Times, July 22, 2011; George Washington, The Writings of George Washington, John C. Fitzpatrick, editor (Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1934), Vol. XI, pp. 83-84, from General Orders at Valley Forge on March 14, 1778. [71] Steven Ertelt, "Obama Admin Ignores Planned Parenthood Sex Trafficking Videos," LifeNews, March 2, 2011. [72] Brian Montopoli, "Obama administration will no longer defend DOMA,"CBSNews, February 23, 2011. [73] Steven Ertelt, "President Barack Obama’s Pro-Abortion Record: A Pro-Life Compilation," LifeNews, February 11, 2012. [74] Steven Ertelt, "Obama, Congress Cut Funding for 176 Abstinence Programs Despite New Study," LifeNews, August 26, 2010. [75] Tess Civantos, "White House Spent $23M of Taxpayer Money to Back Kenyan Constitution That Legalizes Abortion, GOP Reps Say," Fox News, July 22, 2010. [76] Matt Cover, "Obama’s EEOC Nominee: Society Should ‘Not Tolerate Private Beliefs’ That ‘Adversely Affect’ Homosexuals," cnsnews.com, January 18, 2010. [77] "Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies," The White House, June 17, 2009. [78] Steven Ertelt, "Barack Obama’s Federal Budget Eliminates Funding for Abstinence-Only Education," LifeNews, May 8, 2009. [79] Steven Ertelt, "Obama Budget Funds Sex Ed Over Abstinence on 16-1 Margin," LifeNews, February 14, 2011. [80] Steven Ertelt, "Obama Admin Terrorism Dictionary Calls Pro-Life Advocates Violent, Racist," LifeNews, May 5, 2009. [81] Steven Ertelt, "Pro-Life Groups Left Off Obama’s Health Care Summit List, Abortion Advocates OK," LifeNews, March 5, 2009. [82] "Obama Signs Order Lifting Restrictions on Stem Cell Research Funding,"Fox News, March 9, 2009. [83] Steven Ertelt, “ Obama Administration Announces $50 Million for Pro-Forced Abortion UNFPA,” LifeNews, March 26, 2009; Steven Ertelt, "President Barack Obama’s Pro-Abortion Record: A Pro-Life Compilation," LifeNews, February 11, 2012. [84] Jeff Mason and Deborah Charles, "Obama lifts restrictions on abortion funding," Reuters, January 23, 2009. [85] "Obama pick: Taxpayers must fund abortions," World Net Daily, January 27, 2009. [86] Masoud Popalzai and Nick Paton Walsh, “ Obama apologizes to Afghanistan for Quran burning,” CNN, February 23, 2012. [87] "Military burns unsolicited Bibles sent to Afghanistan," CNN, May 22, 2009. [88] "Report: Obama’s Muslim Advisers Block Middle Eastern Christians’ Access to the White House," Big Peace (accessed on February 29, 2012). [89] Chuck Norris, “ President Obama: Muslim Missionary? (Part 2),”Townhall.com, August 24, 2010; Chuck Norris, "President Obama: Muslim Missionary?," Townhall.com, August 17, 2010. [90] Barack Obama, “Remarks by the President at Iftar Dinner,” The White House, August 13, 2010; "Obama Comes Out in Favor of Allowing Mosque Near Ground Zero," Fox News, August 13, 2010; Pamela Geller, "Islamic Supremacism Trumps Christianity at Ground Zero," American Thinker, July 21, 2011. [91] "Franklin Graham Regrets Army's Decision to Rescind Invite to Pentagon Prayer Service," Fox News, April 22, 2010. [92] “Obama Bans Islam, Jihad From National Security Strategy Document,” Fox News, April 7, 2010; "Counterterror Adviser Defends Jihad as 'Legitimate Tenet of Islam'," Fox News, May 27, 2010; "'Islamic Radicalism' Nixed From Obama Document," CBSNews, April 7, 2010. [93] Barack Obama, “ Remarks by the President at Iftar Dinner,” The White House, September 1, 2009; Kristi Keck, “ Obama tones down National Day of Prayer observance,” CNN, May 6, 2009; Dan Gilgoff, “ The White House on National Day of Prayer: A Proclamation, but No Formal Ceremony,” U.S. News, May 1, 2009. [94] "WH Fails to Release Easter Proclamation," Fox Nation, April 25, 2011; "President Obama ignores most holy Christian holiday; AFA calls act intentional,"American Family Association (accessed on February 29, 2012).

Young couple burned alive by a mob in Pakistan

Shahbaz Maseeh, 26, and his wife Shama Bibi, 24

A young couple, Shahbaz Maseeh, 26, and his wife Shama Bibi, 24 -- parents of four small children and another on the way, was burned alive by a mob in Pakistan for what appears to be trumped up charges of blasphemy.

Relatives of the couple say that the real issue was a monetary dispute involving the couple’s employers. After a local mullah made a public ruling that the couple was guilty of blasphemy by throwing out pages of a Quran, a mob of about 500 people – included Muslims from neighboring villages -- began forming.

Relatives of the couple say the entire family was threatened and everyone began to flee, including children who have still not been accounted for days later. The couple had planned to flee with their young children as well, but were left with no time to do so.

Instead, they barricaded themselves inside a building to escape the mob comprised of their fellow workers at a brick factory where the couple was employed.

"A mob of several dozen attacked the building where they were," said Mushtaq Gill, chief advocate at Pakistani minority rights group Legal Evangelical Association Development (LEAD).

The mob broke down the door and began beating the couple. "They broke their legs so they couldn't run and then threw them in the fire (in a kiln at the brick factory),” Gill said. “Only some bones and hair were found at the site." Gill added that a rumor had started over the weekend that pages with several verses of the Quran were burned by the wife after being left behind by the wife’s deceased father.

The murder took place in Kot Radha Kishan in the Punjab province, where the majority of Pakistan's close to four million Christians reside.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also said the incident stemmed over a dispute about money. The owners of the brick kiln, who were among those who participated in the mob killing, said the couple owed them money. The rights group, who sent a team to investigate the incidents, said that the team "did not come across any evidence of desecration of the Holy Quran."

False charges of blasphemy, a crime in Pakistan punishable by death or life imprisonment, are often used as a means of revenge to settle personal disputes or insults.

The HRCP said that this was what happened in this current case. Rumors that the couple had desecrated a Quran were "spread to nearby villages and announcements [were] made through mosque loudspeakers," according to the HRCP. The group also said that its investigators found out that four policemen were dispatched to the kiln to take the couple into protective custody, but they were also beaten on orders from the kiln’s owners.

According to police, the kiln's owners were among the 44 arrested for the incident with cases filed against 468 others. Reacting to the murders, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said perpetrators of the brutal crime will be brought to justice.

“The brutal murder of the Christian couple in Kot Radha Krishan is an unacceptable crime,” Nawaz said. “A responsible state cannot tolerate mob rule and public lynching with impunity.”

Nawaz told the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to show no mercy towards those accused of the crime. “The Pakistani state has to act proactively to protect its minorities from violence and injustice. We must promote religious and ethnic diversity in our society as a virtue,” the prime minister added.

Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia Pacific Director David Griffiths called for proactive protection for at-risk communities. Griffiths also said, “This vicious mob killing is just the latest manifestation of the threat of vigilante violence which anyone can face in Pakistan after a blasphemy accusation.”

Griffiths echoed many Pakistani and international rights activists noting, “The blasphemy laws violate international human rights law and standards and should be reformed as a matter of urgency to provide effective safeguards against their abuse, with a view to their eventual repeal.

"Consistent failure by the government to tackle violence in the name of religion has effectively sent the message that anyone can commit outrageous abuses and excuse them as defense of religious sentiments.”

Responding to the decision of Punjab’s Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to form a three-member committee to expedite the investigation of this case as well as to increase security at Christian neighborhoods in the province, Griffiths said, “The local government’s response is encouraging, but it remains to be seen what comes of the investigation. The climate of impunity around violence against religious minorities in Pakistan is pervasive, and it is all too rare that those behind attacks are held to account.”

One such case of that of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman and mother of five, who was sentenced to death on blasphemy charges stemming from a dispute with Muslim women with whom she worked over a glass of water.  

A Pakistani appeals court recently upheld the sentence of death by hanging for Bibi who was accused of making derogatory statement’s about Mohammed, the founder of Islam.

Bibi was convicted in 2010 under Pakistan’s amorphous blasphemy laws and has been in prison ever since the original ruling. She was targeted by Muslim women in her village and pressured several times to convert to Islam. When she refused, the villagers provoked a confrontation, accusing her of blasphemy. 

Source: CNN

Marriage Is the Economic Stimulus We Need

Marriage Is the Economic 

Stimulus We Need

By Stephen Moore

CBN News Contributor

Thursday, November 06, 2014

This may be a surprising statement from a bleary-eyed, number-crunching economist, but the best anti-poverty program in America may not be tax cuts or debt reduction or regulatory relief, but rather that old-fashioned institution called marriage.

It turns out that poverty rates are very low among intact families and prevalent among homes without a father. Children who grow up in single-parent households are much more likely to face economic trouble as adults.

Those who cheer divorce as a form of women's liberation, or who say that stigmatizing out-of-wedlock births is just right-wing sermonizing, just don't get this intertwined connection between two-parent households and economic success. Socio-cultural factors like the decline of marriage are leading causes of the wealth gap and the stubborn poverty trap in many low income neighborhoods.

For more economic insight, check out more of Stephen Moore's articles on CBN News here.



This isn't to say that kids who grow up in broken homes can't succeed - millions heroically do. It doesn't mean that every marriage was meant to be - many times divorce is the only option. But what is irrefutable is that marriage with a devoted husband and wife in the home is a far better social program than food stamps, Medicaid, public housing, or even all of them combined.

This conclusion is made clear by a new eye-opening and sometimes depressing report called the Index of Culture and Opportunity by my colleagues at the Heritage Foundation. It's conclusion: "We have to reshape our culture before we can ever hope to make a big dent in the number of poor households."

Some of the cultural indicators are going in a positive direction; others have taken a decidely negative course.

First, the good news: violent crime is down. So is the number of abortions.

But in other ways we are ripping our families and our society apart. Consider these statistics on family breakup.

"From 2001 to 2011, the marriage rate dropped by 10.3 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women, or 22.8 percent. Since the 1960s, it has fallen by about 50 percent."

According to one of the report's scholars, W. Bradford Wilcox, "only about half of the nation's adults are cur­rently married, and about half of the nation's children will spend some time outside an intact, married home."

This is a form of child abuse. And those numbers are much higher in low income communities. In some cities like Detroit and Newark two of every three children are born out of wedlock. Name a government program that can take the place of a father.

This troubling trend appears to be a road block to the American Dream. One study by Harvard economist Raj Chetty and his colleagues, finds that when it comes to what is preveninng the economic upward mobility of poor children, "the strongest and most robust predic­tor is the fraction of children with single parents."

It's also true and often overlooked that family breakup creates a statistical illusion that we are making less economic progress than we actually are. For example, if a married couple earns $80,000, but then ends up in divorce, there are now two households earning $40,000. So it appears the economy is slipping and average household income is falling. But in fact what has slipped is the culture.

Meanwhile, birth rates are falling and falling. In only two of the last 40 years have birth rates exceeded replacement level fertility of 2.1 kids per couple.

Who will take care of and finance the retirement of the near 80 milllion baby boomers? Thank goodness for immigration. The population bomb that was once famously worried about by scholars like Paul Ehrlish has become a population fizzle.

Most economists agree that the sharp decline in the share of Americans between ages 18 to 64 that are working is a major economic hindrance. This isn't just happening by chance but rather as a result of policy and cultural changes.

Welfare households, the report finds, are much more likely to have no one working at all and so the assistance becomes a substitute for work. The value of work is denigrated in our modern society and welfare has been elevated. Millions of jobs are there for the taking if the unemployed and underemployed go out and obtain useful skills.

But our culture too often frowns upon Americans doing what are regarded as grimy, blue collar jobs - even though they can pay $60,000 to $100,000 a year. This may explain why it is so hard to get a plumber or carpenter or any kind of handyman these days.

We also seem to disparage the idea of young people, especially teens, working. We parents spoil our kids - and I'm no less guilty than others - with leisure and money. And many millennials have to come to think that to pull them away from the television or computer or Gameboy screen is an offense that is reportable to child protective services.

But this new report reminds us of the obvious: that there is dignity, character building, and self-sufficiency in all forms of labor.

One of my favorite scenes in a recent movie is in Cinderella Man, when during the depths of the Great Depression, James Bradock, played by Russell Crowe, is forced as a last resort to take a welfare payment from the government to feed his family. His sense of shame is clearly evident. Then, when he wins some prize fights and gets back on his feet, he goes back to the welfare office and returns all the taxpayer money he took in his hour of need.

Who does that today? It is now the opposite. The Obama administration runs television and radio ads assuring welfare recipients they should feel no shame whatsoever in taking a hand out and even tells them that the more they live off the expense of someone else (taxpayers), the better it is for the economy. Liberals are trying to bend the culture in a subversive direction and given that last year we had 47 million on food stamps, the Left is succeeding.

We economists bury ourselves in the data and the formulas to try to devise policy recommendations to make the economy grow faster and raise the living standards of workers and families. It's humbling to realize how much of our nation's economic success is based on a culture of virtue. Do the right thing, as Spike Lee would put it.

To save our economy from a path of decline we need to start with a personal and national commitment to sturdy families, strong parents, and a reemergence of the Protestant work ethic. That shouldn't be so hard.

 is chief economist at the Heritage Foundation and an economics contributor to CBN.

This day...serve the Lord.

American Visitors Shocked by Jerusalem Cemetery Desecration

Wednesday, November 05, 2014 |  Israel Today Staff

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Jerusalem

A group of visiting Americans were shocked this week to discover the extent of the nearly daily desecration perpetrated at the large Jewish cemetery situated on the western slopes of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

A delegation from Americans For a Safe Israel (AFSI) were taken to the cemetery by Jerusalem city councilman Aryeh King as part of their tour of the capital. While there, the Americans witnessed first-hand the widespread destruction of Jewish graves at perhaps the most prominent Jewish burial place on earth.

What’s worse, King informed the group, is that the perpetrators of this ongoing crime are almost never dealt with by police for fear of eliciting further Palestinian Arab violence.

“What we saw was appalling and cries out for justice,” wrote AFSI Director Helen Freedman following the visit.

The AFSI group also paid a visit to fortified Jewish kindergartens in the Maaleh Hazeitim neighborhood on the Mount of Olives. The kindergartens recently came under attack by Arab assailants hurling stones and firebombs at the young Jewish students.

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Before Being Killed, the Children Told ISIS: 'No, We Love Yeshua.'

Chris Mitchell

CBN News Middle East Bureau Chief

Before Being Killed, the Children Told ISIS: 'No, We Love Yeshua.'

Few people understand or have seen the persecution of Christians in the Middle East like Canon Andrew White, who has been in the eye of the storm.

White oversees St. George's Church in Baghdad. His ministry, The Foundation for the Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East offers comfort and humanitarian supplies to many of the Christians devastated by the march of ISIS throughout Iraq and Syria.

Here's an excerpt from a recent and revealing interview with the man known as the "Vicar of Baghdad."