Petition to Protect FL Pastors from Performing SSM

Central Florida pastor, Chris Walker, has started a petition at change.org to encourage Governor Rick Scott’s support of a bill ensuring pastors will not be forced to perform same sex marriages against their consciences. Rep. Scott Plakon is drafting this Pastor Protection Act.

The petition was launched on July 1 and already has nearly 13,000 signatures. Of course, one has to wonder if the five unelected supremes will override our Constitutional democracy and create a right to force clergy to perform marriage ceremonies against their will. Sign the petition HERE

Battle Ahead For Marriage, Life and Liberty in Florida

 I received a fundraising email from Jon Stemberger of the Florida Family Research Council today. I receive A LOT of emails asking for money. Here is why I decided to donate money to FFRC. Earlier this month, when the Orange County School Board was voting to change its policy to include “gender identity and expression”, it was Jon Stemberger who rallied parents and pastors to speak before the school board against this flawed policy change. Our republican elected leaders were noticeably absent to support our values.

Several years ago, I stopped contributing money to the republican party and many republican candidates because I figured out they do not actually support the principles of the republican party. After much research, I have determined the following organizations to be worthy of my support: the Senate Conservative Fund, conservative blogger Florida Political Press, conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, conservative grassroots American for Prosperity, Florida think tank the James Madison Institute, the Republican Study Committee and now Florida Family Research Council.

We have got an epic battle ahead in Florida, especially during the next two years. Embolden by Obama’s win and their sweep of Orange County, the democrats are preparing to wage a progressive war on our values like never before. Please read Jon Stemberger’s letter below and if you are with us, we need your support right now!
Dear Friend,

This is a CRITICAL time!

We are seeing early signs of SIGNFICANT ATTACKS on our values coming in the newly elected Florida Legislature, and we must be financially ready to fight these battles.

Will you help FFPC fight these critical battles with a generous year-end gift today?  Donate to help us here:

While we have all been enjoying the Christmas season, opponents to our values have been working continuously, even now, laying the groundwork for some HUGE battles in the Florida Legislative session.

The extreme pro-abortion organizations, big casino gambling lobbyists, and radical homosexual organizations and insiders are already on the move, planning to make their mark on Florida’s history.

Will you make your mark on history by continuing to support FFPC?

Please donate online here:

While the actual 2013 Legislative Session takes place in March and April, our newly elected officials are already being courted and called upon to promote legislation that we believe is harmful to the family. 

BUT we are there, in the Florida Capitol, to counter their efforts and promote legislation that protects life, marriage, the family and our liberties!

As our opponents become more aggressive each year, we have needed to start our legislative efforts earlier than ever before.  Would you help us today with a gift to support this early legislative effort?   (CLICK HERE to give securely online)

It is a privilege to be “your voice for your values” in our
state capitol, but this vigilance requires both ongoing
financial support and prayers. 

We must be in a position to effectively oppose the devastating proposed legislation coming, and to promote the positive legislation which will protect the most vulnerable among us, and protect Florida’s families.

Please consider helping Florida Family Policy Council before December 31^st, 2012.

1. Please give a special year-end tax deductible donation to help FFPC start the year strong and fight the upcoming legislative battles.  (CLICKHERE to give securely on-line) All gifts must be given on-line by midnight on December 31^st, 2012 or postmarked by December 31^st, 2012 or to be eligible for the 2012 tax year.
2. Please forward this email to your family and friends who you think may be like-minded, inviting them to participate in the privilege of leaving a Legacy as they consider their year-end giving as well!

Thank you for your faithfulness!

John Stemberger
Florida Family Policy Council, President

A Christian Perspective on Winning & Losing Elections

I dealt with the outcome of the election by doing housework and playing scrabble with the kids while listening to the soothing melodies of Frank Sinatra. Even though many of my horses didn’t win their races, I didn’t feel despair or abandonment. As our country turns its back on God, as a Christian I will still yearn for His righteousness with hope and joy because I know His story is one of redemption.

Here are some excerpts from the statements released by some of the Florida religious community:

From John Stemberger of Florida Family Research Council:

In politics, as with evangelism, God simply calls us to be faithful to the message and the task. The results are in His providential hands.  When history is behind us, we rest in His sovereign plan.  We do our best to promote the virtuous and expose evil and deception.  We work hard to elect the most principled candidates.  We steward our citizenship by educating ourselves and others and voting with the best possible information we can find.  But once we have discharged our responsibility, we can be satisfied and feel God’s pleasure in the fact that we were simply faithful. Read more>

From Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel:

The event we have just witnessed was far more than a general election – it was a referendum on the soul of America. We grieve today like we have lost a friend or a close relative. Millions of Americans looked evil in the eye and adopted it. Some Christian observers called the Democratic Party platform for 2012 a “Romans 1 Platform,” and they were right. Abortion, same-sex marriage, and immorality carried the day. Read More>

From the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Disappointing outcomes on Amendments 6 and 8 will not deter continued pursuit of life and liberty Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops grateful to supporters for dedication and commitment;  will continue to pursue protection of all life and work in defense of religious liberty.The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops expresses sincere gratitude to all Floridians who voted ‘yes’ on Amendments 6 and 8 to the Florida Constitution. Those who worked diligently towards their passage these past weeks and months are to be commended for their unwavering commitment to uphold life and liberty. Read More>

As I see more reaction coming in, I will update this…

 

 

Obama vs Christians

America’s Most Biblically-Hostile President

By David Barton, American historian of WallBuilders.com

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. 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:

•          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.” 1

•          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.  2

•          April 2009 – When speaking at Georgetown University, Obama orders that a monogram symbolizing Jesus’ name be covered when he is making his speech.  3

•          May 2009 – Obama declines to host services for the National Prayer Day (a day established by federal law) at the White House.  4

•          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.  5

•          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.  6

•          November 2010 – Obama misquotes the National Motto, saying it is “E pluribus unum” rather than “In God We Trust” as established by federal law.  7

•          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.  8

•          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.  9

•          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.  10

•          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.  11

•          November 2011 – Obama opposes inclusion of President Franklin Roosevelt’s famous D-Day Prayer in the WWII Memorial.  12

•          November 2011 – Unlike previous presidents, Obama studiously avoids any religious references in his Thanksgiving speech.  13

•          December 2011 – The Obama administration denigrates other countries’ religious beliefs as an obstacle to radical homosexual rights.14

•          January 2012 – The Obama administration argues that the First Amendment provides no protection for churches and synagogues in hiring their pastors and rabbis.  15

•          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.  16

2.  Acts of hostility from the Obama-led military toward people of Biblical faith:

•          June 2011 – The Department of Veterans Affairs forbids references to God and Jesus during burial ceremonies at Houston National Cemetery.  17

•          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 America).  18

•          September 2011 – Air Force Chief of Staff prohibits commanders from notifying airmen of programs and services available to them from chaplains.  19

•          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.” 20

•          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.  21

•          November 2011 – The Air Force Academy pays $80,000 to add a Stonehenge-like worship center for pagans, druids, witches and Wiccans.  22

•          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.  23

•          February 2012 – The Air Force removes “God” from the patch of Rapid Capabilities Office (the word on the patch was in Latin: Dei).  24

•          February 2012 – The Army orders Catholic chaplains not to read a letter to parishioners that their archbishop asked them to read.  25

•          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.26

3.  Acts of hostility toward Biblical values:

•          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.  27

•          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.  28

•          March 2009 – The Obama administration shut out pro-life groups from attending a White House-sponsored health care summit.  29

•          March 2009 – Obama orders taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research.  30

•          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.  31

•          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.  32 He continues the deletion in subsequent budgets.  33

•          May 2009 – Obama officials assemble a terrorism dictionary calling pro-life advocates violent and charging that they use racism in their “criminal” activities.  34

•          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.35

•          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.” 36

•          July 2010 – The Obama administration uses federal funds in violation of federal law to get Kenya to change its constitution to include abortion.  37

•          August 2010 – The Obama administration Cuts funding for 176 abstinence education programs.  38

•          September 2010 – The Obama administration tells researchers to ignore a judge’s decision striking down federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.  39

•          February 2011 – Obama directs the Justice Department to stop defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act.  40

•          March 2011 – The Obama administration refuses to investigate videos showing Planned Parenthood helping alleged sex traffickers get abortions for victimized underage girls.  41

•          July 2011 – Obama allows homosexuals to serve openly in the military, reversing a policy originally instituted by George Washington in March 1778.  42

•          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.  43

•          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.  44

4.  Acts of preferentialism for Islam:

•          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.  45

•          April 2010 – Christian leader Franklin Graham is disinvited from the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer Event because of complaints from the Muslim community.  46

•          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.  47

•          August 2010 – Obama speaks with great praise of Islam and condescendingly of Christianity.  48

•          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.  49

•          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.  50

•          October 2011 – Obama’s Muslim advisers block Middle Eastern Christians’ access to the White House.  51

•          February 2012 – The Obama administration makes effulgent apologies for Korans being burned by the U.  S.  military, 52 but when Bibles were burned by the military, numerous reasons were offered why it was the right thing to do.  53

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.

Endnotes

1.  Sarah Pulliam Baily, “Obama: ‘They cling to guns or religion’,” Christianity Today, April 13, 2008.  (Return)2.  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.  (Return)3.  Jim Lovino, “Jesus Missing From Obama’s Georgetown Speech,” NBC Washington, April 17, 2009.  (Return)4.  Johanna Neuman, “Obama end Bush-era National Prayer Day Service at White House,” Los Angeles Times, May 7, 2009.  (Return)5.  Chris McGreal, “Vatican vetoes Barack Obama’s nominees for U.S.  Ambassador,” The Guardian, April 14, 2009.  (Return)6.  Meredith Jessup, “Obama Continues to Omit ‘Creator’ From Declaration of Independence,” The Blaze, October 19, 2010.  (Return)7.  “Remarks by the President at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia,” The White House, November 10, 2010.  (Return)8.  LadyImpactOhio, ” Feds sued by Veterans to allow stolen Mojave Desert Cross to be rebuilt,” Red State, January 14, 2011.  (Return)9.  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.  (Return)10.  Chris Johnson, “ENDA passage effort renewed with Senate introduction,”Washington Blade, April 15, 2011.  (Return)11.  Chuck Donovan, “HHS’s New Health Guidelines Trample on Conscience,”Heritage Foundation, August 2, 2011.  (Return)12.  Todd Starns, “Obama Administration Opposes FDR Prayer at WWII Memorial,” Fox News, November 4, 2011.  (Return)13.  Joel Siegel, “Obama Omits God From Thanksgiving Speech, Riles Critics,”ABC News, November 25, 2011.  (Return)14.  Hillary Rodham Clinton, “Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day,” U.S.  Department of State, December 6, 2011.  (Return)15.  Ted Olson, “Church Wins Firing Case at Supreme Court,” Christianity Today, January 11, 2012.  (Return)16.  Audrey Hudson, “Obama administration religious service for student loan forgiveness,” Human Events, February 15, 2012.  (Return)17.  “Houston Veterans Claim Censorship of Prayers, Including Ban of ‘God’ and ‘Jesus’,” Fox News, June 29, 2011.  (Return)18.  Jason Ukman, “Air Force suspends ethics course that used Bible passages that train missle launch officers,” Washington Post, August 2, 2011.(Return)19.  “Maintaining Government Neutrality Regarding Religion,” Department of the Air Force, September 1, 2011.  (Return)20.  “Wounded, Ill, and Injured Partners in Care Guidelines,” Department of the Navy (accessed on February 29, 2012).  (Return)21.  “Air Force Academy Backs Away from Christmas Charity,” Fox News Radio, November 4, 2011.  (Return)22.  Jenny Dean, “Air Force Academy adapts to pagans, druids, witches and Wiccans,” Los Angeles Times, November 26, 2011.  (Return)23.  Ken Blackwell, “Gen.  Boykin Blocked At West Point,” cnsnews.com, February 1, 2012.  (Return)24.  Geoff Herbert, ” Air Force unit removes ‘God’ from logo; lawmakers warn of ‘dangerous precedent’,” syracuse.com, February 9, 2012.  (Return)25.  Todd Starnes, “Army Silences Catholic Chaplains,” Fox News Radio, February 6, 2012.  (Return)26.  Markeshia Ricks, “Bible checklist for Air Force lodges going away,” Air Force Times, April 16, 2012.  (Return)27.  Jeff Mason and Deborah Charles, “Obama lifts restrictions on abortion funding,” Reuters, January 23, 2009.  (Return)28.  “Obama pick: Taxpayers must fund abortions,” World Net Daily, January 27, 2009.  (Return)29.  Steven Ertelt, “Pro-Life Groups Left Off Obama’s Health Care Summit List, Abortion Advocates OK,” LifeNews, March 5, 2009.  (Return)30.  ” Obama Signs Order Lifting Restrictions on Stem Cell Research Funding,”Fox News, March 9, 2009.  (Return)31.  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.  (Return)32.  Steven Ertelt, “Barack Obama’s Federal Budget Eliminates Funding for Abstinence-Only Education,” LifeNews, May 8, 2009.  (Return)33.  Steven Ertelt, “Obama Budget Funds Sex Ed Over Abstinence on 16-1 Margin,” LifeNews, February 14, 2011.  (Return)34.  Steven Ertelt, “Obama Admin Terrorism Dictionary Calls Pro-Life Advocates Violent, Racist,” LifeNews, May 5, 2009.  (Return)35.  “Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies,”The White House, June 17, 2009.  (Return)36.  Matt Cover, “Obama’s EEOC Nominee: Society Should ‘Not Tolerate Private Beliefs’ That ‘Adversely Affect’ Homosexuals,” cnsnews.com, January 18, 2010.  (Return)37.  Tess Civantos, “White House Spent $23M of Taxpayer Money to Back Kenyan Constitution That Legalizes Abortion, GOP Reps Say,” Fox News, July 22, 2010.  (Return)38.  Steven Ertelt, “Obama, Congress Cut Funding for 176 Abstinence Programs Despite New Study,” LifeNews, August 26, 2010.  (Return)39.  Steven Ertelt, “President Barack Obama’s Pro-Abortion Record: A Pro-Life Compilation,” LifeNews, February 11, 2012.  (Return)40.  Brian Montopoli, “Obama administration will no longer defend DOMA,”CBSNews, February 23, 2011.  (Return)41.  Steven Ertelt, “Obama Admin Ignores Planned Parenthood Sex Trafficking Videos,” LifeNews, March 2, 2011.  (Return)42.  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.  (Return)43.  Luis Martinez, “Will Same Sex Marriages Pose a Dilemma