Immoral behavior

[Soldier4Christ]

Children's hospital launches sex change for kids program
'This isn't conjecture, it's happening now'

A doctor at the renowned Children's Hospital Boston has launched a new program to drug children to delay puberty so they can decide whether they want a male or a female body, according to a report today in the Boston Globe.

Pediatric endocrinologist Norman Spack, 64, says he started the Gender Management Service Clinic because he found himself encountering 20-somethings who were "transgendered" and in good shape socially, "but they were having trouble getting their physique to conform to their identity.

"I knew the 20-somethings could have better chances of passing if they were treated earlier," he said.

"We don't think that demonic is too strong a word to describe this," said a statement from the pro-family Mass Resistance organization. "It brings us thoughts of the Nazi doctors who thought they were doing good things."

WND has reported previously on some of the controversies prompted by the belief that a man can be born in a woman's body, or vice versa, including in Montgomery County, Md., where county officials have adopted a law that precludes those who provide public accommodations from discriminating based on that "gender identity."

Voters there have petitioned to have a vote on that law because they fear men who "decide" they are female walking into women's restrooms and locker rooms.

"Is this our future?" asked Mass Resistance in a commentary. "Dr. Norman Spack runs a clinic for young children who've 'decided' they are transgendered. Among other things, the clinic administers powerful hormones to delay (or even stop) puberty in order that the children more easily undergo operations that mutilate their bodies to 'change' them to the opposite sex."

"This is going on at the world-renowned Children's Hospital in Boston – not some backwater clinic. This is the elite of the medical profession," the organization said.

In a question-and-answer session with Globe columnist Pagan Kennedy, she starts the apologetic for doing surgery on children by saying, "Little boys sob unless they're allowed to wear dresses. The girls want to be called Luke, Ted, or James."

"Until recently, children with cross-gender feelings rarely received modern medical care – and certainly not hormone shots. After all, who would allow a child to redesign his or her body?" she asks.

But Spack, she wrote, has started a clinic that "is one of the few in the world to give children treatments that change their bodies."

She reports he uses drugs to delay puberty, "granting them a few more years before they develop bodies that are decidedly male or female."

Spack tells the interviewer he's seen "preadolescents" who have been dressing in underwear of the opposite sex "for years."

"The puberty-blocking drugs work best at the beginning of the pubital process, typically age 10 to 12 for a girl and 12 to 14 for a boy," he said. He's based some of his work on a Dutch model for sex-change, and said the recommendations there are age 16 for hormones that forever change a child's body.

But "for others," he wrote, "you lose opportunities if you wait. [One of my patients, a] transgendered girl from the UK, was destined to be a 6-foot-4 male. With treatment, she's going to end up 5-foot-10."

He said such treatments not only change the physical characteristics of the growing children, but also could leave them sterile for life.

"You have to explain to the patients that if they go ahead, they may not be able to have children. … But if you don't start treatment, they will always have trouble fitting in," he said.

"This isn't conjecture," Mass Resistance' commentary said. "It's happening now. And 'transgenderism' is being promoted to kids by homosexual/transgender activists in the public schools."

Children as young as 12 already have been given the treatment.

Meanwhile, LifeSiteNews has reported that Spack previously acknowledged that only about 20 percent of children who claim to have a confusion over their gender hold those feelings in adulthood.

The hospital itself calls the program "unique in the Western hemisphere."

"This will be the first major program in the country that … [is] also welcoming young people who appear to be transgendered and are considering medical protocols that might help them," Spack said.

[HisDaughter]

This really gotcha8es me off.  And if I'm gotcha8ed off just imagine what God is!  (Sorry.  Couldn't think of another word)

[Soldier4Christ]

I fully understand your anger, sister. There are many happening today, especially those involving children, that angers me beyond words.

[nChrist]

As far as I'm concerned, this is PURE EVIL and definitely a SIGN OF THE TIME.

There are all kinds of horrible diseases that our best doctors should be working on. The diseases I'm talking about cause REAL PAIN AND REAL DEATH.

[Shammu]

Christians clash at Jesus' tomb on Orthodox Palm Sunday

By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writer Sun Apr 20, 3:49 PM ET

JERUSALEM - Dozens of Greek and Armenian priests and worshippers exchanged blows at one of Christianity's holiest shrines on Orthodox Palm Sunday, and used palm fronds to pummel police who tried to break up the brawl.

The fight came amid growing rivalry over religious rights at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built over the site in Jerusalem where tradition says Jesus was buried and resurrected.

It erupted when Armenian clergy kicked out a Greek priest from their midst, pushed him to the ground and kicked him, according to witnesses.

When police intervened, some worshippers hit them with the palm fronds they were holding for the religious holiday. The Eastern Orthodox churches, including the Armenians and Greek Orthodox, follow a different calendar from Western Christians and celebrate Easter next Sunday.

Two Armenian worshippers who attacked the Greek Orthodox clergy were briefly detained by Israeli police. Scores of Armenian supporters then protested outside the police station during the questioning of the two, beating drums and chanting.

The Holy Sepulcher is shared by several Christian denominations according to a centuries-old arrangement known as the "status quo."

Each denomination jealously guards its share of the basilica, and fights over rights at the church have intensified in recent years, particularly between the Armenians and Greeks.

Father Pakrad, an Armenian priest, said the presence of the Greek priest during the Armenian observances violated the status quo. "Our priests entered the tomb. They kicked the Greek monk out of the Edicule," he said, referring to the tomb area.

Pakrad accused the Greek Orthodox Christians of trying to step on the Armenians' rights. "We are the weak ones, persecuted by them for many centuries."

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch in the Holy Land, Theofilos III, told The Associated Press that the Armenians are pushing to change the rules, challenging what he said was the dominance of the Greek church in the Holy Land.

"This behavior is criminal and unacceptable by all means," he said. "They wanted to trespass on the status quo concerning the order that regulates the services between the various communities."

The Church of the Nativity in nearby Bethlehem — where Jesus is said to have been born — also falls under the status quo arrangement. Last year, pre-Christmas cleaning in that church turned ugly when robed Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests went at each other with brooms and stones.

Christians clash at Jesus' tomb on Orthodox Palm Sunday

[Soldier4Christ]

Half man, half chimp - should we beware the apeman's coming?

A LEADING scientist has warned a new species of "humanzee," created from breeding apes with humans, could become a reality unless the government acts to stop scientists experimenting.
In an interview with The Scotsman, Dr Calum MacKellar, director of research at the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, warned the controversial draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill did not prevent human sperm being inseminated into animals.

He said if a female chimpanzee was inseminated with human sperm the two species would be closely enough related that a hybrid could be born.

He said scientists could possibly try to develop the new species to fill the demand for organ donors.

Leading scientists say there is no reason why the two species could not breed, although they question why anyone would want to try such a technique.

Other hybrid species already created include crossed tigers and lions and sheep and goats.

Dr MacKellar said he feared the consequences if scientists made a concerted effort to cross humans with chimpanzees. He said: "Nobody knows what they would get if they tried hard enough. The insemination of animals with human sperm should be prohibited.

"The Human Fertilisation and Embryo Bill prohibits the placement of animal sperm into a woman The reverse is not prohibited. It's not even mentioned. This should not be the case."

He said if the process was not banned, scientists would be "very likely" to try it, and it would be likely humans and chimps could successfully reproduce.

"If you put human sperm into a frog it would probably create an embryo, but it probably wouldn't go very far," he said.

"But if you do it with a non-human primate it's not beyond the realms of possibility that it could be born alive."

Dr MacKellar said the resulting creature could raise ethical dilemmas, such as whether it would be treated as human or animal, and what rights it would have.

"If it was never able to be self-aware or self-conscious it would probably be considered an animal," he said. "However, if there was a possibility of humanzees developing a conscience, you have a far more difficult dilemma on your hands."

He said fascination would be enough of a motive for scientists to try crossing the two species.

But he also said there was a small chance of scientists using the method to "humanise" organs for transplant into humans. "There's a desperate need for organs. One of the solutions that has been looked at is using animal organs, but because there's a very serious risk of rejection using animal organs in humans they are already trying to humanise these organs.

"If they could create these humanzees who are substantially human but are not considered as humans in law , we could have a large provision of organs."

He wrote to the Department of Health to ask that the gap in the draft legislation be addressed.

The department confirmed that the bill "does not cover the artificial insemination of an animal with human sperm".

It said: "Owing to the significant differences between human and animal genomes, they are incompatible and the development of a foetus or progeny is impossible.

"Therefore such activity would have no rational scientific justification, as there would be no measurable outcome."

Dr MacKellar disagrees. He said: "The chromosomal difference between a goat and a sheep is greater than between humans and chimpanzees."

Professor Bob Millar, director of the Medical Research Council Human Reproductive Sciences Unit, based in Edinburgh, agreed viable offspring would be possible. He said: "Donkeys can mate with horses and create infertile offspring; maybe that could happen with chimpanzees."

But he said he would oppose any such attempt. "It's unnecessary and ridiculous and no serious scientist would consider such a thing. Ethically, it's not appropriate.

"It's also completely impractical. Chimps would never be a source of organs for humans because of the viruses they carry and the low numbers."

Professor Hugh McLachlan, professor of applied philosophy at Glasgow Caledonian University's School of Law and Applied Sciences, said although the idea was "troublesome", he could see no ethical objections to the creation of humanzees.

"Any species came to be what it is now because of all sorts of interaction in the past," he said.

"If it turns out in the future there was fertilisation between a human animal and a non-human animal, it's an idea that is troublesome, but in terms of what particular ethical principle is breached it's not clear to me.

"I share their squeamishness and unease, but I'm not sure that unease can be expressed in terms of an ethical principle."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "It's just not a problem. If you inseminate an animal with human sperm, scientifically nothing happens. The species barriers are too great."

HYBRIDS ARE AT CROSS PURPOSES

EVEN though hybrids of humans and animals have never been created, many other creatures have been crossed successfully.

Lions and tigers have been bred to create ligers, the world's largest cats.

And there are also zorses (zebra and horse), wholphins (whale and dolphin), tigons (tiger and lion), lepjags (leopard and jaguar) and zonkeys (zebra and donkey).

As well as these hybrid mammals, there are also hybrid birds, fish, insects and plants.

Many hybrids, such as mules, are sterile, which prevents the movement of genes from one species to another, keeping both species distinct. However, some can reproduce and there are scientists who believe that grey wolves and coyotes mated thousands of years ago to create a new species, the red wolf.

More commonly, hybrids mate with one of their parent species, which can influence the genetic mix of what gets passed along to subsequent generations.

Hybrids can have desirable traits, often being fitter or larger than either parent.

Most hybrid animals have been bred in captivity, but there are examples of the process occurring in the wild.

This is far more common in plants than animals but in April 2006 a hunter in Canada's North-west Territories shot a polar bear whose fur had an orange tint.

Research showed that it had a grizzly bear father, and it became known as a pizzly.

In 2003, DNA analysis confirmed that five odd-looking felines found in Maine and Minnesota were bobcat-lynx hybrids, dubbed blynxes.

[Soldier4Christ]

This is nothing new. Mankind has attempted many times to manipulate a cross-breeding with many different animals including chimpanzees and it has never been successful in recorded history. The cross-breeding of various large cats and horses with donkeys, zebras and like animals has produced what is known as hybrids as they are reproducing within their own kind. The cross-breeding of mankind with animals will not succeed without great difficulty and manipulation of many things (DNA, chromosomes, etc). Christ tells us in the Bible that He created each after their own kind and that man was indeed made unique from animals. This is just more of men trying to be god and attempting to prove that evolution is factual.

[nChrist]

I view the attempts for "humanzee" as EVIL!

Bluntly, GOD established nature and the laws of nature. ONLY mankind was formed in the "image of GOD". In fact, this is the interesting and quite appropriate foundation for many of our laws labeled as a "Crime Against Nature" - stated another way - A CRIME AGAINST GOD! Throughout history, there were harsh penalties for "Crimes Against Nature", including this part of the world. In fact, many of our laws have roots in the Laws of GOD.

Some people don't like the Laws of GOD or the adoption of these Laws by man. BLUNTLY, I WOULD SAY THAT MAN'S DISAGREEMENT WITH GOD IS SAD AND MEANS NOTHING TO ME! We've also seen harsh penalties for violations of GOD'S LAWS OF NATURE throughout history - either penalties imposed by mankind or penalties imposed by GOD - or BOTH! As an example, we are currently seeing an epidemic of deadly diseases caused directly by PERVERTED AND UNNATURAL SEXUAL ACTS! Five million people per day are dying with these deadly diseases, and many million more are waiting to die.

I firmly believe that the mixing of humans with apes will have horrible consequences - RIGHTLY SO! It's unthinkable for Christians to support anything like this IN ANY WAY - INCLUDING SILENCE! Our silence is many times the equivalent of calling something EVIL - GOOD!

Isaiah 5:20-23 NASB
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine And valiant men in mixing strong drink, Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!

Brothers and Sisters, we should simply call EVIL what it is - EVIL! We should also make sure that other people hear us. We are not ASHAMED of the Laws and Natural Orders established by GOD HIMSELF! Human beings are unique in that we were formed in the Image of GOD, so we ARE NOT BEASTS.

[Shammu]

Christians 'should wear veil'

Natalie O'Brien | April 26, 2008

OUTSPOKEN Muslim cleric Taj Din al-Hilali says the Bible "mandates" the wearing of the veil by Christian women.

Writing in a new book, Sheik Hilali, who lost his job as mufti of Australia after comparing scantily clad women to uncovered meat, argues that the Bible and the Koran make similar demands of a woman's modesty.

Sheik Hilali, who remains the head of Australia's largest mosque, in the southwestern Sydney suburb of Lakemba, says the purpose of the book is to show the commonalities of Islam with the Jewish and Christian faiths when it comes to women's modesty and clothing.

In the soon-to-be published The Legitimacy of the Veil for Women of the Scripture - Evidence of the Veil in the Bible, the cleric points to references in the Old and New Testaments to women wearing a veil.

"Through this I hope to raise awareness and understanding and eliminate apprehensions and misunderstandings about the veil," he writes.

The Anglican Bishop of South Sydney, Robert Forsyth, yesterday challenged Sheik Hilali's comments about the veil being "mandated" in the Bible, saying they were misleading.

"The New Testament does call upon people to dress modestly," he said. "But there is no understanding that women are commanded to wear the veil. But it is mandated that you should dress appropriately for your social context."

Sheik Hilali also says the Virgin Mary is often depicted with a veil covering her head.

"The veil upholds the modesty and protects the dignity of women, whether Muslim or non-Muslim," he writes. "Wearing the veil creates the most realistic similarity with the Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ."

Sheik Hilali caused an uproar with a Ramadan sermon in 2006 in which he talked about immodestly dressed women being like "uncovered meat" and made remarks about Sydney's notorious gang rapes.

He has used the book to hit back at criticisms of his comments, which were given during a lesson to Muslim men and women on theft and adultery, and which he says were misinterpreted with "ill-intent" and with the intention to "slander" him.

He has included an "explanatory statement" to clarify his position, saying that rape is a heinous crime and the perpetrator deserves the maximum punishment. He also says women in Australia, or any Western society, have absolute freedom to wear whatever they like.

"The Muslim has no right to impose the rules of his religion on others. My religious duty is to advise the Muslim woman to be modest and to wear the Islamic dress. It is her choice whether to comply or not."

He said his comments about uncovered meat were drawn from an analogy used by the Arab writer Al-Rafii that uncovering flesh publicly may be degrading to the woman and may make her vulnerable to those with a diseased heart. "Through these words I wanted to protect women from rapists who have lost their humanity, lost their minds and religion.

"Whilst I believe that the rapists are responsible for their crimes, I wanted to protect my daughters by encouraging them to adopt all available lawful means of protection," he writes.

Sheik Hilali concedes that the uncovered meat example was not correct or appropriate for the Western mentality. "I did not mean this analogy to denigrate immodestly dressed women; rather I meant to denigrate those men who set aside their humanity and turn into predators."

Christians 'should wear veil'
~~~~~~~~

The disrespect islam shows towards women makes any advice the men want to give to western women suspect and worthless. Clean your own house and then we can talk, at Porky's cafe.

[Shammu]

United Methodists Engage in Transgender Talks
By Audrey Barrick
Christian Post Reporter
Sat, Apr. 26 2008 12:06 PM ET

Hundreds of United Methodists have begun looking over some 1,500 petitions that have been proposed by those seeking change in church policies and structures, among other things, during the church's quadrennial gathering.

Much of the media spotlight, however, has fallen on two submitted petitions aimed at changing the United Methodist Church's current position on homosexuality. The church body holds that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.

One petition would state that homosexuality is a subject about which Christians disagree and the other would define marriage as the union of two loving adults.

To support gay and transgender church members, young Methodists from the Mosaic Youth Network are holding a 24-hour "drumming and rally," which began Friday at noon, outside the Fort Worth Conference Center in Texas, where the United Methodist General Conference is taking place. Recent General Conferences have seen protests by gay-rights advocates, some of whom were arrested for disrupting proceedings.

Debates on whether gay Christians can be ordained as clergy have gone on for decades in the denomination and most recently, controversy has erupted over transgendered persons.

The Rev. Drew Phoenix, pastor of St. John's United Methodist Church in Baltimore, sparked debate when the transgender minister was allowed last year to remain pastor of the church. Phoenix, who previously led the church as the Rev. Ann Gordon, underwent surgery and hormone therapy to become male.

The ruling was made by the United Methodist Church's highest council, affirming a 2006 decision to reappoint Phoenix as pastor. The court agreed that while the denomination bars self-avowed practicing gay clergy from ordination and does not support gay unions, the United Methodist Book of Discipline says nothing about gender change.

The Rev. Karen Booth, executive director of Transforming Congregations, an organization she says ministers to “sexually confused, sinful and broken people," believes transgender people exhibit a “deep, psychological conflict,” according to the United Methodist News Service.

While the church should minister to them, she says, leadership should not be an option.

“We recognize that there are, in fact, people who are unfortunately born with a chromosomal blueprint that is ambiguous. That is a valid medical condition that needs to be addressed,” she said, as reported by UMNS. “Most of what we see is more of a psychological state where a person says, ‘I don’t feel like I’m in the right body.’ We believe that’s a blurring of the distinct way God created us as male and female.”

Phoenix argues that transgenderism is compatible with Christian teaching.

"It was in the context of my faith in Christ, led by the Spirit, that I made the transition (of gender)," Phoenix said. “We want to be known as the children God created us to be. That’s been my experience with my church, across the board."

"I can say that I have come home to the child that God created me to me, and I’m very joyful, whole and peaceful,” Phoenix said Thursday at a press conference sponsored by pro-gay group Affirmation during the General Conference in Fort Worth.

Booth, meanwhile, says it's ironic that "gays and lesbians say, 'God created me this way' whereas transgender people say, 'God made a mistake.'"

"There's a real inconsistency here," she said.

Booth submitted petitions to the General Conference for church policy to state that neither transgenderism nor transsexuality "reflects God's best intentions for humankind."

United Methodists Engage in Transgender Talks
~~~~~~~~~

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

[Shammu]

Atheists push own holidays

April 27, 2008

By Karen Goldberg Goff - Now that Earth Day is over, let the planning begin for the summer solstice and World Humanist Day in June.

The Institute for Humanist Studies, an Albany, N.Y.-based nonprofit, is calling attention to its calendar of atheist holidays on its Web site, secular seasons. The group wants nonbelievers (or at least people who don't celebrate religious holidays) to have a handy reference guide of the calendar of holidays honoring free-thinkers, banned books and nature, among other themes.

Matt Cherry, executive director of the Institute for Humanist Studies, said his group is trying to expand options and alternatives for secular holidays. He said he hopes even people affiliated with a particular religion will consider the options.

"Some religious holidays are about culture and tradition, not theology," he says. "Even people who go to church only on Christmas or to synagogue on the High Holidays do so out of cultural heritage, not because they believe the religious doctrines associated with it."

Some of the highlights of the Secular Seasons calendar include Thomas Paine Day (Jan. 29), April Fool's Day (as always, April 1), and Ingersoll Day (Aug. 11) — which celebrates the birthday of 19th-century thinker Robert Green Ingersoll, who was known as "the Great Agnostic." Secular Seasons recommends visiting his birthplace in Dresden, N.Y., for a holiday celebration. (Hey — you live only once.)

The site also breaks down the customs of Festivus, the holiday popularized by Jerry Stiller on "Seinfeld." In that episode, a Festivus pole is plain aluminum, made to contrast with the ornate Christmas trees; the official greeting is "Happy Festivus"; and each person complains to family and friends how they have disappointed the complainer in the past year.

Mr. Cherry said Darwin Day (Feb. 12) is growing in popularity. Charles Darwin's 200th birthday is in February 2009, and next year also will be the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book "The Origin of Species."

Honoring the man who helped us understand science and humanity is a reason to celebrate, said Mr. Cherry. His recommendations: Throw caution to the wind and attend a biology lecture or even have folks bring fossils to a party.

"This year, there will be almost 1,000 events for Darwin Day around the world," he said. "I hope Hallmark would come out with a card. There are lots of photos to celebrate evolution."

William J. Murray, chairman of the Religious Freedom Coalition, a Washington nonprofit, said the United States already has plenty of made-up holidays.

"We've got Valentine's Day, although that actually is a saint's holiday," he said. "We've got Mother's Day, Father's Day. If someone wants to make up a holiday, they can be my guest — as long as they are not going to impose that holiday on the vast majority of us who celebrate religious holidays.

"There is no smaller minority in this country than atheists," said Mr. Murray, son of the late Madalyn Murray O'Hair, who was once the nation's best-known atheist and from whom he became estranged when he embraced Christianity. "The proposition of [atheist holidays] is in itself ridiculous."

The recently released Pew Forum U.S. Religious Landscape Survey found that 16 percent of Americans consider themselves unaffiliated. However, most of that number (12 percent) said they were "nothing in particular," as opposed to the 1.6 percent who said they were atheist. Christians of various denominations make up the largest segment at 78 percent.

Meanwhile, Mr. Cherry and Secular Seasons are seeking suggestions from the public on holidays to add to the calendar.

"We've gotten more ideas for free-thinkers to be celebrated," said Mr. Cherry.

Among them: Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister; Mexican revolutionary statesman Benito Juarez; and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, first president of modern Turkey.

Also suggested was an expanded observance of Cosmonautics Day, the Russian holiday on April 12 that celebrates Yuri Gagarin's first manned space orbit.

Since you just missed it, put the vodka and caviar away and get fired up for National Day of Reason in May, organized a few years ago to counteract the National Day of Prayer. Common customs: a day of care to help the elderly or disabled, and a blood drive.

Just don't expect a church service, or candy.

One more thing not to expect with atheist holidays: parades featuring pandering politicians trolling for votes.

Now that's cause for celebration.

Atheists push own holidays
~~~~~~~

Atheists push own holidays

I thought they already had April 1^st.......

He said he hopes even people affiliated with a particular religion will consider the options.

"Some religious holidays are about culture and tradition, not theology," he says. "Even people who go to church only on Christmas or to synagogue on the High Holidays do so out of cultural heritage, not because they believe the religious doctrines associated with it."

Why??

Is there something to be gained by this guy that he wants "religious" people to celebrate his holidays??

[Shammu]

Religious homosexuals hold first meeting

HOD group members convene in Jerusalem over weekend to discuss final version of 'gays' letter' seeking rabbis' acceptance. Organizers: It was a historic and exciting meeting
04.29.08

Almost three months have passed since the "gays' letter" was published on Ynet, and members of HOD – Gay Religious Group are forging on in their efforts to gain the religious society's recognition.

Last Thursday, some 70 religious homosexuals convened at a famous Jerusalem theater, in what was defined by the organizers as a "historic and exciting meeting."

The event was initiated by HOD leaders, Itai and Rabbi R., but was attended by representatives of all movements, including Chavruta – the religious section of the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance.

During the meeting, the participants received the amended and final version of the letter sent to Israel's rabbis, after it was softened and changed following recommendations of rabbis, professionals and religious homosexuals.

The letter initiators now plan to ask a large number of rabbis and senior educators in the religious and ultra-Orthodox public to sign it.

"It was a very exciting event, which left people in tears," one of the organizers, Itai, told Ynet. He explained that the conference was aimed at receiving legitimization to operate on the religious homosexuals' behalf and lead the campaign aimed at gaining the religious leaders' support.

"All the activity was done so far behind the scenes, and all the communication with the people was via the internet or by phone. Now we saw the faces, and when we meet with the rabbis they will know that there are not only anonymous voices but a real public."

He added that the main difficulty was to arrange a meeting with the religious leaders, "but when things are viewed face-to-face both sides open up and start working together."

'70 gays together is a huge achievement'

Addressing the limited number of people who took part in the conference, Itai said, "Bringing 70 religious gays to such a conference is something one cannot even dream of. Everyone who posts a message on the website and, all the more so, arrived at the conference – is a huge achievement.

"It was attended by representatives of all the organizations, young religious and haredi people and even Jews from the US and Canada who identify with our situation.

"As far as we, the homosexuals, are concerned, everything is ready. We agreed to the changes in the letter, which have made it compromising and more acceptable, and now all we need is that the rabbis take up the gauntlet," Itai said. "If they refuse to sign it and make it public, it's like we did nothing."

According to Itai, "There are several rabbis who have already taken one step forward, but it's definitely not enough. We expect them to declare that the gays should and can remain religious, that people must not force them to marry, that conversion treatment do not suit everyone, that there is no ban on expressions of love and friendship between men, and particularly that the virtues between a man and his friend also apply to gay people."

The website managers report of close to 100,000 entries since it was launched, and a large number of appeals received via email.

"Many people finally feel like they have support," Itai said, "Many of them have already despaired of the rabbis, but we have put the wind back in their sails. Let's hope these efforts succeed."

Religious homosexuals hold first meeting
~~~~~~~~~

Can anyone say, "Sodom and Gomorrah"??

God has some things to say about about PRIDE and they aren't good things!!

[Shammu]

Presbyterian Church Clears Minister in Gay 'Marriage' Case

The highest court of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has found that a Northern California minister did not violate denominational law when she officiated at the weddings of two lesbian couples.

Tue, Apr. 29, 2008 Posted: 17:15:52 PM EST

The highest court of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has found that a Northern California minister did not violate denominational law when she officiated at the weddings of two lesbian couples.

The ruling announced Tuesday by the Louisville, Ky.-based court overturns a decision against the Rev. Jane Spahr last year. A regional judicial committee had found Spahr guilty of misconduct and gave her a rebuke — the lightest possible punishment.

The church's high court found that the ceremonies Spahr performed in 2005 and in 2004 were not marriages, so she did not violate the church's constitution.

The church constitution defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

The panel reiterated the church's position that Presbyterian ministers can bless same-sex unions as long as the ceremonies don't too closely mimic traditional weddings.

Spahr, 65, of San Rafael, retired last year. She was the first minister of her faith to be tried for officiating the weddings of gay couples, and one of several Presbyterian ministers facing disciplinary action for similar offenses.

Acting on a complaint brought by a minister in Washington state, the Presbytery of the Redwoods, which oversees 52 churches along the Pacific coast, brought the charges against Spahr in 2005 for marrying the couples from New York and California.

In 2006, a Northern California church court that found Spahr had acted within her rights as a minister when she interpreted the church doctrine to permit her presiding over the weddings. The presbytery appealed the ruling to the church's regional judicial commission.

Many Protestant denominations are divided over how they should interpret what the Bible says about homosexuality. In the Presbyterian Church, several theologically conservative congregations have announced plans to break away from the denomination.

Presbyterian Church Clears Minister in Gay 'Marriage' Case
~~~~~~~


Whether the Presbyterians call this "marriage" or "unions" is irrelevant in this case and the only reason that this minister was cleared was because of a technicality on the definition of "marriage." Whatever they call it, the point is that this minister was giving her blessing to a lifestyle that God clearly states is destructive and sinful and by doing so, is like saying that God approves of homosexuality, when He actually condemns it........

Bob

[Shammu]

Dutch Gov't to Marriage Commissioners: Won't do Gay "Marriages"? Then No Natural Marriages Either

By Hilary White

THE HAGUE, April 17, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Netherlands equality commissioners have ruled that if a civil marriage commissioner refuses to conduct wedding ceremonies for homosexual partners, they must be barred from conducting ceremonies between men and women as well.

The Equal Treatment Commission (CGB) ruled yesterday that local authorities are "not violating the equal treatment law if it refuses to appoint a marriage registrar who does not wish to marry persons of the same sex on grounds of religion".

The judgment comes after the municipality of Langedijk placed advertisements for two marriage registrars and demanded that applicants be prepared to conduct wedding ceremonies for natural couples and for same-sex partners.

The Christian Union party called the ruling an "unnecessarily harsh approach."

The party, Christen Unie, is a Dutch orthodox-protestant and Christian-social party that holds "conservative" social views and centre left ideas on economic, migration, social and environmental issues.

A party spokesman said, "This ruling does not help us further in the search for a careful balance between groups in society with differing beliefs" about homosexual "marriage".

When it comes to freedom of conscience for Christians and anyone who objects on moral grounds to homosexuality, however, it seems that homosexual political activists are only willing to apply tolerance to those who agree with their views.

In 2007 in Canada, homosexual activists fought efforts to allow marriage commissioners the right to exercise their freedom of conscience. When a Conservative MLA in New Brunswick tabled a piece of legislation meant to protect Christians and others who objected to the imposition of "gay marriage", homosexual activists responded with outrage, saying the legislation would grant rights to individuals who "discriminate" and would be an affront to the "equal marriage" movement.

Dutch Gov't to Marriage Commissioners: Won't do Gay "Marriages"? Then No Natural Marriages Either

[Shammu]

'Believe homosexuality is wrong? SHUT UP!'
Damages case from school's ban on student speech goes to appeals court
Posted: April 29, 2008
10:46 pm Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

A case triggered by a school district's instructions to students to "shut up" if they held religious beliefs that did not support the practice of homosexuality is being appealed to the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

Officials with the Alliance Defense Fund have confirmed they are taking the case involving Timothy Morrison to the next level after a panel decided against a judicial ruling endorsing the student's First Amendment rights in the dispute with the Boyd County, Ky., Board of Education.

"Christian students shouldn't be prohibited from expressing their beliefs," ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster said. "The school adopted a policy that prohibited students from sharing their beliefs that homosexual behavior was wrong simply because others might find the message insulting.

"If students violated this policy, they not only faced suspension, they could also be turned over to the police," Oster said. "Several students, including Timothy, chose not to speak rather than face such dire consequences. Timothy is entitled to a judicial ruling vindicating his rights."

WND reported earlier when the court was critical of the school district's "gay appeasement" policy instituted as a result of a lawsuit over the establishment of a homosexual student club.

The Boyd County district, in an agreement with the Anti Christian Law Union (ACLU), then mandated a so-called "diversity" program for the students.

"The school district went overboard," Oster said at the time, "...with three days of mandated diversity training."

Included was a rule that students not talk about homosexual behavior from a negative viewpoint, a rule provided explicitly in a video that instructed students to withhold Christian viewpoints about homosexual behavior.

"We all get self-centered and start to think that our way is the right way and our way is the correct way. We all want to believe that we have evidence that our way is the correct way," a clinical psychologist appearing on the video states.

"So … no matter where you go, no matter what you do, no matter who you meet, you are going to find people that you don't like," the psychologist says. "You're going to find people that you disagree with. You're going to find people that you don't like the way they act. It can't be avoided, not, not anywhere in the world, it can't be avoided. You're going to find people that you believe are absolutely wrong. You're going to think … That is so wrong … But here is the kicker, just because you believe, just because you don't like them, just because you disagree with them, just because you believe they are wrong, wholeheartedly, absolutely, they are wrong. Just because you believe that does not give you permission to say anything about it. It doesn't require that you do anything. You just respect, you just exist, you continue, you leave it alone. There is not permission for you to point it out to them."

The Alliance Defense Fund said during the mediation of the case, the district changed its speech policies, but Morrison continued to pursue declaratory judgment and damages claims.

"Plaintiff refrained from sharing his views on homosexual behavior while at school because the district's policies specifically prohibited him from doing so," the petition to the full appeals court said.

"In both the Code of Conduct and the video, the students were told that violating the district police could result in a suspension, with 'a possibility of court referral and local law enforcement agency notified ...'" the law firm said.

"Thus, this case is not about a hyper-sensitive plaintiff who unreasonably feared discipline if he spoke out against homosexual behavior. No, any reasonable student would have silenced his tongue. Students were specifically told by the defendent that if they insulted a person by saying that homosexual behavior was wrong, they could face dire consequences.

"This case is about government policies specifically targeting speech and threatening severe punishment. Plaintiff need not subject himself to punishment before he has suffered an injury-in-fact," the firm said.

The panel's earlier ruling that "chilled speech is not an injury-in-fact" is erroneous, the appeal said.

"Other 'circuits have held, both implicitly and explicitly, that a chill on an individual's ability to exercise his or her right to free speech is a constitutional injury-in-fact," the arguments said. "In our case, the 'government regulation' was a direct prohibition against the exercise of First Amendment rights."

"Students should not be forced to subject themselves to criminal prosecution before they can seek judicial relief from unconstitutional speech policies," the law firm urged.

The appeals court earlier had ruled in favor of the student, then changed its decision.

The pending lawsuit was prompted by an earlier lawsuit that demanded the school allow a "gay" club at the school, which resulted in a solution that has been described as "gay appeasement." The resolution of that case included the required indoctrination for students, which banned them from expressing their religious beliefs, and Morrison's case was launched in 2005.