Immoral behavior

[Shammu]

Dutch government to fight for gay rights, at home and abroad

by Frederic Bichon Thu Dec 6, 10:46 AM ET

THE HAGUE (AFP) - The Dutch centre-left government has made the fight against homophobia a priority at home and abroad in a move applauded by gay rights activists here.

"Never before has a government done so much for the emancipation of gays," said Frank van Dalen, president of the Dutch national gay rights COC, the world's oldest such organisation set up in 1946.

"Homosexuality has never before played a role of importance in foreign development cooperation," he told AFP.

To form his fourth coalition government, in power since February, Christian Democrat Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende teamed up with Labour. This new centre-left team is focussing more on social issues than its leftwing predecessors.

In a letter last month to parliament about Dutch foreign aid strategy, Development Cooperation Minister Bert Koenders stated emphatically that "the Netherlands will promote equal rights for gays as much as possible."

In 18 of the 36 countries, mostly in Africa and Asia, that the Netherlands supports with development aid, homosexuality is an offence, with penalties ranging from a fine to a prison sentence.

The Dutch will plead in bilateral contacts for the legalisation of homosexual contacts, said Koenders, adding: "We will not shy away from difficult discussions."

Relative to its population size, the Netherlands is one of the biggest international donors, giving 0.8 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) or 4.2 billion euros (6.1 billion dollars) in 2006.

A few days after Koenders' announcement, fellow cabinet member Ronald Plasterk, minister of education, culture and science who also has emancipation issues in his portfolio, officially presented his plans to set aside 2.5 million euros between 2008-2011 to promote equal treatment for homosexuals.

Noting that while gays and lesbians have the same rights as heterosexuals in the Netherlands, "socially the acceptance is not automatic among certain ethnic minorities or people who follow a more orthodox religious lifestyle."

The money is intended for campaigns targetting young people, mostly Muslims in schools, sport clubs or neighbourhood associations.

"Here again the government is progressing: we have our own minister whereas in previous governments we only had a secretary of state charged with gay rights," said Van Dalen.

"Also for the first time the coalition agreement had a chapter about emancipation of gays."

But Van Dalen said just stating this is not enough.

"The government has taken a moral position without offering a way to implement its stand. Moral leadership is not enough to change the world," he said.

There is still much work to be done to promote gay rights, according to the activist.

"The Netherlands is not some kind of gay paradise," he said.

"According to surveys 48 percent of the population is shocked by two men kissing and 75 percent of people of immigrant origin believe that a teacher should hide his gay orientation," Van Dalen said.

In a letter sent to parliament last week ahead of a parliamentary debate about the 2008 education budget, the COC asked that six million euros be earmarked to fight homophobia in schools.

Dutch government to fight for gay rights, at home and abroad

[Shammu]

Netherlands Government Pledges 2.5 m. Euros to Crack Down on Religious Dissent from "Gay Rights"

Dutch citizens who "follow a more orthodox religious lifestyle" to be targetted

By Hilary White

AMSTERDAM, December 7, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Netherlands has led the world in the introduction of the homosexual political movement. Now it is going to be leading the way to cracking down on dissent from the officially "tolerant" position on homosexuality, particularly among those Dutch citizens who "follow a more orthodox religious lifestyle".

The coalition government has agreed to earmark 2.5 million euros from 2008 to 2011 to promote homosexuality as normal in social areas. The government said that the money will be spent on programmes specifically targeting young Muslims in schools, sport clubs or neighbourhood associations.

Ronald Plasterk, minister of education admitted that Dutch homosexuals enjoy the same rights as everyone else, "socially the acceptance is not automatic among certain ethnic minorities or people who follow a more orthodox religious lifestyle."

The Netherlands was the first country in the world to institute same-sex "marriage" and allow homosexual partners to adopt children.

The policy will extend, in as-yet undisclosed programmes, to Dutch foreign aid donations. Development Cooperation Minister Bert Koenders told Parliament, "The Netherlands will promote equal rights for gays as much as possible. We will not avoid awkward discussions about this."

The government told its ambassadors to developing countries to increase pressure on those nations to decriminalize homosexuality.

But it is not merely "religiously orthodox" people who retain at least subconscious objections to public displays of homosexuality. Gay activist Frank van Dalen, president of the Dutch national homosexual lobbyists, Federation of Dutch Associations for Integration of Homosexuality, (COC), complained that a recent poll showed that 48 per cent of the population is shocked by two men kissing and the number goes up to 75 per cent of recent immigrants.

Dutch homosexual activists are powerful at the European Union where pressure is mounting on Poland to adopt the Charter of Fundamental Rights that is seen as a crucial instrument in installing the full programme of gay activism. The EU gay activist group ILGA-Europe praised the increase of pressure to normalize homosexuality by the EU Commission on candidate countries such as Turkey and Serbia.

An ILGA-Europe spokesman said the group "appreciates" such efforts and praised the "clearly positive development in the progress reports as the human rights of LGBT people are explicitly mentioned in a larger number of the eight reports than last year."

Netherlands Government Pledges 2.5 m. Euros to Crack Down on Religious Dissent from "Gay Rights"

[Shammu]

Netherlands Government Pledges 2.5 m. Euros to Crack Down on Religious Dissent from "Gay Rights"

You'd think if something was "normal" and "ok" then you wouldn't have to spend millions, to force people to accept it.

[Shammu]

Televangelist won't comply with Senate inquiry
AP: Preacher Benny Hinn said Thursday he will not respond until next year

Dec. 6, 2007

A second Christian ministry is refusing to meet a Thursday deadline for a Senate investigation into preachers' salaries, perks and travel, The Associated Press has learned.

Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church Inc. and Benny Hinn Ministries of Grapevine, Texas, said in a statement to the AP on Thursday that he will not respond to the inquiry until next year.

A lawyer for preacher Creflo Dollar of World Changers Church International in suburban Atlanta had said Wednesday that the investigation should be referred to the IRS or the Senate panel should get a subpoena for the documents.
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Senator not 'impressed'
Sen. Charles Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, sent lengthy questionnaires a month ago to six ministries so he could review whether pastors were complying with IRS rules that bar excessive personal gain through tax-exempt work.

Only Joyce Meyer Ministries of Fenton, Mo., has provided the detailed financial and board oversight information sought by Grassley.

Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said in a Wednesday conference call with reporters that he "can't be impressed" by the argument from some of the preachers that the IRS already monitors them, because his past inquiries have unearthed information that the IRS never knew.

All the ministries preach a form of "Word of Faith" theology, known as prosperity gospel, which teaches that God wants believers to reap material rewards for their faith.

Grassley has insisted his investigation "has nothing to do with church doctrine" and is strictly concerned with making sure nonprofit groups are following the law.

However, several religious liberty watchdogs have said the scope of the inquiry is too broad and warned that it could be unconstitutional.

Televangelists object to inquiry
Ronn Torossian, a spokesman for Hinn, said in a statement that the preacher "plans to facilitate a response to Senator Grassley's inquiry by Jan. 30th, and likewise notified the senator's office of this intent on Nov. 20th." Torossian said Hinn is "in full compliance with government agencies duly authorized to oversee churches and charitable organizations."

Torossian would not elaborate.

The other televangelists have been noncommittal in their public comments, but some have voiced strong objections that echo Dollar's.

The other ministries targeted in the inquiry are Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and Bishop Eddie Long Ministries of Lithonia, Ga.; Randy and Paula White of Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries of Tampa, Fla.; and Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries of Newark, Texas.

Refusals to turn over the information could lead to a court fight, giving a judge the authority to decide whether the committee is entitled to all the information it requested.

"Hopefully these organizations will work with us," said Grassley, who has been investigating nonprofit compliance with IRS rules for years. "I don't think I've had to issue a single subpoena in the five years that I've been trying to get cooperation from organizations."

Televangelist won't comply with Senate inquiry

[Shammu]

Televangelist won't comply with Senate inquiry

Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church Inc. and Benny Hinn Ministries of Grapevine, Texas, said in a statement to the AP on Thursday that he will not respond to the inquiry until next year.

Hinn's refusal has guilt written all over it, whether he's guilty or not. He's telling them when he wants to turn the information in instead of obeying the law requirements. God will sort all this out soon enough.

Good Christian men of God would never hesitate to cooperate with the government, if they did not have something to hide.

[Shammu]

Christian biologist fired for beliefs, suit says
Says he was dismissed after telling his superior he did not accept evolution

Dec. 7, 2007

BOSTON - A Christian biologist is suing the prestigious Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, claiming he was fired for refusing to accept evolution, lawyers involved in the case said on Friday.

Nathaniel Abraham, an Indian national who describes himself as a "Bible-believing Christian," said in the suit filed on Monday in U.S. District Court in Boston that he was fired in 2004 because he would not accept evolution as scientific fact.

The latest U.S. academic spat over science and religion was first reported in The Boston Globe newspaper on Friday. Gibbs Law Firm in Florida, which is representing Abraham, said he was seeking $500,000 in compensation.
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The zebrafish specialist said his civil rights were violated when he was dismissed shortly after telling his superior he did not accept evolution because he believed the Bible presented a true account of human creation.

Creationists such as Abraham believe God made the world in six days, as the Bible's Book of Genesis says.

Woods Hole, a federally funded nonprofit research center on Cape Cod, said in a statement it firmly believed its actions and those of its employees in the case were "entirely lawful" and that it does not discriminate.

Abraham, who was dismissed eight months after he was hired, said he was willing to do research using evolutionary concepts but that he had been required to accept Darwin's theory of evolution as scientific fact or lose his job.

The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination dismissed the case this year, saying Abraham's request not to work on evolutionary aspects of research would be difficult for Woods Hole because its work is based on evolutionary theories.

Abraham said this condition was never spelled out in the advertisement for the job and that his dismissal led to severe economic losses, an injured reputation, emotional pain and suffering and mental anguish.

The case underscores tension between scientists, who see creationist views as anti-science, and evangelical Christians who argue that protections of religious freedom enshrined in the U.S. Constitution extend to scientific settings.

Abraham, 35, is now a biology professor at Liberty University, a Baptist school in Virginia founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell, a Christian pastor and televangelist.

Christian biologist fired for beliefs, suit says

[Shammu]

Pope in rare meeting with Russian Orthodox cleric
Fri 7 Dec 2007, 13:56 GMT

By Phil Stewart

VATICAN CITY, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Pope Benedict held a rare meeting on Friday with a senior cleric from the Russian Orthodox Church in a bid to improve often strained relations.

Metropolitan Kirill, the head of external relations for the Moscow Patriarchate, was expected to speak with reporters later on Friday. The Vatican did not immediately release any details about the closed-door meeting.

The Russian Orthodox Church split from Rome in the Great Schism of 1054. It had chilly relations with Benedict's predecessor, Pope John Paul II -- a Pole who had campaigned against the atrocities of communism and sought in vain to visit post-communist Russia.

Since Benedict's election in 2005, relations have improved and Vatican officials have said they are working towards an eventual meeting between the Pontiff and Russian Patriarch Alexiy II.

BIG CHILL IS OVER

Kirill recently told Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano "the big chill is over and it's thawing time" for ties. He said the two churches share the same spiritual and moral problems and should work together.

But problems remain. Kirill recently called on the Vatican to reverse a 2002 decision to create new Catholic diocese in Russia, something it considers to be an infringement on the Russian church's local territory and power.

The Russians also walked out of a key Catholic-Orthodox meeting of theologians earlier this year that produced a document with other Orthodox churches that the Vatican hailed as a step on the long road toward reconciliation.

In a joint declaration, the theologians agreed the Pope held the highest rank in the unified Church before the 1054 schism -- a statement that could allow Catholic and Orthodox worshippers to work more closely. It also made clear neither side yet agreed on what power came with that rank.

Still, the Russian Orthodox Church is the largest and most influential in worldwide Orthodoxy, which is organised under national churches totalling some 220 million members.

The Vatican, which leads the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics, has said dialogue must include the Russians.

Pope in rare meeting with Russian Orthodox cleric
~~~~~~~~~

Coming soon, a One World Church near you.   Praise God, we won't be here for this.....

[Shammu]

Iran-Mexico meeting deepens ties to Islam
President Calderon welcomes Khatami in effort to bypass confrontational West
Posted: December 7, 2007
4:50 p.m. Eastern

By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

In a little notice meeting reflecting growing ties between South America and the Islamic world, Mexican President Felipe Calderon welcomed former Iranian President Mohamed Khatami to Mexico City.

The two leaders met Wednesday at Los Pinos, Mexico's official presidential residence, to discuss deepening cultural bonds with the Islamic world in the face of Western notions of a "clash of civilizations.

The visit drew virtually no mention in the press outside of Mexico, even in Iran.

Khatami came at the invitation of the International Center for Dialogue between Civilizations, established in 2006 at the Colegio de San Luis in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi.

A notice on the Colegio de San Luis website said Khatami spoke at the center to oppose the main thesis of Harvard University professor Samuel Huntington's seminal 1996 book "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order."

In his speech, Khatami proclaimed a "Dialogue among Civilizations," a theme echoing a 2001 U.N. declaration.

Similarly, a statement by Calderon emphasized, in diplomatic language, that Khatami was promoting an exchange of opinions "concerning the roads available to promote peaceful co-existence among natures and cultures."

The Mexican newspaper La Jornada echoed the presidential statement: "The government of Mexico shares the conviction that dialogue and negotiation should be promoted as the preferred means to advance agreements."

The radical leftist La Voz de Aztlan in Los Angeles characterized the Khatami-Calderon meeting as "part of a growing alliance between Mexico, South America and Islam."

La Voz de Aztlan also noted, "President Calderon has been worried about the growing racist hostility against Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in the USA."

The online publication said the visit "may signal the beginning of a new international alignment that may bring into reality what Patrick Buchanan wrote in his new book, 'Day of Reckoning.'"

In July, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met in Tehran with Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, reflecting Tehran's recent campaign to develop closer ties with Latin America.

In September, Ahmadinejad met with Fidel Castro in Cuba, where the communist dictator endorsed the Iranian leader's efforts to further the goals of the Islamic revolution begun by Ayatollah Khomeini.

The International Center for Dialogue between Civilizations was opened in 2006 by Islamic Dawa of Chauen, a militant Shiite Islamic group originally formed in Iraq, and the radical Junta Islamica of Spain.

Chauen is a city in the Mexican province of Marruecos with historic ties to the Berbers in Morocco. The Junta Islamica derives from the descendents of the Moriscos, the Spanish Muslims expelled from Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a group noted for aggressively promoting the rights of Hispanic immigrants, characterizes the Nation of Aztlan, publisher of La Voz de Aztlan, as a "tiny Chicano group that pushes racism and homophobia."

Aztlan is the name for the mythical place of origin of the Aztec people. In the politics of Hispanic immigration, Aztlan has come to represent the part of the southwestern United States, including a large part of California, sought by the Reconquista movement for Mexico.
~~~~~~~~~~~

There are a lot of Catholics in Mexico, and if they listen to the Pope. They'll think that Muslims worship the same god that they do and accept them with open arms. It's starting to look like the whole world is becoming united against the few.

Talk about shades of hades of Red Dawn!!

[Shammu]

China says West should deal with warming

Published: 12.08.07, 00:01
Israel News

China insisted Friday the US and other wealthy nations should bear the burden of curbing global warming, saying the problem was created by their lavish way of life. It rejected mandatory emission cuts for its own developing industries.

Environmental activists, meanwhile, labeled the United States and Saudi Arabia the worst "climate sinners," accusing them of having inadequate polices for climate problems while letting greenhouse gas emissions rise. But the activists also said no country is doing enough.

China says West should deal with warming
~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I recall, don't they have a major river that is polluted from chemicals that it glows and no living life in it??  Talk about greenhouse gasses, are they the ones that expose children to lead and other chemicals??

Give me a break!!

I wonder if China and all of these environmentalist ever heard of the ring of fire. One volcano pollutes the air alot more then the world can ever think of doing........

[Soldier4Christ]

China says West should deal with warming

As I recall, don't they have a major river that is polluted from chemicals that it glows and no living life in it??  Talk about greenhouse gasses, are they the ones that expose children to lead and other chemicals??

Give me a break!!

I wonder if China and all of these environmentalist ever heard of the ring of fire. One volcano pollutes the air alot more then the world can ever think of doing........

Yep, they're the ones and poisoning food for both pets and humans, too.

The new UN regulations on global warming has given major exemptions for China also.

[HisDaughter]

"clash of civilizations:

Also known as:
"The Last Great Clash"
"The Clash Heard Around the World"
"The Clash to End All Clashes"
"The Clash Crashers"
"The Clash, Part 3"


 

[Shammu]

The new UN regulations on global warming has given major exemptions for China also.

You can noticed sides being drawn up, just like the Bible Prophecy tells us.

[Shammu]

Churches offer Halo video game to attract youths
By Melissa Evans, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 12/08/2007 12:04:50 AM PST

Although the plot involves an ark, a covenant, seven halos and religious prophesies, the thrill-kill video game Halo seems a tad out of place at a Christian youth center.

But every afternoon after school, dozens of teens flock to The Portal center at Coast Christian Fellowship in Torrance, where they huddle around game consoles and battle for control of the cyber-universe.

It's a scene being played out around the country as religious leaders try to use Halo to attract youths. The goal, they say, is to make a connection and build relationships with teens who might not otherwise be interested in church.

"I think people understand that this is part of our outreach," said Guy Takashima, pastor of Coast Christian, an Assemblies of God church.

Even as video games have grown in popularity, the Halo series stands out, selling more than 20 million copies since the trilogy debuted in 2001. Halo 3 sold $300million worth of copies in the first week after its September release, and Microsoft predicts it will become "the No. 1 gaming title of all time."

Halo has spawned novels, games and action figures, with a film based on the series said to be in the works.

Since the release of Halo 3, congregations around the country have hosted "Halo Nights," where hundreds of teenagers came to play the game, eat pizza, listen to a Bible lesson, then play some more.

A Colorado-based youth ministry called Dare2Share sent thousands of primers to parents, church leaders and other subscribers, offering tips on using the language and themes of Halo 3 to spread the gospel.

Lane Palmer, the youth ministries coordinator who authored the guide, said the organization isn't condoning the game or trying to promote it.

"But you have to understand," he said, "everybody's already playing it, so why not use it as a conversation piece?"

With its intricate plot, range of weapons and levels of difficulty, the game takes strategy and patience.

And, players say, it's addictive.

"When Halo 2 came out, I didn't have a life for a long time," said Justin Medina, 19, who plays at Coast Christian.

The concept of using cultural trends to attract members is nothing new. Evangelical leaders, in particular, have been savvy in using print, radio, television, the Internet and podcasting to spread the gospel. Many pastors make a point to use popular movies, music, TV shows and top-selling books in order to present their message in ways people understand.

"One of our goals is to show how the Bible can be applied today," said Chris Nicely, a youth pastor at Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch. "We want to try to give (kids) a taste of the fact that God's not boring."

And anything that helps reach this generation is worth exploring, pastors agree.

More than any other age group, the 14- to 30-year-olds are a tough crowd to please. About 20 percent of teenagers in America are unchurched, and 61 percent of those who were raised in a church left in their 20s, according to a 2006 survey by the Barna Group, a Christian research organization based in Ventura.

Efforts to keep teens interested, however, often beg the question: How far should churches go to meet kids where they're at?

"It is a fine line, there's no doubt about that," said Palmer, with Dare2Share. "Any time you show blood and gore, you have to consider whether the end justifies the means.

"It is very subjective, and I think churches have to look at their own traditions and figure out what's right for them."

Bungie Studios, which created Halo, didn't intend for the game to be used for evangelistic purposes, although part of its promotional outreach included pastors, spokesman Frank O'Connor said.

The game is rated Mature, meaning it's restricted to users 17 and older, but the M rating is deceiving, he said.

"The violence in our game is actually very cartoonish," he said. "It's not nearly as bad as some of the other video games out there."

Rolling Hills Covenant Church doesn't have a formal Halo group, but high school pastor Sean Hurley and a couple of other clergy and teens get together every Friday to play and socialize.

"It is a video game, but it's also a great connection point with kids in the ministry and their peers outside the church," he said. "We have this commonality, we can establish relationships."

Creating community so kids could build relationships with each other and adults was the goal of Coast Christian when it opened the youth center this fall, said Janice Arnold, manager of The Portal. They also offer activities such as jewelry making and graphic design.

On a recent afternoon, all but one of the Halo players was not a member of the church - and that's typical, she said. The church does hold youth religious services on Friday nights at The Portal, and many of the unchurched kids have chosen to stay.

"We certainly don't bang them over the head with a Bible," she said. "But most of them want to stay afterward for youth group. We're very excited about that."

Churches offer Halo video game to attract youths

[Shammu]

Course you know I got to say something on this...........

Since when are Christians supposed to bring the things of the world into the Church in order to appeal to the unsaved? Is that how Jesus appealed to the unsaved? What about the apostles?

This game is rated "M" for blood, gore, violence, and language. They say they don't endorse the game, but if they don't endorse it, why use it as their method of outreach? There are other ways to appeal to gamers and the rest of the unsaved that do not involve using something violent and worldly in order to catch their attention.

There is something wrong with the Church hosting gatherings to play violent, bloody, video games in hopes of appealing to the unsaved.

Or why not install a bar and offer free beer to get the "drinking" crowd inside, and then put in some Victoria secret catalogs for the youth Sunday school classes so they will join the church? After all, it would be a wonderful conversation piece.

I'm sorry but, in Church (mine) I don't need this garbage. I stand upon God's Word, thats all thats really needed. Yes we do have coffee services, for the early birds. That starts at 7:00 in the morning, for those that may have to work.

Okay now y'all can tell me to shut up.

[Soldier4Christ]

Not as bad as some of the other games out there. That means it's just a little bad? A little bad or a whole lot bad it is still bad and I'm sorry if they are sponsoring it in their youth groups in that manner then they are indeed endorsing it.