Lowe’s says ‘family trees’ a mistake

[From AZ Central.com]

In big bold print, above a picture of the Lowe’s Christmas tree collection, are the unfamiliar words ‘family trees.’ Lowe’s is causing a stir, by taking the “Christmas” out of “Christmas trees,” and calling them “family trees” in their catalog.

Read about it here, here and here.

[From me]

Mistake?  Give me a break.  Corporations have too much money at stake to make that kind of “mistake.”  It is a Christmas tree. Retailers start Christmas after Labor Day and rake in billions of dollars. First they change it to “Happy Holidays” and Holiday Season. Now it is a Family Tree. What’s next are Christians going to be called “Familians?” This is more political correctness that is incorrect.

What do you think?

Are U.S. Troops Being Force-Fed Christianity?

[ABC News]

At Speicher base in Iraq, U.S. Army Spec. Jeremy Hall got permission from a chaplain in August to post fliers announcing a meeting for atheists and other nonbelievers. When the group gathered, Hall alleges, his Army major supervisor disrupted the meeting and threatened to retaliate against him, including blocking his reenlistment in the Army Months earlier, Hall charges, he had been publicly berated by a staff sergeant for not agreeing to join in a Thanksgiving Day prayer.

On Sept. 17, the soldier and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) filed suit against Army Maj. Freddy Welborn and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, charging violations of Hall’s constitutional rights, including being forced to submit to a religious test to qualify as a soldier.

The MRFF plans more lawsuits in coming weeks, says Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, who founded the military watchdog group in 2005. The aim is “to show there is a pattern and practice of constitutionally impermissible promotions of religious beliefs within the Department of Defense.”

Some agree on the need for the watchdog group, but question the conspiratorial view and some of its tactics. They say dealing with religious issues is a complex matter, and the military is trying to address them appropriately.

Read about it here.

[From me]

If someone is being discriminated for their religious beliefs I get concerned. Why?  Because the tide could turn and another religion could be put the majority and it could be forced on Christians. But this article’s title is a little prejudice. My parents work with Campus Crusade’s Military Ministry and ever soldier that participates does so on their own. I’m sure there are zealots and they should be dealt with but another lawsuit? Please.

What do you think?

Prayer by students being attacked…

[AlterNet]

In mid-August, Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed something called the “Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act” into law. Although the new law has an innocuous-sounding title, it’s really a ticking time-bomb, opponents say.

The law requires every public school in the state to adopt a policy guaranteeing students’ right to religious expression. It mandates that schools create “limited public forums” for religious and other types of speech. A student could, for example, read the morning announcements over a loudspeaker and then lapse into a prayer or mini-sermon.

Read about it here.

[From me]

This is pretty sketchy journalism. They call every Christian they disagree with in this article a “religious right.” What the Governor is proposing is not school sponsored. It is student-led. What are they scared of? At least there are some students who will bring some balance to the liberal agenda that is being taught at school. Another reason why we home educate.

What do you think?

Teacher’s style/insults, not faith, led to firing

[Des Moines Register]

Students of a fired Iowa community college instructor say they were offended more by his brash teaching style than the remarks about the Bible that he claims led to his dismissal last week.

Adjunct professor Steve Bitterman said administrators at Southwestern Community College in Red Oak sided with students who became upset when he called parts of the Old Testament a fairy tale that should not be interpreted literally.

He made the comment in a class last Tuesday and was fired two days later.

But students in the class, which was transmitted to a classroom in Osceola over the state fiber-optic network, say Bitterman also told them to question their religious beliefs and at one point in the heated debate told one of the Osceola students, Kristen Fry, to “pop a Prozac.” Fry said she left class in tears.

Read about it here.

[From me]

If you disagree with his firing then you need to pop a Prozac!

Is this kind of “tolerance” coming to the US?

[Christian Post]

The Church of England has expressed fear over a newly proposed law that could allow homosexuals to sue the church if they felt discriminated against by religious authorities.  Under the proposal, a gay individual could sue the church if he heard a sermon that condemned homosexuality. The law is meant to protect homosexuals from hostile or humiliating “environments” as part of a revision of discrimination legislations.

The Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship in England further warned that an unrepentant, practicing homosexual could sue the church if it refused him membership under the proposed law.

England’s anti-discriminatory proposal is similar to the hate crimes debate raging in the United States.

Christian leaders and pastors in America are protesting the hate crimes bill in Congress that would add sexual orientation, gender and gender identity to the existing list of hate crimes protected under law.

Conservative Christian groups such as Focus on the Family warn that if a pastor preached against homosexuality and one of his congregants later commits violence against a homosexual, then the pastor could be charged for inducing a hate crime.

Read about it here.

[From me]

There are many groups in the US trying to get similar laws passed.   This is scary to me.  Why would someone want to join an organization that preaches the individual lives in sin.  I talked about this subject yesterday in my message on God’s design for family.  We don’t need the hate crime legislation because the ones who will be hated are Christians.

What do you think?

You’ve gotta love tolerance

[CBC News]

Faith-based schools that teach creationism in science class won’t receive the public funding Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives have proposed, a party spokeswoman said.

“If there are schools that teach creationism in science class, they would not be eligible to be funded as part of this proposal,” Ingrid Thompson said Wednesday afternoon, clarifying controversial remarks made by PC Leader John Tory earlier in the day.

Read about it here.

[From me]

I guess tolerance only applies to those who are opposed to Judeo-Christian values.  Nothing like teaching a balanced curriculum.  All the more reason to homeschool.

What do you think?

If it is good news–why yell?

[SF Gate]

Bay Area Outreach Ministries’ preachers are using a public address system to yell their message. The free newspaper, the Berkeley Daily Planet, recently published an article about how these fire-and-brimstone-spewing clowns are force-feeding their version of redemption to whoever crosses their sidewalk-blocking paths.

Local florist is Gwynn Coffee. And she is fed up with it all; it’s hurting business, Coffee said, and chewing up her work day.

“It’s not only putting a damper on things,” she said, “it’s also taking up my time. Nobody really wants to walk on that side of the street when they’re there.”

Larry Rosenbaum of the ministries group doesn’t see it that way. He said they’re just there “to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.”Rosenbaum said he doesn’t mean to drive away business, just preach Biblical teachings.

And he said it’s in the way of Jesus. “

I think Jesus, when he was on Earth, he did preach the gospel. He was very loud, because thousands of people could hear him at one time. So he must’ve been loud with his voice.”

Read about it here.

[From me]

Jesus may have spoken loudly but he wouldn’t ruin people’s businesses in the process.  If they really want people to listen to them why are they yelling?  If something is “good news” do you really need to scream?

What do you think?