SJWs and the western persecution of Christians

This video shows why Western persecution of Christians will NOT be going away:

I have a lot of things to say about this video. Firstly, I need to say SJWs (Social Justice Warriors) go after Christians is cowardice. They don’t have the stones to mock Muslims or go speak out against women’s rights which are being violated. Long story short, they aren’t really Social Justice Warriors. 

I have to also say something about Chick-Fil-A (and they really deserve a flogging). Back in the summer 2012, Chick-Fil-A (a fast-food chain owned by a Christian family and famous for their TASTY chicken) was reported to make donations to organizations that were against same-sex marriages and made a statement that celebrated the traditional view of marriage. This sent the gay rights activists into a frenzy. It drove lots of people to eat at Chick-Fil-A on one day in support of the organization. Fast-forward to 2019, Chick-Fil-A has rescinded on supporting organizations that oppose same-sex marriages. This is very cowardly. It shames the Cross and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is NOT the way you respond to persecution. You stand by the Word of God, regardless of how controversial it may be and you NEVER back down no matter what flack comes your way. 

The people who own Chick-Fil-A should be ashamed of themselves.

Praise Report

As all of you know, in late June 2015, gay marriage was scene as morally legitimate in America. A lot of fear grew in me because I felt that with this would come the loss of religious freedom and free speech. I feared that many more of my brethren in Christ who were photographers and makers of marriage cakes would lose their jobs for refusing to do things for gay couples.

And then a ray of hope came in the form of this article:

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. But the 7-to-2 decision was on the narrowest of grounds and left unresolved whether business owners have a free speech right to refuse to sell goods and services to same-sex couples.

The case began when a same-sex couple in Colorado — Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins — filed a complaint with the state civil-rights commission after baker Jack Phillips told them that he did not design custom cakes for gay couples. Colorado, like most states, has a state anti-discrimination law for businesses that are open to the public. Twenty-one states, including Colorado, have laws that bar discrimination based on sexual orientation, in addition to barring discrimination based on race, religion and gender.

Acting on the complaint filed by Craig and Mullins, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruled in favor of the couple, as did the state Supreme Court. Phillips appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. As he put it last December, "It is hard for me to believe the government is forcing me to choose between providing for my family ... and violating my relationship with God(Continue reading)."

This gives me hope. It shows that this country and the people in it still have some moral sanity and that I can hold on to my freedoms much more longer. It shows that the leaders of this country still have a conscience. My prayer is that Yahweh will continue to guide these leaders and help them make decisions that will protect everyone’s religious liberties.

Open Persecution Season on U.S. Christians after Pro-Gay Rulings?

And the chances of us Christians being persecuted in the U.S.A. increase all the more.

7/29/2013 United States (Charisma) - Christians who speak out and stand up for traditional marriage are more likely than ever to be persecuted and even prosecuted for it. That's because of how the majority at the U.S. Supreme Court wrote their June 26 pro-gay marriage rulings. The high court majority attacked the motives of those who came up with the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996. DOMA enshrined traditional marriage in federal law and prevented federal benefits from going to same-sex couples.

"The avowed purpose and practical effect of the law here in question are to impose a disadvantage, a separate status, and so a stigma upon all who enter into same-sex marriages," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the United States v. Windsor ruling. "DOMA writes inequality into the entire United States Code," he added.

According to Ken Klukowski, director of the Center for Religious Liberty, the rationale for this ruling basically undermined the motive of those for traditional marriage only. "The court said that the federal Defense of Marriage Act is literally irrational, that it was just the fruit of bigotry and beknighted souls rather than the thoughtful actions of elected, national leaders," he said.

Rep. Gerald Nadler, D-N.Y., agreed with Justice Kennedy, summing up the majority's judgment of DOMA as being "motivated by animus."

"Animus means hatred and discrimination," the New York lawmaker said. "It says there was no conceivable legitimate purpose of the law." DOMA passed in Congress with huge majorities, but Klukowski said the high court has now decided "that 85 percent of Congress in passing it and Democratic President Bill Clinton signing it into law were not motivated by any sound reason, by any rational thought whatsoever, that they were motivated either by ignorance or by hostility."

Stage Set for Persecution?
Such talk by the nation's highest court will likely propel pro-homosexual rights groups and pro-gay government officials to go after backers of traditional marriage harder than ever.
"There's absolutely a growing threat under this administration and under this court," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, told CBN News.

"I think what Justice Kennedy did in his opinion was basically assign a false motive to those who are opposed to the redefinition of natural marriage, acting as if they were a threat to people, therefore declaring open season," Perkins stated.

"And I think you will see open hostility, increasing open hostility," he predicted. "I mean, we've seen very recent gay pride events where there were Christians beaten because they took a stand for biblical morality."

Thomas Peters, communications director for the National Organization for Marriage, says up until now, action against traditional marriage backers has mostly come at the state level, and cases have been piling up in recent years.

Peters listed some.

"The Colorado baker who right now could spend a year in jail for refusing to give a wedding cake to a gay ceremony, or the town clerks in New York who had to resign their jobs because they simply asked that someone else in the office would sign the same-sex marriage licenses so that they wouldn't have to do it," he said. "Or the wedding photographer in New Mexico who's been fined thousands of dollars simply for saying she didn't want to photograph a gay ceremony," he continued(source).

Prayer at Michigan High School Football Games Attacked by ACLU

 The idea of freedom of religion has been thrown out of the window these days in America.

7/17/2013 United States (Charisma) - Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) sent a Michigan school district a legal letter Friday after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) formally complained about prayers at the conclusion of football games that school officials found to be voluntary and student-led.

“There’s no legitimate basis for public school officials to shut down students’ private religious speech,” says litigation counsel Rory Gray. “Students who express their faith before, during or after the school day are exercising their constitutional freedoms. Atheist groups are attempting to browbeat schools into believing otherwise.”

After the ACLU sent Bloomfield Hills Schools a letter incorrectly suggesting that a Lahser High School football coach was leading students in prayer after the conclusion of games, the district cited a speech policy banning “prayer or references of any religious nature ... at school-sponsored events such as banquets, commencement, assemblies and programs” and attempted to prohibit the football team’s longstanding practice of voluntary, student-led prayer. The school district has since verbally agreed to allow students to voluntarily pray after football games but has taken no steps to revise its policies to comply with the First Amendment(Source).

United States: What Religious Freedom?

 

01/24/2013 United States (CP) -Today, while much of the nation is still celebrating this week's presidential inauguration, we want to call attention to another day the president has asked America to commemorate. President Obama recently proclaimed January 16 Religious Freedom Day. Let's be blunt: this proclamation has people familiar with the president's notably poor record on religious freedom scratching their heads. It almost seems like a bad joke.

The proclamation rightly commends founding fathers Jefferson and Madison for their defense of the rights of all men to "profess...their opinions in matters of religion." And it says, "[R]eligious liberty is not just an American right; it is a universal human right to be protected here at home and across the globe."

All tremendous words! So the disconnect with the president's actual record on religious freedom could not be more dramatic and disturbing. Here are just three of several examples:

A few weeks ago, the White House announced that Atlanta pastor Louie Giglio would offer the benediction at the upcoming inauguration. Giglio's laudable efforts in combating sexual trafficking had earned him the attention and praise of the president. However, when a blog broke the "news" that Giglio had preached the biblical message concerning the morality of sexual relations, he was pressured to step aside. Giglio learned that under the current administration, a pastor holding the positions set forth in the scriptures of Judaism, Christianity and other faiths is disqualified from participating in one of the great ceremonies of our civic life.

In 2012, the Department of Health and Human Resources implemented a rule under Obamacare that forces employers to subsidize the cost of contraception and abortion-inducing drugs. With the narrowest of exceptions, all organizations are required to comply, regardless of any conflict with the mandates of conscience. This includes faith-based hospitals, charities, schools, small businesses and major corporations like arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby and Bible publisher Tyndale, which face huge fines for each day they fail to comply with the rule.

Finally, the Obama administration ordered the Justice Department to cease enforcement of the duly enacted Defense of Marriage Act signed into law by President Clinton, and ended the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. One not-so-unintended result of these actions is that American military chaplains are being pressured to accommodate and affirm same-sex sexual conduct and relationships despite their religious convictions(Source).

Michigan Police to Answer in Court for “Stoning” of Christians

On the one hand this is shocking, but given that this is also the state where my brothers and my sister in Christ were arrested in 2010, it doesn't surprise me that the persecution against Christians here has gotten so bad.

09/30/2012 United States (WND) - Hundreds of angry Muslims threw chunks of concrete and eggs at a team of Christians, spraying them with urine and cursing at them – all while police stood by and then threatened the victims with “disorderly conduct.”
Egypt? Saudi Arabia? Somalia?
No. Dearborn, Michigan.

So now a team of attorneys from the American Freedom Law Center is going to court on behalf of the victims of the violent Muslim mob at the Arab International Festival last June, an attack that was captured on video. The federal civil rights complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan names as defendants officials from the Wayne County sheriff’s office who “sided with the Muslim mob intent on suppressing the Christians’ speech.”

The complaint explains authorities not only failed to protect the Christians, they ordered them to leave the Arab Festival under threat of arrest for “disorderly conduct.”

However, not one Muslim was arrested for the attack that left several members of the Christian group bloodied, the complaint states.

Among the defendants is Deputy Chief Mike Jaafar, a Muslim who was featured in the now-canceled show “All American Muslim,” which appeared on The Learning Channel.
As WND reported, the crowd can be heard chanting “Allahu Akbar!” – Arabic for “Allah is the greatest!”– on the video.

It shows the crowd – reminiscent of a rock-throwing “intifada” scene from the Middle East – hurling a dizzying barrage of objects at the Christians standing passively with their signs, causing some injuries.

WND later learned that the Christian crowd had been carrying a pole with a pig’s head attached to the top, further angering the Muslim crowd. At the beginning of the video, Christian street preachers shout, “God is good, and God is not Allah(Source)!”

Texas Cheerleaders Banned from Using Scripture Receive Support

09/29/2012 United States (The Christian Post) - Cheerleaders of an East Texas high school, who were banned from making banners with Bible verses for the football team to run through before games, have received the backing of Attorney General Greg Abott a week after a judge temporarily lifted the censorship.

Abott, a Republican, told Kountze Independent School District in a letter that stopping the practice of running through the banners with Bible verses at games was "erroneous" and that "the Supreme Court has never ruled that religion must be 'kept out' of public schools," according to The Texas Tribune.
Abott wrote on Thursday that the Freedom From Religion Foundation's threat to sue the district for "offending" non-Christians and non-believers was "menacing and misleading."

Superintendent Kevin Weldon banned the gametime ritual after legal advisers at the Texas Association of School Boards told him that the demand of the national atheist organization was in line with legal precedent. The Wisconsin-based Foundation had asked for "immediate action to stop the religious banners from being part of school-sponsored events," claiming it is "illegal for a public school to organize, sponsor or lead religious messages at school athletic events(Source)."

Nine Christians Arrested in New Orleans for Religious Speech after Sundown

09/02/2012 United States (Christian News)- A group of nine men that attended the Southern Decadence Festival in New Orleans yesterday were arrested and jailed for violating a new city ordinance that prohibits religious and other free speech after sundown on the city’s famed Bourbon Street.

The ordinance, which was passed in October 2011, is called “Aggressive Solicitation.” While it aims to prohibit individuals from selling items or soliciting donations in an aggressive manner, it also includes one sentence that is meant to curb religious and political speech on the popular section of the French Quarter.
Subsection four of the “Aggressive Solicitation” ordinance states, “It shall be prohibited for any person or group of persons to loiter or congregate on Bourbon Street for the purpose of disseminating any social, political or religious message between the hours of sunset and sunrise.”

The Southern Decadence Festival, one of the nation’s most notorious celebrations of homosexuality in that it is often is marked by public drunkenness and open sex acts, is held in the city’s French Quarter. Bourbon Street is one of the most populated areas during the event.

Saturday’s situation began when Gary Brown of Fayetteville, North Carolina was speaking to the crowds as dusk had set in. Police immediately placed Brown and another associate under arrest for violating the ordinance. Seven other men who were holding signs had moved down the street approximately a block away. They were also taken into custody minutes later.

Not all of the names of those arrested were released, but as of press time, they included Brian Cranford, Patrick O’Connell and Larry Craft. Craft regularly speaks at homosexual events across the country much like Southern Decadence. An online video from June of this year shows Craft addressing a crowd at a pride festival in Cleveland, Ohio, who used profanity at one point while decrying a deviant act.
The men were released from jail at approximately 2 p.m. this afternoon.

Ruben Israel of Los Angeles, California was also at the festival, but was reportedly not taken into custody. Israel is most known for being among those that were pelted with stones by Muslims earlier this year at the Arab International Festival in Dearborn, Michigan when he brought a pig’s head on a pole to the event.
Israel said that the pig’s head was meant to ward off Muslims due to negative response that he received from attendees last year.

While some state that the statute is a blatant violation of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, supporters opine that in passing the law, city council “intend[ed] to recognize free speech rights for all citizens while at the same time protecting the coexistent rights for all citizens to enjoy safe and convenient travel in public spaces free from intimidation, threats and harassment that stem from certain types of aggressive solicitation.”

Maryland Chick-fil-A Vandalized Over CEO’s Christian Beliefs on Marriage

08/13/12 United States (Christian Post) - A Chick-fil-A located in Frederick, Md., was vandalized over the weekend when same-sex marriage supporters decorated the store with a gay pride flag and glued pro-same-sex marriage stickers to the windows of the restaurant. Cpl. Gregory Santangelo of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office told the Frederick News Post that cleaners had been hired to remove the stickers from the windows, which had been put in place using a heavy spray-on adhesive.

Earlier this month, a 30-year-old man of West Hollywood, Calif., was arrested for reportedly spray painting "tastes like hate" on the side of a Chick-fil-A in Torrance, Calif.

These aggressive acts of protest come after Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy confirmed in early July that, according to his Christian faith, he firmly supports traditional marriage. A series of protests against the Georgia-based fast food chain by same sex marriage advocates ensued shortly after Cathy's statements.

Conversely, those admiring Cathy's steadfast Christian faith showed their support on "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" by visiting their local restaurants on Aug. 1 to buy the food chain's trademark fried chicken sandwiches and waffle fries(Source).

Arizona Pastor Jailed for Bible Study Faces Persecution in Prison

07/24/2012 United States (Examiner.com) - Michael Salman, a pastor from Arizona who is jailed for home bible studies continues to face persecution in prison. Salman is currently serving a 60-day sentence with the potential to be longer depending on future proceedings in court. While in prison he continues to do that which put him there in the first place; holding bible studies.

Jail officials on one occasion last week dispersed a gathering of almost 20 inmates that Salman had together for a bible study. Officials threatened to put him “in the hole” if he didn’t cooperate. On another such occasion he was forced to work on Sunday instead of honoring the Sabbath.

Upon intervention from his attorneys who sent word to the Maricopa County Jail, Salman has been given new work duties that do not interfere with his religious beliefs. The Rutherford Institute has come out today with another such statement warning officials at the prison that by law they must allow Salman to practice his religion. His right to do so is under the United States Constitution, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, and Arizona’s Free Exercise of Religion Act(Source).

Evangelists in New Jersey Jailed for Preaching at Train Station

06/26/2012 United States (Christian News) - Two Christian evangelists were arrested in West Windsor, New Jersey early Tuesday morning after preaching the Gospel without obtaining permission and for attempting to record the encounter with police.

Robert Parker and Don Karns state that they have been preaching at the Princeton Junction train station for several years, which is a part of the New Jersey Transit system, a provider of public transportation.

They explained to Christian News Network that after they had finished preaching and witnessing to those waiting for trains, and were leaving, they were approached by Sergeant Kathleen Shanahan and Officer Sandy Crowe. Parker and Karns said that Shanahan was “extremely hostile.”

The officers stated that the evangelists had violated the law for speaking at the train station without a “permit,” and demanded identification. Parker and Karns attempted to record the encounter with their cell phones, but were ordered to turn them off, which they did.

“[Sergeant Shanahan] started repeatedly saying, ‘Put the phone down; put the phone down,’” Karns recounted. “You guys are big guys, and I’m just a little officer. You know how scary it is when you have a camera in your hand. How do I know you’re not terrorists? I have no way of knowing that’s not a bomb.”

Karns said that Shanahan explained that she had just been to a class last week which showed cell phones being used as weapons, and informed the men that it was against the law for them to film her. She later told Parker that she also had concerns about his backpack, which was searched for train tickets after it was confiscated by police.

While Parker provided identification, Karns asserted his right to privacy. Parker’s ID was not acceptable to the officers.

“She demanded ID, and I said, ‘What law am I breaking?’ and she said, ‘I’m going to take you to jail,’” Parker remembered.

The men were then taken into custody and transported to be booked and charged. As they were separated, Parker states that he overheard the officers disagreeing over which cell to place him in.

“There’s a pervert in there; we’ll put him in that one,” he heard Shanahan say.

The evangelists spent three hours in jail and now face criminal proceedings for three offenses: defiant trespass, and two counts of obstruction for recording with a cell phone and declining to provide identification.

“They treated us like terrorists,” Karns stated.
…
The right to free speech is under attack today,” said John Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute, a nationally-recognized legal organization, which will be providing legal assistance to the evangelists. “The Supreme Court has said you cannot ban public speech,” he added, citing that two significant rulings exist pertaining to free speech at similar transportation venues such as airports.

“What Robert Parker and Dons Karns are doing is very important,” he said. “I encourage people to get out there, whatever it is they want to talk about.”

Whitehead also explained that the nation’s highest court has declared that citizens have a right to anonymity, as well as to record police behavior.

“The police do not like to be recorded, but we have a right to record them because they’re our employees,” he said. “If bombs record, that’s a new invention. … It sounds like a stupid excuse(Source).”

Louisiana: Sidewalk Sunday School Kicked To The Curb

06/04/2012 United States (Charisma News) - A Sunday school program for at-risk youth has been thrown out of its public meeting place in Baton Rogue, La. But Voices of Mercy Outreach Ministries isn’t giving up on the kids it loves so easily.

The East Baton Rouge Recreation and Park Commission kicked Voices of Mercy Outreach Ministries' Sidewalk Sunday School to the curb due to a ban on religious activities. The commission may end up rethinking its stance, though, since Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorneys filed a federal lawsuit against it.
“Faith-based groups shouldn’t be singled out for discrimination—especially a group like this that has provided such selfless service to at-risk youth and their parents for many years,” says ADF senior legal counsel Joel Oster. “The Sidewalk Sunday School program has the same constitutionally protected right as any other community group to hold its activities at a public park. There’s no constitutional basis to throw them out, and it’s a mystery why the commission would even want to do so in light of the valuable work this group does for the community.”

Voices of Mercy Outreach Ministries had operated at a public park for five years before the ban stymied its efforts. However, ADF said the commission allowed at least one other religious group to hold an event at the park despite the so-called ban. ADF says the commission actually invited a local church to host a Community Outreach Day that included the distribution of religious literature(Source).

NASCAR Driver Loses Sponsor Over Christian Faith

04/19/2012 United States (Charisma) - Although many applaud the prayer meetings in NASCAR circles, not everyone is willing to tolerate Christian values on the race track. Indeed, NASCAR driver Blake Koch is being persecuted for his faith. Following California’s Royal Purple 300, Koch sat just 28 points out of the top 10 driver standings—but he was forced to race with a blank car after losing his primary sponsor because of a controversy over his Christianity.

Koch had partnered with The Rise Up and Register Campaign, which works to educate people on the importance of voting in the 2012 elections. But ESPN would not allow the ad to air because of its so-called political and religious overtones.

“I didn’t think that my faith in Christ would have an impact on whether or not a sponsor could air a commercial or not,” Koch told Fox & Friends on March 29. “The one thing I will not do is deny my faith just because a particular sponsor might not like the way I express my faith, which I do on my own time.”

ESPN could not immediately be reached for comment(Source).

Gay Rights Group Files Human Rights Complaint Against Christian Company After Refusal of Service

04/02/2012 United States (Foxnews)-A Lexington, KY t-shirt company is under investigation by the city’s Human Rights Commission after they refused to print t-shirts for a local gay rights organization. The owner of “Hands On Originals,” a well-known t-shirt company in the region, declined to print the shirts for the city’s Gay and Lesbian Services Organization (GLSO) because it would conflict with their Christian convictions.

The privately owned company is now accused of violating Lexington’s Fairness Act – which protects people and organizations from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The attacks are out of line, said Jim Campbell, an attorney with Alliance Defense Fund, the organization representing “Hands On Originals.”

“No business owner should be forced to violate his conscience simply because someone demands it,” he said. “The Constitution absolutely supports the rights of business owners to decline a request to support a message that conflicts with their deeply held convictions.”

Raymond Sexton, the executive director of the Human Rights Commission told Fox News that “Hands On Originals” will be “required by law to participate in the investigation.” “We have subpoena power and have the backing of the law,” he said. “We are a law enforcement agency and people have to comply.”

Should the company be found guilty of discriminating against the homosexuals Sexton said they could be subjected to fines.

“Hands On Originals” has faced a barrage of attacks since the accusations were made public. More than 2,000 people have joined a boycott movement on Facebook. Another group is trying to buy the company’s mortgage so they can be evicted.

The Fayette County public school system placed a temporary hold on buying t-shirts from the company until the issue is resolved. The University of Kentucky is also reviewing its future business with the t-shirt maker.
Even Lexington’s openly gay mayor has condemned the privately-owned t-shirt company, telling the Lexington Herald-Leader “People don’t have patience for this sort of attitude today.”

“I’m against discrimination, period,” Gray said in a statement released to television station WKYT. “It’s bad for business and bad for the city. I support the Human Rights Commission in a full and thorough investigation.”

Christians Prosecuted For Reading Bible In Public

And the Western persecution of my brethren in Christ continues and it is taken  to a whole new level. I pray that when I face persecution, I glorify Christ with my response to it.

03/30/2012 United States (Charisma News) - Taking the concept of culture wars to new heights, two Christians were arrested in front of a California DMV for reading the Bible—and prosecuted.
Pastor Brett Coronado and Mark Mackey were charged with a misdemeanor. Mackey was reading the Bible aloud on Feb. 2, 2011, in front of a group waiting for the DMV to open for business.
...
When Mackey was arrested, police stated it was illegal to “preach to a captive audience.” The defendants were jailed, but later learned that no such penal code prohibits preaching to a “captive audience.”
The officer issued a citation for “impeding an open business” with threats or intimidation under Penal Code Section 602.1(b). However, the district attorney again changed the charges claiming trespass after the government realized the business was not actually open and, presumably, saw the video showing no threats or intimidation.

The trial judge declined to dismiss the case. Advocates [Advocates for Faith & Freedom, the defense) vows to appeal the decision because the trespass law authorities are relying on is unconstitutional. In fact, other federal courts that have reviewed the same statutory language used in the California Penal Code have been declared unconstitutional.

“This is an abuse of power on the part of the CHP,” said Robert Tyler, associate general counsel for Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “The arresting officer could find no appropriate penal/ code to use when arresting these men. The purpose of the arrests appears to have been to censor them.”

Advocates for Faith & Freedom has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of these three men for violation of their right to free speech and for unlawful arrest, but that case has been stayed pending the resolution of the state court prosecution(Source).

Persecution Builds Against Christian T-Shirt Company

Another sign we as American Christians aren't immune from persecution. How long will it be before we face the same sort of persecution over here in America that our European brethren in Christ are facing?

03/30/2012 United States (ONN) - It appears the school district in Lexington Kentucky has decided to join forces with community homosexuals who are angry that a Christian company does not want to do business with them.

The homosexuals accused the company, Hands on Originals, of discrimination after the owners said they would not produce T-shirts for them to wear in the city's upcoming gay pride festival. Now, according to the Associated Press, the Lexington school district has temporarily halted purchases from the company and both the city and University of Kentucky are reconsidering whether to use the company in the future.

On Monday, the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization filed a discrimination complaint with the city's Human Rights Commission.

Hands On Originals co-owner Blaine Adamson issued a statement Monday, saying "it is the prerogative of the company to refuse any order that would endorse positions that conflict with the convictions of the ownership."

That prompted criticism from Lexington Mayor Jim Gray, who said, "People don't have patience for this sort of attitude today(Source)."

American Girl, 14, Gets Death Threats For Defending Marriage

There are MANY things I want to say about this article and maybe I will. But for now I will say:
1. Even the young aren't immune from persecution.

2. It surprises me that they are going so far as to threaten my sister in Christ. It goes to show the wickedness of man. And the fact that they threaten her shows that they know that what they are doing wrong and they are trying to suppress (Romans 1:18-25).

3. Just so everyone knows, I am from Maryland (where same-sex marriage has just been made legal) and the fact that this happening in my home state is frightening.

I'll say more later.

02/28/2012 United States (The Christian Institute)-A 14-year-old girl in America received death threats and abuse after taking a stand for the traditional definition of marriage. Sarah appeared before the state of Maryland’s legislature last month where she urged lawmakers not to redefine marriage. She urged a committee to give her “the best birthday present ever,” by “vot[ing] no on gay marriage.”

Threats
But after the youngster’s testimony appeared online she was subjected to vulgar attacks, threats of violence and even death wishes. Other documented responses included: “I’m gonna kill ‘er!”

Exterminated
“Her parents should be exterminated.”
“The [sic] is why abortion must stay legal—to prevent little bigots like this from being Born…”
“Kill this child and his [sic] parent, for my 11 birthday would be a wonderful gift, thanks.”
“Parents like hers should be sterilized…”

Testified
Sarah testified before the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee at the end of January. She said: “I really feel bad for the kids who have two parents of the same gender. Even though some kids think it’s fine, they have no idea what kind of wonderful experiences they miss out on. “I don’t want more kids to get confused about what’s right and okay. I really don’t want to grow up in a world where marriage isn’t such a special thing anymore.”

School Censors Second Grade Student’s John 3:16 Message

Western Persecution continues. People trample over the 1st amendment because of their hostility to the Christian religion.

02/21/2012 United States (Charisma News) - What was meant to be a sweet holiday left a bitter taste in the mouth of second grader Dexter Thielhelm. At a Valentine’s Day “friendship party and chocolate celebration,” James Madison Elementary School officials confiscated Thielhelm’s gifts of candy-filled water bottles with a typewritten note that included the message “Jesus Loves You” and the text of the Bible verse John 3:16. The Sheboygan, Wis., school’s principal only allowed the gifts to be distributed after his message was removed.

David French, a senior attorney with the ACLJ, issued a demand letter this week to the Sheboygan Area School District, asking for assurances that the district will “cease its viewpoint-discriminatory treatment of religious speech.”

“It has been well settled by the Supreme Court that religious speech is protected by the First Amendment and may not be singled out for disparate treatment,” says French. “To censor Dexter’s speech because of its religious nature is pure and simple viewpoint discrimination.”

According to District Assistant Superintendent of Student Instructional Services Mark Holzman, Thielhelm’s
Valentine’s Day messages were censored for fear that students receiving the child’s gift might not be comfortable with his religious message. But the Supreme Court has ruled that students cannot be prohibited from exercising their First Amendment rights simply because someone might be offended.

“It’s pretty simple, really. A student does not shed his constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate. The general rule is student free speech is protected absent disruption. Dexter’s message was not disruptive, and the school must end its censorship,” French says.

“In claiming the district’s decision was necessary to maintain religious neutrality, Sheboygan District Superintendent Joe Sheehan has gotten it backwards. Neutrality would have been achieved by allowing Dexter to distribute his religious Valentine’s message on the same terms that other students were permitted to distribute their Valentine’s gifts(Source).”

Atheists Launching Mob Attacks Against Christian Films Through IMDb

And the American persecution of my brethren in Christ continues. I'm glad that the people making this film are advocating forgiveness though.

01/26/2012 United States (Charisma News) Atheist groups are attacking Suing the Devil, the highly acclaimed Christian movie. In fact, one of the atheist groups emailed the producers warning of a “mob attack” on IMDb—and it seems they followed through. Within three days, the film's rating dropped from a near seven to a four on IMDb (Internet Movie Database), which is the largest film site on the Internet.
Anti-Christian comments such as “Christian propaganda,” “Christian-brainwashing,” “Christian idiots,” and “Eliminate Christians” permeated through the film's message boards.

"It was a direct attack on all believers. There were over 400 people who voted a '1' overnight despite the film not coming out,” a spokesman for RiverRain Productions said. "We've let IMDb know about this attack, but they've done nothing. Other Christian films, like Courageous and Facing the Giants, have also suffered these attacks—it's a way of smearing and discrediting these films."

The director and producers of Suing the Devil are urging an attitude of forgiveness: "We have to show them love," says Tim Chey, the film's director. "Jesus said if they hate me, they'll hate you."

Suing the Devil was mentioned in the Los Angeles Times over the weekend because the film has had 100,000 illegal downloads on 50 illegal sites. "It's one of the most heavily downloaded indie movies ever, which is a compliment actually,” Chey says. “And I'm glad it spread the Word to so many."

Suing the Devil opened in select theaters nationwide on August 26. It had the second highest-grossing average of any independent film in the nation and was the number one Christian movie in America in August.
Suing the Devil stars Malcolm McDowell, Rebecca St. James, Corbin Bernsen, Shannen Fields (Facing the Giants), Tom Sizemore, Ros Gentle, and Bart Bronson. Hillsong also participated in the movie shot in Sydney, Australia(Source).

Muslim Football Players in Dearborn Heights Arrested for Assault on Christian Quarterback

DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A figurative beat down turned literal beating has led to the felony arrests of a group of local high school football players.

Police arrested four Star International Academy seniors Wednesday on aggravated assault charges stemming from an altercation in the team’s last game of the season.

The players -- Mohamed Ahmed, Fanar Al-Alsady, Hadee Attia and Ali Bajjey, all age 17 -- are accused of gang-beating Lutheran Westland’s quarterback as time expired in Lutheran’s 47-6 drubbing of Star on Oct. 21.

According to numerous witness statements gathered by police, Lutheran’s quarterback was set to take a knee to run out the clock. Before the snap, referees told both teams to refrain from contact, police said.

After the snap, however, the four arrested Star players burst through the line and allegedly manhandled Lutheran’s quarterback. Police said they ripped off his helmet, threw him to the ground and punched and kicked him repeatedly. The incident came to an end after coaches, players and refs stepped in and broke it up.

Police took a statement from a referee who said he heard a Star player say to hit the referees after being directed to not hit the other team.

According to published reports, Lutheran’s quarterback suffered a concussion from the beating(Source).