Incarcerated parents' treatment 'appalling' 

Homosexual indoctrination bill advances in CA 

7th-grader stands up for faith 

Support for 'gay' rights rising among Catholics 

Charter schools tied to Muslim group? 

Some German parents continue to be jailed for protecting their children's Christian beliefs.

Five sets of parents in a German town have been punished for refusing to allow their elementary school-aged children to participate in school sex-education programs (see earlier article). "[The children are] being put through an interactive sex-education play which teaches them that if something feels good, then you should do it," explains Roger Kiska with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF).
 
According to Kiska, one father has just been released from prison, two other parents are currently jailed, and two more mothers are waiting to be jailed. ( Incarcerated parents' treatment 'appalling')

 
"One is pregnant, so she's got an exemption until she gives birth; [and] the other just had a baby, so they're allowing her some time to bond with her child before she goes to prison for a longer sentence," he says. "It's absolutely appalling what these parents are going through."

(Billy's Thoughts>>> It looks like the nation of Germany is still being run in a way that would please Hitler. Lets all hope and pray this doesn't come to America though in some ways we are close to seeing it happen here  and in some other ways it is already here.)

A California bill mandating that public school textbooks be re-written to encourage "gay," lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lifestyles passed the Senate Committee on Education Wednesday. ( Homosexual indoctrination bill advances in CA)

Senate Bill 48, proposed by openly homosexual senator Mark Leno of San Francisco, passed the committee in a 6-3-1 vote. The bill would require that teachers and textbooks present alternate lifestyles in a positive light, with instruction in subjects such as history, psychology, political science, and communication in public school classrooms. The ten-member committee, comprised mainly of Democrats, unanimously favored the bill, backed by Equality California and the Gay Straight Alliance Network.

(Billy's Thoughts>>>> If you live in CA. the time to remove your children from the government schools was yesterday.  I thought it was the job of the schools to teach reading, writing, and math not stuff that goes against the values of  at least some parents.)

A California-based law group is considering legal action in a case where a teacher reportedly attacked Christianity during class time, calling Christians "zombie worshippers."

Tommi Oatis, a seventh-grader in a Northern California school district, says her teacher blatantly criticized the Christian faith in class, telling students that no one should believe the Bible "since it was written 2,000 years ago." The teacher allegedly also compared a photo of an individual drinking out of a "blacks only" fountain during the civil rights era, comparing it to Proposition 8 and the battle over same-sex "marriage" in The Golden State.  ( 7th-grader stands up for faith)

 
Robert Tyler, general counsel for Advocates for Faith & Freedom, reports that Oatis boldly stated in class: "That's not right. I'm an African-American person myself, and I take offense to your comment because it's not the same thing. You're trying to compare the prohibition of same-sex marriage to discrimination against blacks. That is wrong and it's not fair."

(Billy's Thoughts>>> Good for this 7th grader  even some adults would not have been as brave as she was. While I believe for the most part Christian kids belong in Christian schools I must tip my hat to this kid. Good for her and may God bless her for the stand.)

A new study shows that Roman Catholics are more supportive of homosexual special rights than are the general public and other Christians.

The survey, conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute, addressed such topics as legal recognition, same-gender "marriage," and suicide rates. Dr. Robert Jones, the Institute's CEO, says the study is fairly comprehensive.
 
"Nearly three-quarters of Catholics favor laws that would protect gay and lesbian people against discrimination in the workplace," says Jones. "Sixty-three percent of Catholics favor allowing gay and lesbian people to serve openly in the military -- and six in 10 Catholics favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt children." ( Support for 'gay' rights rising among Catholics)

(Billy's Thoughts>>> It looks like the Catholic Church has some work to do among it's own flock doesn't it? I don't believe anyone should be treated badly because of why they are but we already have laws on the books to guard against that. No group of people should be given special rights including Gay Americans.)

Federal agencies are reportedly investigating a large American charter school operation for possible financing of a Muslim movement in Turkey.

Followers of Fethulla Gulen, a major Islamic political figure in Turkey now living in Pennsylvania, have opened some 140 charter schools across the U.S. Several sources report the FBI and the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education are investigating whether some school employees are kicking back part of their salaries to a Muslim movement founded by Gulen.
 
Randy McDaniel of the Jacksonville, Florida chapter of ACT! for America, who has been following this charter school operation for some time, says school children across the U.S. are receiving Islamic indoctrination.
 
"And what you have to understand [is] that in Islam there is no separation from sharia or Islam from culture -- it's all one and wrapped into one," he explains. "Under Islamic law, or sharia law, they dictate every aspect of your life, and it's not just religion. Religion is a small piece of the pie but it's your social life, your personal life, your military, your economics -- all of it ties in and falls under Islamic law."  ( Charter schools tied to Muslim group?)

 )

(Billy's Thoughts>>> The leaders of our nation need to check out these schools for the sake of all of us. )

The California Republican Party has elected its first openly homosexual board member. One incumbent is hopeful the action will not further enforce a "gay" agenda on citizens of The Golden State.  (GOP struggles over first 'gay' official)

Greg Gandrud, a longtime political activist and former Carpinteria city council member, was elected to the GOP Board of Directors, making history as the California Republican Party took a dramatic turn. The election of the 50-year-old Republican was kept quiet during the California Republican convention in Sacramento -- although incumbents have long stated that the party wishes to draw in new supporters.

Celeste Greig, president of the volunteer California Republican Assembly, says many Republicans did not know of Gandrud's sexual orientation until recently. But she adds that her conservative group will stand its ground, both fiscally and socially.

"I hope that he doesn't bring his personal lifestyle within the party," says Greig. "Of course everyone is welcome to be members, to be productive. If they try to bring up more of their issues and promote more of their lifestyle, I'm sure that's not going to go well at all with members of the California Republican Assembly and with me."

 (Billy's Thoughts>>> If the GOP back down on the core values which have made it the grand old party they will be in trouble. They can't become a party that support gay rights and same sex marriage if they do those of us on the right just might leave it. After all why have two parties if their values are the same.)

As an Anglican pastor, I bear scars from the war with "universalism" inside the Episcopal Church. I also have endured the battering of Bishop John Spong and his effort to "rescue the gospel from fundamentalists." And when I saw Rob Bell's new book Love Wins, I found myself quoting former Yankee great Yogi Berra: "It's like déjà vu all over again."

I'm the kind of person who detests jumping through hoops, playing mental gymnastics and arguing about what the definition of "is" is. That's why I'm not going to challenge the book point by point as wonderful scholars like Dr. Al Mohler have done. Instead, I'll deal with the big picture in the larger, even global, context of this "new suit" placed on an old heresy.

Asking questions for the sake of asking questions, not in a desire to find true answers, is indeed troubling. Even then, I felt that Bell's questions were quite similar to those of the serpent in the Garden of Eden: "Did God really say that?" He was more anxious to share his own doubts than to arrive at the truth. I felt that Mr. Bell and his equally confusing mentor, Brian McLaren, are deeply entrenched in the school of Bishop Spong from the Episcopal Church -- but with one major exception: they call themselves evangelicals.
 
With Love Wins, what Rob Bell managed to do (once he came out of the closet of just-asking-questions-for-asking-questions' sake) is reveal to us that he is a universalist pure and simple. Just like the author of The Shack did before him, he (for the sake of misleading larger numbers) has dressed his brand of universalism in a new suit, bringing it up to date with fashionable clothes that could easily deceive emotionally bound, mindlessly challenged and unsuspecting young Christians.
 
In many ways, Rob Bell's book puts an end to the nonsense of the "I'm only raising questions" and "We all should be asking questions" gibberish. (Perspective: Love has already won)

 
By telling us that hell is empty, he finally came clean and revealed his modern-day modification of Bishop Spong's universalism. Sadly, this sleight of hand has and will mislead many young people, for whom I truly grieve.

(Billy's Thoughts>>>> The above is part of a column written by Michael Youssef. No matter if some person agrees that there is a real Hell or not it is there. You may not agree five plus five is ten  but it is. Also Jesus taught more about hell than he did heaven. )

A bestselling author and terrorism expert says a Florida judge has set a very bad precedent in ruling that a dispute between two Muslim parties can be settled under sharia law.

Circuit Judge Richard Nielson has come under attack from conservatives after he ruled in early March that a lawsuit filed against the Islamic Education Center of Tampa Bay by four ousted trustees can proceed under Islamic (or sharia) law. The issue involves whether an arbitration by an Islamic scholar was proper. Nielsen ruled that the mosque's ex-trustees were ousted improperly, which if upheld, could wrest control of $2.2-million from the Center's current leaders. ( Legitimizing sharia law in U.S.?)

(Billy's Thoughts>>> This is the United States of America should not a judge follow our laws when deciding a case. If a judge can't or won't follow our laws it just may be time for him to leave the bench.)

Illinois pharmacists who won't sell certain drugs for religious reasons are awaiting a court decision on a law that requires them to do so.

In 1995, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich instituted a rule by executive order forcing pharmacies to sell contraception -- including Plan B, the "morning-after" pill.

The lawsuit was filed by two pharmacists who refused for religious reasons. Attorney Mark Rienzi argued the case on their behalf.

"One thing I think the trial showed is that there's really no compelling government interest in forcing these particular people to sell the drug," says Rienzi. "One of these pharmacies is in Chicago with competitors just three blocks away and more than a dozen pharmacies within three or four miles. There's really no legitimate reason the government needs that guy to sell that one particular drug."  (Religious freedom at issue in contraception case)

(Billy's Thoughts>>> Why should people that work in a private business be forced to sell something their faith teaches them is wrong.)