“U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is to officiate at a wedding ceremony between two men this weekend, just two months after the court issued high-profile rulings on the highly divisive issue. A court spokesman said on Friday that Ginsburg would be officiating at the ceremony on Saturday at the Kennedy Center. Ginsburg is the first justice to preside over a wedding ceremony involving a same-sex couple. ... In June, the court struck down a federal law that denied federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples and paved the way for gay marriage in California by letting stand a ruling that struck down a state law that restricted marriage to opposite-sex couples. ... In an interview with Reuters in July, Ginsburg said she was pleased with the court's decisions on the issue. Of the increasing public acceptance of gay marriage, she said, ‘I think the country is doing remarkably well. I don't think anyone could have predicted this.’” (“U.S. Supreme Court Justice to Preside,” Reuters, Aug. 30, 2013) Obama, Kerry lobby for Syria strike support; NASA probe expected to reach moon despite post-launch problem; Conservatives win Australian election; Tokyo chosen for 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
Dirk Underlich and children
“A team of 20 social workers, police officers, and special agents raided a homeschooling family’s residence near Darmstadt, Germany Thursday, forcibly removing the family’s four children, aged 7-14. Law enforcement raided the home and seized the children solely because the parents home school them--in defiance of a German ban on home education. According to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), the children of Dirk and Petra Wunderlich were taken to unknown locations. Officials reportedly told the parents they would not be seeing their children ‘anytime soon.’ HSLDA states that it obtained and translated court documents that authorized the use of force to seize the children and remove them from their parents’ custody. The documents indicated that the only legal grounds for removal were the family’s continuation of homeschooling. Though nothing indicated that the parents were failing to provide an adequate education, the law in Germany ignores the educational progress of the child. Attendance in government schools--not learning--is the object of the German law. According to HSLDA, Judge Koenig, a Darmstadt family court judge, signed the order to seize the children on Wednesday. Koenig cited the parents’ failure to cooperate ‘with the authorities to send the children to school.’ In addition, the judge authorized the use of force ‘against the children’ if necessary, indicating that such force might be needed because the children had ‘adopted the parents’ opinion’ regarding homeschooling, and ‘no cooperation could be expected’ from either the parents or their children. ... Michael Farris [founder of HSLDA] said that the right of parents to decide on how their children are educated is a human right of the highest order: ‘This case demonstrates conclusively why the Romeike asylum case is so important. Families in Germany need a safe place where they can educate their children in peace.’ HSLDA is also representing the Romeike family, a German homeschooling family that was granted legal asylum in the United States in 2010 by a U.S. immigration judge. The Obama administration, however, successfully appealed that decision. When the Romeikes appealed to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, but were denied asylum, HSLDA decided to ask the Supreme Court to hear the case. If denied asylum by the Supreme Court, the Romeike family faces thousands of dollars in fines and possible jail time in Germany because they have homeschooled their children.” (“German Authorities Round up Homeschooled Children,” Breitbart, Aug. 31, 2013) Obama returns from G20; Napolitano's Homeland Security farewell; Aaron Hernandez in court; Pancho the Pelican. Obama Seeks Support; Crowd Opposes Syria Action; Zimmerman Divorce; Broncos Dominate Ravens9/6/2013
Lawyer: Obama seeks world leaders' support to strike Syria; Crowd at McCain town hall opposes Syria action; George Zimmerman's wife filing for divorce; Manning's 7 TDs lead Broncos past Ravens, 49-27. The weaver bird (genus Ploceus) is a type of thrush that weaves an elaborate nest. There are dozens of varieties of weavers, but here we will focus on the Southern Masked Weaver (Ploceus velatus), native to Africa. The male, a beautiful bird with bright yellow feathers and a black head and beak, builds about 25 nests each season (September to January) from reeds, grass, and twigs. He is capable of typing complex knots such as the half-hitch, overhand, and slipknot. The globe-shaped nest has an entrance hole near the bottom. He builds the nest with an eye on attracting a finicky female of the species. If she doesn't like the nest, he will tear it down and build a new one. When a female finally approves his nest, she lines it with soft grass and feathers in preparation for laying the eggs. Some weavers are monogamous, but the Southern Masked Weaver seeks to attract a harem of females. The eggs are of various colors and markings. This assists the weavers against invasion by cuckoos, which lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. Eggs of the wrong color are ejected by the nest owners. Photo by David Cloud. (Friday Church News Notes, August 30, 2013, www.wayoflife.org [email protected], 866-295-4143) Ephesians 6:18 "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints..." Several years ago, the Southern Medical Journal reported that prayers can help sick hospital patients, even if they don't know they are being prayed for. However, some of the scientists involved said they would not accept the findings unless there was a certifiable miracle. Most, but not all, scientists are evolutionists. As evolutionists, they can only accept that which is capable of being observed and measured. Of course, this rejects the existence of God, man's soul or man's relationship to God. Yet a number of studies on Christian prayer have been done, and they all seem to show that prayer works. In this latest study, 12 percent of those prayed for were better off than those who were not prayed for. As Christians, we need to be careful in thinking about scientific studies on prayer. We pray because our loving heavenly Father has commanded us to pray and because He has promised to hear us. Each one of us is an individual, and God treats us as individuals, not like statistics in an experiment. Finally, we shouldn't think of prayer as something that forces God to do anything – what is done is always His will, not ours. But the fact that we can verify that prayer works gives us encouragement and helps to convince others that God truly desires a relationship with each one of us. Photo: Courtesy of Sergei Frolov. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com Obama meets world leaders at G20; President lobbies members of congress from Russia; Massive pileup on foggy UK bridge; Girl panda cub announced at National Zoo. Obama wins Senate panel's backing on Syria strike; Teen dead, more hurt in Texas high school stabbing; Study finds online privacy concerns on the rise; Malaysia bars US band's show over Muslim criticism. “The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever” (Psa. 37:18). This does not mean merely that God is aware of the saint’s situation. It means that He is intimately involved. He knows the situation intimately. He’s there. He’s aware. He’s involved. He cares. “David threw himself into those everlasting arms, into the arms of a God who is so big that billions of stars hang upon His words and innumerable angels rush to do His bidding, yet He can still find time to comfort a frail, mortal son of Adam’s ruined race” (John Phillips). (Friday Church News Notes, August 30, 2013, www.wayoflife.org [email protected], 866-295-4143) Genesis 1:21a "And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind..." It seems that when it came to designing the millions of different creatures in the sea, God used an additional measure of imagination. Part of the reason might be that creatures that live in the near weightlessness of water can be designed with more variation in the shape of their bodies and in the ways they can move. But another factor seems to be that God set out to create certain features that cannot be explained by any human theory. For years evolutionists have taught that the embryo recapitulates all the earlier evolutionary stages. This is said to be evidence for evolution, but yet the real evidence continues to show they are on the wrong track. For example, some embryonic forms are so different from the adult forms that the only explanation can be the unlimited imagination of an all-powerful Creator. The adult forms of the Sacculina barnacle look more like a fungus than any barnacle. It was only by studying the embryo of the Sacculina that scientists were able to learn that this weird creature is really a barnacle. So next time you watch a nature program about the sea in which they speak about evolutionary development, keep in mind that there is much they are not going to tell you. And often what they don't tell you are the embarrassing facts that point to our Creator! Photo: Inside circle is a Sacculina parasitical barnacle on a female swimming crab, from the Belgian coastal waters. Courtesy of Hans Hillewaert. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com Senate panel approves military strike on Syria; President Obama says Syria response is a "credibility issue." Cleveland kidnapper and rapist labeled a "coward" after suicide; Stocks up on Wall Street. Putin warns West about Syria; Obama in Sweden; Kidnapper Ariel Castro found dead; Massive California mud flow. Hollywood actress Megan Fox, in a recent interview, described her experience with “speaking in tongues.” “It feels like a whole lot of energy is coming through the top of your head. Your whole body is filled with this electric current and then you just start speaking, but you’re NOT THINKING BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE SAYING. WORDS ARE COMING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH, AND YOU CAN’T CONTROL. ... The idea is that it’s a language that only God understands. It’s the language that’s spoken in Heaven. It’s called ‘getting the Holy Ghost.’” This is the practice that passes as “tongues speaking” in these last days, but it is contrary to every Biblical test. Biblical tongues speaking consisted of human languages that were spoken miraculously without any learning or preparation (Acts 2:1-4). It was a sign to the Jews (1 Corinthians 14:20-22) and Jews were present every time that tongues were spoken in the book of Acts (2:5-11; 10:46; 19:6). Those who spoke in tongues or prophesied had control over their spirits and could stop when necessary (1 Corinthians 14:29-30, 32-33). Women were forbidden to speak in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:34-35). Tongues speaking was never a sign of “getting the Holy Spirit.” The 3,000 who were saved on the day of Pentecost, for example, did not speak in tongues. The charismatic movement with its bogus “spiritual gifts” is a major element in building the apostate one-world “church.” (Friday Church News Notes, August 30, 2013, www.wayoflife.org [email protected], 866-295-4143)
Image of mammoth on Holly Oak pendant
2 Peter 1:20-21 "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." One of the most important differences between man's word and God's Word is that man's word can sometimes be true, while God's Word is always true. When a scientist finds the fossil imprint of a fish, he usually says that he has found a fish and will even give it a name. But what has he really found? Well, just the flattened and deformed imprint of what used to be a fish's dead body. Everything else the scientist says about the imprint is story telling. The stories might be true, but the important thing is that stories are not facts. The uncertain nature of such story-telling was illustrated when scientists decided that the Holly Oak pendant, a whelk shell with an engraving of a wooly mammoth on it, is not really evidence that man saw mammoths in North America. According to theory, mammoths disappeared from North America long before the arrival of man. One dating method supported an ancient age for the Holly Oak pendant, but another dating method gave an age of about one thousand years. Scientists have now decided that the carving is modern. In other words, evidence has been selected to support the theory that mammoths disappeared from North America long before the arrival of man. God's Word about ancient history is completely trustworthy. Man's story-telling about ancient history has always been subject to change. Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com President Obama garners bipartisan support for military intervention in Syria; Syria casts shadow over Obama's overseas trip; New span of Bay Bridge handles its first commute. Congressional Hearings on Syria; Rodman in North Korea; Egypt claims it attacked Sinai militants; 30 accused of being WWII Nazi guards. The following news item reminds us that the America’s highest judges are ruling against the U.S. Constitution. American citizens are granted freedom of religion and freedom of speech in the Bill of Rights, but these precious, blood-bought liberties are being stolen by judges who rule against their own nation’s laws as well as against God’s laws. “The Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty [CARL], an organization of chaplain endorsers representing more than 2,000 current chaplains actively serving the armed forces, expressed disappointment in the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the definition of marriage for purposes of federal law found in the Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA]. The Chaplain Alliance calls on Congress to pass enhanced religious liberty protections for all military personnel. The court’s unfortunate decision to strike down the federal definition of marriage highlights the need for the religious protections recently passed by the House Armed Service Committee and the full House of Representatives. ‘Most of the faith groups in our country firmly hold that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. They strongly believe that children deserve to know their mother and father. Chaplains from those faith groups will continue to minister with those convictions. Chaplains have been protected by DOMA as they minister to service members and their families in a manner consistent with those sincerely held beliefs. That freedom is now at significant risk. Ron Crews, a CARL spokesman, stated that ‘This ruling makes absolutely clear that Congress must pass comprehensive religious liberty protection. ... Chaplains, as well as all military personnel, must be able to serve our nation without giving up their religious beliefs and convictions.” (Friday Church News Notes, August 30, 2013, www.wayoflife.org [email protected], 866-295-4143) Luke 4:17a "And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias." Two thousand years ago parchment or papyrus pages of written works were all stitched together end to end into a long roll wound around a wooden or metal bar. It was called a scroll. The problem in reading it was that you had to spin through the entire roll if you wanted to read, say, a passage on the last page. Just like the old video or audiotapes. The invention of the book consisted of stitching those same written pages all together on one edge rather than from end to end. This permitted access to the last page just as easily as the first. In other words, the invention of the book format allowed random access just as the CD format does today. As we all know, this is a major advance. Who made this advance? It was the early Christians who broke away from the Jewish scroll format and did so to reduce the wear and tear on their hand-written Bibles. Recently, scholars identified the oldest bound book ever discovered. It was a wood-and-leather-bound copy of the Psalms found buried with a child who died 1,600 years ago. So next time you hear someone say that Christians are against education and don't appreciate books, just remember that Christians and their love for the Bible are responsible for the convenient form of our modern books. Photo: Torah scroll inside of the former Glockengasse Synagogue in Cologne. Courtesy of Willy Horsch. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com Diana Nyad has become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the help of a shark cage. The 64-year-old Nyad stepped ashore in Key West on Monday just before 2 p.m., about 53 hours after she began her swim in Havana on Saturday. Obama, McCain discuss Syria; Egypt to put Morsi on trial; FAMU band returns from suspension; Music festival ended after apparent drug-related deaths. “A Jewish website that aims to teach Israelis about the Temple has been met with an angry backlash from the Arab Muslim community. The Har Hakodesh (lit. ‘The Holy Mountain’) website [http://harhakodesh.co.il/] includes educational material about the history of the Temple Mount, which was the site of the First Temple and Second Temple. ... What has caused upset in the Muslim world is a representation of the Temple Mount as it would appear with a rebuilt Jewish Temple atop it rather than Al-Aqsa Mosque that currently stands there. The site has been repeatedly targeted by hackers, and has been the focus of criticism in the Arab media. Sheikh Raed Salah, who heads the hardline northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, has called for an ‘Islamic awakening’ in response to the website. Arutz Sheva spoke to Boaz Yaakovi, from the Lev Hauma NGO behind the website. ‘We didn't do this to provoke or to annoy the Arabs,’ Yaakovi insisted. ‘We’re presenting history as it was.’ When asked whether he sees the simulation of the Third Temple as provocative, he said, ‘If someone wants to get angry, what can I do? Because he’s angry, I should ignore my truth?’ The desire to see a rebuilt Temple is central to traditional Judaism, and the Amidah prayer, which religious Jews recite three times daily, calls for the Temple to be rebuilt.” (Arutz Sheva, July 24, 2013) Revelation 6:14 "And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." Everyone has seen pictures of the planet Saturn and its beautiful rings. Well, it is now known that many of our solar system's outer planets have rings. However, these rings are a problem for those astronomers who think that the universe is billions of years old. You see, the rings, which encircle the outer planets, would not be around today if the universe really was billions of years old. Recent studies of the rings of Uranus highlight the problem of why these rings are still around today. One theory says the rings are kept in shape, and in orbit, by small satellites circling the planet near one set of rings. The problem is, there are nine other rings around the planet that are not associated with satellites. Astronomers have also found 50 to 100 tenuous dust bands around the planet. These dust bands would disappear even more rapidly than rings. One astronomer has suggested that perhaps these bands are replenished with dust when tiny grains of dust collide with invisible moons around the planet. Science usually doesn't have room for invisible moons and unseen causes. It is unfortunate that when the only alternative is to admit that the Bible is right about the creation being relatively young, some scientists are so biased that they must invent invisible moons and mysterious causes. Photo: A 1998 false-color near-infrared image of Uranus showing cloud bands, rings, and moons. Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com Kerry cites fresh evidence of Syria gas attack; California wildfire now 4th largest in state history; David Frost dies; Putin meets sea life.
President Mahmoud Abbas
“As Secretary of State John Kerry pushes full steam ahead to try to bring the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiation table, a new video is casting doubt regarding true Palestinian intentions and tactics. Palestinian Authority Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash in an on-camera sermon on Friday hinted any peace deal secured would secretly be only a short-term arrangement by comparing it to a truce the Muslim prophet Mohammed negotiated but broke two years later. This is just the latest example of Palestinian leaders discussing their stepwise plan to liberate Palestine from the ‘river to the sea,’ starting with the late Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. At the Friday Ramadan services, which were attended by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and broadcast on Palestinian television, Habbash explained to Muslim worshipers that Palestinian Authority officials ‘only through the wisdom of the leadership, conscious action, consideration, and walking the right path’ are headed toward ‘achievement, exactly like the Prophet [Mohammad] did in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, even though some opposed it.’ Palestinian Media Watch--an Israeli research institution that translates anti-Israel broadcasts in the Palestinian media--explains that the Hudaybiyyah peace treaty of 628 A.D. refers to ‘a 10-year truce that Mohammad, Islam’s Prophet, made with the Quraish Tribe of Mecca. However, two years into the truce, Mohammad attacked and conquered Mecca.’ The Religious Affairs Minister emphasized that Mohammed’s choosing the path of negotiation with an enemy was not ‘disobedience’ to Allah, but was rather ‘politics’ and ‘crisis management.’ ... The Palestinian Authority has been insisting to Kerry that it will only negotiate on the basis of the pre-1967 borders, which means it refuses to agree to anything less than a full Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and east Jerusalem, including the Old City, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount which is the holiest site in the Jewish religion. Some Israeli officials refer to those borders as ‘Auschwitz borders,’ because it would leave Israel only nine miles wide at its narrowest point.” (“Palestinian Minister Hints Peace Deal Would Be Temporary Arrangement before Conquering Israel,” The Blaze, July 24, 2013) |
Archives
February 2020
|