Today's Cultural Warfare Update

[solarbird]

Focus on the Family's James Dobson reiterates; stem-cell research is "Nazi-esque";

FotF on what went "awry" with tolerance;

FotF: Colleges "overtly hostile" to Christian faith, warns of "challenges" from having a roommate with a different worldview;

Today's Family News in Focus;

Evangelical Lutherans to vote on church treatment of gayfolk;

Conservative black pastors rally around Federal Marriage Amendment;

Family Research Council statement on John Roberts's pro-bono work on the anti-Amendment 2 lawsuit in Colorado - they want to know more at the hearings.


----- 1 -----
DOBSON NOT ALONE IN CALLING EMBRYONIC RESEARCH 'NAZI-ESQUE'
Many see similarities in cruel and inhuman concentration-camp experiments
Focus on the Family
by Pete Winn, associate editor

http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0037468.cfm

SUMMARY: Accusation that there is no comparison between
cruel and inhuman concentration-camp experiments and
embryonic stem-cell research misses the mark.

Family advocates rallied today in support of Focus on the
Family Action Chairman Dr. James Dobson, under fire from a
top leader of the American Jewish community for calling
destructive embryonic stem-cell research "Nazi-esque."

Specifically, Dobson compared experiments that involve the
willful destruction of human embryos to experiments Nazi
doctors conducted on Jewish concentration camp inmates
during World War II.

"You just don't do that! You don't experiment on human
beings," Dobson said in a special edition of his daily
radio broadcast, which aired nationwide today. "And that's
where this is going, and that's why I linked it to what
the Nazis did."

[More at URL]


----- 2 -----
'TOLERANCE IS A CHRISTIAN IDEA'
Author William Federer explains just what went awry with the notion of tolerance.
Focus on the Family
by Wendy Cloyd, senior editorial coordinator

http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0037461.cfm

SUMMARY: How can a country and government founded on the
premise of religious tolerance now be intolerant of
religion? Author William Federer traces the origin of
tolerance to Christianity and explains just what went
awry.

In his book "Backfired: A Nation Born for Religious
Tolerance No Longer Tolerates Religion," William Federer
delves deep into the archives of American history. From
the time the first colonists set foot on a new continent
in search of the freedom to worship God as they wished to
the politically divided nation today, Federer documents
the origin and progression of religious tolerance and
discusses why the very concept has backfired, leaving
Christianity out in the cold.

The first migrants from England were fed up with the king
forcing his chosen religion on the country and punishing
any who had a different point of view. These Puritans
arrived in the New World in pursuit of religious freedom,
and soon others began to follow. Many held different
beliefs than the Puritans, but all wanted the same thing
-- the freedom to worship as they believed without the
government dictating a national religion.

As more and more people moved to America, the once
homogeneous Puritans became neighbors with Protestants,
Catholics and those of myriad Christian faiths. The
Christians that came to America insisted on the right to
worship freely, and Federer says it was this mixture that
taught neighbors to tolerate each other's differences.

"In order to be intellectually consistent, the Puritans
had to extend the same rights they demanded for themselves
to other Christian groups," Federer told CitizenLink.
"Out of this is born the concept of tolerance."

[...]

Q: This progression of an all-inclusive society with
tolerance for personal belief has now resulted in a
society now intolerant of religion. How did this happen?

A: In Islamic countries religion is forced from the
outside in -- they even have religious police. But in
America, Christians said, "Jesus never forced anyone to
believe in Him, so we shouldn't." The Sermon on the Mount
where Jesus said "Do unto others" -- that is a Christian
idea.

But now many of are using that freedom -- the freedom
gained from the progression of tolerance -- against
Christians. In strict Islamic societies, they prohibit
Judeo-Christian expression. And now the ACLU (American
Civil Liberties Union) is doing the same in our country.

...

If you knock away the legs of the table, don't be
surprised when the table falls. Take away the foundation
of our government -- the Judeo Christian foundation --
don't be surprised when the system falls.

...

[More at URL]


----- 3 -----
ROOMMATE CHALLENGES AWAIT FRESHMEN
Going off to college can often mean living with someone of a different worldview.
Focus on the Family
from staff reports

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0037458.cfm

SUMMARY: Going off to college can often mean having to
learn to get along with someone who holds a different
worldview.

Thousands of teenagers will head to college for the first
time this fall, and the challenges they face in the
classroom will certainly test their faith. But so will the
roommates they're paired with -- and that's a reality
unsuspecting freshmen need to prepare for.

Dr. Chris Leland, a senior fellow for Christian worldview
studies at the Focus on the Family Institute, said the
roommate relationship "is probably the most important
aspect of the college campus."

"A lot of times they run into people that think very
differently than they do," he told Family News in Focus.
"(Their roommates are) brought up in a very different
context, maybe believing the opposite of what many of them
believe."

Some students have bad experiences while others are
pleasantly surprised. Ginna Hardie, who attends North
Dakota State University, said her roommate had decidedly
different views, but the experience was still a good one.

[...]

FOR MORE INFORMATION: College campuses are overtly hostile
to the Christian faith, and many Christian students give
in to defeat. But in his book "How to Stay Christian in
College," Professor J. Budziszewski will help prepare you
and your parents for the challenges you will encounter,
and how to successfully overcome them.
http://www.family.org/resources/itempg.cfm?itemid=4754&refcd=CE05HCZL&tvar=no


----- 4 -----
Family News in Focus
Focus on the Family
Monday, August 08, 2005

http://www.oneplace.com/Ministries/Family_News_in_Focus/

[Note: the replay isn't working today. So I can't transcribe anything, which is too bad; I'd really like to see what they're saying in that last bit.]

* Youth organizations are looking for better ways to get background checks on potential employees and volunteers

* Statistics show abortion rate is dropping – but devastation the procedure causes is still running high

* Love and Respect Conferences will be touring country this fall looking for ways to cut into our bloated divorce rate

* National Marriage Project has released 2005 ‘State of our Unions’ report and there seems to be some good news – divorce rates in U.S. are down slightly

* Support for gay marriage appears to be on the rise - Gay-rights advocates are pointing to their persistent call for same-sex unions as only ‘fair’ course of action


----- 5 -----
Evangelical Lutheran Church Prepares to Vote on Ordaining Gays, Blessing Same-Sex Unions
Sunday, August 07, 2005 03:14:04 PM
Conservative Voice

http://www.theconservativevoice.com/ap/article.html?mi=D8BR5R200&apc=9001

The most divisive issue in American Protestantism will move to the forefront again this week as the 4.9 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America takes a key vote on what role gays should have in the denomination.

About 1,000 church members will meet beginning Monday in Orlando, where they'll decide whether to ordain gays who are not celibate and whether to bless same-sex unions.

No split is imminent. Conservative Lutherans have planned a November meeting to consider forming an association of like-minded churches - but within the ELCA.

Still, few Lutherans believe church members can reconcile their conflicting views of what the Bible says about homosexuality, and tensions rooted in years of wrangling over the issue are expected to spill over at the Churchwide Assembly, which runs through next Sunday.

Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson, head of the Chicago-based denomination, expressed hope that the church would stay unified despite these differences.

"I don't look to a tension-free church as the mark of a vital and healthy church in mission," Hanson said in a recent conference call with reporters. "I think, as a large church body, we have great capacity to be in mission together that is diminished when we are apart."

Turmoil over homosexuality in other Protestant churches is expected to influence the Lutheran vote.

[More at URL]


----- 6 -----
Black Pastors Seek Gay Marriage Ban Amid Family Issues
By Star Parker
GOPUSA
August 8, 2005

http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/sparker/2005/sp_08081.shtml

I've been in Dallas for the last few days attending a conference on the state of the black family convened by the Not On My Watch Coalition and the Cornerstone Baptist Church. The coalition is a group of 40 black pastors, representing congregations numbering in the tens of thousands throughout the state of Texas, who support the Federal Marriage Amendment.

The conference concluded with a 10-point resolution pointed toward encouraging behavior in our communities aimed at the task of reconstituting the black family unit.

Nine of the 10 points aim exclusively at an internal re-focusing in communities on education and mentoring on the importance of traditional moral behavior in matters of sex and marriage. We are talking here about moral ABCs such as discouraging pre-marital sex and cohabitation, emphasizing the importance of marriage fidelity and the role of the community in providing support, such as male mentoring for our many fatherless children.

[More at URL]


----- 7 -----
FRC Statement on John Roberts Involvement in Romer v. Evans
August 5, 2005 - Friday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 5, 2005
CONTACT: Amber Hildebrand, (202) 393-2100
FOR RADIO: J.P. Duffy

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR05H05

"We are not looking for a policy maker, we are looking for a judge who understands it is the role of elected officials to make policy."
~ Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Council

Washington, D.C. - Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement following an LA Times story which reported that Supreme Court nominee John Roberts was involved with pro bono work on Romer v. Evans.

"As a former policy maker and now full-time advocate for family values, my first thought in response to the LA Times story was 'aiding and abetting,' which I would venture to say is how many of our supporters would see this news. However, I urge caution in jumping to that conclusion.

"Judge Roberts was an attorney with a large firm where helping colleagues when called upon was expected. Attorneys are not necessarily advocates or activists. In fact, activists are exactly what we don't want on the court. I spent the good part of yesterday on the phone and in meetings to get the facts. I have verified that his involvement was limited to about 5 hours of participation in a moot court as he played the role of one of the High Court's conservative members asking tough hypothetical questions of the attorneys who actually prepared and argued the case.

"Stories are already beginning to circulate about the motives behind one of the main sources of the LA Times story who is no longer with the law firm and is now with a left-leaning advocacy organization in Washington. I remain confident that President Bush understands that his legacy in large part will be determined by whom he places on the Supreme Court.

"I have also gained confidence in reviewing Judge Roberts' judicial opinions, which helps me trust his statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding his judicial philosophy: '(Judges) do not have a commission to solve society's problems, as they see them, but simply to decide cases before them according to the rule of law.' Yet as Ronald Reagan said, 'Trust, but verify.' We plan to do just that as we will be heavily involved in the confirmation hearings."


-30-

Comments

[poetry-lady.livejournal.com]

Sooooo, they've now re-defined the word "tolerance" to mean "allowing the Judeo-Christian faith." How...charming.

[solarbird]

It's intolerant not to allow the majority to overrun the minourity, fundamentally. They're playing the majority-rules-all game, which kind of means they're missing the entire point of our government, but hey.

[epawtows.livejournal.com]

I think part of the problem is what you call 'our' government, they think of as 'their' government.

[mathmuffin.livejournal.com]

Tolerance should allow the Judeo-Christian faith. And allow Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Wiccan, Secular Humanism, and many other faiths. I don't think the article intends to narrow the meaning of tolerance to mean that only Christianity should be tolerated. Instead, the author begs in the name of tolerance that Christianity should be respected. However, both author William Federer and his interviewer Wendy Cloyd seem to be conceited and annoying people who confuse respect with special privileges.

What I find most disturbing about the article is how much it lies about history. The Puritans were called Puritans because they wanted to impose a "pure" form of Christianity on all of England. Tolerating other forms of Christianity was not their style.

And in colonial Massachusetts they succeeded in creating hundreds of villages with their style of Christianity. William Federer was honest enough to say, "Even then they only tolerated other Puritans." The end result was that a good number of their descendents grew tired of the conformity. Many became smugglers and rabble-rousers and slave-traders to break out of that conformity. Massachusetts was a weird mix of law-makers and law-breakers, just what the American Revolution needed.

Christianity was one of the first religions to insist that all people had worth. That laid the foundation for modern Western ideas of tolerance. That is the true link between Christianity and tolerance.

As a mathematician, I also frown on Federer's line, "If you have three boys and one piece of pie they all want, the best way to divide the pie is to have one draw, one cut and one assign who gets which piece. They all want to be sure they get enough, so they'll do it fairly." That generalization of the two-person algorithm does not work, because why would the person who cuts follow the directions of the person who draws?

Erin Schram

[avram]

What I find most disturbing about the article is how much it lies about history. The Puritans were called Puritans because they wanted to impose a "pure" form of Christianity on all of England. Tolerating other forms of Christianity was not their style.

Keep in mind that the Anglicans weren't exactly tolerant of the Puritans. Since 1559, the law had required weekly church attendance and use of a standard prayer book.

And that after Cromwell took power, he re-admitted the Jews to England.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

[mathmuffin.livejournal.com]

Item #5, "Evangelical Lutheran Church Prepares to Vote on Ordaining Gays, Blessing Same-Sex Unions", is something I have mentioned before, because I am an a member of that denomination. I will keep you posted on the results.

Reverend Roy Harrisville's statement, "They recommended they have a rule and not enforce it. Well, that's just silly," is a valid summary of the January recommendations of the Task Force on Human Sexuality. They recommend officially maintaining the old position but unofficially allowing ordination of active gays when no-one objects. In April, the ELCA Church Council published their more conservative recommendations, which are that homosexual orientation is fine, but homosexual sex is a sin.

Going by the recommendations, bold change is unlikely. The forces for progress are hoping to sneak progress in by the back door, and the forces of tradition are digging in their feet while smiling politely. On the other hand, the delegates at the churchwide assembly are ordinary people, not the administrative types who wrote the recommendations, so they are less wishy-washy.

Erin Schram

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

Focus on the Family should look in the mirror. Nothing is more literally nazi-esque than blaming social evils on homosexuality.

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

They should also keep in mind that embryos were not the only things experimented on by the nazis. Gays were also experimented on, in the hopes of "curing them". Does this start to sound familiar?