THE CHURCH MILITANT
Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse.
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, also known as the “Ten Commandments Judge,” says that he plans to keep pressing for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution following Friday’s Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex “marriage.”
“There is no such thing as same-sex marriage in the Constitution. The words are not there, we’ve never had it in our history,” he told CNN on Friday. “Five judges on the Supreme Court, or justices, have presumed to find a fundamental right which has no basis in the history or logic or tradition of our country.”
Moore said that he believes the justices followed their personal feelings rather than the rule of law.
“I think the law of the land is plain. It’s the United States Constitution,” he stated. “Not an opinion of the Supreme Court which contradicts that law.”
Moore also advised reporters that the Supreme Court can be petitioned for a re-hearing within 25 days of a ruling. He said that while it is rare for the court to do so, he hoped that the justices would consider the strong dissent in the case.
The judge also said that he would continue to press for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution protecting the institution of marriage.
“I believe that would be what it takes to overcome this errant Supreme Court,” Moore stated. “There’s got to be some way to draw them back to reality.”
As previously reported, last February, Moore unveiled a draft amendment as he mailed letters to each governor, lieutenant governor and legislative body in all 50 states, urging the formation of a convention to add the language to the Constitution.
“Nothing in this Constitution or in the constitution or laws of any state shall define or shall be construed to define marriage except as the union of one man and one woman, and no other union shall be recognized with the legal incidents thereof within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction,” it read.
Moore noted that Article V of the U.S. Constitution allows for Congress to call a convention for proposed amendments that obtain the approval of two-thirds of the states.
But regardless of whether or not a re-hearing is granted or an amendment is passed, he said that he believes that legal battles over the matter are far from over.
“I think it is just the beginning,” Moore stated. “I think it’s the beginning just like when the court in 1857 declared that black people were property. It had no right to do that and there was a long turmoil there after. There was actually the civil war and there was a constitutional amendment.”
He also made clear that he hold no animosity toward homosexuals, but does not believe the government has the right to change the definition of marriage for a select group of people.
“They can celebrate and I’m sure they will, but they’re not celebrating because the Constitution was upheld. They’re celebrating because it was violated, and I think that’s the point. They’re celebrating because they got their way,” Moore told WKRG-TV.
“I have no animosity to people. It’s not about hating homosexual people or hating gay people,” he stated. “It’s about adhering to the Constitution and the traditional definition of marriage and that’s what we should do.” _______________________________________________________________
"The Lawless Court, Antinomian New Evangelicals, and the Faithful Church"
SAO PAULO, Brazil — Images taken at a recent homosexual pride parade in Brazil are raising concern as they show a number of attendees blaspheming Christ and desecrating religious images during the event.
One of the photographs creating the greatest stir is that of “transgender” actor Viviany Beleboni riding in a two million spectator pride parade in Sao Paulo as he hangs from a cross.
According to BuzzFeed, Beleboni asked an effects artist to simulate Christ’s bloody wounds on his body, and then was affixed to a cross wearing a crown of thorns and only a loin cloth. The sign over Beleboni’s head read “Enough of Homophobia.” He said that the depiction was to parallel Christ’s suffering with that of homosexuals.
Another photograph circulating online shows two topless lesbian woman hanging on the cross together, likewise with a crown of thorns on their heads. As they kiss each other on the lips, above their heads is a sign that reads “LGBT.” Other photos likewise show men depicting Christ crucified while kissing their partner.
Additionally, photographs show nude men smashing religious symbols on the ground and one transgendered person stripped naked in front of a church while dancing in a sexually suggestive manner. One man and woman sat naked atop of a pile of crucifixes and used some to cover their private parts.
According to reports, a number of banners carried in the parade decried Christianity, such as “Christians are homophobes” and “Jesus was gay.”
Outcry has arisen online with the release of the photographs, including from local pastor Mark Feliciano, who took to Facebook to express his concerns about the matter.
“Is it right to mock faith at the door of a church? Is it right to have Jesus do a gay kiss? Is it right to insert a crucifix in my [rear end]?” he wrote. “But I can’t say I’m against it. That makes me intolerant, right?”
“I notice they’re not targeting Buddha or Mohammed,” also wrote American Power blogger Donald Douglas. “Why? Because this movement is an anti-Christ movement and no Christian can support it in any way.”
Brazilian Federal Deputy Marco Feliciano, an evangelical pastor, says that his website was hacked and taken down by homosexual activists the day of the Sao Paolo Pride Parade. He likewise decried the images that surfaced from the event.
“I’m indignant at what happened in the gay parade in Sao Paulo, because they used symbols of, my faith—which is the Christian faith—exposed publicly in an act of complete lack of respect,” Feliciano stated. “I’m talking about people who think that their rights are greater than my rights, who think that they can take my Christ, the cross of my Christ, or everything that has to do with my Christ, and expose it in the street, in the middle of the filth.”
Now, some lawmakers are considering legislation that would ban “obscene and degrading acts which show prejudice against Catholics and Evangelicals.”
“There is a general revulsion with this nefarious, unscrupulous and abominable attitude,” said Senator Magno Malta. “You have passed the limit.”
GRESHAM, Ore. — The owners of a Christian bakery in Oregon have officially been ordered to pay $135,000 in damages to two lesbians who claimed that they suffered emotionally after they were told that the bakery could not make a cake for their ceremony because of their convictions not to participate in others’ sins.
As previously reported, Aaron and Melissa Klein operate Sweet Cakes by Melissa in Gresham, which is now operated from the couple’s home after the Kleins’ shut their doors due to harassment. In January 2013, Aaron was approached by a mother and her daughter as the two were interested in a cake for the daughter’s upcoming wedding—to her lesbian partner.
“My first question was what’s the wedding date,” Klein told television station KTW in Portland. “My next question was [the] bride and groom’s name. … The girl giggled a little bit and said, ‘It’s two brides.’”
He then informed the women that the bakery does not make cakes for homosexual events.
“I apologized for wasting their time and said that, unfortunately, we do not do same-sex marriages,” Klein explained.
The women left Sweet Cakes upset about the incident, and later, one of them filed a complaint with the state. The Oregon attorney general’s office soon launched an investigation against the Klein’s as the state’s non-discrimination laws prevent public accommodations from being denied to any individual on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex [or] sexual orientation.”
But Klein states that he regularly serves homosexuals. He believes that there is a difference between serving homosexuals in general and having to personally facilitate same-sex ceremonies, which is an act of participation.
“I have customers come in almost on a weekly basis that are homosexual,” he said. “They can buy my stuff. I sell stuff. I talk with them. That’s fine. … This was not the first time we’ve served these girls.”
“We were being asked to participate in something that we could not participate in,” Klein’s wife, Melissa, noted.
Some Christians believe that being a part of a same-sex event violates the biblical command in 1 Timothy 5:22 not to be “partakers in other men’s sins,” as well as the command in Ephesians 5:7, “Be not ye therefore partakers with them.”
In February, a judge with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries ruled that the Christian bakers are guilty of discrimination for declining to make the cake, thus moving the matter into the sentencing phase. The Kleins had expressed concern prior to the ruling that if they were forced to pay a fine for declining the cake over their Christian convictions, the penalty would “definitely” bankrupt the family.
In April, Alan McCullough, an administrative judge with the bureau, recommended a fine of $135,000, with one of the women receiving $75,000 and the other $60,000. Prosecutors had sought damages of $75,000 each.
The two women, who have been identified as Rachel Cryer and Laurel Bowman, submitted individual lists of just under 100 aspects of suffering in order to receive the damages. They included “acute loss of confidence,” “doubt,” “distrust of men,” “distrust of former friends,” “excessive sleep,” “discomfort,” “high blood pressure,” “impaired digestion,” “loss of appetite,” “migraine headaches,” “loss of pride,” “mental rape,” “resumption of smoking habit,” “shock” “stunned,” “surprise,” “uncertainty,” “weight gain” and “worry.”
But the Kleins told the court that they too had suffered because of the attacks that they received over their desire to live out their Christian faith in the workplace. They stated that they endured “mafia tactics” as their car was vandalized and broken into on two occasions, their vendors were harassed by homosexual advocates resulting in some businesses breaking ties with them, and they received threatening emails wishing rape, death and Hell upon the family. As a result, they had to close their business and move it into their private home.
This week, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries accepted McCollough’s recommendation and fined the Kleins $135,000.
“This case is not about a wedding cake or a marriage,” the final order, written by Commissioner Brad Avakian, read. “It is about a business’s refusal to serve someone because of their sexual orientation. Under Oregon law, that is illegal.”
The Kleins told commentator Todd Starnes that they are disappointed by the order and plan to appeal.
“We were just running our business the best we could—following the Lord’s example,” Melissa Kelin stated. “I’m just blown away by the ruling. They are punishing us for not participating in the wedding.”
Aaron Klein vowed to fight Avakian in court.
“This man has no power over me,” he said. “He seems to think he can tell me to be quiet. That doesn’t sit well with me and I refuse to comply.”
Sweet Cakes by Melissa had served Cryer and Bowman for all other orders at their bakery, and even considered the women to be their friends.
COURT DENIES THEM RIGHT TO TALK OPENLY ABOUT THE JUDGMENT:
Published on Jul 6, 2015
You’d think being found liable for “mental rape” for declining to cater a gay wedding and being fined $135,000 would be enough undue punishment
Aaron Klein: “I didn’t want to be a part of her marriage, which I think is wrong.”
Melissa Klein: “I am who I am and I want to live my life the way I want to live my life and, you know, I choose to serve God.”
Aaron Klein: “It’s one of those things where you never want to see something you’ve put so much work into go belly up, but on the other hand, I have faith in the Lord and he’s taken care of us up to this point and I’m sure he will in the future.”
DETROIT, Mich. — A New York-based Satanist group has announced the unveiling of its sculpted ‘homage to Satan,’ which it seeks to place next to a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the Oklahoma state capitol building.
As previously reported, the Satanic Temple issued a news release about its intentions in 2013 following the filing of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which asserted that the presence of the Ten Commandments display on government property violated the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution.
The Satanic Temple said that it offered to to donate a statue of Baphomet to be placed near the Ten Commandments display in order to “appease the ACLU’s concerns.”
“The statue will serve as a beacon calling for compassion and empathy among all living creatures,” spokesperson Lucien Greaves explained in his application to the Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission. “The statue will also have a functional purpose as a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation.”
The organization proceeded to launch an indiegogo fundraising campaign, which raised over $28,000 for the creation of the monument.
“A Satanic monument erected in contrast to a Ten Commandments monument will send a clear and distinct message to the world that pluralism is alive and well in the United States,” it asserted.
Last May, it was announced that the statue was nearing completion, which features the goat-headed figure Baphomet making the sign for the occult as he sits upon a throne with a pentagram overhead. Children fixate their eyes upon him on both sides.
In September, Seventh District Court Judge Thomas Prince concluded that the Ten Commandments monument serves a historical purpose and is not solely the presentment of a religious message as it sits on a plot of land that contains 51 other expressive monuments.
However, despite the monument being upheld as constitutional, the Satanic Temple forged ahead with its plans to place the Baphomet statue on the capitol grounds. Now, the organization has announced that it will be hosting an official unveiling ceremony next month in Detroit.
“As a ‘homage’ to Satan, the incredible statue is intended to complement and contrast the Ten Commandments monument that already resides on Oklahoma State Capitol grounds,” it recently wrote on its website. “The event will serve as a call-to-arms from which The Satanic Temple will kick off our largest fight to date in the name of individual rights to free exercise against self-serving theocrats.”
The group invited supporters to “dress to impress the Devil” and “come dance with [him] and experience history in the making.”
It is not clear whether the Satanic Temple has obtained permission to place the monument on the capitol grounds as it wishes. Some have expressed that the proposed “homage to Satan” is offensive to Oklahoma residents.
“I think you’ve got to remember where you are. This is Oklahoma, the middle of the heartland,” Representative Don Armes told the Associated Press. “I think we need to be tolerant of people who think different than us, but this is Oklahoma, and that’s not going to fly here.” ____________________________________________________________
Since the last round of twisted, egregious Supreme Court dictates, it has been easy to sit by in numb grief for our nation, because many of us have been warning, like a broken record, that these lawless things were on the way. Even so, strongly expecting the Court to do the wrong thing and finally seeing it happen are two different things. The reality of it is a body blow. We have seen plenty of bad Supreme Court decisions, and it's hard to top Roe v. Wade for badness, but the outrageous ruling on sodomy-based "marriage" is pretty much the final nail in the coffin of the formerly-free Republic of the United States of America, because it will result in the destruction of our God-given, First Amendment-protected freedoms, if there is not massive push-back by the American people. Do you see that push-back happening? Me, neither.
There have been many excellent commentaries roundly refuting the legitimacy of the Court's hellish decision to destroy the meaning of marriage, something the justices of the Court do not have the power nor the authority to do. In their profound arrogance and utter disregard for the Constitution, they made the ruling anyway, and although they handed down this evil edict, they did not change what marriage is, because they can't. Marriage is one thing only, the union of a man and a woman. It will never be anything else, no matter how many rulings and laws born in the pit of Hell say otherwise.
The persecution of Christians in the United States will now begin in earnest, as we have not seen thus far in our nation. While many associate murder with persecution, we're not quite there – yet (but, give it time). Persecution does not necessarily involve outright killing. In addition to slander, defamation, intimidation and other personal attacks, it can mean "legal" assaults on people that cause them to lose their jobs, their money, their private property, their businesses and their freedom. These things have already been happening in cases across the nation, from bakers and photographers to bed and breakfast owners to company CEOs.
With the Supreme Court imposing the abomination of sodomite "marriage" on the United States, we will now see Christian groups and organizations, schools and churches come under lawfare waged by homosexualist foot soldiers, who are the tools of the Marxist cultural revolution that ramped up in the 1960s and has been thrown into warp speed under Barack Obama (or whatever his name is). The goal of this demonic campaign, of which the militant homosexual movement is a central part, has always been the destruction of Christian freedom and expression and the moral and societal foundations of our once-great nation.
The endgame is tyranny over the people, because that is the devil's desire, and the people of this movement do his dark will. Whether it's the homofascist movement, the illegal alien invasion, the war on our energy sector, the heavy-handed federal commandeering of natural resources, even the bolstering of our Muslim enemies abroad and more, we face tyrannical evil on a number of fronts emanating from the communists in the malicious Obama regime and their fellow travelers who now run our nation and its major institutions.
It took them about a hundred years, but the communists, led by the forces of Hell, have finally just about sealed the deal in taking down the United States of America. Don't bother telling me it isn't so, or that I'm a "quitter" for observing the obvious, or that after we elect some more "Republicans" (again) all will be well. It will not be well, because what's wrong with America is something no election can fix. What's wrong with America is a deep corruption of the soul, and the devilish success of the radical homosexual/"transgender" movement is a testament to that deep corruption.
This movement is evil. The Supreme Court ruling destroying marriage is evil. The highest court in the United States has, by the largest, lawless edict yet, given "legitimacy" to abominable sexual behavior and imposed a grotesquery of "marriage" on the nation. Dark days of tyranny are ahead. Our freedoms are hanging by a thread, because God is not mocked. No nation can spit in His holy face, as this nation is doing, and imagine it will come away unscathed. No king in his White House castle can, in haughty pride, illuminate the castle with the hijacked colors of God's rainbow and not pay a dear price for his belligerent affront to the God of all creation. The rainbow belongs to God, and one day every person will admit he knew it all along. Satan has been in heaven, and that means he has seen God's rainbow around His throne (Revelation 4), and as the dirtiest stroke of insolence he can conjure against the Lord, he has inspired the reprobate minds of his homosexualist pawns to hijack that rainbow as a symbol of their degenerate wickedness. This does not end well for our nation.
