POPE FRANCIS CANONIZES 800 SAINTS FROM FIFTEENTH CENTURY & FIRST SAINT OF COLOMBIA

As reported by the Daily Mail UK, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323410/Thousands-pack-St-Peters-Square-Pope-Francis-canonises-800-Italian-saints-slaughtered-refusing-convert-Islam.html#ixzz2TJH6Ni00?utm_source=June+2013&utm_campaign=June+Newsletter&utm_medium=email:

    Thousands pack St Peter's Square as Pope Francis 

canonizes 800 Italian saints who were slaughtered 

for refusing to convert to Islam.

    Nuns place relics of the new saints on the altar during a canonization ceremony led by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican:
                                               

• Pope Francis made the sainthoods in his first canonization ceremony today.
• The canonizations were approved by his predecessor Benedict XVI. 
• Vatican seemed at pains not to allow it to be interpreted as anti-Islamic.
• The first pontiff from South America also gave Colombia its first saint.
• 
  

ROMAN CATHOLIC POPE FRANCIS JOINS COPTIC ORTHODOX POPE TAWADROS OF EGYPT IN ECUMENICAL UNITY

From Vatican News: http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-welcomes-egypts-coptic-orthodox-pope?utm_source=June+2013&utm_campaign=June+Newsletter&utm_medium=email.

Pope Francis welcomes Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros

2013-05-10 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Friday with the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Tawadros II, telling him the future of Egypt and the role of its Christian communities finds a deep echo in the heart of the entire Catholic world.
Pope Tawadros of Alexandria, who heads the largest Christian Church in the Middle East, is currently making a five day visit to Rome, his first outside Egypt since his enthronement last November. He’s due to hold talks with Vatican and Italian officials, as well as celebrating together with the various Coptic communities here in Italy.Friday’s meeting between the Catholic and Oriental Orthodox popes comes 40 years to the day after the first historic encounter between Pope Paul VI and Tawadros’ predecessor, Shenouda III, who signed a joint statement pledging the two Churches to the search for reconciliation and unity.
In his speech to Pope Francis, Tawadros proposed that May 10th each year should be marked as a day of celebration between the two communities. He also invited the successor of St Peter to visit his Church, founded by St Mark the Evangelist around the middle of the 1st century.
Following the papal audience, Philippa Hitchen spoke to the Coptic leader and asked for his impressions of the meeting…
Listen:  
Please find below the full text of Pope Francis' address to Pope Tawadros and his delegation:
Your Holiness,
Dear Brothers in Christ, For me it is a great joy and a truly graced moment to be able to receive all of you here, at the tomb of Saint Peter, as we recall that historic meeting forty years ago between our predecessors, Pope Paul VI and the late Pope Shenouda III, in an embrace of peace and fraternity, after centuries of mutual distrust. So it is with deep affection that I welcome Your Holiness and the distinguished members of your delegation, and I thank you for your words. Through you, I extend my cordial greetings in the Lord to the bishops, the clergy, the monks and the whole Coptic Orthodox Church.
Today’s visit strengthens the bonds of friendship and brotherhood that already exist between the See of Peter and the See of Mark, heir to an inestimable heritage of martyrs, theologians, holy monks and faithful disciples of Christ, who have borne witness to the Gospel from generation to generation, often in situations of great adversity. Forty years ago the Common Declaration of our predecessors represented a milestone on the ecumenical journey, and from it emerged a Commission for Theological Dialogue between our Churches, which has yielded good results and has prepared the ground for a broader dialogue between the Catholic Church and the entire family of Oriental Orthodox Churches, a dialogue that continues to bear fruit to this day. In that solemn Declaration, our Churches acknowledged that, in line with the apostolic traditions, they profess “one faith in the One Triune God” and “the divinity of the Only-begotten Son of God ... perfect God with respect to his divinity, perfect man with respect to his humanity”. They acknowledged that divine life is given to us and nourished through the seven sacraments and they recognized a mutual bond in their common devotion to the Mother of God.
We are glad to be able to confirm today what our illustrious predecessors solemnly declared, we are glad to recognize that we are united by one Baptism, of which our common prayer is a special expression, and we long for the day when, in fulfilment of the Lord’s desire, we will be able to communicate from the one chalice.Of course we are well aware that the path ahead may still prove to be long, but we do not want to forget the considerable distance already travelled, which has taken tangible form in radiant moments of communion, among which I am pleased to recall the meeting in February 2000 in Cairo between Pope Shenouda III and Blessed John Paul II, who went as a pilgrim, during the Great Jubilee, to the places of origin of our faith. I am convinced that – under the guidance of the Holy Spirit – our persevering prayer, our dialogue and the will to build communion day by day in mutual love will allow us to take important further steps towards full unity.
Your Holiness, I am aware of the many marks of attention and fraternal charity that you have shown, since the early days of your ministry, to the Catholic Coptic Church, to its Pastor, Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak and to his predecessor, Cardinal Antonios Naguib. The institution of a “National Council of Christian Churches”, which you strongly desired, represents an important sign of the will of all believers in Christ to develop relations in daily life that are increasingly fraternal and to put themselves at the service of the whole of Egyptian society, of which they form an integral part. Let me assure you that your efforts to build communion among believers in Christ, and your lively interest in the future of your country and the role of the Christian communities within Egyptian society find a deep echo in the heart of the Successor of Peter and of the entire Catholic community. “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together” (1 Cor 12:26). This is a law of the Christian life, and in this sense we can say that there is also an ecumenism of suffering: just as the blood of the martyrs was a seed of strength and fertility for the Church, so too the sharing of daily sufferings can become an effective instrument of unity. And this also applies, in a certain sense, to the broader context of society and relations between Christians and non-Christians: from shared suffering can blossom forth forgiveness and reconciliation, with God’s help.
Your Holiness, in assuring you of my prayers that the whole flock entrusted to your pastoral care may be ever faithful to the Lord’s call, I invoke the protection of both Saint Peter and Saint Mark: may they who during their lifetime worked together in practical ways for the spread of the Gospel, intercede for us and accompany the journey of our Churches.

"HOW TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD FROM THE NEW AGE & SPIRITUAL DECEPTION"-NEW BOOK BY BERIT KJOS

EW BOOK RELEASE FROM LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS PUBLISHING

Tempting voices beckon to children everywhere. Schools, movies, music, and books all sound the call: "Come, dream, trust Self, create your own reality, build a new world. Anything goes, for sin and guilt exist only in the minds of the antiquated 'religious."'

Unlearning "the old ways" is key to contemporary "education" and global transformation. Both educators and globalist leaders seem determined to banish God's moral and spiritual foundations. Consequently, they invite chaos rather than unity -- coercion instead of freedom -- war and violence instead of peace. One of their more effective tactics is simply to manipulate the child's imagination and mold it to fit today's anti-Christian illusion of a better world with freedom to explore what once was forbidden.

How can we equip our children to take a stand and avoid deception? How can we help them escape the pressure to compromise? And how can we train them to say no to all the spiritual seductions that ultimately bring grief and corruption?

There is an answer! We can can equip our children with Truth, warn them of the alluring power of deception, and teach them how to remain strong and steadfast in Christ. The challenges ahead will surely test their faith, so let us pray that they will hear and heed -- rejecting today's tempting evils and delighting in what is true and good.

"Thanks be to God,

Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

 1 Corinthians 15:57

Exposes the assault on Christianity and the global plan to transform society through the minds of our children

Eureka, MT –June 4, 2013 - Lighthouse Trails Publishing is pleased to announce the release of How to Protect Your Child From the New Age & Spiritual Deception written by Berit Kjos.
Book Information:
ISBN: 978-0-9846366-3-1
336 pages, softbound
Retail: $14.95
Quantity discounts available
Official Release Date: May 28, 2013Buy through Lighthouse Trails or order through any online or walk-in bookstore.

Table of Contents 
Author’s book website: http://www.crossroad.to/Books/1-protect-your-child/1-welcome.htm.
Author’s ministry website: http://www.crossroad.to/
Our children are being targeted for spiritual deception. Parents must be proactive in protecting and equipping them. THIS BOOK WILL SHOW YOU HOW. 

OVERVIEW: TEMPTING VOICES BECKON to children everywhere. Schools, movies, music, and books all sound the call: “Come, dream, trust Self, you are divine, create your own reality, build a new world. Anything goes, for sin and guilt exist only in the minds of the antiquated ‘religious.’”

“Unlearning the old ways” is key to this global transformation. Today’s assault on biblical Christianity is fast undermining God’s moral and spiritual boundaries. It invites chaos rather than unity—coercion instead of freedom—war and violence instead of peace—and ultimately overtakes today’s children with the plan to turn them into “progressive” transformation leaders of tomorrow.

How can we equip our children so they do not become spiritually deceived and fall into this world-wide agenda? And how can we teach them to have the courage to say no to seductive enticements? There is an answer! We can teach our children to know Truth, so they will discern the counterfeit. And we can teach them how to spot the New Age/New Spirituality and to understand the serious implications that occur when it is embraced.

Author Bio: Berit Kjos is a respected researcher, the author of many books and magazine articles, and a concerned parent (and grandparent)who has extensively studied religious trends, today’s social changes, the roots and branches of the United Nations, the rising worldwide management system, and—most alarming of all—the transformation of the church. Berit first became aware of New Age and occult influences in our society at a 1974 conference on holistic health. As a registered nurse, she was interested in methods of healing but soon discovered that the occult powers found in New Age methods brought bondage instead of true healing.

Buy through Lighthouse Trails or order through any online or walk-in bookstore.

Note: If you feel you cannot afford to buy a copy of this book and you have children you are raising, please write to us at Lighthouse Trails Publishing, P.O. Box 908, Eureka, MT 59917. Send what you can, and we will mail you a copy of the book. This is one book we so believe every parent needs to read.

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Chapter by Chapter Synopsis

1: Children at Risk
This generation of children is being drawn into the New Age/New Spirituality, and it is happening right under parents’ noses. While some of us grieve the real-world consequences of this cultural revolution, a rising chorus of voices is now demanding acceptance of today’s paradigm shift.

2: The Armor of God
How can we “put on” the armor of God and how can we teach our children to wear it? In a world where public schools, television, movies, and popular music offer tempting counterfeits of what God promises, there is only one safe place for our children: in the loving arms of the Shepherd.

3: Schools & the War on Christianity
The New Age is in our public schools, and Christianity is its enemy. Through textbooks, educational associations, and government agendas, Christianity has been eradicated out of the school system. Secular humanism and Marxism have replaced morality and biblical values. Six strategies are being used to instill these replacements into the lives of countless school-age children. Indoctrinating students with diverse beliefs, socialist values, utopian dreams, and idealized love leads to deception, disillusionment, corruption, and chaos.

4: What Can Parents Do About the War on Christianity?
Practical, point by point biblical and effective advice on how to teach and equip your children to love and follow the Lord, to abide in His Word, to recognize spiritual deception, and to know how to stand courageously in an increasingly corrupt and lost world.

5: Schools & the Promotion of Corrupting Values
The values being taught in today’s public schools are more and more based, not on biblical values, but rather on immoral anti-biblical ones such as abortion, homosexuality, sex education, and evolution through “values clarification.” Values clarification is neutral, say public education change agents, since every value is as valid as any other. Yet at the same time, they hold to the belief that there are no absolute values—thereby contradicting their claim to a neutral unbiased position.

6: How to Guard Your Child Against Corrupting Values
How can you teach your child to love God and love His values as well? This chapter gives some guidelines on how to do that. For example, show your own enthusiasm and commitment to knowing and hearing God speak to you through His Word. And practice living God’s truth together as you play games, eat meals, participate in sports, ride in the car, and share your resources with others. Also a list of several things you should discuss with your child that will help teach him or her the meaning and importance of God’s values.

7: Schools & New Age Globalism
Behind these classroom efforts to win the minds of the youth is the dream of a global one-world system. To inspire a consciousness explosion, many New Age leaders are determined to win a “critical mass” of minds. Children will be the prime target of such “missionary” efforts, and schools will be their greatest battlefield. Through myth-making, “facilitated dialogue,” and delight in pleasing delusions, our children are blinded to the disturbing changes in the real world. Meanwhile, suicide among youth is accelerating–the fruit of this transformational agenda.

8: What Can Parents Do About New Age Globalism?
Some of this chapter’s ideas include: help your child to see that his identity is in Christ (and what that means), incorporate a family Bible-reading program, and help your child to understand the differences between biblical and anti-biblical leadership. Under the heading “Guard Against Influences Opposing God” are the following questions: “Does your child’s school sensationalize or exaggerate the problems and dangers of global pollution, overpopulation, and global warming? Do they use these suggestions to promote a planned political agenda?”

9: The Mind-Changing Visual Messages in Movies
Children are continuously exposed to an onslaught of counterfeit messages. Movies that appear innocent and wholesome often have subtle, yet powerful, messages that negate the truths of the Bible. Using case examples of some of today’s most popular shows (even among Christians) such as Lion King, Atlantis, Harry Potter, and Star Wars, Berit shows the underlying messages of many of today’s secular films that are changing the way our children think and behave.

10: How to Guard Against Mind-Changing Messages
The pressure on parents to give in is often insurmountable. Your child has friends who are allowed to see the movies, so why can’t he? That isn’t fair, your child insists. What can a parent do? You need to have a practical as well as biblical plan. This chapter offers several suggestions.

11: Shameless Corruption Through Television and Digital Media
It isn’t just the obvious shows and media that distort our children’s values. More often, it is the hidden messages that cause the most damage. Looks at key categories and considers how the media messages mold young minds. Experimenting with magic, laughing at religion, pursuing a new world order, and embracing horror and the paranormal are all part of the methodology of changing our children’s minds.

12: Guarding Against Corruption in Television & Digital Media
Berit tells parents how they can train their children to discern between truth and spiritual deception. One way is to teach your child to ask him or herself certain questions about particular shows and games such as: Do one or more of the characters play the role of God? Do some of these superheroes and gods, such as He-man and Superman, seem greater and more real than God?

13: Twisting the Imagination Through Toys & Games
Today’s toy stores are packed with violence, magic, and New Age toys and games. Berit uses case examples such as Pokémon and Power Rangers to show how the New Age maxim “as above, so below” (“God” in everything) is the “fruit” of so many of today’s toys and games. Yet, few recognize the dark occult nature behind their ancient formulas.

14: Protecting Your Child From Harmful Toys & Games
Know what questions to ask your child to help him make the right choices (between that which is evil and that which is good). Give him the kind of training that he can take into adulthood. Train your child to follow God, not peers, no matter what the cost.

15: Immoral & Occult Suggestions in Books & Magazines
Children are being taught to love the occult. Berit shows how sensuality, a hunger for the occult, and a desensitizing of values are being aroused through books such as the vampire Twilight series and Harry Potter.

16: How to Guard Against Immorality & the Occult
To prove that our God is far greater than the plethora of alternatives, our lives must demonstrate to our children faith in the midst of difficulties. Practical ideas are included such as: Keeping an up-to-date church library and encouraging other families to support and use it, being alert to what your child’s peers are reading, and enjoying books together that demonstrate God’s values.

17: When Popular Music Becomes Obscene & Immoral
From hypnotic repetitive beats in New Age and contemplative music to the violent occultic music of bands like Marilyn Manson, music entices the soul. But there is also the more subtle music that lures your children into a sensually seductive world. Also talks about the huge influence Bono has had, even among many Christian kids.

18: What Can Parents Do About Seductive Mind-Changing Music?
Teach your children to “renew their minds” with truth, avoid compromising suggestions and situations, and trust and follow the Holy Spirit. Practical tips on how to teach your child to choose good music and also on what you, as a parent, can do to protect your child from harmful music.

19: Mystical New Age Thrills Enticing Children
Eastern-style New Age mysticism is coming at children from every direction today. And the roots of this meditation-promoting spirituality are panentheistic (God is in all) and interspiritual (all paths lead to God). Shows the underlying occultism that is enticing children, even in the classroom. It’s all part of a diabolical scheme to turn hearts and minds from God.

20: How to Guard Against Mystical New Age Thrills
Help your child to understand the nature of the New Age and spiritual deception. Remember, this is a spiritual war! Don’t let him or her go into the world unequipped. Berit also gives a 10-point test to use for determining when a media (movie, book, music) is actually Christian or not. A valuable tool.

21: Becoming Aware of Spiritual Deception in the Church
The minds of our youth are being reshaped to fit the postmodern world (and the postmodern emerging church). Parents need to be prepared and be educated or they will witness their children being snatched out of the arms of faith. Never has there been as much of a need for this preparation as there is today.

Afterword: The First and Final Deception
What we are experiencing today is a synthesis of the “I am God” ideology and accelerating occult activity. What should Christian families do? Should we hide ourselves and our loved ones from the world’s charms and ills, or should we shine our light, work while it is day, and speak the truth in love and with boldness? We need to show our children how to be in the world but not of the world.

Appendix: Leading Your Child to Receive Christ as Savior and Lord
Without your child having a true genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, he or she will definitely succumb to the pressures of this world. This is the foundation of their spiritual lives. The biblical suggestions in this Appendix will offer a basic guideline for parents.

Buy through Lighthouse Trails or order through any online or walk-in bookstore.
(This book was originally titled Your Child & the New Age, released in 1990 by Victor Books. We believe that even if you read Berit's 1st edition in the 90s, you need to read this updated and expanded edition.The new edition is over 85% larger [156 more pages] than the original.)

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SHEZOW-NEW 12 YEAR OLD MALE TRANSGENDER/TRANSVESTITE BECOMES FEMALE SUPERHERO ON CABLE TV HUB CHANNEL FOR KIDS-PRODUCT OF HASBRO TOYS & DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

    

    

    One Million Moms is reporting the unveiling of a new children's superhero on the Hub Cable TV Channel, and asks you to e-mail Hasbro and Discovery to protest the release of this program and toy products planned. 

    See: http://onemillionmoms.com/issues/shezow-transgender-superhero/. 

    Warning to all parents! This Saturday, June 1, the premiere of the transgender superhero show "SheZow" will air on Hub at 12:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. CT/9:30 a.m. PT. The media is determined to pollute the minds of our children and there is no better way to desensitize them than through a cartoon program. 

Culture News also reports here with the Shezow introduction video: http://culturecampaign.blogspot.com/2013/06/transgender-cartoons-indoctrinate.html.

Shezow (Premiere Promo) - Hub Network:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WInAQXAG4wg.

Breitbart's Ben Shapiro reports: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2013/05/28/Children-network-transsexual-superhero.

GIRL SCOUTS JOIN PLANNED PARENTHOOD AT HUGE PRO-ABORTION CONFERENCE, "WOMEN DELIVER"

See: Women Deliver Conference 2013: http://www.womendeliver.org/.

From Life News: http://www.lifenews.com/2013/05/31/girl-scouts-join-planned-parenthood-at-huge-pro-abortion-conference/?pr=1:

Girl Scouts Join Planned Parenthood at Huge Pro-Abortion Conference

by Sydney Volanski | LifeNews.com | 5/31/13 11:33 AM

Tell me who you hang out with and I’ll tell you who you are.

Anna Maria Chávez, CEO of Girl Scouts USA (GSUSA), offers this pithy saying as her favorite quote. In order to figure out who the Girl Scouts are, I suppose we must follow Ms. Chávez’ logic and look at the organizations that GSUSA associates with.

A good place to start would be the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). WAGGGS has member organizations across the globe, the largest of which is GSUSA, contributing approximately a quarter of the ten million members that belong to WAGGGS. GSUSA is a co-founder of WAGGGS and one of WAGGGS’ largest financial supporters, paying over $1 million each year in membership feeswhich are triggered by each girl and adult member’s annual GSUSA registration.

The global organization is a well-known advocate for sexual and reproductive rights, including abortion, for youth, and claims to speak for all of its 10 million members.

In May 2013, WAGGGS participated in Women Deliver, a global conference with the purpose of “call[ing] for action to improve the health and well-being of girls and women.”

The conference featured speakers such as late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart, (See post of May 8, 2013 on this blog: http://ratherexposethem.blogspot.com/2013/05/new-video-maryland-go-to-state-for-late.html, and video on same post,

philosopher Peter Singer, who supports infanticide and euthanasia, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Some of the breakout sessions were entitled “Outing and Addressing Abortion Stigma” and “Why I Perform Abortions.” Exhibitors included many abortion and population control advocates such as Amnesty International, Guttmacher Institute, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Marie Stopes International, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, United Nations Population Fund, and WAGGGS.

Equally concerning is WAGGGS’ participation, along with International Planned Parenthood Federation and Planned Parenthood Global (PPFA global), in the Youth Advisory Group for the Women Deliver Conference. It seems to me that the Girl Scouts have some interesting, you might even say radical friends.

Sexual and reproductive rights advocacy is nothing new for WAGGGS. In June 2012, WAGGGS Board Chair Nadine El Achy boasted that WAGGGS “represented each one of our WAGGGS members – YOU” as they pushed for sexual and reproductive rights at the Rio+20 conference. In December 2012, WAGGGS and International Planned Parenthood Federation worked together to create the Bali Youth Declaration, a document which called for abortion rights for youth, comprehensive sex education and the “decriminalization of sex work.” WAGGGS appears to be advocating for the legalization of prostitution. I, for one, fail to see how this relates to scouting.

Putting WAGGGS aside, GSUSA has many other concerning friends. Together with global abortion provider Marie Stopes and other many other abortion advocates, GSUSA maintains membership in The Coalition for Adolescent Girls.

The Coalition promotes comprehensive sex education and abortion related care for girls. Additionally, the GSUSA curriculum, the Journey series, used and promoted by every Girl Scout council, was revised for problematic content in 2012. Some corrections were made, but many concerns remain. For example, through Journeys, GSUSA still encourages girls to work with or research many pro-abortion groups such as the ACLU, Amnesty International, Population Council, Sierra Club, WAGGGS and others. Despite this promotion of many pro-abortion groups, I couldn’t find one pro-life organization recommended by GSUSA in their books for girls. It seems that the organization has taken a decided stand on this controversial moral issue. Again, how does this relate to scouting?

I imagine many people will be upset when learn of this association. I know I was. “What?” they’ll say, incredulous at first, “Girl Scouts couldn’t possibly be involved in something like this.”

After a while, though, the surprise fades. That’s when reactions start to diverge. I became mad. At only fourteen, I learned of WAGGGS’ advocacy for abortion. I was angry that I had been deceived by an organization I had mistakenly come to trust. My sister became sad. She felt hurt and betrayed when she realized that GSUSA simply is not what it says it is. Instead of remaining neutral on issues like abortion, as they promised, the Girl Scouts fund and hang out with aggressive abortion rights advocates.

Given all of this, who the Girl Scouts have become is clear to me. And unfortunately, they certainly are not the positive influence on girls they once were.

LifeNews Note: Sydney is a 17-year old ex-Girl Scout from Texas and co-founder of speaknowgirlscouts.com.

______________________________________________________________

FEMALE EPISCOPAL BISHOP/PRIMATE KATHARINE JEFFERTS SCHORI DELIVERS PANENTHEISTIC SERMON; TWISTS ACTS 16; MAKES PAUL INTO A BIGOTED HATEFUL ABUSER OF DEMON POSSESSED GIRL

      SCHORI CONFUSES HOLY SPIRIT 

          WITH DEMON POSSESSION!

    IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A SINFUL, DEMON POSSESSED 

GIRL TO BE BEAUTIFUL AND HOLY BEFORE A BEAUTIFUL 

AND HOLY GOD? KATHARINE JEFFERTS SCHORI THINKS 

SO, AND CONDEMNS PAUL, WHILE CALLING POSSESSION "SPIRITUAL AWARENESS" (DISCERNMENT), A GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

As reported by Christian News Network, Schori has been rebuked for delivering an heretical, apostate message that twists Scripture to suit the gay affirming stance of her corrupt demomination:
http://christiannews.net/2013/05/31/episcopalian-bishop-paul-bigoted-for-not-embracing-diversity-in-demon-possessed-girl/.
This is the direct link to her comments given in Curacao, Venezuela:
http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/05/13/presiding-bishop-preaches-in-curacao-diocese-of-venezuela/#_ftn1.
And this is the text in full of her comments: (Bold type ours for emphasis):

All Saints Church, Steenrijk, Curaçao [Diocese of Venezuela]
12 May 2013

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church

The beauty of this place is legendary.  It is beautiful – and fragile, for its beauty depends on a dynamic balance among the parts of this island system.  Many people don’t notice beauty around them until it’s gone.  When we go somewhere that looks very different, often it takes a long time to appreciate that it has beauty, even though it’s a different kind of beauty.  Some people never do learn to value the different kinds of loveliness in the world around us.  One of the gifts of this remarkable island is its diverse mixture of desert and tropics on land and sea – and even more so, the beauty of its different peoples, languages, and heritages.  Yet the history of this place tells some tragic stories about the inability of some to see the beauty in other skin colors or the treasure of cultures they didn’t value or understand.

Human beings have a long history of discounting and devaluing difference, finding it offensive or even evil.  That kind of blindness is what leads to oppression, slavery, and often, war.  Yet there remains a holier impulse in human life toward freedom, dignity, and the full flourishing of those who have been kept apart or on the margins of human communities.  It’s a tendency that seems to emerge along a common timeline.  Formal legal structures that permitted human slavery ended here and in many parts of the world within a relatively short span of time.  It doesn’t mean that slavery is finished today, but at least it’s no longer legal in most places.  Even so, slavery continues in the form of human trafficking and the kind of exploitation that killed so many garment workers in Bangladesh recently.

We live with the continuing tension between holier impulses that encourage us to see the image of God in all human beings and the reality that some of us choose not to see that glimpse of the divine, and instead use other people as means to an end.  We’re seeing something similar right now in the changing attitudes and laws about same-sex relationships, as many people come to recognize that different is not the same thing as wrong.  For many people, it can be difficult to see God at work in the world around us, particularly if God is doing something unexpected.

There are some remarkable examples of that kind of blindness in the readings we heard this morning, and slavery is wrapped up in a lot of it.  Paul is annoyed at the slave girl who keeps pursuing him, telling the world that he and his companions are slaves of God.  She is quite right.  She’s telling the same truth Paul and others claim for themselves.[1]  But Paul is annoyed, perhaps for being put in his place, and he responds by depriving her of her gift of spiritual awareness.  Paul can’t abide something he won’t see as beautiful or holy, so he tries to destroy it.  It gets him thrown in prison.  That’s pretty much where he’s put himself by his own refusal to recognize that she, too, shares in God’s nature, just as much as he does – maybe more so!  The amazing thing is that during that long night in jail he remembers that he might find God there – so he and his cellmates spend the night praying and singing hymns.

An earthquake opens the doors and sets them free, and now Paul and his friends most definitely discern the presence of God.  The jailer doesn’t – he thinks his end is at hand.  This time, Paul remembers who he is and that all his neighbors are reflections of God, and he reaches out to his frightened captor.  This time Paul acts with compassion rather than annoyance, and as a result the company of Jesus’ friends expands to include a whole new household.  It makes me wonder what would have happened to that slave girl if Paul had seen the spirit of God in her.

The reading from Revelation pushes us in the same direction, outward and away from our own self-righteousness, inviting us to look harder for God’s gift and presence all around us.  Jesus says he’s looking for everybody, anyone who’s looking for good news, anybody who is thirsty.  There are no obstacles or barriers – just come.  God is at work everywhere, even if we can’t or won’t see it immediately.

The gospel insists that Jesus has given glory to the growing company of his friends and disciples so they can be all be one.  When we recognize the glory of another human being, we become her advocate, and we begin to see him as friend.  The word that’s used for glory has echoes that speak of awe, and gravitas, and deep significance.  The glory we’ve received is something like a grand ceremonial garment, maybe even a shining face like Moses’, that says to those around us, “here comes the image of God.”  The world begins to change when we see that glorious skin shining on our brothers’ and sisters’ faces.

The great loves in our lives come from a deep recognition of the glory in another human being and a desire to share that glory.  When Jesus speaks of oneness, he’s moving in that direction.  What would the world be like if we could love not only our lovers, but every human being with that kind of starry-eyed passion?  The glory is there to see in all of us.  Certainly God sees that glory.  Most of us have eyes that can see that glory in one or a few other human beings.  Learning to see that glory all around us is a good part of what the Christian life is all about.  Slavery, war, and discrimination are only possible when we fail to see the glory in those people.  Why does Jesus tell us to pray for our enemies, except to begin to discern their glory?

We live in a time when we need to see the glory of God in every other human being, and also in the rest of creation.  This fragile earth, our island home, is also shining with the glory of its creator.  If human beings are going to flourish on this planet, we’ll need to learn to see the glory of God at work in all its parts.  When we can be awed at the beauty of a sunset or the delicate complexity of an orchid or the remarkable diversity of a coral reef, we’ll be much more wary about using it for our own selfish ends.

Looking for the reflection of God’s glory all around us means changing our lenses, or letting the scales on our eyes fall away.  That kind of change isn’t easy for anyone, but it’s the only road to the kingdom of God.  We are here, among all the other creatures of God’s creation, to be transformed into the glory intended from the beginning.  The next time we feel the pain of that change, perhaps instead of annoyance or angry resentment we might pray for a new pair of glasses.  When resentment about difference or change builds up within us, it’s really an invitation to look inward for the wound that cries out for a healing dose of glory.  We will find it in the strangeness of our neighbor.  Celebrate that difference – for it’s necessary for the healing of this world – and know that the wholeness we so crave lies in recognizing the glory of God’s creative invitation.  God among us in human form is the most glorious act we know.  We are meant to be transformed into the same kind of glory.  Let’s pray that God’s glory may shine in us and in all creatures!

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CHURCHES ASKING BOY SCOUTS TO LEAVE DUE TO ALLOWING HOMOSEXUAL MEMBERS

Churches are separating from the anti-Biblical, anti-Christian, sinful new position of the Boy Scouts as represented by this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_RNLyxsQHM.
Christian News Network has this story:
http://christiannews.net/2013/06/01/churches-boot-boy-scouts-for-lifting-ban-on-openly-homosexual-members/.

POPISH ECUMENICAL OCTOPUS AT REFO 500 INCLUDES CATHOLIC COUNTER REFORMATION

    Ralph Ovadal of Pilgrims Covenant Church. Monroe, Wisconsin www.pccmonroe.org, has an excellent audio of his review of Refo 500 http://www.refo500.nl/en/pages/212/what-is-refo500.html.
    This documentary is the result of hundreds of hours of research and sifting through Refo500 documents in order to present a thorough, fact-filled report on Refo500, from its launch in the Netherlands, then also in North America, and up to the present time. I know you are all so very busy, but please try to find the time to listen to this documentary. Refo500 is a major, well thought-out, well organized, well oiled ecumenical offensive of Rome. Refo500 is a clear and present danger to the Lord's blood-bought church, as well as billions of unsaved souls.

The audio is on Sermon Audio at: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=523132214375.

Refo 500 is described as:
"Refo500 is the international platform for knowledge, expertise, ideas, products and events, specializing in the 500 year legacy of the Reformation. On the platform all kinds of partners from all over the world work together, to offer a program for a wide audience and to show the relevance of the reformation. Refo500 participants include Protestant and Catholic organizations, universities, seminaries, museums and so on. The platform is open to every organisation that agrees with the goal of Refo500."

SOVEREIGN GRACE LAWSUIT-MOTION TO RECONSIDER FILED WITH COURT

Based on a Maryland law which allows for a seven year statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases instead of the normal three years, attorneys for the plaintiffs have filed a motion to reconsider with the court. Brent Detwiler reports here and below: http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/plaintiffs-motion-to-reconsider-filed-with-court.html:

Plaintiffs’ Motion to Reconsider Filed with Court

Friday, May 31, 2013 at 12:44PM
Brent Detwiler

The Motion to Reconsider was filed on Tuesday, May 28 and served on Wednesday, May 29.  The full title reads, “Plaintiffs’ Motion to Reconsider the Application of Maryland’s Statute of Limitations to Conspiracy Claims of All Plaintiffs and to Reconsider the Application of Courts and Judicial Proceeding §5-117 and Allow Certain Plaintiffs Seven Years from the Age of Majority for Filing of Their Action.” 

The argument invalidating the statute of limitations, since the conspiracy was only discovered in August 2011, is put forward in more detail.  The Judge may reject it again.  That doesn’t mean it has no merit.  If rejected, the Plaintiffs lawyers will appeal the ruling.  The entire appellate process will probably take around two years.  It is an uphill battle but the Plaintiffs’ are willing to fight on in the cause of justice.     

The argument that the statute of limitations for Plaintiffs Renee Gamby and Donna Doe should be 7 years from the age of majority (18), not 3 years, is a new one from what I can tell.  It looks sound from my limited perspective especially in the case of Gamby since the alleged crimes against her occurred in Maryland.  I hope it succeeds. 

The complete Motion to Reconsider is available under SGM Lawsuit / SGM Class Action Lawsuit Documents.  Here are some highlights.  

Factual Background 

“As alleged in the SAC [Second Amended Complaint], discovery of the conspiracy occurred in August 2011.  Until that date, plaintiffs were not aware of the concerted efforts by Church leadership to suppress reporting of child abuse, to interfere with the prosecution of child abuse, and to prevent other church members from learning of past reported child abuse.” 

Civil Conspiracy Claims Are Timely Filed as Such Claims Accrued at the Time of Discovery of the Conspiracy 

“Under the discovery rule, a cause of action for conspiracy accrues when the plaintiff learns of the conspiracy or with reasonable inquiry should have learned of the conspiracy.  Courts applying the discovery rule to civil conspiracy claims have reached the same conclusion - the crucial factor is the discovery of the conspiracy, not the discovery of the underlying tort injury…   

“To hold otherwise means that a plaintiff is barred from bringing a claim before she ever discovers or could have discovered the factual predicates for the claim, a direct contradiction of the discovery rule… 

“Like other states, Maryland recognizes that different causes of action may have different accrual dates, and the time of learning about the injury arising from negligence is not the same as the time of learning about the conspiracy.  The timeliness of conspiracy claims should be judged by the discovery of the conspiracy, not the discovery of the underlying injury associated with other causes of action.” 

Claims of Certain Plaintiffs Are Timely Filed Within the Requirements of §5-117 

“In October 2003, Maryland law was amended by passage of Courts and Judicial Proceeding Section 5-117, which increased the time allowed for bringing claims “arising out of” an alleged incident of “sexual abuse” that occurred while the victim was a minor.  Rather than the standard three year statute of limitations, the new law allowed a victim seven years after reaching the age of majority to file suit, if the claims fall within the scope of the law.  The claims of Renee Gamby and Donna Doe both “arise out of’ alleged incidents of sexual abuse that occurred when they were minors.  In addition, both Gamby and Doe were the victims of “sexual abuse” as defined under Maryland law, because both were abused by persons specifically included within the scope of §5-177.  Meeting the requirements of §5-117, each plaintiff should be allowed 7 years from the date of majority, and thus the claims of Renee Gamby and Donna Doe are timely filed within the requirements of the Maryland law.” 

Conclusion 

“The application of the discovery rule to civil conspiracy claims dictates that such claims accrue at the time the plaintiffs discover or should have discovered the facts establishing the elements required to bring a conspiracy claim.  Under this rule, Plaintiffs civil conspiracy claims are timely filed.  Moreover, based on the allegations in the SAC, the allegations by Renee Palmer Gamby and Donna Doe arise out of alleged incidents of sexual abuse that occurred when the plaintiffs were minors.  As such, the applicable period of limitations is seven years from the age of majority, and claims by both Gamby and Doe were filed within the allowable limitations period.”

27 CONGRESSMEN WRITE TO ERIC HOLDER ASKING TO GIVE ROMEIKE HOMESCHOOLERS ASYLUM-CHILDREN BELONG TO PARENTS, NOT TO A COLLECTIVIST STATE

Indiana Congressman Stutzman Drafts Letter http://stutzman.house.gov/press_releases/234#, to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder: Grant Romeike Family Asylum

TWENTY-SEVEN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WRITE TO HOLDER. STUTZMAN SAYS: “AMERICANS DON’T SUBSCRIBE TO THE EUROPEAN NOTION THAT CHILDREN BELONG TO THE COMMUNITY OR THE STATE—THEY BELONG TO THEIR PARENTS”

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Marlin Stutzman today led a group of 27 members of Congress in urging U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to honor the United States’ commitment to freedom by granting the Romeike family asylum. The family fled Germany in 2008 to homeschool their children here in the United States but now faces the threat of deportation.

In their letter, Stutzman and his colleagues urge Attorney General Holder to exercise his authority to grant the family asylum. “A decision to deny the Romeikes the opportunity to educate their children freely is a decision to abandon our commitment to freedom,” they write.

Congressman Stutzman, who made the decision with his wife to homeschool their sons for a time, said: “Most Americans don’t subscribe to the European notion that children belong to the community or the state—they belong to their parents. For centuries, this country has always welcomed families who fled their countries in pursuit of freedom. Attorney General Holder should honor our deep and abiding commitment to freedom right now and grant the Romeike family asylum.”

Background:

The Romeike family fled to the United States in 2008 after facing persecution in Germany for their decision to homeschool their children. The Obama Administration has fought an immigration court’s 2010 decision to grant the family asylum. On May 14, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Obama Administration’s denial of asylum.

Congressman Stutzman was joined by: 
Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Steve Daines (R-MT), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Tim Huelskamp (R-KS), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Randy Hultgren (R-IL), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Mark Meadows (R-NC), Luke Messer (R-IN), Jeff Miller (R-FL), Alan Nunnelee (R-MS), Stevan Pearce (R-NM), Joe Pitts (R-PA), Mike Pompeo (R-KS), Bill Posey (R-FL), Phil Roe (R-TN), Todd Rokita (R-IN), Steve Scalise (R-LA), Steve Southerland (R-FL), Chris Stewart (R-UT), Steve Stockman (R-TX), Lee Terry (R-NE), Jackie Walorski (R-IN), and Daniel Webster (R-FL).

Below is the text of the letter:

Dear Attorney General Holder,

We respectfully ask that, as the chief law enforcement officer of a nation founded as a safe haven for those who seek liberty, you grant asylum to the Romeike family who fled to the United States in 2008 after suffering persecution from the German government as a result of their decision to homeschool their children.

A decision to deny the Romeikes the opportunity to educate their children freely is a decision to abandon our commitment to freedom. Doing so would put America alongside those countries that believe children belong to the community or state.  A country founded on freedom should stand for the fact that they belong to their parents. As a “city on a hill,” this country has always embraced those who seek freedom. The United States ought to welcome families who suffer persecution for exercising their right to educate their children.

As you are aware, the courts have upheld a common-sense commitment to educational freedom.  The Supreme Court’s decision, Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925), held that the right of parents to “direct the education and upbringing” of their children is a fundamental right.

In Germany, the Romeike family experienced persecution for exercising this fundamental right and, on one occasion, officials forcibly removed Uwe and Hannalore’s children from their home. As the family faces multiple fines in their homeland, it is little wonder that they have sought refuge in the United States.

We believe that U.S. Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman reached the correct decision on January 26, 2010 when he granted the Romeike family asylum after finding that they had a well-founded fear of persecution because of their membership in the particular social group of “homeschoolers in Germany” and because Germany’s ban on homeschooling frustrated their religious convictions.

Under U.S. law, asylum should be granted to those experiencing persecution aimed at members of a “particular social group,” which possesses an “immutable” characteristic that either cannot or should not be required to be changed. We agree with Judge Burman that German homeschoolers are a particular social group who are being persecuted by their government. Although parents can change their minds about homeschooling, no parent in a free nation should be forced by the state to make that decision.

It is worth noting that the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UNDHR), which recognizes that parents have a “prior right” over the government to choose the kind of education their children will have. Other international covenants to which Germany is a party, including the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), explicitly protect the rights of parents to direct their child’s education.

We ask that, pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1158(b)(1)(A), you exercise the authority given to you by Congress to grant asylum to the Romeike family. The legal standard in Section 1101(a) for eligibility for asylum is a “well-founded fear of future persecution on account of membership in a particular social group.” That is exactly what Judge Burman found in his 2010 opinion, upon reviewing the facts of the case and the German government’s official position on homeschooling.

The Romeikes fled to our country, seeking relief from high fines, removal of their children by armed police officers, and threats of prison and termination of their parental rights. If forced to return to Germany, they will certainly face renewed persecution. As Americans, we have an obligation to stand with those who seek freedom. The Romeike family should find a welcoming home in the United States.

Congressman Stutzman represents the 3rd Congressional District of Indiana and serves on the House Committee on Financial Services. Indiana's 3rd District contains all of Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Jay, Lagrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells, and Whitley counties, as well as parts of Blackford and Kosciusko counties.

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