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.
“On 17th anniversary of Hebrew University bombing: PA has already paid the murderers over 4.3 million shekels,” by Maurice Hirsch, Palestinian Media Watch, July 31, 2019:
17 years ago today a bomb was detonated in the Hebrew University cafeteria in Jerusalem murdering 9 people, including five American citizens, and injuring over 80 others. This attack was one of many terror attacks carried out by the same terrorist cell.
Six Palestinians were convicted of the crime and sentenced to multiple life sentences. Since their arrests, the Palestinian Authority has rewarded the imprisoned terrorists paying them no less than 4,371,100 shekels ($1,257,259).
Among the convicted terrorists for this and other attacks were Adballah Barghouti – serving 67 life sentences, one for each of the victims he murdered – and Ibrahim Hamed – serving 54 life sentences, one for each of the victims he murdered. Through June 2019, the PA cumulatively paid them 1,271,000 shekels ($339,862) and continues to pay them thousands of shekels per month.
Despite its (self-inflicted) financial crisis, since the beginning of 2019 alone, the PA has cumulatively paid the terrorists almost 300,000 shekels ($86,000).
The PA obligated itself to pay monthly salaries to imprisoned terrorists when it passed the Law of Prisoners and Released Prisoners in 2004. The exact amount paid is set in regulations passed by the PA government (see chart below). Mahmoud Abbas has twice raised the salaries the PA pays to the imprisoned terrorists….
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
Millie Weaver interviews Democrat Party Presidential candidate Andrew Yang about his “Ombudsman” policy which would create a new government agency targeting “fake news” for censorship and removal from internet.
Yang openly admits he is for censoring dissenting voices until his handlers step in and cut-off the interview.
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
(Natural News) Watch this powerful, 4-minute warning video below, and you will be absolutely shocked to learn how rapidly the window of “allowable speech” is collapsing.
The evil, authoritarian tech giants are obliterating any remaining shred of free speech, a universal human right. At first, they targeted Trump supporters and conservatives. Then the censorship targeted Christians and people quoting Bible scripture. Now, they’re censoring all speech about vaccines, GMOs and natural cancer cures.
If this isn’t stopped, internet users will soon be:
Banned for talking about nutrition, including natural food cures for diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Banned for criticizing LGBTP pedophilia indoctrination of children, or the organized rape of children by transgender perverts who are now apparently an “untouchable” class of child predators.
Banned for criticizing any Democrat who isn’t a white male, regardless of how insane their failed ideas might be.
Banned for pointing out that “climate change” is a grand hoax perpetrated by dishonest science quacks who faked the data.
Banned for loving America or calling for defending America’s borders.
Banned for citing history, using quotes from Gandhi or America’s Founding Fathers.
Banned for saying that men and women are not identical, since the deranged, delusional Left now insists they are exactly the same and have no physiological or biological differences.
Banned for exposing the crimes or corruption of any Democrat, such as the #ClintonBodyCount fiasco surrounding the Clintons.
Banned for sharing any meme that makes progressives look stupid (which isn’t difficult to do).
This is why moving to alternative platforms is so crucial. Get off Facebook. Stop using Google. Walk away from Twitter. Find and explore alternative services such as Gab, DuckDuckGo, Censored.news or Brighteon.com, the free speech alternative to YouTube.
Watch my powerful, 4-minute video alert at the following link, and share everywhere:
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Editor’s note: In a recent letter, written and delivered to the Commandant of the US Army War College, ten members of Congress shared their “grave concern” that the USAWC “capitulated to the unfounded claims of CAIR [concerning Shillman Fellow Raymond Ibrahim and his book], and thus damaged the academic freedom and integrity of the high esteem in which the USAWC is held by many around the world…. Not only are we hearing from constituents – military and civilian – on this issue [click here for background], but we’re extremely disappointed in the decision to cancel Mr. Ibrahim and his voice on a critical, current issue in our Nation.”
This new missive complements an earlier one on the same topic from the National Association of Scholars to President Trump, which currently has nearly five thousand signatures (click here to add your name).
The complete letter from the ten Congressmen follows; it makes several excellent points, including how canceling Ibrahim’s lecture not only “jeopardizes academic freedom and the analytical ability critical for senior leaders, but also endangers national security in several ways”; and that for the War College to cater its “academic offerings to the demands of one side – especially one designated with terrorist ties – deprives our senior leaders of a balanced viewpoint and analysis critical to success on the battlefield and the future of our Nation.”
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July 8, 2019
Major General John S. Kem, Commandant United States Army War College Carlisle Barracks, 22 Ashburn Drive Carlisle, PA 17013-5006
Dear General Kem,
We write to you with grave concern about the recent decision by the United States Army War College (USAWC) and/or the United States Army Heritage Education Center (USAHEC) to postpone a lecture (original invitation enclosed) by Mr. Raymond Ibrahim on 19 June 2019. Mr. Ibrahim, an established and published historian, was invited in January 2019 to lecture on his newest book, “Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West,” a historical work analyzing eight decisive battles between Islam and the West. His lecture was to be part of the “2019 Perspectives in Military History Lecture Series,” and was to offer a well researched thesis worthy of academic inquiry and debate, not only for faculty, staff, and students of the USAWC, but also to the general public.
The USAWC cancelled/postponed Mr. Ibrahim’s lecture. The USAWC initially informed interested parties that the event had been postponed since so few people/students would be on campus in June; a situation that easily would have been foreseen in January, when he was invited and confirmed to speak. During initial contact with USAWC on this issue, we were informed that the postponement was in no way due to an orchestrated protest from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Another USAWC statement maintained that the event was postponed in order to, “pair Mr. Ibrahim’s military history insights in close proximity with another historical perspective, at a time when the USAWC curriculum has addressed historical analysis of influences on conflict.” Our concern is that the USAWC and/or USAHEC capitulated to the unfounded claims of CAIR, and thus damaged the academic freedom and integrity of the high esteem in which the USAWC is held by many around the world.
On 28 May, CAIR started an orchestrated, public attack on Mr. Ibrahim’s lecture, based on unfounded claims of the book’s scholarly merit and inaccurate claims about Mr. Ibrahim’s character. CAIR is named by the Department of Justice as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the 2007 terrorist funding case against the Holy Land Foundation. CAIR also is recognized to have ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, and as a result of these connections, our ally, the United Arab Emirates has designated CAIR a terrorist group. CAIR has a clear narrative that it’s attempting to advance, and by ceding to its demands, and canceling events like Mr. Ibrahim’s, the USAWC not only has promoted a one-sided perspective of history, but also denied students a valuable perspective on Islamic history.
Not only are we hearing from constituents – military and civilian – on this issue, but we’re extremely disappointed in the decision to cancel Mr. Ibrahim and his voice on a critical, current issue in our Nation. We depend on the esteem of an exceptional institution such as the USAWC to provide our future senior leaders, not only for our Nation, but worldwide, with an accurate, historical, balanced and thorough education. By postponing Mr. Ibrahim’s lecture, the USAWC jeopardizes academic freedom and the analytical ability critical for senior leaders, but also endangers national security in several ways.
Catering the institution’s valuable, academic offerings to the demands of one side – especially one designated with terrorist ties – deprives our senior leaders of a balanced viewpoint and analysis critical to success on the battlefield and the future of our Nation. No outside organization, including CAIR, should have the power to influence the education our senior leaders receive now or in the future.
We look forward to speaking with you and continuing this discussion, and in advance, thank you very much for your time and service.
Very Respectfully,
Scott Perry, Member of Congress
Chuck Fleischmann, Member of Congress
Louie Gohmert, Member of Congress
Rick Crawford, Member of Congress
Randy Weber, Member of Congress
Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S., Member of Congress
Lee Zeldin, Member of Congress
Glenn Grothman, Member of Congress
Steve Stivers, Member of Congress
Andy Biggs, Member of Congress
cc: Geoffrey Mangelsdorf, Director U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center
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The Border Patrol has apprehended nearly 6,000 fake families at the southwest border, and now devotes upwards of 60 percent of its manpower in high-crossing areas on what amounts to babysitting.
Even worse, the agency is releasing so-called families into the interior with virtually no vetting.
In testimony before the the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Mark Morgan (shown), acting commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said the crisis at the border is unprecedented and that Congress must act now to change the law.
Border patrol officials have said as much for months, but House and Senate Democrats, who hope to keep illegals coming in to swell the ranks of the party, have ignored them.
Thus have border agents faced an invasion of what now must be more than 800,000 illegals, with no end in sight.
Fakers and Liars
The shocking figure on phony families, which means illegals are lying to get into the country, came during questioning from Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).
Johnson observed that the Border Patrol is releasing illegals almost immediately into the interior of the United States, then asked how long the illegals remained in custody before being loosed upon the American taxpayer.
“Since March of this year,” Morgan testified, “the United States Border Patrol has been releasing family units directly, so in some cases, they’re being released in under 48 hours into the interior of the United States.” And some of those, as The New American has reported, are sick.
That, Johnson said, is an obvious danger, particularly given the number of fake families found with DNA testing, which prompted Morgan to repeat what border officials have said repeatedly:
Catch and release is an incentive to cross the border illegally with a “family.”
“That is one of the largest pull factors,” Morgan said, “and it’s not going to stop.... We need to stem the flow. As long as our laws are where they are, you’re gonna grab a kid. That is your passport into the United States. They know that in the Northern Triangle countries and they are exploiting that every day.”
As for the number of fake families, Morgan told Johnson he did not have a percentage, but did have a number: 5,800.
As TNA reported in May, DNA testing at that point had uncovered a fake-family rate of around 30 percent.
From October 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019, the number of individuals apprehended or found inadmissible by CBP on the southwest border reached 780,633, an increase of 103 percent over the same time the previous fiscal year. That averages to two apprehensions or findings of inadmissibility every minute of every day for 272 days. Border Patrol’s southwest border apprehensions reached 688,375 for FY 2019 by the end of June. That number represents more apprehensions than full fiscal year totals for the previous ten years. Although we saw a decrease in the levels of apprehensions in June of this year compared to previous months, irregular migration remains high, continues to overtaxour finite law enforcement resources, and detracts from our national security mission....
The vast majority of migrants are Central American family unitsand unaccompanied alien children (UAC). In FY 2019 to date, UAC and family units represent 66 percent of all individuals apprehended by the Border Patrol at the southwest border.
Given that rate at which illegals are crossing the border, the total for fiscal 2019 is likely more than 800,000. Numbers for July will be available in the next week or so.
As well, in yet another reprise of what border officials have said, illegals are storming the border and overwhelming border agents with large groups. So far this year, border agents have apprehended 198 large group of more than 100, mostly Guatemalan and Honduran “families,” the prepared testimony says:
Last month, Border Patrol reached an unfortunate record when more than 1,000 migrants illegally entered the United States in the largest single group ever encountered. The group included more than 900 people in family units and more than 60 UAC.
As well, the testimony says, “in high-flow sectors, Border Patrol has been forced to divert between 40 and 60 percent of its manpower away from the border security mission to provide humanitarian care to families and children.”
Such is the tsunami that the agency has moved 700 agents from ports of entry to stations between ports to help with the babysitting.
“On any given day for the past several months, CBP has held more than 8,000 detainees in custody,” the testimony says. “On June 3, the number was as high as 19,500 detainees. CBP short-term holding facilities were simply not set up to process and care for a population of this size and demographics.”
It’s time for Congress to act, the testimony says, because “the system is overwhelmed.”
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NEW YORK —Two city council members in New York City who openly identify as homosexual recently hosted a Drag Queen Story Hour at a public library to celebrate a funding increase for the city’s libraries, which includes 25K allotted for drag queen reading programs.
Jimmy Van Bramer and Daniel Dromm, D-Queens, presented local drag performer Angel Elektra at the Jackson Heights library on July 25. Elektra marched in last month’s Queens Pride Parade alongside children who helped hold a banner for Drag Queen Story Hour.
“I am particularly glad that Drag Queen Story Hour has found a home at city libraries, including the Queens Public Library,” Dromm told the Sunnyside Post. “Drag Queen Story Hour is a fun and fabulous way of encouraging children to read. The flamboyancy and theatrics of Drag Queen Story Hour truly captures children’s attention and helps facilitate learning.”
“I am especially proud to support Drag Queen Story Hour, a wonderfully imaginative and inclusive program for kids that encourages acceptance and a love of reading,” similarly remarked Van Bramer. “Drag Queen Story Hour provides all kids with a space to be themselves and to see queer role models — something I desperately needed as a kid.”
New York’s 2020 budget for public libraries increased by $33 million and includes $25K for Drag Queen Story Hour programs. The Sunnyside Post reports that both Van Bramer and Dromm bookmarked $5,000 for the children’s event for their respective districts.
However, last month, some residents weren’t so thrilled about an event at the Brooklyn Public Library and protested outside of it.
“It’s one thing for a drag queen to come in costume and read kids a story. It’s another thing for them to read stories about gender fluidity,” said organizer Tag, according to the Brooklyn Eagle. “It’s about the indoctrination of these children. Just like we’re telling them there’s a tooth fairy and there’s a Santa Claus, we’re telling them they can be what they’re not.”
“What it comes down to is that this event is dangerous,” he stated. “Transgender people have the highest rate of suicide out of anyone, and to bring a child who is not even in-tune with their own body to believe that they can be something that’s biologically impossible, is irresponsible.”
One woman in Washington State who opposed a Drag Queen Story Time there wrote in an op-ed last month that she finds such depictions of women to be quite demeaning.
“Drag queens do not freak me out; they offend me to my core. Condescending remarks do not diminish the concerns of real women,” wrote Anna Bohach. “All one has to do is watch an hour of the ‘RuPaul Drag Race’ show to see the stereotypical misogynistic depictions of women. We get to watch men wear tight seductive clothing, big bouffant wigs, fake eyelashes, and over-the-top makeup, all while calling each other ‘fishy.’ ‘Fishy’ is a term used by men in drag to describe a convincing drag queen, meaning they look so much like a woman their genitalia smells of fish.”
“Let me say something about drag: a man can put on a dress, pearls and lipstick to gyrate and act like a fool to demean women. But at the end of the day he gets to take off the dress and be a man again. Women don’t get to just take off the dress. At the end of the day we come home and we feed our families, get our kids ready for bed, do the laundry and rock our babies to sleep. A woman never gets to just take off the dress; our day is never done.” ____________________________________________________________
‘Genderfluid’ Calif. Drag Queen Running for US Congress
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If Qatar would do this in Somalia, can the millions it has showered upon Georgetown University and other American universities be seen as benign? Georgetown is the epicenter of the “Islamophobia” propaganda industry in the U.S., and has worked indefatigably to manipulate Americans into thinking it wrong and bigoted to oppose jihad mass murder and Sharia oppression of women.
Coincidence? Almost certainly not.
“New York Times obtains recording revealing Qatari complicity in Somalia attack,” Al Arabiya, July 23, 2019:
A businessman linked to the Qatari Emir told Qatar’s ambassador to Somalia that an extremist attack in May was carried out to advance Doha’s interests in the country against the UAE, an audio recording obtained by the New York Times revealed.
According to the New York Times report, in the recording Khalifa Kayed al-Muhanadi tells Qatari ambassador Hassan bin Hamza Hashem that “the bombings and killings, we know who are behind them.”
Al-Muhanadi says the attack was done in order “to make Dubai people run away from there.”
“Let them kick out the Emiratis, so they don’t renew the contracts with them, and I will bring the contract here to Doha,” al-Muhanadi said.
The ambassador then tells al-Muhanadi that the attacks were taking place “to make them run away,” referring to the UAE.
“Our friends were behind the last bombings,” al-Muhanadi replies.
When asked by the New York Times about the recording, neither al-Muhanadi nor the Qatari government denied the authenticity of the phone call, which was secretly recorded by a “foreign intelligence agency opposed to Qatar’s foreign policies.”..
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Eight years after the Diocese of Orange purchased the Crystal Cathedral — the glittering glass church in Garden Grove where the popular “Hour of Power ” TV show once beamed the late Rev. Robert H. Schuller’s sermons across the globe — the cathedral re-opened its doors Wednesday with a dedication ceremony, marking the end of a two-year, $72.3 million renovation. Renamed Christ Cathedral, the 78,000-square-foot structure and surrounding campus is now the center of Catholicism in Orange County and the seat of Bishop Kevin W. Vann.
The sanctuary will host 11 weekend Masses in four languages starting Saturday, according to Father Christopher Smith, rector and episcopal vicar of Christ Cathedral. The more than 12,000 worshippers can choose from English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Mandarin. The cathedral is the last building on the Christ Cathedral campus to finish renovations. “The cathedral stands as a physical sign of unity of the 62 parishes in the Diocese of Orange, ” Smith said. “We’re kind of the center of town for Orange County Catholics and others.” One innovative aspect of the renovation, Smith said, are “quatrefoils,” specially designed window shades that were added to 11,000 panes of glass to control sunlight. Instead of the bright light that used to come in through the glass building, Smith said the quatrefoils offer a softer glow, giving the cathedral’s interior an “ethereal look.”
TheAdditions also transformed the cathedral into a place for Catholic liturgy, including a marble platform and altar; a 1,000-pound crucifix hanging above it; a cathedra, the bishop’s chair; an ambo, where the Bible is read aloud during Mass; reconciliation chapels where confessions will be heard; a Blessed Sacrament Chapel for private prayers in front of the Eucharist; and an octagonal baptistery with a cross-shaped baptismal pool.
Aspects of the renovations also showcase the diversity of the Diocese of Orange, which, according to its leadership, is now one of the most diverse and fastest growing in the U.S.
The south end of the cathedral features a hand-painted mosaic of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness saint of the Diocese of Orange and the Americas.
Relics from Korean, Vietnamese, Mexican and American martyrs — as well as Pope John Paul II — are encased in the altar. And the entryway of the cathedral includes portraits of several saints, including Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church; Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first person born in the U.S. to become a saint; Lorenzo Ruiz, a 17th-century Filipino saint; and Oscar Romero, the archbishop from El Salvador who spoke out against poverty and injustice and who was assassinated in 1980 and canonized last year by Pope Francis.
The diocese is also in the process of building a 2-acre, outdoor shrine to Our Lady of La Vang, a Vietnamese Marian apparition, in a courtyard dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
“We’ve tried very hard to reflect the area we’re in,” Smith said.
On top of the physical renovations, the community underwent a transformation as well.
St. Callistus, a parish in Garden Grove, was relocated to the Christ Cathedral campus — where it held Mass at the cathedral’s Arboretum — so that it could start the process of becoming a cathedral parish, the “mother church” of the diocese.
“We’ve grown from going through a period of grief because of what was being left behind to coming to an understanding that we have been called to be the cathedral parish,” said Trudy Mazzarella, a parishioner at what is now called the Christ Cathedral Parish, “and that it’s very special to have that kind of responsibility.”
In addition to performing normal parish functions, cathedral parishes also serve the entire diocese by hosting special Masses, such as ordinations, and other events put on by the bishop.
Excitement for the cathedral’s opening has “grown exponentially,” Mazzarella said, comparing the dedication to the joy a family feels celebrating Christmas.
Since 2012, Mazzarella has also served as director of tour ministry for Christ Cathedral, organizing group and individual tours for visitors from 63 countries.
“I’m already getting phone calls and emails from people all over the United States wanting to get in there, and asking, ‘when can we book a tour?’” she said.
Designed by the post-modern architect Philip Johnson, the old Crystal Cathedral became the largest glass building in the world when it was completed 39 years ago.While the dedication marks the transformation of the cathedral’s interior — and community — one thing that wasn’t touched in the renovations was the building’s iconic exterior.
While the reflective exterior is a far cry from the traditional architectural style of most Catholic churches, Smith said the diocese wanted to preserve the legacy of Crystal Cathedral and its founder.
“We see ourselves as continuing in the footsteps of a great Christian preacher who built Christ Cathedral in the first place, ” he said.
Schuller retired in 2010 and died in 2015. Grandson Bobby Schuller, a pastor in Irvine, is continuing the “Hour of Power” broadcasts in the evangelical tradition.
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President Donald Trump wants Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, to cut the Fed Funds rate by a full percentage point Wednesday afternoon. Powell is certain to give him just one-quarter of that, with the possibility of more cuts soon.
The president has expressed regret repeatedly about his appointment of Powell as head of the country’s central bank, blaming him for raising rates four times last year, nine times since 2015, intentionally slowing his economy just as his reelection campaign is heating up.
The last time the Fed cut rates was in late 2008 when the central bank dropped rates to near zero in hopes they would stimulate the moribund post-real-estate-crash economy back to life. It took Trump’s Tax Cut and Jobs Act, combined with regulatory relief, to stir the economy. Powell’s concerns about incipient inflation caused him to raise rates in anticipation.
But with inflation low, the global economy slowing, and pressure from the White House, Powell is likely to open the door for more rate cuts later on this year. He may also terminate the Fed’s “balance sheet roll-off” earlier than scheduled. That effort to reduce the Fed’s holding of nearly $4 trillion in U.S. treasuries is sucking $50 billion out of the economy every month which Trump has accurately called “quantitative tightening.”
Anticipation has already affected long-term mortgage rates, which have dropped from 4.94 percent last November to 3.75 percent last week. This saves a homeowner more than $250 a month on a $250,000 30-year mortgage.
A quarter-point cut on a $5,000 credit card balance would lower the minimum monthly payment by $1 a month, while on a $30,000 home equity loan (HELOC or home equity line of credit) it would save the borrower a little over $6 a month.
Those holding a $200,000 adjustable-rate mortgage would see their monthly payment drop by $56 while those shopping for a new car would save $3 a month on a $25,000 loan. Those holding federal student loans would not be impacted as those rates are fixed by Congress and are not affected by any move Powell might make. In other words, the rate cut will have little immediate impact on the U.S. economy.
The real impact will be on how Powell juggles future rate cuts. Market watchers will be paying close attention to his statement Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. for clues about giving the president more of what he is demanding. The chairman will be expressing concerns over trade talk uncertainty, slowing business investment, and sluggish growth worldwide. He is likely to generalize about the problems facing Germany, where growth has slowed to a virtual standstill, and China, where government figures have clouded that economy’s real economic performance. He is likely to use phrases like “watching closely” and “carefully measuring” and “being sensitive” to further slowing globally.
He will most certainly say nothing about threats by the president to fire him if he doesn’t give him what he wants. He already answered that question back on July 10 when Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) asked him during a House Financial Services Committee hearing whether he would “pack up his stuff and go” if the president asked him to. Said Powell: “Of course, I would not do that,” adding, “The law gives me a four-year term and I fully intend to serve it.”
Short of being fired then, the next best thing Powell can do is to give the president what he wants — on the installment plan.
