While U.S. President Trump upholds religious freedom, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau increasingly restricts it

CONSTITUTION ACT, 1982 (80)
PART I
CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS

Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law:

Guarantee of Rights and Freedoms

1. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.

Fundamental Freedoms

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

(a) freedom of conscience and religion;

(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;

(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and

(d) freedom of association.

When Stephen Harper was Prime Minister of Canada, he established an office to monitor religious freedom in other countries. He should have established an office to monitor and stand for religious freedom at home, which has been steadily diminishing in recent years, especially since the Liberals, led by Justin Trudeau, defeated Mr. Harper's government in the October 2015 federal election. Andrew Bennett, who was the envoy for religious freedom under Mr. Harper, is the latest to speak out against Mr. Trudeau's attack on the rights of Christians. As reported by Mike Blanchfield of Canadian Press, May 9, 2018:

OTTAWA — Canada’s former religious freedom ambassador says the Trudeau government is displaying “totalitarian” tendencies with its controversial changes to the student summer jobs program.

Andrew Bennett, who until 2015 was Canada’s only envoy devoted exclusively to religious freedom abroad, used the label repeatedly in an interview ahead of his launch today of a new religious freedom think-tank that he will be leading to stimulate public discussion on the role of faith in public life.

Bennett is kicking off that discussion with an attack on the Liberal government’s change to the Canada Summer Jobs program that requires organizations seeking funding to tick a box that attests to their respect for sexual and reproductive rights, including abortion, and other human rights.

The government says it is not targeting beliefs or values but churches and other faith-based organizations say they are being forced to choose between staying true to their values and seeking grants to help them run programs — from summer camps to soup kitchens — that have nothing to do with abortion.

Bennett said the attestation compels people with no particularly strong religious views — the owner of a small construction company who just wants to hire a few seasonal workers, for instance — to take a moral stand on a divisive issue in order to apply for public funds.

“Whether you’re a person of religious views or a person who just doesn’t want to have an opinion, the government through this action is compelling belief,” Bennett told The Canadian Press.

“That has a certain totalitarian feel to it.”

If the government wants to foster a pluralistic society where diversity is truly respected, it has to uphold the fundamental freedoms of all Canadians, “even when those fundamental freedoms are exercised in a way that goes against what the government believes.”

Compelling belief is a “tendency that one can see in totalitarian societies,” he said because if the government links belief to specific values that define our country, “you’re saying person’s citizenship is not as valid, or you’re marginalizing them by saying, ‘you’re outside the tent’.”

Bennett said his view was formed by his experiences abroad trying to protect the religious freedom of persecuted minorities. While he says there is still more freedom in Canada, “totalitarianism can creep into liberal democracies and we have to be vigilant against that.”

His institute will be run out of Cardus, a non-partisan, faith-based think tank that Bennett joined when the current Liberal government closed his office at Global Affairs Canada in 2015.

As Canada’s religious freedom ambassador, his focus was on violations of religious freedom abroad.

Bennett is devoutly Catholic and an ordained deacon, but he insists neither his personal politics nor religion drive his work.

He said the institute will explore religious freedom issues across all faiths. There will be quarterly reports and academic-style papers. And he plans to have a symposium that looks at the nexus between religious and civil law that will encompass Halakah, the body of Jewish laws, Christian Canon law and Muslim Shariah law.

The previous Conservative government announced the creation of the short-lived religious freedom office during the 2011 federal election. It proved controversial, with some complaining it was too Christian-centric, or that it was an attempt to win domestic political support by targeting particular communities.

Contrary to the critics, Bennett said he was never close to the Harper Conservatives and remained a neutral public servant, adhering to the rules he followed since the start of his public service career in 2001.

Bennett said he took exception to being painted with the “blue brush” of being a Conservative partisan simply because the office was created by the party.

He says he’s voted for each major political party at least once and his political history has included being active in the Liberal party in university and campaigning for the NDP.

The Liberals ended Bennett’s job, saying they didn’t want to single out any particular aspect of human rights for special focus.

Bennett says he harbours no bitterness towards the Liberals and that he could have continued his career in the federal public service. But he went to Cardus because he wanted to keep working on religious freedom issues.

Still, he doesn’t like that the office became a political “hot potato,” something that sets it apart from a similar office run out of the U.S. State Department. That was created by Democrats, he noted.

The Clinton administration established it in 1998 and it was strengthened by Barack Obama before leaving office. The office enjoys bipartisan support in the U.S., said Bennett, who also divides his time with the Washington D.C.-based Religious Freedom Institute.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order protecting religious freedom, dated May 3, 2018 (bold in original):

"America is a nation of believers, and together we are strengthened by the power of prayer."

President Donald J. Trump

A VOICE IN THE WHITE HOUSE: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to ensure that the faith-based and community organizations that form the bedrock of our society have strong advocates in the White House and throughout the Federal Government.

. President Trump has signed an Executive Order entitled “Establishment of a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative” in order to:

. provide recommendations on the Administration’s policy agenda affecting faith-based and community programs;

. provide recommendations on programs and policies where faith-based and community organizations may partner and/or deliver more effective solutions to poverty;

. apprise the Administration of any failures of the executive branch to comply with religious liberty protections under law; and

. reduce the burdens on the exercise of free religion.

. The Executive Order creates the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative within the Executive Office of the President.

. The Initiative will be led by the newly created position of Advisor to the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative (Initiative) and be supported by experts and various community and faith leaders from outside of the Federal Government.

. All executive departments and agencies that do not have Centers for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives will designate a liaison to the Initiative.

PRIORITIZING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: President Trump has made it clear that religious freedom is a priority throughout his Administration.

. In October 2017, the Department of Justice issued twenty principles of religious liberty to guide the Administration’s litigation strategy and protect religious freedom.

. In January 2018, the Justice Department announced a religious liberty update to the U.S. Attorneys’ Manual, raising the profile of religious liberty cases and directing the designation of a Religious Liberty Point of Contact for all U.S. Attorney’s offices.

. In January 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced major policy changes protecting freedom of religion inside and outside of the government:

. forming a new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division, providing HHS with the focus it needs to more vigorously and effectively enforce existing laws protecting the rights of conscience and religious freedom; and

. proposing to more vigorously enforce twenty-five existing statutory conscience protections for Americans involved in HHS programs, in order to protect Americans who have religious or moral convictions related to certain health care services.

ONE NATION UNDER GOD: President Trump has publicly stood with people of faith and with those who advocate for the sanctity of life.

. This is the President’s third public event marking the importance of prayer, including attending the National Prayer Breakfast just two weeks after his inauguration.

. President Trump has declared several days of prayer, including a National Day of Prayer for the Victims of Hurricane Harvey and for America’s National Response and Recovery Efforts.

. On October 13, 2017, President Trump spoke at the Value Voters Summit.

. On January 19, 2018, President Trump became the first President to address the March for Life rally live via satellite.

. Vice President Mike Pence addressed the March for Life in 2017, becoming the first sitting Vice President to do so in person.

PROTECTING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: Throughout his tenure as President, Donald Trump has been a champion for religious liberty in the United States, restoring the ideals that have undergirded our Nation’s freedom and prosperity since its founding.

. On May 4, 2017, the President signed an Executive Order to greatly enhance religious freedom and freedom of speech:

. taking action to ensure that religious institutions may freely exercise their First Amendment right to support and advocate for candidates and causes in line with their values; and

. ensuring that religious Americans and their organizations, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor, are not be forced to choose between violating their religious beliefs by complying with Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate or shutting their doors.

. The President has announced a reversal of the Obama administration’s policy and is allowing houses of worship to receive crucial disaster aid in times of crisis.

. The Trump Administration has taken a stand on behalf of religious liberty in the courts:

. it supported baker Jack Phillips’s right to operate his bakery in accordance with his religious beliefs.

PROTECTING THE SANCTITY OF LIFE: The President has been one of the foremost defenders of the sanctity of life in the history of the White House.

. President Trump quickly reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy, which prevents $9 billion in foreign aid from being used to fund the global abortion industry and its advocates.

. President Trump signed H.J. Res 43 into law, which overturned the Obama administration’s midnight regulation prohibiting States from defunding certain abortion facilities as part of their family planning programs.

. President Trump’s Administration issued guidance to enforce the requirement that taxpayer dollars not support abortion coverage in Obamacare exchange plans.

According to blogger Vox Day, on May 6, 2018 (link in original):

Lest you think this is a mere exercise in meaningless bureaucratic symbolism, it's definitely alarming the right people.

The reader will notice in the following article the various religious groups represented at the National Day of Prayer, providing more evidence that the event is about politics rather than true Christian faith. For Christians to participate in such an event with non-Christians violates the scriptural command in II Corinthians 6:14 to "be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." Just which God are all these people praying to?

As reported by Sarah Pulliam Bailey and Michelle Boorstein of The Washington Post, May 3, 2018:

Washington • President Donald Trump, in a Rose Garden ceremony, announced an executive order Thursday he said would expand government grants to and partnerships with faith-based groups.

A top faith adviser to Trump said the aim was a culture change producing fewer conversations about church-state barriers “without all of these arbitrary concerns as to what is appropriate.”

Trump has shrunk the infrastructure built by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, the latter who created offices across most agencies with staff including dozens of people at the State Department.

Under Trump many of those staffs have been reduced and director positions left unfilled. However, he has expanded greatly the access to the White House of conservative Christians, evangelicals in particular, but also Catholics who feel alarmed by the growing legal tension between gay rights and conservative religious rights.

It was unclear if there were concrete changes that would come with the executive order, though Johnnie Moore, spokesman for the president’s evangelical advisory group — his only faith advisory group with regular access — said the initiative included an order to every department “to work on faith-based partnerships.” That, Moore said, “represents a widespread expansion of a program that has historically done very effective work and now can do even greater work.”

Moore mentioned an emphasis on faith-based partnerships focusing on prison reform, education, mental health and “strengthening families.” Faith-based groups have always been in such partnerships, but federal law requires that the government not show preference for one faith or put recipients in the position where they are essentially proselytized to receive care.

The ceremony was held on the National Day of Prayer and featured prayers from various faith leaders, including Jean B. Bingham, general president of the all-female Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“This nation has been given relative peace and prosperity and we humbly ask thee to watch over those in harm’s way, protecting our freedoms in the pursuit of happiness,” Bingham pleaded. “Bless those who lead this great nation with the empathy, insights and inspiration they need as they counsel together and sincerely strive to work in harmony. Help us in our request that we may be joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. May each exercise integrity, humility and nobility of character and his or her sphere of influence.”

Other prayers came from Cissie Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of the late evangelist Billy Graham; Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Catholic archbishop of Washington, D.C., and Levi Shemtov, the longtime Washington leader for the Chabad Lubavitch movement, and also the rabbi where Jared and Ivanka attend services in town.

The office — which has its roots with the Clinton White House in the 1990s — has always faced legal challenges, as various groups jockey for resources and others focus on guarding constitutional protections against government-backed religion. Trump is the first to present such a homogeneous group of advisers and goals described in such a sectarian manner.

At the ceremony Trump said he’s responsible for people saying “Merry Christmas” more, and talking more openly about prayer. “Don’t you notice a big difference between two or three years ago and now? Now it’s straight up.”

Melissa Rogers, who served as executive director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships under Obama, said in a statement that protecting religious freedom should be a key aim of the government.

“At the event today, President Trump should retract and apologize for his call for ‘a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,’” she wrote in an email. “President Trump should also pledge to respect and vigorously protect the equal rights of Americans of all faiths and none, including the rights of American Muslims to religious freedom.”

Rabbi Jonah Pesner, who runs the policy-outreach arm for the Reform Movement, the largest segment of American Judaism, wrote in an email that he has “grave concerns” about the new order and its ability to let faith groups play a key role in government programs while also protecting “the rights all people, regardless of their faith. We have already seen efforts by this administration to undermine essential rules. . .thereby threatening religious liberty...”

...Faith-based offices were considered major announcements under the past three presidents. However, Trump’s expected announcement came as a surprise to many observers. It was absent from the White House daily schedule and some attendees said they were told only of the National Day of Prayer blessing and nothing of the executive order.

A similar version of the office was first created by President George W. Bush in 2001 with a mandate to partner with and serve as a resource to the faith community. The idea of the office was intended to put religious groups on equal footing with other nonprofit organizations when competing for federal funding, setting off a wave of criticism and questions about whether funding could breach a separation of church and state. Under the Bush administration, faith-based nonprofit organizations received federal grants totaling more than $10.6 billion.

Weeks into his presidency, Obama announced his version of the office at the National Prayer Breakfast, which kept Bush’s rules allowing faith-based groups to compete for grants and served as a liaison between religious leaders and the White House.

Since Trump took office, the director role of the faith-based office has been vacant, although some agencies have named faith-based-office appointees.

Among those attending the Rose Garden ceremony were: Southern Baptist Pastors Jack Graham and Ronnie Floyd; Focus on the Family founder and radio host James Dobson; and author and speaker Eric Metaxas.

Obama established about a dozen offices in various agencies and vastly expanded the number of staff members aiming for that same goal — connecting faith-based nonprofit organizations with the government in a fair way. Moore said for the agencies that don’t have a faith-based office — or a chief of that office — the same premise would be encouraged. He was, however, unable to give examples Wednesday of places where religious groups were unable to gain fair access.

A White House official told Religion News Service that those working on the initiative will inform the administration of “any failures of the executive branch to comply with religious liberty protections under law.”

A year ago, Trump issued an executive order on religious freedom that drew mixed reactions among religious conservatives. Several of his evangelical advisers praised him at the time, but many in conservative religious freedom advocacy circles said that the actual text of the executive order did not change much. An executive order, critics argue, doesn’t last long because the next president can come in and rescind it.

Congressional attempts to chip away at the Johnson Amendment, which bars nonprofit organizations such as churches from endorsing or opposing political candidates, have been unsuccessful, though in the garden Thursday Trump implied he had “prevented” the amendment.

Little Sisters of the Poor, a group of nuns who have been in a legal battle with the government over an Affordable Care Act mandate to provide employees with contraception, are still facing court battles. During a gathering last year in the Rose Garden, Trump told the nuns: “Your long ordeal will soon be over, OK?”

Moore said this new executive order is part of the White House’s broader efforts to promote religious freedom.

Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services announced new regulations and a new division responsible for handling complaints from health-care workers who do not want to perform a medical procedure such as an abortion or assisted death because it violates their religious or moral beliefs. The new office was seen by many as a win for conservative religious groups while critics worry that the language in the regulations could lead to discrimination.

Backlog: Dissatisfied with the Jesus of the Bible, female Roman Catholic fiction writer creates her own Jesus

If Jesus had been a woman, he wouldn't have fulfilled the Messianic prophecies--a fact which escapes feminists. As reported by Elaine Lies of Reuters, August 18, 2011:

TOKYO - As a child, Kristen Wolf set up a makeshift altar in the driveway of her home, decorating a desk with a white cloth and a crucifix before proceeding to conduct a Mass and causing a stir that resulted in a reprimand.

The move came, she now says, from a sense that she was left outside the center of Catholic tradition and spirituality by her gender, a feeling that led her decades later to write “The Way,” a re-imagining of the story of Jesus with a woman in the central role.

“I had a very definite sense, even as a young child, of being somehow excluded from my spiritual experience,” Wolf said in a recent telephone interview.

“As I looked on it, the church leaders could only be male and our God was male, the main player was the Father’s only son. The women were mostly in ancillary roles ... I never felt there was a heroic female.”

Decades later, after attending Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and studying the Bible and mythology, as well as reading retellings of once-male stories from a female point of view, Wolf thought there was a need for a new take on the Biblical tale of the Messiah.

The result was the story of Anna, a tomboy in ancient Palestine whose androgynous appearance leads to her being disguised as a boy and sold to shepherds. Captured and taught by a group of women who live according to an ancient philosophy, she tries to spread their teachings to ordinary people.

Wolf said that she didn’t want to be critical of any religion, but instead sought to tap into one of the major stories still told in modern society — just from a slightly different angle.

“The stories need to be dusted off and re-invigorated. My intention was to create a new story that we tell differently, that brings out the timelessness of this story, this person Jesus,” she said.

“It captures that timelessness but reshapes it so it becomes relevant in our lives again.”

The book took some time to be sold to a publisher, but Wolf said she felt that was due at least as much to difficult times in the industry and her own status as a debut novelist. She noted that much of the response since it was launched has been positive.

While there were pleasures and perils involved in retelling such a famous story, she found the overall experience was “thrilling.”

“You already have, intrinsically, a powerful, moving, evocative story and character that has already stood the test of time. It’s as if you’re working with a great masterpiece of human emotion,” she said.

“Which probably also ties into why you’re at peril, because you’re taking something that is powerful and you are willing to alter it. Your intention is to refresh it but I suppose there’s always the risk that you don’t.”

Israeli scholar claims that Romani (Gypsies) are descendants of Simeon

And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. Genesis 33:15a

As reported by Yaniv Pohoryles of Ynet News, May 5, 2018 (link, bold in original):

Hundreds of Gypsies have been flocking to Israel for conferences following an Israeli scholar’s discovery of a biblical connection between Jews and Gypsies. According to Shmuel Avukia of the community of Kokhav Yaakov, one of the organizers of these conferences, the Romani people are the lost descendants of the Israelite tribe of Simeon.

“A few years ago, I began studying the biblical texts thoroughly,” says Avukia, who has been researching the Jewish-Gypsy connection for several years now. “Not just on the surface, what we read in the Torah portion every week, but really thoroughly. And that’s where I stumbled upon the Romani issue.

“I discovered very interesting things about their connection to the Jewish people. It was really big, and I started talking about it a bit on Facebook and on the Internet and there was a huge response. I received many reactions and I decided to take it one step further and create the Jewish-Gypsy Forum.”

The forum convened in Jerusalem for the first time in early December 2017. About 60 Romani tourists from France arrived in Israel for a series of meetings with Avukia and other forum members. Together, they created a symbol combining a Star of David and the spoked wheel featured in the Romani flag.

During the gathering, Avukia presented the findings of his research, which concluded that the Romani people are descendants of the tribe of Simeon.

“The Gypsies know that they are of Jewish descent, but they have no proof. I believe that together with my research and things we’ll learn about the Romani community, its traditions and its sources, we’ll be able to piece things together.”

In a lecture to the Romani delegation, Avukia said the first verse he found pointing to Jewish-Gypsy connection is from the Book of Genesis: “Esau said, ‘Then let me leave some of my men with you.’” According to Avukia, deeper interpretations of the verse, and mainly of the world “leave,” might be a reference to other things apart from the literal meaning.

Since publishing his findings, Avukia has been contacted by thousands of members of the Romani community, and hundreds of them have already visited Israel for additional gatherings.

“I am in touch with several representatives of Romani communities from France, Finland, Spain, Russia and even the United States,” he says.

What drove you to search for a Jewish connection that has never been proven?

“We see a historical connection between the people. The Nazis, for example, sought to annihilate only two people—the Jews and the Gypsies. And there are other historical contexts too. I think if we have proof that we have found a lost tribe, we can’t ignore it.”

Has any rabbinical authority confirmed your research?

“I’m currently working on a video and on a book that will present all the evidence and the full research. Afterwards, we’ll present it to the rabbis and to halachic authorities.”

I assume they won’t accept it.

“Clearly, most people will try and toss it away, but I’m following Jewish logic—it’s only that which seems impossible that happens in the end, like the establishment of the State of Israel. It was a dream that seemed imaginary, but here we are.

“It’s clearly a process, and we’re only at the beginning of the road and we have to do it smartly and slowly. But if it’s the truth, it will materialize in the end.”

40 years ago: Lorne Reznowski's election as leader of Social Credit party of Canada shows that some things have changed--and some haven't

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; Psalms 33:12a

Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14:34

On May 7, 1978, the Social Credit Party of Canada, meeting at the Winnipeg Convention Centre, elected Lorne Reznowski, 49, a professor of English literature at the University of Manitoba, as its new leader. Mr. Reznowski obtained 356 of the 471 votes required (583 delegates attended) to defeat Martin Hattersley, a lawyer from Edmonton. Social Credit had 9 members in the House of Commons, but hadn't elected anyone from outside Quebec to the House since 1965. Mr. Reznowski appeared to have the support of Quebec delegates, and his election as leader was an attempt to regain support in western Canada.

As reported by Andy Blicq in the Winnipeg Free Press, May 8, 1978:

At a press conference after his victory announcement, Reznowski...called Prime Minister Trudeau a "spoiled brat millionaire's son" who has treated the economy like a toy.

"Trudeau has broken that toy," Reznowski said.

Reznowski claims that Trudeau has created a degenerate country plagued by homosexuals, abortion mills, sterilization, euthanasia and high finance.

Lorne Reznowski obtained less than 3% of the vote in a by-election in the Manitoba riding of Saint Boniface in October 1978, and resigned as party leader in February 1979. Under new leader Fabien Roy of Quebec, Social Credit elected 6 MPs in the May 1979 federal election. By December, one MP had defected to the governing Progressive Conservatives, and the remaining five were defeated in the February 1980 federal election. Mr. Hattersley led the party from 1981-1983, but resigned after his decision to expel several notable anti-Semites was reversed. The Social Credit Party of Canada never elected another MP, and the number of candidates they ran diminished until Elections Canada deregistered the party in September 1993, a month before another federal election. The Social Credit Party of Canada continued to exist as an incorporated entity until at least 2006.

As for Mr. Reznowski, he disappeared from the public eye so completely that this blogger, in a Google search 10 years ago, failed to discover if he was dead or alive, although there was a comment somewhere claiming that he had died in 1992. While reading the Winnipeg Free Press in November 2011, I came across a death notice for Lorne Reznowski that appeared legitimate.

Lorne Reznowski's comments about Pierre Trudeau were, and are true. 40 years later, Canada is governed by Pierre Trudeau's son Justin, and Mr. Reznowski's comments about Pierre are true of Justin, except that Trudeaupia (a more accurate name for the country, which remains "Canada" in name only) is even more of a degenerate country than it was in 1978, and way more than it was when Pierre Trudeau took office as Prime Minister in 1968. It's worth pondering that while Mr. Reznowski's opinions on the Canadian society produced by Pierre Trudeau were out of fashion by 1978, such views could at least be expressed in public. If Mr. Reznowski--the leader of a national political party that still had a few members of Parliament--were to express such opinions today, he'd probably be arrested as a "hate criminal," or, even worse, be subjected to an inquisition from a "human rights" commission.

See my posts: 50 years after Pierre Trudeau introduced a bill to legalize perversion, Justin Trudeau apologizes to perverts (December 23, 2017)

50 years ago: Canada goes under permanent foreign occupation (April 27, 2018)

Oklahoma lawmakers pass bill providing for public display of Ten Commandments

And God spake all these words, saying,
I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. Exodus 20:1-17

As reported by Matt Trotter of Public Radio Tulsa, May 4, 2018:

At least 99 Oklahoma lawmakers are determined to have the 10 Commandments displayed on state property.

That's how many senators and representatives voted for House Bill 2177, which allows for the display of documents historically significant to the United States or Oklahoma, including the 10 Commandments.

"Do you think any of these other historically relevant religions should be able to display artifacts as well?" Rep. Jacob Rosecrants asked HB2177's author, Rep. John Bennett.

"None of them can be tied back to the founding of our nation so, in that case, no," Bennett said.

Rep. Justin Humphrey said the U.S. Supreme Court has the 10 Commandments on display.

"They’re able to display these because of historical value and they’re not getting sued, so we would just be following suit what the precedent they’ve already set," Humphrey said.

The court’s 10 Commandments are part of a wide-ranging work on the history of law.

Rep. Cory Williams said he remembers a similar conversation from 2012, when a 1-ton, granite 10 Commandments monument went up at the capitol.

"As long as we say it’s historical in nature and not religious and we hold our breath and we cross our toes and we count to three, it’s going to be fine and we won’t get sued and we won’t lose that. Except that we did. How is this different?" Williams said.

The bill includes the Magna Carta and Mayflower Compact as examples of documents significant to Oklahoma or U.S. history.

I applaud the politicians' effort to get the Ten Commandments on public display, but it's unfortunate that the only way they seem to be able to do this is by promoting the Ten Commandments as being historically relevant, rather than currently relevant.

Episcopal Church U.S.A. removes "husband and wife" from marriage service, may lead to split from Church of England

And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Matthew 19:4-5

There is no longer any novelty in mainline Anglican apostasy in whatever country the church exists; it just keeps getting worse. As reported by Olivia Rudgard of the London Daily Telegraph, April 30, 2018 (links in original):

The Church of England is split over US plans to remove "husband and wife" from the marriage service.

Plans by The Episcopal Church (TEC) to change its marriage service to a gay-friendly version which also removes mention of the word "procreation" were criticised in a letter from the Church of England's Secretary General William Nye last October.

But the proposals have received support from elsewhere in the English church, with more than 300 members including Alan Wilson, the bishop of Buckingham, signing an open letter distancing themselves from Mr Nye's statements.

His letter, which emerged earlier this month, threatened to cut ties with the US church, which is a fellow member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, if it introduces the new service as standard, replacing the current wording in its Book of Common Prayer.

The new service removes the phrase "the union of husband and wife” and replaces it with "the union of two people", and replaces the section which talks about part of God's intention for marriage being "for the procreation of children" with the phrase "for the gift of children" to make it more relevant for same-sex couples who may wish to adopt.

Couples can still use the words "husband" and "wife" when making their vows, though the gender-neutral "spouse" is also an option.

The Episcopal Church asked other members of the worldwide Anglican Communion to respond to the new liturgy, prompting Mr Nye's letter.

He said using the new service as standard would lead to a growing "pressure to dissociate" the Church of England from the US church as conservative members see any move at all in that direction as "completely unacceptable".


He urged the church to consider keeping the new service on "trial status" indefinitely to avoid "irrevocably redefining marriage", adding that the new rites "constitute a clear divergence from the understanding of marriage held throughout the history of the Christian Church".

However, in a letter published on Sunday evening addressed to the US church, liberal members of the Church of England said they were "grateful" for the move.

They thanked TEC for recognising "a gender-neutral approach will enable us to become a loving and inclusive Church for all".

"We still have a few problems to sort out over here with those who keep threatening to leave, but we know that your actions have given great hope to thousands and shown that the Church is not as homophobic as it can sometimes appear," the letter added.

Campaigners also cited a 2016 survey which found that 45 per cent of British Anglicans said same-sex marriage was right, compared to 37 per cent who said it was wrong.

The Church of England has been embroiled in controversy over same-sex marriage and the status of gay people in the Church.

Last year members of its general synod voted not to "take note" of a report by bishops which encouraged "welcome and support" for LGBT people but stopped short of allowing marriage or blessings for same-sex couples.

The vote prompted the Archbishop of Canterbury to say that a "radical new Christian inclusion in the Church" was required.

Jayne Ozanne, a campaigners for LGBT rights in the church, said: "We are unsure by whose authority the original letter from Nye was sent, given that it was not discussed by the Archbishops’ Council.

"It would be strange if it were sent with the knowledge and support of the Archbishops given their firm commitment to 'radical Christian inclusion' and their understanding of the need to be pastorally sensitive to the LGBT community, neither of which area mentioned in the letter.

"What I find even more perplexing is that it does not reflect the level of dissent shown by recent decisions taken by the General Synod."

A spokesperson for the Church of England said: “The request was addressed to the Secretary General, as Provincial Secretary of the Church of England, who then consulted both Archbishops.

“It was concluded that as there was not time for full consultation of the House of Bishops - which meets only twice a year - a reply should be sent at staff level.

“Church House staff therefore produced a reply, in consultation with the Archbishops and the Bishop of Coventry, the chairman of the Faith and Order Commission.

“Mr Nye replied as Provincial Secretary.”

2nd century Jerusalem coin discovered on appropriate Jewish holiday

As reported by Jewish News Syndicate, May 4, 2018 (links inserted by Breaking Israel News):

A bronze coin found in a limestone cave near Modi’in that dates to the final years of the 132 C.E. Bar Kochba revolt against the Roman occupation of Israel.

As Jews across Israel and around the world celebrated Lag B’Omer, a holiday commemorating the life of anti-Roman Torah sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, Israeli authorities announced that they had found a symbol of the revolt by Shimon bar Kochba against the Romans in the form of a small bronze coin.

The single round coin was discovered as part of an archaeological excavation in a limestone cave outside the city of Modi’in. Etched on one side is a seven-branched date tree bearing two clusters of dates and inscribed with the letters shin mem ayin for Shimon, the leader of the rebellion against the Roman occupation of Israel. The other side contains an etching of a grape leaf and the abbreviated inscription L’Herut Yerushalayim or “For the Liberty of Jerusalem.”

The find took place as part of a joint excavation carried out by the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Bar-Ilan University and Ariel University.

Archaeologists noted that the distance of the find, which included potsherds and glass shards, from Jerusalem indicates that the revolt had spread far from the city that stood at the center of the rebellion.

The Bar Kochba rebellion, or “Great Revolt,” lasted three-and-a-half years. During that time, more than 1,000 Jewish towns and 50 fortresses were destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of Jews were killed.

Rabbi Akiva—the mentor of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai—was one of many rabbinical leaders who supported Bar Kochba, and believed that he would be a messiah for the Jewish people.

After news of his criticism of the Roman occupation reached Roman leadership, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was forced to flee with his son, Rabbi Eleazar, living in a cave for 13 years. He died on the 33rd day of the Omer—known as Lag B’Omer—a day that was subsequently celebrated due to his elucidation of the secrets of Jewish mysticism, named the Zohar.

The coin is believed to have been minted between the third and fourth year of the Bar Kochba revolt (136-134 C.E.).

Mole rats aid archaeologists in discovering Davidic kingdom near Hebron hills

This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families…Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon, Joshua 15:20,39

As reported by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz of Breaking Israel News, April 30, 2018:

Archaeologists, aided by burrowing mole rats, discovered a large building in the valley below the hills of Hebron attributed to the kingdom of Biblical King David. The discovery is a milestone in the ongoing debate over the veracity of Biblical King David as a historical figure with most archaeologists now looking to the Bible as having a factual basis.

“Until 25 years ago no one doubted that King David was a historical figure,” Professor Avraham Faust, director of the archaeological dig, told Breaking Israel News. “In the last 25 years or so, however, David’s historicity, and especially the size of his kingdom, are hotly debated“.

“The new discovery at Tel ‘Eton, located in the Judean Shephelah to the east of the Hebron hills, seems to suggest that the highland kingdom controlled larger areas than some scholars believe”, Faust added.

The dig, led by Professor Faust of Bar-Ilan University, is at Tel Eton, in the valley near the Hebron hills. The city that once stood at the site has been identified by scholars as Eglon, a city which, according to the Bible, fought against the Israelites as part of the five Amorite kings coalition and was later listed as part of the tribe of Judah.

The discovery has become part of an ongoing dispute among archaeologists about whether King David actually existed as a real historical figure or whether he was just a mythological figure existing only in the pages of the Bible.. The finds from Tel ‘Eton, recently published by Faust and Yair Sapir in the journal Radiocarbon, led the authors to claim that the city was once part of David’s kingdom. The structure was dated to the 10th century – the time in which King David was supposed to have ruled according to the Bible – on the basis of radiocarbon dates of samples from the floor make-up and from the foundation deposit. After describing the building and the reasons that led them to date it to the 10th century BCE, Faust and Sapir wrote:

“This has bearings on the date in which social complexity evolved in Judah, on the debate regarding the historicity of the kingdom of David and Solomon.”

Dr. Faust explained how they came to this remarkable conclusion.

“We, of course, did not find any artifacts that said ‘King David’ or King Solomon’ but we discovered at the site signs of a social transformation the region underwent, including the construction of a large edifice in a plan known to archaeologists as ‘the four-room house’ which is common in Israel but is rare to non-existent elsewhere. This seems to indicate that the inspiration or cause for the transformations are to be sought in the highland. The association with David is not based on any archaeological evidence but on circumstantial grounds only. Since the source of the change seems to be in the highlands, and since it took place at the time when David was supposed to have existed, the link is plausible,” Professor Faust told Breaking Israel News. “Moreover, the changes are consistent with larger regional changes, all connected with the highlands, and all taking place at a time the Kingdom of David was supposed to have to spread into this region”.

“The association with the highland kingdom, as well as the time of the change, are the main discovery, and if someone thinks that there was no King David, that person should come with a different name for the highland king in whose time the region was incorporated into the highland kingdom,” Professor Faust added.

“The association with the highland kingdom, as well as the time of the change, are the main discovery, and if someone thinks that there was no King David, that person should come with a different name for the highland king in whose time the region was incorporated into the highland kingdom”.

This connection between the Bible and archaeology made by Professor Faust can be problematic, as Dr. Eilat Mazar, a prominent Israeli archaeologist, explained.

“Archaeology does not begin with a belief and the Bible and then a search for proof,” Dr. Mazar told Breaking Israel News. “We first find evidence and then try to understand the truth behind the evidence.”

For the most part, evidence of Biblical events is lacking, Dr. Mazar noted.

“Even with what is written about David, one of the more prominent figures in the Bible, there are very few events that would leave evidence we could find archaeological proof of today.”

Nonetheless, Dr. Mazar uses the Bible as a resource to guide her work. This has set her at odds with many other Israeli archaeologists who reject the validity of this technique.

“We can use the Bible as a source to guide our search, but we cannot use the Bible as proof,” Dr. Mazar said. “But conclusions are drawn after a very long and thorough process of proof. After proving the connection using archaeological methods, the Biblical connection can now be brought.”

Her methods speak for themselves as Dr. Mazar is credited with many major finds.

AnaRina Heymann, director of Jerusalem Watch and the outreach coordinator for the City of David, frequently encounters skeptics who question the historical validity of King David.

“Until 1993, there was no way we could prove that King David existed,” Heymann told Breaking Israel News. “That was when archaeologists discovered the Tel Dan Stele.”

The Tel Dan Stele, currently on display in the Israel Museum, is a broken stele (inscribed stone) discovered in 1993 during excavations at Tel Dan in northern Israel. It consists of several fragments making up part of a triumphal inscription in Aramaic, left most probably by Hazael of Aram-Damascus, an important regional figure in the late 9th century BCE. The inscription boasts of victories over the king of Israel and his ally the king of the “House of David”. It is considered to be the earliest accepted reference to the name David as the founder of the Kingdom of Judah.

“The Tel Dan Stele absolutely one hundred percent proves that King David existed,” Heymann said. “It refutes any claim that King David was merely a story.”

If verified, Tel Eton will be the second major archaeological site attributed to King David. In 2007, Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University found a large military fortress at Khirbet Qeiyafa approximately 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem. He eventually dated the fortress to the early 10th century BCE when King David is thought to have ruled over Israel concurrent with the structure at Tel Eton.

Professor Faust noted that the site at Tel Eton indicates a level of social complexity, indicating the society at the time was complex politically. The archaeological site covers 15 acres, making it the third largest in the Judean region behind Jerusalem and Lachish. When Professor Faust’s group first began excavations, they discovered fortifications, suggesting the regional importance of the site. Most of the buildings at the dig were from the 8th century BCE, several hundred years later than the period of King David. But further studies suggested the site had a much more ancient history.

The archaeologists recently announced the discovery of a new structure at the top of the tel (an artificial mound formed from the accumulated remains of civilizations that existed on the same site for hundreds or thousands of years) that was notably well-constructed, suggesting its role as a regional administrative center.

“The building was nicely executed, including ashlar stones in the corners and openings,” Faust said in Popular Archaeology. “Hundreds of artifacts were unearthed within the debris, including a wide range of pottery vessels, loom weights, many metal objects, botanical remains, as well as many arrowheads, evidence of the battle which accompanied the conquest of the site by the Assyrians.”

Researchers believe the city was destroyed by King Sennacherib and the Assyrians in 701 BCE.

The ashlar stones, finely cut and squared-off masonry, were the earliest examples of such masonry found in Judah. The structure was built on a deep foundation, indicating a high level of sophistication.

While exploring the foundations of the structure, the archaeologists discovered a pottery bowl which they believed was an offering to God as a supplication for protection of the building, something archaeologists have encountered before in more ancient digs. This type of foundation offering enabled the researchers to date the building to Canaanite Bronze Age and early Iron Age, and to the 10th century at the latest.

The researchers were aided by mole rats, burrowing rodents that live in the region. Archaeologists have little idea of what lays underground when they begin digging and many hours of meticulous work may be spent in a fruitless effort. By sifting through the earth brought to the surface by the burrowing rodents, archaeologists can glean clues about what lays below.

The Tel Dan Stele referencing King David. (Photo credit: Israel Museum/Wikimedia Commons/Oren Rozen)

Rural school board in Alberta votes to shut down Christian school in dispute over politically-incorrect Bible verses

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

CONSTITUTION ACT, 1982 (80)
PART I
CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS

Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law:

Guarantee of Rights and Freedoms

1. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.

Fundamental Freedoms

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

(a) freedom of conscience and religion;

(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;

(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and

(d) freedom of association.

This blogger predicted more than 35 years ago that if the Charter of Rights and Freedoms became part of the Canadian constitution, the only people ending up with rights would be perverts, criminals, deadbeats, and malcontents. I accept Bible prophecy as true, which includes prophecies concerning the end times leading up to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord and His apostles predicted that the world would get worse and not better before His return. It therefore comes as no surprise to this blogger to read the following, as reported by Brenton Driedger of Edmonton radio station CHQT, May 1, 2018 (updated May 2, 2018):

A Christian school southeast of Edmonton is one legal “Hail Mary” away from being forced to shut down.

The Battle River School Division voted last Thursday to close Cornerstone Christian Academy after the school year. The relationship started to fray about a year ago when the board asked the school to stop teaching certain Bible verses that discussed sexuality because they considered them offensive. Board chair Kendall Severson said that was eventually dealt with, but the bigger issue was a lack of cooperation.

“I guess it was the unwillingness to work together for a communications protocol on how we communicate with each other and dealing with issues that arise,” Severson said, pointing to an ongoing legal challenge brought against them from the school society. “We can’t work together with an organization that’s got legal action against us, and not willing to come together and work on an agreement.”

The school wants the courts to stop the closure, arguing the board’s attempts at censoring biblical references in the curriculum are illegal. The case is scheduled to be heard May 17.

“I think there is a great misunderstanding of what faith means in today’s culture,” school society chair Deanna Margel said. “I think that what is happening at the school is a good opportunity for people to discuss their different ideas and talk about how we deal with those things.”

“Anybody familiar with the Christian Bible will recognize that there are many, many, many passages of Scripture that are offensive to even those of us who follow Christ.”

Parents are already considering their options if the legal fight fails. Gabe Vorhees sends his four children to Cornerstone, and he said his family was happy with the division before it decided to close the school. He said they don’t trust the school division anymore.

“Many different parents (are) doing many different things: some going to homeschooling, some having to drive their kids 40 minutes to 45 minutes away,” Vorhees said. “None of us really want to be part of this school division.”

“This is our kids’ future and it was dashed by a social political belief system. There’s a lot of animosity there, I think it’s internal. We are people of faith and we’re a community of faith and we choose to forgive, but we also have rights.”

If things don’t go their way in court, the school society’s backup plan is to re-open as a private school in the fall. Margel admitted it would be a “busy summer” for the school society because the process involves a lot of paperwork under tight timelines.

Cornerstone teachers also have a choice to make. They are employees of the school division, so staying on at a revamped Cornerstone would mean giving up their jobs with the public school board.

This situation began almost a year ago; as reported by Kevin Maimann of Metro News, June 14, 2017:

The Battle River School Division southeast of Edmonton could cut ties with one of its member schools Thursday following a disagreement over bible scripture.

The Cornerstone Christian Academy Society in Kingman claims the Camrose-based school division is overstepping its boundaries, after trustees asked the academy to remove two pieces of scripture from revisions to its student handbook.

The passages include 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, which states, “Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

“We asked them to not include it, but perhaps use a different piece of scripture, said Diane Hutchinson with the Battle River School Division.

“There is a lot of love in the word of God. We were concerned about that specific piece of scripture, given today’s legislation and sensitive environment.”

Hutchinson said recent changes to provincial human rights legislation were part of the reason for concern over the two passages, as they could be seen as "targeting vulnerable minorities.”

Cornerstone agreed to drop the verses, but the society’s board chair Deanna Margel now fears Battle River wants to limit what bible verses they can teach, and that they will bar certain passages from the classroom if they could be deemed offensive to anyone.

“It’s a restriction on freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, it’s a violation of our constitutional freedom in Canada,” Margel said.

Both sides said they had a good relationship before the controversy.

Battle River will discuss the topic at a meeting Thursday, which Hutchinson said will either result in an agreement being reached, or Battle River dissolving its relationship with the academy.

The two verses that the Cornerstone Christian Academy proposed for a revision of its handbook, which the Battle River School Division asked it to remove:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Galatians 5:19-24

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Passages copied from the New International Version (NIV) at biblegateway.com

As reported by Canadian Press, June 14, 2017:

...Deanna Margel, board chairwoman of the Cornerstone Christian Academy Society, told CHED radio the school fears the division wants to limit what Bible verses the school can teach generally.

She said talks between the academy and the board have been going on for six weeks and the school already agreed to drop the verses from the handbook.

Margel said the verses were part of a scriptural footnote in the school's updated statement of faith...

...The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, an organization that gives as its mission the protection of free speech, is helping the school.

President John Carpay says the school refuses to have the division dictate which parts of the Bible are acceptable.

"When the board starts to try to dictate that scriptures that some people might find offensive cannot be taught in the classroom, that's going completely contrary to the goal of diversity, which is to have schools that are actually different from each other," Carpay said.

Hutchinson said it's possible Thursday's discussion might be put on hold. The board might also suggest that the partnership between the Battle River School Division and Cornerstone Christian Academy be dissolved, she said.

The Cornerstone Christian Academy, formerly a private school, joined the school division in 2009.

Its website says it has about 160 students in kindergarten through Grade 12, who come from the communities of Camrose, Hay Lakes, Kingman, Round Hill, Ryley and Tofield and the surrounding areas.

As reported by CBC News, June 29, 2017 (updated July 13, 2017):

The public school board in Camrose, Alta., southeast of Edmonton says it will stop operating a Christian school next year after a controversy that originated over contentious Bible verses and other language in its vision document.

In a June 29 letter, the Battle River School Division said it will no longer operate Cornerstone Christian Academy School after June 30, 2018.

A lease agreement for the school building in Kingman, 27 kilometres north of Camrose, is also being terminated as of next June.

The school has operated as an alternative program under the Battle River division since 2009.

The decision to close the school next year is the latest move in an ongoing battle between the board and the school society, which has 160 students in kindergarten through Grade 12.

Trustees voted in favour of the move at a special board meeting Thursday.

The Battle River board had wanted Cornerstone to remove the word "quality" and a Corinthians scripture citation from its "school vision and purpose" document.

Battle River's lawyer had also "indicated that any scripture that could be considered offensive to particular individuals should not be read or studied in school," Battle River board chair Laurie Skori wrote in a May 27 email to Cornerstone chair Deanna Margel.

Cornerstone's board later agreed to make the requested changes to its school vision and purpose document. As well, the Battle River board promised not to censor the reading or teaching of the Bible at the school.

Then, on June 24, the Battle River board proposed changing its master agreement with Cornerstone to prevent either board from going public with any internal matters without written permission from the other board.

Cornerstone saw the proposed change as "a gag order, which we believe is inappropriate in the context of interactions between a representative parent society and a public school board," Margel wrote in an email to Battle River trustees on June 27.

Two days later, the Battle River board said it will no longer operate the school.

In her June 29 letter to Margel, Skori said the current arrangement "cannot continue on the current basis" until both sides can agree on the "appropriate roles and involvement at the school level.

"As a public school board we must ensure that any educational programming provided complies with board policy and procedure, provincial legislation including the Alberta Human Rights Act and the School Act," the letter said.

"Unless those concerns can be resolved, we are unable to maintain the current relationship."

John Carpay, a Calgary lawyer working with the Cornerstone Christian Academy Society, dismissed the concerns that the school's use of Bible verses might violate Alberta's human rights code.

"It's a stupid claim," Carpay said. "The school board's lawyer was asked to cite one section of the Alberta human rights law that prohibits a Christian school from reading, studying, teaching Bible verses and the lawyer was asked repeatedly and could not cite a single section."

But Skori leaves open the possibility that "a mutually acceptable resolution to our respective concerns can occur over the next weeks or months."

In a news release, Cornerstone Christian Academy said it wants to continue working with the school board to operate the academy.

"We are deeply saddened by the BRSD's decision to terminate our agreement," Margel said in a statement.

She said the board's decision "makes no sense if they truly desire to continue working together. It seems unwise, and completely unnecessary, to throw away years of productive co-operation in mere weeks because we've simply hit an unusual bump in the road. Things just don't add up."

The reason that the Bible passages in question are deemed to be so objectionable is because they refer to activities practiced by the children of darkness, who can't stand the light. To quote the Lord Jesus Christ Himself:

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. John 3-19:20

New technology enables discovery of hidden script in Dead Sea Scrolls

Praise ye the LORD: Psalms 147:1a

Conservation of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Israel Antiquities Authority’s lab.

A fragment of Deuteronomy (11Q3) after IR imaging at the scroll lab of the Israel Antiquity Authority.

The Great Psalms Scroll (11Q5) together with the new fragment containing Psalm 147:1.

As reported by JNI Media, May 2, 2018 (link in original):

New discovery: advanced imaging technology – developed especially for the Dead Sea Scrolls and located at the Scrolls’ conservation labs of the Israel Antiquities Authority – revealed script that could not be seen until now.

During the 1950s, tens of thousands parchment and papyrus fragments written 2000 years ago and belonging to approximately 1,000 different manuscripts were discovered in the caves near Qumran. Due to their small size and precarious physical state, some of these fragments were placed in boxes without being sorted or deciphered.

Recently, as part of the Scrolls’ digitization project sample examinations were conducted among these boxes. These examinations revealed that although no script can be seen with the naked eye, the new imaging technology (originally developed for NASA) used in the digitization project can identify script on some fragments. The identification of new letters and words provides new data for the study of the scrolls. One of the fragments may even indicate the existence of a hitherto unknown manuscript.

The fragments were presented Tuesday evening as part of the international conference, “The Dead Sea Scrolls at Seventy: Clear a Path in the Wilderness,” provide new information on one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.

The digitization project is being conducted by the Dead Sea Scrolls Unit of the IAA. As part of the project each of the thousands of fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls is imaged in order to monitor its physical condition and make the best possible images available to the public.

The new script was discovered by Oren Ableman – a scroll researcher at the Dead Sea Scrolls Unit of the IAA and a PhD student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem – when he examined a few dozen fragments that were discovered in “Cave 11” near Qumran. He was exited to discover traces of ink on many fragments that appeared blank to the naked eye. After a detailed study – that is being made public today – Oren successfully deciphered the script on many of the fragments and even identified the manuscripts some of the new fragments probably belonged to.

Although only a few letters survived in these small fragments, sometimes this was enough to reconstruct the text. Still, due to the fragmentary nature of the evidence these reconstructions are not certain, but are highly likely.

New fragments were discovered and identified from the Books of Deuteronomy, Leviticus and Jubilees belonging to scrolls that scholars were already familiar with.

Fragments of particular interest that provide new insights for the research of the Dead Sea Scrolls include the following:

A fragment belonging to the Temple Scroll, a text dealing with directions for conducting the services in the ideal Temple. In current scholarship there is a debate if there are two or three copies of the Temple Scroll found in Cave 11 near Qumran. The identification of the new fragment strengthens the theory that a manuscript given the number 11Q21 is indeed a third copy of this text from Cave 11.

In addition, a fragment has been identified as belonging to the Great Psalms Scroll (11Q5). The new fragment preserves part of the beginning of Psalm 147:1.

The end of the same verse is preserved in a large fragment that was purchased and originally published by Yigal Yadin. The new fragment indicates that the text of Psalm 147:1 in this manuscript was slightly shorter than the Hebrew text commonly used nowadays.

Another fragment contains letters written in the ancient Hebrew script (paleo-Hebrew). This fragment could not be attributed to any one of the known manuscripts. This raises the possibility that it belonged to a still unknown manuscript.

Ancient hidden church discovered in Syria

As reported by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz of Breaking Israel News, May 2, 2018 (links in original):

A Christian cross discovered in what appears to have been a hidden church in Syria from the 3rd or 4th century.

ISIS, known for destroying artifacts from other religions, recently fled Manjib, Syria, leaving behind an underground complex revealing fascinating aspects of early Christianity.

After two years of ISIS occupation, the remains of an underground church from the third or fourth century were discovered in Manjib. The plot of land above the church was used by the ISIS marauders as a dumping ground. The entrance to the tunnel leading down to the church was hidden under a heap of garbage leaving just the stones of the gate barely visible above ground. The passage, carved into the bedrock, leads down into a labyrinth of tunnels.

Abdulwahab Sheko, head of the Exploration Committee at the Ruins Council in Manbij, had begun studying the archaeological sites in 2014 when ISIS took over the region. Sheko managed to keep the site hidden until ISIS was driven out by US-backed forces in 2016. The site had to be cleared of landmines and explosives before efforts at clearing the area began. Digging and research on the site could not begin until last August.

When Sheko began his investigations, he discovered a complex of tunnels that were clearly used by early Christians. One chamber, believed to be a chapel, features three jagged steps leading up to what researchers believe was an altar. Various types of crosses and inscriptions are carved into the walls of the tunnels.

A second underground site was discovered by local residents with indications it was also a Christian religious site. Like the first site, it was used as a dumping ground. Efforts to clear it began in September 2017.

“[The tunnels] indicate that there was a significant Christian population in the area which felt they needed to hide their activities,” John Wineland, professor of history and archaeology at Southeastern University, told Fox News. “This is probably an indication of the persecution by the Roman government, which was common in the period.”

Similar to Judaism under the Romans, Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire. Unlike Judaism, Christianity was decriminalized by Emperor Constantine in 313 CE and eventually became the dominant religion.

“The Romans misunderstood many Christian practices and would often charge them with crimes, such as cannibalism,” Wineland said to Fox News, explaining this was based on a “Roman misunderstanding of Christian communion where [Jesus] said to take and eat His body and drink His blood.”

The ancient reminder of the persecution of Christianity accents the current situation in which Christians are a persecuted minority in the region. Before the civil war began in Syria in 2011, Christians were ten percent of the population.

“[Persecution] has led to a significant decline of Christians in the region,” Wineland said. “Some have been killed, others have fled, and still others have been coerced into converting to Islam.”

“We are Muslim, but we are not like ISIS Muslims,” Sheko said. “We take care of these Christian ruins. We respect them. We respect humanity.”

"Beyoncé Mass" at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco provides more evidence of Episcopalian apostasy

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; I Timothy 4:1-2

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come...
...Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. II Timothy 3:1, 5-7

As reported by Thomas D. Williams of Breitbart News, April 30, 2018 (links in original):

The pastor of Grace Cathedral, a San Francisco progressive Episcopal church, has held the first-ever “Beyoncé Mass,” featuring songs by the pop artist and a sermon on “Beyoncé and the Hebrew Bible.”
More than 900 people showed up for the April 25 worship service using the music and message of the pop star on an evening billed as “empowering black women.” The mass included a selection of Beyoncé’s major hits, Bible readings, preaching, prayer, and communion.

The founding pastor of the Vine, a Wednesday night ministry of Grace Cathedral Church, has defended the service against criticism from “fundamentalist” Christians who say the liturgical stunt bordered on idolatry.

“I know there are people who will say using Beyoncé is just a cheap way of trying to get people in the church,” said Pastor Jude Harmon. “But Jesus used very provocative images in the stories he would tell to incite people to ask hard questions about their own religious assumptions. He regularly provoked. We’re following in the way of Jesus.”

Along with the music of Beyoncé, the event featured a sermon by the Rev. Yolanda Norton of the San Francisco Theological Seminary, inspired by her seminary course on “Beyoncé and the Hebrew Bible.”

“Empire never falls lightly,” Norton said in her sermon. “Sometimes we call it racism; we call it empire. You call it homophobia; we call it heterosexual aggression; and tonight, we call it empire.”

According to Norton, the “Mass” sought to remind people that “God is in all the world and that Beyoncé is made in God’s image. The church has not treated women of color fairly and it is time to face this truth.”

“I’ve been asked time and time again, ‘Why Beyoncé?’” Norton told the congregation, “I believe in Beyoncé because she reminds us you have to do things your way.”

“When we talk about womanist biblical interpretation, Beyoncé felt like a natural fit,” she said. If we look at the trajectory of her person and her relationships, we can see so many issues black women face and how it can affect how we interpret the text.”

The Beyoncé Mass was the third in a series called “Speaking Truth: The Power of Story in Community,” which recounts stories of marginalized Christians, such as women and people of color.

The lead-off event in the series focused on Mary Magdalene as “The Original Nasty Woman” and compared Mary Magdalene to Hillary Clinton, noting that “strong, smart women being insulted and marginalized by agents of patriarchy is as old as time.”

“If Mary Magdalene were alive today, she’d surely be wearing a pink hat and marching with all who wear that epithet, ‘nasty woman,’ as a badge of honor,” the church declared.

"Universal Worship" is part of last days deception

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Romans 1:18-23

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come...
...Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. II Timothy 3:1, 5-7

Given the origins of "Universal Worship" in Islamic mysticism, I suspect that the "Christianity" involved in this movement is that characterized by the Emerging Church, of which mysticism is a major component. Mysticism inevitably leads to universalism, because the the practitioner, whatever his religious profession may be, discovers the writings and works of other mystics, and then discovers that people of various religious beliefs have had the same experiences, thus leading the practitioner of mysticism to conclude that the experiences come from the same source.

The reader of the following item will notice the pagan worship cloaked in concern for the environment. It's also hard not to notice the disproportionate number of women in positions of leadership--typical of the New Age movement--in "Universal Worship."

If the reader is wondering why I frequently post items from the Toledo Blade, it's because that's one of the few newspapers that still seems to have a religion section, which says more about the media than it does about religion. This blogger believes that local items such as those reported in the Toledo Blade often provide great insight into conditions generally. As reported by Nicki Gorny of the Toledo Blade, April 27, 2018 (link in original):

When it comes to perspectives on environmental stewardship, world religions aren’t so different.

If many at Unity of Toledo were already thinking it by the time that Shamsuddin Waheed approached the podium, the sixth of seven presenters to share their reflections based on their own religion’s texts and traditions, it was Mr. Waheed, representing Islam, who vocalized it.

“Maybe the format is different,” he said, “but the essence is the same.”

It was an apt observation for a Universal Worship, such as the one Mr. Waheed and others participated in at the spiritual center on Sunday. The service, created in 1921 by the Sufi Hazrat Inayat Khan, invokes the “One Being” through each of the world’s major faith traditions.

The MultiFaith Council of Northwest Ohio has been organizing the services monthly, each time at a different area house of worship, since September. Each service begins with a candle-lighting ceremony and continues into readings and a musical expression representing each religious tradition, in line with the model established by Mr. Khan; in local services, the Bahá'í Faith is typically substituted for Zoroastrianism, reflecting local demographics.

“We really experience some of the spiritual depth of each of the traditions that we present,” said Judy Lee Trautman, who is ordained as a cherag to the lead the services. “And we’re doing it in a safe space where no one has to sacrifice their own tradition or their own ways of worship. They just kind of witness and be in solidarity with other traditions.”

Universal Worship isn’t necessarily hard to come by if you run in Sufi circles, as Ms. Trautman, who is also chairman of the MultiFaith Council, has been for years; Sufism is often described as a mystic dimension of Islam. But to find a Universal Worship that engages participants who actually represent each faith background, as local services do, does stand out.

“Many of the places where the service is offered is just, whoever attends picks a scripture to read,” Ms. Trautman said. “Whereas we’re really blessed in Toledo to have diversity.”

That diversity was on full display on Sunday, when representatives of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Bahá'í Faith each shared reflections and readings; chants and songs, some in languages other than English, covered the musical expressions.

Many presenters chose selections related to Earth Day on Sunday. A theme typically unifies the messages at each service; the next one, May 13, coincides with Mother’s Day.

Although Sufism has roots in Islam, a participant won’t find the sort of prayers or prayer positions traditionally associated with Islam in Universal Worship. Sufism encompasses numerous and diverse schools and lineages, according to Inayati Order, which was founded by Hazrat Inayat Khan. Mr. Khan, who in addition to creating Universal Worship is credited with bringing Sufism to the West, promoted a particularly universalist approach in his “acceptance of all people and paths leading to the unfoldment of the light and power latent in the human being.”

Sara Jobin thinks of it “like spokes on a bicycle.”

“All religions are trying to point to the same thing,” said Ms. Jobin, who has been influential in bringing Universal Worship to Toledo. “They’re all beautiful and they have their different traditions.”

Ms. Jobin was introduced to the services several years ago through the grandson of Hazrat Inayat Khan, Pir Zia Inayat-Khan, who leads the Inayati Order. But she said the real spark that led to the adoption of local services came last summer, when she participated in a Universal Worship in Switzerland. She recalled being struck by the diversity of the participants, recalling musical expressions from Africa, India, and Turkey.

“It was just all these people from all these countries all over the world, and it was so beautiful,” she said. “I just thought: I wonder if we can do that in Toledo.”

An answer to that question came in Ms. Trautman, a self-described Sufi Unitarian who, coincidentally, had been ordained to lead services since 2002. Her ordination came around the same time that she and her husband formally organized the MultiFaith Council, which demanded much of her attention, she said. So, aside from one or two services held for demonstration or education purposes, she never led a local Universal Worship.

It seemed like an especially appropriate time to introduce them to the community, she added, pointing to instances of hate crimes that have been on the rise nationally in recent years.

“This presents a challenge, but opportunity also for organizations like the MultiFaith Council to dig deeper and try to raise awareness of the blessings of diversity,” she said.

Ms. Jobin was recognized on Sunday for participating in her last service locally. She is preparing to end her tenure as resident conductor of the Toledo Symphony and move to Richmond, Va., in July to take on a new role as musical director of the Inayati Order.

The move, she said, is “really following my heart.”

Universal Worship will continue on a monthly basis, with Lauraine Carpenter, principal trumpet for the Toledo Symphony, taking on responsibility for coordinating musical expressions.

Ms. Carpenter, who has been participating in the services since September, said her own faith journey has incorporated several traditions. So Universal Worship, she continued, is “perfect.”

“It’s the essence of all religions,” she said. “We all have the same God, we all have the same belief, really. So why not celebrate it together?”

Universal Worship is free and open to all. Future dates are posted at multifaithcouncil.org. Musicians or faith communities interesting in participating should contact the MultiFaith Council.

Toledo's annual Multifaith Banquet is an example of unscriptural fellowship

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. II Corinthians 6:14-18

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Revelation 18:2-5

God always calls His people to be separate from unbelievers, and I'm not aware of any exceptions mentioned in the Bible. The kind of fellowship exemplified by the following item is forbidden to any true Christian. As reported by Nicki Gorny of the Toledo Blade, April 29, 2018:

A cross-section of the region’s faith community came together on Sunday, breaking bread at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral during the 17th annual MultiFaith Banquet.

“If you’re new to us, welcome to the family,” Judy Lee Trautman, chairman of the MultiFaith Council of Northwest Ohio, said in welcome. “I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to look out on this sea of wonderful diverse faces.”

The MultiFaith Banquet is the hallmark event of the MultiFaith Council, which through year-round activities and partnerships promotes education, fellowship, and service within the wide spectrum of faith traditions that practice in the region. The more than 200 guests who shared conversation and a catered meal in the cathedral basement represented Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, the Bahá'í Faith, and more.

As it does every year, the banquet offered attendees opportunities to learn about other traditions, through conversations over a meal of chicken and rice prepared by the Ladies Benevolent Society of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, and, more formally, through the “faith storytellers” who presented in the cathedral before the dinner program began.

It also invited guests to reflect on the importance of interfaith relationships.

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz addressed the latter in brief remarks before dinner. While he applauded the city for its history of embracing diversity, he also brought up a recent incident in which a note containing a swastika and a racial slur was left in a city vehicle as a means of emphasizing that, even locally, work toward this end is important and in need of continuous attention.

“If we are aware of that, we are better able to face our challenges and to celebrate when we get it right,” he said. “Tonight is an example when we get it right.”

The Rev. Otis Gordon, senior pastor of Warren AME Church, also addressed the importance of interfaith relationships in well-received keynote presentation over dinner.

“We need a multifaith community of believers working together to build a community,” the pastor said. “Together, we can change the world. Together, we can give hope to the hopeless.”

He continued later: “It is through diversity that we unify in a common goal. It is through diversity that we can arrive at a common agenda that is expansive enough and grand enough and great enough to create a better place for us all.”

The MultiFaith Council of Northwest Ohio names its Heroes of Compassion at the annual banquet. This year three individuals and one nonprofit were recognized for their work in the community; their names will be added to a plaque housed with the Lucas County Commissioners.

The recipients were Dr. M.Y. Ahmed, recognized for his role in establishing and supporting several local charitable clinics; Trevor Black, recognized for her commitment to preparing her high school students for college and careers; Rita McDougle, recognized for the weekly gardening program she runs for neighborhood children in East Toledo, and Fellowship Matters Inc., recognized for providing hot meals to the community each week through its mobile kitchen.