Day of Truth

From the Alliance Defense Fund.

Your gift enables Christian students to bring the Truth to their classmates

In the past, students who have attempted to speak against the promotion of the homosexual agenda have been censored or, in some cases, punished for their beliefs. You may remember Chase Harper, a high school student who was placed in a room and interrogated by an armed deputy after peacefully expressing his Christian beliefs regarding homosexual behavior.

Encouraging this censorship is none other than GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network). In 1996, the organization created the Day of Silence, encouraging students to express their support for homosexual behavior by making a display of saying nothing all day, to anyone. Teachers are encouraged to add their support by indulging the silence of their students. Far from the pursuit of truth, proponents of the Day of Silence discourage open and honest discussion.

And so, the Day of Truth was launched.

The Day of Truth is a national project established to counter the promotion of the homosexual agenda and allow students to express an opposing viewpoint from a Christian perspective. Last year, in the third year of the project, more than 7,000 students—representing 1,022 schools in 49 states—participated, engaging their peers in thoughtful, respectful discussions. Reports from students throughout the country show that the event was a resounding success.

On Monday, April 28, students across the nation will once again wear a specially designed Truth T-shirt and pass out cards outside of class time with the following message:

I’m speaking the Truth to break the silence.
True tolerance means that people with differing — even opposing — viewpoints can freely exchange ideas and respectfully listen to each other.
It’s time for an honest conversation about homosexuality.
There’s freedom to change if you want to.
Let’s talk.

As a legal alliance, ADF works closely with other organizations and ministries who share our goals. This year, Focus on the Family and Exodus International have joined the project as allies, providing information and support regarding the theological, social, research, and religious ministry issues central to this debate. Their involvement provides students with resources we could not provide alone, and as a result, we are expecting the best Day of Truth ever. But we still need your help to ensure the success of this critical project.

If officials can block the Truth in public schools, they can block it anywhere. That’s why it’s vital that we defend students’ freedom to hear and speak the Truth. These young people have shown they have the courage to stand for the Truth – and as a result, lives and hearts are being changed. Your gift today helps us continue providing students with the necessary resources to speak the Truth into the lives of classmates who desperately need to hear it.

Your support will change not only what tomorrow looks like in America . . . but also what today looks like for our children and grandchildren.

Procter & Gamble promotes explicit open-mouth homosexual kissing

From the American Family Association.

Procter & Gamble has resumed using explicit, open-mouth homosexual kissing in their soap opera, “As the World Turns.” P&G decided to include this type of content as a commitment to “diversity.” P&G stopped showing such scenes some months ago, but has now decided to again help promote the homosexual agenda which includes homosexual marriage.

Gay activists are hopeful that the P&G effort will desensitize viewers to the homosexual lifestyle and help make the unhealthy and immoral lifestyle more acceptable to society, especially to children and youth.

View a scene from the April 23, 2008 episode by P&G. WARNING – content is repulsive!

“As the World Turns” is owned and controlled completely by P&G. No network made this decision. P&G alone made the decision to support the homosexual agenda.

Take Action!

P&G needs to hear from you today. We have provided a sample letter for you to send to Chairman Lafley, but strongly encourage you to add a personal message. Help us spread the word about P&G by forwarding this to friends and family. Ask your pastor to put this information in the church bulletin and newsletter. P&G’s products include Tide, Crest and Pampers. Send an e-mail to P&G Chairman A.G. Lafley. Find P&G products in your home. Each product will have a toll-free number for that product line on the label. Call the number and let them know you oppose their promotion of homosexuality. P&G’s direct line which reaches a live person is 513-983-1100 .

Gay Mogul Changing U.S. Politics

From Gary Randall and Faith and Freedom Network and Foundation.

“Time Magazine reported earlier this year that Tim Gill, a 53-year-old snowboarder, retired computer programmer and multimillionaire ($425 million), is changing the political landscape of America one state at a time. He has started the Gill Foundation and The Gill Action Fund to advance the gay agenda and gay causes. Time reports that his money has put secularist Democrats in control of the Colorado Legislature for the first time in four decades. Now, he and his millionaire gay allies, have taken the model they used in Colorado and will be using it in other states in the 2008 election. He believes that most all so-called gay rights legislation is primarily state based. I agree. He is now going state-to-state defeating traditional conservative lawmakers and replacing them with pro-gay rights lawmakers. He and his colleagues threw $15 million into a dozen states during the 2006 elections, targeting 70 politicians whom they regarded as “unhelpful” to gay causes: 50 of them went down. His Fund and allies are literally transforming the political landscape of the country. The Atlantic Monthly has written an extensive article about this. So what about Washington State? What about the Judeo Christian culture that has served America so well for so long? Faith and Freedom has no big donors or “fat cats” stepping up to “throw” money at anything, however, we do have a growing number of people who really do care and are stepping up to do what they can to support our efforts. This next election cycle is perhaps the most important in our lifetime. We need many to step up and take a stand for what is right.”

Prison Ministries Handcuffed by Religious Intolerance

From the Family Research Council.

“Adding some biofuel to the marriage debate, researchers at Michigan State University have given Americans another legitimate reason to save the family environment. Their study found that on top of the emotional and physical toll of divorce, the breakdown of the family is exacting a hefty price on the environment. With every separation, analysts note that water and energy consumption skyrockets–in some instances by 61 percent per person! Had divorced couples stayed together in 2005, the U.S. would have conserved “71 billion of electricity and 627 billion gallons of water.” While global warming has been blamed for everything from maple syrup shortages to collapsing gingerbread houses (see www.numberwatch.co.uk for over 600 examples), the repercussions of divorce have been largely ignored. With lifelong commitment on the endangered list, we can only hope that liberals, who have been unwilling to jump on the marriage protection bandwagon, will be motivated by this study to hop aboard now that the wagon’s eco-friendly.”

Christian Parents Are Not Comfortable With Media But Buy Them for Their Kids Anyway

From the Barna Group.

“Billions of dollars will be spent this Christmas season on gifts for children. A new national study by The Barna Group among Christian parents shows that even though most Christian parents are not always comfortable with the content of the media-related products, they purchase some of those items as presents for their children. The born again Christian population of the U.S. is likely to spend more than $1 billion on media products such as CDs, DVDs, video games and magazines for children under the age of 18 despite parental misgivings about the moral content or developmental affects of those resources.

Past Purchases and Feelings

The Barna survey discovered that the most widely purchased media by Christian parents in the past year were DVDs of movies and TV programs. More than three out of four Christian parents (78%) had purchased such disks for their teenagers and almost nine out of ten Christian parents (87%) had purchased DVDs for their children under 13. However, one-quarter of those adults (26%) did not feel comfortable with the DVD products they purchased.

The next most popular type of media content purchased for children by Christian parents were music CDs. About six out of ten parents bought these discs for their kids, yet one out of every three of those parents (33%) had concerns about the content. This was more evident among the parents of teenagers than among those who were buying music for pre-teens.

Slightly more than half of all Christian parents had purchased video games for their children in the past year, in both the pre-teen and teen categories. About four out of ten pre-teen parents (39%) were concerned about the content of those games, compared to nearly half of the parents of teen recipients (46%) who admitted to such concerns.

Similarly, about half of all Christian parents (51%) had purchased magazines for their children. Roughly three out of ten Christian parents (31%) were not very comfortable with the content of the magazines acquired for their children.

Computer software was bought by 36% of the Christian parents of pre-teens and 39% of the Christian parents of teenagers. Overall, one out of every four Christian parents who acquired software for their children (24%) was not comfortable with the software.

The least common media form acquired by Christian parents for their children were downloads for mobile phones. Just 3% of the parents of pre-teens and 19% of teen parents bought one or more downloads for their children. Overall, a large majority (70%) possessed concerns about the content of those downloads.”

To read more click here.

Bella: Movie Embraces the Sanctity of Life

From Gary Randall and Faith and Freedom Network and Foundation.

“The film Bella, winner of the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival’s “People’s Choice Award” has opened in the U.S. and it is pro-life.

Some are calling it a miracle that a film would take such a pro-life position.

The promotions say in one irreversible moment, a simple act of kindness brings two people together and turns an ordinary day into an unforgettable experience. The film’s production notes say, “before the day is through, Jose must confront his own haunting past to show Nina how the healing power of love can help her embrace the future.

People who have screened the movie, love it. It is the story of a Mexican soccer star, Jose (played by Eduardo Verastequi) who endures tragedy and later works quietly as a chef in a New York restaurant. There he meets Nina (Emmy Award winning actress Tammy Blanchard), a waitress who is fired just as she learns she is pregnant and is considering abortion.

However, the story behind the movie may be even more compelling.

This movie is also a step in the personal, spiritual development of the leading man, Eduardo Verastequi.

Verastequi is well-known in Mexico as a member of the pop music group Kairo and a star of telenovelas (soap operas). A couple of years ago, he moved to Los Angeles to continue his career in America.

I heard him tell Neil Cavauto on Fox Business channel a few days ago that after moving to America, he had a dynamic, spiritual encounter with God. He said, “I realized that instead of using my talents to serve and contribute to this world, so we can make this world a better place, I was poisoning our society by the projects that I was involved in.” He has now committed himself to only meaningful projects that will make a difference for God.

While researching his role in Bella by observing the activity at an abortion clinic, he had another moment of truth. He was shocked at all the young teenagers arriving for abortions. He tells how he stood near pro-lifers who were ministering to the kids as they were going into the abortion clinic. He ended up translating for a young couple who only spoke Spanish and in doing so, was able to help them decide not to go into the abortion factory.

Many months later, he received a call from the young father, Javier. He said, “I have good news. My baby boy was born yesterday. I want permission to name him Eduardo after you.”

Verastequi later said that was the “most noble thing I’ve ever done in my life. It was beautiful — by the grace of God I was able to save this baby.”

This spirit is translated into the movie.

Beginning last week, the movie is showing on a limited basis in only 31 markets around the U.S. With success, it will be expanded to all markets.”

Parental Warning: Hollywood’s Golden Compass cause for concern

From onemilliondads.com.

The Golden Compass is a film from New Line Cinema based on the first book of a series, His Dark Materials, written by English atheist Philip Pullman. It is set to release December 7 in theaters nationwide. From watching the trailer, it’s easy to see that the film has a C. S. Lewis/Narnia feel to it, but don’t be deceived.

 

Pullman’s book trilogy is the story of “a battle against the church and a fight to overthrow God,” BBC News reported. The Guardian, a British newspaper, goes even further to describe the books as “metaphysical fantasies encompassing parallel worlds, the death of God and the fall of man ….”

 

“I don’t know whether there’s a God or not. Nobody does, no matter what they say,” Pullman said in an interview posted on his website.

 

“One of the [book] series’ main themes — the rejection of organized religion and in particular the abuse of power within the Catholic Church — is to be watered down,” according to the Telegraph, a newspaper in the U.K. “But when the film is released in December the Magisterium will be shown as a critique of all dogmatic organizations, thereby avoiding a religious backlash.”

 

Therefore, without yet seeing the film, OneMillionMoms.com and OneMillionDads.com is alerting Christians to the potential dangers of The Golden Compass. Because of Pullman’s clearly articulated anti-Christian motives, we are warning all movie-goers to avoid the film.

 

Additional resources:

– Read Shedding Light on His Dark Materials by Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware to explore hidden spiritual themes in Philip Pullman’s popular children’s fantasy series.

– Online: Perspectives: Does The Golden Compass point to a new atheism?

Bella and the Golden Compass

I wanted to make everyone aware of a very special award winning movie that hit local movie theatres this past weekend.  It is called Bella.  The reason this movie is so special is captured in the quote below from a prominent pro-Christian group promoting the movie. 

“Bella” is an amazing film that entertains, inspires and celebrates the dignity of human life. It is a rare gem that defies the norms of Hollywood and profoundly illustrates how true, sacrificial love can change someone’s life forever.  

It is important to support “Bella” in an effort to help send a clear and powerful message to Hollywood that there is a huge audience for positive films that embrace family values.” 

The movie was made by a producer of the Passion of the Christ and has received an Appreciation Award from Focus on the Family for its celebration of faith, family and life. 

Co-writer and co-producer Leo Severino has shared publicly that he’s aware of at least two instances where babies are alive today because of Bella’s message of truth and love. I watched it last night and was deeply moved by it. 

It is very powerful.  I highly recommend it.  

Also, I wanted to make everyone aware of a movie starring Nicole Kidman that is set for release on December 7th. The movie is called the Golden Compass and it is based on a trilogy of children’s books that are extremely anti-Christian and written by an avowed atheist.  Evidently, the movie has had a lot of the anti-Christian elements removed in order to make it more palatable to a US audience but the author’s hope is that children will enjoy the movie so much they purchase his books.   

You can read more about it in the articles at the links below.  

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/blogger.html  

http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp  

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58341

Marriage, Family, and Political Views

From Kerby Anderson and Probe Ministries.

“Does our view of marriage and family affect our worldview? Obviously it does. But most people have probably never thought about the fact that marriage and family also affect voting patterns.

We are a year away from the November 2008 elections, but some trend watchers are starting to see interesting patterns that will affect elections in the next few decades. In particular, they are finding a marriage gap and a fertility gap.

Marriage Gap

An article in USA Today pointed out how a wedding band could be crucial in future elections. “House districts held by Republicans are full of married people. Democratic districts are stacked with people who have never married.”{1}

Consider that before the 2006 Congressional elections, Republicans controlled 49 of the 50 districts with the highest rates of married people. On the other hand, Democrats represented all 50 districts that had the highest rates of adults who have never married.

If you go back to the 2004 presidential election, you see a similar pattern. President George Bush beat Senator John Kerry by 15 percentage points among married people. However, Senator Kerry beat President Bush by 18 percentage points among unmarried people.

Married people not only vote differently from unmarried people, they tend to define words like “family” differently as well. And they tend to perceive government differently. But an even more significant gap in politics involves not just marriage but fertility.

Fertility Gap

When you look at the various congressional districts, you not only see a difference in marriage but in fertility. Consider these two extremes. “House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic mother of five from San Francisco, has fewer children in her district than any other member of Congress: 87,727. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, a Mormon father of eight, represents the most children: 278,398.”{2}

This stark demographic divide illustrates the difference in perspectives found in Congress. Republican members of Congress represented 39 million children younger than 18. This is 7 million more children than are represented in districts with Democratic members of Congress. And it is also true that children in Democratic districts are far more likely to live in poverty and more likely to have a single parent than children in Republican districts.

This fertility gap explains the differences in worldview and political perspective. When you consider the many political issues before Congress that affect children and families, you can begin to see why there are often stark differences in perspectives on topics ranging from education to welfare to childcare to child health insurance.”

To read more click here.

‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ banished by California – Schwarzenegger signs law outlawing terms perceived as negative to ‘gays’

From WorldNetDaily.com.

“Mom and Dad” as well as “husband and wife” effectively have been banned from California schools under a bill signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who with his signature also ordered public schools to allow boys to use girls restrooms and locker rooms, and vice versa, if they choose.

“We are shocked and appalled that the governor has blatantly attacked traditional family values in California,” said Karen England, executive director of Capitol Resource Institute.

“With this decision, Gov. Schwarzenegger has told parents that their values are irrelevant. Many parents will have no choice but to pull their children out of the public schools that have now become sexualized indoctrination centers.”

“Arnold Schwarzenegger has delivered young children into the hands of those who will introduce them to alternative sexual lifestyles,” said Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families, which worked to defeat the plans. “This means children as young as five years old will be mentally molested in school classrooms.

“Shame on Schwarzenegger and the Democrat politicians for ensuring that every California school becomes a homosexual-bisexual-transsexual indoctrination center,” he said. ”

To read more click here.