Government and Morals Committee (Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster)

Petitions in Support of Biblical Marriage

2012-03-02T15:03:00.005Z

Several petitions have been launched online to provide Christians with an opportunity to register their opposition to the Government's current plans to redefine marriage so as to permit homosexuals to marry.

(1) One is from the Coalition for Marriage:

Please support it by adding your signature here:

http://c4m.org.uk

The identification statement of the Coalition for Marriage (C4M) reads:

"The Coalition for Marriage is an umbrella group of individuals and organisations in the UK that support traditional marriage and oppose any plans to redefine it.

The Coalition is backed by politicians, lawyers, academics and religious leaders. It reaches out to people of all faiths and none, who believe that marriage is the most successful partnership in history and should not be redefined.

The Coalition draws upon a substantial body of evidence showing that marriage – as it has been understood for thousands of years – is beneficial to society, and that changing its definition would undermine that benefit.

The Coalition’s petition demonstrates that there is broad public opposition to redefining marriage. The Coalition is committed to a reasoned and courteous debate on this issue, and will highlight any intimidation or intolerance shown to supporters of traditional marriage."

(2) Another is from Christian Voice:

Please support it by adding your signature here :

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/defendmarriage

Are People Born Gay?

2012-02-20T12:39:00.002Z

If we were to make our judgment on this question based upon what we are being told in the news media, our answer would be "Yes."

However, the news media is by no means a reliable dispenser of truth.

Rather, what does the Bible say on this issue?

And - as an interesting aside - does what the Bible says square with verifiable findings in the scientific field?

These were the issues examined by Ian Brown in a message delivered last evening to a group of approximately 200 young people in Tandragee Free Presbyterian Church.

Audio for the meeting will soon be available - as will notes from the message in the form a a downloadable PDF file.

Presbyterian Moderator In Error on Homosexuality

2012-02-03T14:52:00.004Z

When asked if homosexual people would be condemned to hell by God, Rev Ivan Patterson, current Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, gave this reply:

“No I don’t believe that ... I have no reason to believe that this is the case.”

Rather incredible, which is why I have found it important to provide this link where you can check his comment:

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/church_doesn_t_back_gay_cure_1_3445910

INTERVIEW WITH THE NEW MODERATOR

This statement appears even more unbelievable given the fact that when Rev Patterson was interviewed upon his appointment as Moderator, he:

- described his ministry as “conservatively biblical with a strong evangelical outlook,” adding,

“I get great satisfaction from helping people and would love them to become more knowledgeable about the God of the Bible and the implication of that for their lives.”

- announced that he had chosen ‘The Word is Life’ as his theme for his year as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, with special reference to the current background of the 400th anniversary of the publication of the Authorized King James version of the Bible.

- and made this further statement, “As a reformed church, the Bible is central to us. I'll be thinking more about the Word of God and what that means as we try to respond to the teachings of Christ in the Bible in our society and in our lives.”

SO WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

What the Bible says about homosexuality is unmistakable. Any person with a “conservatively biblical and evangelical outlook,” understands from the pages of Scripture that homosexuality is:

- unnatural and depraved (Romans 1:25-28);

- an abomination to God (Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13);

- a sin that closes the door of heaven to those who practise it (1 Corinthians 6:9&10),

- has the seeds of destruction within itself, and is certain to attract divine judgement (Genesis 19, Romans 1:27&32, Jude 7).

This divine judgment is reserved for all unrepentant sinners - hell.

It would be very interesting to discover exactly how Rev Patterson interprets the final biblical text mentioned in the list above – Jude 7:

“Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

ERROR COMPOUNDED

To compound his error on the day, Rev Patterson insisted, on the subject of reparative therapy: “I am not going to say that nobody can change but I don’t want them to go through some kind of psycho-therapy process.”

Why is he so reluctant to plainly state that homosexuals can - and do - change?

The Bible is crystal clear on this issue. It holds out hope of a supernatural change in the words of 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

Why did Rev Patterson not take the opportunity afforded to him on his radio interview to wax eloquent on this exciting news? Or at least display true grace by affirming it?

GLAD NOT TO BE CONNECTED WITH THIS FALSEHOOD

Statements ‘from the top of the church’ such as those by this Presbyterian Moderator make us increasingly thankful for the separated testimonies that exist in our country; fellowships of God’s people who are determined not to sidestep or deny the consistent witness of Scripture against the sin of homosexuality, and who proclaim the escape route from this - and all other iniquities - repentance from sin and faith in Christ alone.

Meantime, I wait to hear any expressions of dissatisfaction, disapproval, or forthright denial, of Rev Pattersons’ unbiblical comments on the subject of homosexuality from within the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

I have the impression I may be waiting for an inordinately long time ... .

Abortion Clinics Given 'Green Light' for TV Adverts

2012-01-30T00:40:00.004Z

Private clinics that carry out abortions for profit have received the go-ahead to promote their services with TV and radio adverts.

Until now, restrictions have meant abortion clinics can advertise their services only if they are not run for profit.

Advertising watchdogs have discussed liberalising the rules for several years.

However, their plans to go ahead were delayed in 2009 following a fierce public backlash.

And the only advert that has ever been aired on TV, by charity Marie Stopes International in 2010, it attracted more than 4,500 complaints.

Recent pressure to change the rules came from the Broadcast Committee on Advertising Practice (BCAP) and the Committee on Advertising Practice, bodies made up of advertising industry insiders and commercial broadcasters, who critics say have a financial interest in encouraging advertising.

The Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice said it was changing the regulations to be policed by the ASA following a public consulation, suggesting the Department of Health had been invited to respond, but had not done so.

Critics say the reforms risk leaving the UK with among the most liberal advertising rules in the world.

Pro-life campaigners have reacted with dismay, saying the move would trivialise human life by putting the choice to have a termination on a par with buying washing-up liquid or cereal.

• Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt is understood to be ‘very unhappy’ about the move, but cannot override the ruling from the independent advertising regulator the Advertising Standards Authority.

• ‘The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children’ argues the “pernicious” change will allow “abortion-peddlers” to “poison our culture.”

Dr Dan Boucher, of the charity CARE, said:

“The idea that abortions should be freely advertised on TV along with toothpaste and breakfast cereal says something very sad about the way in which the values of our consumer culture, of acquiring and disposing, are penetrating our way of life generally, even our approach to life itself.”

• Dr Peter Saunders, chief executive of the Christian Medical Fellowship, said:

“Having an abortion is a deeply traumatic experience that can lead to further medical and physiological complications. A 30-second advert is not the place to discuss and promote this medical procedure.”

• Conservative MP Nadine Dorries, who is campaigning to change the law so that women must be referred for independent counselling before a termination, said:

“What this is actually going to do is desensitise what abortion is and the seriousness of it, and making it sounds like it’s as easy as having your lunch.

Broadcasters will be making profit through advertising revenue off the back of a service which ends life. It’s appalling.”

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Many Scripture passages teach us not to deliberately kill innocent human beings (cf. Exodus 23:7; Proverbs 6:16,17; Revelation 21:8; 22:15; Matthew 15:19,20; and Romans 13:8-10).

In addition, please consider these specific passages.

• Psalm 106:37,38: Israel was polluted with blood because the people shed the innocent blood of their “sons and daughters.”

But unborn babies are “sons and daughters.” What then is the condition of our land when over 25 million “sons and daughters” have been legally killed?

• Matthew 2:16: Herod is considered wicked because he slew the male children in Bethlehem.

Luke 2:12,16 calls such children “babes.”

But Luke 1:41,44 also calls unborn children “babes,” so how can it be acceptable to kill them?

• Hosea 13:16; 2 Kings 8:12: When children or infants are dashed to pieces, it is a great tragedy to any nation. Yet unborn babies are children or infants, and in our nation they are dashed to pieces by the millions!

• Acts 7:19; Exodus 1:16-18: Pharaoh commanded that Israelite “sons” or “men children” be killed as soon as they were born.

But these same terms are used for unborn babies. Would it have been acceptable for Pharaoh to have had abortions performed to kill the babies? Is it any less wicked if people today do it?

Tesco Reports Slump in Profits over Last Six Weeks

2012-01-12T22:19:00.005Z

According to 'Marketwatch,' Tesco PLC warned today (Thursday, 12 January 2012) of minimal profit growth in fiscal 2013 as sales in the U.K. continue to slump and the company is forced to invest hundreds of millions of pounds in trying to boost revenue.

The news sent shares in the retailer down more than 10% in opening trade and at 0807 GMT, Tesco shares were 40 pence lower, down 10.3% at 346 pence.

Tesco reported a 2.3% decline in U.K. same-store sales in the six weeks to Jan. 7, excluding VAT and fuel, a deterioration on third quarter sales which fell 0.9% from a year earlier, despite a major price-cutting campaign.

But while its U.K. difficulties hamper sales at home, its international operations continue to grow, and overall sales rose 5.2%, buoyed by rising petrol prices and continued strong growth in Asia.

Chief Executive Philip Clarke said he was disappointed with the U.K. sales, which were below the company's expectations, particularly because last year's sales were already crimped by heavy snow and transport disruptions.

He said the company planned to invest hundreds of millions of pounds in improving the shopping experience, and will cut capital expenditure on opening large stores to focus on smaller formats and improving already-open stores.

The dire Christmas trading in the U.K. means Tesco's trading profit for fiscal 2012 will be at the low end of consensus although underlying profit before tax and earnings per share will be broadly in line with market expectations, the company said.

However, with substantial investment in the U.K. in fiscal 2013, the company now expects trading profit to show only minimal growth. Chief Finance Officer Laurie McIlwee said the market had been expecting trading profit growth of around 10% in fiscal 2013.

Tesco has already invested GBP500 million in its Big Price Drop campaign, a high-profile cost cutting campaign that has cost the company any growth in U.K. trading profit for the second half of 2012.

Meanwhile ....

J. Sainsbury PLC launched a branded price matching campaign and a new "Live Well For Less" slogan which helped the U.K.'s third largest supermarket chain to report Wednesday a 1.2% rise in third-quarter same-store sales, excluding VAT and fuel.

Meanwhile, Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC replied with several cost-saving Christmas options and Monday posted a 0.7% sales rise over the festive season.

Despite better performances, after the Tesco update Thursday Sainsbury shares fell 5.7% to 285 pence and Morrisons shares were down 4.6% at 290 pence.

Tesco CEO Clarke insisted the Big Price Drop campaign was necessary, and blamed the sales decline over Christmas on Tesco's decision not to bombard its customers with money-off coupons, a strategy which some rivals chose.

Alongside the price focus, Clarke said the company will invest hundreds of millions of pounds in improving in-store service and product ranges - in a tacit admission that the company has fallen behind its rivals in the grocery race.

He said the decision to slow down the opening of large superstores, which dedicate massive floor-space to underperforming non-food products, is predicated on a shift to investment in online sales, which can showcase Tesco's entire range of food and non-food without the cost of large stores.

He said the number of store openings planned wouldn't change, implying Tesco remains focused on opening smaller format stores which play to consumers demand for smaller, more frequent and local shopping trips.

Tesco's efforts to lift sales in the U.K. have also been hampered by the company's large exposure to non-food, which has been hit by the decline in spending seen across the retail market for the last year.

Still, Clarke said that while non-food same-store sales continue to decline, the rate had slowed and the trend was improving.

Tesco's U.K. operations accounted for around two thirds of the group's sales and profits last year and, while it has struggled at home, its international business continues to grow.

And Clarke said the cut backs in capital expenditure planned for fiscal 2013 wouldn't affect its international expansion plans.

_________________________________________________________________

COMMENT:

Naturally, we didn't expect any nod of acknowledgement to the fact that, given Tesco's well publicised decision to sponsor homosexual causes (Pride London 2011 and World Pride 2012), many Christians have decided not to do their principal weekly shop in their stores for the foreseeable future.

It is quite remarkable that, despite Tescos best efforts to promote sales and in spite of the extremely favourable weather our country has enjoyed over the course of the past six weeks, the profits of this 'powerful company' have sustained a significant 2.3% decline and 10% has been marked off their shares.

Not that this is a time for us to boast: it is a reminder to us, as well as to Tescos and the vocal minority of sodomite activists within its ranks who crave its financial muscle to be flexed in their interests, that, "The LORD is in His holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men" (Psalm 11:4).

Let sinners - and saints - learn to tremble before Him.

Adulterous Liaisons in Northern Ireland

2012-01-07T16:51:00.005Z

According to 'extramarital dating sites,' the start of any year is prime time for men and women "to sign up to commit adultery."

One such site predicted an increase of 300% in new members at the beginning of 2012. The same site already boasts 43,000 Irish members.

An article carried by the 'Belfast Telegraph' (Thursday, 5 January 2012) outlined the case of one female who signed up to pursue the sin of adultery four years ago - "because she felt that after 13 years and a child together, her relationship had 'lost its spark'."

Since April past she has been engaged in a full-blown 'affair.'

However, despite the attraction of adultery, she fondly imagines that her sin will have little consequences:

"I've no doubt he loves me and I love him dearly. I don't want to break up our family and I couldn't break his heart by walking away ... .

I don't feel guilty because I can compartmentalise the two things. Being discovered scares men, but I believe that what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over."

Those who maintain these websites and so cash in on the sins of others (cf. Romans 1:32) clearly see no need for repentance. One spokesperson advanced:

"With websites the fate element is removed: people have to fill in a lengthy profile and face a lot of barriers. We're forcing people to question what they're doing in a way they wouldn't do in real life."

In case they believe their own excuses - and really are as morally bankrupt as the adulterers they facilitate, God's Word delivers a pertinent paragraph, or two:

"My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!"

(Proverbs 5:1-13).

And again:

"Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness" (Proverbs 30:20).

The Tesco Executive Who Describes Christians As "Evil"

2011-12-20T03:54:00.006Z

According to 'The Telegraph,' religious groups are boycotting Tesco after a senior executive at the supermarket giant described Christians as “evil” for opposing gay marriage.

Nick Lansley, Tesco’s head of research and development, said he was actively taking a stand “against evil Christians” who opposed the right of same-sex couples to marry.

In a message on his profile page on Flickr.com, he said:

“I’m … campaigning against evil Christians (that’s not all Christians, just bad ones) who think that gay people should not lead happy lives and get married to their same-sex partners.”

REMARKS REMOVED

The remarks, which have now been removed from the photo sharing website, caused outrage among Christian groups, who said they would refuse to shop in the chain’s stores in protest.

Colin Hart, director of the Christian Institute, said: “I won’t be shopping at Tesco this Christmas, and I am repeatedly hearing from other Christians who have already come to the same conclusion.

Mr Lansley is entitled to his opinions, and Christians are entitled to choose not to shop at Tesco.”

ONE ASSAULT AFTER ANOTHER

The row comes a month after Tesco provoked controversy by reducing its support for the charity Cancer Research’s Race for Life while deciding to sponsor 'Pride London,' Britain’s largest gay festival.

A Tesco spokesman said: "Mr Lansley’s comments, made in a personal capacity in 2008, in no way reflect the views of Tesco.

Our values as a company are such that we abhor criticism of any religion, and we knew nothing about Mr Lansley’s comments until they were brought to our attention.

We are very sorry that anyone might have thought that there was any blurring of the boundary between his personal comments and his work for Tesco. We have therefore asked him to remove the comments, and he has done so."

____________________________________________________________

CHURCHES HAVE NO APPETITE FOR 'GAY' MARRIAGES

A study last month showed that only six places of worship out of more than 40,000 across the country want to host civil partnership ceremonies.

The Government Equalities Office’s consultation on the plan to allow same–sex unions on religious premises in England and Wales from next month, found that as many as 532 faith groups would 'opt–in' to allow the events on their premises.

However, congregations of just four small churches and two Quaker groups said they would definitely consider "applying for approval of their religious premises for the registration of civil partnerships."

Most of the country's 46,155 places of worship where marriages may be solemnised opposed the plan, saying they believed it would blur the line between marriage and civil partnership.

FEAR OF FURTHER LEGALISED PERSECUTION

They also feared it could lead to challenges under the Equality Act or human rights legislation from homosexual couples who want to be "married" in church.

The Government admits the response risks "a significant proportion of the demand not being met." It predicted as many as 1,593 same–sex couples could want to hold their ceremonies in church each year.

Human Rights Commission in Northern Ireland Strikes Again for Sodomy

2011-12-12T18:04:00.013Z

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission took the Stormont Executive to court today (Monday, 12 December 2011) on account of its refusal to extend adoption rights to same sex and unmarried couples.

This Commission - already infamous for its support of sodomy in our country (cf. its submission to the Belfast High Court during the 'Sexual Orientation Regulations' case in 2005) - has launched a judicial review.

Its argument is that the law in Northern Ireland is discriminatory and differs from the elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

However, our current law accurately reflects the expressed wish of an overwhelming majority of our countries' citizens. A Stormont consultation five years ago revealed colossal opposition to extending adoption rights. Of those who responded, 95% did not want to see unmarried and same sex couples given the chance to adopt.

Since then, controversy over the issue is believed to have delayed any wider reform of the adoption laws.

When he appeared on the 'Inside Politics' programme the Human Rights Commissioner Professor Michael O'Flaherty said his lawyers had instructed him not to comment in detail but confirmed the judicial review is set to go ahead.

"On Monday the Human Rights Commission will go into court in Northern Ireland in a judicial review, seeking to widen the basis for the adoption of children in all unmarried couples, be they heterosexual or homosexual," he said.

The promotion of homosexuality is obvious a principal 'hobby horse' for O'Flaherty. According to one personal profile, he "has contributed significantly to the international definition and protection of gay rights: in 2006 he led the drafting of the 'Yogyakarta Principles' on the Application of International Human Rights Law in relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity."

Once again, a small minority, representing a perverted lifestyle choice, is determined to foist their dsyfunctionality and depravity on everyone else - no matter how distasteful their chosen activity is in the eyes of both God and man.

Exactly as Scripture says:

"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, ... 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet" (cf. Romans 1:18-32).

______________________________________________________________________________

PLAIN REASONS WHY ADOPTION BY HOMOSEXUALS SHOULD BE OUTLAWED

With the Human Rights Commission of Northern Ireland currently locked in a legal battle in Belfast’s High Court, arguing for homosexual couples to be given the right to co-adopt children, this is an appropriate time to ask some key questions.

The obvious one:

Should people involved in homosexual or lesbian relationships be allowed to adopt children?

And another, of equally significant moment:

Are children who grow up in single-sex parented homes advantaged or disadvantaged?

Statistics are available from the United States that show the tragic consequences of fatherless and single parent homes:

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.
• 85% of all children that exhibit behavioural disorders come from fatherless homes.
• 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes.
• 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.
• 75% of all adolescent patients in drug abuse centres come from fatherless homes.
• 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home.

While these statistics apply to children who grow up in fatherless homes, it must be acknowledged that mothers are equally important in the lives of children and the results of ‘motherless’ homes are equally tragic. Children who grow up with two mothers and no father, and those who grow up with two fathers and no mother, will be horribly disadvantaged in life.

An immediate obstacle to homosexuality - and, by extension, homosexual marriage and adoption - is:

THE BIBLE

God’s Word, the Bible, is unmistakably plain with regard to homosexuality. This practice is:

• unnatural and depraved (Romans 1:25-28);

• an abomination to God (Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13);

• a sin that closes the door of heaven to the one who remains in it (1 Corinthians 6:9&10);

• certain to bring upon itself the crushing judgment of the Almighty (Genesis 19, Romans 1:32, Jude 7);

• not to be pursued, but turned from (1 Corinthians 6:9&10).

God’s Word is equally clear on the subject of marriage: only a man and a woman can enter into marriage. This is the proper foundation for the family.

• Genesis 2:24 reads, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

• Malachi 2:15 says that God made a man and his wife one because He seeks godly offspring.

• Jesus endorsed this Old Testament teaching on what constitutes a proper family when, in Mark 10:7-9, He stated: “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

We were created to a plan - male and female complementing each other - and so enabled to enhance each others’ lives and produce and nurture offspring as commanded in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” This command is repeated to Noah after the Flood (Genesis 8:15-17). Cain and Abel had neither ‘two mommies’ or ‘two daddies,’ but a father and mother. In this they fulfilled God’s own model for family life.

HOMOSEXUALITY STRIKES AT THE HEART OF GOD’S PLAN FOR MARRIAGE

By way of contrast, homosexuality strikes at the heart of God’s plan for marriage and family life.

THE HOMOSEXUAL HOME

Homosexual relationships are:

- short-lived and less faithful than biblical marriage.

  Even in those homosexual relationships, in which the partners describe themselves as ‘committed,’ the meaning of ‘committed’ typically means something radically different from marriage.

• In the Triangle Project study of homosexual men in Cape Town, 47% of respondents said that they were currently in a relationship, yet only 13.3% of respondents had had only one partner in the past year. 60% of the men who were currently ‘in a relationship’ admitted to having had “sex” with people other than their partners in the past year.

• In the book, ‘The Male Couple: How Relationships Develop,’ the authors, two homosexual lecturers, report a study of 156 men in homosexual relationships lasting from one to 37 years. Only seven couples had a totally exclusive sexual relationship and of these, the men had all been together for less than five years. In other words, all the so-called ‘couples’ with a relationship lasting more than five years had incorporated some outside sexual activity into their relationships.

- more violent than traditional marriage.

While homosexuals, particularly lesbians, propagate the idea of the lesbian or homosexual home as one of peace and equality, the truth is that homosexual relationships are far more violent than heterosexual marriages.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that married women in normal families experience the lowest rate of violence compared with women in other types of relationships.

Consider these studies of homosexual relationships:

• ‘The Journal of Interpersonal Violence’ published an article entitled, “Letting out the Secret: Violence in Lesbian Relationships.”

Researchers found that 90% of the lesbians surveyed had been recipients of one or more acts of verbal aggression from their intimate partners during the year prior to this study. 31% of women in lesbian relationships reported one or more incidents of physical abuse.

• A survey of 1,099 lesbians found that slightly more than half of the lesbians reported that they had been abused by a female lover/partner.

The most frequent forms of abuse were verbal/emotional/psychological abuse and combined physical-psychological abuse.

• In their book, ‘Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them: Battered Gay Men and Domestic Violence,’ D. Island and P. Letellier report that, “the incidence of domestic violence among gay men is nearly double that in the heterosexual population.”

- typically more criminal than traditional relationships.   

A study of 4340 adults in five metropolitan areas of the USA showed that bisexuals and homosexuals (about 4% of the sample) compared to heterosexuals:

• exposed themselves sexually to more different bodies (more frequently admitting to participating in orgies and reported larger numbers of sexual partners);

• more frequently participated in socially disruptive sex (e.g., deliberate infection of others, cheating in marriage, making obscene phone calls);

• more frequently reported engaging in socially disruptive activities (e.g., criminality, shoplifting, tax cheating); and

• more frequently exposed themselves to biological hazards, inextricably linked to the sexual activities in which they engage.

- much more liable to engage in substance abuse.

• A study published in ‘Nursing Research’ found that lesbians are three times more likely to abuse alcohol and suffer from other compulsive behaviours than heterosexual women.

The study found that: like most problem drinkers, 91% of the participants had abused other drugs as well as alcohol, and many reported compulsive difficulties with food (34%), co-dependency on people (29%), sex (11%), and money (6%).

In addition, “46% had been heavy drinkers with frequent drunkenness.”

• The Triangle Project survey of homosexual men in Cape Town in 2000 found that 68% of men had used at least one recreational drug in the past year. 41% had used marijuana, 40% used ecstacy, 36% used poppers and 25% used cocaine. Acid and speed were used by about a fifth of the men.

• A study in Family Planning Perspective showed that male homosexuals were at greatly increased risk for alcoholism: “Among men, by far the most important risk group consisted of homosexual and bisexual men, who were more than nine times as likely as heterosexual men to have a history of problem drinking.”

• ‘The Washington Blade,’ a homosexual newspaper, reports that, “various studies on Lesbian health suggest that certain cancer risk factors occur with greater frequency in this population. These factors include higher rates of smoking, alcohol use, poor diet and being overweight.”

- typically have shorter lifespans than other people.

A study in the United States found that the median age of death of married men was 75 and unmarried heterosexual men, 71.

By comparison, homosexual men who died of non-AIDS causes, had a median age of death of 42 (41 years for those men who had a long-term sexual partner and 43 for those who did not). Homosexuals who had long-term partners lived shorter than those who do not.

The study also found that homosexuals were 24 times more likely to commit suicide and had a traffic-accident death rate 18 times the rate of comparably aged white males.

The 140 lesbians surveyed had a median age of death of 45 and exhibited high rates of violent death and cancer as compared to women in general. The study showed that 20% of lesbians died of murder, suicide or accident - a rate 512 times higher than that of white females of similar age.

THE BEST WE CAN DO?

Are these kinds of homes the best we can offer to the children of this generation?

What is best for the child? What kinds of homes can homosexuals and lesbians offer children?

- Children of homosexuals less sociable and achieve lower grades.

Dr Sotirios Sarantakos from Charles Stuart University, Australia, did research comparing primary school children in married, cohabiting heterosexual and homosexual couples.

Children in normal marriages faired the best, and children in homosexual homes the worst.

• Children of homosexual couples scored the lowest in language ability, mathematics and sport. They were more timid, reserved, unwilling to work in a team or talk about home lives and holidays. They felt “uncomfortable when having to work with students of a sex different from the parent they lived with” and were the least sociable.

• Although homosexual couples gave their children “more freedom,” married couples cared for and directed their children most. Children of married parents had clear future plans, while the children of homosexuals and cohabiters wanted to leave school and get a job as soon as possible.

• Children of homosexuals were “more confused about their gender” and more effeminate (irrespective of their gender).

It is not fair of our society, our government and our courts to establish public policy that encourages this social engineering and pretends that homosexual ‘families’ are normal, healthy and desirable. Instead, public policy should work toward mitigating the harmful effects of divorce and single parenting that results in motherless and fatherless homes - not promoting it!

- Children raised by homosexuals are more likely to explore homosexuality themselves.

While this is "not exactly rocket science," still this is a point disputed by militant homosexuals.

A study by two pro-homosexual sociologists from the University of Southern California, Judith Stacey and Timothy Biblarz, showed that these children, “seem to grow up to be more open to homoerotic relations (getting involved in homosexuality).”

Stacey said that in the past “sympathetic researchers” have defensively stressed an absence of difference, but a re-evaluation of past studies showed that there are significant differences.

Homosexual activists were pleased about this.

Aimee Gelnaw, director of ‘Family Pride Coalition’ (a pro-homosexual organisation) responded to the research, “Of course our kids are going to be different. They are growing up in a different social context.”

Kate Kendall, head of the San Francisco-based ‘National Centre for Lesbian Rights’ said homosexuals should be elated by the study which shows that, “our kids are somewhat more likely to identify as lesbian and gay.”

However, English MP Julian Brazier raises this point: “This sort of social experiment may be exciting for the people who take part in it but they should ask themselves whether it is in the best interests of the child.”

Cornelia Oddie of the U.K. based ‘Family and Youth Concern’ think tank says, “It must be extra confusing for the children. With homosexual couples the majority of their friends would be presumably part of the homosexual culture, so the children grow up with a skewed idea of relationships. This is bound to give children an unbalanced view of social and sexual relationships.”

The implications are severe. With the acceptance of two homosexuals as joint parents, the family is torn from its traditional and God-inspired balance of a mother and a father both giving of their commitment, love and essence to the children.

TESTIMONY OF A FORMER LESBIAN

Former lesbian Cherie Tayler had three children by artificial insemination. Her lesbian partner shared the parenting. After the break-up of their 16-year relationship, Cherie admitted that her life as a lesbian has been spurred on by her unloving mother and sexually abusive father.

She said that having children had been a cruel mistake.

She reported on a 60 Minutes TV documentary that she saw the hurt in her children's faces every day. Her 11-year-old son wanted to know about his father’s job, what he looked like, the colour of his eyes - and Cherie was unable to answer.

She said, “I (now) believe that children should have the best opportunities in life. The best way they can have a balanced view of what is normal is with heterosexual parents.”

WHAT IS BEST FOR THE CHILDREN

When Health Minister Paul Goggins launched a consultation document that was designed to overhaul adoption legislation in 2006, the claim was made that changes to the current adoption law were aimed at putting the needs of the child at the heart of the adoption process.

Even apart from whether we think homosexuality is normal or deviant, emotionally healthy or not, the fact is that we should do what is best for the children.

People who live homosexual lives say that they have a right to do what they want in their bedrooms and private lives. But adopting children is not about their ‘private’ lives as it intrudes into the life of children who will not have a choice, and are not old enough to make a mature and informed choice.

Special privileges, like adoption, for men or women who engage in homosexuality, are hotly debated worldwide, with the vast majority of countries, and the vast majority of people across the world, saying, “No, let’s stick to what is best for the children.”

NEED FOR HOMES

We realise that many children in Northern Ireland require adoption and that the number of adoptions in Northern Ireland has fallen significantly since its 1970 peak of 554 to an average of about 150 per year.

On their website, the Barnardos children’s charity describes adoption in these terms: “Adoption is a way of providing a new family for a child when living with their own family is not possible. It is the means of giving a child an opportunity to start again: for many children, adoption may be their only chance of experiencing family life.”

Barbara Hutchinson of the ‘British Association for Adoption and Fostering’ said in 2006 that she was concerned the number of adoptions had fallen in recent years.

“We hope this new framework will result in more children having the opportunity to grow up with the secure family life adoption can provide,” she said.

A SECURE FAMILY LIFE?

What “chance” of a “secure family life” are we giving children if the “family life” they are introduced to is a home in which the ‘parents’ are two homosexuals, where they will witness firsthand expressions of human sexuality that the Bible describes as “unnatural,” “unclean” and “vile affections” - all of which merit the judgment of God (cf. Romans 1:18-32)?

The statistics cited above show that homosexual homes are less stable, more unfaithful and relationships are shorter, and the presence of drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence is significantly greater. Plus children in homosexual homes score lower grades and are more sexually confused and unsociable than other children.

If one homosexual couple wins the right to co-adopt children, the door will be opened for this social experiment, without further research, study or discussion into the issue.

EFFECT OF PREVIOUS LEGISLATION FOR HOMOSEXUALS HAS LIMITED ADOPTIVE HOMES FOR CHILDREN

It should not be forgotten, but rather hugely regretted, that the promotion of a previous piece of the ‘gay rights’ agenda in the battle for the Sexual Orientation Regulations (2007) resulted in the forced closure of several adoption agencies. In this tragic act, let us lay the blame where the blame is due, firmly at the door of the militant voices who campaigned for this unnecessary and repressive measure to be thrust upon us.

It would be yet another colossal and crude irony that, should the Human Rights Commission of Northern Ireland be successful in their campaign for homosexual couples to be given the right to co-adopt children, another layer of legislation will be set in place that will further cheat vulnerable children out of the opportunity of a secure home and increase the possibility of them being placed in a morally dangerous environment.

The majority of children needing permanent families today are no longer relinquished babies. Instead, these children have often experienced neglect or abuse and can have multiple difficulties. To increase those difficulties by placing children into a homosexual home is distinctly unconscionable.

URGENT: Consultation on Marriage

2011-12-08T22:41:00.004Z

The Nationalist-led Scottish Government has confirmed that its consultation on gay marriage is open to anyone in England and elsewhere outwith Scotland.

Pro-gay marriage campaigners have been urging people outside of Scotland to respond to the consultation. And now the Scottish Government has publicly confirmed it will accept non-Scottish submissions.

CRITICISM

This move has been criticised by 'Scotland For Marriage,' a group that supports traditional marriage.

This is in spite of Alex Salmond’s SNP conference speech in October which said only the Scottish people should decide Scotland’s independence from the UK. Now, on the issue of same-sex marriage, he is inviting submissions from outside Scotland.

A Scotland for Marriage spokesman said: “Clearly, the pro-gay marriage groups can’t get enough people in Scotland to back their campaign. That’s why they’re desperately asking metropolitan elites in London to bail them out of a consultation flop – and, shamefully, the SNP Government is allowing it. Whatever side of the debate you’re on, this should be a Scottish consultation for the Scottish people.”

END OF CONSULTATION

However, the consultation period expires at midnight tomorrow - Friday, 9 December 2011.

Please respond now by visiting the website of the Christian Institute and answering the questions they have highlighted on their site:

http://www.christian.org.uk/marriagescotland/#wpcf7-f4-p5212-o1

Please indicate "Yes" or "No" to each question. You can also summarise your reasons why you are giving each answer. To help you, here are the answers I have submitted to each of the questions:

Question 10: Do you agree that the law in Scotland should be changed to allow same-sex marriage?

- No

REASON:

Basic teaching on marriage and family life is found in the first two chapters of the Bible, Genesis chapters 1 and 2.

God, in this portion of Genesis, teaches us that, “male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). We were created to a plan - male and female complementing each other - and so enabled to enhance each others’ lives and produce and nurture offspring as commanded in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” This command is repeated to Noah after the Flood (Genesis 8:15-17). Cain and Abel had neither ‘two mommies’ or ‘two daddies,’ but a father and mother. In this they fulfilled God’s own model for family life.

When Jesus, in New Testament times, was questioned about marriage, He referred back to these two chapters at the start of Genesis (Matthew 19:1-12; Mark 10:1-12).

Man has no right to redefine marriage to accommodate homosexual practice, and so contradict the fundamental and historical basis of the institution of marriage. The historic foundation of our society - the great tenets of Bible Christianity - confirms the feeling that is innate within the human psyche that homosexuality is unnatural and sinful, a perversion of God’s created order (Romans 1:26-27).

Question 11: Do you agree that religious bodies and celebrants should not be required to solemnise same-sex marriage?

- Yes

REASON:

The message of the Bible, (which is our only rule of faith and practice), is unmistakable with regard to homosexuality:

• this practice is unnatural and depraved (Romans 1:25-28);

• an abomination to God (Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13);

• a sin that closes the door of heaven to the one who remains in it (1 Corinthians 6:9&10);

• and is certain to bring upon itself the crushing judgment of the Almighty (Genesis 19, Romans 1:32, Jude 7).

The only way anyone will ever be able to uncover acceptance for the sin of sodomy from either of the biblical testaments is to rewrite them.

To ask a minister who implicitly believes the Bible to be the Word of God - the arbiter in all disputes, his guide and counsellor - to perform a wedding ceremony between two homosexuals would be to commit a gross sin against the revealed will of God in the Scriptures, and cause grievous offence to his own conscience.

Question 1: Do you agree that legislation should be changed so that civil partnerships could be registered through religious ceremonies?

- No

Relationships between homosexual people can never constitute true marriage, therefore legislation should not be changed in order to pretend that they can.

Real Marriage is:

- an institution designed for a man and a woman.

Marriage is not genderless. It is a union of two different sexes, not just a union of two different people. Real marriage (a man and a woman) is not rooted in discrimination. It is rooted in common sense, for the common good. For marriage to flourish in our culture, it must be protected from redefinition; because if marriage can mean anything, it will mean nothing.

- best for children.

While thousands of single mothers and fathers struggle against all odds and earn the respect of people every day, to raise healthy children who become productive citizens, there is but one gold standard for which we should strive as a society – that every child should be reared by a loving mother and father.

- the ultimate solution for our nation’s problems.

Prisons fill, schools fail, and welfare rolls grow because of the breakdown of marriage and shattering of the home. Governments and charities have spent millions of pounds for many decades treating symptoms. It is time for governments, churches, communities and businesses to come together to treat the cause.

- an intimate, healthy relationship.

Real Marriage means communication, commitment, respect and selfless love. These are the keys to a healthy, happy, affair-proof life, “til death do us part.” Successful parenting and warm, enduring bonds with children comes from true intimacy in marriage.

- worth working at.

Divorce and dissatisfaction can be avoided. A good marriage is worth the effort it requires.

- built on faith.

Marriage is a God-designed institution that predates governments, constitutions and laws. Marriage works best when God is the foundation and central unifying presence, and our law foundation is the Ten Commandments.

“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (cf. Psalm 127).

‘Gay marriage’ undermines society and the meaning of marriage.

Questions 5 & 7: Do you agree that religious bodies and individual religious celebrants should not be required to register civil partnerships?

- Yes

The subordinate standards of our denomination include the famous Westminster Confession of Faith, formulated by an assembly of godly ministers - “learned, godly and judicious Divines” - in 1646.

These men of clear Reformation principles were commissioned by the British Parliament to write a lengthy statement explaining what the Bible means on issues of church worship, doctrine, government and discipline. Their meetings, over a period of five years, produced the Westminster Confession of Faith. This document was approved by the British Parliament. For almost four centuries, various churches around the world have adopted this Confession (in some cases with some minor modification) as their standards of doctrine, subordinate to the Bible.

In a chapter of this Confession that specifically treats, ‘Of Marriage And Divorce,’ Biblical Marriage is defined in an excellent manner. The following statements appear in this definition:

24.1 Marriage is a union between one man and one woman, designed of God to last so long as they both shall live.

24.2 Marriage is designed for the mutual help of husband and wife; for the safeguarding, undergirding, and development of their moral and spiritual character; for the propagation of children and the rearing of them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

24.3 All persons who are able with judgment to give their consent may marry, except within the limits of blood relationship forbidden by Scripture, and such marriages are valid before God in the eyes of the church. But no marriage can be fully and securely Christian in spirit or in purpose unless both partners are committed to a common Christian faith and to a deeply shared intention of building a Christian home. Evangelical Christians should seek as partners in marriage only persons who hold in common a sound basis of evangelical faith.

24.4 Marriage for the Christian has religious as well as civil significance. The distinctive contribution of the church in performing the marriage ceremony is to affirm the divine institution of marriage; to invoke God's blessing upon those who enter into the marital relationship in accordance with his word; to hear the vows of those who desire to be married; and to assure the married partners of God's grace within their new relationship.

24.5 It is the divine intention that persons entering the marriage covenant become inseparably united, thus allowing for no dissolution save that caused by the death of either husband or wife ... .

It is immediately evident from these statements of faith that no provision can be afforded to two males or two females to marry each other. Such a relationship attracts only the punishment, not the approval, of God. The Church is therefore obligated to play no part in such immoral and forbidden unions. For the State to dictate otherwise is to thrust an unwarranted and mischievous imposition upon consciences that are bound by love to God and His Word.

Question 6: Do you consider that religious celebrants should not be allowed to register civil partnerships if their religious body has decided against registering civil partnerships?

- Yes

Both on grounds of democracy and of decency.

The Articles of Faith of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, the denomination to which I belong, requires all ministers and elders to affirm as one part of their Ordination Vows that they, “believe the Presbyterian government and discipline of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster to be founded on and agreeable to the Word of God,” and that they, “promise to adhere to it and support it and to yield submission and be in subjection to their brethren as is taught in the Word of God” (cf. Ephesians 5:21, 1 Corinthians 16:16, 1 Peter 5:5).

Question 9: Religious bodies may not wish their premises to be used to register civil partnerships. Do you agree that no legislative provision is required to ensure religious premises cannot be used against the wishes of the relevant religious body?

- No

With the introduction of Sexual Orientation Regulations (2003), the assurance was given to Christians that they still retained the right of free speech that enabled them to articulate what the Bible says about homosexuality. However, a rash of court cases since the advent of this law has shown that Christian Churches will require a legislative shield from civil lawsuits should they deny homosexuals the right to use their facilities for marriage ceremonies.

Also, when the Equality Act (2010) in England was being formulated, a coalition of secular campaigners, gay rights activists, transgender organisations, trade unions and “progressive faith” groups united to remove all religious liberty safeguards from the Bill.

Calling itself the Cutting Edge Consortium (CEC), this group called on Parliament to remove what it calls ‘religious opt-outs’ from the Bill.

The Bill already dramatically narrows safeguards in sexual orientation employment laws which protect the religious liberty of churches and other faith groups.

Any further erosion of the right of Church denominations to abide by Scriptural teaching and live by an informed conscience must be opposed, therefore legislation is required to prevent certain ministers operating against the expressed wishes of their denomination on this issue.

Prime Minister's Bible Plan: A KJV To Every School in the Country

2011-11-30T02:24:00.007Z

In a move intended to help every pupil access Britain's cultural heritage, the Prime Minister plans to send a copy of the King James Bible to every state school in England.

This new copy of the 1611 translation of the Bible will contain a brief foreword by Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, to mark the 400th anniversary of its translation.

According to Number 10, the exact details of how the Government intends to commemorate the anniversary are yet to be confirmed, but every primary and secondary school should be in possession of a new copy of the KJV by next Easter.

ATHEISTS ARE ANGRY

Predictably, this proposal has been criticised by atheistic groups, which believe it is a bad use of public money.

• The National Secular Society (NSS) questioned why the Department for Education could not put a message up on its website and save the country “tens of thousands of pounds.”

“It’s not as if Bibles are in short supply in schools,” NSS president Terry Sanderson said. “But if (Mr Gove) intends to go ahead with this, will he also please ensure that a copy of On the Origin of Species is sent out on Darwin Day.

This book is much harder to find in schools and would be in line with his policy of promoting science and evidence-based education. I’m sure that he could write an excellent foreword to this, too,” Mr Sanderson added.

• And the British Humanist Association (BHA) said it was “highly unacceptable” for the Government to promote a particular religious text in every school.

“Either the Government is funding this initiative itself at a time when it is making severe cuts elsewhere, or the Church is funding it but using the Government as a vehicle through which to promote Christianity - both are unacceptable,” said BHA campaigns officer Richy Thompson.

“All state-funded schools and the Department itself should be neutral on matters of religion and belief, so that they can aim to be equally inclusive for all pupils and staff, regardless of their background,” he added.

A CRITICAL MOMENT IN THE LIFE OF THE NATION

The Government, however, is insistent that one does not have to be a Christian to believe the translation of the Bible was a “critical moment” in giving knowledge to the masses and therefore hugely important.

BEAUTIFUL

Michael Gove, who is proposing to write a two-line introduction for the bibles sent to schools, said of the 1611 translation: “It's a thing of beauty, and it's also an incredibly important historical artefact. It has helped shape and define the English language and is one of the keystones of our shared culture. And it is a work that has had international significance.”

“Some people look at certain battles, or some look at certain parliamentary acts, as hinge moments in history,” Mr Gove said. “I actually think the translation of the Bible into the vernacular is a critical moment in the life of the nation.”

He went further, adding that the King James Bible was the most important book written in the English language.

“It’s a thing of beauty, and it’s also an incredibly important historical artefact,” he added. “It has helped shape and define the English language and is one of the keystones of our shared culture. And it is a work that has had international significance.”

The Government is reportedly looking for private funding for the scheme.

Letter To Tesco PLC re their Sponsorship of Sodomy

2011-11-28T02:14:00.006Z

Sir Richard Broadbent
Chairman
Tesco PLC

28 November 2011

Dear Sir,

It was with a sense of deep disappointment that I recently learned that ‘Pride London’ (which will host ‘World Pride 2012’ in London next year), has identified Tesco as a “Gold Sponsor” of World Pride 2012.

RECORD ON CHARITABLE GIVING
I am well aware of the support that Tesco gives to a plethora of excellent charities and good causes. I was especially delighted that Tesco chose ‘Alzheimer’s Society’ and ‘Alzheimer Scotland’ as its Charity of the Year for 2011 - generating support that runs into millions of pounds. I have also been informed that one of your officials, in response to letters you have received that may be of a similar nature to mine, has been citing the fact that 1.8% of Tescos pre-tax profits are channelled into charitable and good causes. This, of course, is very commendable and I congratulate you on this very considerable effort.

However, I was dismayed to read that Tesco has pledged a significant sum of money towards World Pride 2012 (building on its former sponsorship of Pride London during 2011), and is committed to organising an area for families at this event. In my opinion, there is no way in which this can be construed as promoting a good cause, since it is promoting a behaviour that is inherently detrimental to family life and empirically dangerous to those who adopt it as their lifestyle of choice.

One lesbian who was present at Pride London this year enthused about Tesco’s “family area” on her internet blog. Her report on the day’s events commences with the intriguing caveat, “I’m not sure how much of the language we used on that day will be allowed in this article ... .” She continues: “If you ever feel low on hope, please just imagine a little grassy area full of little kids and babies with either two mums or two dads. Happy children and happy parents. All eating discount fresh fruit salad from Tesco.”

This may well be an idyllic scene in the eyes of a fraction of 1% of the population, but I am quite confident you are aware that the overwhelming majority of people in our country view such a “family area” - and worse, Tesco’s sponsorship of it - as a bizarre anomaly.

PROMOTING PERVERSION
The reason they are of this opinion is because the historic foundation of our society, the great tenets of Bible Christianity, simply confirms the feeling that is innate within them that homosexuality is both unnatural and perverse (Romans 1:26-27).

GOD'S MODEL FOR THE FAMILY
Basic teaching on family life is found in the first two chapters of the Bible, Genesis chapters 1 and 2.

God, in this portion of Genesis, teaches us that, “male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). We were created to a plan - male and female complementing each other - and so enabled to enhance each others’ lives and produce and nurture offspring as commanded in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” This command is repeated to Noah after the Flood (Genesis 8:15-17). Cain and Abel had neither ‘two mommies’ or ‘two daddies,’ but a father and mother. In this they fulfilled God’s own model for family life.

When Jesus, in New Testament times, was questioned about marriage, He referred back to these two chapters at the start of Genesis (Matthew 19:1-12; Mark 10:1-12).

The Bible provides the foundation for the Christian’s faith - and this foundation has become the focal point of homosexuality’s aggressive assault against Christianity.

THE PATRONS OF PRIDE LONDON
That such a struggle is ongoing is brought into sharp focus by the public activities of at least several of the patrons of the event you have sponsored, ‘Pride London.’

For example:

• one patron of Pride London, Elton John, has opinioned: “I would ban religion completely,” arguing that religion’s product is “hateful lemmings.”

• another patron of Pride London, Sir Ian McKellen, boasted in an interview with the ‘London Telegraph’ that he rips out the book of Leviticus, which condemns homosexuality, from the Gideon Bible in every hotel room in which he stays. He followed this statement up with a further attack on the Bible when he insisted that Scripture should carry, “a disclaimer in the front saying this is fiction.”

• Peter Tatchell, another of Pride London’s patrons, has stated: “More than any other institution in British society, Christianity has waged an almost ceaseless 2000-year-long war against homosexual people.” He is also responsible for the horrendous allegation that, “The Bible is to gays what Mein Kampf is to Jews. It is the theory and practice of Homo Holocaust.”

TESCO AND EQUALITY FOR ALL
Judging by a sentence that appears in a letter sent from the Chief Executive’s Office to some who have complained about Tesco’s sponsorship of Pride London - “We believe that everyone should be welcome at Tesco” - I assume that Tesco prides itself on pursuing a policy of equality for all.

A CASE STUDY IN LIVERPOOL
A recent discussion about the opening of a new Tescos store on High Park Street in Liverpool appeared on the Equality Law website under the banner headline, “Promoting Equality. Preventing Discrimination.”

Store manager Richard Hatley seemed to articulate Tesco’s own commitment to the promotion of equality and the prevention of discrimination when he explained concerning the choice of an appropriate name for this new store:

“We had a problem. Do we call it Tesco Toxteth or Tesco Dingle? The border lies literally right here at our feet. Dingle’s got a bit of a reputation for drugs and crime and Toxteth’s got the riots. Both sides wanted it [the name] because it’s good for the area.”

In the end you plumped for Tesco Park Road after the name of the busy road on which the store sits. “And both sides are happy,” Richard Hatley affirms.

We believe that everyone should be welcome to shop within your stores. After all, this is what is expected from a major retailer, providing a service for all the people in any given community in which you have a store.

However, in your decision to become a headline sponsor of ‘London Pride / World Pride 2012’ - an event fronted by many who are openly intolerant of the Christian Faith and virulently opposed to the Bible on which this faith is founded, and also an event that showcases a practice that is particularly abhorrent to true Christianity - it is evident which side you have espoused.

FURTHER EVIDENCE OF DISCRIMINATION
This discriminatory promotion is further emphasised by the fact that:

• the Tesco Board sponsor and support a corporate initiative, ‘Out At Tescos’ - a grouping within Tescos that has been established for the specific purpose of, “creating, supporting and publicising the LGBT network.” Evidently this group is encouraged to turn out ‘en force’ at ‘London Pride’ and has been given special permission to adapt the company logo so that it reflects a homosexual symbol, the ‘rainbow flag.’

In explaining your promotion of this group, the answer to the first question in the list of FAQs on the ‘Out At Tesco’ site states: “At Tesco ‘no one tries harder for customers’ and ‘treat people how we like to be treated’ are two of our key values and are at the core of everything we do.”

I wonder if any other group has been reserved for such indulgence?

Or has Tesco made any attempt to strike a balance between the protagonists on this modern battlefield by offering support to the Christians who many prominent homosexuals so clearly ‘love to hate’?

Or, indeed, has Tesco raised even a voice of support on behalf of Christians who are being persecuted in some of the countries in which it operates, or financially assisted any of the Christian charities that provide solace for these persecuted souls?

I have searched for evidence of Tesco’s involvement in this good cause – but all my investigations have drawn a complete blank.

BLASPHEMY AGAINST CHRIST EMANATING FROM THE HEART OF TESCO
Additionally, Tesco’s discriminatory behaviour in favour of homosexuality and against Christianity once more rises to view when you appear to be turning a blind eye to the virulently anti-Christian activity of one of the ‘founding fathers of Tesco.com,’ (currently a key player in your ‘Research & Development’ team and a known participant at Pride London), who is featured on the internet reciting one of the most vile poems ever written about our Lord Jesus Christ.

This activity is patently blasphemous and highly offensive to Christians. Should we conclude that you view this as acceptable behaviour for a person who occupies such a key role in your company? And once again, is this the image you wish to cultivate - that of aligning yourself with persons and groups who take such obvious delight in offending Christians?

400th ANNIVERSARY OF KJV
It cannot have escaped your attention that 2011 is the 400th Anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible - a Book widely hailed by world renowned linguists as:

• “the fountainhead of good English prose” (John Dos Passos);

• “the greatest English text” (Mark Schorer);

• “unquestionably the most beautiful book in the world” (H. L. Mencken).

It may shock you to learn that some of these eminent linguists made no profession of Christianity; in fact the last quote is from a notorious nonconformist and self-confessed “infidel,” who did not believe in God and who despised bigotry.

What continues to shock me is that Tesco, the third largest retailer in the world, appears to have allowed this historic anniversary to slip by without significant recognition or support and, at the same time, has chosen the year of this anniversary to donate further funds towards an event whose patronage includes persons who denigrate the Christ of this Book in the foulest manner possible and gleefully rip out its pages.

This is certainly a strange way in which to promote equality and prevent discrimination, or to ensure that Christians remain happy shopping at Tescos.

Yours sincerely,

Ian Brown

The Printer, The Baker and The Flower Arranger

2011-11-24T00:20:00.008Z

THE PRINTER

On 24 February 24, 2000, the Ontario Human Rights Commission found Scott Brockie guilty of discriminating against homosexuals according to its code.

Brockie, the owner of ‘Imaging Excellence, Inc.’, maintains that his Christian beliefs compelled him to reject a request by the ‘Canadian Gay and Lesbian Archives’ in 1996 to print materials for the group.

The Toronto-based CGLA provides a clearinghouse of information about homosexuals and their history.

A board of inquiry appointed under the Ontario Human Rights Code ordered him to pay damages of $5,000.

“Their position was that you must serve every customer who walks through your door with no exceptions,” said Janet Epp Buckingham, legal counsel for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, which defended Brockie in court.

But the Gay and Lesbian Archives argues that Brockie's refusal of service is equivalent to racial discrimination: “If we were black, this would be a case of asking Rosa Parks to get off the bus again,” said the group’s board president, Matt Hughes, referring to the famous incident during the American civil rights movement.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission’s board of inquiry asserted that, “it is reasonable to limit Brockie's freedom of religion in order to prevent the very real harm to members of the lesbian and gay community.”

The board added that, “Brockie remains free to hold his religious beliefs and practice them in his home and in his Christian community.”

But Buckingham points out that the code, which was established in 1962, requires employers to accommodate the beliefs of their employees. “It’s unfair to say your religious and conscientiously held beliefs are of no value,” she said.

The appeal was lost - however, it was decided that Mr Brockie or his business would not be required, “to print material of a nature that could reasonably be considered to be in direct conflict with the core elements of his religious beliefs or creed.”

THE FLORIST

Homosexual activists protested outside the home of a Christian florist in Canada because she would not provide flowers for a lesbian wedding.

The protestors dropped flowers tied with rainbow-coloured ribbons on the front lawn of the florist’s suburban home, and demanded that she be hauled before the courts.

The intimidating protest was sparked when the lesbian couple’s ‘wedding planner’ wrote about the Christian florist’s stance on Twitter.

PROTEST
Florist Kim Evans runs her business from her home in Moncton, New Brunswick.

She previously told the lesbian couple by email: “As a born-again Christian, I must respect my conscience before God and have no part in this matter.”

Outside the florist’s home, protestors spoke to news reporters, claiming they were ‘spreading a message of tolerance.’

The lesbian couple’s wedding planner did not disclose their names, but said he was appalled and outraged by the Christian florist’s stance.

Kim Evans was not initially told that the couple were lesbians, but when she discovered this, she politely declined their business in an email.

DESIRE TO PROSECUTE
Homosexual activists in Canada and the US are calling for the florist to be taken to the Human Rights Tribunal, even though no case or complaint has been lodged by the unnamed lesbian couple.

Mike Judge of The Christian Institute commented: “These activists are spreading a so-called ‘message of tolerance’, yet the one thing they will not tolerate is this Christian lady’s freedom to disagree with them.”

THE BAKER

A Christian baker in the US state of Iowa may face legal action and has been sent hate mail after she politely told a lesbian couple that she could not make them a wedding cake.

Victoria Childress, who runs a cake baking business from home, said: “I didn’t do the cake because of my convictions for their lifestyle.”

She also commented: “I did not belittle them, I did not speak rudely to them. There were no condescending remarks made, nothing.”

Lesbian couple Trina Vodraska and Janelle Sievers thanked her for being honest. However, they may lodge a civil rights complaint over the incident.

Victoria owns Victoria’s Cake Cottage in Des Moines, Iowa, and has received hate messages for her actions.

But she has also received support for her actions. She told FOX that she has also receive plenty of positive feedback, including support from local businesses glad that someone is standing up to bullying by homosexuals: “People are telling me they were proud of me for standing up for my beliefs because not many people do that these days.”

STATEMENT
The lesbian couple released a statement which said: “Awareness of equality was our only goal in bringing this to light, it is not about cake or someone’s right to refuse service to a customer.”

They said they hoped “we have prevented someone else from experiencing the same type of bigotry.”

THE FALLOUT
Reaction from the homosexual ranks to the stance adopted by the baker has shown the usual measure of restraint and tolerance:

• The incident attracted the attention of Des Moines television station KCCI, which gave Trina Vodraska a platform to voice her anger at being snubbed by Childress.

“It was degrading,” she told the television station. “It was like she chastised us for wanting to do business with her. I know Jesus loves me. I didn’t need her to tell me that. I didn’t go there for that. I just wanted to go there for a cake.”

• Soon Childress began receiving hateful emails – so many and so disturbing that she stopped reading them.

“It’s really hard to read things like that,” she said. “I’m a pretty quiet, soft-spoken person. But when I stand up for my convictions against things, I’m very strong when it comes to that.”

• Pro-gay activists have launched a boycott of this Iowa baker.

• The two lesbians who were denied their cake said they are mulling possible legal action against the principled baker. In 2007 Iowa’s civil rights laws were expanded to ban discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation, with religious exemptions allowed only for qualified institutions such as churches or schools. This may possibly leave Childress exposed to being cited for discriminating against the lesbians.

The Queen of England and the King James Bible

2011-11-23T00:31:00.007Z

Queen Elizabeth II is ending 2011 after the pattern of 2010 - by paying special tribute to the King James Version of the Bible.

CHRISTMAS SPEECH 2010

The Queen’s message broadcast on Christmas Day, 2010, came from Hampton Court where, she told viewers, King James had “convened a conference of churchmen of all shades of opinion to discuss the future of Christianity in this country. This was to become the King James or Authorized Bible, which next year will be exactly four centuries old.”

In the course of this message the Queen highlighted the book’s “glorious language,” saying it has, “given many of us the most widely-recognised and beautiful descriptions of the birth of Jesus Christ.”

And the Queen went on to add that the KJV is: “Acknowledged as a masterpiece of English prose and the most vivid translation of the scriptures.”

SERVICE AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY

On Wednesday, 14 November 2011, the Queen attended a special service at Westminster Abbey marking the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible - the culmination of a year of events, including lectures, educational programmes and theatre performances, held around the world to mark this anniversary.

The Queen was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and around 2,000 other worshippers.

During the service the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams described the King James Bible as an “extraordinary text” which remains of “abiding importance.”

He also commented that the landmark English translation of the Bible, designed in 1611 to be read aloud in public gatherings, should be celebrated for its determination to find words that express “the almost unbearable weight of divine intelligence and love pressing down on those who first encountered it.”

At the start of the service historic copies of the famous Bible translation were carried through the Abbey.

THE PEOPLE'S BIBLE

The Westminster Abbey event also celebrated the ‘People’s Bible’ - a hand-written version of the King James Bible completed by more than 22,000 people around Britain.

A bound copy of the Book of Genesis from the People's Bible was presented at the altar during the service.

The first two verses of the Bible have been hand-written by the Prince of Wales, with others completed by people including Prime Minister David Cameron, and representatives in more than 200 towns across Britain - from the Orkney Islands to the Isle of Man, and Jersey, Whitby, Swansea and Wrexham - took part in the project.

Wednesday’s service was the culmination of a year’s worth of events, organised principally by the King James Bible Trust, to mark the 400th anniversary of the text.

Professor Pauline Croft, a trustee of the King James Bible Trust, said: “People are always surprised how much of the language they use without thinking.”

Precisely.

LET PRACTICE FLOW FROM THE PRAISE

And another truth is this: if only the Bible was as much practised as it is praised, our country would not be in the middle of the moral crisis it now endures.

In light of the Queen's involvement in celebrating this 400th Anniversary of the KJV, it is appropriate that we should quote one of the typically majestic portions of this peerless volume (1 Timothy 2:1-3):

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.”

Bible Verses on Christmas Stamps to Celebrate KJV

2011-11-18T01:04:00.002Z

Bible chapter and verse references have been printed on the face of this year’s Christmas stamps, unveiled by Royal Mail to mark 400 years of the King James Version.

The series of seven stamps feature Bible references taken from the gospels of Matthew and Luke. The stamps also include pictures of nativity scenes.

Royal Mail, which alternates between religious and secular themed stamps each Christmas, released the new designs last week.

GOSPEL
Stephen Agar from Royal Mail said: “Christmas stamps help deliver festive messages of good cheer and celebration across the UK and around the world.

This year’s stamps feature scenes from the Nativity, together with the Gospel references from the King James Bible which inspired them.”

Royal Mail also commented that many of the KJV’s “distinctive sayings have found their way into our everyday way of speaking, with more than 200 phrases such as ‘the apple of my eye’, a ‘den of thieves’ or ‘the land of the living’ have become part of modern English.”

CELEBRATE
Last year it was revealed that Royal Mail was to commemorate the KJV anniversary, following numerous requests from the public.

Mervyn Storey, MLA for North Antrim, was one of those who called for the stamps. He said “the King James Version didn’t just influence our literature and language,” it also “had a beneficial influence upon political and constitutional affairs.”

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London has also marked the anniversary with a cover-to-cover reading of the text.

And in their festive messages The Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury also celebrated the occasion.

SCHOLARS
Work on the KJV began in 1604, with the permission of James I of England and VI of Scotland, and carried on until 1611.

A team of 47 of the best Bible scholars of the day worked on translating the text into English, and the King James translation became the version read by many English speaking nations.

[ Sources: 'The Christian Institute' and BBC News UK ].

Tesco to Sponsor Sodom’s Show but not Cancer Charity

2011-11-16T23:27:00.011Z

Global retailer Tesco has generated a storm of controversy by dropping its support for the Cancer Research ‘Race for Life,’ and announcing shortly after that it would now become a headline sponsor of Britain’s largest 'gay' festival.

The supermarket giant has supported Cancer Research for more than a decade, helping the charity raise hundreds of millions of pounds towards combating an illness that is estimated to affect one-in-three of the population.

But now the retail chain has signed a deal to become a major sponsor of ‘Pride London’ (and, by extension, ‘World Pride 2012.’ London’s annual ‘gay pride’ parade, ‘Pride London,’ will be extended to two days next year when it hosts the global World Pride 2012 festival in the summer).

So, instead of providing funds to potentially produce a cure for a virulent disease that forcibly invades the bodies of 33% of the population, Tesco is narrowing its focus to cater to the perverse choice of a fraction of 1% of the population.

'Family Area' At The Sodomite Festival

Apparently Tesco's sponsorship - to the tune of £30,000 - will host the festival’s “family area” for the second year running. This family area is meant to provide entertainment and activities for younger children.

It is hugely ironic that by sponsoring the “family area” of ‘Pride London,’ Tesco is striking at the heart of the family ideal and helping to destroy the basic family unit on which our society is built.

God’s Model for Families

The foundational teaching on family life is found in Genesis chapters 1 and 2. When Jesus was questioned about marriage, He referred back to these two chapters (Matthew 19:1-12; Mark 10:1-12).

God, in Genesis, teaches us that, “male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). We were created to a plan - male and female complementing each other - and so enabled to enhance each others’ lives and produce and nurture offspring as commanded in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” This command is repeated to Noah after the Flood (Genesis 8:15-17). Cain and Abel had neither ‘two mommies’ or ‘two daddies,’ but a father and mother. In this they fulfilled God’s own model for family life.

A Militant Son of Sodom’s View on the Family

A quick snapshot of the kind of vision for Britain that Tesco is sponsoring is obtained by consulting the printed comments of that archetypal homosexual activist himself, Peter Tatchell.

In ‘Teenage Sex - What Should Schools Teach Children?’ he writes:

“Until very recent times, all sex education was overwhelmingly biased towards promoting heterosexuality, marriage, parenthood and traditional family life. Anything outside this exclusive framework was either ignored or condemned.”

“This old-style monocultural sex moralism is now totally out of sync with our modern multicultural society where there is a great diversity of cultures and communities, lifestyles and love-lives.”

“Nothing must be off limits.”

“Sex education, to be effective, needs to start at a very early age, beginning gently in the first year of primary school and gradually becoming more detailed and explicit at secondary level.”

Tatchell proceeds to candidly mention some aspects of this “more detailed and explicit” teaching, but those details are much too vile to mention on this blog (cf. Ephesians 5:3).

It is evident that many homosexuals have little use for the biblical model of the family - and feel obliged to run roughshod over its core values.

Bullied in/out of Business: A Christian Family Victimised

Peter and Hazelmary Bull are an elderly Christian couple who run a bed and breakfast business in their own home in Cornwall. Like Tesco, they are in the business of providing goods and services. But, unlike Tesco, they refused to bow to the dictats and bullying of gay pressure groups.

At the beginning of 2011 they were informed that they had contravened the ‘Sexual Orientation Regulations’ (SORs) in that they had discriminated against two homosexual men, Steven Preddy and Martyn Hall, in refusing them use of a double bed in their guesthouse.

These men knew perfectly well how deeply offensive it would be to Mr and Mrs Bull to have anyone performing sodomy under their roof - whether married or unmarried, male or female. They could have followed the mantra, "Live and let live," respected the convictions of this Christian couple, and gone elsewhere. They had a choice of many double beds in Cornwall catering for their ‘tastes,’ but rather chose to drag this elderly couple into court.

In addition to having to pay damages of £3600 to them, other homosexuals then besieged the Bull’s guesthouse with demands for double rooms - a crude attempt to completely collapse their business.

Mrs Bull, 66, also received abusive and menacing phone calls, at the time when her 71-year-old husband lay critically ill in hospital.

A key question is: does Tesco want to be seen to sponsor the kind of people from which such behaviour emanates?

And when law-abiding citizens like foster parents, Mr and Mrs Johns, or the Manchester housing officer Adrian Smith, plus a burgeoning catalogue of victims of homosexual hate that includes teachers, therapists, councillors, counsellors, magistrates, paediatricians, registrars, nurses, firemen, policemen and clergy - people from every walk of life - are publically humiliated, fined, forced out of their occupation, compelled to close down their business, dragged through the courts, threatened with violence by homosexuals, and expected to pay for their own oppression through their taxes, simply for trying to defend the values and morality of traditional marriage and the family, with whom does Tesco sympathise?

It has been clear for many years that a disturbed minority, aided and abetted by our institutions (like Tesco), are attempting to impose homosexuality on our children - and silence the parents of those children when they articulate their Bible-based opposition to this aberrant and abominable activity.

The Aftermath

Shall many more of us, who express our disgust at the promotion of sodomy, be forcibly made to attend a diversity course at the national headquarters of the homosexual lobby group, ‘Stonewall’ in London, as was the case with Bristol councillor, Chris Windows, when he expressed his concern about ardent homosexual Ian McKellen proselytising homosexuality to Bristol schoolchildren?

Can we be comfortable with the appalling prospect of Tesco using some of our money to help promote something ‘World Pride 2012’? Such blatant promotion of what is so militantly anti-God can only result in driving more customers away from its stores.

The Sons of Sodom Clambering Around Delaney’s Door

2011-11-15T23:13:00.023Z

An incredible incident that occurs in real life is sometimes described as, "It was like a scene from a movie!"

What has happened since Eamon Delaney put pen to paper for 'The Sunday Independent' (an article published on 30 October 2011) has a distinct resemblance to an infamous event narrated in the Bible.

The biblical parallel is found in Genesis 19:4-9:

"But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, 'Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.'
6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
7 And said, 'I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
9 And they said, 'Stand back.' And they said again, 'This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door."

The written article that precipitated this recent aggression from 'the sons of Sodom' appeared under the heading: ‘Loud And Proud Gays Want To Take Over Rest Of Society.’

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/loud-and-proud-gays-want-to-take-over-rest-of-society-2920975.html

In his article Eamon Delaney argued that the gay rights agenda is overreaching by seeking, for example, a right to marry, to adopt children, and to intimidate opponents into silence.

He stated his view that, “like many, I've recently begun to get impatient with the endless trumpeting of gay 'identity', and the growing appetite for more and more rights and privileges.”

And explained: “Increasingly, it seems as if the homosexual community has forgotten that it is the minority” with its demands for gay marriage, adoption, children’s birth certificates falsified to show two ‘mothers’ or two ‘fathers’ ... .

This one column resulted in an immediate firestorm being directed towards him by incensed homosexuals. Delaney’s column went viral on the internet, recording a stratospheric 13,000 electronic shares - a truly astounding number - and attracting over 500 comments within the space of a week, the vast majority of them adverse.

The homosexual ‘troopers’ then proceeded to glory in the intensity of their firepower.

‘Gaelick,’ a blog maintained by lesbians, took its readers on a conducted tour of the counter articles that lashed vitriol and vile abuse at Delaney’s door. In a topic it hosted on 2 November, ‘It’s the Eamon Delaney round-up!’ a catalogue is provided of authors who pumped out venomous sentences from their keyboards against Delaney:

• Paul Bowler’s blog, which considered Delaney’s column a “truly pernicious” article;

• Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin’s post denounced Delaney’s views as “discriminatory bile”;

• Rachel Barry, Education Officer at Trinity College Students’ Union, made her feelings known in ‘The University Times,’ branding Delaney’s article as a “homophobic diatribe” that was “contradictory, archaic and mostly inaccurate.”

• Rebekah Murphy also fired her riposte ... .

‘Gaelick’ gleefully continued, citing names, linking to and summarising what they said. The writer then enthused over attacks on Delaney’s views that had emanated from other countries:

“Even the LGBT Liberal Democrats in Northern Ireland entered the debate ...

And there’s more: London lesbians are non-plussed into the bargain ...

But there’s even more: From Scotland, James Whyte gives auld Eamon what for ...

Wait! It gets better, still: Eamon Delaney’s stupidity has managed to reach the poor, unsuspecting people of North America ... .”

So, there you have it: a solitary column of mild criticism of gay aggression is sufficient to mobilise multitudes of militant homosexuals, from the British Isles to America.

If this is not moral intimidation, nothing is.

And if we consider the fact that Ireland is in a country which did not even legalise sodomy until 1995, it is disturbing to realise that a mere sixteen years later and righteousness cannot even raise its voice, just like Lot in Sodom.

As the more physical parallel in Genesis 19:4-9 describes: “This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.”

___________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, over in America ...

The sons of Sodom in a decidedly more literal manner ‘pressed sore’ upon a couple of American evangelists who distributed Gospel tracts and preached at Chicago’s ‘Gay Pride’ parade on Sunday, 26 June 2011.

One of those preachers relates the story:

"I went to the parade armed with 500+ tracts and my camera. My prayer was for God to show me what He wanted me to do. Before the parade I passed out some tracts. At the parade I took lots of pictures and video, and passed out a few tracts. The sidewalk and area behind the barriers was packed.

After the parade there was a steady flow of crowd traffic so I started passing out the ‘I Was Gay’ tracts [the testimony of former homosexual Steve Bennett]. I did this for about an hour, and passed out about 300. Many ended up on the sidewalk.

I experienced every form of mockery you could imagine, but only from one or two at a time at the most. At one point two lesbians were circling me and warning others not to take my tracts. One tore up a tract and threw it at me. Another knocked the tracts out of my hand.

Overall the response was excellent. For every negative there had to be at least three positives — those who came up from behind me when I was turned a different direction to ask for a tract, and many who seemed desperate for some kind of hope as they took the tracts. I saw one or two people bend over to pick up the tracts off the sidewalk.

Several engaged me in serious conversation; there were several opportunities to lay out the gospel. Others just wanted to argue and prove I was wrong.

One man came up and asked what I was doing. I explained I was offering good news for homosexuals by the gospel of Christ and I laid out the gospel for him. I asked if he believed it. He said, “Yes,” and asked if he could join me. He said it was better for him to work with someone and that another person with whom he had teamed up with did not work out.

I stopped, removed my hat and we prayed together, acknowledging that God’s Word would never return void.

He proceeded to unroll a big banner and to strap it to a pole with bungee cords. It was a telescoping pole, and suddenly he lifted the banner up into the sky another 6 feet. It was huge.

He started preaching from a format I had learned called the ‘Way of the Master,’ a series with Ray Comfort. This stresses the importance of preaching Law before Grace.

Joe’s approach was loving, clear and direct — a model presentation of the Gospel, beginning with the law and the reality that we have all sinned.

The mood of the place changed suddenly.

First a small crowd gathered around us. Joe continued preaching and the crowd grew in size.

Then several things started happening all at once.

First, I remember a bright lady coming up to me and started telling me that what we were doing was wrong. Gays can’t help being who they are; that’s the way God made them; when you call their actions sin you are condemning them. She had the air of a Pharisee — I suspect in hindsight she was a pastor from one of the churches that defends homosexuality as good.

While talking to her, several things began to occur.

First, I remember the most sinister laughter, mocking and jeering I have ever heard. The crowd despised Joe’s preaching. People from the crowd were yelling out at us and moving closer to us. Someone from a balcony up above us threw some kind of bottle — I think it was plastic – and hit Joe on his left shoulder. Another man came up and tried to light the banner with his cigarette lighter. While trying to do this someone sprayed beer on both of us and another man poured beer on Joe. At about this point it crossed my mind that we might just be casting our pearls before swine.

I also remembered one point when people were taking pictures of the humiliation they were trying to impose [on us]. One guy stuck up his middle finger in front of the banner and I held up the tract next to him so that would be in the picture as well.

Then one of the men got behind Joe and started to make sexual gestures like he wanted to ... [sodomise him]. Then He reached for Joe’s trousers to try to take them off.

At this point I abandoned my conversation with the lady to pull the man away from Joe. It was at about that time that someone knocked the tracts out of my hand. Some one else tried to take the pole and banner away from Joe, and I told him to be strong.

At this point it turned into a wrestling match for the banner. The crowd had evolved into a mob. Several hands were grasping the pole supporting the banner. Then those who did not want us there began pulling the banner and us with it into a recessed area or an alley.

At this point I called 911 … I couldn’t remember where we were, just that we were just north of Belmont. Within a minute or so the police were there and shortly thereafter there were 20-40 police.

... We thanked the senior officer for his help. I told him, “Sometimes God sends His angels to help us; sometimes He sends the police.” He chuckled, we shook hands, and we left on good terms.

The mob clearly ruled the police at this point; our free speech rights were trampled. But that was a peripheral issue for us at this time. Joe’s passion and concern, which he also expressed to the police, was that those who had mistreated him were going to hell; that was his motivation for wanting to continue preaching to a hostile mob.

It was well past my time to reconnect with [other Americans For Truth volunteers] and I felt my time for evangelizing was finished. The thought of evangelizing to assert my free speech rights never occurred to me, and it is, at best, a twisted motive for evangelizing.

Joe and I walked a couple blocks until he had to go a different direction. I thanked him for letting me share in the experience we had there and I hugged him. Suffering together for the Gospel creates a bond that is not easily broken.

This is my story."

Dan Musick

Evidently - and tragically - we are getting ever closer to Genesis 19:4-9 territory.

MTV Awards in Belfast - Short Term Gain, Long Term Loss

2011-11-06T23:40:00.003Z

The biggest entertainment event ever to be staged in Northern Ireland offers the province the opportunity to move forward and assert its place on the global map, according to tourism chief Alan Clarke.

More than 10,000 hotel rooms have been booked for the awards which as an event is expected to generate more than £10 million for the province.

The awards and a series of other shows laid on as part of Belfast Music Week are expected to draw thousands of fans into the city, but it is the international exposure that Mr Clarke said presented the greatest opportunity.

The awards event will be broadcast live into over half a billion homes in up to 160 countries across the globe, putting Belfast and Northern Ireland firmly at the centre of the international stage. Coverage of the event will be carried internationally across 500 satellite and terrestrial TV networks, a multitude of global radio stations and thousands of print media.

“There is a real feeling out there that this is our time to turn the tide and confidently put Northern Ireland on the global tourism map. We want to change global perceptions of the image and reputation of Northern Ireland and raise its profile as a must-see destination,” said Mr Clarke.

We can understand the excitement that this largest musical event ever held in the province has generated, especially with the pound signs piling up high.

However, our sad conclusion is that the staging of the MTV Awards ceremony in Belfast will result in short term gain, but long term loss.

The first issue we take with the MTV Awards ceremony in is the day on which it is held.

THE LORD’S DAY

Isaiah chapter 58 is a classic passage that indicates some of the blessings that come to us when we are careful to keep one day in seven for the Lord - and also draws attention to the losses we incur when we ‘stamp on the Sabbath.’

Speaking of salt that has lost its savour, Christ said that, “it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13).

In Isaiah’s day, men were treating the Sabbath as savourless salt; they trampled it under foot and treated it as an unholy, worthless thing (Isaiah 58:13). To them, it was just another opportunity for trade and pleasure.

However, through the mouth of His prophet, the Lord spells out some of the blessings that come to us when we are careful to keep the Lord’s Day:

1. JOY IN THE LORD.

“If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord ... .”

When He was upon earth, Christ had to contend with the Pharisees who, with their suffocating system of tyrannical laws, made the Sabbath a dismal, crushing and intolerable burden for their society. Those Pharisees lost all sense of purpose of the day for the Lord (Matthew 12). There are 39 words in the Hebrew 4th commandment (Exodus 20:8‑11): they multiplied 39 x 39 and made up 1521 foolish rules ‑ plus ways to get round them. The sabbath is meant to be a holy and a happy day in which we delight ourselves in the Lord.

“The city is literally vibrating with joy,” said Gary Lightbody, frontman of the local band Snow Patrol, of tonight’s events in Belfast.

I am by no means persuaded that this is the kind of joy requisite of this day – “joy in the Lord.”

2. VICTORY.

A second promise to those who keep the sabbath is victory: “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth ... .”

In many ways, the Lord’s Day is the training ground of the child of God; the time during which he hones his powers and sharpens his weaponry for the conflict that is to take place in the week (or weeks) that stretch in front of him. That man who respects God’s Day is not a loser, but a victor! Of course the reverse is also true.

3. FEASTING ON ALL GOOD THINGS.

Isaiah 58:13&14 further states: “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee [lit. ‘feast’] with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”

The mention of a feast conjures up the idea of abundance ‑ all the good things your heart could wish for!

However, is it practical to spend one whole day in each revolving set of seven in the worship of God? Is the fourth commandment really binding upon us now?

I appreciate the answer of Pastor Walter Chantry (minister of Grace Baptist Church, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.) in his book, ‘Call the Sabbath a Delight.’ He says:

“There can be no other answer to straighten out our crooked generation. Nothing but a weekly day of worship will begin to touch the ignorance which has gripped humanity. This alone, under God, can save families, churches, schools and governments from total moral collapse. ... It is such habit, routine and discipline that will give men both a knowledge of God and moral standards by which to live. It is just such a Sabbath Day that will strengthen families and social institutions. No wonder the church herself is devotionally, doctrinally and morally weak. Even Christians will not devote a day each week to their Lord.

Failure to practise this moral law is a root cause of moral decline, social disorder and widespread human suffering. No successful recovery of mankind can be devised without the inclusion of the fourth commandment in the remedy. ... This is a critical moral topic for our gravely corrupt generation.”

Evidently, those who organised the MTV Awards Ceremony in Belfast on a Sunday have little regard for counsel such as Chantry’s.

Their concession cannot come without cost.

A statement made by D.L. Moody, the renowned American evangelist, does not suggest that the desecration of God’s Day will lead to any long-term success: “Show me a nation that has given up the sabbath and I will show you a nation that has got the seed of decay.”

THE LYRICS

Compounding the problem of the day that has been chosen for this event are the kind of unsavoury lyrics that will be sounded out over our capital city.

At least some of the artists due to perform at the Awards have a reputation for sleazy lyrics - and, to say the least, dress accordingly.

Lady Gaga is up for the night's two biggest prizes, best song and best video - both for ‘Born This Way,’ the title track of her current album.

Gaga has explained that ‘Born This Way’ is her freedom song. The lyrics of the song talk about self-empowerment and feature the names of LGBT communities.

Meghan Casserly of ‘Forbes’ expected ‘Born This Way’ to be the biggest gay anthem ever, since, according to her, it was written with that purpose in mind.

These lines appear in this song:

No matter gay, straight, or bi,
Lesbian, transgendered life,
I’m on the right track baby,
I was born to survive.

I’m beautiful in my way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I’m on the right track, baby
I was born this way.

In light of the inappropriate and explicit lyrics used by some of the performers, this is definitely one event staged in Belfast that no Christian can welcome.

GOSPEL WITNESS

However, the Christian’s duty as “salt and light” in this world is not exhausted by offering criticism, no matter how valid, from the sidelines.

Thousands of people clustered in the centre of Belfast has afforded an opportunity to our Belfast-based ministers and members of their congregations to shine the light of Christ into the darkness of this world. They have ended this Lord’s Day in a most profitable fashion by circulating many Gospel tracts among the crowd that has gathered for this Awards ceremony.

Under God, through His grace and overruling providence, our prayer is that some souls will find salvation and satisfaction in Christ as a result of this outreach and, in days future, will be able to reflect that this was the occasion when they were born again. Please pray with us to this end.

Proposed Changes to The Act Of Succession

2011-11-05T12:52:00.000Z

An indicator of embarrassment at the C16th Protestant Reformation and the Glorious Revolution can be seen in the campaign that is being fronted by David Cameron and Nick Clegg in their effort to make changes to the historic Act of Succession, specifically removing the clause that prevents “papists,” or those who marry a Roman Catholic, from ascending to the British throne.

Even Tony Blair’s government blocked a move to revise these succession laws, claiming that it would raise too many constitutional issues and was unnecessary at the time.

Back in December 1978, (when media speculation suggested that Prince Charles might marry a Roman Catholic), Enoch Powell MP defended the provision that excludes Roman Catholics from ascending the throne, claiming his objection was not rooted in religious bigotry but in political considerations.

He stated a Roman Catholic monarch would mean the acceptance of a source of authority external to the realm (a Roman Catholic monarch would, like all Roman Catholics, owe allegiance to the Pope) and “in the literal sense, foreign to the Crown-in-Parliament ... .”

“Between Roman Catholicism and Royal Supremacy there is, as St Thomas More concluded, no reconciliation.”

Powell stated that a Roman Catholic crown would be the destruction of the Church of England because, “it would contradict the essential character of that church.”

He continued: “When Thomas Hobbes wrote that, 'the Papacy is no other than the ghost of the deceased Roman Empire sitting crowned upon the grave thereof,' he was promulgating an enormously important truth. Authority in the Roman Church is the exertion of that imperium from which England in the 16th century finally and decisively declared its national independence as the alter imperium, the 'other empire,' of which Henry VIII declared, 'This realm of England is an empire' ... It would signal the beginning of the end of the British monarchy. It would portend the eventual surrender of everything that has made us, and keeps us still, a nation.”

On this 5th day of November, we do well to reflect with a sense of deep gratitude on God's hand of preservation upon our nation - and apply our hearts with earnest prayer to the Lord to long preserve our Protestant crown.

Our feeling is best expressed by the tremendous Baptist preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, in his 'Morning Devotion' for November 5:

Quoting Isaiah 54:17 - "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper" - Spurgeon recalled:

This day is notable in English history for two great deliverances wrought by God for us.

• On this day the plot of the Papists to destroy our Houses of Parliament was discovered, 1605.

While for our princes they prepare
In caverns deep a burning snare,
He shot from heaven a piercing ray,
And the dark treachery brought to day.

• And secondly - to-day is the anniversary of the landing of King William III, at Torbay, by which the hope of Popish ascendancy was quashed, and religious liberty was secured, 1688.

This day ought to be celebrated, not by the saturnalia of striplings, but by the songs of saints. Our Puritan forefathers most devoutly made it a special time of thanksgiving. There is extant a record of the annual sermons preached by Matthew Henry on this day. Our Protestant feeling, and our love of liberty, should make us regard its anniversary with holy gratitude.

Let our hearts and lips exclaim, "We have heard with our ears, and our fathers have told us the wondrous things which Thou didst in their day, and in the old time before them."

Thou hast made this nation the home of the gospel; and when the foe has risen against her, Thou hast shielded her. Help us to offer repeated songs for repeated deliverances. Grant us more and more a hatred of Antichrist, and hasten on the day of her entire extinction. Till then and ever, we believe the promise, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper."

Should it not be laid upon the heart of every lover of the gospel of Jesus on this day to plead for the overturning of false doctrines and the extension of divine truth? Would it not be well to search our own hearts, and turn out any of the Popish lumber of self-righteousness which may lie concealed therein?"

The Blasphemy that is 'Jesus Christ Superstar'

2011-11-04T14:18:00.002Z

On the overwhelming majority of occasions, we welcome the presence of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in the news. Not, however, when it is as ‘Jesus Christ, Superstar.’

Forty years on from its original release, there is still nothing to celebrate in this ‘rock opera’ that purports to represent the last seven days in the life of Christ.

A joint statement released by Andrew Lloyd Webber (composer of the music) and Tim Rice (author of the lyrics) states everything a Christian needs to know about their production:

“Basically the idea of the whole opera is to have Christ seen through the eyes of Judas, and Christ as a man, not as a god. And the fact that Christ himself is just as mixed up and unaware of exactly who he is, as Judas is.”

This statement positions the opera in a long line of historic assaults upon the wonderful person, life and work of God’s well beloved Son.

Through this vehicle of their creation, Rice and Webber present Jesus as a mere man, not God; as a mixed up man, who had little true idea as to who He was or what He had come to do; as a man surrounded by myth (“an awful lot happened in Christ’s life that could easily be legend”); and as an impure man, engaged in an illicit relationship with Mary Magdalene.

Each of these allegations is contrary to the biblical description of the Lord Jesus Christ – a calculated attack on One who is, “Holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26).

Given the fact that other statements and suggestions that lie at the heart of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ plumb even deeper depths of blasphemy, this opera is a seriously corrupt aberration and shameful misrepresentation of the Christian message. No Christian should have anything to do with it. And production theatres should consider that this idiom, characterised by such inaccuracy and blasphemy, is most inappropriate for teaching our current generation.

[ For further information, check the audio at:
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=47051739 ]

This letter was carried by the 'Belfast Newsletter' on Monday, 7 November 2011:
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/community/letters/rock_opera_corrupts_christian_message_1_3222592