Current Events

Current Events – Christian Discrimination

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“The enemy stirs up persons whose hearts are not stayed upon God, who are admitting into their hearts unpleasant and disagreeable things to ponder over, and then pass along the unsavoury dish as a repast for other minds and hearts. This is feeding upon Satan’s garbage, and makes the soul impoverished.”

Australasian Union Conference Record, August 1, 1900.

“Today, we face incredibly well-funded gangs of fundamentalist Christian monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in our nation’s armed forces.”

Those words were recently written by Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), in a column he wrote for the Huffington Post. Weinstein will be a consultant to the United States Pentagon to develop new policies on religious tolerance, including a policy for court-martialing military chaplains who share the Christian Gospel during spiritual counseling of American troops. www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/04/28.

Is the Pentagon discriminating against Christians?

A representative said he’s been monitoring a steady stream of religious discrimination complaints over the past four years from Christian soldiers.

“It’s been a steady attack on faith and religious freedom that we’ve seen in our military like we’ve never seen before. We are getting a lot of calls from soldiers saying ‘we’re afraid of going to church, we’re afraid to be seen praying, we’re afraid that would hurt our careers, our promotions.’ ”

Instances of the Christian faith coming under attack in the military include:

  • Commanders barred from disclosing any programs that are tied to the Chaplaincy or any programs involving religion;
  • The Air Force banning the word ‘God’ from an Air force patch logo – even though the reference had no religious connotation;
  • A Navy directive that banned Bibles at Walter Reed Hospital;
  • An Army Reserve training program that listed Evangelical Christians and Catholics as examples of religious extremism;
  • An Army email that listed prominent Christian ministries like the Family Research Council and American Family Association as “domestic hate groups.”

The question has been asked whether the military is enforcing section 533 of the National Defense Authorization Act. The Act, signed into law last year [2012], includes a conscience provision clause protecting the religious rights of troops.

The section reads, “No member of the Armed Forces may — require a chaplain to perform any rite, ritual, or ceremony that is contrary to the conscience, moral principles, or religious beliefs of the chaplain; or discriminate or take any adverse personnel action against a chaplain.”

A United States Army officer sent an email to dozens of subordinates listing the American Family Association and Family Research Council as “domestic hate groups” because they oppose homosexuality—and warned officers to monitor soldiers who might be supporters of the groups.

An Army training instructor told a Reserve unit based in Pennsylvania that Evangelical Christianity and Catholicism were examples of religious extremism. The Army categorized that episode as an isolated incident.

“Several in the military have this belief that evangelicals and people who hold to traditional values seem to be a problem and need to be monitored.” http://radio.foxnews.com

Current Events – Religious Freedom Challenged

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“One woman sits at the center of the developing—and utterly confusing—Internal Revenue Service scandal. It was Lois Lerner, director of the IRS’s Exempt Organizations Division, who let slip at an American Bar Association meeting on Friday that, between 2010 and 2012, conservative nonprofit groups were improperly scrutinized by the IRS. And it is Lerner who has since become the target of a number of accusations and conspiracy theories, lobbed from both ends of the political spectrum. As the media waits impatiently for the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to release an investigative report detailing who knew about the IRS’s inappropriate practices and when, it seems crucial to get to know the main character in this unfolding drama and the core issues swirling around her.” www.thedailybeast.com, May 14, 2013.

“The IRS has admitted to unfairly targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.” http://hotair.com, May 29, 2013.

“The framework for 501(c) organizations —what we commonly call nonprofits—was established over 75 years ago, when the federal tax laws were first codified. Because these are tax designations, any and all 501(c) organizations—regardless of function—are approved by, and primarily regulated by, the IRS. At present, there are over 29 different sub classifications for the 501(c) designation. But, for the case in question, there are only two that really matter:

  • 501(c)(3) — Religious, Educational, Charitable, Scientific, Literary, Testing for Public Safety, to Foster National or International Amateur Sports Competition, or Prevention of Cruelty to Children or Animals Organizations
  • 501(c)(4) — Civic Leagues, Social Welfare Organizations, and Local Associations of Employees”

www.outsidethebeltway.com, May 29, 2013.

“Let not one who believes the truth, be silent now. None should be careless now; let all urge their petitions at the throne of grace, pleading the promise, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do.” It is a perilous time now. If this land of boasted liberty is preparing to sacrifice every principle which enters into her constitution, making decrees to suppress religious freedom, and for the enforcing of papal falsehood and delusion, then the people of God need to present their petitions in faith to the Most High. There is every encouragement, in the promises of God, for those who put their trust in him. The prospect of being brought into personal danger and distress, need not cause despondency, but should quicken the vigor and hopes of God’s people; for the time of their peril is the season for God to grant them clearer manifestations of his power. We are not to sit in calm expectancy of oppression and tribulation, and fold our hands, doing nothing to avert the evil. Let our united cries be sent up to heaven. Pray and work, and work and pray. But let none act rashly. Learn as never before that you must be meek and lowly in heart. You must not bring a railing accusation against any, whether individuals or churches. Learn to deal with minds as Christ did. Sharp things must sometimes be spoken; but be sure that the Holy Spirit of God is abiding in your heart before you speak the clear-cut truth; then let it cut its way. You are not to do the cutting.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 902.

Current Events – Historic Win for Gay Marriage

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“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Leviticus 18:22.

“And there were also sodomites [male temple prostitutes] in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.” I Kings 14:24.

“The world is following in the steps of the inhabitants of the Noachian world and of the Sodomites. Of the days of Noah it is written. ‘God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually’ (Genesis 6:5). And Jude says, ‘Sodom and Gomorrah, 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’ (Jude 7).” Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, 105.

“Impurity is today widespread, even among the professed followers of Christ. Passion is unrestrained; the animal propensities are gaining strength by indulgence, while the moral powers are constantly becoming weaker. . . . The sins that destroyed the antediluvians and the cities of the plain exist today—not merely in heathen lands, not only among popular professors of Christianity, but with some who profess to be looking for the coming of the Son of man. If God should present these sins before you as they appear in His sight, you would be filled with shame and terror.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 218.

June 26, 2013, the United States Supreme Court dramatically advanced gay rights in rulings that direct the federal government to provide equal treatment to same-sex spouses and allow the resumption of gay marriages in California.

In a pair of 5-4 rulings on the final day of the court’s term, the justices struck down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which denied federal benefits to gay couples married under state law, and let stand a ruling that found Proposition 8, a 2008 voter initiative that ended same-sex marriage in California, unconstitutional.

In striking down DOMA, Justice Anthony Kennedy said Congress had no business undermining a state’s decision to extend “the recognition, dignity and protection” of marriage to same-sex couples.

By excluding such couples from the rights and responsibilities of marriage contained in more than 1,000 provisions of federal law, “DOMA writes inequality into the entire United States Code,” Justice Kennedy wrote.

The DOMA ruling had immediate effects. The president’s administration said it would move swiftly to ensure same-sex married couples get the same tax and other benefits as heterosexual couples, although the process for doing so is uncertain for same-sex couples who marry in one state, then move to a state that doesn’t recognize gay marriage. http://online.wsj.com, June 26, 2013.

The Supreme Court made landmark rulings furthering gay rights, but the lack of a mandate to states ensures the fight over same sex marriage will only heat up in regional ballot campaigns, legislative battles and courts.

Oregon and Ohio are among the states where voters could decide whether to extend marriage rights to gay couples in 2014, according to activists on both sides. State lawmakers in Nevada and Illinois are also mulling such unions. Meanwhile Indiana lawmakers may place a constitutional gay marriage ban on the 2014 ballot.

The Supreme Court decided two cases on Wednesday. In one, the court struck down part of the national Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman. That will extend over 1,000 federal benefits to married gay couples. www.chicagotribune.com, June 26, 2013

In a pair of landmark decisions, the Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down the 1996 law blocking federal recognition of gay marriage, and it allowed gay marriage to resume in California by declining to decide a separate case.

The court invalidated the Defense of Marriage Act, which denied federal benefits to gay couples who are legally married in their states, including Social Security survivor benefits, immigration rights and family leave. http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com, June 28, 2013.

Current Events – A Cashless Society

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“And he [Satan] causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16, 17

“In the last great conflict of the controversy with Satan those who are loyal to God will see every earthly support cut off. Because they refuse to break His law in obedience to earthly powers, they will be forbidden to buy or sell.” The Desire of Ages, 121

Cash, after millennia as one of mankind’s most versatile and enduring technologies, looks set over the next 15 years or so finally to melt away into an electronic stream of ones and zeros. This week mobile-phone operators announced services that will allow people to use their handsets to remit money to those in other countries, even if both parties do not have bank accounts. Numerous mobile-phone shopping-systems are entering commercial use, especially in Asia. The Economist, February 15, 2007.

The Colorado State Fair is moving to a cashless system for the 2013 fair, in which fair-goers will use a card to buy their food, drinks and rides. With the cashless system, the Fair’s whole financial system runs more smoothly, and you only have one card to worry about during your visit. www.coloradostatefair.com/p/About-The-Fair/Questions/cashless

Online bill pay can help you manage your bills without having to worry about paper bills and checks. Once you’re up and running, you can spend more time on the fun things in life. The first type of online bill pay (online bill pay offered by your bank) is a service that sends money out of your bank account to whoever you wish. In some cases these online bill pay services will actually print a check and mail it to the recipient. If the company you want to send payments to is setup within the banks system, the bank will simply transfer the money electronically when you use online bill pay.

Another way you can let online bill pay run on auto-pilot is to allow your service providers to pull money out of your account without you having to click anywhere. In other words, the service provider just “asks” the online bill pay company for payment and the payment is made without any activity on your part. If you authorize these types of payments, make sure you have a good handle on your budget and available funds. http://banking.about.com/od/bankonline

Current Events – Can The Bible Be Trusted

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According to a new lengthy investigation from one of Israeli’s top newspapers, Haaretz, the Bible, the creation of the world and the story of the first man are not true.

The headline reads, “Is the Bible a True Story?” then goes on to say, “Despite feverish searching with Scripture in one hand and cutting-edge technology in the other, evidence backing the Bible remains elusive.”

It goes on: “No evidence of the events described in the Book of Genesis has ever been found. No city walls have been found at Jericho, from the appropriate era, that could have been toppled by Joshua or otherwise. The stone palace uncovered at the foot of Temple Mount in Jerusalem could attest that King David had been there; or it might belong to another era entirely, depending who you ask.”

According to a recent Gallop poll 40 percent say the Bible is the word of God, while 36 percent say it should not be taken literally. Only 24 percent of Americans believe that the holy book was “the actual word of God, and is to be taken literally, word for word.”

According to the poll it is the first time in forty years that biblical skepticism has surpassed biblical literalism. About half of Americans say the Bible is the inspired word of God but not all of it should be taken literally. There has been a huge decline in Americans who self-identify as Christians and those defining the Bible as mere stories has doubled since the mid-1970s, with much of that change occurring in the past three years.

Excerpts from www.newsweek.com/bible-creation-world-and-story-first-man-not-true-claims-israeli-newspaper-695821

We, as inhabitants of this planet, are in trouble. We have lost our true compass and the angels holding back the winds of strife are loosening their hold. We are about to see what life will really be like when God steps back and allows Satan to have full reign.

However, we need not fear for we do have a sure word of prophecy and it is being fulfilled before our very eyes. We read in Revelation the end of the story:

“Then He showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:1–4 NASB).

“And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4 NASB).

So, do not despair, there is still hope if we reach out today to the only One who has the answer to this world’s problems.

Current Events – Christians Targeted

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“Never, never was there a time when the truth will suffer more from being misrepresented, belittled, demerited through the perverse disputings of men than in these last days.” Letter 136a, 1898.

According to South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo, which cites sources in China, singer Hyon Song-wol was among other singers, musicians, and dancers arrested and publicly put to death by firing squad [August 20, 2013]. Mum Kyon-jin, head of the Unhasu Orchestra, was also executed, along with members of both that orchestra and the Wangjaesan Light Music Band. Family members and bandmates watched as authorities killed the dozen performers with machine guns, one source said. A source told South Korea’s largest daily newspaper that some of the victims also faced accusations of possessing Bibles. All were regarded as political dissidents, and their families have been shipped off to prison camps, according to the source. www.spin.com, August 29, 2013.

Kafr Hakim, Egypt (CNN) – For 67 years, the Virgin Mary Church has been a peaceful refuge for Shenouda El Sayeh, much like the Giza province village of Kafr Hakim where it rests and where he has lived all those years. But, as he swept its floors on Thursday, it was painfully obvious things had changed. The night before, a mob—chanting against Coptic Christians had torched and looted the Virgin Mary Church.

Christians all around Egypt are cleaning up in the aftermath of a spate of attacks, which came on the country’s deadliest day since the 2011 revolution. Bishop Angaelos, the Cairo-born head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, said he was told by colleagues in Egypt that 52 churches were attacked in a 24-hour span, as well as numerous Christians’ homes and businesses. www.cnn.com, August 16, 2013.

Christians and Muslims used to peacefully coexist in Syria. Unfortunately, the last two years of civil war have erased this peaceful coexistence, leading Christianity to face an “existential threat” in Syria. According to reports, over 300 Christians have been killed during the civil war, even though they did not participate in hostilities. Christian leaders, including priest and monks have been targeted by extremists and hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled the country seeking safety as a refugee outside Syria’s borders. Please pray for these persecuted people. www.persecution.com, August 21, 2013.

Peru has been urged to investigate the mass killing of Christians and other civilians. Over the course of two decades of guerrilla warfare in the 1980s and ’90s between left wing rebel groups and the Peruvian government an estimated 100,000 dead, most of whom were civilians. Massacres also targeted Christians and church leaders opposed to the group. Ten years after a groundbreaking 2003 report was published on the atrocities committed, the Peruvian government has yet to prosecute many of those responsible for the deaths, including the abduction, torture and murder of a Protestant pastor in 1989. www.persecution.com, August 2013.

Current Events – The Lord is Coming Soon

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“Today the signs of the times declare that we are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Everything in our world is in agitation. Before our eyes is fulfilling the Saviour’s prophecy of the events to precede His coming.” Maranatha, 68.

“The signs of the times give evidence that the judgments of heaven are being poured out, that the day of the Lord is at hand. The daily papers are full of indications of an intense conflict in the future. Bold robberies are of frequent occurrence. Strikes are common. Thefts and murders are committed on every hand. Men possessed by demons are taking the lives of men, women, and little children. All these things testify that the Lord’s coming is near.” Ibid., 175.

Seventy-four Chinese fishermen were missing on Monday, September 30, 2013, after a typhoon sunk three fishing boats in the South China Sea as Thailand and Vietnam braced for torrential rain and flooding. www.reuters.com

Seven people were confirmed dead and at least 1,500 homes destroyed in Colorado after a week of rare, torrential rains along the eastern slopes of the Rockies, and helicopter search-and-rescue flights resumed on Monday, September 16, 2013, in flood-stricken areas. www.reuters.com

With its Muslim-style minarets topped by a large black cross, the All Saints Church in Peshawar has for more than a century offered a daring architectural expression of Muslim-Christian harmony and cohabitation. This is how the Taliban destroyed it: two suicide bombers rushed the church doors as worshipers streamed out on Sunday, September 22, 2013. One attacker exploded his vest inside, the other just outside.

The death toll had risen to 85 by Monday evening, when Christians across the country protested the worst atrocity their community has suffered in Pakistan’s history. www.nytimes.com

September 25, 2013, Members of Christian community here burnt Pakistan flag and held a demonstration on the Jalandhar-Delhi national highway to protest the deadly twin suicide bombings on a historic church in Peshawar. Eighty three people were killed in the attack on All Saints Church at Kohati Gate area of Peshawar, which was the deadliest ever on the country’s Christian minority. Bombers had set off their suicide vests as people were emerging from Sunday mass. www.dnaindia.com/india

Gunmen stormed a shopping mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Saturday, September 21, 2013, killing at least 39 people including close relatives of Kenya’s president and children, in an attack claimed by the Somali Islamist group al Shabaab. www.reuters.com

Unmistakable Signs of the Times

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Just before Jesus was to tread those torturous steps leading to the cross at Calvary, His disciples asked Him, “Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world?” The Saviour answered, “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilence’s, and earthquakes, in divers places.” Matthew 24:3, 6, 7.

Dear friends, how many of these prophecies are we seeing fulfilled? Even as I am writing this article, as a result of the trouble that is arising between nations, our government has a troop presence in many places in the world. We have moved to counter the massing of Iraqi troops on the border of Kuwait. We are deeply involved in Haiti’s internal problems and politics. Where will trouble arise next?

“The great conflagrations and the disasters by sea and land that have visited our country were the special providence’s of God, a warning of what is about to come upon the world. God would show man that He could kindle upon his idols a fire that water cannot quench. The great general conflagration is but just ahead, when all this wasted labor of life will be swept away in a night and day. The treasure laid up in heaven will be sage. No thief can approach nor moth corrupt it.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 49.

This century has witnessed many events unparalleled in recorded history. For example, when have there ever been universal wars like those that have taken place this century? Recently I stood at a monument to the inherent evil of human nature. In Poland, on a dank and dreary Monday,

Bob Vun Kannon and I were taken by our guide on a tour of the Auschwitz concentration camp where, according to German records, over one million innocent human beings perished for no other crime than that they were “politically incorrect.”

Friends, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” II Peter 3:9–12. [Emphasis supplied.]

The Lord is offering the last message of mercy to a rebellious and sinful world. He longs to pour out His grace and pardon upon all who will accept His invitation. Are you preparing in your life for “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time”? Daniel 12:1. Are you learning the beautiful, simple gospel of the gentle Jesus, and is the intensely practical teaching being applied in every aspect of your life? You cannot depend upon your pastor or anyone else to do this for you.

“All who are on the Lord’s side are to confess Christ. ‘Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord.’ The faith of the genuine believer will be made manifest in purity and holiness of character. Faith works by love and purifies the soul, and with faith there will be corresponding obedience, a faithful doing of the words of Christ. Christianity is always intensely practical, adapting itself to all the circumstances of actual life.” The Youth’s Instructor, March 9, 1893.

Opposition to God’s Law began very early in this earth’s history. We have the account of His reckoning with that rebellion. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented [sorrowed] the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Genesis 6:5–8. Are we not seeing the same kind of heaven-daring rebellion in the world today?

Why did just one man find grace in the eyes of the Lord? “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” Verse 9. Friends, Noah was not just professing faith in God; he was obedient, demonstrating his faith in his life! If we are living our faith, will we not also be keeping all of God’s commandments? “’Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.’ When the heart has a deep longing for God, when the mind contemplates the goodness and the loving kindness of God, when the soul hopes and trusts in the Lord, the Holy Spirit will be as a comforter to the soul. Jesus says, ‘If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ ‘Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.’ Shall we be obedient to these inspired words that come sounding down the line to our time? The purpose to which we are called is an exalted one. Peter says, ‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.’ How can you show forth His praises? —By the words that you utter. You can speak in such a way as to bless others, —to be a savor of life unto life in working the works of righteousness. ‘Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they may be your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.’” The Youth’s Instructor, July 18, 1895.

The signs of the times are fast fulfilling. We do not know the day or the hour of Christ’s Second Coming—but we do know from the parable of the fig tree that “when her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near; so ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the door.” Mark 13:28, 29.

With this in mind, are you taking seriously your position as a part of the Lord’s remnant army? Are you prepared to stand for truth? Are you looking for souls as one who must give an account? Of the many souls that you come in contact with every day, have you considered that for some of them, today might be their last opportunity to accept the Saviour’s invitation of mercy?

Urgently pray for the wisdom that comes only from on high. Study your Bibles and the Spirit of Prophecy that you may be equipped with the truth as it is found in Jesus, prepared not only to save your own soul but also those whom the Lord brings within the sphere of your influence during this closing hour of probation’s time.

Current Events – The Great Crisis

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In the great crisis soon to pass, the faithful servants who “would fearlessly serve God according to the dictates of conscience, will need courage, firmness, and a knowledge of God and His Word, for those who are true to God will be persecuted, their motives will be impugned, their best efforts misinterpreted, and their names cast out as evil.” Acts of the Apostles, 431.

In more than 40 nations around the world today Christians are being persecuted for their faith. In some of these nations it is illegal to own a Bible, to share your faith in Christ, change your faith or teach your children about Jesus. Those who boldly follow Christ—in spite of government edict or radical opposition—can face harassment, arrest, torture and even death. Yet Christians continue to meet for worship and to witness for Christ, and the church in restricted nations is growing. www.prisoneralert.com, October 31, 2013.

In various parts of the Muslim world, religious minorities are facing a reign of terror. In the Middle East, persecution has become so terrible and widespread some experts are predicting that non-Muslims may be entirely driven from the region known for millennia as the cultural crossroads. The situation facing the religious minorities has become ever more perilous with a shocking series of attacks that have garnered international media attention. Christian minorities of all faith communities are being targeted. So are Baha’is, Mandeans, Yizidis, Zoroastrians, Ahmadiyas, Druze, Jews, and other minorities in such countries. In recent weeks: in Pakistan, the Taliban for the first time bombed a church packed with Sunday worshipers, killing 85; Somalia’s al-Shabaab terrorists crossed into Kenya where they hunted down and shot dead dozens of non-Muslims in a shopping mall; and, in Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood supporters, scapegoating Coptic Christians, went on a rampage against churches and monasteries, destroying 40 of them. In Iran, the entire Baha’i leadership languishes in prison, as does American Christian pastor, Saeed Abidini. And in Iraq, over the past decade, some two-thirds of the ancient Christian community, fifty percent of the Yizidis (an off-shoot of Zoroastrians) and ninety percent of the Mandeans (followers of John the Baptist) have fled after being targeted by terrorists and abandoned by their government. www.christianpost.com/news, September 13, 2013.

“For it is written, He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone (Luke 4:10, 11). …

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed (II Corinthians 4:6–9). “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal (II Corinthians 4:17, 18).” Early Writings, 28.

Current Events – A New Constitution

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“A striking contradiction between the professions and the practice of the nation … is the action of its legislative and judicial authorities. By such action it will give the lie to those liberal and peaceful principles which it has put forth as the foundation of its policy. …

“Such action would be directly contrary to the principles of this government, to the genius of its free institutions, to the direct and solemn avowals of the Declaration of Independence, and to the Constitution.” The Great Controversy, 442.

The United States Constitution is unusually difficult to amend. As spelled out in Article V, the Constitution can be amended in one of two ways. First, amendment can take place by a vote of two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and the Senate followed by a ratification of three-fourths of the various state legislatures (ratification by thirty-eight states would be required to ratify an amendment today). This first method of amendment is the only one used to date. Second, the Constitution might be amended by a Convention called for this purpose by two-thirds of the state legislatures, if the Convention’s proposed amendments are later ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures. http://law2.umkc.edu

On November 12, 2012, Frank Lake, reporter for Weekly World News, New York, wrote that the President of the United States reportedly said the United States Constitution is out-of-date, so he is ripping it up and writing a new one. President Barack Obama reportedly told reporters last night [November 11, 2012] that the U.S. Constitution has become a hindrance to progress in America. “The document is so out-dated, that it is now becoming a hindrance to governing the country.” Obama has signed an Executive Order voiding the U. S. Constitution. “We need to move forward. We need change.” Obama reportedly said he has already drafted a new constitution and that Americans “will love what I came up with.” Insiders say Obama is keeping a lot of old elements from the original constitution “he’s just making it better, bringing it into the 21st century,” said White House Spokesman, Jay Carney. http://weeklyworldnews.com

This is in regards to Senate Bill 139 of the 113th Congress, which was presented to prevent the Second Amendment rights of the United States from being given to the United Nations. Data shows that 99 Senators voted, with 46 of them voting “Nay” (which means they were willing to give our rights per our Constitution in regard to the Second Amendment to the United Nations). This vote was recorded on March 23, 2013, which was just a few months after the Election in November 2012. http://www.westernjournalism.com

Republicans are warning that Democrats will regret their November 21, 2013, party-line vote to change rules of the United States Senate to permit confirmation of presidential appointees (except Supreme Court justices) by a simple majority instead of the 60 percent supermajority which had been required. The U.S. Constitution does require a supermajority in the U.S. Senate for specific reasons like the ratification of treaties and amendments to the Constitution itself. But in all other cases including legislation and confirming presidential appointments, Article I provides that in the event of a tie vote in the U.S. Senate, the vice president of the United States should cast the deciding vote.

Allowing the U.S. Senate to act by simple majority, except as otherwise specified in the Constitution, seems like the essence of constitutional democracy. The practice of simple majority rule in the U.S. Senate should be expanded to include enactment of legislation and the confirmation of Supreme Court justices. http://www.newsworks.org