Current Events

Current Events – Catholic-Lutheran Agreement

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US Lutherans approve document recognizing agreement with Catholic Church

By Emily McFarlan Miller

August 15, 2016

(RNS) Nearly 500 years after Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Castle Church door, the largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S. has approved a declaration recognizing “there are no longer church-dividing issues” on many points with the Roman Catholic Church.

The “Declaration on the Way” was approved 931-9 by the 2016 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Churchwide Assembly held last week at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton called the declaration “historic” in a release by the denomination following the Wednesday (August 10) vote.

“Though we have not yet arrived, we have claimed that we are, in fact, on the way to unity. … This ‘Declaration on the Way’ helps us to realize more fully our unity in Christ with our Catholic partners, but it also serves to embolden our commitment to unity with all Christians,” Eaton said.

The declaration comes as the Lutheran and Catholic churches prepare to kick off a year of celebrations to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

Luther had touched off the Reformation on Oct. 31, 1517, when he nailed the 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. That document included 95 statements he wanted to debate within the Catholic Church.

Most notably, the “Declaration on the Way” includes 32 “Statements of Agreement” where Lutherans and Catholics no longer have church-dividing differences on issues of church, ministry and the Eucharist. Those statements previously had been affirmed by the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

It also lists remaining differences between the two churches and next steps on addressing them.

Eaton pointed to past agreements reached by the ELCA and Catholic Church, as well, including 1999’s “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.”

Last November, Pope Francis sparked controversy when he seemed to suggest a Lutheran could receive Communion in the Catholic Church, saying “life is greater than explanations and interpretations.” The pontiff is scheduled to visit Sweden on October 31 to preside at a joint service with Lutherans.

And the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation released a joint in 2013 titled “From Conflict to Communion” that focused on the progress made in Lutheran-Catholic dialogue in the past 50 years, rather than centuries of conflict.

The ELCA is one of the 10 largest Protestant denominations in the U.S. with more than 3.7 million members across the 50 states and the Caribbean region.

http://religionnews.com/2016/08/15/u-s-lutherans-approve-document-recognizing-agreement-with-the-catholic-church/

“Protestants have tampered with and patronized popery; they have made compromises and concessions which papists themselves are surprised to see, and fail to understand. Men are closing their eyes to the real character of Romanism, and the dangers to be apprehended from her supremacy. The people need to be aroused to resist the advances of this most dangerous foe to civil and religious liberty.” The Great Controversy (1888), 566

Current Events – Euthanasia

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A terminally ill minor has become the first child to be euthanized in Belgium since age restrictions were lifted in the country two years ago, according to several sources.

A Belgian lawmaker told CNN affiliate VTM that the physician-assisted suicide happened within the past week.

The child, who was suffering from an incurable disease, had asked for euthanasia, Sen. Jean-Jacques De Gucht told VTM. The identity of the child and age are unknown.

“I think it’s very important that we, as a society, have given the opportunity to those people to decide for themselves in what manner they cope with that situation,” said Gucht, a supporter of euthanasia legislation.

Belgium approves child euthanasia bill 03:03

Wim Distelmans, who chairs Belgium’s Federal Control and Evaluation Committee on Euthanasia, told state broadcaster RTBF that fortunately few children had demanded mercy killing but “that does not mean we should deny them the right to a dignified death.”

Belgium legalized euthanasia in 2002 for those in “constant and unbearable physical or mental suffering that cannot be alleviated.” Minors were included in the original proposals but removed from the final legislation in the face of political opposition.

In 2014, the bill extended the “right to die” to those under the age of 18. But there were additional strict conditions, including that the child was judged to be able to understand what euthanasia means.

Consent of parents or guardians must also be given.

“This can only be in cases of serious and incurable diseases, which is the same thing for adults … but for minors an additional condition is that the death must be expected in the near future,” Jacqueline Herremans told RTBF. Herremans is the president of Belgium’s Association for the Right to Die with Dignity and also a member of the federal committee on euthanasia.

Belgium is the only country that allows euthanasia for children of any age.

The Netherlands also allows mercy killings for children, but only for those 12 and over. It became the first country to legalize euthanasia in April 2002.

Physician-assisted suicide is legal in five US states. Individuals have the option under state law in Oregon, Vermont, Washington and California. In Montana, it is an option given to individuals via court decision. They must have a terminal illness as well as a prognosis of six months or less to live. Physicians cannot be prosecuted for prescribing medications to hasten death.

www.cnn.com/2016/09/17/health/belgium-minor-euthanasia/index.html

It is inconceivable that any human can presume to know the future sufficiently well to believe that life is so hopeless that it should end for any given individual. Who knows what miraculous cure awaits? Who knows how the hand of God will move to cure an affliction that limited human foresight might term as “terminal.” What child can possibly be made to understand the consequences of death?

“[Christian parents,] be true to your trust. God will help you. Guided by Him, your children will grow up to bless and honor you in this life and in the life to come.” The Faith I Live By, 269.

Current events – Pope Gives Marching Orders

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Pope Gives Marching Orders to Jesuits and New Superior

Pope Francis is giving marching orders to members of his Jesuit order and their new superior. He wants them to go to the “peripheries” to serve freely and obediently.

Francis slipped out of the Vatican Monday to address the assembly of Jesuits who on Oct. 14 elected their first-ever Latin American superior, the Rev. Arturo Sosa of Venezuela.

The Society of Jesus, as the Jesuits are formally known, is the largest religious order of priests and brothers in the Catholic Church.

In his remarks, Francis urged the priests to “walk together, freely and obediently, going to the peripheries where the others don’t arrive.”

In addition to the usual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, Jesuits take a fourth vow of obedience to the pope regarding their mission.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/pope-marching-orders-jesuits-superior-43012626

“Throughout Christendom, Protestantism was menaced by formidable foes. The first triumphs of the Reformation past, Rome summoned new forces, hoping to accomplish its destruction. At this time the order of the Jesuits was created, the most cruel, unscrupulous, and powerful of all the champions of popery. Cut off from earthly ties and human interests, dead to the claims of natural affection, reason and conscience wholly silenced, they knew no rule, no tie, but that of their order, and no duty but to extend its power. The gospel of Christ had enabled its adherents to meet danger and endure suffering, undismayed by cold, hunger, toil, and poverty, to uphold the banner of truth in face of the rack, the dungeon, and the stake. To combat these forces, Jesuitism inspired its followers with a fanaticism that enabled them to endure like dangers, and to oppose to the power of truth all the weapons of deception. There was no crime too great for them to commit, no deception too base for them to practice, no disguise too difficult for them to assume. Vowed to perpetual poverty and humility, it was their studied aim to secure wealth and power, to be devoted to the overthrow of Protestantism, and the re-establishment of the papal supremacy.

“When appearing as members of their order, they wore a garb of sanctity, visiting prisons and hospitals, ministering to the sick and the poor, professing to have renounced the world, and bearing the sacred name of Jesus, who went about doing good. But under this blameless exterior the most criminal and deadly purposes were often concealed. It was a fundamental principle of the order that the end justifies the means. By this code, lying, theft, perjury, assassination, were not only pardonable but commendable, when they served the interests of the church. Under various disguises the Jesuits worked their way into offices of state, climbing up to be the counselors of kings, and shaping the policy of nations. They became servants to act as spies upon their masters. They established colleges for the sons of princes and nobles, and schools for the common people; and the children of Protestant parents were drawn into an observance of popish rites. All the outward pomp and display of the Romish worship was brought to bear to confuse the mind and dazzle and captivate the imagination, and thus the liberty for which the fathers had toiled and bled was betrayed by the sons. The Jesuits rapidly spread themselves over Europe, and wherever they went, there followed a revival of popery.” The Great Controversy, 234, 235. [Emphasis added.]

“With the flight of the Huguenots a general decline settled upon France. Flourishing manufacturing cities fell into decay; fertile districts returned to their native wildness; intellectual dullness and moral declension succeeded a period of unwonted progress. Paris became one vast almshouse, and it is estimated that, at the breaking out of the Revolution, two hundred thousand paupers claimed charity from the hands of the king. The Jesuits alone flourished in the decaying nation, and ruled with dreadful tyranny over churches and schools, the prisons and the galleys.” Ibid., 279.

Current events – Pope Francis Calls Rigid People Sick

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A person who is rigid in many cases conceals a “double life”, lacks the freedom of God’s children and needs the Lord’s help, Pope Francis said recently, during a morning homily at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican.

Pope Francis again returned to the theme of rigidity, saying those who unbendingly follow the law of God are “sick” and in need of the Lord’s help. He drew on the Gospel reading from Matthew in which Jesus’ healing of a crippled woman angered the Pharisees, leading him to denounce the leaders of the synagogue as “hypocrites.”

“He once called those who try to unbendingly follow the Law of God people as having “weak hearts” whom he confessed he would like to trip up with banana skins so they would know they are sinners.”

“It is not easy to walk within the Law of the Lord without falling into rigidity” the pope added. While that is true, keeping God’s law in Christ is vital to the witness of God’s true people. The standard is clear.

The Pope views the church as composed of pilgrims, or seekers, who who are above any institutional classification, regardless of the church’s requirements.

“A supposed soundness of doctrine or discipline leads instead to a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism,” he believes, “whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying.”

He further believes that “in neither case is one really concerned about Jesus Christ or others” and argues it is “impossible to think that a genuine evangelizing thrust could emerge from these adulterated forms of Christianity.”

www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/pope-francis-rigidity-is-something-pathological

Pope Francis does not want a definite teaching on every social or theological question but to be able to interpret God’s law in light of the social circumstances of our time. This is classic Jesuit approach that leads to the end justifying the means.

“When we reach the standard that the Lord would have us reach, worldlings will regard Seventh-day Adventists as odd, singular, strait-laced extremists.” Fundamentals of Education, page 289.

“Those who are conscientiously observing the original Sabbath are styled heretics, deluded fanatics. But who are thus regarded in God’s sight? Whom will he rebuke and punish–those who have kept the day that he blessed and sanctified; or those who, trampling upon the holy commandment, have accepted the institution of the papacy?” The Review and Herald, March 18, 1884.

Current events – The Healing of the Deadly Wound!

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We are living in the time of history where prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes. 2017 will mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation when Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517.

JOINT STATEMENT

on the occasion of the Joint Catholic-Lutheran Commemoration of the Reformation

Lund, 31 October 2016

“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4).

With thankful hearts

With this Joint Statement, we express joyful gratitude to God for this moment of common prayer in the Cathedral of Lund, as we begin the year commemorating the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. Fifty years of sustained and fruitful ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans have helped us to overcome many differences, and have deepened our mutual understanding and trust. At the same time, we have drawn closer to one another through joint service to our neighbours – often in circumstances of suffering and persecution. Through dialogue and shared witness we are no longer strangers. Rather, we have learned that what unites us is greater than what divides us.

Moving from conflict to communion

While we are profoundly thankful for the spiritual and theological gifts received through the Reformation, we also confess and lament before Christ that Lutherans and Catholics have wounded the visible unity of the Church. Theological differences were accompanied by prejudice and conflicts, and religion was instrumentalized for political ends. Our common faith in Jesus Christ and our baptism demand of us a daily conversion, by which we cast off the historical disagreements and conflicts that impede the ministry of reconciliation. While the past cannot be changed, what is remembered and how it is remembered can be transformed. We pray for the healing of our wounds and of the memories that cloud our view of one another. We emphatically reject all hatred and violence, past and present, especially that expressed in the name of religion. Today, we hear God’s command to set aside all conflict. We recognize that we are freed by grace to move towards the communion to which God continually calls us. …

We long for this wound in the Body of Christ to be healed. This is the goal of our ecumenical endeavours, which we wish to advance, also by renewing our commitment to theological dialogue. …

http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/joint_commemoration_joint_statement_en.pdf?_ga=1.266067663.1739485236.1472747116

“The time has come when things must be called by their right names. The truth is to triumph gloriously, and those who have long been halting between two opinions must take their stand decidedly for or against the law of God. Some will take up with theories that misinterpret the word of God, and undermine the foundation of the truth that has been firmly established, point by point, and sealed by the power of the Holy Spirit. The old truths are to be revived, in order that the false theories that have been brought in by the enemy may be intelligently met. There can be no unity between truth and error. We can unite with those who have been led into deception only when they are converted.” The Upward Look, 88.

Current Events – Religious Liberty

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Press Release from First Liberty

National Religious Freedom Expert: Judge Gorsuch Has Solid Record on Religious Freedom

Dallas, Texas – Today, President Donald Trump announced his nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court. Kelly Shackelford, President and CEO of First Liberty Institute, praises Judge Gorsuch’s consistent record on religious liberty.

“As a candidate, President Trump promised to appoint pro-religious freedom judges to the Supreme Court,” Shackelford says. “Today, he took a positive step toward achieving that goal.”

“As a religious freedom law firm, we have one criterion for evaluating judicial candidates. We ask, ‘Does this candidate have a proven record of upholding the Constitution, especially as it relates to religious freedom?’ I am pleased to say that Judge Gorsuch has just such a record, authoring or joining multiple landmark opinions upholding religious freedom.”

Some of the most notable religious freedom opinions Judge Gorsuch wrote or signed as a judge on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals include:

  • HHS Abortion Pill Mandate – Judge Gorsuch wrote and joined opinions supporting the rights of ministries and closely-held family businesses to be free from the burden imposed by the HHS Abortion Pill Mandate (Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. v. Sebelius (2013), Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged v. Burwell (2015)).
  • Establishment Clause – Judge Gorsuch wrote or signed opinions upholding the constitutionality of the public display of Ten Commandments monuments (Summum v. Pleasant Grove City (2007), Green v. Haskell County Bd. of Cnty. Commissioners (2009)).
  • Monuments and Memorials – Judge Gorsuch wrote an opinion defending the existence of cross-shaped memorials for fallen state troopers (American Atheists, Inc. v. Duncan (2010)).

“America needs Supreme Court justices who will uphold the Constitution and defend the religious liberty of every American,” Shackelford says. “I am hopeful that Judge Gorsuch will live up to President Trump’s and the American people’s expectations and strongly protect our constitutional freedoms.”

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About First Liberty Institute

First Liberty Institute was founded in 1997, First Liberty Institute is the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to protecting religious freedom for all Americans.

They believe that true religious liberty means recognizing the fundamental right of every individual—including all ages, races, genders, and faiths—to follow their conscience and to live according to their beliefs. Because of that, our mission is simple: protect religious freedom for all.

If an American’s religious freedom is threatened, First Liberty stands ready to assist.

First Liberty attorneys partner with elite volunteer lawyers from across the nation, including the top law firms in the United States. This innovative strategy allows their clients to be represented by the nation’s top lawyers at no cost, leading First Liberty to achieve an unparalleled victory rate.

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“The people of the United States have been a favored people; but when they restrict religious liberty, surrender Protestantism, and give countenance to popery, the measure of their guilt will be full, and ‘national apostasy’ will be registered in the books of heaven.” The Review and Herald, May 2, 1893.

Current Events – An Atheist China Warms to the Vatican

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Religious Persecution “Intensifies”

A recent article written by CNN reporters James Griffiths and Matt Rivers details the growing relationship between atheist China and the Vatican. (www.cnn.com/2017/02/28/asia/china-religious-persecution-christianity/index.html)

While noting the increasing persecution of Protestants in China, the authors write of the “warming ties” between Beijing and Rome: “As the situation has worsened for Protestants, relations between the Vatican and Beijing are at their strongest level in years.

“Pope Francis has expressed his desire to visit China, and reports last year suggested the two sides were moving to a deal on the ordination of bishops, long a sticking point. …

“Asked about the potential for a deal, the Vatican would not comment, with a spokesman saying it was a ‘work in progress.’

“Father Simon Zhu, a Chinese priest in an officially-sanctioned church, told CNN, ‘We pray for this normalization between Rome and Beijing.’ ”

While the increasing improvement in the relationship between the two is heralded by some, it is viewed with skepticism by others. Retired Cardinal Joseph Zen, former Bishop of Hong Kong, remarked, “We are afraid it’s going to be a bad deal. There’s no reason to hope the Communists will change. They already have very tight control of the above ground church, their hope is to have the underground church under their control as well.”

The ultimate goal, of course, is for Rome to control both the “above ground church” and the “underground church.”

“And let it be remembered, it is the boast of Rome that she never changes. The principles of Gregory VII and Innocent III are still the principles of the Roman Catholic Church. And had she but the power, she would put them in practice with as much vigor now as in past centuries. … While they are bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy.” The Great Controversy, 581.

Current Events – 2017: Catholics and Protestants to Commemorate Reformation Anniversary

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Wittenberg is getting prepared for the October 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses on the church door in 1517.

From Counter-Reformation to Co-Reformation

The highest representative of German Protestantism: Nikolaus Schneider, Chairman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) met personally with Pope Francis to invite him to the anniversary. During this meeting, the Pope “underlined how important it is for him that we, as churches, walk together on the path of testifying the faith in this world.” Schneider said that the conversations with the Pope and the Vatican, contributed to build trust.1 Francis has not yet made the decision public whether he has accepted or not.

During the 1540s, a Counter-Reformation started by the Catholic Church in response to the Protestant Reformation. But the last decades are proving things have drastically changed.

“One could almost say that the Catholic Church has set out from the path of the Counter-Reformation onto that of the Co-Reformation.” says Gerhard Feige to Luther2017.de. He is a Catholic ecumenical officer Bishop, in Magdeburg, Germany.2

A reconciliation process started years ago between Catholics and Protestant Christians. Feige sees evidence for this to develop during the coming years.

“I would appreciate if this were not only happening in the leadership of the churches.” The article goes on to say: “But everybody must change and get on the move. It remains to be clarified how much unity is necessary.”2

The Luther Garden – A global ecumenical network

Another exciting preparation in Wittenberg is the “Luther Garden”, arranged by the Lutheran World Foundation and United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany.
The goal is to have 500 trees planted – one for each year of reformation.

In the middle of the garden is a formation of the Luther Rose, which is the symbol of Luther’s faith and theology. Here are five trees, one in each petal. From there, seven paths symbolically lead out to the world. In this garden, are trees from every continent, planted by churches and denominations from all over the world, creating a global ecumenical network.6

Currently 230 trees from all over the world have been planted by different churches. Guess which tree is number one, found in the Luther Rose formation, in the middle of the park? – The Catholic Church! Following is the Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and the World Methodist Council as number five.

A person responsible for Concept and Design of Luther Garden says in a project movie:

“I hope this garden will one day grow into a park. A park in which people can gather under the trees, a park that grows together, just as our Christian World Religion should grow together one day.”3

More Steps to Church Unity

In 2014 at a Charismatic Evangelical Leadership Conference hosted by Kenneth Copeland, Tony Palmer, an Anglican bishop said: “The protest is over,” and encouraged to unity with the Catholic Church. The audience of many charismatic Christian leaders seemed to embrace this message.

While some Protestant Churches have stopped protesting, what does the Catholic Church say?

On their website, vatican.va, there is an article called From Conflict to Communion, written together with Lutherans, talking about how they successfully shall unite.4

The Catholic Church and Lutheran Church signed a Joint declaration on the doctrine of justification, in 1999, and this is an attempt to narrow the theological divide between the two faiths.5

It is important to note that Luther did not only discover justification by faith, as the discussion seems to be about – there were 95 theses.

“The awareness is dawning on Lutherans and Catholics that the struggle of the sixteenth century is over. The reasons for mutually condemning each other’s faith have fallen by the wayside. Thus, Lutherans and Catholics identify five imperatives as they commemorate 2017 together.”

“In 2017, we must confess openly that we have been guilty before Christ of damaging the unity of the church. This commemorative year presents us with two challenges: the purification and healing of memories, and the restoration of Christian unity in accordance with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:4–6).”

They also invite all Christians to study this report open-mindedly and critically, and to come along “the way to a deeper communion of all Christians.”4

It is clear that 2017 marks an interesting year for the Catholic Church. First of all the Catholics will commemorate the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation. Secondly, it marks fifty years of Lutheran–Roman Catholic dialogue.4

The World has Started to Wonder…

Luther and many other reformers embraced the idea that the Papacy is the antichrist. Many Protestant denominations used to believe this. If you ask Christians today who the antichrist is, there is generally no clear meaning about it. The characteristics of antichrist found in the Bible, only fit one kingdom: The Papacy. (See Daniel 7 and Revelation 13.)

  1. http://www.luther2017.de/en/24479/evangelical-church-germany-invites-pope-francis-reformation-anniversary?contid=24617
  2. http://www.luther2017.de/en/23547/ecumenical-officer-bishop-catholic-church-can-join-little-bit-celebration-reformation-annivers?contid=24617
  3. http://luthergarten.de/welcome.html
  4. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/lutheran-fed-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_2013_dal-conflitto-alla-comunione_en.html
  5. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html
  6. http://luthergarten.de/english-vision-background.html

However, echoing through the ages should be the words of Martin Luther himself from the Diet of Worms:

“Unless therefore I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture or by the clearest reasoning, unless I am persuaded by means of the passages I have quoted, and unless they thus render my conscience bound by the word of God, I cannot and I will not retract, for it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand, I can do no other; may God help me. Amen.” The Great Controversy, 160.

Current Events – Make Friends

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June 14, 2017 —Many of the world’s most prominent religious leaders made a joint statement encouraging people everywhere to make friends across religions. Friendship and getting to know one another are the antidotes to negativity and divisions in society, enhancing understanding and unity. The following quotes are from each of the leaders:

“We are called, as we like to say, to look into one another’s eyes in order to see more deeply and in order to recognize the beauty of God in every living human being.” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomewi (Orthodox: Turkey)

“Our advice is to make friends to followers of all religions.” Ayatollah Sayyid Fadhel Al-Milani (Shia, UK)

“It’s very important, because my religious life became richer with his explanations, so much richer and I guess the same happened for him.” Pope Francis (Rome)

“It was through our religious calling that we found each other in life.” Rabbi Abraham Skorka (Argentina)

“No matter from which side of the mountain you’re climbing we should be helping each other so that we can all get to the same place.” Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh (Sikh, UK)

“And don’t focus on or search for differences between religious groups.” Grand Mufti Shawki Allam (Sunni, Egypt)

“Personal contact, personal friendship, then we can exchange a deeper level of experience.” The Dalai Lama (India)

“Honor other religions like you do your own.” Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (India)

“We need to get together and know one another just to discover and explore those commonalities.” Ayatollah Sayyid Hassan Al-Qazwini (Shia, United States)

“That starts a process where prejudices go away where new insights are born and where basically hope is born.” Archbisop Antje Jackelen (Church of Sweden)

“It’s not complicated. I would say to everyone: Start with sharing what we all share which is the pleasure of conversation.” Archbishop Justin Welby (Archbishop of Canterbury)

“One of the wonderful things about spending time with people completely unlike you is that you discover how much you have in common, the same fears, the same hopes, the same concerns.” Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (UK)

“I think it will keep it very simple, it’s probably time to talk less, listen more.” Ven. Khandro Rinpoche (Buddhist, India)

“May universal friendship become a reality.” Mata Amritanandamayi (India)

http://elijah-interfaith.org/news/wisdom-newsletter-make-friends-across-religions

Jesus said, “A am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 15:6).

“The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience. …

“Papists, Protestants, and worldling will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium.” Maranatha, 190.

Current Events – Trump Signs ‘Religious Liberty’ Executive Order Allowing for Broad Exemptions

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By Ali Vitali

President Donald Trump on Thursday made good on a promise to allow religious organizations greater freedom in political speech.

“Faith is deeply embedded into the history of our country, the spirit of our founding and the soul of our nation,” Trump said in the Rose Garden at a National Day of Prayer event with religious leaders and White House staff. “We will not allow people of faith to be targeted, bullied or silenced anymore.”

The president declared his administration would be “leading by example” on religious liberty in the United States.

“We are giving our churches their voices back,” Trump said.

Religious leaders prayed in the garden just before Trump signed the executive order.

Two nuns from the Little Sisters of the Poor, the plaintiff in a federal lawsuit seeking relief from the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate, were among those on stage for the signing, according to a press pool report.

Trump promised during the campaign to dismantle the Johnson Amendment, which bans tax-exempt organizations like churches from political speech and activities. His executive order relaxes IRS enforcement of that ban. While the executive order signals a promise kept, fully repealing the Johnson amendment would require Congressional action.

The executive order, called “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty,” also gives “regulatory relief” to companies that object to an Obamacare mandate for contraception in health care. That builds on the 2014 Hobby Lobby Supreme Court case, which found that the Affordable Care Act mandate that certain corporations must provide female employees with no-cost access to contraception was a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

While an earlier draft of the religious liberty order reportedly would have let federal contractors discriminate against LGBT employees based on faith beliefs, Thursday’s version did not include such provisions.

Pastor Mark Burns, a longtime Trump supporter who attended the White House signing and a White House dinner for religious leaders Wednesday evening, celebrated the move, telling NBC News Thursday morning that it was a “great day for religious freedom in America.”

Conservative religious groups applauded the move.

“The open season on Christians and other people of faith is coming to a close in America and we look forward to assisting the Trump administration in fully restoring America’s First Freedom,” Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said in a statement.

Civil liberty groups criticized the order with several vowing to sue.

“Plain and simple: President Trump’s executive order will hurt women,” Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights said in a statement. “And the Center for Reproductive Rights is ready to fight back in court.”
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-signs-religious-liberty-executive-order-allowing-broad-exemptions-n754786