Ten Commandments Display Ruled Constitutional
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that a display of the Ten Commandments along with other historical documents was constitutional setting up a possible showdown at the Supreme Court over the issue of religious displays and the so-called "wall of separation between church and state" (Hat tip: Captain’s Quarters):
A federal appeals court has upheld a display of the Ten Commandments alongside other historical documents in the Mercer County, Ky., courthouse.
The judge who wrote the opinion blasted the American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the display, in language that echoed the type of criticism often directed at the organization.
Judge Richard Suhrheinrich’s ruling said the ACLU brought "tiresome" arguments about the "wall of separation" between church and state, and it said the organization does not represent a "reasonable person."
The decision was issued by a three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Cincinnati. It upheld a lower-court decision that allowed Mercer County to continue displaying the Ten Commandments along with the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" and other documents.
All of the items were posted at the same time in 2001.
A Funny Re: The War on Xmas
New Christian Blog Portal
Mark Swanson has just started a new blog entitled Best of the GodBlogs. His intent is to create a portal where readers can go to find the best posts in the ever-growing Christian section of the blogosphere. This is a blog worth checking out regularly.
Hat tip: Evangelical Outpost
Can Islam Live in Peace With Other Religions?
It’s history and current events flatly say "no."
Islam’s religious intolerance starts from it’s inception, and continues to this day, not because of fanatics who pervert its teachings, but because its foundational teachings are violent, racist, and produce a culture of oppression and control through fear, not of God, but of mortal violence from other "believers."
The existence of moderate, peace loving Muslims is not a testimony to Islam, but to the general ignorance of Islam’s teachings among casual adherents, and to the natural tendency of healthy people to shy away from Islam’s harsh and inhuman teachings.
The Psychology Behind Homosexual Tendencies
NARTH has a nice interview, The Psychology Behind Homosexual Tendencies, with Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons, author and contributor to the Catholic Medical Association’s document Homosexuality and Hope. He outlines the official Catholic position, which I think is definitely in line with the ex-gay approach, in that it does NOT involve religious conversion, but does involve healing of emotional wounds that have led to homosexuality. Here’s some quotes:
Those with deep-seated homosexual tendencies identify themselves as homosexual persons and are usually unwilling to examine their emotional conflicts that caused this tendency.…
Most of these men had painful adolescent experiences of significant loneliness and sadness, felt insecure in their masculinity, and had a poor body image. Well-designed research studies have demonstrated a much higher prevalence of psychiatric illness in those who identify themselves as homosexual….
Ahh…dial-up
Right now I am like the little old lady going 20 MPH down the interstate. I am away from work until Jan. 2 (have been since last Wednesdays, thanks to an early ice storm), so my only option for internet useage is my mom’s slow Gateway using dial-up crusing down the information superhighway at 45.2 kbps. I am surprised I haven’t gotten pulled over for going too slow.
Tearing Down the Wall Between Church and State
Hubs and Spokes has uncovered evidence of a plan by the White House to tear down the wall of separation between church and state. (Hat tip: Stones Cry Out)
Times certainly have changed.
Total Truth Study Guide Available
Nancy Pearcey has just made the study guide for her book Total Truth available on her website for free. Click here to download the study guide. (Hat tip: Mind and Media)
To find out more about the book, read Aaron’s review or danielg’s review (part 1 and part 2).
Darwinism to Go the Way of Marxism (and the Dinosaur)?
Pat Buchanan has written a fantastic article entitled Tom Bethell Puts Darwinism on Defense. Of course, he is referring to Bethel’s book The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science, which among other things, slams Darwinism as a theory of origins. Buchanan’s article is well said and clear. Here’s my favorite portion:There are other questions Darwinists need to answer. If believing that Christ raised people from the dead is a matter of faith — and it is — is not the Darwinist claim that nature created life out of non-life a matter of faith? If it is science, why can’t scientists replicate it in microcosm in a laboratory?If scientists know life came from matter and matter from non-matter, why don’t they show us how this was done, instead of asserting it was done, and calling us names for not taking their claims on faith?
Clearly, a continued belief in the absolute truth of Darwinist evolution is but an act of faith that fulfills a psychological need of folks who have rejected God.
Angelwars provides cool DVDs for Tweens
Yesterday on the 700 Club, they interviewed the creator of Angel Wars, a growing set of animated movies for tweens (pre-teens). Listen to the 700 Club interview, it’s informative. And definitely visit the Angel Wars website – it’s cool.Award winner, boxoffice bomb
Tammy Bruce* claims to have the answer for Hollywood’s worst boxoffice receipts in 15 years. The author and radio host says films appeal more to award judges than ticketbuyers. She has some advice for the movie industry.
30,000 Iraqi civilians dead?
Yesterday when asked how many Iraqis (civilians, military, police, insurgents and other citizens) had been killed since the inception of the war, President Bush responded, “I would say 30,000, more or less, have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis.” The media responded by creating the newest anti-war talking point: “30,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed because of this war.”
Not Peter Jackson’s Narnia
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10
So I went to see Narnia last night, and I have to say, I was sorely disappointed. I was not disappointed primarily because I had high expectations, but because I think the film fails on many levels. I know I’ll probably get fried for giving it a poor review, but hey, what’s life without a little honesty? :D
Narnia: Box Office Savior?
With the huge opening weekend success of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the film appears to becoming a year-end blessing for an otherwise dismal year at the movies:
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe helped melt a box office in winter. With a dose of broadly appealing fantasy based on C.S. Lewis’ famous novel, overall business was up 15 percent from the comparable weekend last year, and, with King Kong looming, 2005 is poised to end on a high note despite being the first down box office year since 1991. Playing on about 6,800 screens across 3,616 locations, Narnia drummed up $65.6 million, exceeding industry expectations in the $50 million range. The opening was the second-biggest ever for December behind The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’s $72.8 million and the third best start for distributor Buena Vista, behind The Incredibles and Finding Nemo.
Narnia review
I saw The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe this weekend and it lived up to my very high expectations in virtually every area, in some it even surpassed them.
Intolerance of Religious Intolerance
Hindu news reports that an Archbishop of the Russian Orthodox church has called Krishna some bad things. Echoing the Apostle Paul’s admonition
Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.
- 1 Cor 10:20
"[Krishna is] an evil demon, the personified power of hell opposing God, and a livid lascivious youth…"
The difference between Islam and Christianity
More specifically, the difference between radical Islam and radical Christianity is simply the difference between martyrdom and murder.
Which are you, Liberal or Terrorist?
Eric over at EU has a quick humorous quiz, with answers provided. And it begs a joke –
Q: What’s the difference between an American liberal and an Islamic fundamentalist?
A: <insert funny answer here>
Athena and Eve – Biblical Interpretation of Greek Mythology
Answers in Genesis, one of the premier Creationist sites, also dabbles fairly well in other related world view issues. And they keep tempting me to subscribe to their journal by publishing articles from past issues.
The most recent is Athena and Eve, a nice discussion of the parallels between Greek mythology and the Genesis stories. After a very lengthy and informative article, the author concludes
Modern scholarship has yet to learn the simple lesson that, without reference to the early events described in the book of Genesis, it is not possible to make any real sense of Greek mythology. In fact, the entire formidable religious framework of ancient Greek society means virtually nothing without reference to those events. The next time you’re in a bookstore or a library, go to the mythology section. Look at all the books on the subject and ponder all the fruitless theorizing and all the wasted paper that have resulted from writers leaving the Creator of Heaven and Earth out of what they imagine is their deep and reasonable thinking.
Happy Holidays Bruhaha
I’ve been relatively uninterested in the whole "war on Christmas" uproar, but after hearing Dobson talk about it on his show, seeing Honda’s bastardization of "We wish you a Merry Christmas", Stacy’s article at Newsbusters, and the big flap over the 2005 White House greeting card not containing the word Christmas, I wanted to comment. I’m not really sure if this battle is worth fighting.
