Archive for the ‘Christian news’ Category
Public Advocate Citizen’s Alert:
Preacher in England Arrested for Saying Homosexuality is a Sin
Dear Public Advocate Supporter,
A Baptist preacher named Dale McAlpine was arrested in England recently after speaking his belief that homosexuality is a sin!
McAlpine was talking to people passing by when a woman approached him and began debating him. He brought a passage of the Bible in 1 Corinthians to her attention, which speaks of homosexuality among a list of other sins.
McAlpine was arrested and charged with causing “harassment, alarm or distress” in violation of England’s Public Order Act.
Think about that for a moment. A once-Christian nation defending homosexuality by arresting a man for preaching Christian values!
But why should we worry about the course that England is taking?
Because the same thing has already begun in this Country!
On October 28, 2009 Barrack Obama signed Thought Control into law.
This law allows for prosecution of an individual for any speech, letters, emails, sermons, etc. deemed offensive by homosexuals.
Our country has now joined England in the business of suppressing the right to speak our beliefs in the traditional values our nation was founded on.
And what happened in England recently is going to happen here if we don’t continue to fight the Homosexual Lobby.
This must not be allowed to continue!
We must continue the fight to protect our values by defeating immoral legislation such as the Gay Bill of Special Rights, the Homosexual Classrooms Act, and the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
Thank you for standing with Public Advocate in the defense of our traditional values.
Together you and I will keep American from following the path England has taken.
Sincerely,
Eugene Delgaudio
Dr. Kent Hovind: From the Pensacola Jail!
Published Sep 18, 2006
In my recent column dealing with my friend Dr. Kent Hovind who is probably the most effective creation/evolution apologist in America, I compared his problems with some early Americans who opposed British-imposed taxes on the thirteen colonies. While there is no question that both Hancock and Hovind actions were similar in that the were tax-related, they were not the same.
From the Escambia County Jail Dr. Hovind told me on Dec. 10 that he is “not a tax protester”; he simply insists on the Federal Government enforcing the laws as they are written. Some will say that he is trying to pin a nicer label on himself; however, I don’t think so. He told me “The tax laws very clearly give some ‘exceptions’; and some ‘exemptions’ for certain individuals and certain ministries, including 508 (c) (1) (a) church ministries.” He told me “I have corresponded with the IRS on numerous occasions asking them exactly what laws apply to 508 (c) (1) (a). However, they never responded to any of my letters. The agents themselves testified that they did not ever respond to any of my letters.”
That is astounding and outrageous! Repeatedly he sought clarification and received no help! Do IRS officials think they have no obligation to correspond with lowly peons who pay their salaries? Is this arrogance, defiance, or obstinacy? Or all three? This fact is not known by Kent’s critics. Some critics are so filled with loathing and hate that it will make no difference. They are very pleased to see a creationist in jail whether he deserves it or not! Yet, many Christians take the same position!
So the Hovind case involves a taxpayer who disagrees with Federal authorities (not a Federal crime) and requests clarification of those laws. And it should be added that many attorneys and tax experts agree with Hovind! So, why didn’t the government answer his questions and why didn’t the trial judge speak to the exceptions in the code?
Most Americans have an innate sense of fairness, and don’t like seeing an ordinary citizen mistreated, especially when some rapists and killers walk away with probation!
Furthermore, he told me that he never boasted about beating the tax system. Then either David Gibbs was wrong because that is what the papers reported or maybe the news accounts were wrong. Even if he did boast about beating the system, that isn’t a crime in itself. It is not a Federal offence to boast, belittle, or even beat tax laws (as long as beating the laws is done legally by use of legitimate tax shelters, trusts, etc. I have heard Kent say two or three times that he pays all taxes that he owes. He does not recommend tax protesting.
Kent told me that he “believes that everyone should obey the tax laws—including the government.” Do Gibbs, Horton, and Kent’s other critics see anything wrong with that statement? Why not hold the feet of Government officials to the fire? Haven’t they been aloof, arbitrary, and arrogant long enough? Why not chain them down with the laws they are supposed to obey? Or is it now a one-way street where only citizens are held accountable?
It is interesting that in Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Heldmyer’s closing argument, she said, “Nobody likes to pay taxes, but we do because it’s the law, and he is not above the law.” I want to remind that attorney that Federal officials are also required to obey the laws! Too often, government officials, in a desire to put another notch on their gun will deliberately skew the facts, lie, manufacture “evidence,” misquote an innocent victim, etc. since after all, “he is obviously guilty.” While we don’t have any evidence that happened with Kent’s trial, it has happened many times.
Most Americans have an innate sense of fairness, and don’t like seeing an ordinary citizen mistreated, especially when some rapists and killers walk away with probation! Surely if violent felons can walk free with probation then it is only reasonable that Kent receive the same consideration. Just last week, a black entertainer was charged with tax fraud—12 million dollars, yet he is still free on bail! Kent is in jail. It is also interesting to note that the entertainer still has his passport and is free to travel. It is such imbalance and unfairness that make so many American citizens critical of the judicial system.
I do not question Hovind’s motives. I do not believe he has ever been motivated by greed. After all, for many years he has permitted people to duplicate his videos and pass them on to other people! Obviously, avarice is not part of his nature.
He did not try to hide what he was doing about taxes. I understand, in tax matters, intent is very important and while no person on earth can always ascertain another person’s heart, I am as certain as possible that Kent is genuine.
Assuming he is correct about the IRS code, I think he was unwise to risk his and his wife’s freedom as well as his ministry. However, there is a possibility he will be considered a hero in a few years for standing for proper enforcement of laws. Some of the very people who are critical of Dr. Hovind think Henry David Thoreau was a highly principled man. Thoreau, in 1846, was arrested in Massachusetts and spend some time in jail for refusing to pay a poll tax. His friend Ralph Waldo Emerson visited him, and peered through the bars, and asked, “Henry, what are you doing in there?” Thoreau replied: “Waldo, what are you doing out there?” I wonder if Kent feels that way? Maybe in a few years some of us on the outside today may realize that we should have been on the inside with him.
Thoreau took a stand against slavery and what he considered an unjust war with Mexico. He wrote, “Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.” Maybe, just maybe some of us should be on the inside looking out rather on the outside looking in.
One thing is sure: State and Federal officials had better understand that they are not above the law and must start enforcing laws equally. Moreover, they should be more concerned with what is right rather than what is legal. “Right” never changes while man-made laws are in constant flux.
Fair minded citizens are getting weary of seeing celebrities walk free or getting a slap on the wrist while Christians are punished with glee, often when there is no guilt!
Yes, Lady Justice is blind but it is outrageous that she is also bigoted.
Acquitted
PRESS RELEASE: Saturday, May 22, 2010
Maryam & Marzieh: Acquitted and free
Fourteen months after they were arrested for their Christian faith and activities, Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh have been acquitted of all charges by the Iranian judicial authorities. However, they were warned that any future Christian activity in Iran will be seriously dealt with.
Today, Saturday May 22, 2010, they left Iran and arrived safely in another country. Sam and Lin Yeghnazar, founders of Elam Ministries and spiritual parents to Maryam and Marzieh, met them at the airport. It was a tearful reunion.
“It was very emotional when we first saw them,” said Lin Yeghnazar, “Now, we want to see them rest and recover.”
Maryam and Marzieh are eager to thank Christians who have been praying for them. “We are most grateful to everyone who prayed for us,” Marzieh said, “I have no doubt that God heard the prayers of His people.” Maryam added, “I believe our arrest, imprisonment and subsequent release were in the timing and plan of God, and it was all for His glory. But the prayers of people encouraged and sustained us throughout this ordeal.”
Both young women have shown exceptional courage, daring to tell an Islamic judge that they would never deny their faith in Christ. When Sam Yeghnazar told them their example had encouraged countless people around the world, they were quick to respond, “We are frail human beings with many weaknesses. The honour and glory go to God who has kept and used us, although we don’t know why He has chosen us. All the glory goes to Him.”
Maryam and Marzieh were arrested in March 2009 because of their Christian faith and were repeatedly placed under great pressure to recant and deny Jesus Christ. They faced repeated interrogations, weeks in solitary confinement, and unhealthy prison conditions. Both became seriously sick during their imprisonment and did not receive the treatment they needed which greatly increased their suffering. Senior judges and officials also intimidated them.
Despite this, they remained faithful to Jesus Christ and did not deny Him. After their conditional release from prison in November 2009, they have had a very trying six months waiting for their case to be heard in an Islamic court where they could have been sentenced to prison again.
“We have seen the Lord do miracles over and over again. He kept us and gave us favour in prison, and sustained us during a very difficult period of waiting for our final trial,” said Marzieh.
Maryam and Marzieh have lived through many experiences during the last fourteen months. The days ahead are not certain. However, they are determined to serve the Lord and the Iranian church. “We hope to eventually share some of what the Lord allowed us to go through to highlight the need and the opportunity for the church in Iran, but right now we will take time to pray and seek the Lord for His will,” said Maryam.
“On behalf of Maryam and Marzieh, and the entire Elam team, I would like to thank all the believers around the world who have interceded so faithfully for Maryam and Marzieh and the church in Iran,” says Sam Yeghnazar.
Please continue to pray for Maryam and Marzieh to fully recover and continue in fruitful ministry.
We look forward to providing continued updates on their situation.
The Elam Team
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Muslims Murder Pakistani Christian with Axe Blows The body of Rasheed Masih at rest after his violent death. (photo: Compass) Rival merchants threatened to kill potato seller if refused to convert to Islam. MIAN CHANNU, Pakistan, March 22 (CDN) — Six Muslims in Khanewal district, southern Punjab Province, killed a Christian with multiple axe blows for refusing to convert to Islam this month, according to family and police sources. The six men had threatened to kill 36-year-old Rasheed Masih unless he converted to Islam when they grew resentful of his potato business succeeding beyond their own, according to Masih’s younger brother Munir Asi and a local clergyman. The rival merchants allegedly killed him after luring him to their farmhouse on March 9, leaving him on a roadside near Kothi Nand Singh village in the wee hours of the next day. The Rev. Iqbal Masih of the Mian Channu Parish of the Church of Pakistan said Rasheed Masih was a devoted Christian, and that both he and his brother Asi had refused the Muslims’ pressure to convert to Islam. “As the Christian family strengthened in business and earned more, the Muslim men began to harbor business resentment, as Muslims are not used to seeing Christians more respected and richer than them,” the pastor said. “That business rivalry gradually changed into a faith rivalry.” Mian Channu police have registered a case against the six men and an investigation is underway, but the suspects are still at large, police officers told Compass. Police said the suspects were Ghulam Rasool, Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Amjad, one identified only as Kashif and two other unidentified Muslims; they were charged with torture and murder. Masih’s family lives in Babo John Colony, Mian Channu of Khanewal district. Masih’s brother Asi is a representative of the Council of Mian Channu. “Our continuous denial to recant our faith and convert gradually turned into enmity,” Asi told Compass. The FIR further states, “Both the Muslim men [Rasool and Asif] were not only inviting them to Islam but hurling threats of dire consequences and death on them for the last six months in case they refused to convert.” Police said Rasool – a radical Muslim who along with Asif had threatened to kill the brothers if they did not convert, according to Asi – called Rasheed Masih to his farmhouse ostensibly to purchase potatoes on March 9, and that Rasheed went to it by motorbike at about 5:30 p.m. Waiting for Masih there, police said, were Rasool and Asif with an axe, Amjad and Kashif with iron rods and the two unknown Muslims with clubs. They began striking him as soon as he arrived, police said. An autopsy under the supervision of Dr. Muhammad Khalid of Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Mian Channu revealed 24 wounds all over the body of Masih, according to a copy of the report obtained by Compass. “In my opinion, cause of death in this case is due to the shock caused by all the above-mentioned injuries collectively and torture,” Khalid states in the report. “All the injuries are ante-mortem and sufficient to cause death in an ordinary course of nature.” According to the FIR, when Asi and two Christian friends went to the farmhouse when Masih failed to return after a few hours, they were stunned to hear Masih shrieking as they witnessed him being beaten and struck with an axe. “As Ghulam Rasool and his accomplices saw me at the farmhouse,” Asi told police, according to the FIR, “the Muslim men put my fatally injured brother on a motorcycle and then threw him off the road near village Kothi Nand Singh.” Asi and his Christian friends found Masih by the roadside after he had succumbed to his injuries. The Muslims had absconded with Masih’s motorcycle and 350,000 rupees (US$4,088), as well as his cell phone, according to the FIR. As Asi and his Christian friends were on their way to the hospital with the body of Masih, a city police station patrol met them and transferred the body to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Mian Channu. At press time the Muslim suspects were at large even though police have filed a case strong enough to apprehend and prosecute them, Asi said. He appealed for assistance from Christian rights groups and politicians, as his family is still receiving death threats in a bid to intimidate them into withdrawing the case, he said, and they feel powerless in comparison with the influence and wealth of the Muslim suspects.
XINJIANG–On March 22nd, 5:00 PM (local time), two Christian women (one native to Kuche, Xinjiang) were arrested for passing out Christian gospel flyers on the streets in Akesu, Xinjiang. Kuche Police joined forces with local Akesu authorities to arrest the two women. The police were not in uniform and provided no legal documents, violating standard legal procedures for the arrests. The two women were detained and interrogated by police for about two hours. Both were released at 7:00 PM (local).
Akesu church members speculate that the arrests of the two women, and the proceeding interrogations, are connected to recent phone interview with foreign media. Last week, a reporter from Radio Free Asia (RFA) called the Akesu Public Security station to investigate a case concerning the arbitrary detention of six Christians on March 18, 2010. The Akesu church suspects that the international political pressure highlighting the detentions, and the subsequent involvement of foreign media, led to the backlash and illegal arrests of the two women.
ChinaAid denounces the unjust treatment of Chinese believers and the repression their religious freedoms. We further call on the Chinese authorities to deal impartial justice, and refrain from retaliating against the church for speaking the truth to the world. We urge supporters to continue to pray for the churches and Christians in Akesu, Xinjiang!