Quote from Forum Archives on June 10, 2003, 7:31 pm

Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>

MODERATOR: If information like this doesn't get us on our
knees praying for God's intervention in our nation, then
I don't know what will!
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RELIGIOUS THOUGHT POLICE
-by Mary Ann Collins.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil
is for good men to do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)

Christianity is under assault. A Swedish pastor was sent to jail for preaching
what the Bible says about homosexuality. A Canadian judge forced schools
to teach homosexuality in kindergarten classes. Australian Christians were
prosecuted for handing out Christian literature, even though there are no laws
against doing it. The Supreme Court of Vermont forced the state to legally
recognize same-sex unions. Two Australian pastors have been prosecuted
for teaching what the Koran says about Islam. A Canadian judge forced a
Catholic high school to allow a gay boy to bring a male escort to his high
school prom. In America, a Methodist bishop said that Christian evangelism
is arrogant and it can lead to hate crimes. Canadian mayors have been fined
up to $10,000 for not celebrating Gay Pride Week in their cities. The
European Union is considering laws which might make some parts of the
Bible illegal.

Many Christians are not aware of the extent to which the Church is
becoming hemmed in because they have only seen bits and pieces of the
picture. The purpose of this paper is to suggest what the big picture is like.
There may well be many more examples than those I have given. This paper
is only a start. We Christians need to understand what is going on. The
Bible says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. (Hosea 4:6)

Will the religious beliefs and practices of Christians become subject
to government regulation? Will governments of democratic nations make it
difficult for Christians to live by Biblical standards and to protect their children
from moral corruption? This paper will demonstrate that such things can
happen in today’s world. However, if Christians are vigilant, then by the
grace of God, we can prevent it or at least minimize it.

It has been said that, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” That
includes freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. If we want to have
them, then we need to protect them. All of us can pray. Some of us can
also do other things.

BELGIUM

The Belgian parliament has published a list of “cults”. It includes
Amish, Quakers, Pentecostals, Assemblies of God, and 21 groups of
Evangelical Christians.

SWEDEN

In 1988, an Evangelical pastor in Sweden preached about Sodom
and Gomorrah. He told his congregation that homosexuality is still wrong
and God will judge people who practice it. The courts ruled that the pastor
had violated Sweden’s anti-hate laws, and sentenced him to jail. In the
name of tolerance, the Swedish courts refused to tolerate the truth of the
Bible.

In June 2002, the Swedish Parliament approved a constitutional
amendment which outlaws speech or materials which are unfavorable to
homosexuality. In order to become effective, the amendment has to be
passed a second time, by a new Parliament which was elected in
September 2002. The Swedish government said that it hopes this will
happen in 2003.

According to the constitutional amendment, it would be a crime to
teach that homosexuality is a sin, or to say that Scripture verses prohibiting
it apply today. People convicted under this law could serve two years in
prison. Homosexual activists could come to church services with tape
recorders to catch pastors and church members who criticize
homosexuality. This would apply not only to preaching but also to private
conversations. One Evangelical leader said that the amendment would result
in having the Swedish government define what theology is permissible.
Conservative pastors and Christian schools say that government officials
often harass them.

CANADA

Canada also has anti-hate laws which protect homosexuals. A
Canadian man was convicted of hate crimes because he published an
advertisement which gave the references of four Scripture verses which
condemn homosexuality. The newspaper which published the ad was also
convicted of hate crimes. The case was not tried in the regular court
system. There is a special tribunal system, under the Human Rights
Commission (HRC), for people charged with anti-hate crimes. This case was
decided by a feminist lawyer, appointed by the HRC, who acted as judge and
jury.

Canadian Christians have been convicted of hate crimes for following
their conscience. A Christian printer was fined $5,000 for refusing to print
literature for a homosexual organization. In addition to paying the fine, he
also had $100,000 in legal expenses. He was forbidden to refuse such
business in the future. The court ruled that the printer has a right to practice
his religious beliefs in his home, but he is not allowed to practice them in
public if they result in discriminating against homosexuals. This printer was
not allowed to practice freedom of conscience.

Christian mayors have also been forbidden to practice freedom of
conscience. Six mayors were convicted of the “crime” of refusing to proclaim
Gay Pride Week in their cities. Mayors had to pay fines of up to $10,000.
One mayor had to pay $70,000 in legal expenses.

Gay Pride Week ends with a Gay Pride Parade. The Toronto parade
has had up to a million visitors. Some marchers wear conservative clothing.
However, there are also men wearing G-strings, and bare-breasted women
holding hands. Some men wear black leather and are bound with chains to
portray sadomasochism. (I saw online photographs of these things.) Since
1997, there have been nude marchers. In 2002, seventy men marched
naked. Seven of them were arrested. However, the charges were dropped
because they were wearing shoes and were therefore not totally naked. The
Gay Pride Parade is being forced on Canadian mayors and citizens by the
Canadian government.

Chris Kempling is a Christian teacher and a student counselor. He
was concerned because homosexuality was strongly promoted in his school
and the students were not told about the health risks involved or the fact that
homosexual relationships are often unstable. He never said anything about it
at the school where he taught. However, he wrote some letters to the editor
of a local newspaper. Because of this, he was formally reprimanded and
suspended without pay for a month. In addition, Kempling has been
blacklisted as a teacher. This disciplinary action was for things which
Kempling did as a private citizen.

In 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that same-sex couples
are to receive the same spousal benefits which normal married couples
receive. It also directed the Ontario government to pass legislation giving
homosexuals all of the benefits of marriage except for the term “marriage”.
That includes the right to adopt children. The Canadian federal government
has removed every legal distinction between normal married couples and
same-sex couples.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Because I have mentioned homosexuality, I want to go on record
about my personal attitude towards homosexuals. Jesus died for them. He
loves them, and we should too. However, their lifestyle is unbiblical and it is
destructive. I have personally known gays and lesbians whose lives were
destroyed by their sinful practices. Homosexuals can change. I know a
man who did. He became a committed Christian and now lives according to
Biblical moral principles. I believe that the best way to show love for
homosexuals is to resist their social and political agenda, to pray for their
salvation, and to help them become set free from their spiritual and emotional
bondage.

ENGLAND

England also has anti-hate laws. On November 28, 2002, the Crown
Prosecution Service announced that it was making the prosecution of
“homophobic” crimes a priority. It defines “homophobic” as fear or dislike of
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual people. The Crown Prosecution
Service defines “homophobic” in terms of the perception of the victim, rather
than in terms of the actions and motives of the person who commits the
crime. In other words, it is subjective, rather than being something which
can be objectively examined or proved. Making it a crime to show any
disapproval of homosexuality results in forcing people to suppress traditional
moral values and Biblical standards of sexuality.

AUSTRALIA

In 2001, the government of Victoria, Australia, proposed a “Racial
and Religious Tolerance Act”. According to legal experts, the language of
the bill could result in having Christians be charged with religious intolerance
for evangelizing. A Christian group called Salt Shakers analyzed the bill,
prepared reports, and opposed the bill. The government then released a
proposal for an amended bill which would be less likely to cause problems
for Christians who evangelize. The amended bill passed in June 2001. This
demonstrates the need for Christians to be vigilant and to be actively involved
in legislation which affects freedom of religion.

Continued vigilance is needed because laws can be amended. As
discussed earlier in this paper, there is pressure in Canada to expand and
strengthen existing anti-hate laws.

In November 2002, the government of Queensland, Australia,
introduced a Gay Reform Bill to Parliament. If it is passed, this bill will
outlaw discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transvestites.
Adults who have had sex change operations will be allowed to change their
birth certificates. (This is rewriting history to make their birth certificate
match their new sexual identity.) Same-sex couples will have most of the
legal benefits of normal married couples. Anti-discrimination laws will be
made stronger. Lesbians will be allowed to be artificially inseminated by
fertility doctors. Atheism will be classified as a religion which is protected by
anti-discrimination and anti-vilification laws.

Sydney, Australia, has an annual gay and lesbian Mardi Gras
Parade which draws crowds of up to a million people. I am going to describe
it because Christians need to be aware of the degree to which national
cultures are being corrupted by homosexual activists. The parade has a
wide variety of marchers. Some dress conservatively. However, there are
also men wearing nothing but thongs. There are bare-breasted women.
There are floats with dancers who do provocative dances. There are men
wearing black leather who are bound with chains to portray sadomasochism.
Some marchers flamboyantly mock Christianity.

In 1999, Australia’s Community and Family Rights Council
presented a report about attacks on Christianity to the Australian Parliament.
The report says that “counter culture” humanists have been systematically
working to remove laws which are based on Christian morality, and to have
Christian moral values be rejected by the community. Homosexual activists
have openly declared in writing that they intend to destroy all churches which
condemn homosexuality.

According to the council’s report, Christian churches have been
stormed by gay activists who disrupted services by chanting obscenities and
throwing condoms. Gay activists are systematically attacking the
foundations of Christian democracy in the courts and through legislation.
Their goal is to give the secular government control over Christian churches.
Homosexual activists are targeting the psychology profession in order to
influence sex education and public health. They are undermining the
concept of the traditional family by working to legitimatize same-sex
“marriages”. Gay clergymen are working to get Christian churches to accept
homosexuality. Because of the Human Rights Commission, humanist
politicians are gaining increasing control over Christian churches.

AMERICA

On May 19, 2003 the American Psychiatric Association met to
debate whether or not to stop classifying the following sexual behaviors as
mental illnesses: pedophilia, sadomasochism, transvestitism, fetishism,
exhibitionism, and voyeurism. The APA is seriously considering
“normalizing” these sexual behaviors. If it does, then laws prohibiting such
behavior are likely to be challenged by activists who are working to promote
“sexual freedom”.

The American Psychological Association has published a report
which says that sexual relations between adults and children are not
necessarily harmful and may actually be beneficial to the children. The
authors did not do any research of their own. They reviewed previous studies
(many of which were never published or given peer review). Some people
question the validity of this study.

The idea that sex between adults and children could be beneficial for
the children goes back to the work of Dr. Alfred Kinsey, a biologist who
became the father of modern sexology. One of his disciples was Hugh
Heffner, who published “Playboy” magazine. Heffner said that the purpose of
“Playboy” was to change American society. The purpose of the articles in
“Playboy” was to make the magazine seem intellectual and legitimate.
Heffner boasted that America now has a generation of leaders who were
influenced by “Playboy” in college.

Dr. Judith Reisman has been studying Kinsey’s work for over 20
years, including interviewing people who worked with him. She wrote two
books about him. They are “Kinsey, Sex and Fraud: The Indoctrination of a
People” (1990) and “Kinsey, Crimes and Consequences” (1998, 2000).
According to Reisman, Kinsey did fraudulent research in order to change the
moral standards of American society. During his research, hundreds of
children were sexually molested by pedophiles.

On March 2, 1991 a respected British medical journal (“The Lancet”)
published an article saying that Kinsey’s research was based on the sexual
abuse of children. “The Lancet” and a German medical journal (“The German
Medical Tribune”) demanded that the Kinsey Institute be investigated.

In 1998, British television aired a documentary about Kinsey’s
sexual research on children. It was titled “Secret History: Kinsey’s
Paedophiles”. The documentary interviewed a woman who had been one of
the children used for Kinsey’s research. She is now in her sixties, yet she
still breaks into tears when she recounts what happened to her. Her father
was a classmate of Kinsey’s. Her father repeatedly raped her. He used a
stopwatch and took notes while he was doing it.

Why haven’t we seen this video in America, or at least heard about it
in the media? It is so contrary to political correctness that perhaps
journalists are afraid that writing about it would harm their careers.

Dr. Kinsey serves as a good reminder that we Christians need to
base our morality on what the Bible says and not on what the “experts” tell
us. As the old hymn says, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground
is sinking sand.”

In the face of such things, we need to remind ourselves that if we
love God, then He will make everything work out for our good. (Romans 8:28)
Even things like this. What the enemy of our souls intends for evil, God can
use for our good. (See Genesis 50:20)

RETURN OF THE 'GODDESS'

Philip G. Davis is a professor of religious studies at a Canadian
university. He wrote the book “Goddess Unmasked: The Rise of Neopagan
Feminist Spirituality” (Spence Publishing Company, 1998). According to
Davis, the credibility of goddess worship has been increased by its
acceptance by university professors and its incorporation into textbooks.
(Davis, pages 29-31) Some feminists have even demanded that the goddess
be given parity with the God of the Bible in university religion programs. This
will impact our entire society because universities and colleges are training
most of our future leaders, including government, health care, and the clergy.
(Davis, pages 361, 363)

Goddess worship has become strong in the field of health care,
particularly nursing. Health care professionals are actively promoting New
Age practices. For example, thousands of nurses in 80 North American
nursing programs have been taught “therapeutic touch” (manipulating auras
and energy-fields by passing your hands above a person’s body). (Davis,
pages 31-33)

A Canadian television station ran a five-part series titled “Return of
the Goddess,” which introduced many people to goddess worship.  The
National Film Board of Canada produced “Goddess Remembered,” which
became one of their most popular productions ever, being featured by public
broadcasting TV stations in the United States as well as in Canada. “Cakes
for the Queen of Heaven” and “Goddess Remembered” have become staples
for study groups in some major Christian denominations. (Davis, pages 25-
27)

EVANGELISM IS BECOMING MISUNDERSTOOD

In view of the increasing Wiccan influence on our culture, it is not
surprising that evangelism has become controversial. One example is the
Southern Baptist Convention for 2000, which was held in Chicago. Plans for
the convention included evangelizing. The Council of Religious Leaders of
Metropolitan Chicago asked the Southern Baptists not to hold their meeting
in Chicago. Bishop Sprague is one of the members of the Council. He
oversees 425 Methodist Churches in the Northern Illinois Conference. He
said that evangelizing is arrogant because it presumes that some people are
saved and other people need salvation. He said that this treats unsaved
religious groups like second-class citizens, and it is dangerous because it
can encourage hate crimes against them.

Bishop Sprague’s comments make me wonder whether hate crimes
laws could eventually be interpreted in such a way that Christian evangelism
would be considered to be a hate crime.

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL INFLUENCE
OF GAY ACTIVISTS

Homosexual activists have so much political influence in America
that local governments allow Gay Pride Parades. Prominent politicians
participate in these parades.

America’s largest Gay Pride Parades are in New York City and San
Francisco. In 2000, half a million poeple came to the New York parade.
Prominent politicians marched in the parade, including Mayor Rudy Giuliana,
first lady Hillary Clinton (in 2000 she was first lady, not yet a senator),
Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts, former Mayor Koch, a
member of New York’s state Senate, and two members of the City Council.
Congressman Rick Lazio did not participate in the parade. Because of this,
he was criticized not only by Democrats but also by some fellow
Republicans. In 2001, all six candidates for mayor participated in New York
City’s Gay Pride Parade.

The New York parade had men wearing thongs, bare-breasted
women, and men portraying sadomasochism. There were floats with go-go
dancers. There were drag queens (men dressed like women). Men publicly
kissed and embraced. There were inflatable life-sized figures of nude men.
Some mainline Christian denominations had groups in the parade, including
a “lavender choir”.

The political and social strength of the homosexual activists is
demonstrated by the fact that Gay Pride Parades are held around the world.
The 2003 parade is scheduled for 109 American cities and for 63 cities in 24
other countries. Countries scheduled to have parades include: Australia,
Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany,
Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand,
and the United States.

CONCLUSION

In the face of the kinds of things discussed in this paper, it is easy
to feel that we are insignificant and we cannot do anything to improve the
situation. Edward Everett Hale gave a good perspective. He said, “I cannot
do everything, but I can do something.... What I can do, I should do. And
what I should do, by the grace of God, I will do."

__________________________________________
Copyright 2003 by Mary Ann Collins. All rights reserved.
www.ReligiousThoughtPolice.com
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