June 14,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Jane Clementi, Founder and Board Member of the Tyler Clementi Foundation issues a statement on the Orlando night club terror shooting:
“My heart simply breaks for the victims and their families. When will people open their eyes and see the horrific impact of their misguided teachings of bias, discrimination and hate that devalues the human spirit, whether it is in the dramatic physical actions of taking another life or in the slow and steady emotional toll of ongoing bullying. Love will win and these outrageous acts of evil will stop.” – Jane Clementi, Founder and Board Member of the Tyler Clementi Foundation (June 13, 2016)
“…horrific impact of their misguided teachings of bias, discrimination and hate that devalues the human spirit, whether it is in the dramatic physical actions of taking another life or in the slow and steady emotional toll of ongoing bullying.”
Mrs. Clementi, are you willing to distinguish between Christians, who are appropriately taught to hate the sin but love the sinner, and Sharia-enforcing Islamists, who are taught to hate all non-Muslims (kaffirs), gay or straight, with such a white-hot fury that if they ever find themselves in power (as the craven Orlando gunman was for three full hours), and we fail to convert or submit (dhimmi/jizya) in time to save our skins, they would not think twice about killing us all (jihad)?
If public schoolchildren were to be taught at an appropriate age that the marital act is natural, ennobling, and good for the soul and for society, and that by contrast sodomitical acts are, always and everywhere, intrinsically disordered and soul-destroying, would this fall into the category of Misguided Teachings of Bias, Discrimination and Hate?
With all due respect, Mrs. Clemente, if that is what you believe, and if that is the message the Tyler Clemente Foundation is conveying to school administrators across the country, it is you and those administrators, and not devout Christians, who are misguided and should be the subject of severe public reproach.
Way to seize a tragedy and make it your own.
Apologies to you 4:43pm, but to whom was your remark directed?
“As the Sacred Scripture says, the Sodomites were wicked and exceedingly sinful. Saint Peter and Saint Paul condemn this nefarious and depraved sin. In fact, the Scripture denounces this enormous indecency thus: ‘The scandal of Sodomites and Gomorrhans has multiplied and their sins have become grave beyond measure.’ So the angels said to just Lot, who totally abhorred the depravity of the Sodomites: ‘Let us leave this city….’ Holy Scripture does not fail to mention the causes that led the Sodomites, and can also lead others, to this most grievous sin. In fact, in Ezechiel we read: ‘Behold this was the iniquity of Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and abundance, and the idleness of her, and of her daughters: and they did not put forth their hand to the needy, and the poor. And they were lifted up, and committed abominations before me; and I took them away as thou hast seen’ (Ezech. 16: 49-50).
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Those unashamed of violating divine and natural law are slaves of this never sufficiently execrated depravity.”
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-St. Peter Canisius, Summa Doctrina Christianae, III a/b, p. 455
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St. Peter Canisius (misguided teacher of bias, discrimination and hate) was a DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH.
@4:42 If you are a Christian and going to choose to be biased toward people based on their sexuality, why don’t you just come out and say it. Stop hiding behind phrases like Love the Sinner; Hate the Sin. This is just using your god and bible as a justification for the kind of behavior that I would think your god would be horrified by. You’re a coward.
Bobbie, the standard of behavior in this regard is not set by Christians, it is set by God. Christians who love God seek to follow God’s law, which include laws relating to the outward expression of human sexuality. Sexual depravity is a real thing, with real negative consequences, not only for the immortal soul of the specific individual, but for society as a whole. It is undeniably a significant source of societal rot. Sodomy laws, now on the wane (an understatement) in the U.S., represent but one type of measure used to prevent or head off this problem. Many other measures have been undertaken, legal, cultural, religious and otherwise. Strong freedom of speech laws in the United States laws are allowing devout Christians, mostly traditional Catholics nowadays (since Protestant denominations worldwide are going so weak-kneed), who truly harbor no personal ill will toward individuals (whether same sex attracted or opposite sex attracted) who’ve descended into sexual depravity, to calmy but sternly “rebuke” such people in an effort to help them see where they have gone wrong and correct the course of their life, both for the sake of their own souls and their fate in the hereafter. Some, like you perhaps, would prefer not to hear such voices, but American laws and traditions squarely oppose any widespread or systematic effort to silence them. For what it’s worth, the only other place in the world where such voices are clearly heard and are not being severely censored is in Africa. Everywhere else, sexual depravity has the upper hand, and this includes all Muslim majority countries.
@10:18 – hate is hate. and there’s nothing worse than hate wrapped up to look like someone who’s only trying to “calmly but sternly ‘rebuke’ people in an effort to help them see where they have gone wrong and correct the course of their life.” Thank you but my soul is just fine without your drivel.
From: Why Obama Gets Emotional Talking About Islam, by Cliff Kincaid on June 14, 2016 (FYI, at this point in time, nearly half a century into the scandalous post-Vatican II liturgical reforms pushed upon U.S. Catholic parishes by the unabashed modernists that control the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and having been force-fed heresy after heresy for decades, traditional U.S. Catholics will no longer hesitate to dispute Florida Bishop Lynch’s preposterous remarks):
…conservatives are now being blamed for the murders carried out by a crazed Islamic killer who pledged allegiance to ISIS.
Incredibly, Florida Catholic Bishop Robert Lynch is blaming his own religion for playing a part in the massacre. He says “sadly it is religion, including our own, that targets, mostly verbally, and often breeds contempt for gays, lesbians and transgender people. Attacks today on LGBT men and women often plant the seed of contempt, then hatred, which can ultimately lead to violence.”
Catholic teaching is that homosexuality is unnatural and sinful, but it does not advocate the killing of gays. On the other hand, Islam treats homosexuality as a crime. In fact, homosexuality is illegal and can be punishable by death under Islamic Sharia law.
Not surprisingly, The Washington Post quickly reprinted this Catholic Bishop’s essay, since it takes the attention away from the Islamic motivation of the terrorist. It also diverts attention from Obama’s inability, or unwillingness, to identify and stop the enemy in America.
Bobbie, please keep an open mind. Traditional lay Catholics are as aware and knowledgeable as anyone about the existence, importance, and ramifications of man’s free will. In the absence of massive supernatural events such as the October 1917 Miracle of the Sun wrought by Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal (personally witnessed by tens of thousands), successfully changing hearts and minds in a country this large could potentially take generations. As you are probably aware, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is currently on a Vatican II-fueled “bender” and is accordingly nearly useless in this effort, at best. In the meantime, Mr. and Mrs. Clemente’s grief at the loss of their beautiful young son Tyler is certainly greater than most of us can understand or imagine. More recently, the loss our country has suffered with the senseless murder of so many dozens of innocent young lives in Orlando at the hands of that deranged islamist is incalculable. The bottom line, however, is that we can’t allow any of this to detract from the importance of responding appropriately to God’s unambiguous call to dignified sexual continence on the part of all his children. The consequences of doing otherwise is the most painful consequence of damnation–eternal separation from the beatific vision.
@12:32 – save me your Catholic ranting. Any organized religion that harbors criminals for the sake of money is one I want nothing to do with.
102 people shot dead and wounded is not “bullying”.
My god this woman has got to be kidding me….anyone who supports or is involved in this foundation should have their head along with Mrs. Clementi’s examined.
Recall the chilling words of Princeton Professor Robert George in his famous address, “No more comfortable Catholicism.” He noted that the world has no animosity toward a nominal Catholic who just goes to Mass, but it’s much different when it comes to one who “actually believes what the Church teaches on issues such as marriage and sexual morality and the sanctity of human life.”
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He said that it is still possible to be a “safe” or “comfortable Catholic” today “if one in fact does not believe what the Church teaches, or, for now at least, even if one does believe those teachings but is prepared to be completely silent about them.” Professor George warned, however, that there are severe consequences awaiting those who will not yield to the pressure. “To be a witness to the Gospel today is to make oneself a marked man or woman,” he said.
And 49 innocent victims gunned down in cold blood is not “dramatic physical actions of taking another life.” Dramatic? Is that the best your thesaurus could spit out?
And what was the attitude and what were the teachings of the church where young Tyler’s family took him?
Sorry, But We Won’t Rewrite the Bible for Gays and Lesbians
Townhall.com
June 27, 2016
Michael Brown
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In response to my open letter to Isaac Archuleta, who describes himself as a bisexual Christian, Richard S. posted a lengthy comment on my personal Facebook page, including this statement: “The logical conclusion to your theology (gays can change and if they don’t it must be because they don’t have faith or are deceived) is extremely damaging to the souls of gay people. That was the point of Isaac’s letter. No amount of nice words will erase the damage. Only honest reconsideration of your theology will bring healing. Please don’t discount/deny the faith of your gay brothers and sisters. They have much to contribute to the church.”
Of course, Richard has completely misstated what conservative Christians believe (we don’t say or believe that if gays don’t change “it must be because they don’t have faith or are deceived”), just as other parts of his comment (not quoted here) were also based on serious misunderstandings.
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But that is secondary to the bigger issue, and Richard is one of many who are telling serious Bible believers that, “Only honest reconsideration of your theology will bring healing.”
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He could not be more wrong.
First, what Scripture says on homosexual practice is not negotiable, and no amount of new books or videos or personal stories will change that.
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As I explained in my book Can You Be Gay and Christian?, “no new textual, archeological, sociological, anthropological, or philological discoveries have been made in the last fifty years that would cause us to read any of these biblical texts differently. Put another way, it is not that we have gained some new insights into what the biblical text means based on the study of the Hebrew and Greek texts. Instead, people’s interaction with the LGBT community has caused them to understand the biblical text differently.”
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Simply stated, if not for the sexual revolution, no one would be reexamining what the Scriptures state about God’s intention for His creation.
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No one would be wondering if two men or two women could “marry” or if a husband could also be a wife.
No one would be doubting that the Lord made men for women and women for men and that any deviation from that pattern was contrary to His design and intent.
As one New Testament scholar was candid enough to admit, it was clear to him that the Bible forbade homosexual practice, but when his own daughter came out as a lesbian, he changed his opinion on the subject.
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That’s why I’ve often stated that there is not a single argument that can be brought from God’s Word to defend homosexual practice, but there are powerful emotional arguments that can be brought. In that context, I’m often reminded of Jesus’ words that, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37).
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The father of a “gay Christian” activist changed churches when his home congregation rejected his son’s views on homosexuality. When asked about these words of Jesus, he commented that there were other churches he could go to, but he had only one son.
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I could only wince when I heard his words, so loving in one way but so destructive in another.
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Second, if there was something to reconsider in our theology we would gladly do it. The truth be told, as impossible as the “gay Christian” arguments struck me, I went to the Lord about them, buying the books that defended this new way of reading Scripture, reading the stories (and listening to the stories) of professing gay Christians, allowing my heart to be torn and my mind to be challenged.
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At the end of the day, as a biblical scholar, a lover of Jesus, and a lover of people, it was impossible for me to accept their arguments. The Word is just too clear on this, and without some kind of emotional or social or other pressure to reconsider what Scripture states, no one would deny this.
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Third, those who argue that Christians agree to disagree on lots of things without denying each other’s faith fail to realize that they do not agree to disagree on behaviors that Scripture strongly condemns – unless they themselves are living in some kind of moral compromise.
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We’re not dealing here with a question of whether speaking in tongues is for today or whether Christians are required to tithe or whether Jesus is coming before the tribulation.
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We’re dealing with redefining the very meaning of marriage and claiming that a behavior that is plainly condemned in the Old and New Testaments – I’m talking about same-sex cohabitation – is now blessed by God.
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And while God alone is the judge of every professing Christian, be that person gay or straight, we cannot embrace as fellow brothers and sisters those who are affirming, practicing, and even celebrating homosexuality.
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We will put our arms around everyone who struggles with same-sex attraction, loving them and embracing them and encouraging them in their walk with the Lord, whether their walk entails transformation from homosexual to heterosexual or whether it entails celibacy.
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But we will not and cannot affirm and bless what the Lord Himself opposes. To do so is to do a disservice to those in the LGBT community.
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Fourth, God’s message of grace and truth brings healing and wholeness and deliverance and freedom, as millions of people from every walk of life can attest, including large numbers of people who once identified as LGBT.
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I’m quite aware that there are genuine homo-haters in the Church (I plan to address this yet again in the coming days; God is their judge as well), and I’m quite aware that Christians have often failed to demonstrate Christlike love and compassion to the LGBT community (to put it mildly).
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But I’m also quite aware that when we speak the truth in love and people actually hear what we’re saying (not the interpretation they put on our words but the real message of our words), if that message is received it will bring life not death.
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To all of you reading this article who say, “I’m gay, I’m Christian, I’m involved in a same-sex relationship, and we’re thriving in the Lord,” I invite you to call my radio show or to send me your story or, if you live in my city, to get together with me and some of your friends – not for the purpose of debate but for the purpose of honest, loving, heartfelt interaction.
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And if you have time, would you watch my video, “Can You Be Gay and Christian?” and tell me what I don’t understand and where I don’t display genuine empathy?
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And if you’d like to read my book by the same title and you genuinely can’t afford it, email me your story, include your address, and I’ll send you a copy for free. You will not find a hateful word in the book, but you will find someone who cares.
Who May Speak, After Orlando?
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Who has a right to speak out about homosexuality after the Orlando Gay Bar massacre, and what should be said? It is tempting for Christians who hold to the biblical condemnation of homosexuality to go silent, but is that right?
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One group that does not hesitate is ISIS, which from the beginning has openly claimed responsibility, describing the gunman as one of its heroic fighters. Various Islamic spokesmen, like Fahad Qureshi, admitted in 2013 that the desire to see homosexuals killed was a belief held even by “moderate” Muslims. Just weeks before Orlando, Muslim cleric Sheikh Farrokh Sekaleshfar, during a sermon at an Orlando-area mosque, called for gays to be executed “out of compassion.” In the same vein, the front page of an Islamic Turkish newspaper (with links to the country’s President Erdoğan) justifies the killing, calling those who died in the Orlando mass shooting “perverts” and “deviants.”
Others who speak out are homosexual activists, believing that this slaughter provides the occasion to encourage the rightful spread of homosexual practice. Author Karl Soehnlein, when hearing that the murderer’s anger was provoked by seeing two men kissing in “an expression of love,” has vowed to “flood the world with images of men kissing…fight back with love.” President Obama, avoiding any open accusations of Islam, implies that the real problem is how we think about LGBT practice. He exhorts the nation: “We need the strength and courage to change our attitudes toward the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.”
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Inevitably, biblical Christians are singled out as promoting violence via “violent” speech. Describing Tony Perkins of Family Research Council as “an anti-gay hate group leader,” a group called “Faithful America” is seeking to get him barred from speaking on national television. The left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center long ago designated FRC as a hate group. Time Magazine employed a “homosexual Christian” to affirm “What Christians Must Do in the Wake of Orlando,” blaming Christians for causing “deep, lasting pain in LGBT people’s lives,” asserting that “Unless you’ve long been a vocal advocate for LGBT people, you’ve likely contributed to that suffering—intentionally or not.” The article implies that anything but acceptance creates a climate of mass killing. Liberals within the church agree. Florida Catholic Bishop Robert Lynch blames the church for playing a part in the massacre. “Sadly, it is religion, including our own,” he says, “that targets, mostly verbally, and often breeds contempt for gays, lesbians and transgender people.” This weak explanation in no way accounts for the violence of Isis.
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Clearly, Christians must pause to ask if their speech expresses hatred. Alas, there are “Christians” who, like radical Muslims, exult in the slaughter. The pastor of Verity Baptist Church, Sacramento, CA, Roger Jimenez, praises the massacre, claiming to be upset that the gunman did not finish the job! He states in hateful terms: “As Christians we shouldn’t be mourning the deaths of these fifty sodomites because the Bible teaches that these sodomites are all, every single one of them, a predator.”
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Indeed, the heartless bloodshed in Orlando is a reminder to Christians that our response must be a combination of love and truth, involving both the human situation and the being of God.
The Christian calling is to make known the good news that God loves sinners for whom Jesus paid the ultimate price. Inasmuch as we are all sinners, we may not define anyone as beyond the reach of God’s mercy.
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But we must first and foremost speak the truth about this loving God. This will be the theological message of our conference in October 7–8, 2016, in Escondido, CA, “Two Loves: A Biblical Response to ‘Gay Christianity,’” to which, dear reader, you are invited. Alas, many do not understand that the normalization of homosexuality undermines the person of God who, as Creator, made human beings male and female to reflect his Trinitarian image (Gen. 1:27). For God’s honor and for true human flourishing, this truth must be maintained.
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Christians may not play the part of God, who alone is the ultimate judge. “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord” (Heb. 10:30). In pleading to God for Sodom, Abraham says what all believers must affirm: “Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Gen. 18:25). In the New Testament the church is never given authority to impose civil physical justice on the culture, a role given explicitly to the duly-appointed magistrate (Rom. 13:1–4). Spiritual excommunication of church members is the only response to blatant, unrepentant sin—of believers.
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Christians must warn of the final judgment, which no one escapes. Yet we also have a humble, marvelous truth to announce from the rooftops: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (1 Tim 1:15).
No Christian should EVER gratify followers of Islam in this way.
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Mainline Christian Denomination Praying to Allah?
CBN ^ | 6/28/16
Posted on Wed Jun 29 2016 09:04:50 GMT-0400 (EDT) by Lera
The Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. is raising eyebrows after lifting up prayers to Allah at its General Assembly meeting last week.
“Allah bless us and bless our families and bless our Lord. Lead us on the straight path – the path of all prophets: Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad.”
These were the words that rang out over the congregation at The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, USA meeting in Portland, Oregon. Wajidi Said, co-founder of the Muslim Education Trust, led the attendees in the prayer to the Islamic deity – a move arranged by the Ecumenical and Interfaith ministry staff at the assembly.
The prayer was part of the “first order of business” during the meeting’s opening session, a time dedicated to praying for those affected by the Orlando shooting that occured just weeks before.
“In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful, let us praise the Lord… Peace be upon them and peace be upon Allah,” Said prayed. He also prayed peace on the “bigots” and “Islamaphobes.”
(Excerpt) Read more at 1.cbn.com …
TOPICS: Current Events
KEYWORDS: islam; pcusa
allah (I refuse to capitalize the demons name ) is not God. It’s NOT Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad it is Abraham , Issac , Jacob , David , JESUS. The PCUSA is not a Christian denomination it is a godless leftist organization that walks in it’s own godless way.
(2 Corinthians 6:14) Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
(2 Corinthians 6:15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
(2 Corinthians 6:16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
(2 Corinthians 6:17) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
(2 Corinthians 6:18) And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
1 posted on Wed Jun 29 2016 09:04:50 GMT-0400 (EDT) by Lera
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To: Lera
“The PCUSA is not a Christian denomination”
This needs to be said, over and over again.
2 posted on Wed Jun 29 2016 09:09:20 GMT-0400 (EDT) by Flavious_Maximus
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To: Lera
Once the Spirit has departed there is nothing left to do but call the realtors.
3 posted on Wed Jun 29 2016 09:10:28 GMT-0400 (EDT) by marron
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To: Lera
Just one of the MANY reasons why the PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) broke off from the so-called mainline Presbyterians mentioned in this article. Consequently the “mainline” group is shrinking and the PCA is growing tremendously.
4 posted on Wed Jun 29 2016 09:11:34 GMT-0400 (EDT) by Apple Pan Dowdy (… as American as Apple Pie)
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To: Lera
For the life of me, I cannot fathom why people are falling all over themselves to appease/accommodate Islam and Muslims.
5 posted on Wed Jun 29 2016 09:12:21 GMT-0400 (EDT) by Arm_Bears (Rope. Tree. Politician/Journalist. Some assembly required.)
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To: Lera; newgeezer
NO WAY!!!
6 posted on Wed Jun 29 2016 09:12:23 GMT-0400 (EDT) by DungeonMaster (Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.)
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To: Lera
“Allah bless us and bless our families and bless our Lord. Lead us on the straight path – the path of all prophets: Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad.”
Mohammed was a liar, a murderer, and a rapist. Not by any means a prophet of God.
Jesus was not a prophet either, he is the One Whom the prophets foretold. Jesus IS God.
7 posted on Wed Jun 29 2016 09:13:51 GMT-0400 (EDT) by NorthMountain (A plague o’ both your houses.)