3 - Bible replaced at table of honor at Air Force Base
A Bible that been displayed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming as part of a ceremonial remembrance table has been replaced, according to Todd Starnes' website. Starnes writes:
The ceremonial remembrance table is a tradition that was started after the Vietnam War, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command Communication and Outreach Division.
The table traditionally includes a Holy Bible to represent “faith in a higher power and the pledge to our country, founded as one nation under God.”Ultimately, it seems another "book of faith" will be used. Starnes quoted from base commander Col. Stacy Huser, who, in a statement, said:
"One of our focus areas … is increasing the sense of belonging for all our Airmen; a large part of that effort is ensuring the religious and non-religious feel included and cared for. This concern being brought to our attention only helps us work toward meeting the needs of all Airmen. The 90th Missile Wing is scheduled to replace the Bible on the POW/MIA table with a ‘book of faith’ containing spiritual writings and prayers from the five DoD (Department of Defense) Chaplain appointed faith groups and a sixth set of blank pages to represent those who find solace by other means.”Starnes reports that Bibles have been removed from POW/MIA tables at "Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals from Ohio to Texas to New York." Leading the charge, as he points out, is the so-called Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which Starnes says is a "militant organization that has fought against Nativity scenes, Bible studies and any outward expressions of the Christian faith on U.S. military installations."
2 - Sidewalk counselors in New York win court victory
Throughout America, there are courageous individuals who stand in front of abortion clinics and offer Christ-centered viewpoints on the decision that those who enter are about to make. A group of such counselors in New York, according to the Thomas More Law Center, were the targets of a Federal lawsuit filed by then-Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
The Law Center's website reports on the AG's press conference, at which he announced the suit against 13 sidewalk counselors and stated that this is “not a nation where you can choose your point of view.”
On Monday (July 23), the TMLC announced a victory in court for the counselors, stating:
In a 103-page opinion issued last Friday evening, U.S. District Judge Carol Bagley Amon rebuked the efforts of the New York Attorney General’s Office to silence sidewalk counselors who regularly assembled outside of Choices Women’s Medical Center (“Choices”), a Queens abortion clinic, to plead for the lives of the unborn.Attorney Tyler Brooks made these comments: “A radical state attorney general abandoned his duty to enforce the law fairly in favor of pursuing an ideological campaign intended to silence pro-life Christians. The federal court, however, has seen through the State of New York’s efforts and made clear that the free speech of Christians will not be censored simply because some people on the left do not like it.”
The article said that the Attorney General's office...
...alleged that the thirteen sidewalk counselors violated federal, state and New York City laws prohibiting the obstruction of abortion facilities, and harassment and intimidation of women who were seeking abortions. It petitioned the federal court to create a sixteen-foot buffer zone around Choices abortion premises and levy fines, attorney fees and compensatory damages against the Defendants.
1 - State Department hosts event on religious freedom
A special event occurred this past week in the nation's capital - it was called the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, convened by the U.S. State Department and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The National Religious Broadcasters website stated that "more than 80 foreign delegations, as well as NRB and other religious and civil society leaders from around the world, gathered in Washington, D.C., at the invitation of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for a Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom."
The story pointed to an op-ed in USA Today, in which he wrote: “Countries that champion individual freedoms are often the most secure, economically vibrant, and prosperous in the world. Religious freedom is an indispensable building block of free societies.” According to the NRB website, Pompeo also said in his speech on Thursday: “When religious freedom flourishes, a country flourishes.”
A special event occurred this past week in the nation's capital - it was called the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, convened by the U.S. State Department and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The National Religious Broadcasters website stated that "more than 80 foreign delegations, as well as NRB and other religious and civil society leaders from around the world, gathered in Washington, D.C., at the invitation of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for a Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom."
The story pointed to an op-ed in USA Today, in which he wrote: “Countries that champion individual freedoms are often the most secure, economically vibrant, and prosperous in the world. Religious freedom is an indispensable building block of free societies.” According to the NRB website, Pompeo also said in his speech on Thursday: “When religious freedom flourishes, a country flourishes.”
The Secretary of State also announced new funding and programs to advance the cause of religious freedom around the world. In particular, he highlighted a new Potomac Declaration and Potomac Plan of Action. “These documents reassert the United States’ unwavering commitment to promoting and defending religious freedom. They recommend concrete ways the international community and governments can do more to protect religious freedom and vulnerable religious communities,” Pompeo said.Other speakers included Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback.
In a letter, Dr. Jerry A. Johnson, president & CEO of NRB, told Secretary Pompeo: “Religious liberty is a source of strength and stability for societies, and the focus that President Donald Trump and his administration have placed on this core principle sends a powerful message within our nation and to governments abroad.”
CBN News reported that documents emerging from the Ministerial state:
- People ought to be able to change their beliefs, to convert to a new religion.
- Religious communities ought to be able to do things like print, import and distribute literature.
- Religious speech should not be suppressed under the guise of national security.
- Nations have no right to pick and choose which religions will be tolerated in their countries.
- Blasphemy laws should be repealed.
- Nations should not require people to register their religious beliefs with the state.
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