Court intervenes in Calif. cross fight

By TMt Soledad CrossHOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer Mon Jul 3, 7:50 PM ET

AP Photo: Visitors walk around the 29-foot Mount Soledad Cross at the Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial

U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record), R-Alpine, said the stay was "the right decision." Hunter, along with Mayor Jerry Sanders, asked President Bush in May to exercise his power of eminent domain and take over the half-acre cross site atop Mount Soledad. Read more.....

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...A Memphis church has erected a 72-foot-tall replica of the Statue of Liberty. It is tall and green like the original, with the right arm extended upward in the familiar pose. But instead of a torch, this statue holds a cross. And the famous inscription -- "Give me your tired, your poor ..." -- has been replaced by Roman numerals representing the Ten Commandments. A tear is running down her face. It has a $260,000 price tag. World Overcomers Outreach Ministers Church is calling it the "Statue of Liberation." It will be unveiled at an Independence Day ceremony. The pastor, Apostle Alton Williams, says people cannot drive by the statue "without thinking about their relationship with God." [AP]

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Philly Historical Group Accused of Pro-Homosexual Double Standard

Officials in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have refused a request for a historical marker commemorating the October 2004 arrest of eleven Christians at "Outfest," a homosexual pride event. The pro-family group that made the request believes the arrests may be significant as the first incidence of Christians being charged with a hate crime for their evangelistic outreach.

Attorney: PERA Could Stop ACLU Profits From Anti-Christian Lawsuits

By Allie Martin July 3, 2006

(AgapePress) - An attorney with the American Family Association Center for Law & Policy (AFA Law Center) says the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has gained windfall profits from its anti-Christian litigation, and it is time for the system that allows this to be changed.Recently, Rees Lloyd of the American Legion and a former staff attorney with the ACLU testified under oath before Congress about how the organization profits from its lawsuits attacking Christianity. Testifying in favor of Indiana Congressman John Hostettler's Public Expression of Religion Act (PERA), H.R. 2679, Lloyd noted that the ACLU's attacks have been launched primarily against the Christian cross but the liberal litigation group has attacked Judaism's Star of David as well, and has reaped millions of dollars in attorney fees by going after local governments that recognize America's religious heritage in any way.

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U.S. approaches 300 million people

As the U.S. population speeds toward 300 million, the growth is producing headaches for Americans fed up with traffic congestion, sprawl and dwindling natural resources.

But the alternatives are pretty scary, too. Just look at Europe and Japan, which are on the verge of such big population losses that several countries are practically begging women to have babies.

"Europe and Japan are now facing a population problem that is unprecedented in human history — declining population over time with an increase in the percentage of old people," said Bill Butz, president of the Population Reference Bureau, a Washington think tank. Read more.......

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Georgia Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Gay Marriage

Thursday, July 06, 2006 ATLANTA — The state Supreme Court reinstated Georgia's constitutional ban on gay marriage Thursday, just hours after New York's highest court upheld that state's gay-marriage ban. The Georgia Supreme Court, reversing a lower court judge's ruling, decided unanimously that the ban did not violate the state's single-subject rule for ballot measures. Superior Court Judge Constance Russell of Fulton County had ruled that it did. Seventy-six percent of Georgia voters approved the ban when it was on the ballot in 2004. Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the case had argued that the ballot language was misleading. The ballot measure asked voters to decide on allowing both same-sex marriage and civil unions, which Russell determined were separate issues about which many people have different opinions. State officials argued that Georgians knew what they were voting on when they overwhelmingly approved the ballot measure. _____________________________________ N.Y. high court decides against gay marriage State law doesn’t permit gay, lesbian couples to marry, justices rule 4-2 Updated: 10:17 a.m. ET July 6, 2006 ALBANY, N.Y. - New York’s highest court ruled Thursday that gay marriage is not allowed under state law. The Court of Appeals in a 4-2 decision rejected arguments from gay and lesbian plaintiffs throughout the state that their inability to get marriage licences in New York violated their constitutional rights. Judge Robert Smith said New York’s marriage law clearly limits marriage to between a man and a woman and any change in the law should come from the state legislature. Read more....... ___________________________________________________

Attorney: PERA Could Stop ACLU Profits From Anti-Christian Lawsuits

By Allie Martin July 3, 2006

(AgapePress) - An attorney with the American Family Association Center for Law & Policy (AFA Law Center) says the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has gained windfall profits from its anti-Christian litigation, and it is time for the system that allows this to be changed.

Recently, Rees Lloyd of the American Legion and a former staff attorney with the ACLU testified under oath before Congress about how the organization profits from its lawsuits attacking Christianity. Testifying in favor of Indiana Congressman John Hostettler's Public Expression of Religion Act (PERA), H.R. 2679, Lloyd noted that the ACLU's attacks have been launched primarily against the Christian cross but the liberal litigation group has attacked Judaism's Star of David as well, and has reaped millions of dollars in attorney fees by going after local governments that recognize America's religious heritage in any way.

Poisoned Curriculum
Janet Parshall
Beyond the News June 22, 2006

Freedom House, part of the Center for Religious Freedom, has released a report entitled “Saudi Arabia’s Curriculum of Intolerance.” In it are excerpts from Saudi textbooks paid for by the Ministry of Education.Here’s some of what Saudi school children are reading:

• “Judaism and Christianity are deviant religions”
• “The unbelievers, idolaters and others like them must be hated and despised.”
• “The apes are Jews, the people of the Sabbath; while the swine are the Christians, the infidels of the communion of Jesus.”

These textbooks will only serve to poison the hearts and minds of young Saudis. Whatever victories we enjoy today, may quickly be supplanted by the young minds being taught to hate today.

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...The ministry Revival Fires International has launched an effort to distribute the Bible to every Marine, sailor, soldier, airman and Coast Guardsman serving America in combat areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan. According to Revival Fires' spokesman Tim Todd, U.S. military personnel who are deployed and serving their country, in harm's way daily, are open to the gospel and desperately need God's Word. However, he notes, the U.S. government no longer provides God's Word for America's troops. "Because of the foolish 'separation of church and state' battle going on in this country, our military stopped this years ago," Todd observes. "Now our chaplains have to depend on Christian organizations ... to provide these Bibles for our servicemen and women." Over 140,000 soldiers who have served or are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have received a Bible provided by Revival Fires. The Bibles are air-lifted on military transports to these countries and given to U.S. military chaplains to distribute to the armed services personnel to whom they minister. As a result, Todd points out, many soldiers have come home with changed lives and many have confessed Christ as their Savior. He is urging Christians to partner with Revival Fires International by giving to this effort to supply God's Word to the men and women who are defending America's freedom and fighting the war on terror. "You and I will never do anything more important or patriotic this July 4 than providing Bibles for our troops," Todd says. A ministry web page has been set up to provide would-be supporters with more information. [Jenni Parker]