"A bill in Congress makes it a crime for pastors and churches to speak against homosexuality"

A bill in Congress makes it a crime for pastors and churches to speak against homosexuality

Message to pastors and other Christians: Just keep your mouth shut

If pastors and other Christians don’t aggressively oppose a bill now in Congress, in the near future they will be subject to huge fines and prison terms if they say anything negative about homosexuality.

The proposed law would make it a crime to preach on Romans Chapter 1 or I Corinthians Chapter 6. Or even to discuss them in a Sunday School class. If churches and individuals want to keep the government from telling them what they can and cannot preach and teach about homosexuality, they better get involved now!

House bill H.R. 1592 and Senate bill S. 1105 would make negative statements concerning homosexuality, such as calling the practice of homosexuality a sin from the pulpit, a “hate crime” punishable by law . This dangerous legislation would take away your freedom of speech and your freedom of religion. Consider what has already happened:

" Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem "

Natan Sharansky, THE JERUSALEM POST

Feb. 11, 2007

Just over three years ago, at the first-ever global forum on anti-Semitism organized by the State of Israel, the essential task was to define the beast - the new anti-Semitism. Since then, as the fourth such global gathering meets this week, efforts to incorporate the "three-D" distinction between legitimate criticism of Israel and the new anti-Semitism - demonization, double standards and delegitimization - have become part of international documents and discourse.

These and other accomplishments, as important as they are, have been dwarfed by the quantum leap anti-Semitism itself has taken. It has leapfrogged from isolated attacks against Jews to incitement to genocide - the actual elimination of the Jewish state.

This shift has come in the form of a pincer movement. On one side, we have the Iranian regime, which is denying the Holocaust and calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map" while racing to develop the physical means of doing so. On the other side, we have what is, in effect, international silence in response, coupled with growing willingness to discuss Israel's existence as a mistake, an anachronism, or a provocation.

We must recognize the fact that though sympathy for Iran's expressed goal of Israel's destruction is hardly mainstream, the idea of a world without Israel is more acceptable in polite company, the media and academia today than Hitler's expressed goal of a Europe without Jews was in 1939.

Given this situation, it should be clear that we are beyond the stage of definitions. The Jewish world now must mobilize at a level no less than during the struggles to establish the State of Israel and to free Soviet Jewry. It is this latter struggle that presents the most potent model for action today.

Though both sides of the genocidal pincer are in quite advanced stages of development, the Jewish world remains mired in pre-mobilization debates reminiscent of the early stages of the Soviet Jewry struggle in the 1960s. This may be hard to recall in light of the subsequent success, but back then a debate raged among Jews over whether a campaign to free Soviet Jewry was "too parochial," and whether being out front risked making it too much of a "Jewish issue."

BEFORE THESE internal debates were resolved the Soviet Jewry effort could not be regarded as a movement, capable of attracting allies and moving governments. Nor were such debates easily, or ever fully, put to rest.

As late as 1987, when the by then mature and powerful movement organized the largest-ever Soviet Jewry rally on Washington's mall to coincide with Mikhail Gorbachev's visit, some Jewish leaders wondered if the community could be mobilized, and if such a rally would be counterproductive. They warned that only a few thousand souls would brave the winter weather, and that the Jewish community would be considered "warmongers" who were spoiling the recent warming of US-Soviet relations.

In actuality, over 250,000 people came to a rally that was pivotal in opening the floodgates, not just to 10,000 or 20,000 Jews, which seemed like a dream at the time, but to a million Jews who came to Israel over the following decade.

Since it has been a while, a reminder is in order of what full mobilization looks like.

First, as Shlomo Avineri has recently proposed, Iranian officials should get the Soviet treatment. Just as no Soviet official, including sport and cultural delegations, could travel without being accosted by protests and hostile questions, so it should be with anyone representing the Iranian regime. As in the Soviet case, such protests will not themselves change Iranian behavior, but they are critical to creating a climate that will influence the policies of Western governments.

Second, an inventory of the governments and companies that provide Iran with refined oil, huge trade deals, and even military and nuclear assistance should be taken and public pressure be put on them to end their complicity with a regime that is racing to genocide.

Third, the pension funds of US states should be divested from all companies that trade with or invest in Iran. This divestment campaign must be pursued without apologies or hesitation.

Fourth, every country that is party to the Genocide Convention should be called upon to fulfill its obligation under that treaty and seek an indictment of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the charge of incitement to genocide, which is a "punishable offense" under Article III of that treaty.

Fifth, human rights groups, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which are heavily nourished by Jewish values, passion

and funding, must stop squeezing both sides of the genocidal pincer. These groups must be challenged, on the one hand, to press for enforcement of the Genocide Treaty, to stand up for human rights in Iran, and to oppose and expose Iranian support for terrorism. On the other, they must stop perverting the sacred cause of human rights into a cudgel in Iran's hands against Israel. This happened just months ago when, during the Lebanon war, such groups all but ignored Hizbullah's terrorism from behind human shields and called Israel's self-defense a "war crime."

JUST AS the two sides of the pincer themselves are connected, so too must be the efforts to combat them. All the above steps concern the Iranian side of the pincer. But combating the other side, the denial of Israel's right to exist, is no less critical - and more difficult, since at times they necessitate confronting, not a rogue regime, but our own cherished institutions. On this front:

First, universities that provide chairs for professors who campaign against Israel's right to exist should be boycotted. In a number of countries, denying the Holocaust is a criminal act. In the current context, denying Israel's right to exist lays the groundwork for a second holocaust even more directly than does denying history. Therefore, the promulgation of such an ideology should be fought even by societies that justifiably revere freedom of speech.

This may seem a hopelessly difficult task, but it is not. After 9/11, one woman, a student, took on Harvard University, which was ready to accept a $10 million "gift" from a Saudi sheikh. Harvard backed down, showing that moral clarity, unapologetically and passionately expressed, can change seemingly unassailable ideas.

We must stand for a basic principle: If denying the Holocaust can land a professor in jail, denying Israel should not land him tenure.

Second, support for Israel must be demonstrated. Two decades after the massive Soviet Jewry rally of 1987, we need to return to the Mall on Israel's Independence Day in May with two messages: Support Israel and Stop Iran. It is late, but not too late, to overcome those fears of being "too parochial" that the Soviet Jewry movement succeeded in dispelling more than 30 years ago.

The fight to support Israel and stop Iran now is, if anything, less "parochial" than the Soviet Jewry movement was then. Then, the Jewish world took on a global superpower, the Soviet Union, and confronted the reigning American foreign policy paradigm - detente - with a very different one: linkage of trade to human rights.

Then, we successfully argued that the freedom to emigrate was not just a Jewish concern, but a universal one, and we were more right than we knew. The Jackson-Vanik amendment and the Helsinki Accords were critical factors in triggering the internal collapse of the Soviet empire. This collapse not only freed millions of Jews, but all the peoples behind the Iron Curtain, and ended a half-century-old superpower stalemate that threatened the entire planet.

NOW THE WORLD stands at a no less fateful watershed. The world's most dangerous rogue regime is on the verge of obtaining the ultimate weapons of terror. Already, Iran's confidence that it will not be stopped has led to one war, last summer's war in Lebanon started by Hizbullah. Already, Iran is fueling conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Gaza - and all this before the regime enjoys its own full, declared nuclear umbrella.
The moment before mobilization is always a lonely one, in which it seems that the obstacles to making a cause universal are insurmountable. Yet, as in the case of the Soviet Jewry movement, we are not alone. We are surrounded by potential allies who may not themselves know they are ready to join us until we create a movement for them to join.
Our leadership will give others the opportunity to act. If the Jewish world does not lead the way, who will? It is as true now as it was then; if we build it, they will come.
A decade after the wave of democracy that came with the fall of the Soviet Union, an Iranian-led wave of terror is rising that will not stop until it is stopped. Ultimately, we overcame our fear of parochialism to stand up for Soviet Jewry, and left the world a much better place for it. Now we must do the same to prevent a second holocaust, and in the process save the world.

The writer is chairman of the Institute for Strategic Studies at the Shalem Center.

How to pray for Israel now! A Song. A Psalm of Asaph. Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still, O God! For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more." For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them; they have helped the children of Lot. Selah
Deal with them as with Midian, as with Sisera, as with Jabin at the Brook Kishon, who perished at En Dor, who became as refuse on the earth. Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, "Let us take for ourselves the pastures of God for a possession." O my God, make them like the whirling dust, like the chaff before the wind! As the fire burns the woods, and as the flame sets the mountains on fire, so pursue them with Your tempest, and frighten them with Your storm. Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; yes, let them be put to shame and perish, that they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth. (Psalm 83)
Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, "O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!" And Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and some arrows." So he took himself a bow and some arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on the bow." So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. And he said, "Open the east window"; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot"; and he shot. And he said, "The arrow of the Lord's deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them." Then he said, "Take the arrows"; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground"; so he struck three times, and stopped. And the man of God was angry with him, and said, "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times." (2 Kings 13: 14-19)
Peace in history – also in biblical history – has often come only after complete victory.
And this is what I believe we, as believers, should pray for Israel at this time: for complete victory so that there can be peace.
Both the Bible and modern-day secular history are full of examples showing that, when Israel made covenants with, or gave concessions to, her enemies, the result was not peace but continued resistance to and harassment of the people of Israel.
Germany was forced to sign a peace treaty with the Allied forces, not because the Allies had agreed to a ceasefire, but because they had conquered Berlin. Then came the peace that Europe has now enjoyed for more than fifty years.
This is also today the way for Israel to finally know peace, and we need to pray in that vein.
Psalm 83, which was specifically given to a Jerusalem pastor this week when he asked the Lord how he should lead his people to pray, is a very good scripture to take upon our hearts and lips and pray back to God in these days.* For as Paul says, it is He, and He alone, Who can guide us by His Spirit to pray according to His will.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. (2 Corinthians 10.3-6)
Also the passage quoted above from the Second Book of Kings is very significant in this respect. We must pray for full victory now for the Israel Defense Forces, even if that is to include a confrontation with Damascus (see Isaiah 17) or the neutralization of the nuclear capability of Iran’s evil regime – whatever it takes.
As these Bible verses clearly show, peace will come to this region as it so often has in history, not through endless discussions and negotiations with unwilling enemies, but through victory.
May we, armed with our weapons that are not carnal, be the secret force behind Israel’s military machine; through our prayers and praises seeing Israel finally come to peace – at least for a while – not through another ceasefire, but through a full victory.
Jan Willem van der Hoeven, Director
International Christian Zionist Center

The history of the Christian fish symbol:

The fish outline is a logical symbol for the early Christian church to adopt. Fish play a major role in the gospels. For example:

Mark 1:17: "Come after Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."

Matthew 12:40 : "...Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Matthew 14:17 : "And they said to Him, 'We have here only five loaves and two fish.'"

Luke 5:6 : "And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking."

Luke 24:42 : "So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb."

John 21:6 : "And He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.' So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish."

1 Corinthians 15:39 : "All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fish, and another of birds."

Some Christians believe that a second link between their religion and the fish symbol is seen in the Greek word for fish (ichthus, spelled: Iota Chi Theta Upsilon Sigma). That is an acrostic which has many translations in English. The most popular appears to be "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior" 16 [Iesous (Jesus) CHristos (Christ) THeou (God) Uiou (Son) Soter (Savior)]. Alternate meanings (in order of decreasing popularity on the Internet) are:

"Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior."

"Jesus Christ, of God, the Son, the Savior"

"Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Savior."

"Jesus Christ, God's Son, our Savior"

"Jesus Christ God Son Savior"

An acrostic is an "arrangement of words in which the first letter of each line ordinarily combines with others to form a word or words or the alphabet." 1

The Apostles were often referred to as "fishers of men". Followers of Christianity were called Pisciculi; the root of this Latin word is "fish". The symbols of "sacremental fish, with wine and a basket of bread represents the Eucharist and the Last Supper in Christian art." 2 The symbol was simple to draw and was often used among Christians as a type of password during times of persecution by the Roman government. If two strangers met and were unsure whether each other was a Christian, one would draw an arc in the earth like:). If the other were a Christian, they would complete the symbol with a reverse arc: (), forming the outline of a fish.

In modern times, the fish outline symbol is experiencing a comeback. It is commonly seen in the form of a bumper sticker or casting mounted on the trunk lids of cars. The body of the symbol may be empty, or may contain a name ("Jesus" or "ICTUS").

"The Word never lie's, Jesus is the Word!"

William Koenig, White House Correspondent, in his book "Eye to Eye" writes about these episodes, which led President Bush away from his initial pro-Israel stand in order to appease and please the Saudis. These are some excerpts from the book:

According to the Washington Post, seventeen days prior to the 9-11 terror events, President George W. Bush with the encouragement and involvement of Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer, and in cooperation with the Saudis, was working on the most comprehensive plan and message ever to be offered on Israel’s covenant land by an American President. President Bush and his top officials had completed a majority of their work on September 10. The plan was to be presented by Powell to the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, 2001. Saudi Arabia’s Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who had been active in the negotiations, stated he went from being “the happiest man in the world” on Monday night, September 10, to experiencing the worst crisis of his career on September 11. Dreams of a new Middle East peace initiative evaporate. The realization that most of the hijackers were Saudis “fell on me … like the whole house collapsed over my head,” Bandar said later. He couldn’t imagine a way to “do more damage or worse damage to Islam or to Saudi Arabia.” (p.109)

In late August and early September 2001, President George W. Bush made a conscientious attempt to appease an angry Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who felt he [Bush] was favoring Israel. President Bush worked with Prince Bandar the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S., U.S. Secretary State Colin Powell and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer to develop a comprehensive Bush Middle East peace plan that was to be approved by Crown Prince Abdullah. Powell was to deliver the Bush plan to the UN General Assembly on September 24, 2001. The plan was a way to divide Israel in return for “peace and security” guarantees for Israel and to provide for a Palestinian state. The plan’s completion and presentation were disrupted by the 9-11-2001 terror events, which occurred at the World Trade Center and at the Pentagon. For a brief moment the God of Israel had lifted his restraining hand of protection over America as evil people attacked America. That moment was also the beginning of the very costly and complex war on terror. Furthermore, life in America had been forever changed.

In this book, we are not in any way condemning President Bush for his peace efforts, but only emphasizing the dire consequences for those who have and will continue to attempt to divide Israel and touch the “apple of God’s eye.” We have already provided 48 major catastrophes and events that have taken place when Israel’s land is at risk, in this chapter you will read about the periods of disruption that occur when President Bush called for a Palestinian state or applied pressure on Israel to comply with his peace vision. Unbeknown to President Bush and the leaders of the Quartet (the UN, the EU and Russia) who are now actively involved in the middle East peace process, they are on a direct collision course with God over the covenant land of Israel. (p.169-170)

In his most recent newsletter, Koenig writes:

Will the Summer of 2005 Be Another Record-Setting Summer?

Earlier in the year, NOAA hurricane forecasters predicted another above-normal hurricane season on the heels of last year’s destructive and historic hurricane season.

“NOAA’s prediction for the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season is for 12 to15 tropical storms, with seven to nine becoming hurricanes, of which three to five could become major hurricanes,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, at a news conference today in Bay St. Louis, Miss. “Forecaster confidence that this will be an active hurricane season is very high.”

Four significant quakes have hit California this week: A magnitude 5.2 quake shook Riverside County on Sunday, and a magnitude 7.2 quake struck Tuesday under the ocean 90 miles off Northern California. As reported by Fox News, a strong earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California (search) on Thursday night, just hours after a moderate quake shook most of Southern California. Neither caused serious damage or injuries. A 6.4-magnitude temblor hit about 125 miles west of Eureka around 11:30 p.m. Thursday. Earlier in the day, a 4.9-magnitude quake struck (east of Los Angeles), rattling homes.

Therefore, while we are making no predictions, we are keeping a watchful eye on the recent earthquake activity and the forecasts of a major Atlantic hurricane season in light of the scheduled August 15 commencement date of Israel’s evacuation of Jews from 21 settlements in Gaza and four in Northern Samaria.

Furthermore, the August 15 date will be one day after this year’s 9th of Av on Jewish calendars. The 9th of Av is the date of the destruction of the First and the Second Temples in Jerusalem and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. There also have been many other tragedies for the Jews throughout history that have fallen on the 9th of Av.

We Have Contacted the White House

A few of our new readers have been curious if we have contacted President Bush about the consequences of dividing Israel. Yes, we have. We have written the White House three times, and have two letters in response from President Bush. We delivered a petition with 26,500 names ­ which they extrapolate into significant numbers more with the same belief. I don’t think there is a subject on which the White House has received more phone calls, e-mails or letters than on dividing the land of Israel.


In his book, Hatred’s Kingdom, Dore Gold, Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.N., exposes:

Through meticulous research, Dore Gold connects the dots, tapping into his rich knowledge of the history of the Middle East and his years of hands-on diplomatic experience. He also shows what is being overlooked in the current war on terror. As Gold stunningly reveals, unless the United States and its allies change their approach – and cast a cold eye on supposed partner Saudi Arabia – the war on terror will not be won. It will be only a matter of time before another Osama bin Laden emerges.

In the light of these very serious allegations, it is good to read that Senator Arlen Specter, together with six other senators, is sponsoring a bill called the Saudi Arabia Accountability Act of 2005 - S. 1171. As the Weekly Standard of June 7th writes:

"The bill's text stands as an indictment of Saudi Arabia, an inventory of evidence against the role of its rulers in enabling terrorism. The Council on Foreign Relations concluded almost three years ago that Saudi Arabia is the main source of al-Qaeda backing and that Saudi officials have refused to take serious action to end it. David Aufhauser, former general counsel of the Treasury Department, called the Saudi state the "epicenter" of global terror financing. The Saudis have also subsidized half the annual budget of Hamas. The bill provides for sanctions, including a bar on exporting special military technology to the kingdom and restriction on travel by Saudi diplomats in the U.S."

Jan Willem van der Hoeven, Director of International Christian Zionist Center said: "For those of us more religiously or spiritual minded, it may be good to note that whereas the Saudis request the right to build their Muslim mosques all over the Western world, and successfully obtain permission to do so, there is no such freedom or tolerance shown towards adherents of the Jewish or Christian faiths in the Saudis’ own land.
No churches or synagogues are permitted anywhere in Saudi Arabia. Bibles, if found, are confiscated and even put through shredding machines. Why, in the face of the outcry by Muslims if their Koran is misused, is there no outcry against all this intolerance and abuse directed by Saudi Arabia against all that is holy to Christians and Jews?
Surely, in the light of all the recent revelations, the time has come when some men and women of courage among the politicians and the religious leaders will finally rise up and speak up at this very late hour."


Sunday, November 13, 2005 / 11 Cheshvan 5766

Islamic radicals have been using the Temple Mount as a focal point for planning and preaching the establishment of a world Islamic state with Jerusalem as its capital.

One of the radical groups operating on the Temple Mount is Hizab Altahrir (The Islamic Liberation Party), which espouses an ideology similar to Al Qaeda. Hizab Altahrir’s network spans most Western European countries. The party puts Islamic revolution and an uncompromising form of Jihad (holly war) at the top of its political agenda.

The group advocates subjecting the entire world to Islamic law (Shariya), and destroying non-believing nations and religions.

The party has targeted Europe, specifically Denmark, for spreading its ideology, and providing a springboard for renewing Islamic conquests in Europe. A senior party activist in Jerusalem, Sheikh Issam Amira, expressed this philosophy in a recent speech which he made on the Temple Mount:

“Listeners! The Moslems in Denmark make up three percent [of the population], yet constitute a threat to the future of the Danish kingdom. It’s no surprise that in Bitrab (the ancient name of Medina, a city in Arabia to which Mohammed immigrated) they were fewer than three percent of the general population, but succeeded changing the regime in Bitrab.

“It’s no surprise that our brothers in Denmark have succeeded in bringing Islam to every home in that country. Allah will grant us victory in their land to establish the [Islamic] revolution in Denmark.”

After Denmark, the Sheikh said, the party will carry the revolution to Oslo and change its name to Medina. “They will fight against their Scandinavian neighbors in order to bring the country into the territory of the revolution,” he said. “In the next stage, they will fight a holy jihad to spread Islam to the rest of Europe, until it spreads to the original city of Medina where the two cities will unite under the Islamic flag.”

Sheikh Riyad Salah, head of the Islamic movement in Israel has also been active teaching the tenets of “Islamic revolution.”

“We are at the gates of the Islamic revolution,” he proclaims in his sermons to Arab citizens of Israel. “The global forces of evil will be eliminated from the world and the Islamic nation will remain in place in order to bring about the world Islamic revolution, with its capital, Jerusalem.”

Salah, who until a few months ago was under arrest for allegedly assisting an organization connected to the Hamas terror group, has for a number of years been attempting to organize Israel’s Arab citizens into an “independent Palestinian society,” disconnected from the State of Israel and its institutions.

Salah’s organization contributed to efforts to repair Arab mosques on the Temple Mount, and also attempts to erase the remains of Jewish antiquities on the Mount.