Congressman: Troops Being Punished For Expressing Religious Faith

article below from Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/congressman-troops-being-punished-for-expressing-religious-faith.html


The House Armed Services Committee is considering a religious liberty amendment  to the National Defense Authorization Act Wednesday over fears the military is punishing soldiers for expressing their religious faith.
FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS. CLICK HERE TO JOIN!
“The men and women who put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms should not have their own religious freedom jeopardized during their military service,” said Rep. John Fleming (R-LA), who authored the amendment.
Fleming said steps taken in last year’s NDAA only focused on protecting beliefs of service members – and not the exercise or expression of those beliefs.
“My amendment is necessary to ensure that men and women of faith will not be discriminated against in the Armed Forces, and will be free to exercise their religious beliefs,” he said. “Military service members, particularly chaplains, feel like their ability to execute their duties are being greatly limited by some of the policies and actions in the Pentagon.”
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions about the congressman’s amendment.
Fleming told Fox News it appears that in some cases members of the U.S. military have been punished because of their religious faith.
“There have been reports,” he said. “We don’t know how widespread it is.”
Among the incidents:

• A service member received a “severe and possibly career-ending reprimand” for expressing his faith’s religious position about homosexuality in a personal religious blog.
• An enlisted service member received a career-ending punishment for sending personal invitations to his promotion party which mentioned that he would be providing Chick-fil-A sandwiches due to his respect for the Defense of Marriage Act.
• A senior military official at Fort Campbell sent out a lengthy email officially instructing officers to recognize “the religious right in America” as a “domestic hate group” akin to the KKK and Neo-Nazis because of its opposition to homosexual behavior.
• An Air Force officer was told to remove a Bible from his desk because it might offend someone. The officer had kept the Bible on the desk for 18 years;
• A chaplain was relieved of his command over a military chapel because, consistent with DOMA’s definition of marriage, he could not allow same-sex weddings to take place in the chapel.
• An enlisted service member was threatened and denied promotion by a senior NCO for expressing – during a personal conversation – his religious belief in support of traditional marriage.
• Last month Rear Admiral William Lee told a National Day of Prayer audience that religious liberty was being threatened by Pentagon lawyers and service members are being told to hide their faith in Christ.“Leaders like myself are feeling the constraints of rules and regulations and guidance issued by lawyers that put us in a tighter and tighter box regarding our constitutional right to express our religious faith,” he said.

Fleming said the purpose of his amendment is to clarify ambiguities in the Pentagon’s policies.
“The bottom line is the military is bending over backwards to remove – even in the case of chaplains – expressions of faith and conscience,” Fleming said.
And there have been other incidents involving attacks on religious liberty:
Among the incidents:

• A War Games scenario at Fort Leavenworth that identified Christian groups and Evangelical groups as being potential threats;
• A 2009 Dept. of Homeland Security memorandum that identified future threats to national security coming from Evangelicals and pro-life groups;
• A West Point study released by the U.S. Military Academy’s Combating Terrorism Center that linked pro-lifers to terrorism;
• Evangelical leader Franklin Graham was uninvited from the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer service because of his comments about Islam;
• Christian prayers were banned at the funeral services for veterans at Houston’s National Cemetery;
• Bibles were banned at Walter Reed Army Medical Center – a decision that was later rescinded;
• Christian crosses and a steeple were removed from a chapel in Afghanistan because the military said the icons disrespected other religions;
• Catholic chaplains were told not to read a letter to parishioners from their archbishop related to Obamcare mandates. The Secretary of the Army feared the letter could be viewed as a call for civil disobedience.

Fleming said some chaplains are fearful of losing their jobs.
“They are afraid to do anything that could lead to the end of their careers,” he said. “They want to be able to do their duties as chaplains – without fearing that someone will come along and reprimand them.”
Todd is the author of Dispatches From Bitter America – endorsed by Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. Click here to get your copy!!

Army Punishes Soldier who Served Chick-fil-A

The following article is from Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/soldier-punished-for-serving-chick-fil-a.html


An Army master sergeant was punished after he hosted a promotion party and served Chick-fil-A sandwiches in honor of the Defense of Marriage Act.
FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS. CLICK HERE TO JOIN!
The unidentified soldier was investigated, reprimanded, threatened with judicial action and given a bad efficiency report, according to the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty.
“They say he is no longer a team player and was not performing up to standards,” Chaplain Alliance Executive Director Ron Crews told Fox News. “This is just one little example of a case of a soldier just wanting to express his views and now he’s been jumped on by the military.”
Army Public Affairs issued the following statement:  ”With respect to the political activities, soldiers are expected to carry out their obligations as citizens in accordance with applicable regulations. The Army cannot comment on ongoing investigations or administrative actions.”
The soldier’s story was included in a letter to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights documenting concerns about attacks on religious liberty within the Armed Services.
Last summer the soldier had received his promotion to master sergeant. The promotion coincided with a national controversy surrounding Chick-fil-A’s support of traditional marriage. Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy told a newspaper that he was “guilty as charged” when it came to supporting the biblical definition of marriage. Gay rights advocates were infuriated and some Democratic leaders – most notably the mayor of Boston –  attempted to stop the popular restaurant chain from opening restaurants in their cities.
Crews said the soldier decided to hold a party to celebrate his new position. The invitations read, “In honor of my promotion and in honor of the Defense of Marriage Act, I’m serving Chick-fil-A sandwiches at my promotion party.”
After the party, the solider received a letter of reprimand. Crews said at issue was the combination of the sandwiches and the soldier’s support of DOMA (which happens to be the law of the land).
“There was initially some talk of bringing judicial punishment against him,” Crews said. “He had a letter put in his file and an investigation was initiated to see if he had violated any policy.”
The solider reached out to the Chaplain Alliance for help and they put him in touch with an attorney. Crews said nearly one year later – the soldier is still embroiled in a legal battle.
“He was at the pinnacle of his career,” Crews said. “To make that rank means you’ve done very well throughout your career. He wants to finish serving his time honorably.”
Crews said stories like this are becoming commonplace in the military post-repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
“These stories are the ones that have not been told – about some of the more subtle ramifications of the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy,” he said.
One service member received a severe reprimand for expressing his faith’s religious position about homosexuality in a personal religious blog.
A chaplain was relieved of his command over a military chapel because he could not allow same-sex weddings to take place in the chapel.
And a chaplain who asked senior military officers whether religious liberty would be protected in the wake of the repeal of the law against open homosexual behavior in the military was told to “get in line” or resign.
Crews said they are sharing these stories to let other service members know there is a place to get help. He said Chaplain Alliance publishes a religious liberty palm card – explaining constitutionally protected liberties to service members.
“If you believe your religious liberties have been violated, here’s what you can do,” he said. “We will see that you get the help that you need.”
As for the soldier who served the Chick-fil-A sandwiches?
“We’re going to stand with this soldier who did nothing wrong,” “There is nothing wrong in saying he wants to celebrate DOMA – which happens to be federal law.
TODD IS THE AUTHOR OF DISPATCHES FROM BITTER AMERICA – ENDORSED BY SARAH PALIN, SEAN HANNITY AND MARK LEVIN. CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COPY!

Army Removes Bible Reference from Scopes

from Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/army-removes-bible-reference-from-scopes.html

By Todd Starnes
The U.S. Army is directing troops to remove a Bible inscription that a vendor etched into the serial numbers of weapon scopes, Fox News has learned.
Soldiers at Fort Wainwright in Alaska told Fox News they received a directive to turn in their scopes so the Bible references could be removed.
FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR STORIES. CLICK HERE TO JOIN!
The scopes were made by Trijicom and referenced New Testament passages in John 8:12 and Second Corinthians 4:6. The verses appeared at the end of the scope serial numbers – “JN8:12” and “2COR4:6.”
“The biblical verse (JN8:12) must be removed utilizing a Dremel type tool and then painted black,” read instructions on how to remedy the matter.
After the letters and numbers were scrapped off, soldiers were directed to use apply black paint to ensure the verses were totally covered.
“The vendor etched those inscriptions on scopes without the Army’s approval,” Army spokesman Matthew Bourke told Fox in a written statement. “Consequently, the modified scopes did not meet the requirement under which the contract was executed.”
Bourke said the vendor agreed to remove all Bible references on future deliveries.
“Some of these scopes had already been fielded,” Bourke explained. “Corrective measures were taken to remove inscriptions during the RESET/PRESET process in order to avoid a disruption in combat operations.”
A similar issue came to light during a 2010 investigation by ABC News. At the time the Army and Marine Corps said they were unaware of the biblical markings.
Trijicon did not return phone calls seeking comment. A company spokesman told ABC News in 2010 that the inscriptions had always been on the sights and there was nothing wrong or illegal with including them.
The company told ABC they believed the issue had been raised by a group that is “not Christian.”
One of the Fort Wainwright soldiers who received the order to remove the inscription told Fox News that hardly anyone was aware of the religious reference.
“It blows my mind,” the solider said. “It doesn’t help the Army do its mission to take off a biblical reference.”
The soldier, who is a Christian, said he had to comply so “someone doesn’t get offended.”
“We have classes on equal opportunity – things that are clearly irrelevant to our mission – which is to kill the enemy.”
Todd is the author of Dispatches From Bitter America – endorsed by Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. Click here to get your copy!

Army Labeled Evangelicals as Religious Extremists

the following article is from Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/army-labeled-evangelicals-as-religious-extremism.html


By Todd Starnes
A U.S. Army training instructor listed Evangelical Christianity and Catholicism as examples of religious extremism along with Al Qaeda and Hamas during a briefing with an Army Reserve unit based in Pennsylvania, Fox News has learned.
CLICK HERE FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT NEWSLETTER YOU CAN GET. TODD’S AMERICAN DISPATCH. 
“We find this offensive to have Evangelical Christians and the Catholic Church to be listed among known terrorist groups,” said Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty. “It is dishonorable for any U.S. military entity to allow this type of wrongheaded characterization.”

Material presented to soldiers at training session.

The incident occurred during an Army Reserve Equal Opportunity training brief on extremism. Topping the list is Evangelical Christianity. Other organizations listed included Catholicism, Al Qaeda, Hamas, the Ku Klux Klan, Sunni Muslims, and Nation of Islam.
The military also listed “Islamophobia” as a form of religious extremism.
FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS. CLICK HERE TO JOIN!
Army spokesman George Wright told Fox News that this was an “isolated incident not condoned by the Dept. of the Army.”
“This slide was not produced by the Army and certainly does not reflect our policy or doctrine,” he said. “It was produced by an individual without anyone in the chain of command’s knowledge or permission.”
Wright said after the complaint was lodged, the presenter deleted the slide, and apologized.
“We consider the matter closed,” he said.
The incident was made public by a soldier who attended the briefing. He asked for copies of the presentation and sent them to the Chaplain Alliance.
“He considers himself an evangelical Christian and did not appreciate being classified with terrorists,” Crews told Fox News. “There was a pervasive attitude in the presentation that anything associated with religion is an extremist.”
The Archdiocese for the Military Services was shocked to learn that the Army considered Catholicism to be an example of extremism.
“The Archdiocese is astounded that Catholics were listed alongside groups that are, by their very mission and nature, violent and extremist,” the Archdiocese said in a statement.
They want the Dept. of Defense to “ensure that taxpayer funds are never again used to present blatantly anti-religious material to the men and women in uniform.”

read the rest of the article here: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/army-labeled-evangelicals-as-religious-extremism.html

Army Email Labels Christian Ministries as “Domestic Hate Groups”

the following article is from Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/army-email-labels-christian-ministries-as-domestic-hate-groups.html

By Todd Starnes
A U.S. Army officer sent an email to dozens of subordinates listing the American Family Association and Family Research Council as “domestic hate groups” because they oppose homosexuality — and warned officers to monitor soldiers who might be supporters of the groups.
FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS. CLICK HERE TO JOIN!
“Just want to ensure everyone is somewhat educated on some of the groups out there that do not share our Army Values,” read an email from Lt. Col.  Jack Rich to three dozen subordinates at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. “When we see behaviors that are inconsistent with Army Values – don’t just walk by – do the right thing and address the concern before it becomes a problem.”
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, told Fox News he was disturbed by the contents of the email.
“It’s very disturbing to see where the Obama Administration is taking the military and using it as a laboratory for social experimentation  — and also as an instrument to fundamentally change the culture,” he said. “The message is very clear – if you are a Christian who believes in the Bible, who believes in transcendent truth, there is no place for you in the military.”
The Army denied there is any attack on Christians or those who hold religious beliefs.
“The notion that the Army is taking an anti-religion or anti-Christian stance is contrary to any of our policies, doctrines and regulations,” said George Wright, Army spokesman at the Pentagon. “Any belief that the Army is out to label religious groups in a negative manner is without warrant.”
Wright said they are checking into the origin of the email. At this point it’s unclear who ordered the email to be sent and why.
The 14-page email documented groups the military considers to be anti-gay, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim. Among the other groups mentioned are Neo-Nazis, Racist Skinheads, White Nationalists and the Ku Klux Klan.
The Family Research Council and the American Family Association were listed as being anti-gay.
“The religious right in America has employed a variety of strategies in its efforts to beat back the increasingly confident gay rights movement,” the officer wrote. “One of those has been defamation.”
The officer accused the “Christian Right” of “engaging in the crudest type of name-calling, describing LGBT people as ‘perverts” with ‘filthy habits’ who seek to snatch the children of straight parents and ‘convert’ them to gay sex,” he wrote.
IF YOU FOLLOW THE WAR ON RELIGIOUS LIBERTY – YOU NEED TODD’S AMERICAN DISPATCH. CLICK HERE
Last week, Fox News reported that an Army training instructor told a Reserve unit based in Pennsylvania that Evangelical Christianity and Catholicism were examples of religious extremism. The Army categorized that episode as an isolated incident.
Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance, told Fox News that the latest revelation is proof of a much larger problem within military leadership.
“We’re concerned that this is more than an isolated incident,” he said. “We’d like answers. Is there a policy in the military concerning people of faith?”
Crews said that soldiers have religious liberty – and they should not be punished for being members of respected religious groups.
“This is part of a trend that is concerning us,” he said. “Several in the military have this belief that evangelicals and people who hold to traditional values seem to be a problem and need to be monitored.”
Perkins, a Marine Corps veteran, said it’s clear that “Army Values” have indeed changed.
“And it’s the values of Evangelicals and Catholics,” Perkins said. “It’s not the values of the vast majority of those serving in our nation’s military. I think it’s the values of this administration trying to superimpose upon our military.”
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin, now an executive vice president of the FRC, told Fox News that all Americans should be concerned about the contents of the email.
“If this is the action of a single Army lieutenant colonel, it needs to be investigated,” he said. “On the other hand, if what he reflects is a shifting policy or attitude of the Army or DOD, then I think it is a much bigger issue.”
Boykin served more than 36 years in the military before retiring in 2007. Since 2008 he said he’s seen withering attacks on religious liberty.
Among the incidents:

• A War Games scenario at Fort Leavenworth that identified Christian groups and Evangelical groups as being potential threats;
• A 2009 Dept. of Homeland Security memorandum that identified future threats to national security coming from Evangelicals and pro-life groups;
• A West Point study released by the U.S. Military Academy’s Combating Terrorism Center that linked pro-lifers to terrorism;
• Evangelical leader Franklin Graham was uninvited from the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer service because of his comments about Islam;
• Christian prayers were banned at the funeral services for veterans at Houston’s National Cemetery;
• Bibles were banned at Walter Reed Army Medical Center – a decision that was later rescinded;
• Christian crosses and a steeple were removed from a chapel in Afghanistan because the military said the icons disrespected other religions;
• Catholic chaplains were told not to read a letter to parishioners from their archbishop related to Obamcare mandates. The Secretary of the Army feared the letter could be viewed as a call for civil disobedience.

But Boykin called the newly-uncovered email the most “egregious” attack.
“That kind of rhetoric is isolating the institution of the military from a large sector of the American population,” he said. “This is an attack not only on the Christian faith, but on fundamental, traditional American values.”
Crews said the military is getting their information on domestic hate groups from the Southern Poverty Law Center. And the email written by the lieutenant colonel referenced the organization.
“This is disturbing that the military would use this list composed by the Southern Poverty Law Center when these organizations that are highly esteemed and respected in the evangelical community,” he said.
The Chaplain Alliance filed a Freedom of Information Act request – asking if the SPLC list had been widely distributed in the military or if had been used in a formal manner.
The response they got from the Dept. of Defense left Crews troubled.
“They told us they had no record of the SPLC list being used,” he said – even though the email clearly proves otherwise.
“This is part of a trend that is concerning us,” he said. “We believe it is more widespread than the military is acknowledging. We keep getting calls from military personnel telling us of their issues.”
David Jeremiah, the pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, was among the first to publicly support the FRC and AFA and denounce the attack.
“For it to be coming from a left wing political group is one thing, but for it to be coming from our own government is unconscionable to me,” he told Fox News.
Shadow Mountain is an evangelical mega-church near San Diego – attended by many military families. Jeremiah said he suspects there is a significant disconnect between the Pentagon and the rank and file troops.
“There are so many good and godly people in the military who would be appalled to think that their leaders would be saying things like this,” he said. “The attempt on the part of the social engineers of our day to secularize our culture is in full swing. Everything they can do to remove God, the Bible and morality from the marketplace is being done – not subtly but overtly.”

Washington State Sues Florist Who Refused Gay Wedding

The Homosexual agenda will NOT stop at just simply getting marriage. They do not care about that. The overall goal is to eventually force Americans to accept their lifestyle and support it. Gay Marriage is just one step for them and next thing you know they are suing you to force you to accept and support their homosexual marriage, just like this florist in Washington State. This florist serves gay people and has even employed gay people. She just did not want to serve an event, a gay marriage. If the state is going to force a business to serve a gay marriage then they can force you to do ANYTHING. Are you a photographer and do not want to take photos of hardcore pornography? Too bad, you cannot discriminate against their event by refusing to take pictures at it so you have to be a porno photographer now... this is ridiculous. What happened to the First Amendment Freedom of Religion?

the following article is from Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/state-sues-florist-who-refused-to-decorate-gay-wedding.html


By Todd Starnes
The State of Washington is suing a small flower shop after the owner declined to provide flowers for a homosexual wedding – based on her religious beliefs.
FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS. CLICK HERE TO JOIN!
Barronelle Stutzman, the owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, Wash., is facing thousands of dollars in fines and penalties for allegedly violating the state’s Consumer Protection Act.
“If a business provides a product or service to opposite-sex couples for their weddings, then it must provide same-sex couples the same product or service,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement.
On March 1, a longtime customer asked Stutzman to provide flowers for his upcoming same-sex wedding. According to court documents, she told him that she would not be able to do so “because of her relationship with Jesus Christ.”
The Attorney General’s office sent a letter to the florist on March 28 giving her a chance to reconsider her position and sign an agreement indicating her intention to comply with the law. But Stutzman refused.
“Under the Consumer Protection Act, it is unlawful to discriminate against customers on the basis of sexual orientation,” the attorney general said.
In their letter to Stutzman, they told her the only way to avoid a lawsuit was to agree to provide services for homosexual weddings.
GET TODD’S MUST-HAVE EXCLUSIVE NEWSLETTER! IT’S FREE! CLICK HERE!
“This means that as a seller of goods or services, you will not refuse to sell floral arrangements for same-sex weddings if you sell floral arrangements for opposite-sex weddings,” the attorney general’s office wrote.
Attorney JD Bristol called the notion that his client was guilty of discrimination “nonsense.”
“Arlene’s Flowers has catered to all patrons, including homosexuals, for many years,” Bristol wrote in his reply to the Attorney General. “Arlene’s Flowers has had openly gay employees.”
He told The Seattle Times that he believes the state is trying to make an example of the flower shop.
“This is about gay marriage, it’s not about a person being gay,” he told the newspaper. “She has a conscientious objection to homosexual marriage, not homosexuality. It violates her conscience.”
Bristol said he believes this is a freedom of religion issue.
“What the government is saying here is that you don’t have the right to free religious exercise,” he told the newspaper.
Religious liberty groups in Washington and across the country are voicing their support for the flower shop.
“You may not be a florist, and you may have made a different decision, but liberty is at stake for all of us,” said Joseph Backholm, executive director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington. “Draw your line in the sand right here.”
Backholm sent an email blast urging supporters to stand with Arlene’s Flowers.
“Don’t ignore the bully just because he hasn’t punched you in the mouth yet,” he said. “A small business owner is looking at years of litigation and huge legal expenses because she won’t bow to the political elites.”
Peter Sprigg, with the Family Research Council, told Fox News they are seeing more and more of these types of cases.
“People need to be aware this is the underlying motive for the push for same sex marriage,” he said. “It’s not just about legal rights and benefits. It’s about forcing everyone in society to recognize their relationships as being one hundred percent equal to opposite sex marriages.”
He called the lawsuit a dangerous step towards encroaching on religious liberty.
“It also reflects a narrow view of religious liberty where people may have freedom to exercise religious liberty in their church but they don’t have that right when they go outside those four walls,” he said.
The Attorney General is seeking a permanent injunction forcing the flower shop to comply with the law – as well as $2,000 in fines for every violation.

Gay Rights Activists Bully Tebow, Christian University

from Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio:

Gay rights activists are demanding Tim Tebow back out of a speaking engagement at Liberty University just two weeks after pressuring the New York Jets quarterback to cancel a speaking engagement at the First Baptist Church of Dallas.
FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS. CLICK HERE TO JOIN!
Tebow is expected to speak this weekend at Wildfire – a men’s conference hosted by the conservative Christian university. His remarks will be closed to the general public.
The professional football player is well-known for sharing his faith in Christ – but in recent weeks he’s come under fire from the national media and gay rights activists for speaking in churches that follow biblical teaching.
Huffington Post called Liberty a “notoriously conservative private college with an anti-gay reputation.” And more than 10,000 people have signed a petition launched by Faithful America calling on the quarterback to cancel his speech.
“Liberty University isn’t just another conservative Christian college,” the group stated. “It’s ground-zero for a global assault on the legal rights of gays and lesbians – and a symbol of everything that’s wrong with the religious right.
A Liberty University spokesman refused to comment.
Faithful America said Tebow would give his “Christian faith a bad name” by speaking at the university founded by the late Jerry Falwell.
Several weeks ago Tebow canceled a speaking engagement at the First Baptist Church of Dallas – citing “new information” he had received.
He never elaborated on his comment – but sources close to the church told Fox News he backed out in part over the uproar surrounding the church’s position on traditional marriage – and salvation.
Pastor Robert Jeffress has been an outspoken leader in the nation’s culture wars – affirming from the pulpit traditional marriage and salvation through Jesus Christ.
The national media labeled the pastor as anti-gay and anti-Semitic – charges that were vehemently denied by the church and the many national religious leaders.
“To me, the real issue here is the controversy this has generated,” Jeffress said at the time. “It’s amazing that a church that believes faith alone in Christ is what saves a person and that sex should be between a man and a woman in a marriage relationship – that somehow those beliefs are considered hate speech? That is historic Christian doctrine for the past 2,000 years.”
Right Wing Watch, a publication of People for the American Way, suggested Liberty University was actually more extreme than FBC Dallas and listed a litany of alleged offenses.
They claimed Liberty University bans gay students and shut down its College Democrats chapter over the party’s views on gay rights. They also alleged the university hosted anti-gay conferences and that professors have made anti-gay comments.
Again, the university declined to address the controversy.
“If Jeffress’ anti-gay remarks were too extreme for Tebow, they pale in comparison to the things regularly said by representatives of Liberty University,” Right Wing Watch stated. “Perhaps it is time for Tebow to take another look at some of this ‘new information’ about Liberty.”
Huffington Post wondered if Tebow was giving hints about his position on homosexuality by making an appearance at Liberty.
“Due to Liberty University’s reputation for intolerance toward the LGBT community, some might interpret the athlete’s appearance as a tacit acknowledgement of similar values,” they opined.
Peter LaBarbera, of Americans for Truth About Homsexuality, is urging Liberty University and Tebow to stand firm – and warned that homosexual activists cannot be appeased.
“Their goal is to marginalize and to discredit Christians,” he told American Family News. “If he cancels this appearance at Liberty University under pressure from the gay lobby, I think his credibility is going to suffer a ton.”
Todd is the author of Dispatches From Bitter America – endorsed by Sarah Palin, Mark Levin and Sean Hannity. Click here to get your copy!

Massachusetts Students Who Refuse to Affirm Transgender Classmates Face Punishment

from Fox News:

By Todd Starnes
Parents across Massachusetts are upset over new rules that would not only allow transgender students to use their restrooms of their choice – but would also punish students who refuse to affirm or support their transgender classmates.
FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS. CLICK HERE TO JOIN!
Last week the Massachusetts Department of Education issued directives for handling transgender students – including allowing them to use the bathrooms of their choice or to play on sports teams that correspond to the gender with which they identify.
The 11-page directive also urged schools to eliminate gender-based clothing and gender-based activities – like having boys and girls line up separately to leave the classroom.
Schools will now be required to accept a student’s gender identity on face value.
“A student who says she is a girl and wishes to be regarded that way throughout the school day and throughout every, or almost every, other area of her life, should be respected and treated like a girl,” the guidelines stipulate.
According to the Dept. of Education, transgender students are those whose assigned birth sex does not match their “internalized sense of their gender.”
They said gender nonconforming students “range in the ways in which they identify as male, female, some combination of both, or neither.”
Todd is the author of Dispatches From Bitter America – endorsed by Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. Click here to get your copy!
“The responsibility for determining a student’s gender identity rests with the student,” the guidelines dictate. “One’s gender identity is an innate, largely inflexible characteristic of each individual’s personality that is generally established by age four…As a result, the person best situated to determine a student’s gender identity is that student himself or herself.”
The new rules would also prevent teachers and administrators from telling parents with which gender their child identifies.
“School personnel should speak with the student first before discussing a student’s gender nonconformity or transgender status with the student’s parent or guardian,” the directive states.
The guidelines were issued at the request of the state board of education to help schools follow the 2011 anti-discrimination law protecting transgender students.
“These students, because of widespread misunderstanding and lack of knowledge about their lives, are at a higher risk for peer ostracism, victimization, and bullying, the document read.
The Massachusetts Family Institute denounced the new rules calling them a violation of privacy.
“Fundamentally, boys need to be using the boys’ room and girls need to be using the girls’ rooms, and we base that on their anatomical sex, not some sort of internalized gender identity,” said Andrew Beckwith, the institute’s general counsel.
Beckwith told Fox News the new policy has a “very broad standard that is ripe for abuse.”
“The policy allows students to have one gender identity at home and another at school,” he said. “And it refuses to let teachers and administrators tell parents what gender their child is at school.”
Another part of the directive that troubles parents deals with students who might feel comfortable having someone of the opposite sex in their locker room or bathroom.
The state takes those students to task – noting their discomfort “is not a reason to deny access to the transgender student.”
And any student who refuses to refer to a transgendered student by the name or sex they identify with could face punishment.
For example – a fifth grade girl might feel uncomfortable using the restroom if there is an eighth grade transgendered boy in the next stall.
Under the state guidelines, the girl would have no recourse, Beckwith said.
“And if the girl continued to complain she could be subjected to discipline for not affirming that student’s gender identity choice,” he told Fox News.
“It should not be tolerated and can be grounds for student discipline,” the directive states.

read rest of story here:
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/students-who-refuse-to-affirm-transgender-classmates-face-punishment.html

TSA Detains 3 Year Old in Wheelchair

More TSA News...

the following article is from Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio:

A Missouri couple is furious after the Transportation Security Administration detained their wheelchair-bound three-year-old daughter, took away her stuffed doll, and refused to allow them to videotape agents patting her down.
“They treated her like a criminal,” said Nathan Forck. “And by extension they were treating us as criminals.”
The TSA did not return phone calls or emails seeking comment.
The incident happened on Feb. 9^th at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
Forck and his wife Annie, along with their three children were heading to Disney World for a family vacation. Lucy, their three-year-old, has Spina bifida and is confined to a wheelchair.
The family managed to make it through the TSA checkpoint without any problems. But as they prepared to walk to their gate, a TSA agent pulled aside Lucy for additional screening measures.
“They specifically told me that they were singling her out for this special treatment because she’s in a wheelchair,” he told Fox News. “They are specifically singling out disabled people for this special scrutiny. It’s rather offensive to me as a father of a disabled child.”
The agent said they needed to pat down Lucy and swab her wheelchair – even though both had already gone through the checkpoint.
Forck’s wife started filming the entire episode – over the objections of the TSA agent.
“You can’t do touch my daughter unless I record it,” she can be heard telling the agent.
The agent replied by telling the parents “It is illegal to do that.”
“The problem is, I don’t allow anyone to touch my little daughter,” Annie Forck said.

The Forcks refused to stop filming and soon, the young family was surrounded by TSA agents – one specifically assigned to guard Lucy.
“It’s your worst nightmare,” Forck said. “It’s bad enough they are demanding they want to pat down my child and didn’t want me to videotape it.”
Forck, who is an attorney, said he knew enough about the law to know it was perfectly legal to videotape.
“That set off alarm bells,” he said.
At some point the agents confiscated Lucy’s stuffed toy, “Lamby” – reducing the child to tears.
“She was crying for her stuffed animal which they wouldn’t let her have for the longest time,” he said. “It’s only about a half foot long. It’s a lamb down that talks – but she loves it.”
As TSA agents discussed what they were going to do, the video shows Lucy weeping uncontrollably.
“I don’t want to go Disney World,” she screamed as her parents tried to offer reassurances.
Forck said he could not understand why the TSA was so adamant about not allowing them to film their daughter’s pat-down.

read rest of the story here:
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/tsa-detains-3-year-old-in-wheelchair.html

Southern Baptists Defend Church Smeared by NBC

Article From Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio:

The pastor of one of the nation’s most prominent Southern Baptist churches is calling on NBC to retract a column that labeled the congregation as being “virulently anti-gay and anti-Semitic.”
FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS. CLICK HERE TO JOIN!
Rick Chandler, an NBC Sports “Off the Bench” writer, smeared the historic First Baptist Church of Dallas and urged Tim Tebow to cancel an upcoming appearance at the church.
“Tim Tebow to speak at virulently anti-gay, anti-Semitic Dallas megachurch,” read the headline on Chandler’s column.
“That’s the church led by pastor Robert Jeffress, a virulently anti-gay and anti-Semitic evangelical Christian,” he wrote. “It seems that lately Tim Tebow has been making more speaking appearances in church than he has quarterback appearances in NFL games.”
Jeffress said the accusations levied by Chandler were based on second and third-hand stories that were filled with inaccuracies.
“I would like NBC Sports to acknowledge that they made an error in their reporting and relied on secondary sources instead of doing their own reporting and fact-finding like any credible news organization ought to,” Jeffress told Fox News. “
Jeffress denied that his 11,000-member church is anti-gay or anti-Semitic.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” he told Fox News. “We are a very pro-Israel church. To say that Jesus Christ is the only way for a person to be saved is not anti-Semitic.”
The New York Daily News also picked up on Tebow’s upcoming appearance at the church and also slammed the church.
“Tebow’s Hate Date: Tim to Talk at Gay Bash, Anti-Jew pastor’s church,” the headline screamed.
Sing Oldham, a spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention, said the NBC story was evidence that “it’s open season on those who profess personal faith in Jesus Christ and pattern their lives by biblical morality.”
“Evangelical Christians are treated with contempt and targeted for ridicule,” Oldham told Fox News. “This should come as no surprise. Jesus said, ‘The world will hate you because of My Name.’”
Jeffress said that kind of reporting is why Americans don’t trust journalists.
“This is another example of gross inaccuracies supported by the liberal press with no resemblance to truth whatsoever,” Jeffress said. “This is a part of not just a liberal agenda – but sloppy journalism.”
He said it’s clear the news organizations have no understanding of mainstream evangelical Christian beliefs.
“What I have said about homosexuality going against God’s standard for human sexuality – and about Christ being the only provision for salvation – these are not radical ideas,” he said. “These have been a part of historic Christian faith for 2,000 years.”
But Jeffress ultimately believes the media was really looking for another chance to bash Tebow.
“I think the long knives have been out for Tim for some time,” he said. “This is another way to try to attack him for his Christian beliefs. Most discerning people realize this was an ambush – not of us so much – but of Tim Tebow and the beliefs we hold dear.”
On Sunday the church released the following statement to Fox News:

read the rest of the story here: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/nbc-sports-writer-smears-baptist-church-with-tebow-ties.html

Black Conservatives Targeted on Twitter, Facebook - Bill Calhoun Responds

Bill Calhoun

Bill Calhoun, Black Texas Conservative and Chairman of the Texas Federation for Republican Outreach, had this to say to Texas Conservative Republican News in response to reports that black conservatives are being targeted on twitter and facebook:

"If true, the campaign to keep relevant information from black voters just took a new low.

Since "Roe" became the law of the land, millions of black and white babies have been killed in the womb.

This pro-life group of black conservatives needs your prayers and your support."

Bill Calhoun, Chairman

Texas Federation for Republican Outreach

from Fox News:

Black Conservatives Targeted on Twitter, Facebook

Posted in Top Stories | 0 comments

Feb 7, 2013

By Todd Starnes
A black pro-life coalition had its Twitter account shut down after they announced plans on the social networking site to protest the NAACP.
FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS. CLICK HERE TO JOIN!
“Twitter shut us down,” said Stephen Broden, a spokesman for the National Black Prolife Coalition and Dallas-area pastor.
Their trouble started on Jan. 28 when Leroy Dodd, the group’s social media manager, sent out a tweet promoting the demonstration against the NAACP at the Image Awards.
“We sent out our first tweet at 9:17 a.m.,” he told Fox News. “Eight tweets later we were shut down.”
Dodd said he received a message from Twitter advising him that he had been suspended.
“I had to acknowledge I had been reported and I needed to change my behavior,” Dodd said.
He complied and the suspension was lifted – but when he put out another tweet accusing the NAACP of betraying the black community – the account was shut down again.
“By that evening we were completely suspended and we remained suspended for several days,” he said.
The suspension was finally lifted but only after the day of their planned protest had passed.
“We suspected that would happen,” Dodd said.
Neither Twitter or the NAACP responded to calls for comment.
“This is nothing new,” Dodd told Fox News. “It’s becoming popular with liberals and liberal organizations to report conservatives – a way to silence opposition.”
The administrator of the  Rocky Mountain Black Conservative Facebook page received a 30-day suspension several days ago. No reason was given.
And over the past several weeks a number of high profile conservative Facebook pages have either been shut down or threatened with suspension. An administrator for the Chicks on the Right Facebook page was briefly banned for criticizing the White House.
Pastor Broden said it’s a form of censorship.
“It negates our ability to communicate with our audience or to the general public about our positions,” he told Fox News.
Broden said social networking is especially important to black conservative groups because he said they typically get ignored by the national media.
“We are ignored not only by liberal media – but I’d say conservative media ignores us as well,” he said. “Our point of view, particularly as it relates to what’s going on in the black community is not being heard.”
They accuse the NAACP of failing to represent the best interests of the black community – especially their ties to Planned Parenthood – which the pastor accused of “targeting the black community” by trying to control the population through abortion.
“They have failed to protect the black family,” Broden said.
Broden said it’s time for conservative media to start covering the stories of conservative blacks.
“Until we get the kind of coverage and our voice is heard, we will always be seen by the media as a monolith,” he said. “And we are not a monolith. There are a number of us out there who have an alternative point of view.”

read more here: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/black-conservatives-targeted-on-twitter-facebook.html

Ronald Reagan Talks about Jesus Christ - see video compilation

from Todd Starnes Fox News Radio:

This is a beautiful compilation video of comments former President Reagan made about his relationship with Jesus Christ — Oh how I long for the day we once again have a Commander in Chief who leads our nation on bended knee.

Todd Starnes: Patriotic Group Told to Stop Praying in Jesus’ Name

the following Article is posted on Fox News Radio by Todd Starnes:

By Todd Starnes
The Daughters of the American Revolution, one of the nation’s oldest patriotic organizations, has erased any mention of Jesus Christ in their official book, removed prayers and poems that reference Christian imagery, and directed members to refrain from praying in the name of Christ, an outraged group of members alleged.
FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS. CLICK HERE TO JOIN!
The dispute has been brewing for more than a year when DAR members learned that the newly revised Ritual and Missal books – the primary guide for chaplains – were altered. They noticed that the name of Jesus Christ had been omitted.
The DAR president general did not return calls seeking comment for this story.
The members said DAR leadership made the changes to be politically correct and to accommodate new members of other religious beliefs.
A state chaplain in the organization notified members of their concerns in a newsletter.
“The newly updated Missal and Ritual was written to reflect the desire to be considerate of other belief systems,” the statement read. “The Chaplain General uses scripture from both the Old and New Testaments and prays in the name of God without reference Christ. Chapter and district chaplains need to follow the example set by the National Society.”
The statement also reminded members to “appreciate the differences in members’ religious beliefs and to adapt our rituals and prayers to respect these differences.”
That directive has infuriated rank and file members of the DAR – an organization that is deeply rooted in the Christian faith.
Several members of the DAR spoke with Fox News about their concerns – on the condition they remain anonymous.
“They are changing the legacy and intent of the Founding Ladies and rewriting the history of the Daughters of the American Revolution,” one member told Fox News. “How dare they? They’re supposed to be doing it out of inclusion. To me, it’s exclusion. If they are saying it’s because of religious tolerance – my question is – if someone is so incensed over the name of Jesus and words like ‘white crosses’ that reference soldiers who died for America – is it not they who are intolerant?”
The DAR has also reportedly eliminated an oath to the Constitution, a promise to respect the American flag, as well as patriotic hymns that reference God – including “America the Beautiful.”
Members were told those items were inadvertently left out of the revision and will be included in future publications.
“A group of us went through the Ritual and Missal and compared the old version and the new version,” another member told Fox News. “Every single prayer closing in the name of Jesus Christ no longer included the name of Jesus Christ.”
“For 122 years Christianity was included in the Daughters of the American Revolution,” said one member. “Without the name of Jesus Christ it is surely not Christianity. This has never been an issue until December of 2011.”
The DAR was founded in 1890 as a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization. Membership is open to any woman who can prove they are a lineal descendant of a patriot from the American Revolution. The organization has 170,000 members in 3,000 members.
The members said they tried to bring their concerns to the organization’s leadership but were rebuffed.
“The response from the leadership was one of being inclusive and being sensitive to non-Christians and other beliefs,” a member said. “The minority rules instead of the majority.”
One chaplain said it broke her heart to take Jesus out of the prayers and there are reports that some members have resigned.
The members said they were particularly disturbed that the changes were made without the vote or the approval of the 170,000 membership.
And many are perplexed over who might be so offended by the mere mention of the name of Christ.
“Who is it that is so incensed over the name of Jesus and any Christian symbol or reference – that they feel like they have to eliminate it from the Daughters of the American Revolution,” one member asked.
They said Christianity had never been forced on any members but to remove it from the historic organization’s documents is a “deception and twisting of history.”
“They are negating our history, changing our history,” one lady told Fox News. “This country was blessed by God Himself. Most of our Founding Fathers had Bibles in their hands and Jesus in their hearts and therefore America became what America is today. And through the last decade, it’s been a constant chiseling away of our Christian foundation – our Judeo-Christian foundation.”
Todd is the author of Dispatches From Bitter America – endorsed by Sarah Palin, Mark Levin and Sean Hannity. Click here to get your copy.

Liberals Allow Young Girls to be Exposed to Male Genitals by Transgender in Girls Locker Room

Are you a male pervert who wants to expose yourself to little girls? All you have to do is say you are a transgender and liberals will allow you to go into little girls bathrooms and changing rooms... SICK!

from Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio:

College Allows Transgender Man to Expose Himself to Young Girls

By Todd Starnes
A Washington college said their non-discrimination policy prevents them from stopping a transgender man from exposing himself to young girls inside a women’s locker room, according to a group of concerned parents.
FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS. CLICK HERE TO JOIN
“Little girls should not be exposed to naked men, period,” said David Hacker, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom. A group of concerned parents contacted the legal firm for help.
Hacker said a 45-year-old male student, who dresses as a woman and goes by the name Colleen Francis, undressed and exposed his genitals on several occasions inside the woman’s locker room at Evergreen State College.
Students from nearby Olympia High School as well as children at a local swimming club share locker rooms with the college.
According to a police report, the mother of a 17-year-old girl complained after her daughter saw the transgender individual walking naked in the locker room. A female swim coach confronted the man sprawled out in a sauna exposing himself. She ordered him to leave and called police.
The coach later apologized when she discovered the man was transgendered but explained there were girls using the facility as young as six years old who weren’t used to seeing male genitals.
“They’re uncomfortable with him being in there, her, being in there and are shocked by it,” parent Kristi Holterman told KIRO-TV.
According to the police report, the local district attorney probably will not pursue charges because he said the “criminal law is very vague in this area.”
Francis told KIRO-TV that he was born a man but chose to live as a woman in 2009. Francis said he felt discriminated against after he was told told leave.
“This is not 1959 Alabama,” Francis told the television station. “We don’t call police for drinking from the wrong water fountain.”
Hacker and local parents are outraged over the college’s response to the incident.
“The idea that the college and the local district attorney will not act to protect young girls is appalling,” he said. “What Americans are seeing here is the poisoned fruit of so-called ‘non-discrimination’ laws and policies.”

read rest of the story here: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/college-allows-transgender-man-to-expose-himself-to-young-girls.html

Graphic Middle School Sex Class Outrages Parents in Texas

By Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio:

Hundreds of Houston-area parents are outraged over a new sex education program that teaches 12-year-old children about oral, anal and vaginal sex – and uses graphic curriculum to instruct students on how to use condoms.

“We don’t need the school district showing the kids how to put on condoms,” said parent Christine Kalmbach. “This is very alarming.”

Kalmbach’s son is a seventh grader in the Cy-Fair Independent School District, a suburb of Houston. She was one of many parents who attended a school board meeting this week to voice her concerns about the graphic sex classes.

The new curriculum is called, “It’s Your Game, Keep It Real,” – a program that includes real-life scenarios about condoms. School officials did not return calls for comment – but they told parents that the program was selected because it has a proven record.

District officails told television station KTRK that the curriculum was approved by a subcommittee made up of a group of parents — and the school board unanimously approved it during summer break — when many parents and students were on vacation.

School officials told local reporters that parents were given the choice of opting their children out of the sex education class. However, a copy of the permission slip sent to parents does not give them that choice.

Middle-schoolers will begin taking the class in two weeks –but parents have launched a Facebook page that they hopes will persuade the district to delay the class.

Several parents told Fox News that the information booklets provided by the school district did not indicate the graphic nature of the classroom instruction nor did it mention the level of detail.

“I started looking at the curriculum and I got this sense of dread,” she said. “I thought, ‘oh my gosh, what is it that they are putting in front of our kids?"

Kalmbach said the videos include cursing and slang. The actors are dressed provocatively.

“It has heavy petting and making out – and this is the seventh grade curriculum,” she said.

Kevin Brewer has three children in middle school. He told Fox News that the material is simply not age appropriate.

read the rest of the story here: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/middle-school-sex-class-shows-kids-how-to-use-condoms.html

FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS. CLICK HERE TO JOIN.

Same-Sex Ceremony on Military Base - So Much for State and Federal Law - Experiment on Soldiers/Military Continues

A gay marriage ceremony between a lesbian couple in the base chapel at Fort Polk in Louisiana has created a storm of controversy among conservative religious leaders and a growing number of lawmakers on Capitol Hill.


“The liberal social experiment with our military continues,” Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) told Fox News Radio. “A same-sex marriage-like ceremony should not have occurred at Fort Polk, especially since the people of Louisiana have made it abundantly clear that our state does not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions.”.........

........ click here to read the rest of the story by Todd Starnes on Fox News Radio