But For The Grace Of God

[MacEoghainn]

In other threads on this forum we have touched on this issue. I would suggest that we all take this seriously. It may be coming to a community near you (or maybe even your own) sooner than you think.


FALWELL CONFIDENTIAL

Insider weekly newsletter to The Moral Majority Coalition and

The Liberty Alliance http://www.moralmajority.com

Date: April 7, 2006

From: Jerry Falwell

INCARCERATED FOR CHRIST

All over the world, Christians are persecuted for their faith. Some are jailed for meeting in non-state-sanctioned house churches; some are beaten because they dare to express faith in Jesus Christ; some are beaten and killed when they refuse to renounce their faith in Christ.

On March 16, the president of Hopegivers International of India, Samuel Thomas, a Liberty University alumnus and native of India, experienced firsthand the potential implication of his faith in Jesus Christ when he was met by 12 armed men claiming to be policemen, handcuffed and arrested. He remains in custody.

Since Samuel’s arrest, appeals for his release on bail have been repeatedly delayed or denied by local authorities in Kota, Rajasthan. Moreover, he was originally imprisoned in the same cell with multiple members of the very militant group that has been threatening his and his father’s lives.

Compass Direct now reports that a court in Rajasthan has ordered the safekeeping of Samuel in a cell separate from the Hindu extremists who were plotting to assault or kill him. This action was in response to pressure from the All India Christian Council and the New Delhi Human Rights Commission.

Samuel and his father, Bishop M.A. Thomas, run the Hopegivers International children’s charity. The charity is responsible for saving thousands of children from the streets of New Delhi and other cities. M.A. Thomas has been in hiding for some time because he has also been targeted by the extremists, with one anti-Christian militant offering a bounty of $26,000 for his head.

Prior to Samuel’s arrest, two other Hopegivers officials were arrested and held for weeks without charge.

Since Samuel’s arrest, an international prayer chain has been initiated, with Christians joining together to pray for this man’s release.

“Pray for our ongoing efforts to negotiate the release of Dr. Thomas,” said Hopegivers Executive Director Michael Glenn. “His leadership is urgently needed at the Hope Home orphanages and hospital we support in Kota. The longer this harassment goes on, the more the welfare of the children and patients will suffer.”

Since his arrest several weeks ago, lawyers for the Emmanuel Mission International (EMI) have been questioning the legitimacy of the vague charges filed against Samuel for causing “communal disharmony.” EMI is the indigenous partner in India for Hopegivers International. His arrest and the ongoing threats targeting EMI are bringing worldwide condemnation from advocates of human rights.

“This is a blatant denial of freedom of speech and religion,” said Mr. Glenn, “and goes against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the Indian constitution.”

The prayer chain has spread to the Liberty University campus, where hundreds of students have formed a prayer vigil. On the tenth day of Samuel’s imprisonment, a large group of these student intercessors gathered for prayer to ask God’s protection on His servant. This prayer vigil lasted several hours and included dozens of students who have participated in Liberty sponsored missions campaigns in South Asia.

Samuel Thomas’ recent arrest and the fugitive status assigned to his father are just two recent examples of the ever increasing and targeted attack on Christians in Southeast Asia.

Liberty University has joined with Hopegivers International in calling for increased awareness and prayer for those enduring this level of persecution in the least-reached places on our planet.

I urge my readers to join with us to pray specifically for Bishop M.A. Thomas and Dr. Samuel Thomas. These dear men of faith are paying a steep price for their relationship with Jesus Christ.

I am sure, however, that, like the Apostle Paul, each man would say with the Apostle Paul who said in his Epistle to the Philippians (1:29-30): “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me” (NKJV).

[jedibowers]

Yes someday this will be common all over the world. Personally, I hope that I die or Christ comes back before this starts. If not, I hope that I will be able to stand up for my faith and not deny my faith.

[MacEoghainn]

More "fun" from our friends at the ACLU:

FALWELL CONFIDENTIAL

Insider weekly newsletter to The Moral Majority Coalition and

The Liberty Alliance http://www.moralmajority.com



From: Jerry Falwell

Date: May 25, 2006



GRADUATES: WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED

I wish I could have been there to witness it myself.

After Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr. issued a restraining order barring Russell County (Ky.) High School and senior Megan Chapman from including prayer at the school’s graduation ceremony, students decided to take matters in their own hands. (Miss Chapman was elected by students last fall as the senior class chaplain.)

In an act of protest to the court order issued just hours before the graduation, about 200 seniors spontaneously stood and began reciting the Lord’s Prayer, prompting a standing ovation from a standing-room only crowd at the ceremony.

The student message: We will not be silenced.

The religious freedom organization Liberty Counsel, which is representing Miss Chapman, reported that thunderous applause drowned out the last part of the prayer.

“The revival-like atmosphere continued when senior Megan Chapman said in her opening remarks that God had guided her since childhood,” Liberty Counsel reported. “Megan was interrupted repeatedly during her speech by the cheering crowd as she urged her classmates to trust in God as they go through life.”

What an amazing scene. But it’s a scene that never should have transpired because the court order, according to Liberty Counsel, is “invalid, wrong, and limited.”

“First, the court had no authority to order Megan to refrain from prayer as she was never made a party to the case,” said Mathew Staver, the founder of the organization who is also the interim dean of the Liberty University School of Law. “Moreover, a temporary restraining order which restricts a person’s speech cannot be issued without first providing the affected person notice and an opportunity to be heard. Second, the court order runs contrary to the best legal precedent established in Adler v. Duval County School Board, a case successfully litigated by Liberty Counsel. Finally, the order was limited because it only addressed prayer. It did not, nor could it, prohibit Megan from thanking God or sharing her religious viewpoint during her speech.”

I never cease to be amazed at how activist judges and militant leftists are bent on forbidding even the most basic expressions of faith from the American landscape. In this case, students had voted, under no duress, to have Miss Chapman act as their chaplain. But because a couple of people express offense and bring in the ACLU, the entire class loses its right to have the graduation they wanted, solely because God and/or prayer was to be mentioned.

Mr. Staver noted, “It is a clear violation of the First Amendment to require a school to intentionally censor religious viewpoints of student speakers at graduation. Religious speech has just as much protection as secular speech. In fact, the First Amendment elevates religious expression to our first freedom.”

I am pleased to partner with Liberty Counsel in the “Friend or Foe Graduation Prayer Campaign” which is designed to help students like those at Russell County High School to be able to pray if they so choose. Liberty Counsel, which is comprised of hundreds of affiliate attorneys in all 50 states, has offered its services to defend the school board and to work on behalf of Megan Chapman to protect her right to free speech against the ACLU’s lawsuit.

Any students in America who face similar problems (or any type of religious freedom problem) should immediately contact Liberty Counsel to receive pro bono legal help: http://www.lc.org/