Thursday, September 21, 2006

The Godlessness we Trust

September 21, 2006SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Government libraries can block religious groups from worshipping in public meeting rooms, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

The decision came from a case involving the Faith Center Church Evangelistic Ministries, a Christian group which won a court order allowing them to hold a "prayer, praise and worship" service in meeting rooms open to other groups at a Contra Costa County library branch. A federal judge said it had a First Amendment right of religion to use the public's facilities. But a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that ruling in a 2-1 decision.

There is a chance that it's "just my imagination," but why does it seem like Christians are not getting a fair shake in today's world? Is there anything illegal about letting a religious group meet in a public place? If not then what is all the fuss about?

Here's my take for what it's worth:

Christianity is slowly becoming a four-letter word in America. Anything that has to do with God (the Christian God) or religion (Christianity) can in no way, shape, or form be associated with local, state or federal government organizations without someone throwing up a flag and calling for a foul. Why is this? Some people want you to believe it is against the constitution and somehow these situations are a direct violation of the "separation of church and state." This is however a lie. The constitution states that there cannot be a "state sponsored" religion. This means that the government cannot and will not say "Christianity" is the official religion of America and no other religion shall be practiced. This also means that the “church” will not have any authority over the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of the government. Some organizations (ex: the ACLU) have made a living out of misrepresenting this portion of the constitution in order to remove anything to do with God out of the public's eye. They say that they are protecting our rights, but what they are truly doing is promoting a godless society.

In the very same country that was founded on Christian-Biblical principals, we are seeing our society slowly changing into a society that does not want any affiliation with their creator.

Christian ideologies are becoming obsolete and now Christians are actually considered by many to be the spreaders of hate and evil in the world. All of this simply because Christian’s believe that humans are accountable to a god who has moral standards for his people. This same society continues to praise the homosexual, bi-sexual, and transgender communities for their courage in fighting oppression and inequality, while religious leaders are being scrutinized for standing on the Biblical principles which regard these behaviors as sinful and inappropriate. This same society has granted women the right to selfishly take the life of their unborn children simply because the children are unwanted or unplanned. This same society has supported the work of organizations like the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, and attacked the work of organizations like
Alpha Women’s Center and Exodus International.

The big picture is this. In a world that continues to grow further away from the truth, it is important for Christians to be well grounded in their faith. It is also important for Christians to remember the scripture which states:

"
You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men."

The world will never understand the spiritual things that are going on all around them. The devil will continue to persuade, manipulate and lie to those that are under his deceptive blanket. It is up to the Christians to bring the truth to the unsaved world and stir up a revival in our society. Christians need to be reminded that they are called to be in the world, but not of it. They can also find comfort in the words of Jesus who said:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Challenges to Christianity

Ever wondered about questions like these?...

How can a good God send people to hell?
Doesn't evolution do away with the need for God?
Isn't God just a crutch for weak minded people?
If God is so good, why is there still evil in the world?
Don't science and faith conflict?

Join Alive Ministries as we address some of the top challenges to Christianity