No Clergy or Prayers at New York's 9/11 Memorial?
"In a city where the most residents in recent memory now cite religious faith as strongly important, New York is tone-deaf to exclude all religion when remembering the slaughter of over 3000 innocents." -- Mark Tooley, IRD President
WASHINGTON, /Christian Newswire/ -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office has announced that the principle ceremony marking the 9/11 terrorist attacks will exclude clergy and formal prayers. The move by city hall allows "moments of silence" and for families to share, but specifically excludes religious figures. Bloomberg's controversial decision comes when the Barna Group polling firm finds that 46 percent of New York area residents reported attending worship services in the previous week in 2010, up from 31 percent in 2000. The latest figures also show that 61 percent of New York-area residents agree strongly that religious faith is very important to them.
IRD President Mark Tooley commented: "In a city where the most residents in recent memory now cite religious faith as strongly important, New York is tone-deaf to exclude all religion when remembering the slaughter of over 3000 innocents. "To exclude clergy even at a memorial service implies that religion is not welcome in the public square, even in mourning. "From presidential inaugurals to opening Congress, to countless civic events routinely in every community across America, clergy and prayers have been a regular part of public life for years. The exclusion of both clergy and prayers is deeply at odds with America's robust religious life and even with the beliefs of most New Yorkers."
"Secularist groups like Americans United for the Separation of Church and State naturally applaud New York's ignoring most Americans and most New Yorkers by pretending religion is unimportant, even when remembering mass slaughter and heroic sacrifice."
The Institute on Religion & Democracy works to reaffirm the church's biblical and historical teachings, strengthen and reform its role in public life, protect religious freedom, and renew democracy at home and abroad.
www.TheIRD.org
Hikers' Sentencing Should Remind Americans of Threat from Iran's Apocalyptic 'Twelvers'
Tehran's Leaders Insist on Israel's Destruction to Spur Messianic Figure's Appearance, 'Radical Islam' Author Explains, as America Approaches 10th Anniversary of 9/11
DALLAS, August 22, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- The weekend sentencing of two American hikers to eight years in an Iranian prison on espionage charges should give Americans pause as Tehran's regime - spurred by a radical, apocalyptic theology that insists on Israel's destruction - continues to target the West and America approaches the 10th anniversary of 9/11, says cultural apologist Dr. Jim Denison. In his essay, "U.S. Hikers and Iran's Apocalyptic Leaders," published Monday on the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture website at http://dftc.co/i, the author of the new book "Radical Islam: What You Need to Know," explains that Iran's top leaders, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, are "Twelvers," adherents of Shiite Islam's largest branch. Twelvers believe a Messiah-like figure, the Mahdi ("guided one"), will arise at history's end to rule the world for Islam. Among the beliefs of many Twelvers: Israel and America - the "little Satan" and "Great Satan," respectively - must be attacked to bring about the Mahdi's arrival. This figure would then show up, believers contend, to protect the Muslim world from Western reprisal.
Such beliefs, Denison reminds readers, explain Ahmadinejad's declaration in 2005 that Israel must be "wiped off the map."
"Are Iran's leaders using the two American hikers and other foreign detainees to incite their people against the West?" Denison asks. "Did they charge our citizens with espionage so they could claim the West is attacking Islam? Since the Qur'an requires Muslims to defend Islam (Qur'an 2:190), this accusation would legitimize an attack against Israel and the West out of obedience to Islam's holy book." The Twelvers are just one part of the extremist movement that Denison describes in his book, a primer on radical Islam, which he calls "the greatest threat our children have ever faced." "Radical Islam" is the first in the "Unlocking the Truth" series of books offering a spiritual perspective on key cultural issues facing America. A free, sample chapter is available at www.denisonforum.org.
Denison is the author of six other books, including "Wrestling with God: How Can I Love a God I'm Not Sure I Can Trust?" by Tyndale House Publishers.
Denison's daily cultural commentary is made available worldwide to thousands of subscribers at www.denisonforum.org/cultural-commentary. His faith perspective sheds light on topics ranging from same-sex marriage, to bioethics, to the recent turmoil in the financial markets. The Denison Forum on Truth and Culture ( www.denisonforum.org) was founded in 2009. The Forum responds to issues through a variety of communications and channels, including a column in "The Dallas Morning News," books, articles and speaking engagements. Denison currently serves on the board of the Baylor Health Care System. He is chairman of the advisory board for Dallas Baptist University and former senior pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church, a 10,000-member congregation in Dallas.
Free Speech Now Welcome at Cypress College -- Settlement Reached in Two Pro-Life Cases
CYPRESS, Calif., Aug. 30, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Life Legal Defense Foundation today announced the settlement of two civil rights actions it filed in 2008 and 2009 against Cypress College, on behalf of a group of young pro-life activists. The settlement includes significant changes to the school's free speech policy and payment to plaintiffs for both monetary damages and their attorneys' fees.
The first suit arose from an incident in February 2007, when three members of the Survivors (survivors.la), based in Riverside, California, were arrested and jailed for refusing to stand in a yellow painted square marked "free speech area" that was located next to a construction zone. The young people were accused of trespassing on property not open to the general public, though their peaceful activities took place entirely in open areas of the public college.
Recognizing that Cypress College was open to the general public, the Orange County District Attorney Office dismissed the charges and a judge declared the pro-lifers factually innocent.
The second suit arose just one year later, when the Survivors returned to Cypress College to once again engage in peaceful free speech activity. Cypress College administrators directed the arrest of the five pro-lifers and this time accused them of causing a disturbance on campus. All criminal charges were dismissed when the prosecutor reviewed video coverage of the activities that proved that no disturbance had occurred.
In response to the false arrests, LLDF attorney Allison Aranda filed suit challenging the constitutionality of Cypress College's free speech policy. After three and a half years of litigation, Cypress College has agreed to amend their free speech policy, thereby opening up the main areas of campus for peaceful First Amendment activities.
"This victory is a long time coming," said Katie Short, legal director of the Life Legal Defense Foundation. "We have been battling Cypress College over their free speech policies for years. This victory shows that, with a lot of patience and persistence, it is possible to open the eyes of college administrators and successfully preserve the free speech rights of young people on our public college campuses."
Life Legal Defense Foundation is a non-profit organization composed of attorneys and other concerned citizens, committed to giving helpless and innocent human beings of any age, and their advocates, a trained and committed voice in the courtrooms of our nation. For more information call Allison K. Aranda at 951-541-9327.
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