LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY nebris)

~Religious fanaticism in American foreign policy

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY seshen)

The federal government agreed to stop funding a nationwide program that promotes teen abstinence to settle a lawsuit alleging the money was used for Christian proselytizing.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Technorati Profile

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY inkedgeekfreak)

Holy crap. Is the state of South Dakota retarded trying to ban all abortion? This is a deliberate attempt to make a law that will be challenged and go to the supreme court to test Alito and Roberts. I am so livid I can't even see straight.

Several news sources are carrying the story.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kiji_kat)

I know this community focuses mainly on Dominionists in the United States, but I came across some horrifying information about a man in Uganda (Africa) who is doing some revolting things.

It is in this region that a rebel force — the Lord's Resistance Army, which claims to base its principles on the Ten Commandments — has waged a protracted 20-year war against the Ugandan government.

I don't know what we can do about this, but if anyone has some resources, please let me know.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY wyldraven)

Red Meat on Young Earth Creationism
Ward Sutton on Rove v. Wade

Young Earth Creationism defined

Thanks to kiunedd.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sesby)

A class at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Florida embraces an alternate history that advocates the United States as a nation by Christians for Christians.

The curriculum:

- Our Godly Heritage

- Our Founding Fathers and Original Intent

- Educational Revisionism

- Christian's Responsibility to Culture

- Understanding the Homosexual Lifestyle and Agenda, Part I

- Understanding the Homosexual Lifestyle and Agenda, Part II

- Protecting Traditional Family Values

- Anti-Christian Bigotry

- Sanctity of Life

- The Religious and Political Origins of Thanksgiving

- "What Is Rama-hanu-kwanz-mas?" Keeping Christ in Christmas


More, from the story in the St. Petersbug Times:

"John Stemberger (a guest speaker) is a lawyer from Orlando. His spare time goes toward Florida Family Action, a conservative lobbying group. Stemberger's topic tonight is homosexuals and their agenda.

"We find ourselves living in an age where there's no truth at all, according to secularists," Stemberger tells the class.

No one, he says, is saying that homosexuals shouldn't have a right to vote, a right to sell property. "This is about special rights."

Namely, marriage. Once gays can marry, he said, they will want to adopt, too.

"Now the picture is not two guys in holy matrimony, in bed together, so to speak. Now the picture is three little children sandwiched in between them."

"What are two lesbian moms going to teach a little girl about how to love a man?" Stemberger asks.

"Nothing," someone calls out.

"They have nothing to offer these children," Stemberger says.

Then he says, "Can we just pray for a second?"

"Father," he begins as the students bow their heads, "We want to be clothed with grace. We want to be clothed with humility. . . . There is nothing in us that should be self-righteous, that should be judgmental."

Read the whole story at http://sptimes.com/2006/02/24/Brandontimes/In_God_they_trust.shtml

This has been reported on Talk2Action, but not yet on Dark Christianity, so may as well post it here:

Apparently the IRS is now starting to aggressively go after churches and 501(c)3 groups violating tax-exempt status by electioneering, according to this news article. Even more of note, reportedly some groups may end up losing their tax exempt status for multiple violations:

( text of the article follows )

The "real world" effect on this is that at least three groups--possibly linked to dominionist groups--have probably lost their tax-exempts, and a number of dominionist groups are probably on what can be delicately referred to as "double-secret probation". Of particular note, the sort of "Christian voter's guides" distributed by the Christian Coalition, American Family Association et al could end up getting churches in rather serious trouble.

This is especially relevant as not only is Americans United but also now Defcon America have specific projects to allow persons to anonymously report electioneering violations at churches, and even mainstream pastors are starting to stand up (such as in the Ohio Pastor's Rebellion of over 40 churches filing IRS complaints against World Harvest Church in Columbus for illegal electioneering). Americans United reports in its press release that they themselves reported 11 churches in 2004 alone.

The IRS has released some details here in regards to the matter and also indicates it will have even more stringent regulations in 2006--in part because of a Treasury Department audit indicating lax enforcement of the law in regards to illegal electioneering. Entire denominations in certain cases could be in trouble (among other things, the Assemblies of God has been documented as being a major fundraiser for John Ashcroft's senatorial campaign).

I've posted a reply on Talk2Action which the general relevance of this increased enforcement for groups specifically monitoring abuses.