HISTORIC CHANGE IN U.S. SUPREME COURT
If Elena Kagan is confirmed as the 112th Supreme Court Justice, it will be the first time in U.S. history that the court has been without a Protestant voice. We realize, of course, that Protestantism today, for the most part, is as dead as the mother she came from, but this nomination is significant for the symbolism is carries regarding America’s religious ideals. Kagan, who is Jewish, would join six Roman Catholics and two Jews on the court. Of the 111 justices that have served so far, 91 have been Protestant, but a sea change has taken place in this country--a change that many of our spiritual forebears warned about. Over the years, we have collected many old and rare volumes in which fearless Christian authors did not hesitate to identify the dangerous and stultifying influence of false religion taking over the reins of power in America, particularly the false religion of Rome. Much more than just a religion, Roman Catholicism is a fearful political machine that is not afraid to use any means at her disposal to achieve her desired ends of absolute power over people. America would have been wise to have heeded the warnings of Bible-believing Protestant authors of the last century as they prophesied of the dangers America would face of the country fell into the hands of Rome.
DALAI LAMA DRAWING BIG CROWDS IN AMERICA
Recently the Dalai Lama, who has been called “a rock star in religion,” packed out the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The Tibetan Buddhist god-king has come a long way since he was an obscure religious figure in his native Tibet. Today he is a prominent figure in the New Age movement, promoting a syncretistic, mystical spirituality that renounces doctrinal dogmatism in favor of an individualistic approach to the truth. The theme of his current U.S. tour is “Toward a True Kinship of Faiths.” He says, “I’m Buddhist. According to my own practice, Buddhism is best. But ... each person has a different faith. So according to each person, their religion is best for them” (“The Dalai Lama Packs Radio City,” FoxNews.com, May 21, 2010). The main thing, according to the Dalai Lama, is that all religions be respected and that none make exclusive claims. He warns that “religious extremism” is destructive to world peace. In his foreword to the book Spiritual Politics, the Dalai Lama warned, “Narrow-mindedness and self-centered thinking may have served us well in the past, but today will only lead to disaster.” This would all be well and good if there were no such thing as one true God and if that God had not revealed Himself infallibly!
CHINA’S CHILD-TRAFFICKING EPIDEMIC
The following is excerpted from “China’s Child-Trafficking,” Spiegel Online, May 21, 2010: “Stealing children is a common problem in the People’s Republic, which explains why grandparents or parents pick up children from school throughout the country. They are determined not to make it any easier for the human traffickers. It’s one of the saddest aspects of modern China. Experts estimate that between 30,000 and 60,000 babies, children and adolescents disappear each year. They are kidnapped and then sold, often ending up as slaves in workshops and brickworks, or being forced to work in brothels. ... On the way to the buyer, the human traffickers often sedate the kidnapped children to prevent them from screaming. Sometimes they don’t survive their ordeal, as evidenced by periodic media reports of dead children found on buses or trains. ... Sons are particularly important in the villages. It has long been a tradition in rural areas for male offspring and daughters-in-law to care for elderly parents. But buyers for stolen children can also be found in cities like Beijing or Shanghai. Many Chinese desperately want a baby but are unable to conceive a child of their own. Adoptions are complicated, and most of the children now being handed over to orphanages are disabled. ... The chances of tracking down an abducted child are miniscule. Family clans often control things in the villages, and ‘they are as thick as thieves,’ says shoemaker Li. Local officials are part of the system, including the representatives of women’s organizations, party leaders and local police officers. ‘Everyone knows when a new child has suddenly arrived in the village,’ says Li, ‘and no one asks any questions.’ And then there is the corruption, China’s fundamental flaw, without which human trafficking on such a large scale would not be possible. ... It is not just unscrupulous gangs that engage in human trafficking, as one might expect, but sometimes the parents themselves. Some farmers are so poor that they cannot or are unwilling to feed another mouth, and so they sell their newborns instead. Others view giving birth to and selling additional children as a source of income -- and more lucrative than toiling in the fields. There is a saying among farmers in the southwestern province of Yunnan: ‘If you want to make money, you should bear children instead of raising pigs.’”
ANGLICAN PRIEST DEDICATES BREWERY
An Anglican priest recently blessed a new brewery in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The “Rev.” Neil Gordon, Dean of All Saints Cathedral, blessed both the building and the equipment (“Edmonton’s Newest Brewery Opens with a Blessing,” Edmonton Journal, May 20, 2010). Brewmaster Scott Harris said the tradition of blessing breweries is an ancient one. In fact, it goes back to the Roman Catholic Church, and the Protestants just kept their love of drink when they “left” Rome. The Roman Catholic Church is so fond of drink that she has to operate centers to “dry out” alcoholic priests. I recall a Catholic mass I witnessed in 1987 in New Orleans while attending an ecumenical conference with press credentials. The priests were drinking wine by the pitcher full. It is instructive that the description of the Harlot Church of Revelation 17:1-6 makes four mentions of drinking. After doing extensive research into the Emerging Church in 2008, I was impressed with the fact that they, too, love to drink. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1).
POPE SAYS MARY “IS IN ALL PLACES AND TIMES”
Speaking from the window of the papal apartment overlooking St. Peter’s Square on May 23, Pope Benedict XVI exalted Mary in divine terms. He said there is “noPentecost without Mary” and claimed that “she is in all places and times” (“No Church without Pentecost, no Pentecost without Mary,” EWTN News, May 23, 2010). This blasphemous statement attributes omnipresence to a mere creature. The pope also prayed the Regina Coeli (Queen of Heaven), asking God to grant “that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary we may lay hold of the joys of eternal life.” Not far from the Vatican is the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, one of the four papal basilicas, which hosts a 12-foot-tall crucifix with Mary hanging on the cross with Jesus. The fact that evangelicalism today does not condemn in no uncertain terms the Roman Catholic Church for its blasphemies and vile heresies, and for the multitudes of saints that she has tormented and killed, is irrefutable evidence of evangelicalism’s spiritual blindness and apostasy. This wretched condition is, among other things, the fruit of Billy Graham’s philosophy of ecumenical evangelism, and if the Southern Baptist Convention had any real spiritual life and conviction it would have renounced Graham decades ago instead of exalting him as a great man of God. The SBC today is Sardis. It has a name that it lives, but it is dead. And large numbers of independent Baptists are following rapidly in these compromising footsteps by toning down the reproof of error, downgrading the doctrine of separation, and hating the reprovers more than the compromisers.
Source of above articles: Friday Church News Notes
• Co-Ed Dorm Rooms Becoming More Prevalent
This fall, 17 colleges, including Princeton and Yale, are offering students the choice of co-ed dorm rooms. This will bring the total number of colleges and universities that have the co-ed rooming arrangements to more than 50. Caleb Price, social research analyst for CitizenLink, said the policies were initially promoted by gay and transgender activists, but have recently become more mainstream. "There's a politically correct move to deconstruct gender and sex in all arenas of society," said Price, "with college housing being just one test laboratory for this social experiment." [CitizenLink.com]
• Americans' Opposition to Same-Sex Marriage Eases
According to a Gallup® poll, opponents of legalizing same-sex marriage continue to outnumber supporters in the United States, by 53 percent to 44 percent. Support was slightly higher (46%) in 2007. In 2008 and 2009, support ranked lower, at 40 percent. When Gallup first asked about the legality of gay marriage in a 1996 poll, 68 percent of Americans were opposed and 27 percent in favor. Those who say religion is "very important" in their lives oppose legal same-sex marriage, 70 percent to 27 percent. In contrast, Americans who say religion is not important support gay marriage by just as wide a margin. [Gallup.com]
