U.S. Recognizes Jerusalem as Capital of Israel

Current Events,

Today President Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Below is a statement from our friends at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) about this historic event:

Today is a historic day for the U.S.-Israel relationship. For the first time, the United States officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

AIPAC has always supported American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital city, and we commend President Trump’s momentous announcement and decision to initiate relocating the U.S. embassy there.

This recognition is a long-overdue step to implement U.S. law. The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 declared that Jerusalem “should remain an undivided city,” and “the United States Embassy in Israel should be established in Jerusalem.” AIPAC strongly supported passage of that act, which Congress overwhelmingly adopted on a bipartisan basis.

Importantly, relocating the embassy to Jerusalem does not in any way prejudge the outcome of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, to include establishing two states for two peoples and resolving Palestinian claims to the eastern portion of the city and the disposition of holy places. Rather, this announcement acknowledges that Jerusalem will continue to be Israel’s capital as part of any conceivable final status agreement.

The Jewish people have maintained a constant presence in Jerusalem, their holiest city, for more than 3,000 years. Israel declared the city its capital following its reestablishment in 1948. When the United States ultimately relocates its embassy to Jerusalem, it will treat Israel as it does every other country with which we have diplomatic relations.

Today’s action by President Trump is an important, historic step for which we are grateful. We urge the president to quickly relocate our embassy to Israel’s capital.

###

READ MORE

Witchcraft as Cheap Spirituality

Current Events, ,

Our friends at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview have released a commentary on the growing interest in the occult among Millennials.

John Stonestreet writes,

The owner of one so-called “metaphysical boutique” in New York says business has never been better. Her occult accessories fly off shelves and into the apartments of educated, urban young people. For those who want to go even deeper, her establishment offers workshops like “Witchcraft 101,” “Astrology 101,” and “Spirit Séance.” . . . .

All told, practices like astrology, aura reading, mediumship, tarot-cards, etc., generate a staggering $2 billion annually.

So what do we make of this exodus from organized religion and into the arms of new expressions of old paganism? Well, for one thing, it shows young people have no idea what they’re actually buying into. As my colleague, Roberto Rivera, wrote at BreakPoint.org, witchcraft and occult spirituality has been marketed the last few decades as sanitized, consumer-friendly versions of the real thing. Sorcery and star signs may be in vogue now, but one need only look at the preserved bodies of human sacrifices from Iron-Age Europe to know what sort of world this worldview creates.

You can read the entire commentary here or listen to it below.

[audio:http://www.breakpoint.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/112117_BP.mp3|titles=Millennials Spellbound by the Occult by John Stonestreet]

Photo Credit: By Paul Sapiano from San Diego, USA (Trick Or Treat.) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) or CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

READ MORE

Family Council Saddened at the Passing of Sen. Standridge

Current Events

On Thursday Senator Greg Standridge (R — Russellville) passed away following a battle with cancer.

Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement saying, “My thoughts and prayers are with Senator Standridge’s family and his friends during this time. As a state legislator, Senator Standridge worked hard for the people of Arkansas, and his passing marks a loss for us all.”

###

 

 

 

READ MORE