Current Events – Page 37

EU Labels ISIS Action “Genocide.” Will U.S. Follow?

Feb 8, 2016Jerry CoxChristian Persecution, Current EventsChristian Persecution

A few months ago we explained how the U.S. could be poised to label some of the atrocities committed by ISIS in the Middle East “genocide.”

I say “some of the atrocities,” because at the time the State Department was prepared to leave Christians off the list of genocide victims, despite the fact ISIS has specifically and brutally targeted Christians time and time again.

Last week, however, the European Union took steps to label ISIS violence as “genocide,” and to call on other nations to do the dame. Sophia Kuby, director of European Union advocacy at Alliance Defending Freedom International, issued a statement, saying,

“We applaud the European Parliament for having responded to clear and compelling evidence that Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East are victims of intentional destruction and genocide. The overwhelming majority who voted in favor of this recognition is remarkable and shows that Europe supports action against this intolerable and ongoing genocide. It was high time that the EU responded to the undeniable evidence of this genocide, which includes assassinations of church leaders, torture, mass murders, kidnapping, sexual enslavement, systematic rape of Christian and Yazidi girls and women, and the destruction of churches, monasteries, and cemeteries.”

NE Arkansas School District to Offer Academic Course on the Bible

Jan 21, 2016Jerry CoxCurrent Events, Religious FreedomCurrent Events, Religious Liberty

A public school district in northeast Arkansas has announced plans to offer students an elective, academic course on the Bible.

According to Christian Post, Westside Consolidated School District hopes to have course material lined up in time to offer the course to students during the 2016-2017 school year.

Act 1440 of 2013–sponsored by Rep. Denny Altes and enacted under Governor Mike Beebe–permits public schools to offer elective academic courses that study “the Bible and its influence on literature, art, music, culture, and politics.”

The law states the course must be objective and nonsectarian, and it must meet the same academic standards as other elective courses offered in public schools. Anyone wishing to teach the course must be licensed to teach in the State of Arkansas.

Courts have indicated the U.S. Constitution does not prevent public school students from being taught about the Bible and its significance throughout human history, provided the instruction is conducted in an educational and neutral manner.

In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court even went so far in its Stone v. Graham decision as to say, “the Bible may constitutionally be used in an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like.” The key is the state has to have a legitimate, secular purpose in offering elective courses on the Bible.

In the case of Act 1440, the purpose is clear: To study the Bible’s influence on multiple facets of our culture. Since no single book has held more sway over western culture than the Bible, this purpose seems more than reasonable.

Of course it’s also worth remembering students and teachers do not shed their First Amendment freedoms simply by walking into a public school. Students and teachers can peacefully read their Bibles or pray during breaks, before school, and after school. Students are free to form religiously-based student organizations–such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Students can even discuss their faith, if relevant, as part of course assignments and homework.

Liberal Muddle on Guns and Abortion

Dec 18, 2015Jerry CoxCurrent EventsAbortion, Current Events, Gun Control

The following column is by Regis Nicoll, a freelance writer and Christian columnist.

“When you think of Missouri,” urges New York Times columnist Gail Collins, “give a fond mental shout-out to Stacey Newman.” Collins’ plug comes in response to a bill Newman introduced to the Missouri state legislature intended as an eye-poke to the predominately pro-life body.

What’s Good for the Goose

Deeming “what’s-good-for-abortion-is-good-for-gun-control,” Democratic lawmaker Newman calls for restrictions on firearm buyers like those imposed on women seeking an abortion. For instance, writes Rudi Keller of the Columbia Daily Tribune,

In Missouri, a woman must sign an informed consent form 72 hours before having an abortion. She must be offered a chance to see an ultrasound of the fetus, be given a booklet with pictures of fetal development every two weeks during a pregnancy and a list of organizations providing help to carry the pregnancy to term. The abortion provider must include information about possible fetal pain and potential hazards to a woman’s health.

Thus, Newman’s bill requires a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases and a physician’s evaluation of the buyer’s risk “of experiencing an adverse physical, emotional, or other health reaction” from gun ownership. Seriously. And that’s just the beginning.

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