INTOLERANCE: Taxpayer supported cristophobia!

Christians face funding bias, says Archbishop | The Christian Institute
HT - Public bodies are ‘intolerant’ of Christian groups | Cranmer

The USA is not the only place where Christians feel their government is cristophobic.

The Archbishop of York has spoken of Government ‘intolerance’ against Christian groups when it comes to funding community initiatives. [TCI]

While faith remains a primary motivation for charitable and voluntary work in Britain, increasingly voluntary groups which have a Christian foundation are viewed as ‘tainted and unsuitable for receipt of funding’ by public bodies.
[Cranmer]

Of course the "separation of church and state" is enshrined in the left's mythological Constitution of the United States, where only hard fought victories are achieved through "faith based" efforts; no such ironclad and arbitrary barrier to government funding exists across the pond.

... Dr Sentamu has noticed ‘a chill wind that blows around grant makers and managers of funds’ when they consider the plans of faith groups. He said: “We must resist any trend in national or local Government where the decision as to whether a solution works is not based on results, but upon the intolerance that sees a project motivated by faith as being tainted and unsuitable for receipt of funding. Rather there should be a recognition of the valuable work being carried out by groups motivated to serve the common good by a belief in dignity of all as God’s creatures in which his divine spark resides.”[Cranmer]

So many volunteers have opted out of faith based work and so many organizations have given up under governmental cristophobic intolerance and disdain. This has resulted in many not receiving much needed care and service which might have been provided.

Christian groups “are working at the coalface of pastoral care and social practice,” he said, “motivated by nothing more than their love of God and the love for their neighbour”.

Many are working with the elderly, children and the disabled. Dr Sentamu said there are 22,000 religious charities helping people in England and Wales, while churchgoers contribute more than 23 million hours of voluntary service each year.[TCI]

I'm not aware of the comparable American data, so I can't say with any certainty the contribution of our people and organizations. However, any reasonable analyst must admit it is a least as good per capita/dollar of contribution.

More TCI ...
More Cranmer ...

Charity, Christianity, Cristophobia,
England, Intolerance, Religion

EGALITARIANISM: More to lose rights in the interest of gaining rights for some!

‘Equality police’ to target faith groups | 2008 News | Christian Institute
HT - 'Equality police' to target faith groups | BLACK KETTLE

For the authentic Christian there can be no "'homophobia' in religion" as implied in the following ...

The Government’s equality enforcement agency will tackle ‘homophobia’ in religion, one of its senior figures has said.

Bradley Brady is Director of Stakeholder Relations at the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

His comments are likely to fuel fears that the rights of religious people come bottom of the pile at the Commission.

Mr Brady was speaking at a fringe meeting of the TUC conference on the subject of “Religion and Homophobia: No Compromise on LGBT Equality!”

According to the TUC website, The meeting was “organised by the TUC LGBT Committee to discuss recent events where individuals have claimed religious exemption from providing equal treatment for LGBT people, and how to promote a campaign for genuine equality.”

I think we've heard something of this TUC group before, haven't we?

[The Christian Institute] also asked whether the Commission would strive to protect the rights of people of faith to express their religious beliefs on sexual ethics.

The Commission said, “If in the expression of those beliefs the legal rights of another group are violated, the Commission would not support that.”

Simon Calvert of The Christian Institute said, “The Commission is saying it will tackle homophobia in religion. But many activists regard biblical teaching on sexual ethics as inherently ‘homophobic’.

“Furthermore, can you seriously imagine a senior figure from the Commission saying it will tackle homosexual groups that interfere with religious liberty? No, nor can I.”

Christianity, Cristophobia,
Egalitarianism, Human rights, Religion

HYPOCRISY: Incubation of fascism and its irrational worldview!

TUC calls for Christian to be sacked from Equality and Human Right Commission | Cranmer

Cristophobia hides in the recesses and dark corners of bureaucratic offices and agencies of every country in the world; it is most often disguised as well-intentioned public service but is actually a pariah bent on milching the public coffers and fulfilling a hidden agenda.

Self-righteous British Human Rights commissioner wants to violate Christian member's rights in order to gain special rights for her pet group.

According to the Trades Union Congress, no Christian (apart from he nominal variety) could possibly defend the rights of the oppressed, and they have therefore called for Joel Edwards, director of the Evangelical Alliance, to be removed as an Equality and Human Rights Commissioner.

The motion was moved by one Phyllis Opoku-Gyimah, who was ‘appalled’ by his appointment, and even moreso that he retains the support of the EHRC chairman, Trevor Phillips. She said: ‘Joel Edwards has clearly stated that same sex relationships are morally wrong and sinful. How on earth is he going to look at gay and lesbian issues when he has made a career out of opposing equality for LGBT people?’

What we have here is another example of a leftist who cannot see the forest for her trees! Today's rights activists are tomorrow's totalitarianists.

There appears to be an insistence by the TUC that all Equality Commissioners must share the same outlook and the same beliefs. This Marxist strategy is designed eradicate the expression of a range of views and opinions, and to silence debate, especially that which may relate to an expression of Christian orthodoxy.

Amazing; obviously this bigoted woman doesn't grasp the meaning nor application of impartiality, a virtue adamantly taught by God from before his selection of David over his brothers, while His Son demonstrated it by dying on the cross once, for all.

Christianity, Cristophobia, Hypocrisy,
Religion, Religious intolerance

GOVERNMENT: Agency feeds the flesh but not the soul!

Christians livid as CRTC denies religious radio, OKs porn TV | Ottawa Citizen
HT - Christians livid as CRTC denies religious radio, but OKs porn | BLACK KETTLE

When you think about it, this makes good sense (not) ...

The CRTC -- the same agency that recently gave two thumbs-up to a homegrown Canadian porn TV network -- has nixed two applications for Christian radio stations in the Ottawa area, and that has left some supporters of the religious proposals very unhappy.

Americans and Europeans are finding it difficult to keep up with Canada's persistent destruction of their traditional Judeo-Christian roots.

Christianity, Cristophobia, Government,
Religious intolerance, Religion

INTELLIGENTIA: Deep Ecology - an arrogant presuppositional global philosophy!

A Lesson in Deep Ecology | FIRST THINGS

Never ceases to amaze me ... that is, how intelligent, well-educated people can divorce themselves of common sense in order worship at the alter of an presuppostional-wisdom!

The following are excerpts from a Firsts Things piece (linked above) on Arne Naess' "Deep Ecology" ...

Apologists for the view will point to the theoretical nature of the philosophy, but remember, in the early decades of 1900s Europe, German National Socialism was also theoretical in nature.

... deep ecology aims at nothing less than a fundamental change in religion, morality, and social institutions.

Inclusive in this broad brush stroke is the Judeo-Christian worldview.

If this were not an intrinsic part of contemporary "green" thought around the world, I would not waste my time. It is, however, a seedbed of anti-Christian and anti-Semitic thinking and action.

Bold "Arabic" numerals at the beginning of the following quotes are CW's, and tie to the eight "core doctrines" of Naess' chilling theories ... only four are discussed by the article's author.

First, deep ecologists reject anthropocentrism, according to which human beings have irreducible value because they are made in the image of God; instead they embrace ecocentrism, according to which "an endangered plant species . . . has a direct claim to moral attention" and "the culling of an overabundant mammalian species in the same ecosystem may not only be morally justifiable, but obligatory to the extent that it would serve the integrity of the biotic community."

When you say mammalian species, think "human beings"!

2. "The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantial decrease of the human population. The flourishing of non-human life requires such a decrease."

God commanded man to "go, and multiply" and "fill the earth" and rule" over it all. Philosophies such as this inherently plant seeds of distrust in the minds of non-believers and the ignorant. God gave man dominion over the earth, flora and fauna alike.

And here is the presupposition that leads to an assumption: not understanding the inherent theological needs of man, the self-consumed scientist presumes all religious thinking is inherently irrational and therefore assumes any thought of his/her own is inherently rational.

(2. cont.) Naess taught that the present environmental crisis is chiefly one of population and economics, and that the way to reduce our numbers is by a profound change in "economics, technology and science, politics, education, philosophy, and religion."

Blinded by arrogance and pseudo-intelligence, the deep ecologist throws out that of which is inconvenient to his ignorant preconceptions.

Third, deep ecologists are a throwback to the 1930s. Michael Zimmerman argues persuasively that deep ecology resembles German National Socialism, which was also a "neo-pagan revival and a radical ‘green’ movement."

The Nazis too castigated Christianity as "nature-hating, life-despising, and otherworldly," embraced a "religion of nature," and rejected "progressive political ideologies" for carrying on, in secular form, the Christian view of a purpose in history.

It only gets better.

Fourth and most alarmingly, deep ecologists promote Arne Naess’ so-called "Self-realization" as a replacement for morality. ... Once we identify with the nonhuman world as our larger Self, Naess teaches, there is no need for morality, for we now "defend the planet in Self-defense, we preserve natural processes and entities as an expression of our shared interests with the rest of creation."

Christians be wary of the philosophies of the world and their practitioners ...

"The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body."

Ecclesiastes 12:11-12

Naess goes in the way of Herod, "eaten by worms" and will die ... he too will be struck for not giving glory to the Creator of the very "creation" he so desperately wants to save. Fortunately, salvation, of all kinds, "comes from the Jews" and not deep ecology.

Christianity, Cristophobia, Deep Ecology,
Religion, Worldviews

GOVERNMENT: Irish Cardinal sees unease with EU's aims among Christians!

Cardinal criticises EU attitude to Christian way of life | Irish Times

HT: Cardinal Says EU Undermines Christianity | Brussels Journal

Irish Cardinal Brady chastens EU leadership for their disrespect (read Cristophobic view) of Christians, Christianity, and their concomitant values. Of course we must recall that what was a wholly Christian populace in 1900 is barely a shadow of that 100 years later.

"The experience of many Christians within the EU is that this lowest common denominator invariably coincides with the secular and relativist tradition within Europe - that which denies moral absolutes with an objective basis - rather than the religious view."

Brady goes on to comment ...

"As the recent referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland suggests, at least some of those who were previously enthusiastic about the founding aims of the EU, both social and economic, are now expressing unease," he said. [...]

To ignore "this trend within the EU and its impact on people of faith has inevitable political and social consequences, not least on levels of support for the project itself", he said. [...]

Such an approach ended up with Christians "being denied the right to intervene in public debates or at least having their contribution dismissed as an attempt to protect unjustified privileges, such as, for example, the right to employ people who support the ethos of a Christian institution". [...]

"Successive decisions [of the EU institutions] have undermined the family based on marriage, the right to life from the moment of conception to natural death, the sacredness of the Sabbath, the right of Christian institutions to maintain and promote their ethos, including schools - these and other decisions have made it more difficult for committed Christians to maintain their instinctive commitment to the European project," he said.

As to the future of the EU ...

"Without respect for its Christian memory and soul, I believe it is possible to anticipate continuing difficulties for the European project. These will emerge not only in economic terms but in terms of social cohesion and the continued growth of a dangerous individualism that does not care about God or about what the future might have in store."

Christianity, Cristophobia, EU,
Family Values, Religion