Consultation on ‘Gay Marriage’ - URGENT

The following arrived on my desk from Christian Voice, and I share it here because of the importance of this issue. I am on record as stating that I believe that the state of marriage can only exist between a man and a woman, no matter how many governments try to enact laws to claim the contrary. I believe in the Biblical definition of marriage only, and that means that

I do not accept the relationship of two men or two women as being marriage. I accept that there are many same-sex couples who have deeply loving relationships, and many of those will last the course, but this does not make it marriage in the Biblical sense.

     Next month the UK Government will be consulting on gay marriage.  They will only consult on how to make the change, not on the principle at stake!  So Christians must stand together in the power of Christ to affirm the God-given foundation of human society.

     Christian Voice believes marriage is not a man-made negotiable construction, but the first social institution of Almighty God.  Our Petition wording reflects this Christ-centred approach:

     “We the undersigned believe that marriage was ordained by God to be the union of one man and one woman and that marriage between two persons of the same sex can not and should not be legalised by any earthly government.” (Sign by clicking on the text)

     Here is what the Lord Jesus said about the creation ordinance of marriage (KJV):

     Matt 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?  6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh.

     Becoming one flesh in that full sense is something a pair of homosexuals can never do.  To be valid in law a marriage has to be consummated.  How do the Government propose a pair of lesbians or two men should do that?  There will be much to do when the consultation is published to oppose this measure in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Please make a start now by signing the petition above.

     PRAY: That there will be a tremendous response from Christians on behalf of our mighty God, that we will go forth under Christ’s banner alone and that the designs of the wicked will come to naught.

Yours in the mighty name of Jesus.

Stephen Green,

National Director, Christian Voice.

Manufacturer's Recall : Human Beings

The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart.

                                This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units.

                                This defect has been identified as "Sub sequential Internal Non-morality,"  more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed.

                                Some of the symptoms include:
                                1. Loss of direction
                                2. Foul vocal emissions
                                3. Amnesia of origin
                                4. Lack of peace and joy
                                5. Selfish or violent behaviour
                                6. Depression or confusion
                                7. Fearfulness
                                8. Idolatry
                                9. Rebellion

                                The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect.

                                The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required.

                                The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R.

                                Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCEprocedure.

                                Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair
Technician, Jesus, into the heart component.
                                 
                                No matter how big or small the SIN defect
is, God will replace it with:
                                1. Love
                                2. Joy
                                3. Peace
                                4. Patience
                                5. Kindness
                                6. Goodness
                                7. Faithfulness
                                8.. Gentleness
                                9. Self control
                                 
                                Please see the operating manual, eg. the B.I.B.L.E. (BEST Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further  details on the  use of these fixes.

                               WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list, and will result in the  human unit being permanently impounded. For free emergency service, call on God.
                                 
                                DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility. Thank you for your attention!
                                 
                                - GOD
                                 
                                P.S. Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important recall notice, and you may contact the Father any time by 'Knee mail'! 

Warm thoughts for a Cold, Cold Day!

What better on a cold day than to dream about Summer, poppies, cornfields, the lark rising and beautiful warm, lazy days. Ah, well! I can dream can't I? Tell you what, why don't you share the dream with me and imagine that we are walking through the field above marvelling at the beauty of all that we can see, touch, smell and hear, and above all --- experience!

Joanne Lowe's Meditations: 'Happiness and Sorrow'

HAPPINESS AND SORROW

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”

Philippians 4:4 (King James Version)

     Our Scripture verse instructs us to rejoice in the Lord all the time.  We should rejoice not only when we are happy but also when we are sad.  How can we rejoice when we are grieving?  We can rejoice because we know that Jesus is with us all the time and that He never leaves us, not even for one minute.

     “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.  Amen” (Matthew 28:20).  Knowing that Jesus is always with us should be enough to fill our heart with happiness even in the midst of heartache and sorrow.

     Not only is Jesus always with us, He also picks us up in His loving arms and carries us through all the dark valleys of our life and sets us once again on the mountain top of happiness.  When we are hurting so much that we can’t sleep and the night seems so long, Jesus sits beside our bed and holds our hand.

     Jesus is a compassionate and loving Saviour.  He really does love us.  It breaks His heart when we are sad.  He weeps with us when we are hurting and He rejoices with us when we are happy.  He longs to comfort and encourage you.  Allow Jesus to dry the tears from your heart and eyes with tender kisses.

     Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus.  Precious Saviour, thank You for never leaving me and for the many times You have carried me through the dark valleys of my life.  You are so faithful and You really do love me and care what happens to me.  I love You, dear Jesus, with all of my heart.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 18, 2012

SJM Concert at The Brindley Theatre, Runcorn

     Sheer Joy Music are promoting a concert to be held at the award-winning Brindley Theatre in Runcorn, Cheshire, UK on Wednesday 11th April. The concert will feature a selection of the songs of the song-writing duo Colin Gordon-Farleigh & Greg Scheer, which have been recorded by artists on the SJM label.
     Appearing will be Milli Alaira, Chris Mercer, Alan Watson, Sammie-Jo, Gary Cordice and Christy Topping, and the evening promises to be a great one.  All seats are priced at a very affordable £8.50 and tickets are now available from the Brindley Box Office.
     Proceeds from the concert will go to support the work of Voice Ministries.

Milli Alaira sings 'If Only I Had Wings'

A while ago this beautiful song was written by the song-writing duo of Colin Gordon-Farleigh and Greg Scheer.  Check it out on Youtube and help push the viewing numbers up. If you want purchase the track you can buy it as a download from CD Baby, iTunes or Amazon.

Lots More Great Christian Quotes - 2

"If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don't like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself."
- Augustine.

"If you study the Bible without applying it to your daily life, then it would be better not to study it at all."
- Zac Poonen

"Our Faith must be tested. God builds no ships but what He sends to sea."
- D.L. Moody

"Holiness is an impossibility - without the HOLY Spirit."
- Anonymous

"God always visits his people when they reach the point of desperation."
- Stephen Olford

"This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of souls on the earth!"
- Keith Green

"Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be better men and women. Do not pray for tasks equal to your strength, pray for strength equal to your tasks."
- Phillips Brooks

"If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes."
- Corrie ten Boom

"You will never please everybody. Some men will say you have gone too far. Other men will say you haven't gone far enough. I just compromise and say I won't please anybody."
- A.W. Tozer

Joanne Lowe's Meditations : A Heart Filled With Love

A HEART FILLED WITH LOVE

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

John 15:12, 13 (King James Version)

     Did you ever play the game “loves me, loves me not daisy game” when you were a child?  We don’t have to play that game with Jesus.  We know that He loves us.  There is no doubt about His love for us.  He proved how much He loves us and that He loves us unconditionally when He died on the cross for us.

     I have said this countless times and I will keep saying it until God calls me home or Jesus comes back for us.  No one loves us like Jesus loves us!  We talk a lot about how much Jesus loves us.  Jesus has a heart that is filled with love for us.  How much do we love Him?  Is our heart filled with love for Him?

     We may never have to die physically for someone but we can die to our own desires.  If you go out to eat with your friend, you can go where your friend wants to go to eat instead of where you want to go to eat.  What about your family?  Are you willing to shut off the television and spend time with them?

     We are to love our family and our friends but we should love Jesus more than anyone or anything.  “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).

     Is your heart filled with love for Jesus?  How much do you love Him?  Remember, the level of our service to Jesus depends on our level of love for Him.  The more we love Him, the more we will serve Him.  Are you serving Him with all your heart? 

Joanne Lowe

February 14, 2012

A gift of love for Valentine's Day

Here's a little gift for you to help celebrate Valentine's Day. I wrote this song back at the close of 2005 and gave it to my wife as her Valentine's Day gift for February 14th, 2006. The feelings never change! Lyrics by Colin Gordon-Farleigh and music by Greg Scheer. The singer is Susan Marrs. I share it with you with love, and hope that you enjoy it. You can download the track from CD Baby, Amazon or iTunes if you want to have it for ever (which I hope you do!).

I've been everywhere --- well lots of places anyway!

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots.
Apparently, you can't go alone ~ you have to be in Cahoots with someone.
 
However, I've never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.

I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.
 
I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.
 
I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.
 
Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older.
 
One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!
 
I may have been in Continent, but I don't remember what country it was in.
It's an age thing!

Joanne Lowe's Meditations: 'The Greatest Missionary'

THE GREATEST MISSIONARY

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16 (King James Version)

     I have listened to missionaries and seen many slides they have showed about their work.  The needs they presented were great.  I saw slides of children who are starving, not just in other countries but also here in America.  What a sad commentary it is on Christians that we allow children to be hungry.

     Not only are children hungry for food, they are also hungry for love and acceptance.  There are children who hide because they are frightened of what they see their parents doing and what they hear their parents saying.  I’ve had little children come to my door and tell me they are hungry.

     Jesus is the greatest missionary there ever was or ever will be.  He got out of His comfort zone and left His Father, His home and all that He had to come to earth to die for our sins.  If we will listen with our heart, we will hear Jesus asking us to go for Him and spread His love and win souls for Him.

     We read in the Bible “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?  Then said I, Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8).  Are you willing to get out of your comfort zone and serve the One who died for you?  Have you said to Jesus “send me”?  If not, why haven’t you?

     Heavenly Father, I know that it broke Your heart when You sent Your Son on His mission because You knew that Jesus was going to be crucified for us, yet You love us so much You sent Him.  Thank You.  I love You with all my heart.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 5, 2012

Jim Whitman sings 'There's a Tree in the Meadow'

Here's a great song sung by Jim Whitman, one of my favourite Country Music artists.

'We All Need Our Heroes' : New song from Sheer Joy Music

Everyone grows up with heroes to help them to learn and become the people that they are destined to be. 'We All Need Our Heroes' pays tribute to the faceless heroes of our youth, and is a touch of real Country Music from the songwriting duo of Colin Gordon-Farleigh & Greg Scheer.

Anyone interested in recording this song should email the request to music@sheerjoymusic.com

Hayley Oliver & The Hayley Oliver Band at the British Country Music Awards, 2011

Here's another first-class performance by the talented Hayley Oliver.

The Hayley Oliver Band Radio Interview 16 Ton Studios Nashville 2010

Regular readers to this Blog will know by now that I am a great fan of the UK Queen of Country Music, Hayley Oliver who, together with the award-winning Hayley Oliver Band, make some of the greatest Country sounds on the UK music scene. Not only are they great Country Music folk but they are also very nice people too. Give yourselves a treat as you look at this video of their interview by Robert Reynolds on the 'Maverick on Music Row Radio Show' in Nashville.

The Problem of Afghan Paedophilia

http://www.examiner.com/law-enforcement-in-national/afghan-pedophilia-a-way-of-life-say-u-s-soldiers-and-journalists?CID=examiner_alerts_article
Afghan Paedophilia: A way of life, say U.S. soldiers and journalists
Jim Kouri
Law Enforcement Examiner 

Apologists say that Bacha Bazi or 'Boy Play' is a very old cultural practice in Afghanistan and part of that nation's mainstream.
     Citing the Afghanistan strategy review, Vice President Joe Biden reported "great progress" in the counter-terrorism effort that has significantly degraded al-Qaeda and the Taliban, particularly their leadership. Lagging behind, he said, is progress on the counterinsurgency front – eliminating terrorist safe havens in Pakistan and building a stable Afghan government.
     However, not once did Biden – nor Defense Secretary Leon Panetta -- mention Afghanistan's dirty secret – a large number of pedophiles and pederasts among the Afghan male population.
     Paedophilia is a widely-accepted practice in southern Afghanistan, where "boys are given to older men for the sexual gratification of the elder and the sexual education of the child," say many returning U.S. troops.
     Afghans say pedophilia is most prevalent among Pashtun men in the south who comprise Afghanistan's most important tribe.
      Apologists say that Bacha Bazi or 'Boy Play' is a very old cultural practice in Afghanistan and part of that nation's mainstream.
     When U.S. officials such as President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta discuss the war in Afghanistan and make claims of success in that fledgling democracy, one issue that's avoided is the widespread sexual intercourse between Afghan men and young boys. In non- diplomatic terms, Afghanistan is a haven for child rape, according to several American military officers just returning from the front lines of the Global War on Terrorism.
      In a country that is considered overly repressive due to its adherence to the precepts contained in the Muslim religion's Koran, it's difficult for American service members and diplomats to understand the fact that a large portion of the Afghan male population are paedophiles (adults who enjoy sexual contact with prepubescent children) or pederasts (adults who enjoy sexual relations with pubescent or post-pubescent children).
     While Muslims in Iraq have on several occasions stoned homosexuals for their sexual activities, not all Muslims believe pedophilia is a violation of Sharia law. Those who believe in the sacredness and infallibility of the Koran adhere to the teaching that women are sub-human and quasi-slaves, and therefore Muslim men will look for relationships -- even sexual relationships -- with others of their own gender.
     According to Reuters, there is a lot of homosexuality going on in Afghanistan, but those engaging in it don't think of themselves as gay, so that makes it okay since Islam officially disapproves of the gay and lesbian lifestyle.
     "They regard themselves as non-gay because they don’t “love” the sex object so Allah is happy. These are the men who avoid their wives as unclean. Apparently there is very little love of any kind in Afghanistan, which explains a lot," according to Reuters.
     “Having a boy has become a custom for us,” Ena Yatullah, a 42-year-old in Baghlan province, told a Reuters reporter. “Whoever wants to show off should have a boy.” [. . .]
      Sociologists and anthropologists say the problem results from a perverse interpretation of Islamic law. Women are simply unapproachable. Afghans cannot talk to an unrelated woman until after proposing marriage. Before then, they can't even look at a woman, except perhaps her feet. Otherwise she is covered, head to ankle, according to columnist Joel Brinkley, a professor of journalism at Stanford University, and a former Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign correspondent for the New York Times.
     In Kandahar, a city with a population of about 500,000, and other towns, dance parties are a popular -- often weekly -- pastime. Young boys dress up as females, wearing makeup and bells on their feet, and dance for a dozen or more leering middle-aged men who throw money at them and then take them home.
     A recent State Department report called “dancing boys” a “widespread, culturally sanctioned form of male rape.” If women dressed and behaved in such a way, they would surely be punished by Muslim men.
      Even after marriage, many men keep their boy-lovers, according to former U.S. military personnel who served in Afghanistan. That helps explain why women are compelled to wear clothing that hides their faces and bodies and if they "sin" they are stoned to death in accordance with Islamic law. That same law also forbids homosexuality, but the pedophiles explain that it's not homosexuality since they aren’t in love with their boys only fulfilling a bodily need.
     Paradoxically, the Taliban frown on sexual relations between men and boys and enforce Sharia law to the letter. Are the followers of Islam, who adopt a more "liberal" approach to practicing their religion, perhaps responsible for the widespread rape of male children in Afghanistan?
     So, why are American military forces fighting and dying to protect pedophiles and pederasts in a country considered by many to be the pedophilia capital of Asia?
      Why is there hesitation on the part of Obama, Clinton, Panetta and others to discuss the widespread sexual assault of male children in Afghanistan? Could it be that it is politically incorrect to discuss any immoral and unlawful behavior on the part of Muslims? It's quite evident that U.S. politicians may bash Christians without fear of adverse effects on their political careers. But these same leaders will behave as if they are walking on egg shells to avoid even the hint of criticizing Muslims.
     In addition, there is always a hesitation to discuss man-on-boy sexual relationship for fear of mentioning the obvious: such a relationship is homosexual in nature.

A Great Gift of Love for Valentine's Day

     It will soon be Valentine's Day once again. Here's a great gift suggestion for the love of your life. The title song alone makes this a truly special gift, but all of the tracks are great love songs, making this a really special gift for Valentine's Day.
     You can download either the album or individual tracks from CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon and all the major digital download sites. Alternatively, if you prefer to have the CD to give beautifully gift-wrapped with love by your own fair hand, why not buy it from the online shop at Sheer Joy Music.

Here's a little taste for you:

Still More Great Christian Quotes

"It is not the thing on which we spend most time that molds us, but the thing that exerts the greatest power. Five minutes with God and His word is worth more than all the rest of the day."
- Oswald Chambers

"One of these days some simple soul will pick up the book of God, read it, and believe it. Then the rest of us will be embarrassed."
- Leonard Ravenhill

"Deliverence from believing lies must by by believing truth."
- Jessie Penn-Lewis

"Never was a church-wide, heaven-sent revival needed than at this present time. It is the only answer to the spiritual warfare we face in every part of the world. Bombs, bullets and body bags will never stem the tide of terror and horror that threatens human existence. We must recognize that "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4,5)."
- Stephen Olford

"God is not looking for brilliant men, is not depending upon eloquent men, is not shut up to the use of talented men in sending His Gospel out in the world. God is looking for the broken men who have judged themselves in the light of the Cross of Christ. When He wants anything done, He takes up men who have come to the end of themselves, whose confidence is not in themselves, but in God."
- H.A. Ironside

"Though the cross of Christ has been beautified by the poet and the artist, the avid seeker after God is likely to find it the same savage implement of destruction it was in the days of old. The way of the cross is still the pain-wracked path to spiritual power and fruitfulness. So do not seek to hide from it. Do not accept an easy way. Do not allow yourself to be patted to sleep in a comfortable church, void of power and barren of fruit. Do not paint the cross nor deck it with flowers. Take it for what it is, as it is, and you will find it the rugged way to death and life. Let it slay you utterly."
- A.W. Tozer

"So much as one person with a contrary spirit to God is enough to affect all the meetings - that the revival fire did not flow until that person broke and confessed, or the Lord removed him."
- Jonathan Goforth

"I've seen more Christians destroyed by ambition than any other sin - discontent in the heart, always pushing and jockeying - moving for some new thing, some new position . . . It's not what we do, it's that we do what we're called to do and that in it we glorify God."
- Carter Conlon


"Every one who professes to be a born again, believing Christian has a ministry to carry out for the Lord. If the ministry that you are carrying out does not disturb the devil then you need to get on your knees, repent, and seek direction."
- Colin Gordon-Farleigh

Barnabus Launches the 'Proclaim Freedom' Campaign

Sign online Download PDF

31 January 2012

Barnabas launches Proclaim Freedom campaign; sign our petition

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. Isaiah 61:1

If you believe in the cause of freedom, then proclaim it, live it and protect it, for humanity’s future depends on it. Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson (1912-1983), US Congressman and Senator

Barnabas Fund last week launched a petition as part of our 2012 Proclaim Freedom campaign, which seeks to put pressure on governments to take resolute action on behalf of persecuted Christians around the world.
Christians are one of the largest and most persecuted groups in the world, yet they are often neglected in Western governments’ foreign policy.
The Proclaim Freedom petition, which was launched at the Christian Resources Exhibition in Exeter, England, last Wednesday (25 January), calls on governments to pursue decisive policies aimed at putting pressure on states that persecute or condone the persecution of Christians, and assist other countries to improve conditions for all minority groups – especially Christians – within their borders.
Today, we are launching the online version. It can be signed online or downloaded and printed. Please promote this petition within your church and community. 
The Proclaim Freedom campaign will run various initiatives throughout 2012 to raise the profile of the persecuted Church around the world. It has two specific aims:

• to press governments to be active in promoting human rights in other countries for all minorities, but especially religious freedom for the roughly 200 million Christians living under the shadow of persecution, discrimination and disadvantage
• to press governments to work to ensure that other countries bring to justice citizens who either incite anti-Christian hatred or engage in anti-Christian violence

Western governments have significant potential influence with other countries through the direction of foreign aid, diplomatic relations, bilateral ties, security arrangements and agreed international commitments to human rights.
Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund, said:

It is time for Christians in the West to take a stand and speak out for our brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering for their faith. We can no longer allow the governments that represent us to turn a blind eye to the persecution of Christians in their dealings with countries where this is a widespread problem.

Please Pray

Thank God that the Proclaim Freedom petition generated a great deal of interest at the Christian Resources Exhibition last week and pray that it will attract significant further support over the coming months. Pray that Western governments will be moved to use their influence with other countries for the improvement of conditions for all minority groups, especially Christians who are persecuted for their faith.

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Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all the information included on our website, we acknowledge that even our most reliable sources and careful interpretations can occasionally be wrong. We apologise for any errors of fact and will be grateful to receive corrections.

Misinformation and Flights of Fancy

     It is ironic that the author of the column below that recently appeared in the Washington Post is also the author of “Holy Ignorance.”
     How else to explain how someone can be so blind to what is happening in countries like Egypt? Has he not read the polls taken in Egypt over the past few years, showing strong support for sharia law?
     Does he really believe that the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist political parties, which won over 2/3 of the seats in Egypt’s parliamentary elections, were elected simply because they promised a better economy?
     Does he really believe the Muslim Brotherhood would support the right of Muslims to convert to Christianity?
     There are those who see what they want to see, in spite of all evidence to the contrary. Many of them are in our government, in the media, in academia. We, too, would be delighted to see a reformed Muslim Brotherhood, one that, according to the author below, is “middle class bourgeois.” One that has given up its aspirations for worldwide Islamist rule.
     But we can’t afford to engage in such flights of fancy.

---

A new generation of political Islamists steps forward
By Olivier Roy, Published: January 20
Olivier Roy is a professor at the European University Institute in Florence and the author of “Holy Ignorance.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/muslim-brotherhood-other-islamists-have-changed-their-worldview/2012/01/10/gIQAZgjoEQ_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines
     Everywhere, the Muslim Brotherhood is benefiting from a democratization it did not trigger. There is a political vacuum because the liberal vanguard that initiated the Arab Spring did not try, and did not want, to take power. This was a revolution without revolutionaries. Yet the Muslim Brothers are the only organized political force. They are rooted in society, and decades of opposition against authoritarian regimes gave them experience, legitimacy and respect. Their conservative agenda fits a conservative society, which may welcome democracy but did not turn liberal.
     Under these circumstances, the ghost of a totalitarian Islamic state is raised, with the specter of imposing sharia and closing the short democratic parenthesis. But such an outcome is unlikely.
     The Islamists have, in fact, changed: They are more middle-class “bourgeois,” and they benefited from the liberalization of local economies during the last decades of the 20th century, especially in countries with no oil rent. The Islamists have also drawn lessons from the failure of ideological regimes and from the success of Turkey’s AKP party. They are no longer advocating jihad and understand geostrategic constraints, such as the need to maintain peace, even a cold one, with Israel. Realism is the starting point of political wisdom.
     The Islamists have been elected with a clear agenda: stability, good governance and a better economy. If they have been able to reach a larger constituency than the hard-core supporters of sharia, it is precisely because they can combine such a reformist agenda while talking about religion, values, identity and tradition. The Nahda party won the majority of the votes cast at the Tunisian consulate of San Francisco, although Tunisian expatriates in Silicon Valley are not known for their Islamic fundamentalism.
     This mix of technocratic modernism and conservative values is their brand, and to turn their back on multipartism and legalism would alienate a large portion of their constituency, at a time when they have no means to confiscate power. They have neither military forces nor oil wealth to bypass the people: They have to negotiate and deliver. Their electorate wants stability and peace, not revolution.
     They are stepping into a new political landscape: a democracy, although a fledgling and fragile one. The only way to maintain their legitimacy is through elections. Even if their pristine political culture is not democratic, they are formatted by the democratic landscape, much as the Roman Catholic Church ended up accepting democratic institutions. But it will take time.
     Another important change, if we refer to the “revolutionary” period of the 1970s and 1980s, is that the Muslim Brothers do not monopolize Islam in the public sphere. In fact, the religious revival that has engulfed Arab societies led to a diversification and an individualization of the religious field. Religious state institutions such as Al Azhar, so recently discredited, are regaining autonomy after so recently being discredited. Al Azhar’s dean, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, openly spoke in favor of democracy and of separating religious institutions from the state. A new phenomenon is the decision of the Salafis, an ultraconservative Sunni sect, to establish political parties. On the one hand they will push for a more Islamic agenda, trying to outbid the Muslim Brothers on Islam, but this will force the Brotherhood to clarify its own position and to find a way to distance itself from the call for sharia.
     To do that, the Muslim Brothers have to turn purely Islamic norms into more universal conservative values — such as limiting the sale and consumption of alcohol in a way that is closer to Utah’s rules than to Saudi laws and promoting “family values” instead of imposing sharia norms on women.
     In the coming months the hot issue in Egypt, beyond the status of women, will be religious freedom. Not in the sense that Coptic Christians will have less freedom to practice — there were a lot of limitations under the so-called secular dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak — but in defining religious freedom as not merely a minority right but an individual human right, implying the right to convert from Islam to Christianity.
     The issue is institutionalizing democracy, not promoting liberal policies. Democracy could take hold only if it is based in well-established values. Liberalism does not precede democracy; America’s Founding Fathers were not liberal. But once democracy is rooted in institutions and political culture, then the debate on freedom, censorship, social norms and individual rights could be managed through freedom of expression and changes of majorities in parliament. However, there will be no institutionalization of democracy without the Muslim Brothers.

Teaching Muslim Children to Hate; Stealing Their Innocence

Muslim Children in America are Being Taught to Hate

Dave Gaubatz January 18, 2012

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.11242/pub_detail.asp
     In the last five years I have personally visited over 250 Islamic Centers, Mosques, and Islamic Schools throughout America. The goal of my research has been to determine what Islamic leaders are teaching the young and innocent Muslim children. The findings are abhorrent, sad, unbelievable, frightening, and most disturbing is the fact our government is keeping this dangerous fact from the American people. Muslim children attending mosques and Islamic schools are being taught to hate America, our government, our military personnel, and its non Muslim population. In this article I will identify three significant mosques in America that are leading the way in teaching Muslim children to hate and to influence them to commit violent acts inside our country. 
     In America we have been programmed by the media and political leaders to believe violent teachings of Islam are only being taught to children in Palestine. We have watched the Muslim Palestinian children spew their taught hatred of the Israelis. What Americans are not being shown (due to political correctness) are that Muslim children throughout the world and specifically inside America are being taught violence and hatred in mosques, Islamic schools and Islamic Centers.
     Children as young as 7 years old are being taught that to assimilate with America is to disrespect and dishonor Islam. They are being taught our military personnel are the enemies of Islam and it is justifiable to kill anyone who dishonors or oppresses the Islamic ideology.
     During my research I have identified numerous mosques that are teaching young Muslim children to hate America and are leading them to commit future violent acts against our country and innocent people. I would like to focus on three such mosques. They are:


1. Dar al Hijrah, Falls Church, VA

2. Al Farooq, Nashville, TN

3. At Taqwa, Brooklyn, NY

Anwar al-Awlaki was an imam at the Dar al Hijrah Mosque from January 2001 until 2002. Three of the 9/11 hijackers, Khalid al-Mihdhar, Nawaf al-Hazmi and Hani Hanjour, attended some of Awlaki’s sermons at this mosque.
     My researchers and I spent several weeks at the Dar Al Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, VA. Almost immediately we were informed to obtain our study material from the Halaco Bookstore which is located nearby the mosque. It was very apparent upon entering the store and reviewing the materials that the bookstore provides materials for the Sunni (Wahhabi) Muslim population across the U.S. and specifically for Dar Al Hijrah. I was able to spend many hours talking with store personnel and was invited to the home of one employee to discuss Islamic issues. There is a large section in the store dedicated to the education of the Muslim children. I discovered materials that are being sent to Islamic schools across America. Much of the material deals with Sharia and Jihad. One of the DVD’s and books I obtained was by an Islamic scholar Ahmad Sakr. Sakr travels the U.S. visiting Islamic schools and educates them in Sharia law. I have watched one of his videos in which he tells the young children our government is evil and not to follow the laws of our country and Americas government leaders will all go to hell.
     The material provided by Dar Al Hijrah and their selected Islamic bookstore also was filled with violent Jihad. There were manuals informing the readers how to destroy America and how to kill anyone who oppresses Islam. They are told how to obtain weapons to include weapons of mass destruction. Although all of the above is very disturbing and should (and actually is) against the law, the Muslim leaders of Falls Church, Val are allowed by our government to indoctrinate the Muslim children into future violence against our country. The next mosque (Al Farooq/Nashville, TN) is even more disturbing.
     My research team and I spent two weeks at the Al Farooq mosque in Nashville, TN. The mosque was Sunni and had the typical violent books and DVD’s/videos pertaining to the overthrow of any government system that oppresses Islam. They also had numerous teachings from current Islamic leaders operating in America who are teaching the Muslim population to hate our country and its people. Although this should frighten all concerned citizens, there was even sadder and disturbing intelligence collected at this mosque. Lately we have all read about the child brides and forced marriages in Afghanistan and in Saudi Arabia. What most Americans do not realize is that child marriages are occurring throughout our country and specifically in Nashville, TN.
     One young 7 year old Muslim girl at Al Farooq talked to our researcher about being beaten (MP3 file) by her Islamic leaders and being married (MP3 file) to a Muslim man. I reported the matter to the Nashville authorities but almost from the beginning they were reluctant to intercede because this was a religious institution and more importantly to them it was Islamic. Senior law enforcement authorities of the Nashville police department informed me they were afraid of being sued by Islamic organizations such as CAIR if they got involved and it would be a political nightmare to get anything done at the mosque. What bothered me most of all is the fact I contacted Islamic organizations to help this innocent Muslim child and they also balked. This reinforced to me that Islamic law (Sharia) is alive and very active inside our country, to include child marriages. The next mosque I am going to discuss is led by an Islamic leader I have previously described as the most dangerous man in America.
     At Taqwa mosque in Brooklyn, NY is led by an Islamic scholar who is not only a major fundraiser for CAIR (terrorist supporter) but travels throughout the U.S. teaching his violent ideology of Islam. He is Imam Siraj Wahhaj. For those who have never visited the Islamic district of Brooklyn it would come to a surprise to many that the area around At Taqwa is similar to the Wahhabi land of Saudi Arabia. I have previously described Wahhaj as the most dangerous man in America. I have reviewed hundreds of his Friday (Juma) mosque lectures.
     In this speech (MP3) he tells his followers that around the world Muslims will wake up and say:

“I don’t want to follow the way of the colonial masters any more. I want the Sharia. I want Islam. We want to be ruled by Islam. And all we have to do is go back to that golden generation.”

     He routinely called America an evil country and is a strong leader in developing Sharia law inside our country. His violent lectures are available to the adult and child Muslims throughout America. 
     "Those who struggle for Allah, it doesn't matter what kind of weapons, I'm telling you it doesn't matter! You don't need nuclear weapons or even guns! If you have faith in Allah and a knife!! If Allah wants you to win, you will win! Because Allah is the only one who fights. And when his hand is over your hand. whoever is at war against my friends, I declare war on them."

From a video by Sirah Wahhaj called "The Afghanistan Jihad," Toronto, Canada, of a sermon from Sept. 28, 1991.
	“If we go to war, brothers and sisters – and one day we will, believe me – that’s why you’re commanded [to fight in] jihad. When Allah demands us to fight, we’re not stopping and nobody’s stopping us."

Sermon by Siraj Wahhaj entitled “Stand Up to Justice,” delivered on May 8, 1992 and distributed as a video. Islamic teachings such as this are what led the Major Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood Murderer, to commit his acts.
     Although I have only focused on three mosques that lead the way, introducing Muslim children to violence and hatred, there are hundreds scattered across the U.S. Few states are immune from this growing threat. The violence spewed by these Islamic leaders will ultimately lead to more violence in the name of Islam. I have witnessed firsthand the violence being taught. There are numerous such Islamic centers in NC, FL, VA, NY, and CA.
     Unless Muslim parents decry the violent teachings of Islam to their children, there will continue to be more and more Siraj Wahhaj type Islamic leaders in America. The ultimate result will be the suffering of our country as we now see in France, Britain, and Canada.

Joanne Lowe's Meditations: 'He is Still Alive'

HE IS STILL ALIVE

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

I Corinthians 15:3,4 (King James Version)

     Pastor Philip Doddridge wrote a beautiful inspiring hymn about our Saviour “Yes, the Redeemer Rose”.  “Ye mortals catch the sound, redeemed by Him from hell; And send the echo round the globe on which you dwell: Transported, cry, “Jesus, who bled, Hath left the dead, no more to die.”

     Jesus defeated satan on the cross when He was crucified for our sins.  “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30).  Sometimes we act like Jesus is dead.  He is still alive.  He is our risen victorious Saviour.

     No matter how many crises and dark valleys we have in our life, Jesus doesn’t leave us and He still loves us.  He picks us up and carries us through all the dark valleys and sets us once again on the mountain top of happiness.  Not only does He save our soul, He also saves us from despair, discouragement and heartaches.

     “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (Revelation 22:13).  Jesus, You are the beginning and the end.  You are the end of fear, sorrow and heartache and You are the beginning of joy and happiness.  Thank You for filling my heart with joy and happiness.  I love You, dear Jesus.

     Heavenly Father, thank You for being a compassionate, loving and forgiving Father.  I love You, precious Father, with all of my heart and I appreciate all You have done for me.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

February 2, 2012