Religious Freedom Panel Releases Annual Report

A bipartisan U.S. government commission that monitors religious freedom around the globe has released an annual report that names the countries where freedom of religion is endangered or non-existent.

The report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, or USCIRF, covers 28 countries, focusing on the worst nations in the world for religious freedom and highlighting improvements in those places as well.

USCIRF recommends to the State Department 16 nations for designation as Countries of Particular Concern: Burma, Central African Republic, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

In a conference call with reporters, USCIRF Chairman Daniel Mark says one recommendation from the commission is to press for the "unconditional release" of religious prisoners, using U.S. visa requests and asset freezes to put pressure on officials in those countries.

 

Mark says governments can be held accountable not just for what they are actively doing to violate religious freedom but also by tolerating severe violations of religious freedom by private actors such as ISIS, the Taliban, and al-Shabaab.

 

Source: OneNewsNow.com

Click onto the World Prayer Map to pray for Persecuted Christians

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Pending Legislation Needs Your Response: Adoption Freedom: Caring for Children and Families

We join with Family Research Council in seeking public support for legislation that will make adoption possible for children within the foster-care system: "If federal lawmakers want to show they care about children and families, there's perhaps no better opportunity in the near term than by passing the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (CWPIA).

Pending in the House as H.R. 1881(introduced by Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Penn.)), and in the Senate as S. 811 (introduced by Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.)), CWPIA would ensure that the maximum number of adoption providers remain in the marketplace and are able to serve America's overloaded and burdened foster-care systems. CWPIA is a win-win solution to our current foster-care dynamic. Protecting the freedom of providers to operate according to their beliefs ensures the maximum number of providers remain open for business and able to serve the ever-present waiting list of children looking for families to take them in. It also ensures the maximum number of potential adoptive families looking for children.

We hope to further spread the word about how to provide maximum care for the maximum number of vulnerable foster children in our country. In this case, that will happen by ensuring the maximum number of adoption providers remain open and free to help them. Your Congressman and two Senators need to hear from you! Please contact them and urge them to co-sponsor the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (H.R. 1881 / S. 811).

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Honoring FLOTUS Barbara Bush's Legacy

We join the Bush family and the nation in celebration of the life of Barbara Bush. Our former first lady was a woman grounded in her faith whose first duty was always to her family. She leaves behind a legacy of bringing literacy to many, dedication to her family and family values, and a devotion to her country. Our prayers are with the Bush family as they mourn the loss of their wife, mother, and grandmother. First lady Laura Bush, tweeted "I'm missing my mother-in-law and role model tonight ... The world is poorer without her in it." President Trump stated, "Mrs. Bush was an advocate of the American family." "Amongst her greatest achievements was recognizing the importance of literacy as a fundamental family value that requires nurturing and protection."

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STOP Violent Pornography from Permeating our Culture

The pornography of today is so violent and so pervasive that even the New York Times published an op-ed this month voicing deep concern.

 

They are not alone. This month, the Kansas Senate joined five other states in taking an important step and declaring pornography a public health crisis. Utah did the same in 2016, and other states are considering following suit, including Florida. It's about time. (Press your state leaders to do the same.)

 

When it comes to the topic of sex, our nation is in utter conflict and chaos. One moment we're leading a movement against sexual harassment and the objectification of women, and the next moment we conflate love and violence by paying to watch the movie Fifty Shades Freed on Valentine's Day. Americans are basically desensitized to the issue of sexual spousal abuse, a concept feminists once fought hard to legitimize. What happened?  Now those of us who are offended are labeled "prudes" by the same movement.

 

The reality is that if we really believe in the #MeToo movement, and if we actually want to decrease child-sex abuse and sex trafficking, then everyone should be offended by portrayals of sex that not only degrade women but are abusive towards women. Pornography thrives on the lie that women enjoy violence.

An analysis of the 50 most popular pornographic videos found that 88% of scenes contained physical violence and 49% contained verbal aggression. Recent studies have found that the majority of the most-watched porn scenes contain abusive behavior against women, including slapping and gagging. The worst part is that women are depicted as enjoying this treatment.

 

The studies went on to find that, not surprisingly, men are more likely to act aggressively towards women after watching these videos.

 

It's either naïve or dishonest to downplay the role of pornography in the sexual objectification of our women and children. Today, violent pornography permeates our culture. PornHub, a leading site for pornography, boasts 92 billion video views a year with over 75 million daily visits.

 

These are horrifying statistics. Read more…..

Source: Concerned Women for America

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Why the Left Is Wrong About Jefferson’s ‘Wall of Separation Between Church and State’

Friday, April 13 marked the 275th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birthday. A renaissance man with a long and accomplished legacy, Jefferson played a major role in the founding of the United States of America—and establishing its strong protections for religious freedom for all.

 

There can be no better way to celebrate one of America's greatest statesmen than by reclaiming his legacy of religious liberty and living as boldly as he did in freedom's defense.

 

It is sadly ironic that a few select words of Jefferson—the "wall of separation between church and state"—have been abused and distorted today by those seeking to dismantle the foundations of our republic.

 

This one sentence from Jefferson's personal correspondence has been uprooted from its original context, used to bludgeon people of faith into civic silence, and even advance government intrusion into the homes of the faithful.

 

Those who seek to hijack the phrase "separation of church and state" to impose secular humanism on our political life can only do so by willfully turning a blind eye to the volumes of Jefferson's other writings, as well as his own actions as president. Those actions speak louder than any words.

 

But even apart from abusing the phrase "separation of church and state," the left will undoubtedly continue to target people of faith by seeking to undermine their rights of conscience and free exercise of religion.

 

Learn more detail about the "separation of church and state" by Lathan Watts

 

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Who will save us from the disfigurement of America, and the Church, by the Socialist Left?

When they tell us they want to silence the Church—when they tell us their opinion is the only one allowed—when disagreeing will cost you your rights, your job, and even your life—when they burn buildings, protect killers, and convict innocent people—the Church should have no response? Do we sit back and just give away our freedom of religion and speech?

Liberals want a New American Civil War. They want one party rule. They say the Republican Party, and Evangelical Christians must be stripped of power. They want to make America into California.

 

Peter Leyden, CEO of the new media startup Reinvent, and Ruy Teixeira, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, said this in an article entitled The Great Lesson of California in America's New Civil War.

 

They say, "What about the need for checks and balances? Many Americans might be wary of trusting a political environment where one party has complete control of political power."

 

They insist that one party rule is an utter necessity: "America can't afford more political paralysis. One side or the other must win. This is a civil war that can be won without firing a shot. But it is a fundamental conflict between two worldviews that must be resolved in short order." Are these wacko ideas from the fringe? No, they are mainstream leftist ideology. Since we are in a moral civil war; then how shall we preach in a moral civil war?

 

Read full article:

The Church has been given spiritual authority over evil (2 Thessalonians 2:7). As the Church goes, so goes the nation!! Stand up and become the "salt and light" that alone makes America a "shining city on the hill."

 

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