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By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
read more…

Many folks have noticed the increased attacks on the religious right. It’s more than a “phobia.” It is antitheism; the human penchant for resisting and denying God.

“Conveniently forgotten by those antagonistic to spiritual issues are the far more devastating consequences that have entailed when antitheism is wedded to political theory and social engineering. There is nothing in history to match the dire ends to which humanity can be led by following a political and social philosophy that consciously and absolutely excludes God.” - Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God?, p. XVII.

Links:

Theocracy or “Theophobia?”
therightword.blogspot.com/2004/11/theocracy-or-theophobia.html

Evangeliphobia
mensnewsdaily.com/archive/a-b/beuoy/2004/beuoy111204.htm

The Re-paganization of the West: A Glimpse of the Future
11/5/2004
Albert Mohler

www.crosswalk.com/news/weblogs/mohler/?cal=go&adate=11%2F5%2F2004

“In the beginning there was the Church,” explains Carol Midgley. “And people liked to dress up in their best clothes and go there on Sundays and they praised the Lord and it was good. But it came to pass that people grew tired of the Church and they stopped going, and began to be uplifted by new things such as yoga and t’ai chi instead. And, lo, a spiritual revolution was born.”

Reporting in the November 4, 2004 edition of The Times of London, Midgley announced the results of a major research project conducted in Great Britain. According to the data assembled in this report, England is returning to its pagan roots.

If that seems unlikely, just consider the fact that only 7.9 percent of the British population attends church with any regularity. On the European continent, those percentages are generally much lower, with rates of churchgoing in Scandinavian nations running less than three percent.

The research was conducted by a team of British sociologists who looked at the small village of Kendal in Cumbria as a laboratory. As it happens, the statistics on religious participation in Kendal mirror almost precisely the national statistics in Great Britain. Led by sociologist Linda Woodhead and Paul Heelas, the researchers found that organized Christianity will be eclipsed by New Age spirituality within the next generation, if current trends continue. Their new book, The Spiritual Revolution, documents this incredible transformation of Great Britain–a reversion of a largely Christianized culture to its pagan roots.

As Midgley explains, “Study after study appears to prove that people are increasingly losing faith in the church and the Bible and turning instead to mysticism in guises ranging from astrology to reiki and holistic healing. The Government, significantly, said this week that older people should be offered t’ai chi classes on the NHS [National Health Service] to promote their physical and mental well-being.”

Professor Heelas, a well-known specialist on the New Age movement, describes the trend toward new forms of paganism as a response to larger cultural shifts. “It’s a shift away from (the idea of) a hierarchical all-knowing institution and a move towards (having) the freedom to grow and develop as a unique person rather than going to church and being led.”

Beyond this, Heelas argues that the idea of life after death is receding in the minds of most modern persons. With Heaven gone from the horizon, individuals must find full satisfaction in this life. “A lot of the comfort of religion is in postponement–a better life after death,” Heelas explains. “But belief in Heaven is collapsing, so people believe it is more important to know themselves and make themselves better people now.”

read more…

I have a slightly different take on the subject, but this is a good article. -jweaks

Why Radical Muslims Hate You
by Rusty Wright

Excerpt:

Historical Roots of Hatred
Do you remember how you felt on September 11, 2001? You likely saw images of jets crashing into buildings, people jumping from skyscrapers, the towers collapsing. What feelings did you experience? Confusion? Anger? Depression?

TV showed some Palestinians celebrating. One Hamas publication wrote, “Allah has answered our prayers.” In London, one Muslim group circulated stickers praising the “magnificent 19,” the highjackers.

Chances are, you are a target of this hatred. If you are a Westerner, an American, a non-Muslim, or a Muslim of a different stripe than they, then some radical Muslims hate you. Why? The answer is complex and involves history, culture, politics, religion, and psychology.

Of course, many — some would say most — Muslims are peace loving and deplore terrorism. Islam is quite diverse. Extremist Muslims do not represent all Muslims any more than white supremacists represent all Christians. Not all “radical” Muslims are violent or hateful. But understanding extremist Muslim hatred is essential to interpreting our post-9/11 world. This article examines that hatred and offers a biblical response.

Link to the rest of the story:
probe.org/docs/radical.html

The Mansions of the Lord

To fallen soldiers let us sing
Where no rockets fly nor bullets wing
Our broken brothers let us bring
To the Mansions of the Lord

No more bleeding, no more fight
No prayers pleading through the night
Just divine embrace, eternal light
In the Mansions of the Lord

Where no mothers cry and no children weep
We will stand and guard though the angels sleep
Through the ages safely keep
The Mansions of the Lord

Another home run by Dr. Mohler:

Can We Be Good Without God?
11/8/2004
Albert Mohler

crosswalk.com/news/weblogs/mohler/?adate=11/8/2004#1295280

The greatest moral question hanging over America’s increasingly secular culture is this: Can we be good without God? That vital question–though almost always unasked–is the backdrop for most of the issues aflame in the media, the schools, and the courts.

Secularization, the process by which a society severs its ties to a religious worldview, is now pressed to the limits by ideological secularists bent on removing all vestiges of the Judeo-Christian heritage from the nation’s culture. They will not stop until every aspect of Christian morality is supplanted by the new morality of the postmodern philosophers–a morality with no absolutes, and without God.

read more…

Election Fallout
Faith in democracy, not government
Victor Davis Hanson
Sunday, November 7, 2004

Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were the only two Democrats to be elected president since 1976. Both were Southerners. Apparently, the only assurance that the electorate has had that a Democrat was serious about national security or social sobriety was his drawl. More disturbing still for liberal Democrats is that George W. Bush is the first Republican Southerner ever elected to the presidency, another indicator that a majority of the citizenry no longer finds conservatism and Texas such a scary mix.

The fate of third-party candidates was also instructive in the election. Left-wing alternatives like Ralph Nader go nowhere. Conservative populists, on the other hand, can capture 10 percent or more of the electorate, as Ross Perot did in 1992 and almost again in 1996. Indeed, Perot’s initial run probably accounts for Clinton’s first election, and helped his second as well. In short, Kerry’s 3.5 million shortfall in the popular vote underestimates the degree to which the country has drifted to the right. Over a decade ago, it took a third-party candidate, political consultant Dick Morris’ savvy triangulation and Bill Clinton’s masterful political skills to stave off the complete loss of Democratic legislative, executive and judicial power of the sort that we witnessed last week.

read more…

This is one of the most awful things I’ve ever read. Posted here, so it will not be forgotten. -jweaks

Why Americans Hate Democrats - A Dialogue
The unteachable ignorance of the red states.
By Jane Smiley
slate.msn.com/id/2109218/

The day after the election, Slate’s political writers tackled the question of why the Democratic Party - which has now lost five of the past seven presidential elections and solidified its minority status in Congress - keeps losing elections. Chris Suellentrop says that John Kerry was too nuanced and technocratic, while George W. Bush offered a vision of expanding freedom around the world. William Saletan argues that Democratic candidates won’t win until they again cast their policies the way Bill Clinton did, in terms of values and moral responsibility. Timothy Noah contends that none of the familiar advice to the party - move right, move left, or sit tight - seems likely to help. Slate asked a number of wise liberals to take up the question of why Americans won’t vote for the Democrats. Click here to read previous entries.

I say forget introspection. It’s time to be honest about our antagonists. My predecessors in this conversation are thoughtful men, and I honor their ideas, but let’s try something else. I grew up in Missouri and most of my family voted for Bush, so I am going to be the one to say it: The election results reflect the decision of the right wing to cultivate and exploit ignorance in the citizenry. I suppose the good news is that 55 million Americans have evaded the ignorance-inducing machine. But 58 million have not. (Well, almost 58 million—my relatives are not ignorant, they are just greedy and full of classic Republican feelings of superiority.)
read more…

I tried to tell you . . .
Democrats repel voters, who put faith in freedom
by Zell Miller
11/04/04

ajc.com/news/content/opinion/1104/04edmiller.html

America’s faith in freedom has been reaffirmed. With the re-election of President Bush, America recommitted itself once again to expanding freedom and promoting liberty. Only the 1864 re-election of Abraham Lincoln, the 1944 re-election of Franklin Roosevelt and the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan rival this victory as milestones in the preservation of our security by the advancement of freedom.

This election validated not just freedom, but also the faith our Founding Fathers placed in average folks to navigate the course of this great nation. By weighing the greatest issues at the gravest times and choosing our path, ordinary people have again accomplished extraordinary things. With courage and caution, rather than fear and timidity, the voters chose a path to ensure others would enjoy the same freedom to set their own path.

This election outcome should have been implausible, if not impossible. With a litany of complaints — bad economy, bad deficit, bad foreign war, bad gas prices — amplified by a national media that discarded any pretense of neutrality, a national opposition party should have won this election.
read more…

Bush Wins
286-252

58,999,662 (51%) - 55,399,126 (46%) (99%)

More Results

Big winners:
President Bush
Vietnam Vets (Thank You. Welcome Home!)
Americans
Iraqis

Big losers:
John Kerry
John Edwards
Tom Daschle
Osama Bin Laden
Michael Moore: www.moorelies.com/news/archives/display.cfm?newsID=496
George Soros

Comments (0) - Posted in Politics/Law/Worldview by jweaks   .:Permalink:.

Battallion cherishes impact on Afghan vote

Monday 1 November 2004 @ 6:38 pm

Published on: 2004-11-01
Battallion cherishes impact on Afghan vote
By Claire Parker
Staff writer
fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=local&Story=6656436

More than 200 Fort Bragg paratroopers returned home Sunday from Afghanistan, where they provided security for the first open election in that country’s history.

Jody Collett greets her husband, Spc. Andrew Collett, at the Green Ramp on Sunday after the 1st Battalion of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment returned from Afghanistan.

The 222 soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment were deployed to Afghanistan for almost nine weeks to help ensure that the elections went ahead without anticipated violence.

The paratroopers arrived at Green Ramp on Pope Air Force Base at 10:45 a.m. to a crowd of cheering family and friends.

Between 800 and 1,000 soldiers from the 505th were in the central and eastern regions of Afghanistan. They will all return to Fort Bragg by the beginning of next week, said Col. Jefforey Smith, battalion commander.

The Oct. 9 election placed Harmid Karzai as the nation’s president with 8.2 million voters participating.

The higher than expected turnout, first-time women voters and minimal reports of violence made the mission a success in the eyes of the battalion’s leaders.

“From my conversations with (Lt. Col. Brian) Drinkwine, the military efforts, planning and execution were very, very smooth,” Smith said. “Their presence prevented any potential violence.”

To the surprise of many soldiers, the election saw little Taliban resistance.

Many of the 505th paratroopers, who are in the 82nd Airborne Division, had been to Afghanistan before, and noted the changes in the evolving country. The paratroopers were deployed to the region from August 2002 to February 2003.

Staff Sgt. Kelvin Fraser said that this time, the Afghanistan people seemed thankful and enthusiastic about the U.S. support for the election.

“Before, you would see young kids with weapons, and now they are waving and thanking us,” Fraser said. “We were happy to make a difference.”

Sgt. Elizar Russell said he noticed a change in the rapport between the Afghan citizens and the American soldiers.

He said people waving, cheering and giving the thumbs-up sign showed that life is changing in the war-torn country.

“I feel a greater appreciation for what we have and what they are just now having,” Russell said.

The soldiers downplayed the impact they may have had on the democratic process.

“It’s just a job. This is what we do,” Staff Sgt. Sean Gaul said.

“I’m sure it was a landmark for them, but for most of us, it was the same old thing,” Spc. Michael Miltenberger added.

Miltenberger’s fiancee, Rachel Kovacs, quickly responded that Miltenberger was not just doing his job. “You are a hero,” she said.

Other parents, relatives and friends agreed that the soldiers were doing more than just their duty.

The Delta Company of the 82nd Division’s Signal Battalion had seven soldiers attached to the 505th who returned on the Sunday flight.

Signs of support

Tibu Purnell showed her support for their efforts by placing red, white and blue leis on the soldiers and greeting them with enthusiasm and heart.

She said the young soldiers were special and have inspired her to vote for the first time.

“I used to feel that my vote didn’t count, but it really became important to me after this deployment,” she said. Her husband, Capt. Terrence Purnell, is the Delta Company commander.

Rachel Kovacs drove from Bethlehem, Pa., with her parents and sister to surprise her fiance at the homecoming. They plan to marry after she graduates from college in May.

Kovacs said she is not registered to vote, but having her future husband in the military changes the way she feels about voting.

“I will definitely vote in the next election,” Kovacs said.

The ability to vote should not be taken for granted, some of the parents at the homecoming said.

Being able to vote for the first time must have been a life-changing event for the Afghans, Linda Mefford said. She and her husband, Gary, took a last-minute flight from Ramsey, Minn., on Saturday to welcome home their son, Pfc. Patrick Mefford. Linda Mefford said she is proud of her son’s involvement in the election process.

She said their trip was worth the price of the tickets, even though it will be a quick visit. They head back to Minnesota today.

“We have to get back to vote,” Linda Mefford said.

Sandra Landry came to the homecoming from Columbia, S.C., to see her new husband, Staff Sgt. Christopher Landry. They were married the day before he deployed.

She said she is glad the elections went well in Afghanistan but is worried about her husband having to leave for elections set for January in Iraq.

“I don’t know about Iraq. I don’t know if what they accomplished in Afghanistan will work for them,” she said. “In a perfect world, we would hope so.”

Smith said he is optimistic about the Iraqi elections.

“What we have seen in Afghanistan is what is to come in Iraq,” he said.

If called to pull a similar detail in Iraq, the battalion could be ready to go in 18 hours.

But for now, Smith said, the paratroopers should concentrate on spending time with their families and friends.

Comments (0) - Posted in General, Historical, Politics/Law/Worldview by jweaks   .:Permalink:.