The atheists are at it again

The atheists are at it again

VERBATIM:  California’s Hart-Ransom Union School Board has ended its practice of beginning meetings with a prayer, under pressure from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.  That leading atheist organization sent a warning letter to the board, bearing with it the implied threat of a lawsuit if school officials did not comply.  This despite the fact that the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of invocations in the past.  The Foundation focuses on scouring references to Christianity from the public square.  MH SRM NESD

Sometimes it’s the government and sometimes it’s the neighbors

Sometimes it’s the government and sometimes it’s the neighbors

VERBATIM:  Most measures of persecution focus on how governments restrict the religious freedom of individuals.  But the Pew Research Center has produced a more nuanced study, that separates out countries where Christians are likely to be persecuted not by officials, but by their neighbors who follow other faiths.  The problem of what Pew calls “social hostility” in the Middle East, where most nations are predominantly Muslisms and Christians are an embattled minority.  MH SRN NEWS.

A victory for religious freedom in Florida

A victory for religious freedom in Florida

VERBATIM:  Officials in Daytona Beach have repealed an ordinance that was making it impossible for a local church to feed the homeless.  The 7th Day Baptist Church had filed a lawsuit against the statute, which changed local zoning rules and would have forced the congregation’s food pantry to shut down.  First Liberty Institute represented the plaintts and issued a statement congratulating the city and saying “The church is thrilled to be able to continue helping those in need.”  MH SRN NEWS.

A New Year’s resolution for Christians

A New Year’s resolution for Christians

VERBATIM:  Many believers plan to make 2025 the year they read through the whole Bible — most for the first time in their lives.  It’s a big task and if you don’t get started in January it gets harder but there are all kinds of systems out there for doing it.  Polls indicate that large numbers of people who self-identify as Christians don’t actually know very much about the scriptures, spending much of their time reading popular religious books or using devotionals exclusively.  Pastors say believers who don’t know their Bible are much more vulnerable to falling for false teaching.  MH SRN NEWS

The Middle East is still the most dangerous place to be a Christian

The Middle East is still the most dangerous place to be a Christian

Anti-Semitism surged in 2024

Anti-Semitism surged in 2024

VERBATIM:  Frankly, things had been getting worse for some time, but the deadly terrorist attack on Israel in the fall of 2023 sparked a surge in acts of hate against Jews that dominated the headlines this year.  Here in the U.S., college campuses were convulsed by pro-Palestinian protests and attacks on Jewish students.  Synagogues and other Jewish institutions were vandalized, prompting many Christian leaders to express their solidarity with Israel and Jewish people.  MH SRN NEWS.

2024 was the year that the UMC finally made a decision

2024 was the year that the UMC finally made a decision

VERBATIM:  Leaders of the denomination had been embracing gay marriage and homosexual ordination for years but they finally decided to change the rule book.  In the Spring, delegates to the UMC General Conference voted to amend the Book of Discipline to allow same-sex marriage in the churches — finalizing a schism that had be going on publicly for some time.  Hundreds of churches and thousands of individuals have quit the UMC over the issue.  MH SRN NEWS.

The biggest countries on earth have a problem

The biggest countries on earth have a problem

Are you going to church on New Year’s Eve?

Are you going to church on New Year’s Eve?

The NBA cozies up to China

The NBA cozies up to China

Samaritan’s Purse is training pastors in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Samaritan’s Purse is training pastors in the Democratic Republic of Congo

VERBATIM:  Here in America, if you want to become a clergyman you go to seminary.  In the DRC, that’s not an option and many men become pastors without any real training.  And so Samaritan’s Purse is implementing its Portable Bible School, which provides seminary-level classes and materials to pastors even in the most remote villages.  The students get lessons in everything from the Bible to planning and finances and Samaritan’s Purse is providing it all free of charge.  MH SRN NEWS.

Disney backs down

Disney backs down

A Texas town wins a Christmas prize

A Texas town wins a Christmas prize

VERBATIM:  The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has given Sweetwater its annual “Tiny Tim” award for fighting to keep a Nativity scene on display outside the local courthouse.  A local atheist demanded that the creche be removed but residents flooded a Nolan County Commissioners meeting to defend the display, arguing that it involved no tax payer funding and did not preclude other private citizens from making their own presentations in the same location.  MH SRN NEWS.

Church-goers voted for Trump

Church-goers voted for Trump

VERBATIM:  The Public Religion Research Institute has completed deep-dive into the election results and one of the things it has discovered is that the more frequently a person attended worship services, the more likely he was to cast his ballot for Mr. Trump.  88% of White Evangelicals who go to church at least once a week voted for the president, compared to 77% of those who seldom attend.  The same pattern held for Catholics, who also voted for Mr. Trump in large numbers.  MH SRN NEWS.

The Scripps Spelling Bee embraces feminism

The Scripps Spelling Bee embraces feminism

VERBATIM:  Organizers of the annual contest say they will now accept a new spelling for the word “women” that eliminates any reference to men.  Women spelt “w o m y n” was first promoted in the 1970s by feminist leaders in an effort to “make the word free of masculine influence”.  Scripps officials say they are making the change because the Merriam-Webster dictionary has done so.  The 100th edition of the spelling bee is set to take place in May of next year.  MH SRN NEWS.

Special honors for a group of governors

Special honors for a group of governors

VERBATIM:  A coalition of pro-life groups will celebrate Florida’s Ron DeSantis, South Dakota’s Krisi Noem and Nebraska’s Jim Pillen for their efforts to defeat abortion amendments in their states.  The trio are to be honored next month at the annual National Prayer Service that takes place here in Washington around the March For Life.  Organizer Frank Pavon says “The work that was done in these battles to educate and mobilize our fellow citizens has lasting value.”  MH SRN NEWS.

America’s college professors are afraid

America’s college professors are afraid

Most Americans fear enemies within

Most Americans fear enemies within

Evangelical Christians voted for President Trump in big numbers again

Evangelical Christians voted for President Trump in big numbers again

A Canadian official opposes public prayer

A Canadian official opposes public prayer

VERBATIM:  Francois Legault, the premier of Quebec, is urging lawmakers to take up legislation that would make it illegal for people to petition God outside of churches or their own homes.  Legault says “People praying in the streets, in public parks, is not something we want in Quebec.”  In fact, the premier is taking aim at Muslims who pray several times a day, wherever they are, but a ban on public prayer would affect ALL religions and might violate the Canadian charter.  MH SRN NEWS

A satanic display in New Hampshire has been destroyed

A satanic display in New Hampshire has been destroyed

A California woman files suit over sex-change procedures

A California woman files suit over sex-change procedures

A New Jersey mega-church packs a lot of meals

A New Jersey mega-church packs a lot of meals

A British court sentences a man for causing an abortion

A British court sentences a man for causing an abortion

VERBATIM:  Stuart Worby is going to prison for 12 years after being convicted of slipping an abortifacient drug into the drink of his pregnant girlfriend.  The woman lost her unborn baby at 15 weeks and told the court that since ingesting the drugs she has become infertile.  Pro-life advocates in the United Kingdom and in this country have been warning that the decision to make abortion drugs readily available is likely to lead to more cases like this one.  MH SRN NEWS.