The war rages on

With each new day we see, read, or hear some new slap at Christianity. A lot of it in the name of "political correctness" and "tolerance". Here are two instances recently brought to my attention.

The first was an article from an ActionAlert from American Family Association which was emailed to me by a friend. In the article, it tells of a public official, Robert Smith, who was fired by Maryland governor Robert Ehrlich for making the following comment:

"Homosexual behavior, in my view, is deviant,” he said. “I’m a Roman Catholic.” Smith said he made these comments as part of a discussion on a proposed ban on same-sex marriage. “The comments I make in public outside of my [Metro board job] I’m entitled to make.” Moreover, Smith stated that his personal beliefs “have absolutely nothing to do with running trains and buses and have not affected my actions or decisions on this board."

Apparently, within hours of Smith expressing his personal views in the interview, a fellow board member, Jim Graham who is openly gay, complained via a prepared statement calling for Smith to disavow his remarks - which he didn't - and for Gov. Ehrlich to remove Smith from position - which he did.

So, basically the tolerance or 'freedom of speech' so highly desired by the world isn't to be applied to Christians.

There is an article at CBS entitled "Thought Police Go Too Far" regarding this same story: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/10/opinion/main1787969.shtml


Though the previous story may be considered somewhat insignificant, I don't think the next one could be at all.

I received a letter the other day from Answers In Genesis. Having purchased a great creation/evolution DVD series from them, I am now on their mailing list. Here is an excerpt of some news from that letter:

Did you know that many hospitals in Australia are now banning the placement of Bibles in patients' rooms?

Could that ever happen in America?

Are you aware that a well-known Oscar-nominated Hollywood actor recently stated that Bibles should have a disclaimer pasted inside, warning that it's fiction?

Could such stickers ever be placed inside Bibles in America?

Surely not in the land of the free - the nation that was founded on the Bible. But then again, who would have thought 50 years ago that:

* abortion would be legalized...and "gay" marriages would be conducted?

* prayer, Bible, and the teaching of creation would all but be banned from public schools and other government-run places?

* the name of Christ would be increasingly taken out of Christmas?

* there would be threats to take the name of God out of the Pledge of Allegiance, and that prayer would be banned at school graduations?

* the Ten Commandments and nativity scenes would be removed from public places? ... and the list goes on and on!

There's no doubt that Christians are becomming marginalized in America.

Friend, someone actually has begun placing disclaimers in the front of Bibles!

A Delta pilot from Atlanta (and a friend of AiG) found such a sticker in the front of a Gideon Bible placed in a drawer of his Salt Lake City hotel room.

On the next page, you'll see a photo of the actual sticker.

[This book contains religious stories regarding the origin of living things. The stories aare theories, not facts. They are unproven, unprovable and in some cases totally impossible. This material should be approached with an open mind, and a critical eye towards logic and believability.]

There's not telling how many of these stickers have been applied to other Bibles found in hotels (and other places)

As you can read, this anti-Bible sticker is related to the creation/evolution issue.

Now, where did this sticker's wording originate? Look at the sticker below. It was aplied to textbooks in Cobb County, Georgia, where the school board was concerned that science books were presenting evolution as fact to its students.

The board had voted to place stickers in the front of some public school biology textbooks to infom students that evolution should be studied critically.

(You probably remember the controversy that ensued when "civil rights" groups and some county residents objected, and the lawsuit they filed resulted in a judge ordering the stickers to be removed. On appeal, a federal court ruled in May of this year that the case has to be retried for various reasons.)

Here's the actual sticker as it was photographed from a school textbook:

[This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered. Approved by Cobb County Board of Education Thursday, March 28, 2002 ]

As you compare the two stickers, you'll quickly see that the sticker found in the hotel Bible was meant to mirror (mock) the thrust of the textbook sticker.

Such mockery just illustrates again that the creation/evolution controversy is really a foundational issue in the battle between secular humanism and Christianity.

At the rate things are going in America, I must admit: it wouldn't surprise me if some liberal judges would begin mandating that such stickers be placed in Bibles.

In this vein, The Da Vinci Code movie is permeating the culture with another blatant, anti-Christian propaganda message (though it's a work of fiction).

One of its stars, Ian McKellen, a well-known gay activist/fundraiser (he also played Gandalf in the famous Lord of the Rings trilogy), answered a question about the movie on NBC-TV's Today Show (May 17).

Here's the exchange:

NBC reporter Matt Lauer: "How would you have felt if there was a disclaimer at the beginning of the movie? WOuld it have been okay with you?"

McKellen: "Well, I've often thought the Bible should have a disclaimer in the front saying this is fiction. I mean, walking on water? It takes an act of faith and I have faith in this movie - not that it's true - not that it's factual - but that it's a jolly good story. ..." [emphasis added]

Not long after this explosive enterview, I read some Australian newspaper articles that reported on a number of hospitals that were basically banning Bibles from being placed in rooms.

Australia's national newspaper, The Australian (akin to USA Today), reported:

The banning of bibles in Queensland and Victorian hospitals was political correctness gone crazy, Health minister Tony Abbott says ...

Gideons International, which supplies bibles to hospitals and hotels worldwide, said it has been banned from leaving bibles at several Queensland hospitals to prevent giving offence to non-Christian patiens [May 24, 2006]

A Catholic news source in Australia reported:

Almost all of Melbourne's main hospitals have withdrawn Bibles ...

In Brisbane ... the Royal Brisbane and Women's and Princess Alexandra hospitals are among the first to stop the Gideon's testaments being left in patiens' bedside talbes. Staff said the Bibles were no longer in keeping with the "multicultural approach to chalpaincy."

Both news sources stated the Bibles could be a source of infection! One said:

It is also an infection-control measure ... some claimed the Bibles were removed because they were a source of infection. Hospital spokeswoman Tanya Logegeier said: "If someone has a cold or anything and uses the Bible, their germs could be passed on to the next person who reads it."