NEWS ALERT: Monday, November 04, 2013 - Saeed's Life in [Greater] Jeopardy After Prison Transfer - CBNNews.com, ; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/November/Saeeds-Life-in-Jeopardy-after-Prison-Transfer/ Saeed Abedini, an American pastor imprisoned in Iran for his faith, is facing life threatening conditions after a recent prison transfer, the America Center for Law and Justice reports. Saeed's family says he has been moved from the brutal Evin Prison to Rajai Shahr Prison, known to be an even more dangerous jail. "Going to Karaj is a severe punishment," Loes Bijnen, a Dutch diplomat from the embassy in Tehran, described the jail in a 2005 report. "Once in there one stops to be a human being," she wrote. "One is put out of sight, even of human rights activists and the press. Murders or unexplained deaths are a regular occurrence." ... "While there is broad bi-partisan support for a Senate resolution calling for Saeed's release, ... it's crucial President Barack Obama step in "directly and forcefully" to save his life. " [PRAY for President Obama to forcefully speak out against this latest development; for the pastor to be finally released. (See below for more info.)]
NEWS ALERT: Oct. 23: "Christians Fleeing IRAQ Area Once Considered Safe," - CBNNews.com, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/October/Christians-Fleeing-Iraq-Area-Once-Considered-Safe/ "Increased violence in northern Iraq is pushing Christians out of that part of the country. The Kurdish north was considered a safe area for Christians fleeing from violent persecution in the central and southern regions. But bombings in recent months are causing panic and many are fleeing the country. Al qaeda has claimed responsibility for several of those attacks. Some Christians have been told by local police that they "should not be in Iraq because it is Muslim territory." The Christian charity Open Doors International is urging people around the world to pray for Christians in Iraq. They say that if the persecution continues, there may be no Christians left in Iraq by 2020.[PRAY that believers in Iraq will know God's protection and provision; that believers will know[ whether they are called to flee or remain and persevere; and that their persecutors may come to hear the gospel and come to faith in Christ. - Stan]
"SYRIAN Christians Brace for Strike, Ask for Prayer," - by Gary Lane, August 31, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/Syrian-Christians-Brace-for-Strike-Ask-for-Prayer/"As Syrians brace themselves for a possible U.S. military attack, many of the county's Christians are praying for divine intervention. They say military action against the Assad regime will only bring them greater hardship and suffering and they're asking Christians worldwide to pray that God intervenes to bring peace to their nation. They believe the collective prayers of Christians around the world could reverse an escalating conflict..."
Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
Oct. 14, NORTH KOREA -"Kenneth Bae, Mom Meet; Release Not Guaranteed" - CBNNews.com, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/October/Mother-Visits-Missionary-Jailed-in-North-Korea/Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"- CBNNews.com, Aug 14, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/ - The United States is willing to engage North Korea to secure the release of imprisoned American Christian Kenneth Bae. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the United States is "willing to consider a number of different options" to bring him home.In a video recently released by a North Korean newspaper, Bae requested the United States send a high-ranking official to North Korea to seek his pardon. It is unclear if he spoke of his own volition in the video. Bae, 45, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for sharing his faith. He suffers health problems such as diabetes and is currently hospitalized.[PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
Oct. 14, NORTH KOREA -"Kenneth Bae, Mom Meet; Release Not Guaranteed" - CBNNews.com, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/October/Mother-Visits-Missionary-Jailed-in-North-Korea/Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"- CBNNews.com, Aug 14, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/ - The United States is willing to engage North Korea to secure the release of imprisoned American Christian Kenneth Bae. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the United States is "willing to consider a number of different options" to bring him home.In a video recently released by a North Korean newspaper, Bae requested the United States send a high-ranking official to North Korea to seek his pardon. It is unclear if he spoke of his own volition in the video. Bae, 45, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for sharing his faith. He suffers health problems such as diabetes and is currently hospitalized.[PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
IRAN - Vigils Mark One Year Imprisonment of Pastor Saeed - CBNNews.com, Thursday, September 26, 2013 - Today marks one-year that American pastor Saeed Abedini has been held in an Iranian prison. He is serving an eight-year sentence because of his Christian faith. It has been a year of torment as he has suffered beatings, physical pain from untreated medical conditions, and separation from his wife and two children... The suffering has not dampened his passion for Jesus. Pastor Abedini has led more than 30 prisoners to Christ during his time in prison. This afternoon, thousands of Americans from coast to coast will pray for his release. Events will be held in 40 states at capitols, city halls, parks and churches. Thousands more will join from 15 nations around the world
PRAY: - For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.\
- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
- BOLDly (Beside Our Leaders Daily) for leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
- GO TO SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release
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"A Clear And Present Danger - Is Military Fight A Supernatural Battle?"; - By Diane Markins; http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/morality-in-america [NOTE: As we stop tomorrow, Veteran's Day, to honor the brave men and women who have served our country, it is very disturbing to realize that they are slowly losing their rights to religious freedom, one of the most precious so many have died to preserve. - Stan]
Does including the phrase, “So help me God” to an oath add value or impact? The United States Air Force Academy believed so in 1984 when it changed the candidate oath to include these words. But now they are removing the same words because of a complaint by the Military for Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF).PRAY: - For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.\
- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
- BOLDly (Beside Our Leaders Daily) for leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
- GO TO SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release
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"A Clear And Present Danger - Is Military Fight A Supernatural Battle?"; - By Diane Markins; http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/morality-in-america [NOTE: As we stop tomorrow, Veteran's Day, to honor the brave men and women who have served our country, it is very disturbing to realize that they are slowly losing their rights to religious freedom, one of the most precious so many have died to preserve. - Stan]
Only a year ago, the Latin word for “God” was removed from the logo of an Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office. The word was removed after objections by the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers.
Is religion in the U.S. military under attack from “friendly fire?” Undermining and demeaning Christian faith in the armed forces is expected to come from Jihadists, but it seems that there is a domestic battle being waged as well.
“A Clear and Present Danger: The Threat to Religious Liberty in the Military” is the title of a report recently released by the Family Research Council (FRC). It is replete with cases in which service members were denied what the FRC calls First Amendment freedoms of speech and religion. Just a few of those examples include:
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center issued a policy banning Bibles in September 2011. The ban was revoked after much public outrage.
According to published reports, in November 2011 the Air Force Academy Commandant of Cadets issued a formal apology to MRFF President Mickey Weinstein for promoting a charity that gives toys to needy children at Christmas. The charity, called Operation Christmas Child, is affiliated with Rev. Franklin Graham’s charity, Samaritan’s Purse.
In March 2012, “Evangelical Christianity” and “Catholicism” were listed as examples of religious extremism by officials leading the Pennsylvania Army Reserve Equal Opportunity training course on extremism. Also included were Al Qaeda, Hamas and the Ku Klux Klan.
There were media reports that military officials ordered soldiers to remove a steeple and cover up cross-shaped windows at a make-shift chapel at a forward operating base in Afghanistan, in order the keep the facility ”neutral and open to all religions.”
The decision to make “so help me God” optional in reciting the oath is not enough for Weinstein.“Are they taking the four words out?” Weinstein asked. “If the words are still there, if our clients are willing to come forward, we’ll sue the academy in federal court aggressively and as soon as we can. According to a Breibart.com report, Weinstein has a no-tolerance view of Christianity in the military. One of his beliefs is that soldiers – even chaplains who share the gospel of Jesus Christ – are guilty of “treason.”
In the Washington Times, news writer Cheryl K. Chumley wrote a piece entitled, “Military under attack: Fight to show faith impacting ‘readiness’” in which military officials allege that the anti-faith attacks are impacting national security. The story quoted Lieutenant General William “Jerry” Boykin, who served 36 years in the Army and now holds a leadership position at the FRC.
“[The attacks] will force religion to go underground and that will lead to retention problems,” he said. “People of faith will not stay in the military and people of faith will not join the military. [What’s happening] is not about declining faith. It’s about the suppression of faith and the restrictions on faith. And that impacts the military’s readiness.”
With groups like the MRFF on the rise, it’s not surprising that the Pentagon issued a statement saying, “Soldiers who promote their faith can be prosecuted under military law.” The statement went on to say that, “Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense.”
Removing the right for soldiers to exercise and express their faith is not only harmful to them as individuals, it is harmful to the country…and it is unconstitutional. There would likely be an ugly uprising if any comparative actions were taken, or even spoken, against Muslims in the military.
Men and women defending the security of the United States deserve the right to worship God and freely express their faith. As a follower of Christ, and a citizen of the United States, you can engage in this battle through spiritual warfare.
As you pray, consider including these specific prayer points:
- Pray for military men and women of faith to be protected from physical, emotional and spiritual harm
- Pray truth for those who are deceived into believing that faith practices should be banned from the military
- Pray that Congress will stand up against the tide of attacks against religious freedom
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Diane Markins hosts a program on a Christian radio station in Phoenix, AZ, writes two blogs, is a conference speaker and the author of a new book. She lives near her children and grandbabies in the desert with her husband of 33 years.
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