The Bulletin Board: (Please SCROLL DOWN this page to find the article titled on this post in LARGE CAPITAL LETTERS. Thank you.)
LATEST NEWS ALERT - US Pastor Saeed Remains in Iranian Hospital, Instead of Prison - By
Jordan Sekulow, Filed in IRAN, Mar. 31;http://aclj.org/iran/us-pastor-saeed-remains-in-iranian-hospital-instead-of-prison "American Pastor Saeed Abedini remains in a hospital room instead of a prison cell. As we reported in mid-March, Pastor Saeed was taken from Rajai Shahr Prison to a hospital where he has received and continues to receive medication. Family members reported that a physician actually examined him yesterday. He is still suffering from internal injuries he received in prison. There's no word on how long Pastor Saeed will remain hospitalized. Family members who were able to visit with him this weekend said it's clear the time he has spent in the hospital is a significant improvement over how he was being treated in prison. According to his family, he is receiving meals and medicine - but the much-needed surgery to address internal injuries has not yet occurred. We continue to pray for Pastor Saeed - that his health will improve and that he will be re-united with his wife and two young children who live in the United States. We also remain hopeful that in addition to getting the medical care he so desperately needs, that Iranian officials display the kind of humanitarian treatment that often accompanies the start of the Iranian New Year which began on March 21st. This is the time of year when the Iranian government frequently offers clemency to prisoners of conscience. [If you have not yet, please sign the petition for his clemency- http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign]
PRAY ALSO : - 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
- 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
The U.S. State Department believes the Russian army is now prepared to launch an invasion of eastern Ukraine if President Vladimir Putin decides to pull the trigger, according to a senior Administration official."At this point, they are amassed and they could go at a moment’s notice if Putin gave the go ahead," the official said...Top Ukrainian security officials said Thursday that Russia now has 100,000 troops on its side of the Russia-Ukraine border.(Sources: CBS News, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Daily Beast)
As the Lord leads, please pray:
*For God to suppress President Putin’s ambitions to "restore" the Soviet empire.
*For the people of Ukrainen [esp. for the church 'to be THE church'] as they wait to see if the Russian troops will advance.
*About President Obama and to use wisdom in crafting our foreign policy, and wisdom for his advisers.
SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november
WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
NEWS /PRAYER ALERT! - Ukraine Accuses Russia of 'Invasion, Occupation'- By George Thomas, Friday, February 28, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/February/Ukraine-Accuses-Russia-of-Invasion-Occupation-/ - SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine -- Russian troops now control an airport near their naval base in Sevastopol, Ukraine. Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov is calling the siege a "military invasion and occupation." "It is in violation of all international treaties and norms," he charged. "This is a direct provocation to armed bloodshed on the territory of a sovereign state."... [Let's be in prayer as the Ukraine is facing an ever increasing threat of civil war. 1) Pray esp. for beievers to be submitted to and guided by the Holy Spirit in how to BE JESUS during these turbulent times. 2) Also keep in prayer Oleksandr Turchynov, a prominent evangelical Christia who continues to be the newly-appointed President of theUkraine, and 3) Pray that many who are and will encounter great suffering as a result of this continuing conflict find their hope and strength in Jesus by coming to faith in Him. - Stan]
NEWS ALERT/PRAISE! "Iran Allows Surgery on Ailing, Imprisoned Pastor" - CBNNews.com,March 07, 2014;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/March/Iran-Allows-Dire-Surgery-on-Ailing-Imprisoned-Pastor-/ The Iranian government has finally allowed doctors to perform surgery on imprisoned Pastor Benham Irani.Irani suffered from a herniated disc and bleeding intestines and urgently needed medical care. PRAY for the final release of Pastor Irani and others imprisoned for their faith.
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/ 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]
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.]
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/ - 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.]
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.]
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/ - 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.]
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Elaine Huguenin. (Photo courtesy of Alliance Defending Freedom) [1]
Today, the Supreme Court declined to review Elane Photography v. Willock—the famous case [2] involving a photographer who politely declined to tell the story of a same-sex commitment ceremony. While neither affirming nor rejecting the lower court’s ruling, the Supreme Court’s denial of certiorari means a New Mexico Supreme Court decision against the Huegenins’ right to free expression will stand. Jordan Lorence, senior legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing the Huguenins, explains [3]: “It is important to note that the Supreme Court did not ‘uphold’ the repressive decision of the New Mexico Supreme Court but merely decided not to hear the case. We don’t know why, but this is not an affirmance of the lower court opinion. The high court’s decision today sets no legal precedent. There are other cases now in the pipeline and probably more to follow that will likely reach the Supreme Court.”
What was the case all about? The Huguenins run Elane Photography, a small business in Albuquerque, N.M. In 2006, the couple declined a request to photograph a same-sex commitment ceremony because, as Elaine explains [4], “the message a same-sex commitment ceremony communicates is not one I believe.”
Elane Photography didn’t refuse to take pictures of gay and lesbian individuals, but it did decline to photograph a ceremony that ran counter to the owners’ belief that marriage is the union of a man and a woman [5] (an understanding of marriage that New Mexico law upholds). Other photographers in the Albuquerque area were more than happy to photograph the event.But in 2008, the New Mexico Human Rights Commission ruled that the Huguenins, by declining to use their artistic and expressive skills to communicate what occurred at the ceremony, had discriminated based on sexual orientation. At the end of 2013, the New Mexico Supreme Court upheld [6] the Human Rights Commission ruling. Justice Richard C. Bosson, in a concurring opinion, made the claim that requiring the Huguenins to relinquish their religious convictions was permissible as “the price of citizenship.”
But that is not the true price of citizenship. Part of the genius of the American system of government is our commitment to protecting the liberty and First Amendment freedoms of all citizens while respecting their equality before the law. The government protects the freedom of citizens to seek the truth about God and speak in accordance with that truth as they understand it. Citizens are free to form contracts and other associations according to their own values.
As the Supreme Court has held [7], the First Amendment protects “the right of individuals to hold a point of view different from the majority, and to refuse to foster . . .an idea they find morally objectionable.” The freedom of speech includes forms of expression such as taking photographs.
Our government is supposed to protect American citizens and these freedoms [8], not act as a menace to both. Freedom of speech means that all citizens are free from both government censorship and government coercion of speech. One need not agree with the Huguenins to recognize that government should not coerce speech or punish citizens for not speaking against their will.
Unfortunately, disrespect and intolerance of those who believe marriage is the union of a man and woman seem increasingly to be the norm [9]. Unwilling to acknowledge this as a significant question on which reasonable people of goodwill can disagree, some advocates of redefining marriage increasingly characterize those with whom they disagree as “enemies of the human race [10].” They’ve sent a clear message: If you stand up for marriage, we will demonize and marginalize you. And even use the law to coerce and penalize you.
The Huguenins and numerous other individuals [11] who have found themselves on the wrong side of the left’s intolerance remain hopeful that lower courts will recognize their First Amendment right to freely express their views about marriage.
In the meantime, all citizens must work to make sure that the law does not penalize those who believe what virtually every human society has believed about marriage: that it is the union of a man and a woman ordered to procreation and family life [5]. Such belief must not be treated as an irrational prejudice [8] to be purged from the culture. Americans like the Huguenins are now seeing the ugly consequences of such coercion, and the threats they face are the opposite of civil or tolerant.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
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Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org; URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/04/07/elane-photography-case-shows-must-fight-government-coercion/
URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://blog.heritage.org/wp-content/uploads/article-photo-Elaine.jpg
[2] famous case: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/356539/clashing-claims-ryan-t-anderson
[3] explains: http://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/375210/supreme-court-turns-down-elane-photography-case-jordan-lorence
[4] explains: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/08/22/same-sex-marriage-trumps-religious-liberty-in-new-mexico/
[5] marriage is the union of a man and a woman: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/03/marriage-what-it-is-why-it-matters-and-the-consequences-of-redefining-it
[6] upheld: http://www.adfmedia.org/files/ElanePhotoNMSCopinion.pdf
[7] Supreme Court has held: http://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/430/705
[8] protect American citizens and these freedoms: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/04/marriage-reason-and-religious-liberty-much-ado-about-sex-nothing-to-do-with-race
[9] seem increasingly to be the norm: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/04/03/eich-tolerance/
[10] enemies of the human race: http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2013/07/calling-and-witness-holiness-and-truth
[11] numerous other individuals: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/371329/bake-us-cake-or-else-ryan-t-anderson-leslie-ford
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