" 'PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE' SAVES OLYMPIAN MICHAEL PHELPS FROM SUICIDE" - CBN News, 08-08-2016; http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2016/august/purpose-driven-life-saves-olympian-michael-phelps-from-suicide?cpid=EU_CBNNEWS [AS I SEE IT: As great news as this story is, I'm not sure we are to assume that Michael Phelps has a personal relationship with Jesus or just promotes the principles of the book. Of course, I'll be praying he does have that relationship. - Stan]
U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps is celebrating after earning his 19th gold medal in the men's four by 100 freestyle relay at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro Sunday night. But just two years ago the gold winning medalist was in a much darker place. Phelps recently revealed that he suffered an identity crisis and wanted to end his life.
"I thought the world would just be better off without me," Phelps told ESPN. "I figured that was the best thing to do — just end my life." After a second DUI arrest in 2014 and an image surfacing of Phelps smoking from a bong, he said he felt his reputation was ruined and there was no way he could bounce back from those mistakes. "This is the end of my life... How many times will I mess up? Maybe the world would be better without me," Phelps remembered thinking.
But then Christian friend and NFL star Ray Lewis stepped with words of encouragement. Lewis, who made a comeback after a series legal troubles himself, told Phelps he could get his life on track. "This is when we fight," he told Phelps at the time. "This is when real character shows up. Don't shut down. If you shut down we all lose."
The 22-time medal winner entered a psychological trauma and addiction treatment center in October in 2015. While he was there, Lewis sent Phelps a copy of Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life. Phelps credits Warren's book for uplifting him and giving him hope again. "It's turned me into believing there is a power greater than myself and there is a purpose for me on this planet … It helped me when I was in a place where I needed the most help," he said. It affected him so deeply that Phelps would read the book to fellow patients, which earned him the nickname "Preacher Mike."
Warren responded to Phelps comments about the book in a Facebook post this week: "I'm proud of @MichaelPhelps for his victories even before the Olympics begin. Excited he'll be carrying the flag for the U.S.," it read. Phelps told NBC's "Today" that he can finally give 100 percent of himself at the Rio games and is excited about what the future holds. "I'm happy to turn the page to the next chapter. I'm happy to move on from my swimming career and go out how I wanted to," he said.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
"Michael Phelps Is Driven - AN OLYMPIAN FINDS HIS PURPOSE" - By: Eric Metaxas|
Breakpoint.org: August 11, 2016; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/29694
"6 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT 'SATAN CLUBS' IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS" - CBN News, 08-05-2016; http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2016/august/6-things-to-know-about-satan-clubs-in-public-schools?cpid=EU_CBNNEWS
There's a new kind of after-school club showing up in public high schools. They're called "Satan Clubs," and some say they're designed to compete with Christian clubs.
In his most recent article, Jordan Lorence, with Alliance Defending Freedom, says the creators of the "Satan Clubs" are just plain "jerks." Lorence has provided legal counsel and litigated cases around the nation regarding religious freedom and conscience protection laws. "The people running new Satan Clubs to compete with Christian after-school clubs don't actually believe in Satan. They just want to be jerks to people who do," he said.
The Satanic Temple is behind the clubs but they aren't actually made up of people who worship Satan. Instead, they "reject all forms of supernaturalism and are committed to the view that scientific rationality provides the best measure of reality."
Lorence also outlines six facts about the Satanic Temple and the After School Satan Clubs.
*After-School Satan Clubs Don’t Worship Satan
*The Church of Satan Rejects Using Satanic Clubs in Public Schools
*Satan Clubs Could Jettison Girl Scouts and 4-H Clubs
*The Good News Club Decision Was Good for Everyone
*Satan Clubs Do Not Encourage Religious Tolerance
*Satan Clubs Raise Difficulties for Gay-Straight Alliances
First, leaders say that they have adopted the "Satan" moniker as a "metaphorical construct" intended to reject tyranny over the human mind. According to reports, the clubs' activities do not include anything theological or spiritual, but they do include a literature lesson, creative learning activities, and a science lesson. However, Lorence believes the main goal of the Satan clubs is to do whatever it takes to oppose Christian clubs.
While some people don't like the idea of these Satan clubs forming at their schools, Lorence says they have the same rights as other outside groups like the Girl Scouts and the 4-H Club. "The First Amendment does not allow the government to exclude groups from meeting because of their viewpoint," he said.
Lorence also believes that by using the inflammatory name "Satan," creators are trying to provoke some school officials to close schools to all outside clubs in an effort to eliminate evangelical Christian groups. He says these clubs don't seem to realize they have benefited from the court cases brought on behalf of Christian clubs, like the 2001 Supreme Court Good News Club decision. It basically said if you let one religion into the public schools, you have to let others in as well.
That, Lorence says, promotes, rather than stifles, diversity. "The leader of the Satanic Temple acts as if the Christian Good News Clubs are the only religious entities meeting in public schools, and that the court victories they have won for freedom only benefit Christians," Lorence explained. "By obsessively focusing only on Good News Clubs and the Establishment Clause, the Satanic Temple misses the big picture that many student groups, religious and non-religious, meet in public schools, so students need to learn how to tolerate their fellow classmates who do not share their beliefs," he said.
"So, After-School Satan Clubs have the right to meet in public schools," Lorence added, "But only on the same terms and conditions as everyone else. Also, its leaders should abandon their condescending attitudes towards fellow citizens with religious beliefs, and join with us to protect the dignity of all people to exercise their freedom of speech."
[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]
U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps is celebrating after earning his 19th gold medal in the men's four by 100 freestyle relay at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro Sunday night. But just two years ago the gold winning medalist was in a much darker place. Phelps recently revealed that he suffered an identity crisis and wanted to end his life.
"I thought the world would just be better off without me," Phelps told ESPN. "I figured that was the best thing to do — just end my life." After a second DUI arrest in 2014 and an image surfacing of Phelps smoking from a bong, he said he felt his reputation was ruined and there was no way he could bounce back from those mistakes. "This is the end of my life... How many times will I mess up? Maybe the world would be better without me," Phelps remembered thinking.
But then Christian friend and NFL star Ray Lewis stepped with words of encouragement. Lewis, who made a comeback after a series legal troubles himself, told Phelps he could get his life on track. "This is when we fight," he told Phelps at the time. "This is when real character shows up. Don't shut down. If you shut down we all lose."
The 22-time medal winner entered a psychological trauma and addiction treatment center in October in 2015. While he was there, Lewis sent Phelps a copy of Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life. Phelps credits Warren's book for uplifting him and giving him hope again. "It's turned me into believing there is a power greater than myself and there is a purpose for me on this planet … It helped me when I was in a place where I needed the most help," he said. It affected him so deeply that Phelps would read the book to fellow patients, which earned him the nickname "Preacher Mike."
Warren responded to Phelps comments about the book in a Facebook post this week: "I'm proud of @MichaelPhelps for his victories even before the Olympics begin. Excited he'll be carrying the flag for the U.S.," it read. Phelps told NBC's "Today" that he can finally give 100 percent of himself at the Rio games and is excited about what the future holds. "I'm happy to turn the page to the next chapter. I'm happy to move on from my swimming career and go out how I wanted to," he said.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
"Michael Phelps Is Driven - AN OLYMPIAN FINDS HIS PURPOSE" - By: Eric Metaxas|
Breakpoint.org: August 11, 2016; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/29694
"6 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT 'SATAN CLUBS' IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS" - CBN News, 08-05-2016; http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2016/august/6-things-to-know-about-satan-clubs-in-public-schools?cpid=EU_CBNNEWS
There's a new kind of after-school club showing up in public high schools. They're called "Satan Clubs," and some say they're designed to compete with Christian clubs.
In his most recent article, Jordan Lorence, with Alliance Defending Freedom, says the creators of the "Satan Clubs" are just plain "jerks." Lorence has provided legal counsel and litigated cases around the nation regarding religious freedom and conscience protection laws. "The people running new Satan Clubs to compete with Christian after-school clubs don't actually believe in Satan. They just want to be jerks to people who do," he said.
The Satanic Temple is behind the clubs but they aren't actually made up of people who worship Satan. Instead, they "reject all forms of supernaturalism and are committed to the view that scientific rationality provides the best measure of reality."
Lorence also outlines six facts about the Satanic Temple and the After School Satan Clubs.
*After-School Satan Clubs Don’t Worship Satan
*The Church of Satan Rejects Using Satanic Clubs in Public Schools
*Satan Clubs Could Jettison Girl Scouts and 4-H Clubs
*The Good News Club Decision Was Good for Everyone
*Satan Clubs Do Not Encourage Religious Tolerance
*Satan Clubs Raise Difficulties for Gay-Straight Alliances
First, leaders say that they have adopted the "Satan" moniker as a "metaphorical construct" intended to reject tyranny over the human mind. According to reports, the clubs' activities do not include anything theological or spiritual, but they do include a literature lesson, creative learning activities, and a science lesson. However, Lorence believes the main goal of the Satan clubs is to do whatever it takes to oppose Christian clubs.
While some people don't like the idea of these Satan clubs forming at their schools, Lorence says they have the same rights as other outside groups like the Girl Scouts and the 4-H Club. "The First Amendment does not allow the government to exclude groups from meeting because of their viewpoint," he said.
Lorence also believes that by using the inflammatory name "Satan," creators are trying to provoke some school officials to close schools to all outside clubs in an effort to eliminate evangelical Christian groups. He says these clubs don't seem to realize they have benefited from the court cases brought on behalf of Christian clubs, like the 2001 Supreme Court Good News Club decision. It basically said if you let one religion into the public schools, you have to let others in as well.
That, Lorence says, promotes, rather than stifles, diversity. "The leader of the Satanic Temple acts as if the Christian Good News Clubs are the only religious entities meeting in public schools, and that the court victories they have won for freedom only benefit Christians," Lorence explained. "By obsessively focusing only on Good News Clubs and the Establishment Clause, the Satanic Temple misses the big picture that many student groups, religious and non-religious, meet in public schools, so students need to learn how to tolerate their fellow classmates who do not share their beliefs," he said.
"So, After-School Satan Clubs have the right to meet in public schools," Lorence added, "But only on the same terms and conditions as everyone else. Also, its leaders should abandon their condescending attitudes towards fellow citizens with religious beliefs, and join with us to protect the dignity of all people to exercise their freedom of speech."
[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]
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