…and then there were 6. My job got a bit easier after Florida as John Edwards and Rudy Giuliani both dropped out of the race, so their positions no longer need to be considered in this series. I suppose I could probably eliminate Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul, also, as neither of them really has a shot at the nomination, but as long as they keep them in the debates, I’ll keep writing about them.

So, this time, I’ll take a look at the candidates’ positions on gay rights. Like abortion, this isn’t a strictly religious issue, as there are people with strong secular opinions against both (see almost any post by the Raving Atheist for secular opposition to abortion). However, since most opposition is of a religious nature, I’ll include it.

Clinton: Hillary Clinton received an 89% rating on this issue from the Human Rights Campaign in 2006. She supports civil unions, and believes that marriage is an issue for the states. She voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman. While she once supported Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, she now favors its elimination so that gays can serve openly. Hillary supports giving gays and lesbians equal adoption rights. In 2002, she voted to add sexual orientation to hate crime legislation.

Huckabee: I’m sure no one will be surprised by the results on this one. Mike Huckabee opposes legislation to protect gays from employment discrimination and hate crimes legislation that includes sexual orientation and gender identity as criteria. On marriage, Huckabee says on his campaign web site “I support and have always supported passage of a federal constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.” He signed similar legislation in Arkansas in 2006. He also opposes civil unions and gay and lesbian adoption and foster parenting. Finally, he doesn’t “think” he would change the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

McCain: Like Huckabee, McCain opposes protecting gays from employment discrimination and including sexual orientation in hate crime laws. On same-sex marriage, McCain’s web site says “The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman.” Despite this, he opposes a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. He supports Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell because he feels that open homosexuality in the military is potentially risky. If he has ever taken a public stance on gay adoption, I wasn’t able to find it.

Obama: During his tenure in the Illinois legislature, Obama sponsored legislation that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. He receive an 89% rating (same as Clinton) from the HRC in 2006. In the Senate, Obama co-sponsored legislation to include sexual orientation in hate crime laws, and he believes the Employment Non-Discrimination Act should include sexual orientation. He opposes Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, saying that “The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve.” He supports civil unions, and opposes gay marriage, citing his religious beliefs as the basis for his position. He did vote against the Federal Marriage Amendment and opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. Obama supports equal adoption rights for gays and lesbians.

Paul: Ron Paul opposes the the Employment Non-Descrimination Bill, which includes sexual orientation. He opposes all hate crime legislation, so he can’t really be judged on that issue here. He opposes same-sex marriage, but also opposes a federal amendment defining marriage as heterosexual. In 1999, he voted for a measure to ban gay adoptions in Washington, DC. He thinks Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is “a decent policy.”

Romney: In 1994, during a run for Senate against Ted Kennedy, he sent a letter to the Log Cabin Republicans, saying “…as we seek to establish full equality for America’s gay and lesbian citizens, I will provide more effective leadership than my opponent.” However, he now opposes nondiscrimination laws for gays, supports Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, opposes gay marriage and civil unions, opposes gay adoption, supports the Federal Marriage Amendment and opposes the inclusion of sexual orientation in hate crime laws. Massachusetts was the first state to allow gay marriage, and Romney lobbied the highest court in the state and the state legislature to eliminate it. Oops.

That’s it on gay rights. There’s more to come in this series. I may wait until after Super Tuesday for the next installment. I think I’ll have a lot less to write.

~I AM~

Welcome to the second installment of Candidate Scorecard in which I will examine the eight major candidates’ positions on stem cell research, an issue that has become very important to me as of late.

Clinton: Hillary Clinton has pledged to lift the ban on stem cell research when she takes office and has criticized President Bush for putting ideology before science. Last year, she voted for a bill that would expand embryonic stem cell research. She cosigned a letter to the president from 58 senators in 2004 asking him to expand the federal policy on stem cells.

Edwards: John Edwards cosigned the same letter.

Giuliani: When asked in a debate last year whether he would expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, Rudy Giuliani said “As long as we’re not creating life in order to destroy it, as long as we’re not having human cloning, and we limit it to that, and there is plenty of opportunity to then use federal funds in those situations where you have limitations. So I would support it with those limitations.”

Huckabee: Asked the same question as Giuliani in the same debate, Mike Huckabee said “I would concur. I don’t think it’s right to create a life to end a life. That’s not a good health decision.”

McCain: Again, in the same debate, John McCain responded “I believe that we need to fund this. This is a tough issue for those of us in the pro-life community. I would remind you that these stem cells are either going to be discarded or perpetually frozen. We need to do what we can to relieve human suffering. It’s a tough issue. I support federal funding.” In 2007, he put his vote where his mouth is, voting to expand stem cell research. He was also a cosigner of the same 2004 letter to the president as Hillary Clinton and John Edwards.

Obama: As president, Barack Obama would promote stem cell research, expand the number of cell lines available for research and ensure ethical standards. He introduced legislation in Illinois that would ensure that only embryos that would otherwise be discarded could be used and that donors would have to provide written consent.

Paul: Ron Paul would not provide federal funding for stem cell research because he believes that the constitution doesn’t provide the federal government with the authority to fund any such project. As a result, he voted against stem cell research twice during his tenure in the House.

Romney: Mitt Romney would outlaw cloning to create new stem cells and would outlaw embryo farming. He would allow surplus embryos from in vitro fertilization to be used. He also believes that adult cells “reprogrammed” to become stem cells are just as useful. He wants to use government funds for this and only allow private funding for work with embryonic cells. When the Harvard Stem Cell Institute sought protection for a cell line, Romney refused to support them, stating that “Lofty goals do not justify the creation of life for experimentation or destruction.”

That’s it for stem cells. Stay tuned for additional issues.

~I AM~

I have recently been too busy to post. Watching all four daily presidential debates takes up a lot of my time. One thing you can certainly say is that it’s been an exciting political season. There isn’t really anyone I’m excited about voting for, but It’s still fun to watch.

So, now that we’re down to just 8 candidates, I think it’s time to look at their stances on religious issues. Of course, I’m not suggesting that anyone (even evangelical atheists) should vote on only these issues, but as our secular nation continues its slow, silent slide toward theocracy, we should certainly be aware of how much influence is exerted on each of the candidates by their big imaginary friends. I have to pluralize that just for Mitt Romney. I lot of other people can’t seem to agree whether or not it’s the same god, so I won’t assume.

So, let’s take a look at Clinton, Edwards, Giuliani, Huckabee, McCain, Obama, Paul and Romney on abortion. There’s a rumor going around that Alan Keyes is also running for president, but if he can’t be bothered to tell us, I can’t be bothered to include him. It’s not a good sign for your campaign when you show up at a debate and even the media pundits aren’t sure why you’re there, but it’s always seemed to work for Dennis Kucinich, so maybe it’s a strategy I just don’t understand

Clinton: Hillary Clinton has stated repeatedly that she wants abortion to be “safe, legal and rare.” The health plan she proposed under her husband’s administration would have included RU-486, and she fought to get Plan B on the market for years. Her personal ethical code would have prohibited her from having an abortion. As first lady, she led efforts to make the adoption process easier. In 2006, Clinton pushed to increase federal funding for abortion providers. She supports late-term abortions only when the mother’s life or health is at risk. She voted no on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. Her voting record received a 100% rating from NARAL and a 0% rating from the NRLC.

Edwards: John Edwards believes the right to choose is constitutionally protected. He voted against a ban on partial-birth abortions. His voting record received a 100% rating from NARAL.

Giuliani: Rudy Guliani claims to personally oppose abortion but support a woman’s right to choose. If a federal ban on all abortions came across his desk as president, he said he would “probably” not sign it. In his 2000 senate race, he ran as a pro-choice candidate. Giuliani wants to seek a bipartisan way to reduce abortion and increase adoption. He would not have an abortion “litmus test” for judicial appointments. In a questionnaire from NARAL in 1997, he said he supported Medicaid funding for abortion with no restrictions, opposed parental notification for minors and opposed a ban on partial-birth abortions. In the 1990s, Giuliani made at least six personal contributions to Planned Parenthood. In a debate, Giuliani said it would be “OK” if Roe v. Wade were overturned.

Huckabee: Mike Huckabee opposes states’ rights on moral issues, such as abortion. He stated that he would deny federal funds to any organization that promotes abortion. Huckabee led Arkansas to pass a state constitutional amendment stating that life begins at conception. He said in regard to Giuliani’s position that hating abortion but supporting choice is akin to hating slavery but allowing it to be practiced. Huckabee said that he would have signed the South Dakota legislation banning all abortion, even in cases of rape or incest.

McCain: John McCain said in 1999 that he would not support the repeal of Roe because American women would be forced to have illegal and dangerous abortions. He has said over and over again that this comment was taken out of context and that he has always felt Roe was a bad decision. He wants to prosecute abortion doctors, not the women having abortions. McCain supports abortion in the case of rape and would not require proof of rape. He opposes partial-birth abortions and federal funding of abortion.

Obama: Barack Obama supports Roe and voted against parental notification and a ban on partial-birth abortion. He also voted to spend $100 million on reducing teen pregnancy through education and contraceptives. He has stated that he is afraid an abortion ban would force women to seek unsafe abortions. His voting record received a 0% rating from the NRLC.

Paul: Having delivered 4,000 babies, Ron Paul says he is sure that life begins at conception. He wants the federal government completely out of the abortion debate, believing that it is a state issue. He would remove federal funding for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. Paul voted against restricting interstate transport of minors for abortions and also voted against making it a crime to harm a fetus during another crime. He voted for a ban on partial-birth abortion except to save the mother’s life. His voting record received a 0% rating from NARAL and a 56% rating from the NRLC.

Romney: Mitt Romney ran for governor of Massachusetts as a pro-choice candidate, pledging never to waiver on a woman’s right to choose. After taking office, he quickly changed his mind and vetoed any law put before him that would have expanded abortion rights. He also promoted abstinence education in Massachusetts schools. He is opposed to punishing women for having partial-birth abortions. If a ban on all abortions came across his desk as president, he would be “delighted” to sign it into law. Romney has stated that his position on abortion when running for governor was the “defining mistake” of his life. As governor, he vetoed emergency contraception for rape victims but, in 1994, endorsed legalization of RU-486.

This series will continue over the coming weeks, covering stem cell research, gay rights, school prayer, separation of church and state, creationism and Islam. Stay tuned.

~I AM~

“Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half the time.”

-E. B. White

A new poll from the First Amendment Center reveals that I may have misunderestimated the American people. They are far more ignorant than I had believed, and most of them see no need to go to the trouble of seeking truth when PR and rumors fit effortlessly into that same space in their consciousness. The majority of Americans (55%) believe that the Constitution established a Christian nation, and even more (65%) believe that the founding fathers intended the United States to be such.

This is disturbing on several levels. First of all (and least obviously), it means that at least 10% of Americans believe that the founding fathers were too stupid or incompetent to actually get their intentions down on paper. This tremendous insult to the memories of the great men who gave birth to the grand experiment that is the United States saddens me. More clearly, these results highlight both the success of the religious right’s marketing machine and the failure of the American educational system. I don’t know about any of you, but thinking back, I was never required to actually read the Constitution in school. We learned about what it says, but I suppose the four page document was deemed too hard. After all, so many of our elementary school children can barely read a comic book, much less an 18th century legal document.

Now, I was not so naive as to assume that all Americans understood the secular nature of our founding document, but I honestly didn’t expect the informed to be a minority. In a democracy, majority is truth, so welcome to the Christian States of America, heathens.

On a subject only tangentially related to the topic of this blog, the survey also indicates some unsettling trends in the public’s thoughts on the freedoms granted to us in the Bill of Rights. 74% of people want to prevent public school students from wearing T-shirts with slogans that might offend someone, and 42% don’t feel that musicians should be allowed to sing songs with potentially offensive lyrics. 34% believe that the press has “too much freedom,” and 40% think that the government should be able to require broadcasters to report a certain amount of “positive news” as a prerequisite for being allowed to use public airwaves. A quarter of Americans even believe that the first amendment “goes too far in the rights it guarantees.” Of course, they can’t even name those rights. Of the five freedoms granted by the first amendment, speech was the only one that could be named by the majority of respondents (64%). Only 19% were able to name freedom of religion, but since only 56% believe that freedom extends to all religious groups, I guess it doesn’t make much difference.

I recommend not just reading the article, but perusing the actual survey tables. Look ignorance and authoritarianism in the eye. And don’t blink.

~I AM~

I just received an extensive comment on the last post. I thought that the author deserved to have this much work promoted to the front page. I could respond, but I’ll leave the fun to you, the readers. Enjoy.

http://atheistdelusion.cf.huffingtonpost.com/
http://deludedmailbag.cf.huffingtonpost.com/
Psalm 14:1-3 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good. The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God. They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good, no, not one.

God said this about the atheist.

“The fool has said in his heart, there is no God”

Not a fool, but “the” fool. Webster’s dictionary describes a fool as “a very stupid person, one lacking judgement, common sense, wisdom, a silly person, a simpleton, an idiot, an imbecile, someone that is kept to entertain as a jester, a joke, a victim of a joke, one who is duped, a clown, a trick.” And in Jeremiah 17.9… the prophet said the “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperatley wicked, who can know it?”

Only God knows our deceitful and desperately wicked hearts.

Who wants to be a fool?
God looks to see if any of us are wise
If someone is really wise, they will seek God
How do you seek God?
Is it a long journey?
Is there some secret mystery?
Is there some great deed we must do?
Is there some valiant & heroic struggle?
Since God is already at the door, and already knocking, perhaps we should open the door?
The Bible is God’s word, it is how God speaks to us,

Perhaps we should read it and study it and think about it
Since prayer begins with God’s invitation, shouldn’t our prayers begin by listening to God?
They are all alike
There is no one that does good
All have gone astray
Sin is universal
Sin is not just inevitable, it is a great pervasive evil,
And it eats up all in its reach (you are your brothers keeper)
In the face of universal sin, the only thing to do is repent
And trust in the mercy of God
The good news is that God has mercy on penitent sinners
The good news is that there is a Savior
Jesus is our refuge, not because we deserve refuge
Jesus is our refuge because God has mercy upon us
God give his Word
God creates faith
God knocks at our door
God forgives – wisdom is opening our lives to the mercy of God
And righteousness – that too comes from God through Christ.
You see the Lord will restore the fortunes of his people,
His people are the people who live by grace through faith.

Atheists are all afraid from the truth.
First you claim there is no God and heaven, If you and the Atheists believe there is no “God” than why you hate him so much? If you and the Atheists don’t believe in heaven than why you and the Atheists think heaven is a boring place to go to. LOL. You all are hypocrite.
You know there is a God, but you want to live for the devil, Remember the devil know the bible as well as you and me.

In Psalm 14.1…..God said this about the atheist.

The atheist and his atheism.
keywords: atheism, God, atheist, Jesus, agnostic, Christianity, religion, philosophy

Atheism is defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary as, “1. the belief that there is no God, or denial that God or gods exist. 2. godlessness”. An atheist, therefore, is a person who believes that there is no God. But what does the Bible say?
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
PSALMS XIV:I
Atheism is a belief system that ardently denies the existence of God. God calls the atheist a FOOL. Many atheists spend much time and effort attempting to “disprove” that God exists. According to Romans chapter 1 they know that He exists, but they want to control their own lives and not submit to the Lord. They are actually rather tragic figures just like any other unsaved individual. It is hard to live out their atheism–if they did, they’d actually be considered crazy like O’Hair was.
The atheist’s RELIGION (which is simply a system of beliefs based on a philosophy) of atheism is simply a way to try to block out and override the truth–the ol’ ostrich-head-in-the-sand technique:
If you try to tell ‘em the truth, they say “Shut up!”
stick their heads in the ground and shout–
“There’s nobody there,
there’s nobody there,
there’s nobody there, I tell you!
See, I can’t see ‘em!”
Well, atheist reader, Somebody is there and His truth has stood from the beginning of time and will continue for all eternity. God is not dependent on you in any way. Blasphemies, wars, famines, and political appointments come and go, but when the dust settles, there’s Jesus. And there is nothing you can do about it but breathe out hot air. You will humble yourself before the Lord Jesus or you will be ground to powder.
And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
–Jesus Christ
Matthew 21:44
Most atheists have what I call the Don Quixote Syndrome. Let me explain. Cervantes wrote a book about Don Quixote a long time ago. Don Quixote would attack windmills as if they were his enemies. Of course a windmill is nobody’s enemy. If what the atheist believes is REALLY his belief, then he would leave people like me alone. After all, if God did not exist, He and His followers would be no enemy to the atheist. We’d just be deluded people. Therefore IF the atheist REALLY believes there is no God and the fool attacks a Christian, then he has the Don Quixote Syndrome because the Christian is not his enemy. Nevertheless, God is real and THAT is why atheists have all these organizations and debates to “prove” that God does not exist. Atheist reader, if you would just be true to what you purport to believe, then you wouldn’t have the Don Quixote Syndrome.
My old pastor once ministered to an old atheist who had been a card-carrying atheist for decades–but as he laid on his death bed, he wanted a pastor. I don’t know if he got saved or not. When it’s time to die, many atheists are understandably uneasy and those that aren’t should be terrified.
There is hope for the atheist. He can be saved. In fact, there are plenty of atheists that have come to Jesus Christ. I refuse to argue with them, but will answer honest questions. Unfortunately, many atheists ignorantly say hard things against the Lord Jesus Christ and His people. Don’t let fancy titles and big words shake your faith in the One who holds your eternal destiny.
Think about this: What does the atheist have to offer you? Eternal life? Spiritual comfort? Love? Kindness? Comfort in the midnight hour when no one is around? No, none of these. He has nothing to offer you but blasphemy, hell fire and the wrath of God. The atheist will tell you fabulous fairy tales like
you were spontaneously generated from a rock,
a monkey is your daddy,
a fish is your cousin,
you have no hope,
you should just live for today,
when you’re dead, you’re dead.
If you follow their ignorant advice and die without Christ, you WILL forever regret it and you will remember that someone told you the truth and you scoffed.
Atheists try their hardest to argue a fact that is firmly established–God is real. You cannot look on His creation and its ways and honestly deny it. I won’t argue that 2+2=4 and I won’t argue that God exists. An atheist once wrote and said, “2+2 is not necessarily 4?. Well, write any other number on your math test and see if you get it right.
The bottom line is that atheism is a false belief system composed of fools–it’s not new–the Bible told us about atheism thousands of years ago. Is there a real atheist? No. The closest thing to it is someone who has told themselves a lie so many times that they begin to believe it’s true.
I think that atheists say there is no God so they won’t have to repent; I think it is a cop-out. This is my view that men seek an out from reality. Some take drugs, drink, there are many ways to “escape” reality. But reality says we need a Saviour. Oh how we need a Savior.

No atheist has any proof that there is no God. He says……. but in reality he has no proof.

Arriving Late

Eddie, an outspoken atheist, spent his entire life of 50 years denying the existence of God. Then he contracted a debilitating disease, and his health slowly deteriorated. As he lay in a hospice house awaiting death, Eddie was visited almost every day by some Christian friends he had known in high school. They told him again of Christ’s love. But the closer Eddie came to dying, the more it appeared he was not interested in God.
One Sunday, a pastor stopped by to visit. To everyone’s surprise, Eddie prayed with him and asked Jesus for forgiveness and salvation. A few weeks later, he died.
Eddie denied Christ for 50 years and spent just 2 weeks loving and trusting Him. But because of his faith, he will experience forever God’s presence, glory, love, majesty, and perfection. Some may argue that this isn’t fair. But according to Jesus’ parable in Matthew 20, it’s not about fairness. It’s about God’s goodness and grace (vv.11-15).
Have you waited such a long time to trust Jesus for salvation that you think it might be too late? Consider the thief on the cross, who put his faith in Jesus just before he died (Luke 23:39-43). Trust Jesus now, and receive His gift of eternal life. It’s not too late!

If God is calling you today,
Then trust in Christ without delay;
Tomorrow it will be too late
If death occurs and seals your fate. —

It is a dangerous presumption to say, “Tomorrow,” when God says, “Today!”

An Atheist’s Point Of View
Three young men who say they are atheists decided to “sample” and report on several churches in their city. One of these men said, “There is something other than teaching that is appealing to people. We didn’t see a lot of doctrine. . . . The appeal was mostly the community. The content in most churches isn’t nearly as important as the packaging.” The three atheists offered this explanation for why thousands of people in their area attend church each Sunday: The attraction stems more from a person’s Christian identity than from what the religion teaches.
Their experience agrees with the observation of author A. W. Tozer, who said, “Increasing numbers of [Christians] are becoming ashamed to be found unequivocally on the side of truth. They say they believe, but their beliefs have been so diluted as to be impossible of clear definition.”
The apostle Paul knew whom he believed, and he instructed Timothy to “hold fast” to the truth he had been taught (2 Timothy 1:12-13). We too need to hold tightly to our beliefs based on the unfailing, God-inspired Bible. What we believe about God is more crucial than any feeling we get by being in church. Tozer calls us to stand “firm on the Word of God that lives and abides forever.”
Since by faith I have clear vision,
Your blest Word is rich and new;
Men with eyes by sin distorted
Cannot all its treasures view.
Don’t be a Christian in name only.

Profitable Reading
READ: 2 Timothy 3:10-17
You have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. —2 Timothy 3:15

Bible scholar William Barclay recalls the experience of a group of British soldiers during World War I. For a long time the men were in a relatively quiet standoff with the enemy. Among them was an atheist who, trying to fill up the empty days, went to the chaplain to ask if any books were available. The only book the chaplain had was the Bible.
The atheist refused the Bible at first, but then he took it and began to read the Old Testament at random. He came across the story of Esther and was so engrossed by it that he decided to read the whole Bible. As he did, he realized that what he was reading was true, and he received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
The apostle Paul stated in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “all Scripture . . . is profitable.” It gives people the wisdom that leads to “salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (v.15). Even passages that may seem boring and lacking in spiritual value have the power to transform people’s lives.
If in our own reading we come across passages that we find uninspiring at first, let’s trust the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts and change our lives. Remember, when it comes to the Bible, all of it—from Genesis to Revelation—is inspired and profitable (v.16).
The Bible has power to arrest and convict,
To reveal God’s truth to our soul;
For in it we find the good news of the One
Who alone can cleanse and make whole. —Fitzhugh
Many books can inform you; only the Bible can transform you