Prostitution as a College Course? Yep, on taxpayer dollars

Originally here: http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2009/10/prostitution-as-a-college-course-yep-on-taxpayer-dollars/

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Prostitution as a College Course? Yep, on taxpayer dollars Posted: 08 Oct 2009 07:01 AM PDT The College of William and Mary—the second oldest higher education facility in the United States—is only one of many colleges to recently host “The Sex Workers Art Show.” This program is touring schools coast to coast, using taxpayer dollars as “art” and featuring: -self-professed prostitutes -nude dancers -pornographic film stars among other “educators.” In a National Review Online column, journalist Mona Charen states that the show has apparently been at William and Mary four times already, and also toured Duke University. William and Mary parents, alumni, students and ordinary taxpayers who found out about this were instrumental in approaching Virginia’s Congress while in session, to review the W&M school board. This hasn’t stopped “The Sex Workers Art Show” and other erotic “educational” undertakings from entering American institutions of education. Concerned Women for America reports that Randall College—another Virginia school—recently took students to visit a brothel in Nevada and a topless show at a casino. Attendees reported that prostitution was linked to empowerment for women, with no explanation of how some women (and mere girls) are forced into the line of work and degraded by boyfriends, pimps or to support expensive drug habits. At the Home page of “The Sex Workers Art Show,” it is apparent the program considers the oldest profession in the world to be a normal part of the service industry. After entering the site, it is obvious that the 2009 Tour page makes no bones about using the word “wh_re” to describe its performers. As Charen so aptly puts it – is restraint becoming an alternative lifestyle? She also names reports about Boston University students publishing a sex-driven newspaper called Boink, and Yale holds an event called SWAY (Sex Week at Yale) with the administration’s blessings.  The porn industry makes more money per year than all of American sports put together. Our young people need prayer. From reality TV to the classroom, they’re bombarded with the theory that we are sexual beings who can’t have any control over our impulses. Even Dr. Ruth has eluded to sexual activity being “as natural as breathing.” Living in a “Hooking-Up” culture (see info here), our kids will never know the pleasures of giving themselves to one person fully—emotionally and physically—and may be incapable of surrendering their lives to Christ as they learn that the Bible’s philosophies are outdated and insensitive to our current society. “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22, NAS).

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High Approval for Obama from Jewish-American Populace

http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2009/10/high-approval-for-obama-from-jewish-american-populace/

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High Approval for Obama from Jewish-American Populace Posted: 04 Oct 2009 07:57 PM PDT How are we to account for stark differences in Obama's approval ratings between Jewish-Americans & those living in Israel? Washington, D.C.–The latest data research and analysis polls from world renowned, Washington, D.C.-based Gallup Organization reveal the Jewish-American demographic to retain the highest approval ratings of President Barack Hussein Obama’s current administration, in comparison to other religious groups. According to Gallup’s official Daily Tracking polls from the month of September, 64 percent of Jewish Americans said they agree with the president’s decisions and policies. Surprisingly, these numbers stand in stark contrast to approval ratings stemming from other religious sects and denominations throughout the U.S., including Protestants, Catholics and Mormons. The survey found that only 47 percent of Protestant Christians approve of Obama, with Mormons ringing in at a low 32 percent. Interestingly, The Jerusalem Post, which claims to be “Israel’s Best-Selling Daily” newspaper, sponsored a recent poll of Jewish people within the nation of Israel to aid in furthering Gallup’s research. The results were not surprising to most. According to the survey, only a mere 4 percent of Jewish Israeli citizens truly believe President Obama’s policies and strategies are “Pro-Israel.” During former President George W. Bush’s tenure in office, a much higher 88 percent of Jewish Israeli citizens believed Bush was “Pro-Israel.” The question for the majority of political analysts, journalists and researchers has become “What does the Jewish culture living in Israel know that their American Jewish counterparts do not, concerning Obama’s policies towards the nation of Israel?” What is the reason for such stark differences in approval rating percentages? Gallup accounts for the higher approval of Obama by citing that two-thirds of Jewish Americans identify themselves as Democratic, a surprising figure considering the larger proportions within other religious groups lean more toward the Republican Party. Overall, President Obama’s approval ratings from Americans in general continue to steadily decline, falling by 14 percent between the months of January and September, according to several national news media outlets. This is coupled with a 19 percent approval rating decline among the Jewish American sect between the same months. However, an astonishing 83 percent of Jewish Americans approved of Obama in January of this year, a number that has now fallen to the aforementioned 64 percent. Although many of these numbers may be taken as trivial or meaningless to many Americans, there is overwhelming Biblical truth at work. There are prophesized events already unfolding before our very eyes in the Middle East. Circumstances that surprise many should not surprise the aware and alert Christian man or woman. And as the Psalmist David reminds us, we must always remember to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure.” (Psalm 122:6, New International Version). References: All Gallup research, polls, statistics and percentages citied within this article are ©2009 of the worldwide Gallup Organization and can be found by visiting Gallup’s official website at: www.gallup.com. You can visit the official website of The Jerusalem Post daily Israeli newspaper at: www.jpost.com.

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Pop Culture Moments by Mo: Sarah Palin tops the charts

http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2009/10/pop-culture-moments-by-mo-sarah-palin-tops-the-charts/

From the Associated Press: NEW YORK — These are boom times for conservative authors. Michelle Malkin’s "Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks and Cronies" spent weeks at No. 1 on The New York Times nonfiction list. Sales have been strong for Dick Morris’ anti-Obama "Catastrophe" and the reissue of "The Five Thousand Year Leap," by W. Cleon Skousen. And Sarah Palin may top them all. In a feat usually reserved for the likes of J.K. Rowling and Dan Brown, Palin’s book was No. 1 on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com just two days after Harper announced it had moved up the release date from the spring to Nov. 17 and that the memoir’s title was "Going Rogue." Palin’s 432-page memoir, still No. 1 on Friday, has been given a first printing of 1.5 million copies and booksellers have begun fighting for sales. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. cut the $28.99 list price by more than half, to $13.50, and Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com are offering "Going Rogue" for $15.65, a 45 percent discount. Although she resigned abruptly last summer as governor, and the Republican ticket of Sen. John McCain and Palin was decisively beaten in the 2008 election, "Going Rogue" will surely outsell the memoir of her Democratic counterpart, Vice President Joe Biden, and likely approach the million-selling heights of President Barack Obama’s "The Audacity of Hope."

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Cheerleaders’ religious speech stifled…school board doesn’t know First Amendment

Originally here:http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2009/10/cheerleaders-religious-speech-stifled-school-board-doesnt-know-first-amendment/

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Fort Oglethorpe, GA – The Catoosa County, Georgia, School Board has banned their cheerleading squad from holding up Bible-based posters during football games. This is apparently a knee-jerk reaction after Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School received one phone call questioning the posters. Donna Jackson, the caller, says she was not objecting or complaining about the posters—just wondering whether the school would be sued for allowing the cheerleaders to do this. She claims she is unjustly being made the culprit, and meant no harm according to a Chattanooga WDEF.com report. Yet, faster than you can say “step away from the Bible,” the School Board announced that the posters could present a Constitutional challenge and would no longer be allowed carried by the cheerleaders at the football field. CBS News in Atlanta reports that the Bible posters have been relegated to a “designated area.” How many times does this need to be said? Students who participate in religious activities willingly, without coercion from school employees, have a perfect First Amendment right to do so. The cheerleaders had agreed amongst themselves to hold up the posters. When is the last time our educators and school board members read The First Amendment? Or do they simply believe what they hear from the loudest anti-Bible activists?  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The First Amendment doesn’t say that other people have freedom from HEARING or SEEING someone else’s freedom of speech—but this point is seldom brought out.  The cheerleader case is just one of many in the last dozen or so years. Law firms like Liberty Counsel, the ACLJ, the Alliance Defense Fund and the Christian Law Association now battle well over 100,000 calls of this type per year. There was the Syracuse kindergarten student whose artwork was folded so that Jesus couldn’t be seen when placed on the bulletin board, even after the teacher told the class they could draw anything they wanted. The valedictorian in Colorado who mentioned Jesus in her graduation speech, and was then denied her diploma until she apologized to the whole school. The students in Knoxville who were told they couldn’t read or discuss the Bible during recess; and the Nashville students who had to remove references of God from their “See You at the Pole” signs; even though SYATP takes place in the early morning before school hours. Not to mention the thousands of cases brought against students singing about Jesus and God in school during Christmas (or should we say “Holiday”) presentations. Christians in many countries around the world are currently facing life in prison for upholding the name of Jesus (like the Iranian Women reported here at The Underground). American Christians may soon need to decide how far we are willing to go to defend our faith (see Luke 9:23-25). If your child faces religious discrimination in school, contact one of the law firms linked above, or present the school with the U.S. Department of Education’s document, “Religious Expression in Public Schools”.

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The Underground

Originally here:http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2009/10/cheerleaders-religious-speech-stifled-school-board-doesnt-know-first-amendment/

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Fort Oglethorpe, GA – The Catoosa County, Georgia, School Board has banned their cheerleading squad from holding up Bible-based posters during football games. This is apparently a knee-jerk reaction after Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School received one phone call questioning the posters. Donna Jackson, the caller, says she was not objecting or complaining about the posters—just wondering whether the school would be sued for allowing the cheerleaders to do this. She claims she is unjustly being made the culprit, and meant no harm according to a Chattanooga WDEF.com report. Yet, faster than you can say “step away from the Bible,” the School Board announced that the posters could present a Constitutional challenge and would no longer be allowed carried by the cheerleaders at the football field. CBS News in Atlanta reports that the Bible posters have been relegated to a “designated area.” How many times does this need to be said? Students who participate in religious activities willingly, without coercion from school employees, have a perfect First Amendment right to do so. The cheerleaders had agreed amongst themselves to hold up the posters. When is the last time our educators and school board members read The First Amendment? Or do they simply believe what they hear from the loudest anti-Bible activists?  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The First Amendment doesn’t say that other people have freedom from HEARING or SEEING someone else’s freedom of speech—but this point is seldom brought out.  The cheerleader case is just one of many in the last dozen or so years. Law firms like Liberty Counsel, the ACLJ, the Alliance Defense Fund and the Christian Law Association now battle well over 100,000 calls of this type per year. There was the Syracuse kindergarten student whose artwork was folded so that Jesus couldn’t be seen when placed on the bulletin board, even after the teacher told the class they could draw anything they wanted. The valedictorian in Colorado who mentioned Jesus in her graduation speech, and was then denied her diploma until she apologized to the whole school. The students in Knoxville who were told they couldn’t read or discuss the Bible during recess; and the Nashville students who had to remove references of God from their “See You at the Pole” signs; even though SYATP takes place in the early morning before school hours. Not to mention the thousands of cases brought against students singing about Jesus and God in school during Christmas (or should we say “Holiday”) presentations. Christians in many countries around the world are currently facing life in prison for upholding the name of Jesus (like the Iranian Women reported here at The Underground). American Christians may soon need to decide how far we are willing to go to defend our faith (see Luke 9:23-25). If your child faces religious discrimination in school, contact one of the law firms linked above, or present the school with the U.S. Department of Education’s document, “Religious Expression in Public Schools”.

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Plastic Church, Part 2: Youth & the Church

Originally here: http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2009/10/plastic-church-part-2-youth-the-church/

Hey! Where did all the Young People Go? Today’s teens and college students are busier than ever. In-between juggling part-time jobs, relationships and school work, many strive to maintain family ties, socialize with friends and still have time leftover to engage in personal hobbies How are churches treating youth & young adults? It is no wonder that many recent demographical studies on teens (13-17) and young adults (18-29) have found the ideologies of faith and religion less important in shaping their lives. Church attendance and perception of church altogether continue to decline, despite the religious parental influences found in many families. Although current American teens and young adults have long been considered one of the most spiritually active generations in history, several have begun to engage in frequent church hopping or have shunned church altogether. Nearly half of the teen demographic (48 percent) admit to attending a regular, weekly worship service, according to a 2007 research analysis by the Barna Group. Of the same group, one-third (35 percent) attend Sunday school and only 33 percent participate in a church youth group program. According to a 2003 piece published on Religion-Online.org by popular Christian speaker and Gallup Research Institute Consultant D. Michael Lindsay, “The current cohort of American teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 is lonely [and] spiritually hungry.” What is it about church that continues to turn more young people away? What is at the heart of church and youth interaction? Is there is a correlation between this interaction and recent declines in youth attendance? Or, like Mr. Pat Howell from Part 1, are youth also becoming the unfortunate victims of church burning? Justin Van Nguyen is a 22 year-old college student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. During his high school years, Justin attended a large Methodist church consisting of 700 to 800 people and formed a close friendship with a youth minister who he affectionately remembers as “one of the most influential people in my life.” “I had a black youth pastor for a little while,” he recalled. “This was a very predominantly white Methodist church. When he was first hired, I heard a lot of parents saying things that were very racist, [such as] ‘I don’t need a guy like that around my daughter’, which was ridiculous. This man was an elementary school teacher and had been in schools all his life. Before that he worked in and ran daycares. He was a safe individual. There was nothing other than race backing the way they [certain people in the church] treated that man.” After several subsequent meetings and unjustified accusations, the youth pastor was eventually run out of the church. Sometime later, similar action was taken against an elder within the church whom Justin had also grown extremely close to. “He was a WWII Vet with amazing stories,” he reminisced. “He was in Pearl Harbor. This was a guy that I went to see movies with. How many 80 year old men do you just get to hang out with at that age? We could talk about anything. He was there as a grandfather figure.” Before long, certain sects of powerful individuals within the church became angered at the elder’s outspokenness against specific functions within the church. This governing body soon placed a restraining order against the man, forbidding him to ever return to the church. “If they had just opened their eyes and seen things like God sees them, I don’t think any of this would’ve had to happen,” said Justin. “They just let personal interests and personal biases come into play and it really just ruined everything for everybody.” And we wonder what it is it that makes church so unappealing to the younger generation.  Is there a problem with the teens? Or are an increasing number of churches failing to minister to this generation in ways that remain culturally relevant and align with Scriptural values? Stay tuned for Part 3 and all subsequent pieces of Plastic Church when the elements of healthy church functionality will be dissected, along with more viewpoints from Pat, Justin and others who have been burned.

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