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THESE WOMEN SURVIVED LATE-TERM ABORTIONS, AND WE SHOULD LISTEN TO THEM
from: Live Action News
(11 Feb.) In all the talk about late-term abortion in which the value of the child is seemingly completely overlooked, three women are standing up to retell their stories. No… they're not women who had late-term abortions, and they're not women who chose not to have late-term abortions. They're women who survived late-term abortions, and now serve as living witnesses against this supposedly "safe and legal" procedure. These women were human beings when doctors attempted to abort them… and they're human beings now, speaking out with authority on the issue
"There was argument about whether medical care would be provided to me" after Melissa Ohden survived a saline infusion abortion, she says. "We're talking about human beings, and what kind of lives are worth living, and what kind of lives are worth saving…." Melissa said that in a culture of death, no one is truly safe, because one's value is dependent upon what subjective qualities are found to be most valuable to society.
In an interview with Live Action, Gianna Jessen, who survived a saline infusion abortion in 1977, said that saline abortions are still committed today, though not as often as they were in decades past. In this type of abortion, a salt solution is injected into the amniotic sac, and the baby is essentially burned alive, inside and out. Gianna survived and has cerebral palsy as a result of the ordeal. "Where does this end?" she asks. "Will there come a point where the left looks at me and decides I’m no longer valuable because I limp, so should I be killed?… It doesn’t end, is the point."
Claire Culwell was a twin — but her twin was aborted, and she survived. "I used to take my life for granted…. I survived a late-term abortion… My birth mother had actually been pregnant with twins, and one had been aborted… I had survived. Late-term abortion does threaten valuable lives…. So often politicians who do stand for abortion, they mean one choice. And they mean pro-abortion…." [read more...]
TAJIKISTAN: 5,000 BAPTIST CALENDARS WITH BIBLE VERSES DESTROYED
by : Forum 18 News Service
(22 Feb.) On 18 December 2018, customs officers at Dushanbe Airport confiscated 5,000 religious calendars that Baptists were importing, a human rights defender who wished to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals told Forum 18 on 14 February. The calendars had photos for each of the 12 months of 2019, and had one quotation from the New Testament for each month.
The calendars were being imported by Dushanbe's state-registered Baptist Church. However Rahmonali Rahimzoda of the Customs Service told Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) on 14 February that "following the conclusion of linguistic experts in the Culture Ministry that found elements of propaganda of an alien faith, the calendars were confiscated."
"The Baptist calendars only had Bible verses on them," a local Protestant who wished to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals told Forum 18 on 21 February. "Unfortunately, this means that our authorities consider that the Bible is an alien book in Tajikistan."
Abdurakhmon Mavlanov of the SCRA did not answer when asked by Forum 18 on 21 February why the state might regard some faiths as "alien," or whether followers of "alien" faiths have greater or less freedom of religion and belief than followers of "non-alien" faiths.
The Church was fined 4,000 Somonis, which is about four months' average wage, under Administrative Code Article 474-1. This punishes producing, distributing, importing, or exporting religious literature and items of a religious nature which have not passed through the compulsory prior state religious censorship. [read more...]
(12 Feb.) On the eve of the enthronement of Metropolitan Epiphanius, February 3, 2019, an initiative group of priests and laity from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine published a document with proposals for an agenda for the newly created autocephalous Church, which would help it to perform its vocation better in the present circumstances.
They include appeals for the following: true conciliarity and a renewal of parish life; greater involvement of the faithful in the affairs of the Church; the production of a high-quality translation of liturgical texts; the undertaking of a "new evangelization"; the rejection of old paradigms of church-state relations; the enhancement of transparency and accountability in church life; the expansion of the Church’s social ministry; the development of a reform in church education; and a call for dialogue and openness.
Signed by clergy and laity, the petition says: "Divine providence is calling the Church, and granting her a gift, an ability to commence her renewal, to become all things for everyone and the salt for the earth. On the other hand, there exists the temptation to remain satisfied with the current status quo, or to rely on the state, which carries the danger of replacing God with a king, and in this way, pushing many Ukrainians away from the Church." [read more...]
UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (MP) BISHOP STOPPED AT KIEV AIRPORT, DEPORTED TO U.S.
from: Interfax-Religion
(14 Feb.) Bishop Gedeon (Kharon), the vicar of the Tithe Monastery in Kiev and a vicar of the Kiev Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who was stopped at the Borispol Airport in Kiev on Wednesday evening upon returning from the United States, was deported back to the U.S. on Thursday morning.
"His Grace has been deported to the U.S.! Was escorted toward the plane by men armed with assault rifles, like a criminal!" Bishop Gedeon's associates wrote on his Facebook account. Bishop Gedeon was stopped after returning from the U.S., where he told members of the Congress and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about discrimination against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and delivered the church's official appeal to consider violations of the believers' rights and freedoms.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church's press service said the bishop had been detained just ahead of a Supreme Court session to hear a motion on invalidating the Verkhovnaya Rada's request for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to grant a tomos of autocephaly, at which Bishop Gedeon was to speak as a plaintiff.
The Ukrainian State Border Service said on Wednesday the bishop had been stopped due to problems with his documents. "I wasn't admitted to Ukraine on the grounds that my citizenship had been annulled, although there were no problems and no court rulings 15 days ago, when I was leaving the country," Bishop Gedeon said in a video posted on his Facebook account. [read more...]
CYPRUS CHURCH FULLY SUPPORTS UKRAINE IN ITS DESIRE TO CREATE ITS OWN LOCAL CHURCH
from: Unian
(19 Feb.) A Synod of the Cyprus Orthodox Church on Monday, February 18, discussed the issue of recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Closing the meeting, representatives of the Synod read out the decision that had been made, according to the TSN news service.
The decision says the Church of Cyprus fully supports Ukraine in its desire to create its own local Church. It is noted that Ukraine had every right to ask the Ecumenical Patriarchate to grant them autocephaly. Also, the decision criticizes Russia and its aggressive behavior toward the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).
"The priests note that the representatives of the Russian Church had the opportunity to come to the Council and state their position openly and negotiate a dialogue, but this was never done, therefore, they did not have the right to ignore the Council and interfere in the OCU's affairs, and they shall not have such right in the future," TSN quotes the decision of the Synod.
Finally, the Cyprus Church noted that even though the creation of the OCU was designed to solve an internal religious split in Ukraine, so far many contradictions and tensions have remained. As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian spies and Moscow-controlled "security services" in the occupied parts of Donbas have been working to recruit Ukrainian nationals who would commit arson attacks on temples operated by Orthodox priests of what was until recently called the Moscow Patriarchate. [read more...]
BISHOP ACCUSES RUSSIA OF 'ECCLESIAL COLONIALISM,' 'SABER-RATTLING' IN UKRAINE
from: HERALD Malaysia Online
(16 Feb.) A leading Ukrainian Catholic bishop has said a recent declaration of independence for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) amounts to a refutation of what he called Russia’s "ecclesial colonialism," and roundly condemned efforts to placate Russian sensitivities as part of Catholic-Orthodox relationships.
"Bending before nuclear powers has little to do with authentic reconciliation of churches," Said Greek Catholic Bishop Borys Gudziak. "Saber-rattling by churches backed by nuclear power has little to do with true ecumenism." In comments to Crux, Gudziak, who heads the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Paris, said the recent recognition of the independence, or "autocephaly," of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church "is a stark refutation of ecclesial colonialism, something almost no church today dares to preach."
"Before the developments of the last months, the communion of 14 autocephalous Orthodox Churches did not include Ukraine. According to the Russian Orthodox Church, these Churches and faithful were deprived of grace, without hope for salvation unless they repented and rejoined." However, with the Orthodox Church in Ukraine being the second largest in the Orthodox community post-independence, Bishop Borys said he believes it's only a matter of time before the decision is commonly accepted, and as such, "the sooner Russian Orthodox realize that colonization is not an evangelical principle the better their own ecclesiastical and spiritual life will be."
In November 2018, Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople approved a tomos, or decree, granting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church independence from the Russian Orthodox Church. It marked a historic step for Ukraine, which had been considered part of the "canonical territory" of the Russian Orthodox for three centuries. [read more...]
OTHER NEWS HEADLINES:
CONNECTION SPOTTED BETWEEN RUSSIA'S INVASION PLANS AND CHURCHES IN UKRAINE TARGETED FOR ARSON ATTACKS
from Unian
"NIGHT TO SHINE" FEST CELEBRATES DIFFERENTLY ABLED PEOPLE
from Religious Information Service of Ukraine
HELP SUPPORT ESSENTIAL BIBLICAL TRAINING FOR LEADERS IN FORMER SOVIET UNION
from Mission Network News
PATRIARCH OF GEORGIA CONCERNED ABOUT SITUATION IN UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY
from Interfax-Religion
PROTESTANT ATTORNEY PROMPTED PUTIN'S ORDER TO SUPREME COURT
from Religia i zakon
SYNOD OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF CYPRUS DOES NOT RECOGNIZE "ORTHODOX CHURCH OF UKRAINE"
from Russian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate
RUSSIAN PASTORS ON HOW WE SHOULD PREACH CHRIST IN MODERN SOCIETY
from Orthodox Christianity
NORTH KOREA: "I'M A CHILD OF GOD AND I'M NOT SCARED TO DIE" — CHRISTIANS ENDURE INTENSE PERSECUTION
from ChristianPersecution.com
POLISH ACTIVISTS PULL DOWN STATUE OF CATHOLIC PRIEST ACCUSED OF ABUSE
from TIME
NOW, OUR VIEWS:
Get Your Life On Track!
We as private citizens and volunteers through churches and other charitable organizations should emphasize spiritual and moral principles in our efforts to motivate the unemployed and disabled to "Get Their Lives On Track", get their employment docs together, learn modern skills, and find jobs. The government can't invoke spiritual and moral principles since the First Amendment doesn't allow "an establishment of religion" by the state.
But the First Amendment specifically protects our "free exercise" of religion, so we mustn't let ourselves be painted into a corner when the Leftists and secularists use phrases like "don't shove your religion down other people's throats!" Nobody is shoving religion down others' throats. Just remind them of our First Amendment right to freely exercise our religious beliefs in the public square. And don't let them confuse "the public square" with "the public sector" - they're just manipulating the language.
Compare the private sector to the public sector: almost always the private sector delivers services more efficiently and effectively. So we need to let churches and other private charitable groups take back the social work that the state has usurped.
Read the article 
WHY THIS SURVIVOR OF SALINE ABORTION WANTS CONGRESS TO PASS 'BORN ALIVE' BILL. Then go to the link on our first news article THESE WOMEN SURVIVED LATE-TERM ABORTIONS, AND WE SHOULD LISTEN TO THEM: watch the 4 videos! DO NOT IGNORE THIS! This is a real and present danger not only to babies "accidentally born alive" when an abortionist had tried to kill them - it is also a real and present threat to the disabled and elderly that society might decide are simply "too expensive" or inconvenient to care for... or just unwanted. If infanticide is legalized in your state, you can count on euthenasia being the next item on the leftists' agenda in your state.
Also read ABORTIONISTS ADMIT THAT THIRD TRIMESTER ABORTIONS ARE DONE ON HEALTHY BABIES. This is real. It's happening every day. 92% of these aborted babies are normal, healthy babies with healthy mothers who find it "too expensive" or simply inconvenient to have a baby. What are you going to do about it? - feel sad for a few seconds, but then let it fade from your mind?
If we as Christians just "let it slide," it won't be long before the leftists do away with your disabled family members, your elderly parents or grandparents who are ill. Then dissidents will be locked up in psychiatric clinics and "treated" with mind-numbing drugs. We've seen it happen in Russia, and the West is headed in the same direction. On Monday evening, 25 February, the U.S. Senate will vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act: Contact your Senators urging them to vote to ban the killing of infants who survive abortion!
Our second news article TAJIKISTAN: 5,000 BAPTIST CALENDARS WITH BIBLE VERSES DESTROYED illustrates the soviet-style practice of persecuting non-Orthodox Christians: even though the Baptists use the same Bible as the Orthodox and the calendars only contained Bible verses (not Baptist doctrines that disagree with Orthodox doctrines), the "linguistic experts" (likely meaning they know how to read) deterimined that these Bible verses teach an "alien faith" - probably contrary to Tajik national socialism.
Please go to the "read more..." link in our third news article SIGN PETITION: TEN THESES FOR THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF UKRAINE and read the whole thing. These "ten theses" describe how a real reawakening is taking place in the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine. This is something we need to experience in the whole Body of Christ, all over the world!
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The case of UOC(MP) Bishop Gedeon who was said to have been stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship and deported (see our fourth news article UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (MP) BISHOP STOPPED AT KIEV AIRPORT, DEPORTED TO U.S.) is certainly strange: if you search the internet, some sources say he wasn't deported, others ask why he could be deported if he is a Ukrainian citizen, and on and on. Apparently, as he was about to testify in the Ukrainian Rada (parliament), he was detained and "something" happened with him. We'll find out more when the dust settles.
The first news headline CONNECTION SPOTTED BETWEEN RUSSIA'S INVASION PLANS AND CHURCHES IN UKRAINE TARGETED FOR ARSON ATTACKS details the "false flag" operations briefly mentioned in our fifth news article above - CYPRUS CHURCH FULLY SUPPORTS UKRAINE IN ITS DESIRE TO CREATE ITS OWN LOCAL CHURCH - which describes the current viewpoint of the Orthodox Church in Cyprus that hasn't yet reached a final official decision. In contrast, a Moscow-based source reports in our sixth news headline SYNOD OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF CYPRUS DOES NOT RECOGNIZE "ORTHODOX CHURCH OF UKRAINE" makes it appear that the Cyprus church is opposed to recognizing the new OCU: the headline should read "...HAS NOT YET RECOGNIZED..." - don't you agree?
Our sixth news article BISHOP ACCUSES RUSSIA OF 'ECCLESIAL COLONIALISM,' 'SABER-RATTLING' IN UKRAINE indicates the favorable position of Greek Catholic Bishop Borys Gudziak toward the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine, calling Russia’s UOC(MP) an example of "ecclesial colonialism" and its military invasion in Crimea and the Donbas region "saber-rattling" - a direct threat of further actions against Ukraine if the Ukrainians don't simply surrender to Russian hegemony.
Finally, our last news headline POLISH ACTIVISTS PULL DOWN STATUE OF CATHOLIC PRIEST ACCUSED OF ABUSE tells of the continuing sad tale of sexual sins in the Roman Catholic Church of Poland. The combination of predestination of the elect in Augustinian theology ("once saved, always saved" implying that sins don't really matter if you're among the "elect" because you can't lose your salvation) together with infallibility of the papacy ("nothing wrong to see here - the boss is always right") is an explosive mix just waiting to blow up, especially when combined with the Catholic doctrine of priestly celibacy.
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"Sloppy Agape" - Phony Love
It's become rather common these days for preachers - and lots of other people - to say that we should all just "love one another" and "love your neighbor as yourself." Of course, these are good and true teachings by our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, He taught His disciples that loving our neighbor is equal to the command to love God with all our being:
"Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." (Mat. 22:37-40)
- and -
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)
Our love for God and our neighbor should be unconditional: God sends His rain on the just and the unjust alike, He bestows His grace on sinners like me who don't deserve it, so we should love even our enemies. But should a Christian ever hate? Our love should not be indiscriminate: "Let love be without hypocrisy. Hate that which is evil. Cling to that which is good." (Rom. 12:9) Some things and activities must be avoided: sexual immorality, greed, filthy language, just plain stupid talk, making fun of others, idolatry, etc. -
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?" (Mat. 5:43-46)
- and -
"Walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance. But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints; nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate; but rather giving of thanks. Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God." (Eph. 5:2-5)
As we approach the end and society becomes worse and worse, those who follow Christ and strive to do what is right will come under increasing pressure. People will hate us precisely because we try to love them even when they do ugly and perverse things, but we must endure to the end, keep on loving the sinner while hating the sin:
"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you aren't troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are the beginning of birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name's sake. Then many will stumble, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another. Many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray. Because iniquity will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end, the same will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." (Mat. 24:6-16)
We must realize that the world has changed radically in our lifetimes, that there's been an inversion of society's value system:
"...we need to recognize that there has been an ideological culture war going on in this country for the last 40 years in an effort to control the path of history and the ultimate shape of American society. Many of the religious leaders have been engaged on the conservative side struggling to at least maintain the status quo. On the liberal side, this war has been spearheaded by Hollywood elites in two major ways: (a) In the messages propagated through the movies and TV programming beamed directly into every living room of every American household and around the world, and (b) through the lifestyles of the Hollywood stars, which the media gossip engines are constantly glamorizing.
"Thus, chipping away constantly on the moral conscience of the nation, they have set us all on a moral slippery slope. Promiscuity and sexual activity outside of marriage have moved on our moral gauge from unacceptable to being the norm. Divorce has become commonplace and a social inevitability for many of us. Substance abuse and addiction are now seen as part of the American lifestyle, and pornography has gradually taken the place of daily entertainment. In the meantime, the concepts of “marriage” and “family” are being drastically reshaped." (Is Gay Marriage Just About Civil Rights?)
People are distorting the Gospel, saying that if we just "love each other," we can do whatever we want. This is "sloppy agape" - phony love. We need to avoid such sloppy thinking that says love means the liberty to live however we choose, indulging our lusts: "For you, brothers, were called to liberty. Only don't use your liberty as an excuse to gratify the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Gal. 5:13-14)
"For, uttering great swelling words of emptiness, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by licentiousness, those who are indeed escaping from those who live in error; promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondslaves of corruption; for by whom a man is overcome, by the same is he also brought into bondage. For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state has become worse with them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them." (2 Pet. 2:18-21)
The Apostle Jude, stepbrother of our Lord Jesus, warned us against such people: "For there are certain people who crept in secretly, even those who were long ago written about for this condemnation: ungodly men, perverting the grace of our God into unbridled lust, and denying our only Master, God, and Lord, Jesus Christ." (Jude 1:4) This is a rather blunt statement: perverting "grace" and "love" into "lust" is a denial of our faith in Christ!
In "What Liberals Get Wrong About the Family" we read:
"Conservatives are wrong to accuse the liberals of relativism. They are not relativists, but have fanatical attachment to certain ideals, which conservatives often fail to understand. One such ideal is autonomy, which guides their entire sexual agenda. As I argue in 'The Obligations of Family Life: A Response to Modern Liberalism,' the Left's understanding of autonomy does much damage to marriage and family life.
"At first glance, autonomy seems to reflect the traditional American notion that all human beings are created free and equal. For example, everyone believes that marriage begins in the consent of two people and that a married couple should be able to make the most important decisions about their common life without state interference. But autonomy, as today’s liberals understand it, is about a radical form of personal independence: Everything about a truly autonomous individual’s identity must come from their free choice.
"For example, this means one should not be limited by sex or one’s body — both being givens that one did not choose. In fact, nothing besides an individual’s choice should bind him. Should the reasons for a choice become defunct, those choices should not long bind the individual. This understanding of autonomy is in deep conflict with the core experiences of procreation, love and the family. Marriage and family life require unchosen, enduring obligations that autonomy advocates cannot understand."
So we see there's a good version of love, and an evil, twisted version of love. We need to be discerning and discriminate between the two. If we confuse the two, the consequences will be disastrous!
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Please remember to pray for Christians in socialist countries, and for...
Your fellow-servants,
Bob & Cheryl
p.s. This life is preparation for eternity. When we fully grasp this fact, we will live only for eternal values.
- 23 Feb. 2019