What Is Truth?

ALITO SOUNDS ALARM: 'RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IS IN DANGER OF BECOMING A SECOND-CLASS RIGHT'
from: CBN.com

(13 Nov.) Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is sounding an alarm about ongoing actions that undermine religious liberties and individual freedoms in America, whether from COVID or from pro-LGBT hardliners. Alito told The Federalist Society that America has never faced such extreme limitations on freedom as it has this year due to the coronavirus restrictions.

"The pandemic has resulted in previously unimaginable restrictions on individual liberty," Alito said in a virtual address to the conservative Federalist Society. "We have never before seen restrictions as severe, extensive and prolonged as those experienced for most of 2020."

He warned that laws giving government officials so much discretion to impose such regulations can be abused, and that religious freedom was particularly at risk. "It pains me to say this, but in certain quarters, religious liberty is fast becoming a disfavored right," he said, citing COVID restrictions that "blatantly discriminated against houses of worship."

Alito was critical of two cases this year, where the Supreme Court agreed with restrictions on religious gatherings. In those cases, Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court's liberals in 5-4 rulings that limited the First Amendment rights of worshippers. "Whatever one may think about the COVID restrictions, we surely don't want them to become a recurring feature after the pandemic has passed," said Alito.

He made it clear that no one should "twist" his words because he's "not diminishing the severity of the virus' threat to public health," he's merely raising a red flag that religious freedom should be protected in America. "Religious liberty is in danger of becoming a second-class right," Alito said. [read more...]

COMMENTARY: Justice Alito correctly perceives the current mood in America: left-leaning politicians feel, especially during this pandemic, that they have free rein to "stifle the competition" – to put limitations on the free exercise of religion, as spelled out in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

CRIMEA: FINED AFTER PROSECUTOR "TOLD US WE'D GET A WARNING"
by : Forum 18 News Service

(20 Nov.) Of 20 known cases in 2020 to punish Crimean religious communities which fail to use their full legal name on websites or on meeting places, 12 related to websites (mostly the VKontakte site). Nine of these were fined one month's average wages. "We were saddened and in shock," said a member of one fined community. "The prosecutor told us we'd get a warning."

In at least twelve cases so far in 2020, Crimean Magistrate's Courts have issued fines and warnings to religious communities to punish them for failing to use their full official legal name on websites, social media pages or online videos. Ten were fined one month's average wages each, though one was changed to a warning on appeal. The other two each received a warning.

Nine of the twelve cases related to religious communities' pages or materials posted on the Russian social media site VKontakte, the other three to websites, according to court decisions seen by Forum 18. "We were saddened and in shock," a member of one religious community which was fined told Forum 18 on 20 November. "The prosecutor told us we'd get a warning, but when the case came to court it was a different prosecutor, who demanded that we be fined. We didn't expect this turn of events."

Asked in another case why charges were brought against the local Baptist Church for failing to put its full official legal name on its page on VKontakte, David Gembets of Yevpatoriya's Prosecutor's Office told Forum 18: "It's the law. If someone breaks the law, I react." He declined to say why the Church was not simply asked to give its full official legal name rather than face prosecution. He confirmed that the fine of 30,000 Russian Roubles represents about one month's average local wages. [read more...]

COMMENTARY: These huge fines for social media posts amount to a form of censorship and intimidation: can you imagine being forced to write to someone: "Please come to our 'The Evangelical Christian-Baptist Church Door of Salvation Inc.' on Sunday at 10 a.m." in a Facebook message, or else be fined? Absolutely crazy!

PATRIARCH IRINEJ OF SERBIA FELL ASLEEP IN THE LORD AFTER LOSING BATTLE WITH COVID-19
from: Religious Information Service of Ukraine

(20 Nov.) Patriarch Irinej of Serbia fell asleep in the Lord after losing battle with COVID-19 on Friday, November 20, 2020, at 7:07 a.m. President of Serbia Alexander Vucic wrote on Instagram: "It was an honour to know you. People like you never depart. May his memory be eternal!" Patriarch Irinej of Serbia had been hospitalized since November 5 at the Military COVID Hospital "Karaburma."

The Patriarch of Serbia had shown signs of improvement in the previous days, according to the official announcements of the Patriarchate. Yesterday’s announcement, however, stated that his health condition deteriorated and the Patriarch had been intubated.

Serbian Patriarch Irinej was born on August 28, 1930. He was the 45th Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Serbs since January 2010. In 1974, Irinej was elected Vicar Bishop of Moravica and consecrated by Serbian Patriarch German. In 1975, he was elected Bishop of Nis and enthroned in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Nis on June 15, 1975. He headed the Nis eparchy for the next 35 years.

He was elected the 45th Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church on January 22, 2010, after the falling asleep in the Lord of previous Serbian Patriarch Pavle. He was enthroned on January 23, 2010, in St. Michael’s Cathedral in Belgrade. [read more...]

COMMENTARY: Patriarch Irinej was a strong defender of Pan-Slavic Orthodoxy and had sided with the Russian Orthodox Church in refusing to recognize the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine. May God give rest to the soul of His servant Patriarch Irinej of Serbia!

NEW HOUSING CONCEPTS EMERGE FOR ADULTS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
from: Disability Scoop

(20 Nov.) Communities of varying shapes and styles are popping up across the country, all aiming to address the severe shortage of housing options for those with developmental disabilities.

Among the newest projects underway is a 15-acre community planned about 20 miles outside of Indianapolis that will offer homes for adults with and without developmental disabilities. The $12 million project that’s expected to open in 2023 will include various size homes as well as a community center and feature clubs and classes promoting independent living skills. Known as Crossbridge Point, the community being developed by the nonprofit ILADD, Inc. is among the first aimed at people with developmental disabilities that will allow families to purchase homes, though the plan also calls for rental units to be available.

"Families increasingly are telling us they want the permanence and equity of home ownership," said Mark L. Olson, president and CEO of LTO Ventures, which serves as consultant and project manager for the development and others like it. "It provides certainty in that a landlord cannot sell a home out from under tenants who may be leasing. It gives the family more control over accommodations or modifications that may need to be made. It builds equity that the adult with IDD can tap into later in their life after the parents are gone. It protects against rent increases or landlord discrimination."

The ownership concept first emerged with Luna Azul, a 4.5-acre development of 30 homes in Phoenix, which opened last year as the nation’s first for-sale community aimed at adults with developmental disabilities. Anyone can live in the pocket neighborhood, but it offers amenities like a full-time director and overnight staff to promote community engagement and safety in an effort to include and support those with special needs. The first phase of homes in the neighborhood has already sold out.

In addition to Crossbridge Point in Whitestown, Ind., Olson said he's working on projects in Texas, Wisconsin and Missouri that will offer homes for sale as well as rental options. One factor driving this trend toward ownership is the finances.

The ownership concept first emerged with Luna Azul, a 4?-acre development of 30 homes in Phoenix, which opened last year as the nation’s first for-sale community aimed at adults with developmental disabilities. Anyone can live in the pocket neighborhood, but it offers amenities like a full-time director and overnight staff to promote community engagement and safety in an effort to include and support those with special needs. The first phase of homes in the neighborhood has already sold out.

In addition to Crossbridge Point in Whitestown, Ind., Olson said he's working on projects in Texas, Wisconsin and Missouri that will offer homes for sale as well as rental options. One factor driving this trend toward ownership is the finances.

"For nonprofit project developers, sales versus lease reduces long-term debt load and can reduce the amount that may need to be raised from donations, enabling projects to get built faster," said Olson. "A lot of donation-reliant projects can take five to eight to 10 years to get built. For-sale projects can get built in three to five years." [read more...]

COMMENTARY: This is an excellent idea to meet the needs of persons with disabilities! As our population ages, we'll be needing more of these communities.

ARMENIAN CHURCH LEADER THANKS PUTIN FOR PRESERVING ARMENIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE IN KARABAKH
from: Interfax-Religion

(20 Nov.) Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, has forwarded a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin to thank him for measures taken to preserve the Armenian people's heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church, said.

"We would like to express our deep gratitude for your efforts toward preserving the Armenian people's historic heritage, such as historic monasteries, churches, and cultural monuments located in the territories handed over to Azerbaijan," it said.

In particular, Catholicos Karekin said that, owing to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers, religious services at the Dadivank Monastery have been secured.

"Our people will always remember Russia's important role in putting an end to the bloodshed in Artsakh [the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh]. We will pray for the inviolability of centuries-long Armenian-Russian friendship," he said.

As was reported on November 16, Putin insisted in a telephone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that it was important to preserve the normal functioning of the Christian churches and shrines in Nagorno-Karabakh. [read more...]

COMMENTARY: We are thankful that Russia has helped to negotiate a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, saving the Orthodox Christian churches and shrines there. The Orthodox Church in Armenia is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. BTW, yesterday was the birthday of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia: Happy Birthday, Your Holiness! May God grant you many years!

FDA COMMISSIONER WHO HELPED GET ABORTION PILL TO U.S. TO CO-CHAIR PRESUMED BIDEN COVID-19 BOARD
from: Live Action

(10 Nov.) Dr. David Kessler, who was instrumental in bringing the abortion pill (mifepristone) to the U.S. market through his leadership at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has been chosen to co-chair a COVID-19 advisory board for former Vice President Joe Biden, if he is officially sworn in as the next President of the United States.

Kessler was appointed Commissioner of the FDA in December 1990 under the administration of President George H.W. Bush and remained in place until February 1997 during President Bill Clinton's administration. In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed an executive order directing the FDA to expedite marketing of the abortion pill, known then as RU-486. Kessler and others within the Clinton Administration reached out to pharmaceutical executive Edouard Sakiz of Roussel-Uclaf in an effort to bring the dangerous drug to the U.S. market. Roussel-Uclaf was a subsidiary of Hoescht AG, the company that created Zyklon B, the gas used to kill Jews and other victims of the Nazis during the Holocaust.

"I told Mr. Sakiz that if there is a safe and effective alternative to a surgical procedure for abortion, American women should have access to that alternative," Kessler said at that time. "I reiterated the FDA position that a new drug application should be submitted. Mr. Sakiz agreed that RU-486 should be made available in the United States, but he emphasized the importance of achieving that without the involvement of Roussel-Uclaf" directly in the United States market, Kessler noted, according to the Baltimore Sun. But as Live Action detailed in its Abortion Pill Kills report, Roussel-Uclaf was unwilling to market the abortion pill within the United States due to threats of boycotts and concerns over product liability.

"Hoechst was also feeling the pressure and received multiple threats of boycott against its American subsidiary. One quarter of Hoescht’s $23 billion business came from the US… It was also not lost on Hoechst executives that the company’s historical connection to IG Farben and Zyklon B would be widely cited by opponents, who were now condemning RU-486 as a lethal tool for genocide against the preborn. Three of Hoescht's five executives opposed RU-486. Finally Sakiz gave in, and Roussel withdrew RU-486 from the market," the report states.

Eventually Kessler and his team were successful in pressuring Roussel-Uclaf to turn over the US rights of marketing and distribution of RU-486 to the eugenics-founded Population Council. Clinton’s HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, along with Kessler, kicked into gear to locate an American marketer of the drug and the right to distribute the drug was eventually handed over to Danco Laboratories, a sub-licensee of the Population Council.

By 1996, under Kessler’s direction, an advisory panel of the FDA had deemed the drug "safe and effective" for American women after clinical trials had ended. A Family Research Council (FRC) report of the process noted the conflicts with Kessler’s advisory panel. Live Action News previously detailed the secret and biased process surrounding the pill's approval and pointed out how Kessler's FDA politicized the abortion pill's approval process by choosing not to publish the names of "experts" who reviewed the drug. The abortion pill was eventually approved by the FDA in 2000, after Kessler had resigned his post. [read more...]

COMMENTARY: As of 2017, use of the abortion pill accounts for 40% of all abortions in the U.S. So here we have a man who may well be in charge of the COVID-19 Advisory Board who has a history of advocating for the killing of unwanted human beings. Add to this the addition of Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a "Medical Ethicist" (rationalizer of euthanasia) who is in favor of denying medical care to people over 75 - see our first news headline below - and we may have a team of specialists in killing off unwanted children and elderly people!

BIDEN'S COVID-19 ADVISORY BOARD TO INCLUDE MEDICAL ETHICIST WHO BELIEVES LIFE ISN'T WORTH LIVING AFTER AGE 75
from Not the Bee

THIRD MINISTERIAL TO ADVANCE FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF: NO PANDEMIC PAUSE IN PERSECUTION
from Christian Persecution

DISABLED GROUPS ATTACK LIBERALIZING OF EUTHANASIA LAWS IN CANADA
from BioEdge

130 MILLION PEOPLE MAY FIND THEMSELVES ON THE VERGE OF STARVATION – UN: UGCC RESPONDS TO THE DISASTER
from Religious Information Service of Ukraine

MISSION CRY SENDS BIBLES AND OTHER CHRISTIAN BOOKS TO ALBANIA
from Mission Network News

RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH HOPES BIDEN WILL STOP SUPPORTING ABORTION, SEX CHANGE OPERATIONS
from Interfax-Religion

DECR REPRESENTATIVE ATTENDS OSCE MEETING ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN EUROPE
from Russian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate

HOW INDIVIDUALS AND NATIONS BECOME DEMONICALLY POSSESSED
from Orthodox Christianity

U.S. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AMBASSADOR SAYS CHINA USING TECH TO SUPPRESS RELIGION
from Eurasia Review

PASTOR RAPHAEL WARNOCK CLAIMS KILLING BABIES IN ABORTIONS IS "CONSISTENT" WITH BIBLICAL VALUES
from LifeNews

The disputed U.S. election is still in the news: the 5-minute video Where's the Evidence of Election Fraud? Trump Legal Team Delivers Opening Arguments attempts to show both sides of the story. To hear the full "Opening Arguments," watch the YouTube version from the 16-min. mark to the 1-hr. 16-min. mark: it sounds like they have some fairly credible evidence (the rest is Q&A, often not very audible): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq7TeUJwQD4. Be much in prayer: the fate of millions of elderly people and unborn babies may be at stake!