Liberals actually do support teaching the Bible in schools...

...but only when the textbooks utterly trash it:

Biblical Trojan Horse

[The Bible Literacy Project’s textbook The Bible and Its Influence] redefines Biblical terms and demeans God, according to a number of reviewers who have reviewed it. The book asks, “Do absolute good and evil exist?” In the Judeo-Christian tradition, God represents all that is good but the textbook asks, “Where does all of the evil come from? How would a good God let something like the Holocaust happen? Why would God let innocent children suffer?”

The book further denies the moral value of Old Testament illustrations. For example, “Job is one of the most difficult books in the Bible in that the text provides no clear moral or answer to Job’s situation.”

On page 72 the book debases the character of God: “God’s help comes with strings attached – commandments or laws that the Israelites must obey in order to keep the faith.” On page 138 the text demeans God by making Him accountable to man. The text diminishes the value of Old Testament texts. On page 160 the text reads, “The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. This ending through pleasing in some ways has failed to satisfy various readers over the centuries.” On page 75 the text book says the Ark of the Covenant “has become famous in Western imagination.”

Anyone surprised? Anyone at all?

Maria Sue Chapman's memorial service

Listen well to Caleb Chapman's statement. His graduation from high school (often seen as a primary step into adulthood) was marred by this tragedy, but he took a giant step into manhood with those beautiful, touching words.

And how inspiring it is to see people praising God even in the face of such loss! What a testament to the hope we have through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! We grieve, yes, but we are not consumed by it because we know that such loss is only temporary and that an eternity of joy awaits us. We lean on Jesus in the good times and the bad and he carries us all the way through. As they sang at the memorial, blessed be his name!

The frightening fascism of evolutionists

A chilling account of what happens when someone dares even simply mention Intelligent Design:

I was very careful not to say that evolution was wrong and that intelligent design was right. However I did say that it was ironic that schools could affirm in the Declaration of Independence that the Creator could create man but not any other life. And I merely explained to them what intelligent design was—no mention of the Bible or any religious doctrine.

The next day I was called out of my assignment. An earring-adorned young man from the District office questioned me as to what I had said about intelligent design. He then read a single complaint by what I assume was a diehard atheist parent who didn’t want their child exposed to the teaching of ‘intelligent design’.

I was asked to write a statement of what I had said, and the young man suspended me on the spot. No warning was given or considered. I was then systematically ‘hung out to dry’. No reason was given, such as breaking a written school policy. They read the complaint, I wrote a response, and they then basically said, ‘Hit the road, Jack and dontcha come back no more, no more.’

...

Furthermore, I was effectively ‘blackballed’ by Washington from subbing in other districts. I was told that suspensions were reported to other districts if they were asked—regardless of the reason. Believing that there is intelligent design behind the universe has thus effectively disqualified me from teaching, as no school wants to hire a potential troublemaker who doesn’t toe the Darwinist line. Imagine how it felt to know I was viewed almost the same way a potential pedophile would be. We have to protect the kids from that ‘religious pervert!’

Expect to see more of these stories come to light in the future. More and more people are finding evolution wanting and are looking at other possibilities. Evolutionists, of course, are threatened by this and harshly deal with anyone who dares question their sacred cow despite their proclamations that they are "open-minded."

This is why you don't stand outside during a hail storm

I don't care who you are. Don't do it. The following happened during the storm that hit Minnesota and Wisconsin on Memorial Day. Big time ouchies.

2-3 inch diameter hail. Can't imagine what the guy would've done had he been in the path of the tornado that hit Hugo, MN.

"I'm out here watching the tornado come at me! Debris is flying everywhere! I've got a 2x4 sticking out of my chest! I may need to take cover soon!"

Numbskull.

Tornado in Hugo, MN

A large section of Hugo, Minnesota, is gone tonight - flattened by a tornado. It was so surreal watching the footage on the news tonight. Homes were completely demolished. All that was left of a few were basements that were eerily emptied of almost everything. (These looked like those modern, prefab townhomes, which my mom described as "made of matchsticks.") They even had the old cliché of homes on one side of the street destroyed while homes on the other side of the street were hardly touched.

Latest reports have one family being hit hard, with a 2-year-old dead (the only fatality so far), his sibling in critical condition and their parents seriously injured. Six other people were also seriously injured. Dozens of people also suffered minor injuries. Hundreds of people are now homeless.




Please pray for the residents of Hugo as they deal with this tragedy. Say some special prayers for the injured and especially for the family I mentioned.

UPDATE: Donation information via Fox Twin Cities:

Donations are being accepted at the Lake Area Bank located at 1400 East Highway 96, White Bear Lake, MN 55110, or call 651-653-9619.

All other donations are being accepted at the Hugo Public Works Department at 6900 137th Street.

The American Red Cross is helping in the area and I'm sure would welcome donations.

Please pray for Steven Curtis Chapman and family

Especially for his teenage son.

Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter killed by car in driveway

I wrote this elsewhere and will share it here as well:

At times like this, many people - both those who believe in God and those who don’t - ask, “Why would God let this happen?” We can never fully know the answers to such a question, but what we can fully know is what God has promised us:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

God had a reason for this and it will ultimately result in something good. It may be public or private, but it will be something that glorifies Him.

For those of us who love God, tragedies like this are bittersweet. While we certainly grieve the loss of children, we know that they are welcomed into the loving arms of the Lord and we will be reunited forever with them someday.

Another tragedy for the Kennedy family

Yes, in all honesty and true concern, this is a tragedy:

Senator Ted Kennedy has malignant brain tumor

Cancer is awful and I don't wish it on anyone. Senator Kennedy and his family have difficult days ahead and I hope and pray they will find some peace and comfort in them. Heaven knows they've faced more than their fair share of sorrows.

The degeneration of Western society: part 10,392,554

Critics Slam Boston Doctor Who Offers Sex Change Treatment to Kids

Boston’s Children’s Hospital bills itself as the hospital for children — and now it’s also the hospital for children who want a sex change, a procedure some critics are calling “barbaric.”

Dr. Norman Spack, a pediatric specialist at the hospital, has launched a clinic for transgendered kids — boys who feel like girls, girls who want to be boys — and he’s opening his doors to patients as young as 7.

First of all, what the h-e-double-hockey-sticks is wrong with this hospital to allow such a thing?

Second, why hasn't this doctor had his medical license revoked?

Third, why hasn't he been liberally beaten about the head and shoulders?

For cryin' out loud!

Prince Caspian

This is an excellent review of the film.

This is not.

My wife and I went to the film on Saturday. It was entertaining and well-made, but that's it. It wasn't meaningful. I agree with the first review above that reducing Aslan's presence and role in the story did a great disservice to the film. The world of Narnia revolves around Aslan and it is he who is the central character, not the Pevensie children.

Dishonest Democrats pushing gay marriage bill In Minnesota

In a hilarious (and sickening) display of hypocrisy, Christian-hater PZ Myers follows up a series of vicious rants against what he considers to be dishonestly titled "academic freedom" bills across the country (with the latest about one in South Carolina) with whole-hearted support for an obviously dishonestly titled pro-gay marriage bill in Minnesota: the Marriage and Family Protection Act. In reality, the bill's purpose is to establish "gender neutral marriage laws" (i.e. gay marriages) in the state, as can be seen in the long description of the bill.

All Minnesotans who are concerned about the preservation of traditional marriage need to contact their state legislators IMMEDIATELY. If you don't know who yours are, you can find them here:

Minnesota State Legislature District Finder

Expelled's alleged plunge

I've seen a few comments on anti-Expelled blogs (e.g. PZ Myers' blog) and websites in which people are absolutely giddy at how Expelled is supposedly dropping off the charts so quickly. As with the rest of their claims about the film, this one is just as meritless. Expelled's box office decline is hardly noteworthy and the film's rank has, in fact, fared as well as other recent films with larger budgets and distributions. Here's the proof:

The second week out, Expelled dropped 3 spots. Of the other films that had been released at the same time, the Forbidden Kingdom dropped 2 spots, Forgetting Sarah Marshall dropped 2 and 88 Minutes dropped 4.

The third week out, Expelled dropped 2, the Forbidden Kingdom dropped 3, Forgetting Sarah Marshall dropped 1 and 88 Minutes dropped 2.

This week, Expelled dropped 3, the Forbidden Kingdom dropped 2, Forgetting Sarah Marshall dropped 1 and 88 Minutes dropped 6!

So since their opening week, Expelled has dropped 8 spots, the Forbidden Kingdom dropped 7, Forgetting Sarah Marshall dropped 4 and 88 Minutes dropped 12. As I said, Expelled's box office decline is hardly unusual or notable and is not as bad as some people have imagined.

Have I mentioned this before?

The sensible alternative to the garbage that is Wikipedia: Conservapedia. I edit there and have even created a few articles - most notably ones for Brad Stine and Left Behind: Eternal Forces.

Ding, dong, the troll is gone (hopefully)

I'm going to say this guardedly, but I've put a new safeguard in place to keep the porn-posting troll out - hopefully for good. It's an IP address blocker that redirects him to a message he is desperately in need of. I've not seen him show up on my SiteMeter stats since I blocked him, which is good. And if he does show up again somehow, I'll just block whatever IP addresses he appears under until he runs out or gets bored.

Oh, and comment moderation is off. I'll get around to approving and replying to comments made when it was on the last day or so soon.

The surprise, as promised...

BABY PICS!!! YAY!!!




The baby is due sometime around Thanksgiving!

God is good!

If you can't tell, the baby is the grey blotch at the bottom of the roundish black blotch. Head is to the right. From the measurements the technician took, the baby is about 1.5 inches long from head to butt.

Special post coming tomorrow

I will have an exciting surprise post for you tomorrow. Watch for it.

Comment moderation

I'm am currently semi-implementing comment moderation. By that I mean that comment moderation will be turned on when I am not able to be online. So if you are regularly commenting and seeing your posts suddenly not appear immediately, don't panic. I will approve them when I return. This is being done to disenfranchise the troll from Arizona.

National Day of Prayer, 2008

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

America trusts in the abiding power of prayer and asks for the wisdom to discern God's will in times of joy and of trial. As we observe this National Day of Prayer, we recognize our dependence on the Almighty, we thank Him for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us, and we put our country's future in His hands.

From our Nation's humble beginnings, prayer has guided our leaders and played a vital role in the life and history of the United States. Americans of many different faiths share the profound conviction that God listens to the voice of His children and pours His grace upon those who seek Him in prayer. By surrendering our lives to our loving Father, we learn to serve His eternal purposes, and we are strengthened, refreshed, and ready for all that may come.

On this National Day of Prayer, we ask God's continued blessings on our country. This year's theme, "Prayer! America's Strength and Shield," is taken from Psalm 28:7, "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped." On this day, we pray for the safety of our brave men and women in uniform, for their families, and for the comfort and recovery of those who have been wounded.

The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on our Nation to reaffirm the role of prayer in our society by recognizing each year a "National Day of Prayer."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2008, as a National Day of Prayer. I ask the citizens of our Nation

to give thanks, each according to his or her own faith, for the freedoms and blessings we have received and for God's continued guidance, comfort, and protection. I invite all Americans to join in observing this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.

GEORGE W. BUSH