ARTICLES - HOT OFF THE FAGGOT

Judges rule promoting homosexuality mandatory for foster parents

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Judges rule promoting homosexuality mandatory for foster parents

People have only 'qualified' right to Christianity

By Bob Unruh




© 2011 WorldNetDaily


Eunice and Owen Johns (Photo Christian Legal Centre)

A court ruling has found that Christians who want to provide foster care for needy children must promote homosexuality to them and that there is only a "qualified" right to exercise their Christian beliefs.

The judgment comes in a claim by a Christian couple that their biblical beliefs in opposition to homosexual behavior were being used by the government to discriminate against them regarding their application to be foster parents.

The couple, Eunice and Owen Johns, previously had provided foster care in the United Kingdom and had applied to resume their work, but suddenly became the target of government rejection because they expressed their Christian beliefs regarding homosexuality.

According to the Christian Legal Centre, which also posted online the judges' decision in the landmark High Court case, the judges refused to say the Johns should be allowed to provide foster care.

"There now appears to be nothing to stop the increasing bar on Christians who wish to adopt or foster children but who are not willing to compromise their beliefs by promoting the practice of homosexuality to small children," the organization said.

The judges, however, said it was the couples' view on homosexuality, not their biblically based beliefs about homosexuality, that created the problem. And the judges went further, declaring that Christianity has no role in the concept of justice in the UK.

According to the opinion authored by Lord Justice Munby and Mr. Justice Beatson, "the laws and usages of the realm do not include Christianity, in whatever form." They said, "the aphorism that 'Christianity is part of the common law of England' is mere rhetoric; at least since the decision of the House of Lords in Bowman v Secular Society Limited … it has been impossible to contend that it is law."

"It is important to realize that reliance upon religious belief, however conscientious the belief and however ancient and respectable the religion, can never of itself immunize the believer from the reach of the secular law. And invocation of religious belief does not necessarily provide a defense to what is otherwise a valid claim," they wrote.

The judges noted Article 9 of the European Convention, which explains all have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and the related "practice and observance," but they said the "manifestation" of Christianity is subject to "qualifications."

Munby and Beatson endorsed the belief that it "cannot therefore be justified" that a position "held purely on religious grounds" could be defended by the law.

On the specific issue of requiring foster parents to promote homosexuality, the judges said. "If children, whether they are known to be homosexuals or not, are placed with carers who … evince an antipathy, objection to or disapproval of, homosexuality and same-sex relationships, there may well be a conflict with the local authority's duty to 'safeguard and promote' the 'welfare' of looked-after children."

The ruling continued, "While as between the protected rights concerning religion and sexual orientation there is no hierarchy of rights, there may, as this case shows, be a tension between equality provisions concerning religious discrimination and those concerning sexual orientation.

"Where this is so … the National Minimum Standards for Fostering and the Statutory Guidance indicate that it must be taken into account and in this limited sense the equality provisions concerning sexual orientation should take precedence."

Munby and Beatson said in their ruling that there is only a "qualified" right "to manifest religious belief" and that "interferences in the sphere of employment and analogous spheres are readily found to be justified, even where the members of a particular religious group will find it difficult in practice to comply."

According to the Christian Legal Centre, the "judgment strongly affirms homosexual rights over freedom of conscience and leaves the Johns currently unable to foster a child as desired, despite their proven track record as foster parents."

The organization continued, "The summary contained in the judgment sends out the clear message that orthodox Christian ethical beliefs are potentially harmful to children and that Christian parents with mainstream Christian views are not suitable to be considered as potential foster parents."

The organization called the judges' claim that the Johns "were being excluded from fostering due to their moral views on sexual ethics and not their Christian beliefs" a matter of "disingenuous" statements.

"The Johns' moral views cannot be separated from their religious beliefs."


The Johns told the Christian Legal Centre "we have been excluded because we have moral opinions based on our faith, and a vulnerable child has now probably missed the chance of finding a safe and caring home. … Being a Christian is not a crime and should not stop us from raising children."

Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre, said the family was "humiliated and sidelined and told by a government body … that their mainstream Christian views might 'infect' children. They have also effectively been told by British judges that their views may harm children."

Williams continued, "The judges have claimed that there was no discrimination against the Johns as Christians because they were being excluded from fostering due to their sexual ethics and not their Christian beliefs. This claim that their moral beliefs on sex have nothing to do with the Christian faith is a clear falsehood made in order to justify their ruling. How can the judges get away with this?"

J.E. Dyer, on the Hot Air Green Room blog, said the judges' interpretation of the law "is idiotic on its face. … The next obvious step is ruling that parents must endorse homosexuality to their own children."

"If the British High Court deems Christian beliefs on homosexuality 'inimical to the interests of children,' it will justify intervening between parents and their natural children, just as governments do the world over when child welfare is at issue."



WND recently reported that the last Catholic adoption agency in the UK was fighting for its life after being told it must give up its faith or close down.

That report at the Christian Institute, which exists for "the furtherance and promotion of the Christian religion," reported Catholic Care is the only one of 11 British Catholic adoption agencies operating in 2007 that has not been shut down.

Others have fallen to the bludgeoning of government regulations that demand that adoption agencies promote children to homosexual couples as well as married couples – whether or not their faith allows it.

The Christian Institute said the nation's Charity Commission interprets the Labour Party's regulations to mean that Catholic "adoption agencies must place children for adoption with same-sex couples, despite it being contrary to church teaching."

Catholic Care already has been told by the commission that church teachings on homosexuality "didn't justify their refusal to place children with homosexuals," reported the Institute, which according to director Colin Hart is a nondenominational Christian
charity committed to upholding the truths of the Bible that is supported
by individuals and churches throughout the U.K.

An appeal, however, has been filed on the decision.


"The commission is wrong in its decision," the Institute reported London solicitor Benjamin James saying. "We have lodged an appeal with the charity tribunal and the charity tribunal will request that the Charity Commission responds within 28 days."

The case developed as concern grows that Christians rapidly are losing their rights in the U.K. to the bludgeoning of "rules" adopted to favor homosexuals and other alternative lifestyles.

The Institute cited the reports earlier in 2010 of two bed-and-breakfast owners who were accused of refusing to provide double-bed accommodations to homosexuals.

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The Attack

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English - The Attack
English
Attack, The


©1985 by Jack T. Chick LLC


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You Have a Date!

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English - You Have a Date
English
You Have a Date!


©2011 by Jack T. Chick LLC


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India:11 get death penalty for Godhra train carnage

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11 get death penalty for Godhra train carnage

11 get death penalty for Godhra train carnage thumbnail

A special court in Ahmedabad March 1 sentenced 11 people to death and 30 others to life imprisonment for their parts in the 2002 torching of a train at Godhra.

The prosecution had accused 94 Muslims of setting fire to a train coach that killed 59 Hindu pilgrims at Godhra train station in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

Bishop Godfrey de Souza of Baroda whose diocese covers Godhra says the state government is trying to shield “the real culprits” by giving “such a harsh punishment to innocent” people.

“Those who needed to be penalized, have got free,” he said.

On February 23, the special court acquitted 63 people, including the alleged key conspirator Maulana Hussain Umarjee, for want of evidence.

The incident triggered statewide sectarian riots that according to government records killed 1,182 person, mostly Muslims.

All the accused in the case have already spent nine years in jail.

The court described those convicted as a “core committee” that organized a mob and procured more than 100 liters of petrol to set the train on fire.

Jesuit activist Father Joseph Appavoo too says the verdict is “victimization of innocent people” through harsh punishment.

“If there is any conspiracy, it is on the part of” the Bharatiya Janata Party that rules the state, alleged the priest, who directs a social service society.

Another Jesuit human rights activist, Father Cedric Prakash, says the verdict is “outrageous and shocking.”

The death penalty had been handed out although the case had “no shadow of evidence to prove criminal conspiracy theory.” The court has acquitted the alleged chief conspirator, the Ahmedabad-based priest said.

Muslim activist J. S. Bandukwala described the court verdict as “very sad’” and expressed the hope the courts would maintain the same standard while dealing with riot cases where the accused happen to be Hindus.

Source: ucanews.com

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Catholic college arranges student internships at Planned Parenthood

Amplify’d from www.lifesitenews.com

Catholic college arranges student internships at Planned Parenthood

SEATTLE, Washington, March 1, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com)  - Seattle University, a Jesuit Catholic college in Seattle, Washington, is offering its students the opportunity to intern at Planned Parenthood in order to fulfill the degree requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs.

According to the University’s website, public affairs majors are required to participate in an internship with a public or nonprofit organization. The website provides a list of 29 such organizations with whom public affairs students can intern, among them Planned Parenthood of Western Washington.

The University also boasts a Woman’s Studies Department, whose website encourages students to consider volunteering with women’s organizations such as the Feminist Majority Foundation, the National Organization for Women, and the University sponsored organization Seattle University Society of Feminists.

The pro-life organization TFP Student Action is urging pro-life supporters to sign a protest petition addressed to Seattle University President Fr. Stephen Sundborg, SJ.

The petition, which has collected 2,500 signatures within four hours of being posted on the organization’s website, urges Fr. Sundborg to remove Planned Parenthood and all other pro-abortion groups from the University’s website.

“I’d like to know who Seattle University wants to serve, Saint Ignatius and the truth or Margaret Sanger and the culture of death?  You can’t do both at the same time,” commented TFP Student Action Director John Ritchie in an interview with LifeSiteNews. “When a Catholic university promotes abortion it betrays God and it betrays its own students.  I’m praying that Seattle University stops encouraging students to seek internships at Planned Parenthood.”

To contact Fr. Sundborg directly:

Fr. Stephen V. Sundborg, SJ

Seattle University, President

901 12th Ave.

Seattle, WA 98122-1090

Phone: 206-296-1891

E-mail: SUNDBORG@seattleu.edu

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Charlie Sheen Substance Abuse: FAQ

"High priest Vatican assassin warlock."

Amplify’d from www.webmd.com

Charlie Sheen Substance Abuse: FAQ

Experts Weigh in on Common Questions About Addiction and Outrageous Behavior

By
Stephanie Watson
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by
Laura J. Martin, MD

March 1, 2011 -- After actor Charlie Sheen trashed his suite at New York's Plaza Hotel, called Chuck Lorre, the creator of the TV show "Two and a Half Men," a "turd," and rambled incoherently in a television interview about being a "high priest Vatican assassin warlock," people started to wonder whether the TV star had come completely unhinged.

Sheen has admitted to a history of drug use, but is his erratic behavior a sign that he's still addicted and in denial, or that he's also dealing with a mental illness? Sheen certainly isn't the first celebrity to deal with drug addiction. If it turns out, as some experts have speculated, that he's also got a mental illness, he similarly wouldn't be alone in having both conditions.

WebMD asked addiction experts about the connection between mental illness and substance abuse. What's the link? What can happen when someone who is addicted refuses to get treatment? And what are the best ways to overcome an addiction?

What's the Connection Between Addictions and Psychiatric Disorders?

Addiction and mental illness often go hand in hand. Up to half of people with depression, bipolar disorder, or another mental illness also have a substance abuse problem.

Experts say having one of these conditions increases your vulnerability for the other. "If you have a lifetime addiction and have taken drugs over a long period of time it can affect your psychiatric functioning," says Bruce Goldman, LCSW, CASAC, program director of the Project Outreach Clinic in West Hempstead, N.Y.

Conversely, people with mental illness often use drugs and alcohol as a way to cope. "People will self-medicate, and that may be a risk factor for starting an addiction," says Elizabeth Howell, MD, a board-certified addiction psychiatrist at the University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute.

The addictive substance itself can cause symptoms that mimic mental illness. Being high or going through withdrawal from drugs can make you feel anxious, angry, or restless, which are also common signs of psychiatric conditions, Goldman says.

Why Are Addictions So Hard to Overcome?

The reason why drugs like cocaine and heroin are so quick to lead to addiction is the effect they have on the brain. When you smoke cocaine, for example, you get increased levels of dopamine and serotonin-- brain chemicals that give you feelings of pleasure.

Then suddenly, that good feeling is gone.

"You're on this roller coaster where you feel this extreme dopamine spike and then you have a crash and you want more," Howell says.

Having an untreated mental illness can make an addiction even harder to shake. So can having a lifestyle that makes drugs easily accessible, which is why so many celebrities, like Sheen, are always making headlines.

What Happens if You Don't Get Treated for Addiction?

When actor Martin Sheen was interviewed about his son's drug problem, he called it "a form of cancer." Is addiction really like a disease? Howell thinks it is. "Addiction is a disease process, and we know that the diseased organ is the brain," she says.

Just like cancer or any other serious disease, addiction can become life-threatening if it's not treated. "It is a potentially fatal disease, and I've seen people die from overdose, from complications, from poor judgment -- accidents," Howell says.

Which Treatment Works Best for Addiction?

That depends on the addiction. Cocaine withdrawal is typically treated supportively and does not always require medication or hospitalization. Medications can help withdrawal symptoms for some addictions.

Cognitive behavioral therapy helps people recognize the situations where they're most likely to use. Motivational incentives provide good reasons to stay off drugs.

This broad range of therapies allows for a very individualized treatment approach. "I truly believe that there's no best treatment for everyone, and different treatments work better for different problems and different individuals," Goldman says.

What's most important is that you recover in a supportive setting where other people are also trying to get clean, Howell says.

Depending on the addiction, treatment may start with a medically supervised withdrawal, commonly called "detox," to get you off the addictive drug. Then you need to completely abstain from not only your drug of choice, but other drugs too.

Whatever you do, don't try to treat yourself for an addiction.

Though Sheen claims to have cured himself with "the power of my mind," Howell says trying to self-treat for an addiction is a dangerous prospect. 

"It doesn't work," she says. "As a psychiatrist, I've been trained in how to do psychotherapy, but I never do psychotherapy on myself. If you're a surgeon you don't take out your own appendix. You have to have an outside person or support system helping you who has a perspective that you can never have for yourself."

How Are People With Both Addiction and Mental Illness Treated?

Treating addiction without addressing the underlying mental illness isn't enough.

"Many years ago when we were treating addiction, we had the false belief that if you treated the addiction and waited, some of the psychiatric problems would resolve themselves. We no longer believe that," Goldman says. "You really need to treat both of them simultaneously to be effective."

Considering that so many people who show up for addiction treatment also have a mental illness, centers today are well equipped to deal with both conditions.

What Should You Do if a Family Member or Friend is Addicted?

If you suspect that a family member or friend is addicted to drugs or alcohol, try to get them help. "I think if you're concerned about someone's health and safety, you're compelled to step in and intervene to see that the person gets help," Goldman says.

There is a chance the person will try to avoid facing the problem, especially if he or she also has a mental illness. It's common for both drug users and people with conditions such as bipolar disorder to deny there's anything wrong with them.

If your friend or family member refuses treatment, it's hard for you to do much more, unless the situation is spiraling out of control.

"Some states do have laws that allow you to commit someone who is addicted and out of control and potentially harmful to themselves because of their addiction," Howell says.

How Can People Stay Clean After An Addiction?

Once you've gone through treatment, you need begin the process of learning how to live without drugs or alcohol. That can be hard, especially if you've relied on the substance -- or substances -- for years.

Sheen says he just "blinked and I cured my brain." But getting clean is never that easy.

"There's no magic to it. It's a long, arduous road," Howell says. "It's a chronic problem that's going to be with people throughout their lives."

Part of overcoming addiction involves changing your perspective, and starting to see your addiction not as something you're going to be "cured" from, but as something you'll have to work on throughout your life.

"Addictive disorders are chronic diseases. In other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, we don't measure success in absolute terms over the course of a lifetime. It's similar with addictions," Goldman says.

The longer you stay in treatment, the better your odds for success.

"People have to be convinced personally," Goldman says. "They have to be very motivated and committed to living a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle."







SOURCES:


ABC News: "Charlie Sheen Confronts His Critics."


E! Online: "Two and a Half Men Crew Rips Charlie Sheen."


National Alliance on Mental Illness: "Dual Diagnosis: Substance Abuse and Mental Illness."


Bruce Goldman, LCSW, CASAC, program director, Project Outreach Clinic, West Hempstead, N.Y.


Elizabeth Howell, MD, addiction psychiatrist, University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute.


MSNBC: "Martin Sheen calls Charlie's Addiction 'Cancer.'" 


National Institute on Drug Abuse: "Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction."


Good Morning America: "Charlie Sheen Says He's 'Not Bipolar but 'Bi-Winning.'"


Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "Charlie Sheen: 'Spiraling out of control.'"





© 2011 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.



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Vatican confirms rape, sexual abuse of nuns by priests

Amplify’d from news.carrentals.co.uk

The Catholic Church in Rome yesterday admitted its awareness of incidents in at least 23 countries of sexual abuse and rape of nuns by priests.

According to the Vatican, most of the sexual abuse and rape has taken place in African countries, with so-called celibate priests abandoning prostitutes in fear of contracting Aids and raping nuns instead. Confidential reports were leaked last week to the US Catholic weekly National Catholic Reporter, and are not being denied by Church authorities.

Several of the five reports are said to have been in circulation for more than six years, while others are comparatively recent, but all state priests had demanded sex in exchange for favours. In extreme cases, nuns had been made pregnant and forced to have abortions. Third world African states culturally condition women to subservience to men, making it easy for Catholic clergy to use their spiritual and financial authority to gain sex.

The documents state a particularly serious situation in Africa, where early adolescent girls and nuns are regarded as safe sexual targets. Church authorities, apparently, have done little to address the issue, even though the reports cite countless cases of rape and sexual abuse by members of the clergy. In one case, a pregnant nun died during an abortion; in another 29 nuns in one congregation all became pregnant by priests in the same church.

Forced to acknowledge the disgrace, the Vatican is trying to play it down. its spokesman yesterday attributed the issue to a ‘restricted geographical area’ and reminded reporters of the good work being done by an overwhelming number of nuns and priests.

CAFOD Aids coordinator Sister Maura O’Doniohue is well aware of the problem, confirming nuns are ‘safe targets’ for sexual abuse. She tells of a group of priests threatened to risk Aids with local prostitutes if a local abbess refused sexual access to her nuns. Committed Catholics are now hoping the Pope will be as courageous in his tackling of the scandal as he was over paedophile priests.

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India: Vatican: India, wombs for rent and "medical tourism". The risks of progress without ethics

Amplify’d from www.speroforum.com

India: Vatican: India, wombs for rent and "medical tourism". The risks of progress without ethics

A report by Dr. Carvalho, Indian expert at the recent General Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life emphasizes the danger of technology without controls and without ethical boundaries. The warning of Benedict XVI: Doctors must protect women from deception of abortion.

Vatican City - India is the Asian country where "medical tourism" is most prevalent: wombs for rent, sale of eggs and sperm, etc. .. A law is even being prepared to regulate all of these practices. This is what emerges from a report by Dr. Pascoal Carvalho, an Indian member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, which presented last week at the Vatican. On February 26, Benedict XVI received in audience the participants in the XVII General Assembly of the Pontifical Academy.

The Pope recalled the drama of abortion: "Doctors, in particular, must never undermine the serious task of defending the consciousness of many women from deceit.  Women who often believe they will find the solution for family, economic, social difficulties or the health problems of their child in abortion. Especially in the latter situation, the woman is often convinced, sometimes by the same doctors, that abortion is a choice not only morally permissible, but even a necessary "therapeutic" act to avoid the suffering of the child and his family, and becoming an "unfair" burden to society. "

Dr. Pascoal Carvalho, a member of the Pontifical Academy of India, gave a report on the situation of his country, of which we publish excerpts focusing on the phenomenon of surrogacy and medical tourism. "Although, India is a recent entrant into the medical tourism arena, it is emerging as a major medical tourism destination.. Medical tourism in India is advertised with the formula of ' First World medical treatment at Third World costs”.

“Already India is being termed the cradle of surrogacy and medical tourism. The current upsurge of the surrogacy trade in India points towards an unfettered commercialisation of assisted reproductive technology and the practice of surrogacy. Commercial surrogacy, though banned in several developed countries for obvious reasons, may soon become a reality in India thanks to the joint efforts of private medical establishments and the Union government. Interestingly, the bill, did not involve at any stage women’s groups or public health activists in its drafting… Regulation of surrogacy, many feel, would give a legitimate stamp to the commercial activity that is already under way”.

“In India, we have had a thriving industry, which, in the absence of any serious regulations, has led to a host of dodgy practices such as unregulated surrogacy or the clandestine business of selling eggs and sperm to infertility clinics that are later passed off as the patients’ own”.

“One of the cases that brought surrogacy debate to the forefront in India, was that of Baby Manji – a stateless surrogate baby. The Japanese couple Ikufumi and Yuki Yamada travelled to India in late 2007 to hire a surrogate mother to bear a child for them. The doctor arranged a surrogacy contract with Pritiben Mehta, a married Indian woman with children. Dr Patel supervised the creation of an embryo from Ikufumi Yamada’s sperms and an egg harvested from an anonymous Indian woman.  The embryo was then implanted into Mehts’s womb, In June 2008, the Yamadas divorced and a month later Bany Manji was born to the surrogate mother.  Although Ikufami wanted to raise the child, his ex wife did not. Suddenly Baby Manji had three mothers yet legally she had none. Both the parentage and the nationality of Baby Manji were impossible to determine under existing definitions of family and citizenship under Indian and Japanese Law.  Finally, after 25 days, the custody was given to the 74 year old grandmother. The case of Baby Manji illustrates the complexity and challenges faced by institution in the face of emerging technologies”.

Source: Asia News
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