How to Kill Christianity

 

Trevor Thomas  " Much has been made of the recent Pew poll that highlights America’s religious landscape. What has drawn the most attention is the apparent decline of Christianity in the U.S. “The Christian share of the U.S. population is declining,” began the piece. Many liberals took gleeful notice. The Institute on Religion and Democracy’s Mark Tooley noted, “Secularists and their fellow travelers are ecstatic. The secular utopia about which John Lennon crooned is impending. Christianity is finally dying!”
. . . 
 By and large, the churches that are growing in the U.S. are those that unapologetically present the truth. Of course, a large or a growing church isn’t always a measure of a healthy and holy church, but when one is sincerely seeking the spiritual truths that we all at one time or another crave, most of us “seekers” know the truth when we hear it and see it. This doesn’t mean that the majority of us will embrace such truths. Jesus Himself warned us that this would not be the case.
Don’t be surprised to see the decline of Christianity continue. As it becomes more difficult and dangerous to be a follower of Christ, more and more people are going to find the “wide road” described by Jesus quite appealing. This is especially the case when so-called “Christians” are pointing the way.


By Trevor Grant Thomas
At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason. www.trevorgrantthomas.com
Trevor and his wife Michelle are the authors of: Debt Free Living in a Debt Filled World
tthomas@trevorgrantthomas.com

Judicial Watch: Defense, State Department Documents Reveal Obama Administration Knew that al Qaeda Terrorists Had Planned Benghazi Attack 10 Days in Advance

Judicial Watch via  Lucianne
"Judicial Watch announced today that it obtained more than 100 pages of previously classified “Secret” documents from the Department of Defense (DOD)and the Department of State revealing that DOD almost immediately reported that the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was committed by the al Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood-linked “Brigades of the Captive Omar Abdul Rahman” (BCOAR), and had been planned at least 10 days in advance. Rahman is known as the Blind Sheikh, and is serving life in prison for his involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and other terrorist acts.  The new documents also provide the first official confirmation that shows the U.S. government was aware of arms shipments from Benghazi to Syria.  The documents also include an August 2012 analysis warning of the rise of ISIS and the predicted failure of the Obama policy of regime change in Syria.

"The documents were released in response to a court order in accordance with a May 15, 2014, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed against both the DOD and State Department seeking communications between the two agencies and congressional leaders “on matters related to the activities of any agency or department of the U.S. government at the Special Mission Compound and/or classified annex in Benghazi.”

"Spelling and punctuation is duplicated in this release without corrections.

"
A Defense Department document from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), dated September 12, 2012, the day after the Benghazi attack, details that the attack on the compound had been carefully planned by the BOCAR terrorist group “to kill as many Americans as possible.”  The document was sent to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Obama White House National Security Council.  The heavily redacted Defense Department “information report” says that the attack on the Benghazi facility “was planned and executed by The Brigades of the Captive Omar Abdul Rahman (BCOAR).”  The group subscribes to “AQ ideologies:”

The attack was planned ten or more days prior on approximately 01 September 2012. The intention was to attack the consulate and to kill as many Americans as possible to seek revenge for U.S. killing of Aboyahiye ((ALALIBY)) in Pakistan and in memorial of the 11 September 2001 atacks on the World Trade Center buildings.

Reading list

On Poverty, Obama Shows Poor Judgment
" These days, it wouldn’t be a presidential appearance without some gratuitous Christian-bashing. And at yesterday’s roundtable on poverty, President Obama didn’t disappoint. During the panel discussion at Georgetown University, President Obama took the common goal of helping the poor and used it to drive an even deeper wedge between his administration and people of faith."

Sacramento State University Approves History Course that Ignores the World Wars
" Wait, this is a history course? And it doesn’t mention the two history-altering world wars?"

More photos of Dominique Sharpton's five million dollar ankle 
And this video:

The adolescent brain defense: The Tsarnaev death sentence and beyond. . . " From the
perspective of sound science in the courtroom, the teen brain defense in the Boston bomber case was feeble. Nevertheless, it is part of a larger project of criminal justice reform that invokes mechanical explanation of brain function in the service of exculpation of blame or mitigation of guilt." . . .

 Pentagon Insists Obama’s Iraq Strategy “Is Working” Despite Islamic State Sacking Ramadi… 

Unions Flood Clinton Foundation With Millions; Some Donations Marked As “Political” Activity… 

Leftists Go Crazy Comparing Police Treatment Of Waco Biker Gang To Treatment Of Black Rioters In Baltimore, Ferguson 

Knowing what we know now . . . Liz Cheney Flips Media’s Script on Iraq War

 

. . . "Rand Paul provided a great template for turning this type of question back on Democrats when he flipped the script on abortion.

"And now, Liz Cheney provides the perfect way to make this question about the Iraq War relevant:"

  Liz CheneyVerified account ‏@Liz_Cheney

When will the media ask @BarackObama & @HillaryClinton key question for 2016- Knowing what we know now, would you still have abandoned Iraq?

 "This is exactly the kind of response we need from quick-witted and able Republican candidates."

Urban legend: Statement reproduces Hillary Clinton's response when asked to identify her major accomplishments as Secretary of State.

"She answered, "My accomplishments as Secretary of State? Well, I'm glad you asked. My proudest accomplishment in which I take the most pride, mostly because of the opposition it faced early on, you know. The remnants of prior situations and mindsets that were too narrowly focused in a manner whereby they may have overlooked the bigger picture and we didn't do that. Very proud. I would say that's a major accomplishment." Read more

 Snopes rates this "False", however...
. . . "It's doubtful that Hillary Clinton made such a statement, however. None of the numerous reproductions of this quote we've found on the Internet makes any mention of whom Hillary Clinton was speaking to when she allegedly said it or identifies the specifics of the setting in which it was supposedly uttered.

. . . "Hillary Clinton did sit for an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer which aired on 9 June 2014, after which she was criticized by some commentators (as she had been before) for not being able to provide a succinct or definitive answer when questioned about her top or proudest accomplishments as Secretary of State. But nothing like the passage quoted above was spoken by Clinton during that ABC interview. "

 Hillary Can't Name Top Accomplishment As Secretary of State   "From 6/10/2014:   Last night, Diane Sawyer asked Hillary Clinton a question that should’ve come as no surprise: What significant things did she accomplish during her four years as Secretary of State? What’s surprising is that Hillary didn’t even attempt to answer the question. She just changed the subject. The Washington Post reported:

When Sawyer asked Clinton to detail a marquee accomplishment or signature doctrine as secretary, she gave no answer — an exchange her Republican critics immediately highlighted.

"ABC is only posting snippets of the interview, but the Republican National Committee made sure to capture the relevant 20 seconds."

Of Course America Is Giving Up on Christianity — We Gave Up on God Ages Ago

http://bravenewworld.in/2012/04/12/cartoon-symbols-for-agnostics/

PJ Media

 Ben Shapiro @benshapiro

Christians decided going to church was enough, rather than advocating Christian morals and values. Jews decided even God wasn't necessary.

9:30 AM - 12 May 2015

"If Ben Shapiro’s simply stated point isn’t enough to drive home the idea that the latest Pew survey on religious life in America reported absolutely nothing new, just check out one of the latest episodes of the Kardashians in which Kim Kardashian has to Google who baptized Jesus before concluding that she wanted to “find a guy named John” to baptize her daughter, North West. What’s worse, the “guy named John” concept, the fact that she had to Google it, or the reality that my Jewish friends took more offense to this absurdity than did a supposed Christian?

"Jewish Americans had their panic attack over Pew two years ago when it was revealed that a full 66% of Jews agree you don’t need to believe in God in order to be Jewish. Sure, we’re the people who exist because God called us out and made a covenant with us, but really, we’re in it for the 6-figure salary potential. Now the Christians, genetically always two steps behind, have finally gotten their own slap in the face and panic over the moral integrity of America sets in, as if we’ve always believed our presidents and political leaders are really good Christians on the inside. You know, in that Sally Langston sort of way.

"Here’s the positive side: There is something to be learned from the Jewish world when it comes to faith. It just means looking towards Israel, a nation that is statistically happier than we are, statistically less religious than we are, and statistically holds a higher rate of faith in God than we do. This past week, Israeli professors became overnight media sensations simply by supporting family values in their classrooms in the most practical way possible: By literally becoming the caretakers of their students’ babies while continuing to teach. When one American professor proceeded to breastfeed her sick baby while teaching in 2012, a national controversy ensued. Because you know how it goes with boobs and the Internet on this side of the ocean. So much for the efficacy of state-mandated sex ed.

"Forget panicking over the fact that fewer Americans attend church. Churches (and synagogues, for that matter) have rendered themselves relatively meaningless in this day and age. If you wanted to panic over church attendance you should have done it 40 years ago when the pews began emptying out in favor of drug-laden music festivals and yuppie pursuits of McMansions and “having it all.” My colleague Michael van der Galien is right, we need to counter the secularization of America with biblical values. The answer, however, first requires countering secularization in our religious institutions instead of using them as a mere litmus test for the value and power of our belief.

Al Sharpton's daughter sues the city of New York for $5 million after she fell in the street and sprained her ankle

 "The eldest daughter of civil rights activist Al Sharpton has launched a bid to sue the city of New York for $5 million after she fell in the street and sprained her ankle.

"Dominique Sharpton, 29, said she was 'severely injured, bruised and wounded' when she stumbled over uneven pavement at the corner of Broome Street and Broadway downtown last year. 

"According to the lawsuit obtained by The New York Post, Sharpton now wants millions of tax payer money to compensate her for the fall which occurred on October 2, 2014." . . .

Healed: This picture of her on social-media shows her climbing a ladder to decorate a Christmas tree in 2014 just a few months after she fell in the street

Sharpton Daughter Climbed Mountain With $5M Sprain
 "It almost looks like the Reverend’s daughter is trying to shake down New York City for $5 million dollars for something that didn’t happen.
From the New York Post:

Al Sharpton’s daughter hiked up a mountain on ‘sprained’ ankle

By Michael Gartland and David K. Li | May 18, 2015
The Rev. Al Sharpton’s daughter unwittingly proved that her $5 million sprained-ankle suit against the city is a mountain of BS. Dominique Sharpton posted pictures to Instagram showing she completed a difficult mountain climb in Bali, Indonesia — even though her suit says that “she still suffers” debilitating pain after twisting her ankle in a street crack in Soho last year.

"$5 million for a sprained ankle? It must have been a racist crack. Of course, in a sane world, one is usually responsible for one’s own walking skills." . . .

 

Self-immolation? Look who's stepping up to play defense for Hillary on ABC as Steph falters

 

 Thomas Lifson   "You would think that the on-air talent at ABC News would get a clue and realize that the position of defensive lineman for Team Hillary carries with it risk of injuries. But that hasn’t stopped ABC News (and NPR, too) political analyst Cokie Roberts  from shamelessly shilling for Hillary. Weasel Zippers highlights some cringe-inducing apologetics:
 “ 'I don’t think anybody votes on whether a candidate answers questions or not.”
. . . 
 "Like George S, Roberts has considerable personal charm and is well liked by her media colleagues all over the political spectrum.  But her shameless shilling for Hillary might be just a ,ittle but out of step with the tastemakers on the left who rule media. "  More here

With elections approaching, remember the state of American media (formerly called "journalism")

 We trash ABC for hiring, um, this guy, but what about NBC's hiring of Sharpton?

Clash Daily; GEORGE STEPHANOPOLOUS, ANOTHER SHIFTY CHARACTER: Courtesy of the Democrats!  "Another guy who the Democrats allowed near the levers of power, who also, just happened to be a crook. There is no double ethical standard in politics and the Media. There is only one standard…and it is very rigorous. It applies only to conservatives. No other standard exists. None."

ABC Colleague: George Stephanopoulos ‘Really Isn’t a Journalist’  . . .  “And I am sorry that again the public trust in the media is being challenged and frayed because of the actions of some of the top people in the business.”

Stephanopoulos, ABC have not fully disclosed Clinton ties: Schweizer

Beware the Democrat media complex — a permanent conflict of interest.

 

. . . "ABC, with its parent company Disney standing squarely behind it, is the same network that re-edited the Clinton docudrama “Path to 9/11” to benefit the Clintons after being berated by Bill and Hill — and being threatened by congressional Democrat jackboots with a revocation of their broadcast license for failing to do so. After that the network buried its $40 million investment completely, despite the millions they would have made in rebroadcasts and DVD sales."

Ten Times George Stephanopoulos Sucked Up to the Clintons on ABC News
. . . " Stephanopoulos has also, not-so-subtly, pressed guests from Nancy Pelosi to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor about the prospect of a female president. And, of course, in 2008 he called a potential Barack Obama/Hillary Clinton team-up the “dream ticket.”   

"The following are just a few examples, from the MRC archives, of Stephanopoulos praising the Clintons from his ABC News perch: " . . . Keep reading; there is much more here.

http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/05/branco-cartoon-journalism-for-dummies/

Romney: "We Found Out" Why Stephanopoulos Asked About Contraception   "You recall, back in the debate we had George Stephanopoulos talking all about birth control. We wondered why in the world that contraception -- it's like, 'why's he going there?' Well, we found out when Barack Obama continued his attack on religious conscience."
When so-called "journalists" ask a question of conservatives, we must assume they are setting the table for Democrat attacks. TD

Much more on Mr. , um, ... the little Clinton sychophant here.


But what about MSNBC hiring Al Sharpton?

NO, MRS. OBAMA: You Were Never Part of ‘The Help’

 Why do so many treasure the status of being a "victim"? TD

 Doug Giles   "Moochelle, no one cares if you went to a formal event and were mistaken for being part of “the help”. It never happened. Never. And if it did, you should be thankful that for once in your life someone thought you useful. Your help isn’t needed.

"Not when your number one mentor Valerie Jarrett assumed the number two General in the United States Army at the time, four-star General Chiarelli, was a waiter at a White House event. Maybe the taxpayer funded booze was a wee strong for Jarrett – the drinks always are when somebody else is buying – but really, confusing the number two guy in the Army with a waiter? Really?

"And not when your own life’s history is replete with examples of privilege the ultimate of which is your and your husband’s occupation of the White House. Michelle, try as you might, you’ve never been a welfare queen – but you do bear a striking resemblance to Eminem’s adversary in the movie Eight Mile. How interesting.

"And certainly not if your example of “help” is in any way defined by what your husband’s agenda has accomplished. A critic of mine once summed up those “accomplishments” well and I quote “it could always be worse”. What a benchmark! What a slogan! “It sucks but hey it could always be worse”.
I’m glad past Presidents aimed a little higher. “We all work in slave camps for Hirohito now but it could be worse”, for example. Or, “this slavery stuff blows but it could be worse”.

"No Michelle, you never were part of “the help”. You’ve not been helpful for this country. The most helpful thing you will ever do is move out of the White House come January 2017.
Get there.
Image: http://fidyabeauty.com/2014/01/17/il-make-up-di-michelle-obama/

Links to stories of news media figures supporting the Clintons

 

Fly Specks on the Debate Commission Table    .."The last thing I read before going to sleep was Rick Ballard’s pithy comment on the news that almost every media operation and figure had contributed to the Clinton slush fund:

“It's actually the perpetual Clinton Campaign using tax deductible donations to the Foundation to finance itself. If the investigative press were not extinct, they would be trumpeting the names of Clinton campaign workers and vendors sustained by employment by the Foundation rather than paying access fees to it.”

. . .

[I]t still must be pointed out that if a journalist were exposed as giving money to the Koch Brothers charities and then reported on them, there would be howls for his scalp throughout the media. The rules are different for liberals. Analysts who wonder about the shrinking audience for such shows and networks whose political coverage is drenched in the tired rhetoric of liberalism need wonder no more. Stephanopoulos’s lack of transparency i[n] this story is just one more piece of evidence indicting mainstream outlets for outrageous and blatant liberal bias.
But it has ramifications far beyond the media bubble.

 

 Victor Davis Hanson: George Stephanopoulos’s Clinton Foundation Hypocrisy Is Staggering
 . . . "When he attacked Schweizer for a supposed conflict of interest in having been a Bush speechwriter for four months, he assumed that his own much longer tenure as a war-room political flak for Bill Clinton could never impinge on his own objectivity — much less provide the context for his recent donations to the Clinton family foundation." . . .

Clinton Foundation donors include dozens of media organizations, individuals
. . . " The following list includes news media organizations that have donated to the foundation, as well as other media networks, companies, foundations or individuals that have donated. It is organized by the size of the contribution:" . . .

Flashback: George Stephanopoulos to Hillary Clinton: 'I Love You'     . . . "But Stephanopoulos's affinity for the Clintons has never been in doubt. In 1999, the now-ABC anchor recounted his "love" for Hillary Clinton and the heartfelt affection he received in response." . . .

But Stephanopoulos's affinity for the Clintons has never been in doubt. In 1999, the now-ABC anchor recounted his "love" for Hillary Clinton and the heartfelt affection he received in response. - See more at: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-whitlock/2015/05/16/flashback-george-stephanopoulos-hillary-clinton-i-love-you#sthash.wBhg86f6.dpuf

All above from Lucianne
----------------------------------------------------
George Stephanopoulos has forfeited all trust as a newsman " The hat trick of arrogant anchor scandals helps explain why Americans don’t trust network news. With apologies to Walter Cronkite, that’s the way it is, and the way it is stinks."

 PBS Anchor Judy Woodruff Also Admits Donating to Clinton Foundation 

Stephanopoulos Another Example Of Revolving Door Journalism

 

"Media Bias: George Stephanopoulos' $75,000 gift to the Clinton Foundation says a lot about the major media. Not only are they dominated by the left, but their stars have often worked for the very people they're supposed to cover.

"Political operatives become journalists, and journalists become political operatives. It happens all the time.

"But Stephanopoulos didn't just take a job as a talking head or pundit. He was elevated to a high-profile news position. He poses as an objective journalist when, in fact, his entire background has been political." . . .

‘WE DON’T LIKE YOU AND NEVER WILL': SNL Goes After Hillary Again With Wicked Funny Skit

Clash Daily   "Saturday Night Live produced another hillary-ous skit lampooning Hillary Clinton and her ‘summer campaign’. Enjoy."

 Video is a bit jerky, but fun.

Hillary’s Endless Reintroduction Tour

 

Why does Hillary Clinton—the best-known female politician in the world—feel a need to constantly reintroduce herself to the American people? Ana Marie Cox makes the case for authenticity over artifice.

"The biggest problem with the premiere video out of Hillary Clinton’s Brooklyn campaign headquarters isn’t the video itself."

Barack Obama Marks Death Of B.B. King With Picture Of . . . Barack Obama…

Weasel Zippers

 

"Even worse, half his official statement is about himself.

President Obama had the following to say on the passing of American icon B.B. King:

“The blues has lost its king, and America has lost a legend. B.B. King was born a sharecropper’s son in Mississippi, came of age in Memphis, Tennessee, and became the ambassador who brought his all-American music to his country and the world. No one worked harder than B.B. No one inspired more up-and-coming artists. No one did more to spread the gospel of the blues.

Three years ago, Michelle and I hosted a blues concert at the White House. I hadn’t expected that I’d be talked into singing a few lines of “Sweet Home Chicago” with B.B. by the end of the night, but that was the kind of effect his music had, and still does. He gets stuck in your head, he gets you moving, he gets you doing the things you probably shouldn’t do – but will always be glad you did. B.B. may be gone, but that thrill will be with us forever. And there’s going to be one killer blues session in heaven tonight.”