Tuesday, November 1, 2005

THE GLORIOUS CITY OF ZION

“Zion was built by the LORD on the holy mountain, and he loves that city more than any other place in all of Israel.  Zion, you are the city of God, and wonderful things are told about you.

Egypt, Babylonia, Philistia, Phoenicia, and Ethiopia are some of those nations that know you, and their people all say, ‘I was born in Zion.’

God Most High will strengthen the city of Zion. Then everyone will say,
We were born here too." The LORD will make a list of his people, and all who were born here will be included.    

All who sing or dance will say, ‘I too am from Zion.’”

(Psalm 87)

QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

“To know a man, observe how he wins his object, rather than how he loses it; for when we fail, our pride supports us; and when we succeed it betrays us.”

(Charles Caleb Colton)

“God can never entrust His Kingdom to anyone who has not been broken of pride, for pride is the armor of darkness itself.”

(Francis Frangipane)

“The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil; Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind...As long as you are proud you cannot know God.”

(C.S. Lewis)

 IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Conference Meets
Behind Police Lines
As Antiwar/Pro-gay Rally
Shouts Obscenities and Demands

“Shut it Down! Shut it Down!”

To view a photo album of the protest go to http://mikeheath.typepad.com/photos/boston_protest_of_love_wo/index.html

The scene outside the Tremont Temple in Boston last Saturday was one of tumult and confusion as an angry crowd vented their rage at evangelicals attending a conference on the compassionate treatment of homosexuals. In the words of one attendee at the conference, “The anger, rage, and hatred were indescribable.” The conference entitled “Love Won Out” was sponsored by Dr. James Dobson’s Focus on the Family.
  
The organizers of the conference had been warned to expect a crowd of 6,000 protestors.  Most of the crowd was drawn from an anti-war rally on Boston Commons which featured Cindy Sheehan. The anti-war rally, organized by a group calling itself “The October 29th Coalition,” then joined forces with a gay rights group called “The Stonewall Warriors.”  The name “Stonewall” of course, is taken from the “Stonewall Riot” in Greenwich Village in Manhattan, which launched the gay rights movement.

On Saturday morning, the antiwar protestors gathered outside Tremont Temple where the conference was underway, and using PA systems, shouted obscenities and yelled “Shut it down! Shut it down!” for almost 45 minutes.

When one pastor went outside to photograph the “protest march,” he saw a crowd which filled the block and stretched in a long line down both ends of the street. The pastor was warned by the police to go inside and not come out again, for his own protection.

Inside Tremont Temple, there was an atmosphere of quiet respect and compassion for homosexuals, and a great deal of prayer, as former homosexuals told how Christ had changed their lives, and Christians shared how people can find compassionate answers to the problems of homosexuality. 

LETTERS FROM CONCERNED CITIZENS
WHO ARE AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT

We have been receiving letters from people who say they would like to speak out in favor of a “YES” vote on Question 1, but are afraid of reprisals at work.

The following comment is typical:

“I'd like to write a letter to the editor, but I work for a state agency and could lose my job by doing so...if a letter showed up with my name on it, I'd have some explaining to do.

That is pretty sad isn't it - being afraid to exercise my freedom of speech for fear of losing my job? My voice won't be silenced come voting day however.”
 
We received another letter from someone who was ridiculed at work for his Christian beliefs and for taking a stand in favor of Question 1. Earlier this year, we heard from a number of people who said they worried that signing the Peoples Veto petition would lead to reprisals at work.

YARD SIGNS AVAILABLE

“YES on 1” yard signs and other material are available through the Maine Grassroots Coalition.

Please call 784-0846 to request the yard signs and other material, and they will be sent to you promptly. 

MORE TENDER-HEARTED FEELINGS FROM THE OTHER SIDE

Mark Brewer, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine, is quoted in the Lewiston Sun Journal as saying that in thirty years people will think of gay rights in the same way people now think of civil rights. The reason according to Mr. Brewer, is that tolerance of diverse lifestyles is a function of age. As a person grows older he is less tolerant, and in thirty years those who object to gay rights will no longer be living.

This sort of thinking is quite different from the Mainer’s usual view of older people, which is that as people grow older they become wiser and more discerning.

So are proponents of the gay rights law like Mark Brewer suffering from ageism? We wonder.