The RECORD

Monday, September 12, 2005

The Humble Learn the Way

"Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. He himself shall abide in prosperity, and his children shall possess the land. The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant."

(Psalm 25:8-14)

The Armor of a Righteous Cause

"The humblest citizen of all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause is stronger than all the hosts of error"

(William Jennings Bryan)

"It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels."

"Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility."

(St. Augustine)

PERILS OF FLATTERY

The friend who holds up before me the mirror, conceals not my slightest faults, warns me kindly, reproves me affectionately, when I have not performed my duty, he is my friend, however little he may appear so. Again, if a man praises me, never reproves me, overlooks my faults, and forgives them before I have repented, he is my enemy, however much he may appear to be my friend.

(Johann Herder)

DECADENT, AND PROUD OF IT!

More information is becoming available about the gay pride march called Southern Decadence held less than one week after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. The march which wound its way through the French Quarter was led by the Southern Decadence Grand Marshall Lisa Beaumann. A larger parade Southern Decadence in exile was led by the former Southern Decadence Grand Marshal Regina Adams. Both Beaumann and Adams are transvestites. The march presented a bizarre spectacle in a city where rescue workers are still at work collecting many hundreds of victims lost in the flood waters. Some of the marchers sported beards and feather-boas, while others paraded semi-nude.

Estimates are that it will take eighty days to pump out the water which has been contaminated with sewage, toxic chemicals, and various disease organisms. Many rescue workers have been forced to wear gauze masks because of the unbearable odor. In an incident that hasn't been widely-reported, over five-hundred evacuees in the Houston Astrodome had to be treated for a mysterious ailment involved vomiting and a rash.

The tragic surroundings of a devastated city seem a strange setting indeed for a display of pride of any sort, much less for openly flaunting one's sexuality. One wonders why the more bizarre and deviant element of the homosexual subculture appear in such great numbers in gay pride parades. Presumably, it should not be too difficult to hold a parade in which everyone is fully clothed. And yet costumes which celebrate sexual deviance and perversion are seen in great numbers. Which raises the disturbing question, are gays truly proud to appear in public like this, and if so, why? Wouldn't a heterosexual pride parade“ if there ever were such a thing“ feature people who were fully-clothed? Why would anyone be proud to march through a devastated city naked, while so many of one's fellow citizens are in mourning and in desperate need? We have already seen photos of displaced wives and homemakers searching through bins of donated clothing to clothe their families. Truly, this is the sort of pride that the public has a hard time understanding.

NEW BILL WOULD GRANT IMMIGRANT STATUS TO PARTNERS OF GAYS

A new piece of Federal legislation, if enacted into law, will allow the homosexual and lesbian partners of gay U.S. citizens and permanent residents to immigrate to the U.S. The bill, The Uniting Families Act, formerly known as the Permanent Partners Immigration Act, was introduced by New York Congressman Jerry Nadler, and cosponsored by Maine's own Tom Allen and Mike Michaud, among others.

The bill is currently in the judiciary committees of the House and Senate. The grassroots organization which is lobbying hard for the bill, Immigration Equality, says it seeks to end discrimination in U.S. immigration law against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and HIV-positive people, and to help obtain asylum for those persecuted in their home country based on their sexual orientation, transgender identity or HIV-status. In other words, if Immigration Equality is successful, homosexuals, lesbians, and transvestites from almost every country on earth will be granted refugee status and allowed to immigrate freely to the United States.

JUST WHAT MAINE NEEDS: THE TAXPAYER BILL OF RIGHTS

This just in from Mary Adams.

To reverse the damage being done to the State of Maine by over-spending (taxes) and erosion of individual freedoms, people need to work together when there is a common interest. The opportunity to work together has arisen in the form of a citizen initiative petition to put a Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TAB0R) on the ballot in November 2006.

TABOR puts government on a budget, just like taxpayers. TABOR makes sure that government doesn't outspend our incomes. To exceed the limit requires voter approval. I call it putting the bit in the mouth of government and giving the reins to the people of Maine. TABOR is a friend to churches and non-profits because when budgets get bloated, the state looks around for whom it can tax next. Spenders are poised right now to go after churches as a new source of revenue.

TABOR's deadline is October 21st.

Contact Mary Adams at 924-3835, Email: mga@tdstelme.net

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations." -- Psalm 100

THREE VIEWS OF THE FUTURE

"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." -- E. B. White

"We Christians must stop apologizing for our moral position and start making our voices heard, exposing sin as the enemy of the human race and setting forth righteousness and true holiness as the only worthy pursuits for moral beings. I have no doubt that historians will conclude that we of the twentieth century had intelligence enough to create a great civilization but not the moral wisdom to preserve it." -- A.W. Tozer

They brought up their families in sturdy virtue and a living faith in God without which nations perish. -- Inscription on the memorial to the Pilgrim Mothers in Plymouth, Massachusetts

GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA TO VETO SAME SEX MARRIAGE BILL

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has promised to veto the same-sex marriage bill passed by the California Legislature on Tuesday. Schwarzenegger, who supports gay marriage, has said previously that the legalization of same-sex marriage in California would have to be the result of a referendum, or be done by the courts. In 2000, the voting public in California approved a Defense of Marriage Act, Proposition 22, by an overwhelming 61% to 39% vote.

Governor Schwarzenegger has already vetoed a newly-passed bill which sought to prohibit candidates for public office from criticizing gays in their campaigns. The bill, if enacted into law, would have eliminated all criticism of homosexuals or homosexuality by those running for public office.

Although Schwarzenegger is quite a liberal on social issues“ he supports both abortion and marriage between homosexuals“ he still has the good sense and integrity to heed the will of the people. He makes an interesting comparison to the current governor of Maine, who is single-mindedly pursuing a special interest agenda over the wishes of the people of Maine as expressed in two earlier referendums.

LOVE WON OUT BREAKFAST A GREAT SUCCESS

The Love Won Out seminar held in Portland this past Wednesday turned out to be an even greater success than we had expected. Over two hundred pastors and ministry workers attended this interesting and informative seminar on the compassionate treatment of the problems of homosexuality. Those attending the seminar heard the compelling and persuasive testimony of two former homosexuals, and much information was shared that will have a deep and lasting effect. Our thanks to Focus on the Family for bringing this important event to Maine.

THE TIDE IS TURNING

We are coming, Father Abraham, three hundred thousand more,
From Mississippi's winding stream and from New England's shore;
We leave our plows and workshops, our wives and children dear,
With hearts too full for utterance, with but a silent tear;
We dare not look behind us, but steadfastly before;
We are coming Father Abraham, three hundred thousand more!

If you look across the hilltops that meet the northern sky,
Long moving lines of rising dust your vision may descry,
And now the wind, and instant, tears the cloudy veil aside,
And floats aloft our spangled flag in glory and in pride,
And bayonets in the sunlight gleam, and bands brave music pour;
We are coming, Father Abraham, three hundred thousand more!

If you look up all our valleys where the growing harvests shine,
You may see our sturdy farmer boys fast forming into line;
And children from their mothers knees are pulling at the weeds,
And learning how to reap and sow against their country's needs.
And a farewell group stands weeping at every cottage door;
We are coming Father Abraham, three hundred thousand more!

(James Sloane Gibbons)

OUT OF SORROW, A HARVEST OF JOY

"When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." -- Psalm 126

OPTIMISTIC ADVICE ON AMERICA'S FUTURE

"Be courageous! Whatever setbacks America has encountered, it has always emerged as a stronger and more prosperous nation. Be brave as your fathers before you. Have faith and go forward!

The first requisite for success is to develop the ability to focus and apply your mental and physical energies to the problem at hand - without growing weary. Until man duplicates a blade of grass, nature can laugh at his so-called scientific knowledge. The view that such events are caused by God is a matter of opinion“ faith if you will“ and cannot be demonstrated by scientific or any other means.

I believe that the science of chemistry alone almost proves the existence of an intelligent creator." -- Thomas A. Edison

GAIETY AMONG THE RUINS

In a bizarre and shocking display of insensitivity, gays in New Orleans marched through the French Quarter Sunday to celebrate gay pride in their flood-ravaged city. It is reported that many thousands of corpses still remain in the flood waters, including the remains of those who were trapped in their homes and unable to escape. One news service reported that a group of seven brothers and sisters were found wandering through the streets, their mother and father presumably killed in the flood. Many reporters have broken down in tears at the sight of the appalling devastation, while combat veterans from Iraq have reported that the carnage at the Superdome was far worse than the battlefield casualties they had seen in Iraq. But destruction, misery, and death were apparently no reason for some of New Orleans's gays to postpone the annual Southern Decadence parade. The gays who marched in the scaled-down parade were photographed wearing smiling faces, and were obviously having quite a good time.

In the meantime, The RECORD has been accused of being ˜insensitive™ for stating that Hurricane Katrina was responsible for postponing the Southern Decadence event.

NEW ORLEANS -- IF GOD DIDN'T DO IT WHO DID?

Editor's Note: As a result of an item which ran in The RECORD yesterday, the League is being criticized for saying that Hurricane Katrina was the wrath of God against homosexuals. But we never even remotely suggested this. The piece clearly stated that the flood on the same day as the Southern Decadence celebration was no more than a coincidence. The view that such events are caused by God is a matter of opinion“ faith if you will“ and are not capable of proof. Every man must decide for himself whether or not Hurricane Katrina brought the wrath of God down on New Orleans. And that is what the liberal mass media and gay rights backers find so disturbing“ the nagging doubt in their own minds that such a suggestion might be true.

It is a principle of human nature that in a disaster, people lash out at those they have long perceived to be the enemy. Conservatives blame liberals; liberals blame the President and global warming. The mayor of New Orleans blames the Federal government, and Federal officials put the blame on local officials. The many petty squabbles Hurricane Katrina has left in its wake are very much like what happens after a father scolds his children. When he is gone, they all point fingers at one another and say. "Look what you made Daddy do! It's all your fault!" So no, we are not blaming the homosexuals for the disaster in New Orleans.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin, who will be the keynote speaker at the League's annual banquet on October 7th, offers a more reasonable explanation. Rabbi Lapin's piece, which we have included below, raises the question why man, a creature endowed by God with reason, would build a city below sea level in a basin surrounded by an ocean, a lake, and an enormous river. Why would he then fail to protect that city with dikes and levees? Or better yet, why would a city spend its resources on drugs, alcohol, and partying, and not have the foresight to put in place an evacuation plan for its citizens?

September 1, 2005
by Rabbi Daniel Lapin
President, Toward Tradition

"Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above." (Kathryn Hepburn in 'The African Queen')

The immediacy of the suffering makes us forget that disasters have afflicted mankind since the days of Noah. Like the Asian tsunami did, the New Orleans disaster provokes serious questions. Some ask, "What sort of God would allow so many innocent people to be killed?" Others present the quandary this way: There are only two choices. Either God is all powerful in which case he did this cruel thing or else he couldn't stop it in which case he's impotent and who needs an impotent deity?

In reality however, there is another approach. This catastrophe was horrible but instead of waving a defiant fist at God, let us calmly examine how He set up the world to work.

Anyone thinking about history recognizes that only rarely does God interfere with nature in a conspicuous manner. That is why when He does, we call it a miracle. The splitting of the Read Sea was one such event. Mostly God camouflages miracles, allowing believers to marvel and others to deprecate. I personally consider the founding of the United States to have been a miracle but I know better than to try and present this belief during one of my university campus lectures.

By and large, God allows the laws of nature to work. The doomed airliner falling from the sky never gets scooped to safety by a giant divine hand regardless of the piety of the passengers. Mountain climbers challenging frozen peaks sometimes die and people living in flood prone areas sometimes drown.

Obviously that provokes the question of why would a benevolent God create such a malevolent nature. Why must gravity compel airplanes with engine failure to tumble out of the sky? Why should earthquakes flatten buildings and shatter lives? Does water really have to rush toward its lowest point washing away anything in its path? The reason that God almost never interferes with His laws of nature and what is more, created nature to be far from benign is that He wanted us humans to work together to overcome nature's menace. "And God said to them, be fruitful, and multiply, populate the earth, and conquer it." (Genesis I)

The important idea here is that the Bible commands humans to subdue the world and conquer it. That does not mean we are to ruin or obliterate nature but it does mean that we are to render ourselves less vulnerable to its harsh realities.

We resist disease with medicine. We conquer the heat of the desert with air-conditioning and we make the frigid plains habitable with heating.

Similarly those who choose to live in low lying areas are morally obliged to do everything possible in order to minimize flood risk. After a flood drowned more than a thousand Dutchmen in 1953, Holland created the world's biggest land reclamation project to ensure it never happened again. You can be quite sure that once rebuilt, New Orleans will never flood again.

There is one more part to this. Apparently God is obsessed with bonding. It is really not so surprising that a monotheistic God whose prime characteristic is the ability to unify, created a world in which the best results come from bonding. Let me explain.

There are about one hundred chemical elements in the world. But very little that we need and enjoy in life is used in its elemental, un-bonded form. The water we drink comes about when two hydrogen atoms joyfully unite with an oxygen atom. The wood in our furniture, the plastic everywhere, our medicine, the steel in our buildings and vehicles -- all these are the results of atoms bonding with one another. Why, even rust is the undesirable consequence of us failing to adequately prevent iron from leaping into embrace with oxygen.

God created almost everything seeming to yearn for bonding. Even humans were created to feel a deep emptiness that only bonding with another could heal. He created man and woman to become one flesh as the greatest expression of unity.

After creating people, God had a problem: how could He ensure that humans unrelated to one another would bond and help one another? In other words, how could God incentivize community and cooperation among humans?

One answer was place them in a beautiful world but one filled with constant threat. Forest fires, earthquakes, disease, and floods are all perils that force frightened people to cooperate with one another. No single individual, all alone can discover the cure to a disease any more than a single peasant can defy a monsoon. However when banded together, people can create universities for medical research. Villagers can unite to construct dikes and dams to protect their homes. Casualty and property insurance is another example of strangers working together to help one another. That pleases God just as when siblings live together in love and harmony their parents feel delight. Whether we climb mountains, build tall buildings, or soar across the seas, we are defying nature just as we are when we build cities on low ground between rivers and lakes. Sometimes the rope snaps, the building falls, or the airship explodes. Sometimes the levees break and the pumps fail.

When these things happen, our response should be renewed determination to develop greater care, compassion, and collaboration among people in order to more effectively subdue nature.

"A City with Broken Walls"

"He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls." -- Proverbs 25:25-28

Quotations of the Day

"You never saw a very busy person who was unhappy."

"It is only those whose eyes have been washed clear with tears who get the broad vision that makes them brothers and sisters to all the world.

"For in all the world there are no people so piteous and forlorn as those who are forced to eat the bitter bread of dependency in their old age, and find how steep are the stairs of another man's house. Wherever they go they know themselves unwelcome. Wherever they are, they feel themselves a burden. There is no humiliation of the spirit they are not forced to endure. Their hearts are scarred all over with the stabs from cruel and callous speeches." -- Maine's own Dorothy Dix

MARKER AT INDEPENDENCE HALL HONORS GAY RIOT

How mainstream is the gay rights movement? Despite widespread opposition among the public, the homosexual rights movement enjoys great favor among the ruling liberal elite, enough so to have earned a marker a few yards away from Independence Hall. Done in the same style as the signs which mark the nearby Liberty Bell and the Betsy Ross House, the sign praises the homosexual rights movement. Annual demonstrations were held for gay and lesbian equality. These peaceful protests and New York's Stonewall Riots in 1969 and Pride Parade in 1970 transformed a small national campaign into a civil rights movement.

It is hard to understand why the ruling liberal elites are willing to put the Stonewall Riots on a par with Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Constitution was drafted, and the final version of the American flag was approved. The Stonewall Riots took place after New York City police, after a decade-long willingness to turn a blind eye to homosexual activity, entered a gay bar in Greenwich Village which featured scantily-clad gay go-go dancers, and which also had ties to organized crime. No raids had been conducted for several years before the Stonewall Riots, and this time the homosexual patrons refused to be arrested quietly. The riot started when a transsexual male threw a bottle at a police officer after being prodded by a nightstick. The altercation spilled over into the street, as patrons of other gay bars came to the aid of those being arrested. Meanwhile, irate gays tired to set fire to the bar in Stonewall Inn, but failed. Passer-bys who were perceived to have a heterosexual sexual orientation were pulled into the bars by the hair and beaten. All told, approximately two thousand gays went on a rampage that night. One explanation given for the riot was that the funeral of Judy Garland had taken place the week before, and many in the gay community were still upset over her death.

It is an irony of our time that such great historical figures as Washington and Jefferson are reviled in the liberal media, while the perpetrators of the Stonewall Riot deserve mention only a few yards away from Independence Hall. But to each his own.

GAY PRIDE CELEBRATION IN NEW ORLEANS CANCELLED

By an odd coincidence - and it was perhaps no more than a coincidence - an enormous gay rights celebration was scheduled for New Orleans just as the worst natural disaster ever to strike our nation was venting its full fury on that helpless city. Over 150,000 homosexuals were expected to attend the event this year, and as in past years, the French Quarter was to be filled with party-goers, many of them roaming the streets at night and committing lewd acts in public. Last year, a video tape of the drunken revelers committing sex acts in public was sent to Mayor Nagin and the City Council, but the city fathers of New Orleans, in their concern for the economic future of New Orleans and the tourist dollars that the event would bring in, once again issued official proclamations welcoming the organization. The event was scheduled for Wednesday August 31st, when the destructive force of the natural disaster was at its peak. The organization is called, appropriately enough, Southern Decadence.

ARE RELIGIOUS CONSERVATIVES GAINING INFLUENCE?

The Portland Press Herald is reporting that conservative Christians now have more political influence in Maine than their liberal counterparts. In a column published Saturday, reporter Paul Carrier states that the Christian Civic League has a much higher profile on the issue than the Maine Council of Churches, and that experts say the Religious Right is savvier and more passionate in expressing their views. Carrier offers many explanations why liberal churches are lagging behind. One possible explanation is that there is a variety of views in the liberal denominations with regard to the matter of homosexuality, and that liberal clergymen are reluctant to invite opposition among their church members over the issue. Another explanation is that the liberal message is nuanced and is therefore more difficult to get across than the black-and-white message of the religious conservatives.

Nonetheless, it is difficult to see how religious conservatives are more influential in politics then their liberal counterparts. Liberal churchmen are able to form broad coalitions with left-leaning groups such as the Maine Civil Liberties Union and to network with many other similar organizations. In reality, their power in society is enormous. For example, although the Portland Press Herald quoted Tom Ewell, Executive Director of the Maine Council of Churches, as saying that the Maine Council of Churches will not play as prominent a role in the debate over gay rights as the Christian Civic League, the paper failed to mention that Ewell is also on the Board of Directors of the Maine Chapter of the United Nations Association. Another board member of that same organization is Victoria Mares-Hershey, whose columns frequently appear on the editorial pages of the Portland Press Herald. Any claim that the Religious Left in Maine is lacking in political influence must be taken with a grain of salt.

A SIMPLE CHOICE

"He who comes from above is above all. He who has his origin in the earth is of the earth, and speaks as of the earth. He who comes out of heaven is above all, and what he has seen and has heard, this he testifies; and no one receives his testimony.

He that has received his testimony has set to his seal that God is true; for he whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives not the Spirit by measure.

The Father loves the Son, and has given all things to be in his hand. He that believes on the Son has life eternal, and he that is not subject to the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him."

(John 3:31-36)

QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

"No man is free who is not master of himself."

"The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests."

"Whoever does not regard what he has as most ample wealth, is unhappy, though he be master of the world."

"Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant."

(Epictetus)

GOVERNOR BALDACCI
RECEIVES LOW
RATINGS FROM PUBLIC

The latest polls measuring the public approval of Governor John Baldacci's job performance show him with a dismal 57% job disapproval rating. Only three other governors nationwide rank lower than John Baldacci, and they are Christine Gregoire of Washington, Bob Taft of Ohio, and Frank Murkowski of Alaska. In May, a survey was conducted which showed that only 29% of the people gave the Governor a favorable rating, which was considerably

A more likely explanation is that the public thinks the Governor is out of touch with the people of Maine. His plans for a Creative Economy which is based on technology, talent, and a tolerance, of homosexuals strikes many as farcical; and it is clear that he is pushing an urban agenda that is at odds with the traditions of Maine. But in politics it is appearance that counts, not substance, and that may be the reason why the Governor recently appointed Old Town native Crystal Canney as his new press secretary. Canney replaced Lynn Kippax, who was trained at New York University's Department of Film and Television.

Lee Umphrey, who is currently the Governor's Director of Communications, was quoted as saying that Canney was selected because the Governor liked her ability to connect with people. Umphrey created a stir last year by calling members of the League cuckoo clocks when they joined for a pro-marriage rally on the steps of the State House. The Governor has repeatedly turned down requests for a meeting with Michael Heath, the Executive Director of the Christian Civic League.

If the Governor really wants to connect with the common folk, he ought to give some thought to what it means to make gratuitous insults about an organization with a century-old tradition in Maine.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The following letter recaps the issues from the November 8th vote on gay rights. The letter contains so much common sense, and sums up the matter so nicely, we thought it worthwhile to print it here, even though the vote has long since passed.

Dear Editor:

A while ago, Sue Comyns had an article in Maine Voices entitled,
"Discrimination and Intolerance Hurt our Children." However, she speaks only of the children of the homosexual persuasion. What about the discrimination and intolerance that others are subjected to by the state playing the Pied Piper and bringing homosexuals into our schools trying to convince our children that homosexuality is harmless and as good, or better, than heterosexuality? This with the inevitable result that many young students are going to try the gay lifestyle after hearing such rhetoric."

Comyns asks, "How can we teach our children the virtue of fairness and tolerance if the law does not reflect our moral values?" Here we see where the crux of the matter lies, for with one fell swoop she has eliminated the immorality of homosexuality by focusing the spotlight on the morality of fairness and tolerance. Obviously her idea of morality is opposite to what has been the mores of Christianity for two thousand years and the Old Testament before that. For there is not one shred of evidence to be found in the Holy Bible that homosexuality is any part of God's plan for man.

Further, she claims that her son is subjected to words of hate in school. No doubt such things do happen. However, there are other ways of putting an end to this besides creating special rights for gays. Furthermore, if our laws ever make it a crime to speak out against the gay agenda, as it already has in Holland and Canada, freedom of speech will become as dead as the Dodo bird!

Many claim that homosexuality is a civil rights issue. However, this is not a civil rights issue but a behavioral one. In regard to this, some claim that gays carry a so-called "gay gene" from which they are unable to escape. But gay genes or not, thousands of former homosexuals are coming forward and witnessing to how they changed their lifestyle and became happily married men with children.

Also, Paul wrote in I Corinthians, 6-11, "Know you not that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?" followed next by a long list of sins, including homosexuality. "And such," he continues, "were some of you, but ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God," thus showing that homosexuality was overcome then, and continues to be overcome today.

Who would have ever thought twenty years ago that it would come to this -- that same-sexed people would demand, because of their sex-style, that they have special rights! Yes, special rights. For there are laws on the books which adequately protect everyone in employment, housing, credit and employment. As for other things, such as visiting rights in a hospital, inheritance, burial arrangements etc. a simple power of attorney is all that's needed.

So what's their beef? -- Approval and acceptance of their immoral, unhealthy lifestyle, with the right to marry. For they proudly proclaim that their homosexuality, even though fraught with the deadly AIDS virus, is on a par with heterosexuality. And furthermore that their morality and compassion is far above those whom they label, hate filled Christian bigots. Evidence of their brand of love and compassion was seen when they took advantage of laws which enabled them to "get" the Salvation Army, the Boy Scouts, and Catholic Charities because they wouldn't bend their knee to the homosexual agenda to the tune of thousands of government dollars; meanwhile their actions showing that they had no pity or compassion whatsoever for the poor and homeless who would have to go without. Not the least of which are the victims of Katrina and Rita...

The Holy Bible says, "By their fruits you shall know them." If
you feel that the fruits of the homosexual agenda will impinge upon society in a negative manner, be sure to go to the polls on November eighth and Vote "Yes!"

Phil Kennard

MATCHING GRANT OPPORTUNITY

In case you haven't heard, the Day Foundation, a Christian organization, has offered to help the Christian Civic League of Maine through a matching gift program for this calendar year, 2005.

The foundation will match every dollar donated to the League up to $500 per church, individual or organization in 2005 which is new giving, up to a total of $10,000. New giving means donations by new people or churches who have never given before, or giving over and above previous giving to the League.

The Day Foundation Consultant has informed Rev. Dallas Henry, Civic League Board President, that churches, organizations, and individuals can report their giving to him. He will then forward that giving information to the consultant who will see that a check is sent to the Christian Civic League of Maine from the Foundation.

The Day Foundation committed only for this year of 2005. All giving that is considered new money will be matched until December 31, 2005.

If you or your church has made any contributions to the League that would fit the guidelines of new money, please report it to Rev. Henry who can get every dollar matching under the guidelines explained above.

Any questions and giving information can be directed to Rev. Dallas Henry, 109 Schoolhouse Rd. Oxford, Maine 04270

Phone number for questions are as follows:

(207) 539-2295 office/daytime
(207) 743-7750 home/evenings
(207) 890-5228 cell/anytime

or email at dhenry40@verizon.net