NRO: "The excitement on the matter of Harriet Miers’s religious beliefs was taken to hysterical lengths by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. His device was a fancied item from the Iraq News Agency making the acidulous point, through a (fictional) secular Sunni judge, that here we are, in America, hearing political ad-visers urge the confirmation of Harriet Miers by citing her Christianity. This brings on apoplectic resentment. 'After two years of being lectured to by U.S. diplomats about the need to separate "mosque from state" in the new Iraq,'...this Muslim official was 'stunned when he heard President Bush telling Rep-ublicans that one reason they should support Harriet Miers for the U.S. Supreme Court was because of ‘her religion.’ ... Fidelity to the Christian faith presupposes an attachment to equality. Muslim fundamentalism does no such thing.”.

David Van Biema in Time: "It is the book's explana-tion for this key sequence that makes it exclusively Christian. After Edmund Pevensie betrays Aslan and his brother and sisters, the Witch claims his blood in accor-dance to the laws of 'Deep Magic.' Aslan concedes this and offers himself up in proxy, announcing glumly, 'I have settled the claim on your brother's blood.' Miracu-lously revived, he explains, 'the Witch knew the Deep Magic. But if she could have looked a little further back. .. she would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards.' This is Christianity in a kid-lit veil. Like any good sermon, its key points can be traced to Biblical citations—here mostly from the Letters of the apostle Paul...."

In Human Events: "Heart: In so many ways, this ap-pointment is classic Bush. Nearly six years ago, when asked in an early debate among Republican presidential candidates to name his favorite philosopher, W. fa-mously said, 'Christ, because he changed my heart.' The pooh-poohing of his answer then (favorite philoso-pher—the question was about mind, not heart) anticipa-ted the current debate among conservatives: suffering servant? Why not intellectual leader? It's George W. Bush's analysis that 'heart' is crucial, since a good mind by itself also does not a great justice make. We may end up having been bamboozled by this nominee, in which case the Republican Party will pay a heavy price. But give Bush credit...[h]e has not only nomina-ted a justice, but implicitly called for a paradigm shift in conservative thinking."

"though she'd moved out of their longtime home in New Orleans more than a year before Hurricane Katrina, she still has property there—and the deep emotional con-nection that led her to make the city the setting for such novels as Interview With the Vampire....'For the last six months,' she says, 'people have been sending e-mails saying, "What are you doing next?" And I've told them, "You may not want what I'm doing next."' We'll know soon. In two weeks, Anne Rice, the chron-icler of vampires, witches and—under the pseudonym A. N. Roquelaure—of soft-core S&M encounters, will publish Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, a novel about the 7-year-old Jesus, narrated by Christ himself. 'I promis-ed,' she says, 'that from now on I would write only for the Lord.' It's the most startling public turnaround since Bob Dylan...announced that he'd been born again."

Ottawa Sun: “Accepting that my random survey of 62 teens is small and unscientific, here is what teens said: 55% believe intercourse is fine at 16 years or younger (compared to 22% of adults surveyed) and one-third of teens said 15 or under was okay....When I asked teens if oral sex was sex, 76% insisted it was not (92% of adults said that, without a doubt, oral sex is sex). 'It's just fore-play,' said a 16-year-old girl. 'It doesn't count the same,' said a 14-year-old Muslim girl. The 'Clinton defence" (a term that came up frequently during my research, refer-ring to the former U.S. president's take on oral sex) is clearly gaining wide acceptance. Repeatedly, when I asked teens if they were sexually active and got a 'no,' what I was being told was that they had not had inter-course. When I asked about oral sex, half who said they were not...active admitted they've had oral sex.”

Nigel M. de S. Cameron in Christianity Today: "If you read the mainstream press, you would be forgiven for be-lieving that...only half-crazed, pro-life 'extremists' have any doubts about the miracle cures that will spring any moment from embryonic stem-cell research, and that 'therapeutic cloning' is the technology of the future. Ac-cording to a new opinion poll conducted by Virginia Com-monwealth University (VCU), you would be very wrong.... Some of these results are so astonishing that you may not believe them—but they follow...earlier polling by VCU, so they can't be dismissed as accident and error. For ex-ample, how many Americans believe that embryonic stem-cell research 'holds the greatest promise for dis-covering new treatments for disease, compared to other types of stem cell research?' 90...70...40...25 percent?
...The answer is an almost unbelievable 14 percent."  

Brownfield: "A recent report released by the Center for Consumer Freedom documents the systematic attacks PETA has been making on religion....The report states that, to spread the gospel of vegetarianism, PETA’s full-time 'faith-based campaigners' work under the direction of a campaign coordinator who has publicly advocated 'blowing stuff up and smashing windows' as 'a great way to bring about animal liberation.' PETA has recently begun holding protests at houses of worship, even suing one church that tried to protect its congregation from Sunday-morning har-assment. PETA’s billboards and other advertisements taunt Christians with the message that livestock 'died for your sins,' misrepresent the teachings of the Mormon faith, and even make the false claim that Jesus was a vegetar-ian. PETA even paraded a statue of a cow dressed as the Pope in front of [a] Catholic church...."

"From World War I to the 1950's, the nation became more secular...while...advertising and mass production rose. Advertisers sought to woo everyone, regardless of creed, and so avoided Christian themes. In parts of the country, however, there was still a feeling that a busi-ness owner ought to be a devout Christian, and those who were not, like Jewish executives in Hollywood, often felt pressure to make a public show of addressing that expectation. 'That's why films in the 1940's show Cath-olic priests as supermen...That may be the best exam-ple of intimidation, which of course only works when the assumption is that some businessmen are not good Christians. The more people assume that business is secular humanist liberal - e.g., by giving gay partner ben-efits - the more they may feel a need to reconcile 'people of faith."' And that may be the position of Starbucks.”

Edinburgh Evening News: "Gideons Bibles are set to be removed from Edinburgh University halls of residence following protests from students that leaving them in their bedrooms is discriminatory. For the first time, more than 2000 students arriving at the university next autumn are likely to find no bible waiting for them....But student leaders insist it is an important step towards making sure people of all religions feel welcome on campus. There are more than 2000 bibles at the univer-sity's Pollock Halls campus, on the edge of Holyrood Park—one in each room. They are expected to be re-moved after a vote by the Edinburgh University Students Association. University officials have yet to approve the ban. However, similar calls from students in the past— including one to have prayers removed from graduation ceremonies... have been agreed without protest." 

Cybercast News Service: "The bill passed through
the lower House of Commons last July. In the upper chamber, opposition to the measure comes primarily from Conservatives and Liberal Democrat parties, but some lawmakers from the ruling Labor Party could join them. Outside parliament, the law has drawn opposition from a broad range of groups, from evangelical Chris-tians who worry about its impact on their freedom to share their faith or question the claims of other religions, to actors and comedians who fear it will make mocking religious beliefs a crime. The bill outlaws any written material or public verbal comments 'that are threatening, abusive or insulting [and] likely to stir up racial or religious hatred.' The offense carries a jail term of up to seven years."

Agape Press: "Although the 'Attitude Check' assem-blies were not religious in nature, the mother of a stu-dent took issue with the program's message. After she complained, the Maryland ACLU sent a letter to the school district, arguing that the program is intended to proselytize students and thus violates the First Amend-ment. However, Rick Vigneulle says the allegation that he and his brother engaged in proselytizing in schools is 'an absolute lie.' People 'know that the program is effective and the kids seem to respond well,' he con-tends. 'The problem is you've got a few liberal lunatics out there.' Complaints from anti-Christian or atheistic individuals...are nothing out of the ordinary, the come-dian and youth speaker notes. 'We can understand— we're not trying to make them mad....'They just get mad over every little thing that a Christian does.'"

R. Albert Mohler, Jr. in Christian Post: "Noah Riner [said]: 'Jesus is a good example of character, but He's also much more. He is the solution to flawed people like corrupt Dartmouth alums, looters, and me.' As he later explained, 'Jesus' message of redemption is simple. People are imperfect, and there are consequences for our actions. He gave His life for our sin so that we wouldn't have to bear the penalty of the law; so we could see love. The problem is me; the solution is God's love: Jesus on the cross, for us.' The response was immed-iate, vitriolic, and revealing. The...campus newspaper [ran] a comic strip depicting Riner as a crusading theo-crat and Jesus as a marijuana smoker. Kaelin Goulet... condemned Riner for his speech. 'Your first opportunity to represent Student Assembly to the incoming freshmen was appalling,' she wrote."

The West Australian: "Church representatives agreed yesterday with comments by Sydney Anglican Arch-bishop Peter Jensen who said few young Australians owned Bibles or knew about the gospel and did not adopt a Christian lifestyle because it restricted their moral freedom. Anglican Schools Commission execu-tive director, the Rev. Peter Laurence, said young peo-ple knew less about the Christian faith than they did a generation ago. Children entering Anglican high schools in Year 8 had almost no knowledge of biblical teaching. 'Most West Australians would have a Bible in their home but I would doubt it would have been read in any significant way in recent times,' he said. '(Year 8s) will have heard of Jesus but their knowledge of Jesus is marginal.'"

Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA Today: "Last month, Baylor University pulled Starbucks cups after objections to a quote from writer Armistead Maupin saying that 'life is too damn short' to hide being gay. [Purpose Driven Life author Rick] Warren says the idea of a grande pitch for God as creator came to him after seeing a Starbucks quote on evolution from paleontologist Louise Leakey. Because Starbucks solicited customer contributions... Warren sent his in. On Tuesday, Starbucks spokes-woman Sanja Gould confirmed that it would be used. The cups carry a disclaimer that the opinions 'do not necessarily reflect the views of Starbucks.' But a few companies plant clues to Christianity in their wrappings, music or signs because the owners are believers...In-N-Out Burger...clothing chains Forever 21 and XXI."

A Christmas gift from Xnmp—The "gift" is a tip. Add the Google toolbar to your computer's Internet Explorer browser. It zaps popup ads on news websites, which is great, but even better, its search option to "search this site" is awesome. It's virtually an index of any site, including this one. Try it—go to the web address below, click "download," and it automatically installs itself if your computer is WIndows XP. And Merry Christmas!
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