Tuesday, May 2nd, in the year of our Lord 2017
By Kevin Swanson
Supreme Court Upholds California Ban on Counseling Against Homosexuality
The United States Supreme Court, with the recent addition of Justice Neil Gorsuch, has spoken out on religious liberties.
The Supremes have allowed a California law to stand that would prohibit licensed therapists from discouraging homosexuality among children, or the use of “conversion therapy.”
A Wesleyan pastor named Donald Welch had brought the challenge to the California law, insisting that the ban interfered with his religious beliefs in his counseling practice. The law effectively disallows Bible-believing Christians from participating in state-licensed therapy.
Psalm 37:22-23 says, “The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.”
California Considers Bill Protecting Islamic Terrorists
Not only has the state of California refused to protect religious rights for Christians, but Democrat legislators are now pushing for another bill that will protect religious freedoms … for Muslims.
According to a World Net Daily article, California Senate Bill 31 would “effectively protect Islamic terrorists by barring law enforcement and immigration authorities from collecting information regarding religious beliefs” of suspected terrorists.
New Federal Budget Retains Funding for Planned Parenthood
Afraid that the Democrats might push for a shutdown of the government, the Trump administration gave in to a bipartisan agreement on $1.2 trillion of spending. The new agreement retains funding for Planned Parenthood, more funding for Obamacare, and a host of environmental programs that Trump had threatened to cut.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the compromises were necessary to achieve a 60 vote super-majority in the U.S. Senate.
Rev. Pat Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition told The World View that he is not happy with President Donald Trump nor the Republican Congress for caving unnecessarily to the Democrats on the sanctity of life.
“In the new proposed budget by Congress, the funding of Planned Parenthood has been included in that proposal. This in spite of the fact that when many members of Congress ran in 2016 — and the president himself – the defunding Planned Parenthood was a critical part of what they said.
“Also, and we have to put this in perspective, twice in the last session they voted to defund Planned Parenthood. It’s clearly not only a betrayal of the innocent children, but it’s also a betrayal of the tens of thousands of people who worked countless hours, donated millions of dollars, dropped off literature because they believed that this was very much a part of it. I don’t think right now that we can consider this a pro-life Congress if they vote to fund the largest abortion provider in the world.”
Needless to say, Mahoney explained to The World View that fellow pro-life activists are equally upset.
“It’s an utter disappointment. It sends the wrong exact message. I’ve talked to activists and leaders across the country who are deflated, who really expected something different from this president, to see suddenly the breaking story late last night, and then early this morning that they had reached a tentative proposed budget agreement, and that Planned Parenthood was still getting the money.”
Mahoney’s only consolation is that the Trump administration was willing to compromise on funding Planned Parenthood for the moment, in order to avoid a shutdown of the government, in favor of defunding Planned Parenthood later through a new version of the Health Care Act.
Wade Quadruplets Decide to Go to Yale University
The Wade quadruplets from Ohio are headed for Yale University. 18-year-olds Nick, Zach, Aaron, and Nigel Wade were accepted to a combined 59 colleges, but the quadruplets settled on Yale. The boys’ father told NBC News that the secret to raising successful sons is “lots of push-ups and sit-ups and running. Discipline and structure.”
But Ecclesiastes 12:13 emphasizes what should be our two top priorities. “Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
Reuters Analyzes Likelihood of Various Airlines to Remove Passengers
The forcible removal of passengers from flights has surfaced as a growing concern after a well-publicized story emerged from a United Airlines flight.
Reuters’ analysis of the Bureau of Transportation stats found that the worst airlines for removing passengers are ExpressJet, SkyWest, and Delta. The best performers are Jet Blue, Frontier, and American Airlines.
British Embassies Perform Homosexual Weddings in Australia
British embassies are performing homosexual weddings in Australia and in other places where it would otherwise be illegal.
Since 2015, the British High Commission has permitted homosexuals to marry on consulate grounds, if one or both are British citizens. Australians and Chinese have conducted the most weddings on British consulate grounds thus far.
2 Peter 2:6 says, “By turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes [the Lord] condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly.”
One Person Killed by Stabbing at University of Texas
A stabbing attack at the University of Texas in Austin yesterday, resulted in one death and two more wounded.
GDP Registers Lowest in Three Years
First quarter Gross Domestic Product registered the lowest in three years. Economists are blaming it on slow spending.
Another Abortion Mill Closes Down in California
Praise be to God! Another abortion mill has closed. This one in Sacramento, California after 42 years in operation.
Californians for Life News issued a statement, saying, “Thank you to everyone who has ever participated in the Sacramento 40 Days for Life for helping to make this miracle happen! They have been hurting women and killing babies for 42 years. We pray for everyone who works in the abortion industry for conversion of heart and mind.”
May Day Marches in Various Cities Support Immigration and Homosexuality
Yesterday was May Day, a holiday celebrated mostly by communists and pagans. Marches in Seattle, Chicago, and New York variously advocated for immigration, homosexuality, and general anti-Trump positions.
Nonetheless, we say, “This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)
Victims of ISIS Kidnapping and Trafficking Speak Out
Thirty six captives of the Islamic state who were rescued in Mosul are speaking out about the evil abuses they endured. These men and women and children were Yazidis, a minority group that is persecuted much like Christians.
One of the girls, a victim of ISIS human trafficking, Nadia Murad related the horrors of her own experience during a visit to London. “For us,” she said, “they killed the men and took the women and children. They were committing all kinds; murder, rape and displacing people by force in the name of Islam. Many people may think my story is difficult, but many more had more difficult than mine. They killed six of my brothers, but there are families that have lost 10 brothers.”
Psalm 146:7 says, “He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free.”
Half of U.K. Residents Say Church is Vital
Another poll of U.K. residents shows that half of them believe that the local church is “vital.”
The survey was conducted by special insurers Ecclesiastical, and over 30% of those surveyed also said that they would “campaign” to prevent the closure of their church.
And that’s the World View in Five Minutes.