Free Republic

A resolution pending in the United Nations in one form or another since 1999 is being pushed again by the Islamic nations that originally proposed the plan they called "Defamation of Islam," which would ban criticism of the beliefs of Muhammad worldwide. The proposal, sought by the 57 members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, now has be renamed "Defamation of Religions," but officials with Open Doors, an international Christian ministry operating in many of those Islamic states, is warning about its potential impact. WND has reported that a recent incarnation of the resolution sought to make the ban...

A resolution pending in the United Nations in one form or another since 1999 is being pushed again by the Islamic nations that originally proposed the plan they called "Defamation of Islam," which would ban criticism of the beliefs of Muhammad worldwide...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today called on HBO to apologize for an episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” in which the main character splattered urine on a painting of Jesus. snip “It is beyond tasteless to insult the religious sensibilities of billions of people in America and around the world with such a cheap and vulgar publicity stunt. Jesus, peace be upon him, is loved and revered by both Christians and Muslims. Muslims view him as one of God’s greatest messengers to mankind. snip “We understand the drive for ratings, but...

UNITED STATES SAYS "OKAY!" to ATTACK ON FREE SPEECH BY THE U.N. With billions of adherents, one would think that the world's religions could take care of themselves. But the U.N. Human Rights Council sees it otherwise. Under the guise of protecting free speech, the HRC passed a resolution supporting free speech--except that part of free speech that attempts to criticize religion. From Just say no to blasphemy laws While attracting surprisingly little attention, the Obama administration supported the effort of largely Muslim nations in the U.N. Human Rights Council to recognize exceptions to free speech for any "negative...

Take a look at the verse on the cover. The LORD God is saying this verse. With O's face on it, the connection can be made that O said this verse, instead of God Himself. Wow.

"Pastor's question to blasphemous artist: The date of Blasphemy Day was specifically chosen to commemorate a Danish newspaper’s publication in 2005 of cartoons that were unfavorable toward Islam and Muhammad. Muslims around the world rioted. Yet I notice that you, like virtually all atheist artists I have encountered, express your disdain for religion only by blaspheming Jesus. I’ve looked at all your paintings, but nothing in your work is aimed at Islam. Why do you and so many of your anti-religion colleagues give Islam a “free pass" but roast Christ mercilessly? You’re afraid of Muslim reprisals, and that’s just good...

"Hear our cry, Obama." "Deliver us, Obama." Video at link.

Ready for a day to honor blasphemy? According to press reports, September 30 is set as the observance of the first-ever International Blasphemy Day. This could be interesting. The choice of September 30 looks back to that date in the year 2005, when the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad's face sparked outcry and protests in the Muslim world and threats toward the West. Now, as Religion News Service reports, the Center for Inquiry is planning a day of observances to mark the occasion. Ron Lindsay, a lawyer who serves as president of the Council for Inquiry International, said...

TORONTO—You’ve never seen Jesus like this before: dripping red nail polish around the nails in his feet and hands, an irreverent riff on the crucifixion wounds. The provocative title of the painting: “Jesus Does His Nails.” Blasphemous? Absolutely. Deliberately provocative? You bet. It is part of an upcoming art exhibit in Washington that will mark the first-ever International Blasphemy Day next Wednesday (Sept. 30) at the Center for Inquiry DC near Capitol Hill. Artist Dana Ellyn says her “Blasphemy” paintings are a tongue-in-cheek expression of her lack of belief in God and religion. The self-described “agnostic atheist”—she doesn’t believe in...

No, I am not kidding; and, no, it isn’t mine. But, asinine as it sounds, a real-life, swear-against-God, Blasphemy contest. The so-called Center for Inquiry (CFI) is an off-shoot, rather malign growth, of the Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (now shortened to Committee for Skeptical Inquiry). When these folks used to chase ambiguous noises mistaken for ghosts they had a sense of humor, but after their success exposing Uri Geller’s spoon bending tricks, they had nothing left to do and they became dour and depressed. Instead of gracefully disbanding, they sought new enemies, resorting to imaginary...

We recently received a letter from a Pro-Life hero who, along with many, many others, stands outside of the so called “Northern Illinois Women’s Center” daily. This is an awful place where the lives of innocent children are routinely taken by procured abortion. Our writer braves the elements in order to proclaim the truth about what occurs inside that House of Horrors, as have scores of other pro-life champions for twenty five years. They pray and plead with the women who are being deceived into this evil act to change their minds and save their child. They also offer help...

The top-selling Bible in North America will undergo its first revision in 25 years, promising to reopen a contentious debate about changing gender terms in the sacred text. The New International Version, the Bible of choice for conservative evangelicals, will be revised to reflect changes in English usage and advances in Biblical scholarship, it was announced Tuesday. The revision is scheduled to be completed late next year and published in 2011. “We want to reach English speakers across the globe with a Bible that is accurate, accessible and that speaks to its readers in a language they can understand,” said...

Even in the heart of the Bible Belt, Texas isn’t immune to the proliferation of atheistic propaganda, whether in its public schools or now in atheist summer camps. Camp Quest—with the tagline “It’s beyond belief!”—bills itself as “the first residential summer camp in the history of the United States for the children of Atheists, Freethinkers, Humanists, Brights, or whatever other terms might be applied to those who hold to a naturalistic, not supernatural world view.”[1] The first UK Camp Quest, which received funding from the Richard Dawkins Foundation and other private donors, launched late July in England, and five other...

DUBLIN -- The Irish government plans to bring into force a new law in October that critics say is a return to medieval justice. The legislation, aimed at providing judges with clear direction on the 1937 Constitution's blasphemy prohibition, imposes a fine of up to 25,000 euros -- about $39,000 -- for anyone who "publishes or utters matter that is [intentionally meant to be] grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion."

On Friday July 11th, 2009, Ireland passed the Defamation Bill by one vote. One of the aspects of this bill would make it illegal to criticize religion… any religion under penalty of fines up to 25,000 Euros. That is the equivalent to nearly $35,000.When I first heard this story on the internets, I was certain that it was a false story. I read the story, googled it, checked out legitimate Ireland news sites, and double checked more Ireland news sites. The story checks out. It seems that the Blasphemy Clause of the Defamation Bill was challenged in the legislature...

President Obama’s honeymoon is beginning to fade. Members of Congress and old political hands say he needs to show substantial progress reviving the economy soon. Some Democrats have started to worry that voters don’t and won’t understand the link between economic revival and Obama’s huge agenda, which includes saving the banking industry, ending home foreclosures, reforming healthcare and developing a national energy policy, among much else. While lawmakers debate controversial proposals contained in the new president’s debut budget — cutting farm subsidies, raising taxes on charitable contributions, etc. — there is a growing sense that time is running out faster...

“Apparently to the College Democrats, making fun of Christianity, and specifically a memorial to aborted unborn children is humor. To me, it is flagrant, disrespectful and downright disgusting. The fact that these crosses remained displayed in the College Democrats’ office for over 24 hours just adds to the sheer lack of respect they have for Christians on campus.”- College Republican source, identity withheld for his protection pending investigationThis is a Pat Dollard.com exclusive.Back in October, The Washington Times reported on allegations of an ominous and potentially dangerous atmosphere of hostility and intolerance for campus Conservatives, free speech, and apparently now,...

Most American Christians believe many religions can lead to eternal life and among them, the vast majority says you don't even have to be Christian to go to heaven, a new survey shows. Sixty-five percent of all Christians say there are multiple paths to eternal life, ultimately rejecting the exclusivity of Christ teaching, according to the latest survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Even among white evangelical Protestants, 72 percent of those who say many religions can lead to eternal life name at least one non-Christian religion, such as Judaism or Islam or no religion...

<p>Police in Naples shut down vendors of nativity scenes featuring the Prez-elect alongside Jesus. Why so touchy?</p> <p>Thank your stars you don't live in Italy, where you can get shut down for selling Barack Obama nativity figures.</p> <p>All this would make one think Italians have no sense of humor, which is totally untrue - after all, socialist party leader, media mogul, football-team owner, Economist whipping boy and (in his spare time) prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is famous for his wit.</p>

The Italian city of Naples has for centuries made big profits through the sale of nativity scene figurines. It is home to some of the finest displays of the nativity scene in the world. And each year, craftsmen in Naples come up with figurines of some of today’s best known public figures, which are often added to traditional displays. This year, most likely to be standing alongside Mary and Joseph, or perhaps the three wise men, will be another heralded couple – the Obamas. According to sales records, the newly elected first couple has been outselling French first couple Nicholas...

Atheists do not hate God. We just tend to think the world could be better without God, better yet without religion in general. What has religion done to humanity as a whole? Start wars, slavery, genocide, etc. Anything done in the name of religion could have been done in regular goodness. Of course, no one is trying to make us believe in God, but in my own personal opinion, acknowledging God to keep a state safe is preposterous. Where was God

A filmmaker who recently released an independent project about a formula that turns all heterosexuals into "gays" now has announced he's working on "The Princess Diana Bible" in which "God" ordains homosexuality as the better lifestyle. "There are many different versions of the Bible; I don't see why we can't have one," stated Max Mitchell in a statement on a website for his new project. The "gay Bible," produced by the New Mexico-based Revision Studios, states God instructs "it is better to be gay than straight." Mitchell said he developed the idea for the "Bible" from his new movie project,...

The country's lack of religious freedom betrays its lofty rhetoric. The real aim of its 'dialogue' is to promote a global blasphemy law. World leaders gathering at the United Nations this week for a special session of the General Assembly to advance interfaith dialogue should have no illusions that their efforts will miraculously promote mutual respect between religious communities or end abuses of religious freedom. Saudi King Abdullah, who initiated this week's special session, is quietly enlisting the leaders' support for a global law to punish blasphemy – a campaign championed by the 56-member Organization of Islamic Conference that puts...

Madonna says Sarah Palin is not welcome at her concerts. Not that the GOP vice presidential candidate would attend a Madonna show, anyway, considering the provocative singer has hung from a neon cross and posed naked for a coffee-table book. That would be like President Bush showing up at a Kanye West show. During the U.S. kickoff of her "Sticky and Sweet" tour at the Meadowlands in New Jersey on Saturday, Madonna shouted: "Sarah Palin can't come to my party! Sarah Palin can't come to my show. It's nothing personal," according to the New York Post.

British authorities arrested three Muslims in London on Saturday after fires broke out in the offices of the publishing house Gibson Square and at the home of the publisher, Martin Rynja. Gibson Square had been planning to publish The Jewel of Medina by Sherry Jones, a trashy novel sensationalizing the marriage of the Islamic prophet Muhammad to the child Aisha (Muhammad was in his fifties, and Aisha was nine, when the happy union was consummated).

Obama is my homeboy. And I'm not saying that because he's black - I'm saying that in reference to those Urban Outfitters t-shirts from a couple years ago that said, "Jesus is my homeboy." Yes, I just said it. Obama is my Jesus. While you may be overtly religious and find this to be idol-worshipping, or may be overtly politically correct and just know that everything in that sentence could be found offensive, I'm afraid it's true anyway. As with many spiritual enlightenments, mine came in the middle of a bleak, hopeless period of my life. The innocent, idealistic world...

Amid growing opposition, a campaign by the world’s Islamic nations to have international bodies outlaw the “defamation” of religion may be facing an uphill battle. The drive by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), led by members including Pakistan, Iran and Egypt, has sparked concern that the right to freedom of expression is being undermined by a group of countries, including some that enforce blasphemy laws and punish “apostasy.”

How distasteful was Donna Brazile's line about Jesus being a community organizer and Pontius Pilate a governor for purposes of making an invidious comparison between Barack Obama and Sarah Palin? Enough that even ardent Obama-phile Chris Matthews rapped Dem congressman Steve Cohen's knuckles for repeating it on the House floor. But, incredibly, when Rudolph Giuliani appeared on Meet the Press today, Tom Brokaw used the same line to confront Rudy over comments in his GOP convention speech about Obama's community organizing. Brokaw went so far as to display a button [screencap after jump] bearing the phrase. Brokaw might just as...

This is an inspirational message video of the soon return of Jesus of Nazareth for His Bride, the Church. The instrumental song is, “In The Garden” and is cut to fit the one-minute footage.

Is prayer to saints / Mary Biblical?" The issue of Catholics praying to saints is one that is full of confusion. It is the official position of the Roman Catholic Church that Catholics do not pray TO saints or Mary, but rather that Catholics can ask saints or Mary to pray FOR them. The official position of the Roman Catholic Church is that asking saints for their prayers is no different than asking someone here on earth to pray for you. However, the practice of many Catholics diverges from official Roman Catholic teaching. Many Catholics do in fact pray directly...

A 50-year-old Muslim man, who allegedly made a blasphemous statement against Prophet Muhammad, was beaten to death in Kano on Saturday. The man was killed at Sheka Aci Lafiya quarters when some angry Muslim youths besieged his house and beat him to a state of coma. He died shortly after a team of police and Hisbah officials rescued him from the mob, the police said. The man died as he was being rushed to the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital. Witnesses told Daily Trust that the man, though a Muslim, made a statement residents considered as blasphemous against the Holy Prophet...

Perhaps it is easier to list what is not attacked in this brutal ridiculing of the Catholic faith. The production is called "Jerry Springer--The Opera in Concert" and it will run from June 26-August 3 at the New Stage Collective in Cincinnati. The so-called opera will also be showing at The Studio Theatre in Washington D.C. from July 16-Aug. 10 The American TFP and its America Needs Fatima campaign vehemently protest this production. The TFP is asking its friends and supporters to send their e-protests to both theaters right away. The TFP is also promoting a protest outside the...

Police rescue Christian from angry mob. ISTANBUL, May 16 (Compass Direct News) – Pakistani police have jailed a Christian doctor after “blasphemy” charges incited a mob attack on his home last week in Punjab province. Officials said Dr. Robin Sardar is being held in Punjab’s Gujranwala Central Jail. His wife and six children have left their home in the town of Chak Chatta, 200 miles southeast of Islamabad. “This is the house of a blasphemer,” reads a sign on the gates of Sardar’s now empty home where a crowd of angry villagers gathered on May 5, Union of Catholic Asia...

Obama aide says he didn't mean to blaspheme Jesus - Stopped using 'gay' video piece after Christian confronted him Posted: April 25, 2008 By Jerome R. Corsi © 2008 WorldNetDaily Larry Lessig lectures to Google employees An Obama adviser denies he had blasphemous intent by including in his lectures a video of a 'gay' Jesus Christ sashaying nearly naked down a city street to the tune of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," only to get run over by a bus. "I decided to stop using the video when one Christian whom I knew told me he thought it was unhelpful...

JEDDAH, 21 April 2008 — The case of a Turkish barber who was sentenced to death at the Jeddah General Court on March 31 on charges of blasphemy will be sent to the Appeals Court in Makkah next week. Sabri Bogday was sentenced to death after two men, one Saudi and the other Egyptian, reported to the authorities that he had sworn at God and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at his barbershop in Jeddah early last year. Bogday was made to appear before three judges — Sheikh Muhammad Al-Aamer, Sheikh Fahd Al-Ammari and Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Lihidan —...

DUBAI--Three Filipino workers who allegedly tore a page of the Muslim holy book the Koran and scribbled on it are being investigated on charges of blasphemy, a newspaper reported on Sunday. Their employer lodged a complaint with police in the conservative emirate of Sharjah based on a statement by a colleague, the English-language daily The National quoted an official at the Philippines consulate as saying. The employee said he saw his three colleagues commit the act deemed to be blasphemous in the United Arab Emirates, the paper said. The three men and seven other workers had been involved in a...

It is my opinion that we need to pray for our leaders this election. Many Conservative are disappointed with the selection of Senator John S. McCain. But in one sense, he is the true conservative in values -- he has fought for campaign finance reform -- getting big money out of politics. This should allow the little guy (or gal) more voice in what this country is doing. In some religions, it is part of the church service to pray for the leaders of a country (Ukrainian Catholic, for example). We must pray for our leaders and pray that the...

LAHORE: In yet another case of religious persecution of the minorities in Pakistan, a Hindu was beaten to death in the port city Karachi by dozens of his Muslim co-workers at a leather factory for uttering blasphemous remarks about Prophet Muhammad.The incident took place in a factory in Sector 15 of the Korangi Industrial Area, after a discussion about religion became heated between Jagdish Kumar and his Muslim co-workers. According to the Karachi police sources, Jagdish, a 25-year-old resident Mirpurkhas, was tortured to death on Tuesday over allegations that he spoke against the sanctity of the Prophet Muhammed. According to...

That triumphal barnburner of an Easter hymn, Jesus Christ Has Risen Today – Hallelujah, this morning will rock the walls of Toronto's West Hill United Church as it will in most Christian churches across the country. But at West Hill on the faith's holiest day, it will be done with a huge difference. The words “Jesus Christ” will be excised from what the congregation sings and replaced with “Glorious hope.” Thus, it will be hope that is declared to be resurrected – an expression of renewal of optimism and the human spirit – but not Jesus, contrary to Christianity's central...

Kabeer wala (AsiaNews) – His name is Altaf Husain and he is an 80-year-old man. He was arrested by police in Kabeer wala for desecrating the Qur‘an, a crime which is punishable with life in prison according to the Pakistan Criminal Code. The elderly man belongs to the Ahmadiyya, a Muslim religious movement condemned as heretical in 1974. With perhaps as many as 3 million followers, especially in Punjab, the Ahmadi community has suffered from harassment and persecution. According to police, a student saw Altaf Husain rip pages out of a Qur‘an last Monday and throw them on the ground....

February 24, 2008Universal Islamic 'Blasphemy' Law ? By Andrew G. Bostom Almost two weeks ago, "three men with a Muslim background" were arrested by Danish police on anti-terrorism charges, suspected of having plotted to murder Kurt Westergaard, a cartoonist for Jyllands-Posten. Westergaard is one of the 12 cartoonists who on September 30, 2005 published cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad to protest the tacit enforcement in Danish society of Islam's taboo on depictions of Muhammad, no matter how banal, or inoffensive, through intimidation -- a clear violation of Western freedom of expression. Upon learning of the arrests, Westergaard (noted for...

ESPN, ABC Refuse to Take Any Action ESPN and its parent company, ABC, have refused to take any action against ESPN anchorwoman Dana Jacobson for her hateful, slurring remarks against Jesus, saying "F-- -- Jesus." On January 11, Jacobson was speaking at a celebrity roast in Atlantic City, N.J., when she unleashed a profane tirade, saying, "F--- Notre Dame," "F--- Touchdown Jesus" and finally "F--- Jesus." "Touchdown Jesus" is the popular moniker for a statue of Jesus raising his arms, located on the Notre Dame campus. Catholic League president Bill Donohue spoke with ESPN about the attack and received an...

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan - Dozens of Afghan journalists and activists on Saturday sought the release of a journalist detained by security officials for allegedly making blasphemous comments. The 23-year-old Sayed Perwiz Kambakhsh, reporter of Jahan-e Naw daily paper and a journalism student at Balkh University in northern Afghanistan, was detained three months ago. Kambakhsh was accused of mocking Islam and the holy book, the Koran, and for distributing an article which said Prophet Mohammad had ignored the rights of women. Activists gathered outside at the Human Rights Commission’s office in Mazar-i-Sharif, the provincial capital of Balkh, demanding the journalist’s release. Habibullah...

THE Dutch were debating the limits of freedom of expression last week after an artist who photographed gay men wearing masks of the prophet Muhammad was forced into hiding and her work removed from a museum exhibit. Speaking on the telephone from an unspecified location in the Netherlands last week, the artist, an Iranian exile who goes by the pseudonym of Sooreh Hera, said she had been threatened with “execution”. She accused the director of the municipal museum in The Hague of cowardice for caving in to Muslim extremists. Her story is a reminder of the tensions that have put...

Woman artist gets death threats over gay Muslim photos Matthew Campbell THE Dutch were debating the limits of freedom of expression last week after an artist who photographed gay men wearing masks of the prophet Muhammad was forced into hiding and her work removed from a museum exhibit. Speaking on the telephone from an unspecified location in the Netherlands last week, the artist, an Iranian exile who goes by the pseudonym of Sooreh Hera, said she had been threatened with “execution”. She accused the director of the municipal museum in The Hague of cowardice for caving in to Muslim extremists....

Gore: Scientists Disagreeing with Climate Alarmism Tied to Big Oil Photo of Noel Sheppard. By Noel Sheppard | December 21, 2007 - 11:46 ET As NewsBusters reported Thursday, over 400 scientists in 2007 "voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called ‘consensus' on man-made global warming." Predictably, Nobel Laureate Al Gore dismissed this historic Senate report by stating through a representative that some of these esteemed scientists from around the world have connections to Big Oil, and, therefore, their opinions should be ignored. Pretty amazing coming from a man that likely has made what some estimate is $100 million...

A British primary school teacher arrested in Sudan faces up to 40 lashes for blasphemy after letting her class of 7-year-olds name a teddy bear Muhammad. Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, was arrested at at Khartoum's Unity High School yesterday, and accused of insulting the Prophet of Islam. Her colleagues said that they feared for her safety after reports that groups of young men had gathered outside the Khartoum police station where she was taken and were shouting death threats. The Unity school is a Christian-run but multi-racial and co-educational private school that is popular with Sudanese professionals and expatriate...

Hollywood producers are to film a movie about Jesus as a mystic travelling across India living in Buddhist monasteries and fighting injustice. They drew on revisionist scholars to flesh out the "missing years" of Jesus, between the ages of 13 and 30, which are untouched in the Bible. "The Aquarian Gospel," a $20 million movie, portrays Jesus as a holy man and teacher inspired by eastern religions in India. It takes its name from a century-old book that examined Christianity's eastern roots and is in its 53rd reprint, the Guardian reported Monday in a story carried on BuddhistChannel.tv. Producers say...

Afghan blasphemy suspect arrested Agence France Presse KABUL: An Afghan official accused of misinterpreting the Holy Quran in a translation of the holy book was arrested trying to cross into Pakistan Sunday, a day after parliament banned him from travelling, the attorney general said. Mohammad Ghaws Zalmai, a spokesman for attorney general Abdul Jabar Sabet, was picked up at the Torkham border crossing in the early morning, Sabet told reporters in Kabul. "Ghaws Zalmai was arrested at the border gate as he was crossing into Pakistan," he said. Sabet said he had also ordered the arrest of a Kabul preacher,...