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Members of the Occupy Wall Street movement urinated on a cross, desecrated a church and threw Bibles at police officers in separate incidents over the weekend. Protesters in San Francisco occupied an abandoned hotel and began attacking police – hurling bricks and Bibles at officers. “Once they gained access [to the hotel], some of them made it to the top of the roof and they began to throw Bibles down at the officers,” San Francisco Police Dept. spokesman Carlos Manfredi told ABC News. Several officers were injured in the attack. In New York City, Occupy protesters allegedly urinated on a...

Cross Removed From San Antonio Tower By Brittany Smith | Christian Post Reporter It was a small cross, but it has created a big debate in San Antonio. The “Torre de Esperanza,” or Tower of Hope, stands close to the entrance of Texas A&M University-San Antonio. The tower’s private owners put a small cross on the structure consistent with its Spanish mission-style design. They also allowed the school to put its seal on the structure. The cross, however, was recently removed. The ACLU of Texas said the developer of the tower, Ralph Lampman of the VTLM Group, ordered the crosses...

A large cross that had been prominently displayed outside a chapel on an isolated military base in northern Afghanistan was taken down last week, prompting outrage from some American service members stationed there. “We are here away from our families, and the chapel is the one place that feels like home,” a service member at Camp Marmal told POLITICO. “With the cross on the outside, it is a constant reminder for all of us that Jesus is here for us.” Continue Reading Text Size -+reset Listen Latest on POLITICO Obama address: We can overcome For both parties, reasons to give...

The charity’s politically-correct move triggered an avalanche of criticism and mockery last night – from Christians. Christine Banks, a volunteer at a Red Cross shop in New Romney, Kent, said: ‘We put up a nativity scene in the window and were told to take it out. It seems we can’t have anything that means Christmas. We’re allowed to have some tinsel but that’s it. ‘When we send cards they have to say season’s greetings or best wishes. They must not be linked directly to Christmas. ‘When we asked we were told it is because we must not upset Muslims.’ Mrs...

Why did the Occupier cross the road? Because his Mom called and said, “It’s time to come home, honey.” Because ‘Ketchup’ broke her glasses during a fit of righteous crying and had to go to Lynz-Krafterz Because some radicals thought “free love” meant “unsolicited surprise sex” Because three homeless guys were occupying his tent "Help, police..." Because a few "more-equal-than-thous" (aka, Party people) appropriated [sic, smoked up] his stach for the Greater Good -- he had to score another bag of kind bud Because the police car looked like a port-o-john Help me out, comrades! What are some other reasons...

(AINA) -- In mid-October Egyptian media published news of an altercation between Muslim and Christian students over a classroom seat at a school in Mallawi, Minya province. The altercation lead to the murder of a Christian student. The media portrayed the incident as non-sectarian. However, Copts Without Borders, a Coptic news website, refuted this version and was first to report that the Christian student was murdered because he was wearing a crucifix. "We wanted to believe the official version," said activist Mark Ebeid, "because the Coptic version was a catastrophe, as it would take persecution of Christians also to schools."...

A federal judge Wednesday authorized the settlement of a lawsuit over allegations of religious censorship at Houston National Cemetery. Local veterans and volunteer groups had accused VA and cemetery officials of banning them from using religious speech - including the words Jesus and God - during services at the cemetery. The parties reached agreement in the case through mediation last month, and Judge Lynn Hughes signed his consent Wednesday. "This agreement preserves VA policy that families' wishes are paramount when their loved ones - our nation's heroes - are laid to rest," Steve Muro, VA's undersecretary for memorial affairs, said...

<p>Editor's Note: This story was originally published on July 29, 2011 and it being republished in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.</p> <p>The World Trade Center cross is still a “sign of comfort” to many people, says the Franciscan priest who describes himself as its “unofficial guardian.”</p>

We must fight back. Urgent petition:  Keep the Cross at Ground Zero A group called American Atheists is suing to get the World Trade Center Cross removed from the 9-11 Memorial and Museum in New York City. Shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, a construction worker found the Cross-shaped beams in the rubble of the World Trade Center. Immediately, the steel Cross became a powerful sign of hope for those who lost family members on Sept. 11, and for every American who loves God. Now this beloved symbol is under attack from American Atheists. They are suing to get it...

It now appears that the ACLJ has less than two weeks to file a legal brief backing the cross at the new Ground Zero Museum. This is being challenged in court by the American Atheists. It is their view (the ACLJ) that the lawsuit is without merit. The cross was formed by two intersecting steel beams that survived the Twin Towers collapse on 9-11. According to the radio station that I heard this information, you can sign the petition at 1-877-989-2255 OR you can log onto Aclj.com and look under "Radio Årchives". ** I apologize if this format is incorrect...

The two steel girders in the shape of a cross discovered in the rubble of the World Trade Center have since been moved to a museum dedicated to 9/11. ALBANY, N.Y., July 28, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) — When two steel girders were found intact, in the shape of a cross, in the middle of the wreckage of the World Trade Center after 9/11, it was hailed by many as a mini “miracle” and a sign of hope for a country beleaguered by a devastating terrorist attack. Now, however, an atheist group has filed a lawsuit that seeks to tear down that...

Does a World Trade Center Cross belong at the site of the 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan, or does the site transcend religion? No. The 9/11 victims were of many faiths, and a Christian symbol seems inappropriate. Maybe. Perhaps they should consider symbols representing the religions of all 9/11 victims. Yes. This is a ridiculous lawsuit. The cross should be returned to its proper place. Other (post a comment)

<p>A group of atheists has filed a lawsuit to stop the display of the World Trade Center cross at a memorial of the 9/11 terror attacks.</p>

The September 11 cross is lowered by crane into a subterranean section of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, Saturday, July 23, 2011 in New York. NEW YORK  -- A cross-shaped steel beam found amid the wreckage in the days following the Sept. 11 terrorist attack was a symbol of hope for many working on rescue and recovery there, so much so that the construction worker who discovered it believes he stumbled on to a miracle. "I saw Calvary in the midst of all the wreckage, the disaster," Frank Silecchia recalled Saturday. "It was a sign ... that God...

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) -- Four people have been arrested and charged with setting a cross on fire next to the home of a black family in a mostly white Central California city. Arroyo Grande police Cmdr. John Hough (hao) said three men and one woman were charged Friday with felony arson, cross burning, terrorism and conspiracy. The charges come with hate crime enhancements.

Mexican troops crossed the border into the United States Thursday, KGNS-TV reported Friday. A convoy of three military trucks loaded with soldiers and weapons crossed the border at Bridge No. 2 in Laredo, Texas, the station reported.

Therefore you shall say this word to them: ‘ Let my eyes flow with tears night and day, And let them not cease; For the virgin daughter of my people Has been broken with a mighty stroke, with a very severe blow. (Jeremiah 14:17)Dave Wilkerson, a major christian voice for our generation has gone on to be with the Lord. He and his wife Gwen suffered a head on auto collision, thus far she survived but is in critical condition. What can I say of such a formative influence in my own, and our generation’s life? The Lord used Wilkerson...

On the panel at The Gospel Coalition I was asked how my preaching may have become more Christocentric over the years. Here’s the summary of my answer. My devotion to the truth that God magnifies himself in all that he does has been increasingly refined in a Christ-centered direction. I have been driven in this direction by a cluster of insights. 1. The apex of God’s display of his own glory is the display of his grace. “God predestined . . . according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace” (Ephesians 1:5–6)....

More than a dozen people have been nailed to crosses in the Philippines in front of thousands of tourists in a controversial annual event to mark Good Friday. Hundreds more people had their backs whipped until they bled during the grisly religious spectacle re-enacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in the town of Cutud, north of Manila. The event, held annually despite the disapproval of church leaders in Asia's largest Catholic outpost, saw participants flagellated as they marched to a series of crucifixion sites, AFP said. Some participants said they wanted to prove their faith by taking part in the...

The love, therefore, wherewith God loveth, is incomprehensible and immutable. For it was not from the time that we were reconciled unto Him by the blood of His Son that He began to love us; but He did so before the foundation of the world, that we also might be His sons along with His Only-begotten, before as yet we had any existence of our own. Let not the fact, then, of our having been reconciled unto God through the death of His Son be so listened to or so understood, as if the Son reconciled us to Him in...

And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.(Deuteronomy 21:22-23)The Christian church has never had such an implacable enemy as Saul of Tarsus. The young Pharisee hated Jesus, and utterly hated christians, seeking to do “many things against...

Whenever the subject of bogus relics comes up, you can count on someone saying, "There are enough pieces of the True Cross to rebuild Noah’s Ark!" Whoever delivers that punch line probably does not know that he or she is echoing the 16th-century Dutch humanist Erasmus.... Clearly, this is a punch line with a pedigree, but is it accurate?....in the last half of the 19th century, a French independent scholar named Charles Rohault de Fleury assigned himself the task of tracking down and measuring every surviving relic of the True Cross. ...Once he had estimated the weight of the cross,...

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Could two of the nails used to crucify Jesus have been discovered in a 2,000-year-old tomb in Jerusalem? And could they have mysteriously disappeared for 20 years, only to turn up by chance in a Tel Aviv laboratory? That is the premise of the new documentary film "The Nails of the Cross" by veteran investigator Simcha Jacobovici, which even before its release has prompted debate in the Holy Land. The film follows three years of research during which Jacobovici presents his assertions -- some based on empirical data, others requiring much imagination and a leap of faith....

The Miracle Cross of MexicoThe Miracle Cross of Poison - Mexico CityIn the year 1602, this crucifix was in a Dominican church, used by seminarians, called Porta Coeli (or Heaven's Gate).  Only the Crucifix was white marble! As it was next door to the Cathedral and used by the seminarians, it was the Archbishop's custom to celebrate Mass there daily.  It was also his custom to kiss the Feet of the Crucified Lord on the Crucifix, before beginning the ongoing Sacrifice of the Cross, the Holy Mass.  Now not everyone was happy with the conversions that had come about, especially...

A new Polish political party has ruffled conservative feathers in the Catholic country with a campaign to have the cross ousted from public buildings. Supporters of the party want the crosses removed, or hung alongside the Star of David, in an attempt to diminish the power of the Church. In a clear challenge to the strong and omnipresent influence of the Catholic Church in Poland, members of the Support Janusz Palikot party caused outrage in the city of Szczecin by trying to hang Jewish and Muslim symbols in the town's council chamber alongside the Christian cross, before removing the cross....

Israel was keeping an eye Tuesday on two Iranian Navy warships that crossed the Suez Canal for the first time in over 30 years in a belligerent move that Israel claims is an attempt by the Islamic Republic to project its power throughout the Middle East. The two ships - the Khark which has 250 crew members and can carry three helicopters and the Alvand which is armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles – entered the Suez Canal early Tuesday morning and arrived in the Mediterranean Sea by the evening.Israeli defense officials said that the ships did not pose a

“They’re not coming down,” he said. “Somebody’s gotta make a stand against these people and I’m here to make it.”

BALDWIN, Pa. – A 24-foot illuminated cross on a western Pennsylvania man's front lawn is in violation of a local ordinance, but the structure isn't going anywhere, he told FoxNews.com. Carl Behr, 45, of Baldwin, Pa., said he was told during a borough council meeting late Tuesday that he needed a permit to build the structure. He plans to apply for such a permit Wednesday or Thursday, he said, but won't be disassembling his cross anytime soon.

BALDWIN, Pa. – A western Pennsylvania man has been ordered to remove a 24-foot illuminated cross from his front yard following complaints by his neighbor, who claims the act of faith is actually an act of revenge. Carl Behr, 24, of Baldwin, Pa., received a notice on Monday ordering him to remove the cross within five days or face a penalty. But Behr plans to fight the order at a Baldwin Borough meeting late Tuesday. "It's all about my faith, and some people are trying to turn this into a real circus," Behr told FoxNews.com. "They're going to get a...

BALDWIN BOROUGH, Pa. -- Baldwin borough is now telling a man who put a giant illuminated cross outside his home to take the structure down or face a penalty. Carl Behr built the 24-foot cross and two other crosses on his property along Robbins Street in Baldwin. "If you have a problem with that, I think you have a problem with the Lord," said Behr. Behr said it's an act of faith, but one neighbor claims it's an act of revenge. Next-door neighbor Lisa Fera said she contacted police and the borough because she felt Behr purposely built the large...

Featured Term (selected at random):CRUCIFIXION Execution of a criminal by nailing or binding to a cross. Originally used in the East, it was adopted by the Romans and was commonly inflicted on any condemned person who could not prove Roman citizenship. Normally preceded by scourging, it was later (from A.D. 69) imposed on certain lower-class citizens. Emperor Constantine abolished this method of capital punishment. The crucifixion of Christ between two thieves is recorded by all four Evangelists. According to tradition, the cross of Christ was a crux immissa, with the upright extended above the transom. Also, most probably, Christ was...

Three Republicans introduce bill in Congress to save cross atop Mt. SoledadJanuary 12, 2011 | 5:35 pm Three Republican members of Congress from San Diego County have introduced a bill aimed at blocking the removal of the cross atop public land on Mt. Soledad in San Diego. The bill submitted by Reps. Duncan D. Hunter of Alpine, Darrell Issa of Vista and Brian Bilbray of Solana Beach comes in reaction to a decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last week that the 43-foot-tall cross violated the constitutional separation of church and state by seeming to endorse a particular...

The Mount Soledad Cross was dedicated at a San Diego park on Easter Sunday in 1954 to honor veterans of the Korean War. Atheist Phillip Paulson, along with a Jewish war veterans group, has been trying to have the cross removed since 1989. The people of San Diego strongly support keeping the cross where it is. In 2007, San Diegans voted overwhelmingly to donate the cross to the federal government as a way of keeping the cross in place. A federal court judged ruled that action unconstitutional. During the years of litigation, state and federal judges have ordered at different...

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution declares, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”The first line of the amendment is referred to as the “establishment clause,” and it is one of the most abused and misapplied lines in the Constitution—right up there with the “general welfare” clause, the “commerce clause” and the Second Amendment. The establishment clause is simple. The...

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that a San Diego war memorial cross in a public park is unconstitutional. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the 3-0 decision Tuesday in a two-decade dispute over the cross at Mount Soledad. In its decision, the court says the cross conveys a message of government endorsement of religion that violates the Constitution.

While in Pennsylvania for the Holidays, I came into possession of what was described to me as a "Russian Soldier's Cross." It appears to be made of brass and has writing on it in Cyrillic, in either Russian or possibly Old Church Slavonic. While I can guess at some of the inscriptions on the front, I have no idea what the writing on the back is. I found a very similar object here, although it's apparent the inscription on the obverse is somewhat different. The cross is rather small, and the photos below were taken on 1/4" ruled graph paper...

This Christmas in Bethlehem, the cross has been banned from souvenirs for tourists and pilgrims in the Holy Land... Samir Qumsieh, journalist and director of the Catholic television station Al-Mahed Nativity TV in Bethlehem, said: "I want to launch a campaign to urge people not to buy these products - he says - because the removal of the cross is an intimidation against Christians, it is like saying that Jesus was never crucified. " Qumsieh points out that from 2002 to 2010 the Christian population of Bethlehem has dropped from over 18 thousand to 11 thousand people... Only 15,400 Christians...

We are far too accustomed to thinking that the Middle East is populated only by Muslims and a few Jews. There are Christians living there, too, often beleaguered and under attack. Here are three stories that remind us during this Christmas season that life for Christians in the Holy Land during this Holy Season can be particularly perilous. First, we learn that the cross, the very symbol of Christianity, has basically been abolished from Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. “This Christmas in Bethlehem, the cross has been banned from souvenirs for tourists and pilgrims in the Holy Land. Some textile...

More than 200 protesters hit Fifth Avenue yesterday with fire in their bellies over the Smithsonian's yanking of a controversial work by famed gay artist David Wojnarowicz. The chanting demonstrators clogged the avenue between 81st and 82nd streets to demand that the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, restore the Wojnarowicz piece, a video called "A Fire in My Belly," which showed ants crawling over a crucified Jesus, angering Christian groups.

The picture is from Chicago. Need someone to posted it for me. (Sorry I don't know how - Many thanks.)

The Cross in the classroom was removed in the Albert-Magnus Gymnasium after a protest from parents. Even the morning school prayer was reduced to a good morning meditation prayer circle. Regensburg [kath.net] As one father weighed in, the cross was removed from Albert-Magnus Gymnasium's classroom and the usual school prayer was mangled into a neutral good morning circle meditation. This was reported in the Mittelbayrische Zeitung. With this we see the effect Crucifix-ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court.

Florida independent Senate candidate Charlie Crist personally lobbied Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek to exit the race this week, offering him a cross that had been a gift from his sister, Mr. Meek said Friday. The gesture occurred Monday as Mr. Crist and Mr. Meek were surrounded by local Jewish leaders at a Hollywood, Fla., meeting of the pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “I was shocked when he did it,” Mr. Meek said in an interview late Friday. “I told him to keep the cross and that I carry my Christianity in my heart.”

The Free-Thinker Society of Swizterland wants to ban crosses. They see that the religious neutrality of Switzerland is damaged by crosses. Zurich/Luzern [kath.net] The Free-Thinker Society of Switzerland (FVS) wants to ban summit crosses. The weekly "Central Switzerland on Sunday" reported this. The mountain. Reta Caspar, business manager of the FVS said, the Society wants "no new summit crosses". Most have been standing for years, but today building permit. "And now we expect from the authorities that there will bee a moritorium," said Caspar to the Times. As far as building permits for new summit crosses the FVS will establish...

The people fight back… A group of residents in Stokes County North Carolina are fighting back against the authorities to keep a Christian flag at a war memorial. WXII reported: A group of Stokes County residents said Thursday they plan to stake out the Veterans Memorial every hour of every day for the next month, ensuring that a Christian flag is being displayed at the site. A group of about 15 people were displaying the flag at the site Thursday. King City Council members voted last week to remove the flag after determining that fighting a potential lawsuit wasn’t worth...

Anthem Blue Cross is committed to offering a broad range of products and services that meet customer needs in the changing health insurance market, and to implementing the new health care reform legislation in a way that benefits our customers and members. We have reviewed the rules regarding the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act (PPACA) limiting the application of pre-existing condition exclusions for children under 19. Unfortunately, there remains a great deal of uncertainty as to how the rules will be implemented and what the impacts might be on participating insurers. While some carriers may continue...

God’s Holiness and Love …Romans 3 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God . To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.(Romans 3:24-26) God is Holy. That means that He has an infinite aversion to sin, evil, sinners, and all that is false. He utterly hates rebellion, unbelief,...

On March 10, 2009, SSgt. Zachary Rhyner, USAF, of Medford, Wisconsin, received the Air Force Cross from Michael B. Donley, Secretary of the Air Force (SecAF), in the presence of General Norton Schwarz, Chief of Staff, USAF (CSAF), at Pope AFB, North Carolina, adjacent to Ft. Bragg, for his role in employing air power to support the ODA 3336 special forces and their Afghan allies on April 6, 2008. The Air Force Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force. He is an air combat controller from...

A proposal to build a Ku Klux Klan monument steps from the 16th Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama received the support of a downtown committee despite some loved ones of 1963 bombing victims finding it offensive. The 13-story White People’s Cultural Center was unanimously endorsed by the 12-member Community Board financial district committee. The $100 million project, called Fiery Cross, is proposed for the old laundromat building at 606 16th Street N, just one block from the site of the September 15, 1963 bombing by members of the Ku Klux Klan that took the lives of four children. “I...

I wonder sometimes just how many Bible preachers and teachers from among Evangelicals, Pentacostals, and Baptists are active on Free Republic. Would you like to post some serious preaching outlines with brief comments based on three interesting photos from China? I'd be very interested to see how quickly anyone could put the three photo illustrations together and produce an outline for one sermon. Please, let's witness with some serious work. Thoughtful and prayerful students of the Scriptures will quickly recognize Biblical themes that can be illustrated from these photos. The first one is a man actually carrying a coffin on...

CNS reports:An atheist is suing to force the administrators of a towering cross in southern Illinois to return a $20,000 state grant toward its restoration, saying Thursday it was "blatantly unconstitutional" to spend taxpayer money on a Christian symbol. Caretakers of the 11-story Bald Knob Cross of Peace near Alto Pass, Ill., some 130 miles southeast of St. Louis, insist the grant was legally awarded to the 50-year-old landmark in mid-2008 by classifying it as a tourist attraction, not a religious symbol. Rob Sherman disagrees, pressing in his federal lawsuit in Springfield, Ill., that the grant violates the U.S. Constitution's...