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The Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas The Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas

The Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas The Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas

Casting the tumultuous history of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam against the rich canvas of the Near East, The Biblical World reveals how three great religions emerged from the same cradle. Author Jean-Pierre Isbouts employs a non-denominational perspective and a wide range of sources—from ancient hieroglyphic texts to the latest scientific findings—to place Bible stories in the framework of history. Chronologically arranged chapters detail battles, conquests, tribal migrations, natural calamities, and more, supporting the stories with intriguing archaeological evidence. To locate sites and events, National Geographic cartographers have created fifty all-new maps of stunning quality. Hundreds of photographs and artifacts add visual excitement. Quick-read timelines link events across cultures while illustrated sidebars focus on what life was like during each era: family roles, farming, trade, dress, childbirth, burial customs, and other aspects of daily existence.

The story traces the evolution of Judaism from Abraham to the Unified Kingdom of Israel... chronicles the emergence of Christianity in the context of Greco-Roman civilization... and identifies the unique circumstances that prepared for the rise of Islam. The multi-dimensional approach weighs similarities and differences among the three faiths and follows developments in nearby lands. With a foreword from bestselling author Bruce Chilton and text reviewed by distinguished advisers, The Biblical World offers a carefully researched, balanced view of history and religious tradition. For its scope, beauty, and relevance in today's world, this unparalleled atlas is destined to become a classic.

About the Author

Jean-Pierre Isbouts holds a Ph.D in archaeology and art, and is currently Professor of Culture and Media Studies at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA. He is the writer and producer of four programs that explore the legacy of the Bible, including the award-winning television mini-series The Quest For Peace.

Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: National Geographic (November 6, 2007)

Biblical History and Israel's Past: The Changing Study of the Bible and History Biblical History and Israel's Past: The Changing Study of the Bible and History

Biblical History and Israel's Past: The Changing Study of the Bible and History Biblical History and Israel's Past: The Changing Study of the Bible and History

Although scholars have for centuries primarily been interested in using the study of ancient Israel to explain, illuminate, and clarify the biblical story, Megan Bishop Moore and Brad E. Kelle describe how scholars today seek more and more to tell the story of the past on its own terms, drawing from both biblical and extrabiblical sources to illuminate ancient Israel and its neighbors without privileging the biblical perspective.

Biblical History and Israel’s Past provides a comprehensive survey of how study of the Old Testament and the history of Israel has changed since the middle of the twentieth century. Moore and Kelle discuss significant trends in scholarship, trace the development of ideas since the 1970s, and summarize major scholars, viewpoints, issues, and developments.

About the Author

Megan Bishop Moore is visiting assistant professor of religion at Wake Forest University. She is also author of Philosophy and Practice in Writing a History of Ancient Israel.

Paperback: 542 pages
Publisher: Eerdmans; First Edition edition (May 17, 2011)

A History of Biblical Interpretation: The Enlightenment through the Nineteenth Century A History of Biblical Interpretation: The Enlightenment through the Nineteenth Century

A History of Biblical Interpretation: The Enlightenment through the Nineteenth Century A History of Biblical Interpretation: The Enlightenment through the Nineteenth Century

A History of Biblical Interpretation provides detailed and extensive studies of the interpretation of the Scriptures by Jewish and Christian writers throughout the ages. Written by internationally renowned scholars, this multivolume work comprehensively treats the many different methods of interpretation, the important interpreters from various eras, and the key issues that have surfaced repeatedly over the long course of biblical interpretation.

This third installment examines the period after the Reformation until the dawn of the twentieth century. Its essays cover broad intellectual and historical movements such as historical criticism, textual criticism, and the quest for the historical Jesus. Other contributions focus on particular individuals, including Baruch Spinoza, Friedrich Schleiermacher, and F. C. Baur. Each chapter also includes a helpful bibliography for additional study.

About the Author

Duane F. Watson is professor of New Testament studies at Malone College, Canton, Ohio. He is also the author of Invention, Arrangement, and Style: Rhetorical Criticism of Jude and 2 Peter, editor of Persuasive Artistry: Studies in New Testament Rhetoric, and coauthor of Rhetorical Criticism of the Bible: A Comprehensive Bibliography with Notes on History and Method."

Alan J. Hauser is professor of biblical studies at Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina. He is also coeditor of Art and Meaning: Rhetoric in Biblical Literature and coauthor of From Carmel to Horeb: Elijah in Crisis and Rhetorical Criticism of the Bible: A Comprehensive Bibliography with Notes on History and Method."

Series: History of Biblical Interpretation
Hardcover: 440 pages
Publisher: Eerdmans (June 29, 2017)

The Urantia Book The Urantia Book
The Urantia Book The Urantia Book

Love

Love is truly contagious and eternally creative. (p. 2018) “Devote your life to proving that love is the greatest thing in the world.” (p. 2047) “Love is the ancestor of all spiritual goodness, the essence of the true and the beautiful.” (p. 2047) The Father’s love can become real to mortal man only by passing through that man’s personality as he in turn bestows this love upon his fellows. (p. 1289) The secret of a better civilization is bound up in the Master’s teachings of the brotherhood of man, the good will of love and mutual trust. (p. 2065)

Prayer

Prayer is not a technique of escape from conflict but rather a stimulus to growth in the very face of conflict. (p. 1002) The sincerity of any prayer is the assurance of its being heard. … (p. 1639) God answers man’s prayer by giving him an increased revelation of truth, an enhanced appreciation of beauty, and an augmented concept of goodness. (p. 1002) …Never forget that the sincere prayer of faith is a mighty force for the promotion of personal happiness, individual self-control, social harmony, moral progress, and spiritual attainment. (p. 999)

Suffering

There is a great and glorious purpose in the march of the universes through space. All of your mortal struggling is not in vain. (p. 364) Mortals only learn wisdom by experiencing tribulation. (p. 556)

Angels

The angels of all orders are distinct personalities and are highly individualized. (p. 285) Angels....are fully cognizant of your moral struggles and spiritual difficulties. They love human beings, and only good can result from your efforts to understand and love them. (p. 419)

Our Divine Destiny

If you are a willing learner, if you want to attain spirit levels and reach divine heights, if you sincerely desire to reach the eternal goal, then the divine Spirit will gently and lovingly lead you along the pathway of sonship and spiritual progress. (p. 381) …They who know that God is enthroned in the human heart are destined to become like him—immortal. (p. 1449) God is not only the determiner of destiny; he is man’s eternal destination. (p. 67)

Family

Almost everything of lasting value in civilization has its roots in the family. (p. 765) The family is man’s greatest purely human achievement. ... (p. 939)

Faith

…Faith will expand the mind, ennoble the soul, reinforce the personality, augment the happiness, deepen the spirit perception, and enhance the power to love and be loved. (p. 1766) “Now, mistake not, my Father will ever respond to the faintest flicker of faith.” (p. 1733)

History/Science

The story of man’s ascent from seaweed to the lordship of earthly creation is indeed a romance of biologic struggle and mind survival. (p. 731) 2,500,000,000 years ago… Urantia was a well developed sphere about one tenth its present mass. … (p. 658) 1,000,000,000 years ago is the date of the actual beginning of Urantia [Earth] history. (p. 660) 450,000,000 years ago the transition from vegetable to animal life occurred. (p. 669) From the year A.D. 1934 back to the birth of the first two human beings is just 993,419 years. (p. 707) About five hundred thousand years ago…there were almost one-half billion primitive human beings on earth. … (p. 741) Adam and Eve arrived on Urantia, from the year A.D. 1934, 37,848 years ago. (p. 828)

From the Inside Flap

What’s Inside?

Parts I and II

God, the inhabited universes, life after death, angels and other beings, the war in heaven.

Part III

The history of the world, science and evolution, Adam and Eve, development of civilization, marriage and family, personal spiritual growth.

Part IV

The life and teachings of Jesus including the missing years. AND MUCH MORE…

Excerpts

God, …God is the source and destiny of all that is good and beautiful and true. (p. 1431) If you truly want to find God, that desire is in itself evidence that you have already found him. (p. 1440) When man goes in partnership with God, great things may, and do, happen. (p. 1467)

The Origin of Human Life, The universe is not an accident... (p. 53) The universe of universes is the work of God and the dwelling place of his diverse creatures. (p. 21) The evolutionary planets are the spheres of human origin…Urantia [Earth] is your starting point. … (p. 1225) In God, man lives, moves, and has his being. (p. 22)

The Purpose of Life, There is in the mind of God a plan which embraces every creature of all his vast domains, and this plan is an eternal purpose of boundless opportunity, unlimited progress, and endless life. (p. 365) This new gospel of the kingdom… presents a new and exalted goal of destiny, a supreme life purpose. (p. 1778)

Jesus, The religion of Jesus is the most dynamic influence ever to activate the human race. (p. 1091) What an awakening the world would experience if it could only see Jesus as he really lived on earth and know, firsthand, his life-giving teachings! (p. 2083)

Science, Science, guided by wisdom, may become man’s great social liberator. (p. 909) Mortal man is not an evolutionary accident. There is a precise system, a universal law, which determines the unfolding of the planetary life plan on the spheres of space. (p. 560)

Life after Death, God’s love is universal… He is “not willing that any should perish.” (p. 39) Your short sojourn on Urantia [Earth]…is only a single link, the very first in the long chain that is to stretch across universes and through the eternal ages. (p. 435) …Death is only the beginning of an endless career of adventure, an everlasting life of anticipation, an eternal voyage of discovery. (p. 159)

About the Author

The text of The Urantia Book was provided by one or more anonymous contributors working with a small staff which provided editorial and administrative support during the book's creation. The book bears no particular credentials (from a human viewpoint), relying instead on the power and beauty of the writing itself to persuade the reader of its authenticity.

Leather Bound: 2097 pages
Publisher: Urantia Foundation; Box Lea edition (August 25, 2015)

The Oxford Bible Commentary The Oxford Bible Commentary

The Oxford Bible Commentary The Oxford Bible Commentary

Whether you see the Bible as the living word of God, or as a highly significant document from the ancient world, or as one of the classic works of world literature, The Oxford Bible Commentary will put in your hands everything you need to study and understand the biblical text.

Here is a monumental, line-by-line critical commentary on the Bible, covering all the books that appear in the NRSV. An essential reference work, this definitive book provides authoritative, non-denominational commentary written by an international team of more than 70 leading scholars from various religious backgrounds. Incorporating the latest research, the contributors examine the books of the Bible in exhaustive detail, taking a historical-critical approach that attempts to shed light on the scriptures by placing them in the context in which their first audiences would have encountered them, asking how they came to be composed and what were the purposes of their authors. The Commentary includes a general introduction, extensive introductions to both testaments and the Apocrypha, and briefer introductions to the particular books, plus an essay with commentary on important post-biblical Jewish and Christian literature. Each article concludes with a bibliography that points the reader toward the most important supplemental works in English, including major reference works, introductions, and so forth.

A truly stunning work of biblical scholarship, The Oxford Bible Commentary will be an invaluable resource for pastors preparing a sermon, for students, for those in study or discussion groups, and indeed for anyone--whether Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox Christian--who seeks a clearer perspective on a text that has been held in reverence for thousands of years. The OBC features a Logos Library System CD-ROM that, once unlocked, gives the reader access to its text and that of the New Revised Standard Version Bible. The CD is fully compatible with all Logos products.

  • Detailed verse-by-verse commentary, written by over 70 of the world's leading biblical scholars from all the major Christian traditions and Judaism.
  • Includes all the canonical books for the Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions, and non-biblical Jewish and Christian writings from the biblical era.
  • Combines the fruits of the historical-critical method with insights from other critical approaches to Bible study.
  • Includes major introductions to every biblical book.
  • Bibliographies of supplemental works in English are located throughout the book, making in-depth study of topics easier.
  • 11 full color, Oxford Bible Maps.
  • Two ribbon markers make it easy to keep one's place in the book.

Hardcover: 1416 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1st Edition edition (December 6, 2001)

The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible: Discoveries That Confirm the Reliability of Scripture The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible: Discoveries That Confirm the Reliability of Scripture

The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible: Discoveries That Confirm the Reliability of Scripture The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible: Discoveries That Confirm the Reliability of Scripture

From two leading Christian apologists, here is a fascinating survey of the most important Old and New Testament archaeological discoveries through the ages.

Biblical archaeology has always stirred excitement among believers and curiosity among unbelievers. The evidence dug up with a spade can speak volumes--and serve as a powerful testimony of the reliability of Scripture.

Norman Geisler and Joseph Holden have put together an impressive array of finds that confirm the biblical peoples and events of ages past. In a user-friendly format written in popular style, they...

  • examine the latest finds and explain their significance
  • includes more than 150 of photographs
  • provide an instructive chart of artifacts (along with fast facts)
  • sample a variety of finds--papyri, inscriptions, scrolls, ossuaries, and more

If readers are looking for just one book to cover this topic both concisely and comprehensively, this is it!

About the Author

Joseph M. Holden (PhD, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter, Wales) is the President of Veritas International University in southern California (ves.edu). He is the general editor of the forthcoming The Harvest Handbook of Apologetics (Harvest House Publishers, 2018), general editor of the forthcoming The Harvest Handbook of Bible Lands (Harvest House Publishers, 2019), producer of the documentary Archaeology and the Bible: The Top 10 Amazing Discoveries, associate editor of The Apologetics Study Bible for Students (B&H, 2017), coauthor of Charts of Apologetics and Christian Evidences (Zondervan, 2006), and Living Loud: Defending Your Faith (B&H, 2002). His research and travel in biblical lands and participation in archaeological work in the Middle East have made him well acquainted with current developments in the field of archaeology.

Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (August 1, 2013)

The Oxford History of the Biblical World The Oxford History of the Biblical World

The Oxford History of the Biblical World The Oxford History of the Biblical World

Here, in one impressively illustrated volume, leading scholars offer compelling glimpses into the biblical world, the world in which prophets, poets, sages, and historians created one of our most important texts--the Bible.

For more than a century, archeologists have been unearthing the tombs, temples, texts, and artifacts of the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean world. Using new approaches, contemporary scholars have begun to synthesize this material with the biblical traditions. The Oxford History of the Biblical World incorporates the best of this scholarship, and in chronologically ordered chapters presents the reader with a readable and integrated study of the history, art, architecture, languages, literatures, and religion of biblical Israel and early Judaism and Christianity in their larger cultural contexts. The authors also examine such issues as the roles of women, the tensions between urban and rural settings, royal and kinship social structures, and official and popular religions of the region. Readers will find that 200 photographs, line drawings, and maps as well as an insert containing 25 color photographs vividly illustrate the history discussed.

Understanding the biblical world is a vital part of understanding the Bible. Broad, authoritative, and visually engaging, The Oxford History of the Biblical World will illuminate for any reader the ancient world from which the Bible emerged.

Hardcover: 672 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (January 21, 1999)


#

#

America’s
Most Biblically-Hostile
U. S. President

By

December 29th, 2016

#

 

When one observes President Obama's unwillingness to accommodate America's four-century long religious conscience protection through his attempts to require Catholics to go against their own doctrines and beliefs, one is tempted to say that he is anti-Catholic. But that characterization would not be correct. Although he has recently singled out Catholics, he has equally targeted traditional Protestant beliefs over the past four years. So since he has attacked Catholics and Protestants, one is tempted to say that he is anti-Christian. But that, too, would be inaccurate. He has been equally disrespectful in his appalling treatment of religious Jews in general and Israel in particular. So perhaps the most accurate description of his antipathy toward Catholics, Protestants, religious Jews, and the Jewish nation would be to characterize him as anti-Biblical. And then when his hostility toward Biblical people of faith is contrasted with his preferential treatment of Muslims and Muslim nations, it further strengthens the accuracy of the anti-Biblical descriptor. In fact, there have been numerous clearly documented times when his pro-Islam positions have been the cause of his anti-Biblical actions.

Listed below in chronological order are (1) numerous records of his attacks on Biblical persons or organizations; (2) examples of the hostility toward Biblical faith that have become evident in the past three years in the Obama-led military; (3) a listing of his open attacks on Biblical values; and finally (4) a listing of numerous incidents of his preferential deference for Islam's activities and positions, including letting his Islamic advisors guide and influence his hostility toward people of Biblical faith.

1. Acts of hostility toward people of Biblical faith:

    • December 2009-Present – The annual White House Christmas cards, rather than focusing on Christmas or faith, instead highlight things such as the family dogs. And the White House Christmas tree ornaments include figures such as Mao Tse-Tung and a drag queen. [1]
    • May 2016 – President Obama appoints a transgender to the Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships — an act of overt disdain and hostility toward traditional faith religions. [2]
    • September 2015 – For White House and State Department dinners, the president deliberately invites guests that he knows will be offensive to the Pope and who openly opposed his message, but he and the State Department very carefully avoid inviting guests that oppose or would offended the dictators of countries such as Cuba and China. [3]
    • June 2013 – The Obama Department of Justice defunds a Young Marines chapter in Louisiana because their oath mentioned God, and another youth program because it permits a voluntary student-led prayer. [4]
    • February 2013 – The Obama Administration announces that the rights of religious conscience for individuals will not be protected under the Affordable Care Act. [5]
    • January 2013 – Pastor Louie Giglio is pressured to remove himself from praying at the inauguration after it is discovered he once preached a sermon supporting the Biblical definition of marriage.[6]
    • February 2012 – The Obama administration forgives student loans in exchange for public service, but announces it will no longer forgive student loans if the public service is related to religion. [7]
    • January 2012 – The Obama administration argues that the First Amendment provides no protection for churches and synagogues in hiring their pastors and rabbis. [8]
    • December 2011 – The Obama administration denigrates other countries' religious beliefs as an obstacle to radical homosexual rights. [9]
    • November 2011 – President Obama opposes inclusion of President Franklin Roosevelt's famous D-Day Prayer in the WWII Memorial. [10]
    • November 2011 – Unlike previous presidents, Obama studiously avoids any religious references in his Thanksgiving speech. [11]
    • August 2011 – The Obama administration releases its new health care rules that override religious conscience protections for medical workers in the areas of abortion and contraception. [12]
    • April 2011 – For the first time in American history, Obama urges passage of a non-discrimination law that does not contain hiring protections for religious groups, forcing religious organizations to hire according to federal mandates without regard to the dictates of their own faith, thus eliminating conscience protection in hiring. [13]
    • February 2011 – Although he filled posts in the State Department, for more than two years Obama did not fill the post of religious freedom ambassador, an official that works against religious persecution across the world; he filled it only after heavy pressure from the public and from Congress. [14]
    • January 2011 – After a federal law was passed to transfer a WWI Memorial in the Mojave Desert to private ownership, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the cross in the memorial could continue to stand, but the Obama administration refused to allow the land to be transferred as required by law, and refused to allow the cross to be re-erected as ordered by the Court. [15]
    • November 2010 – Obama misquotes the National Motto, saying it is "E pluribus unum" rather than "In God We Trust" as established by federal law. [16]
    • October 19, 2010 – Obama begins deliberately omitting the phrase about "the Creator" when quoting the Declaration of Independence – an omission he has made on no less than seven occasions. [17]
    • May 2009 – Obama declines to host services for the National Prayer Day (a day established by federal law) at the White House. [18]
    • April 2009 – When speaking at Georgetown University, Obama orders that a monogram symbolizing Jesus' name be covered when he is making his speech. [19]
    • April 2009 – In a deliberate act of disrespect, Obama nominated three pro-abortion ambassadors to the Vatican; of course, the pro-life Vatican rejected all three. [20]
    • February 2009 – Obama announces plans to revoke conscience protection for health workers who refuse to participate in medical activities that go against their beliefs, and fully implements the plan in February 2011. [21]
    • April 2008 – Obama speaks disrespectfully of Christians, saying they "cling to guns or religion" and have an "antipathy to people who aren't like them." [22]

2. Acts of hostility from the Obama-led military toward people of Biblical faith:

    • October 2016 – Obama threatens to veto a defense bill over religious protections contained in it.[23]
    • June 2016 – A military prayer breakfast whose speaker was highly decorated Delta Force Lt. General Jerry Boykin (ret) was cancelled because Boykin was a traditional value Christian who has voiced his support for natural marriage and his opposition to Islamic extremism. (The atheist critic behind the cancellation had complained that Boykin as a "homophobic, Islamophobic, fundamentalist Christian extremist.")[24]
    • April 2016 – At the orders of a commander, a 33-year Air Force veteran was forcibly and physically removed by four other airmen because he attempted to use the word "God" in a retirement speech.[25]
    • February 2016 – After a complaint was received, a Bible was removed from a display inside a Veterans Clinic.[26]
    • March 2015 – A decorated Navy chaplain was prohibited from fulfilling his duty of comforting the family (or any member of the unit) after the loss of a sailor because it was feared that he would say something about faith and God. He was even banned from the base on the day of the sailor's memorial service. [27]
    • March 2015 – A highly decorated Navy SEAL chaplain was relieved of duty for providing counseling that contained religious views on things such as faith, marriage, and sexuality. [28]
    • June 2014 – Official U. S. government personnel, both civilian and military, in Bahrain (a small Arabic nation near Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran) must wear clothing that facilitates the religious observance of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. [29]
    • March 2014 – Maxell Air Force Base suddenly bans Gideons from handing out Bibles to willing recruits, a practice that had been occurring for years previously. [30]
    • December 2013 – A naval facility required that two nativity scenes — scenes depicting the event that caused Christmas to be declared a national federal holiday — be removed from the base dining hall and be confined to the base chapel, thus disallowing the open public acknowledgment of this national federal holiday. [30]
    • December 2013 – An Air Force base that allowed various public displays ordered the removal of one simply because it contained religious content. [32]
    • October 2013 – A counter-intelligence briefing at Fort Hood tells soldiers that evangelical Christians are a threat to Americans and that for a soldier to donate to such a group "was punishable under military regulations." [33]
    • October 2013 – Catholic priests hired to serve as military chaplains are prohibited from performing Mass services at base chapels during the government financial shutdown. When they offered to freely do Mass for soldiers, without regard to whether or not the chaplains were receiving pay, they are still denied permission to do so. [34]
    • October 2013 – The Air Force Academy, in response to a complaint from Mikey Weinstein's Military Religious Freedom Foundation, makes "so help me God" optional in cadets' honor oath. [35]
    • August 2013 – A Department of Defense military training manual teaches soldiers that people who talk about "individual liberties, states' rights, and how to make the world a better place" are "extremists." It also lists the Founding Fathers — those "colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule" — as examples of those involved in "extremist ideologies and movements." [36]
    • August 2013 – A Senior Master Sergeant was removed from his position and reassigned because he told his openly lesbian squadron commander that she should not punish a staff sergeant who expressed his views in favor of traditional marriage. [37]
    • August 2013 – The military does not provide heterosexual couples specific paid leave to travel to a state just for the purpose of being married, but it did extend these benefits to homosexual couples who want to marry, thus giving them preferential treatment not available to heterosexuals. [38]
    • August 2013 – The Air Force, in the midst of having launched a series of attacks against those expressing traditional religious or moral views, invited a drag queen group to perform at a base. [39]
    • July 2013 – When an Air Force sergeant with years of military service questioned a same-sex marriage ceremony performed at the Air Force Academy's chapel, he received a letter of reprimand telling him that if he disagreed, he needed to get out of the military. His current six-year reenlistment was then reduced to only one-year, with the notification that he "be prepared to retire at the end of this year." [40]
    • July 2013 – An Air Force chaplain who posted a website article on the importance of faith and the origin of the phrase "There are no atheists in foxholes" was officially ordered to remove his post because some were offended by the use of that famous World War II phrase.[41]
    • June 2013 – The U. S. Air Force, in consultation with the Pentagon, removed an inspirational painting that for years has been hanging at Mountain Home Air Force Base because its title was "Blessed Are The Peacemakers" — a phrase from Matthew 5:9 in the Bible. [42]
    • June 2013 – The Obama administration "strongly objects" to a Defense Authorization amendment to protect the constitutionally-guaranteed religious rights of soldiers and chaplains, claiming that it would have an "adverse effect on good order, discipline, morale, and mission accomplishment." [43]
    • June 2013 – At a joint base in New Jersey, a video was made, based on a Super Bowl commercial, to honor First Sergeants. It stated: "On the eighth day, God looked down on His creation and said, 'I need someone who will take care of the Airmen.' So God created a First Sergeant." Because the video mentioned the word "God," the Air Force required that it be taken down. [44]
    • June 2013 – An Army Master Sergeant is reprimanded, threatened with judicial action, and given a bad efficiency report, being told he was "no longer a team player," because he voiced his support of traditional marriage at his own promotion party. [45]
    • May 2013 – The Pentagon announces that "Air Force members are free to express their personal religious beliefs as long as it does not make others uncomfortable. "Proselytizing (inducing someone to convert to one's faith) goes over that line," [46] affirming if a sharing of faith makes someone feel uncomfortable that it could be a court-marital offense [47] — the military equivalent of a civil felony.
    • May 2013 – An Air Force officer was actually made to remove a personal Bible from his own desk because it "might" appear that he was condoning the particular religion to which he belonged. [48]
    • April 2013 – Officials briefing U.S. Army soldiers placed "Evangelical Christianity" and "Catholicism" in a list that also included Al-Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood, and Hamas as examples of "religious extremism." [49]
    • April 2013 – The U.S. Army directs troops to scratch off and paint over tiny Scripture verse references that for decades had been forged into weapon scopes. [50]
    • April 2013 – The Air Force creates a "religious tolerance" policy but consults only a militant atheist group to do so — a group whose leader has described military personnel who are religious as 'spiritual rapists' and 'human monsters' [51] and who also says that soldiers who proselytize are guilty of treason and sedition and should be punished to hold back a "tidal wave of fundamentalists." [52]
    • January 2013 – President Obama announced his opposition to a provision in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act protecting the rights of conscience for military chaplains. [53]
    • June 2012 – Bibles for the American military have been printed in every conflict since the American Revolution, but the Obama Administration revokes the long-standing U. S. policy of allowing military service emblems to be placed on those military Bibles. [54]
    • May 2012 – The Obama administration opposed legislation to protect the rights of conscience for military chaplains who do not wish to perform same-sex marriages in violation of their strongly-held religious beliefs. [55]
    • April 2012 – A checklist for Air Force Inns will no longer include ensuring that a Bible is available in rooms for those who want to use them. [56]
    • February 2012 – The U. S. Military Academy at West Point disinvites three star Army general and decorated war hero Lieutenant General William G. ("Jerry") Boykin (retired) from speaking at an event because he is an outspoken Christian. [57]
    • February 2012 – The Air Force removes "God" from the patch of Rapid Capabilities Office (the word on the patch was in Latin: Dei). [58]
    • February 2012 – The Army ordered Catholic chaplains not to read a letter to parishioners that their archbishop asked them to read. [59]
    • November 2011 – The Air Force Academy rescinds support for Operation Christmas Child, a program to send holiday gifts to impoverished children across the world, because the program is run by a Christian charity. [60]
    • November 2011 – President Obama opposes inclusion of President Franklin Roosevelt's famous D-Day Prayer in the WWII Memorial. [61]
    • November 2011 – Even while restricting and disapprobating Christian religious expressions, the Air Force Academy pays $80,000 to add a Stonehenge-like worship center for pagans, druids, witches and Wiccans at the Air Force Academy. [62]
    • September 2011 – Air Force Chief of Staff prohibits commanders from notifying airmen of programs and services available to them from chaplains. [63]
    • September 2011 – The Army issues guidelines for Walter Reed Medical Center stipulating that "No religious items (i.e. Bibles, reading materials and/or facts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit." [64]
    • August 2011 – The Air Force stops teaching the Just War theory to officers in California because the course is taught by chaplains and is based on a philosophy introduced by St. Augustine in the third century AD – a theory long taught by civilized nations across the world (except now, America). [65]
    • June 2011 – The Department of Veterans Affairs forbids references to God and Jesus during burial ceremonies at Houston National Cemetery. [66]
    • January 2010 – Because of "concerns" raised by the Department of Defense, tiny Bible verse references that had appeared for decades on scopes and gunsights were removed. [67]

3. Acts of hostility toward Biblical values:

    • October 2015 – The administration attempts to pick opponents for court cases dealing with Obamacare contraception mandate. [68]
    • March 2014 – The Obama administration seeks funding for every type of sex-education — except that which reflects traditional moral values. [69]
    • August 2013 – Non-profit charitable hospitals, especially faith-based ones, will face large fines or lose their tax-exempt status if they don't comply with new strangling paperwork requirements related to giving free treatment to poor clients who do not have Obamacare insurance coverage. [70] Ironically, the first hospital in America was founded as a charitable institution in 1751 by Benjamin Franklin, and its logo was the Good Samaritan, with Luke 10:35 inscribed below him: "Take care of him, and I will repay thee," being designed specifically to offer free medical care to the poor. [71] Benjamin Franklin's hospital would likely be fined unless he placed more resources and funds into paperwork rather than helping the poor under the new faith-hostile policy of the Obama administration.
    • August 2013 – USAID, a federal government agency, shut down a conference in South Korea the night before it was scheduled to take place because some of the presentations were not pro-abortion but instead presented information on abortion complications, including the problems of "preterm births, mental health issues, and maternal mortality" among women giving birth who had previous abortions. [72]
    • June 2013 – The Obama Administration finalizes requirements that under the Obamacare insurance program, employers must make available abortion-causing drugs, regardless of the religious conscience objections of many employers and even despite the directive of several federal courts to protect the religious conscience of employers. [73]
    • April 2013 – The United States Agency for Internal Development (USAID), an official foreign policy agency of the U.S. government, begins a program to train homosexual activists in various countries around the world to overturn traditional marriage and anti-sodomy laws, targeting first those countries with strong Catholic influences, including Ecuador, Honduras, and Guatemala. [74]
    • December 2012 – Despite having campaigned to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, President Obama once again suspends the provisions of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 which requires the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the American Embassy there. [75]
    • July 2012 – The Pentagon, for the first time, allows service members to wear their uniforms while marching in a parade – specifically, a gay pride parade in San Diego. [76]
    • October 2011 – The Obama administration eliminates federal grants to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for their extensive programs that aid victims of human trafficking because the Catholic Church is anti-abortion.[77]
    • September 2011 – The Pentagon directs that military chaplains may perform same-sex marriages at military facilities in violation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. [78]
    • July 2011 – Obama allows homosexuals to serve openly in the military, reversing a policy originally instituted by George Washington in March 1778. [79]
    • March 2011 – The Obama administration refuses to investigate videos showing Planned Parenthood helping alleged sex traffickers get abortions for victimized underage girls. [80]
    • February 2011 – Obama directs the Justice Department to stop defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act.[81]
    • September 2010 – The Obama administration tells researchers to ignore a judge's decision striking down federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. [82]
    • August 2010 – The Obama administration Cuts funding for 176 abstinence education programs. [83]
    • July 2010 – The Obama administration uses federal funds in violation of federal law to get Kenya to change its constitution to include abortion. [84]
    • September 16, 2009 – The Obama administration appoints as EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum, who asserts that society should "not tolerate" any "private beliefs," including religious beliefs, if they may negatively affect homosexual "equality." [85]
    • July 2009 – The Obama administration illegally extends federal benefits to same-sex partners of Foreign Service and Executive Branch employees, in direction violation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. [86]
    • May 2009 – The White House budget eliminates all funding for abstinence-only education and replaces it with "comprehensive" sexual education, repeatedly proven to increase teen pregnancies and abortions. [87] He continues the deletion in subsequent budgets. [88]
    • May 2009 – Obama officials assemble a terrorism dictionary calling pro-life advocates violent and charging that they use racism in their "criminal" activities. [89]
    • March 2009 – The Obama administration shut out pro-life groups from attending a White House-sponsored health care summit. [90]
    • March 2009 – Obama orders taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research. [91]
    • March 2009 – Obama gave $50 million for the UNFPA, the UN population agency that promotes abortion and works closely with Chinese population control officials who use forced abortions and involuntary sterilizations.[92]
    • January 2009 – Obama lifts restrictions on U.S. government funding for groups that provide abortion services or counseling abroad, forcing taxpayers to fund pro-abortion groups that either promote or perform abortions in other nations. [93]
    • January 2009 – President Obama's nominee for deputy secretary of state asserts that American taxpayers are required to pay for abortions and that limits on abortion funding are unconstitutional. [94]

 

4. Acts of preferentialism for Islam:

    • April – September 2015 – The administration negotiates a deal to stop economic sanctions of Iran because of nuclear power development, despite the warnings and concern of Israel. [95]
    • February 2012 – The Obama administration makes effulgent apologies for Korans being burned by the U. S. military, [96] but when Bibles were burned by the military, numerous reasons were offered why it was the right thing to do. [97]
    • October 2011 – Obama's Muslim advisers block Middle Eastern Christians' access to the White House. [98]
    • August 2010 – Obama speaks with great praise of Islam and condescendingly of Christianity. [99]
    • August 2010 – Obama went to great lengths to speak out on multiple occasions on behalf of building an Islamic mosque at Ground Zero, while at the same time he was silent about a Christian church being denied permission to rebuild at that location. [100]
    • April 2010 – Christian leader Franklin Graham is disinvited from the Pentagon's National Day of Prayer Event because of complaints from the Muslim community. [101]
    • April 2010 – The Obama administration requires rewriting of government documents and a change in administration vocabulary to remove terms that are deemed offensive to Muslims, including jihad, jihadists, terrorists, radical Islamic, etc. [102]
    • May 2009 – While Obama does not host any National Day of Prayer event at the White House, he does host White House Iftar dinners in honor of Ramadan. [103]
  • 2010 – While every White House traditionally issues hundreds of official proclamations and statements on numerous occasions, this White House avoids traditional Biblical holidays and events but regularly recognizes major Muslim holidays, as evidenced by its 2010 statements on Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Hajj, and Eid-ul-Adha. [104]

Many of these actions are literally unprecedented – this is the first time they have happened in four centuries of American history. The hostility of President Obama toward Biblical faith and values is without equal from any previous American president.


[1] Todd Starnes, "No Christmas in White House Holiday Card," Fox News Radio, 2011; Todd Starnes, "White House "Holiday" Card Spotlights Dog, Not Christmas," Fox News Radio, 2012; "White House Christmas Decor Featuring Mao Zedong Comes Under Fire," Fox News, December 24, 2009.
[3] Jonah Goldberg, "Obama Respects Dictators More Than Popes," National Review, September 19, 2015.
[4] Todd Starnes, "DOJ Defunds At-Risk Youth Programs over "God" Reference," Townhall, June 25, 2013.
[5] Steven Ertelt, "Obama Admin's HHS Mandate Revision Likely Excludes Hobby Lobby," LifeNews.com, February 1, 2013; Dan Merica, "Obama proposal would let religious groups opt-out of contraception mandate," CNN, February 1, 2013.
[6] Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "Minister Backs Out of Speech at Inaugural," New York Times, January 10, 2013; Eric Marrapodi, "Giglio bows out of inauguration over sermon on gays," CNN, January 10, 2013.
[7] Audrey Hudson, "Obama administration religious service for student loan forgiveness," Human Events, February 15, 2012.
[8] Ted Olson, "Church Wins Firing Case at Supreme Court," Christianity Today, January 11, 2012.
[9] Hillary Rodham Clinton, "Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day," U.S. Department of State, December 6, 2011.
[10] Todd Starns, "Obama Administration Opposes FDR Prayer at WWII Memorial," Fox News, November 4, 2011.
[11] Joel Siegel, "Obama Omits God From Thanksgiving Speech, Riles Critics," ABC News, November 25, 2011.
[12] Chuck Donovan, "HHS's New Health Guidelines Trample on Conscience," Heritage Foundation, August 2, 2011.
[13] Chris Johnson, "ENDA passage effort renewed with Senate introduction," Washington Blade, April 15, 2011.
[14] Marrianne Medlin, "Amid criticism, President Obama moves to fill vacant religious ambassador post," Catholic News Agency, February 9, 2011; Thomas F. Farr, "Undefender of the Faith," Foreign Policy, April 5, 2012.
[17] Meredith Jessup, "Obama Continues to Omit 'Creator' From Declaration of Independence," The Blaze, October 19, 2010.
[18] Johanna Neuman, "Obama end Bush-era National Prayer Day Service at White House," Los Angeles Times, May 7, 2009.
[19] Jim Lovino, "Jesus Missing From Obama's Georgetown Speech," NBC Washington, April 17, 2009.
[20] Chris McGreal, "Vatican vetoes Barack Obama's nominees for U.S. Ambassador," The Guardian, April 14, 2009.
[21] Aliza Marcus, "Obama to Lift 'Conscience' Rule for Health Workers," Bloomberg, February 27, 2009; Sarah Pulliam Baily, "Obama Admin. Changes Bush 'Conscience' Rule for Health Workers," Christianity Today, February 18, 2011.
[22] Sarah Pulliam Baily, "Obama: 'They cling to guns or religion'," Christianity Today, April 13, 2008.
[26] Todd Starnes, "Bible removed from POW/MIA display inside VA clinic," Fox News, February 29, 2016.
[27]Todd Starnes, "Navy bans chaplain from ministering to family of dead soldier," Fox News, March 24, 2015.
[29] Hendrick Simoes, "US personnel in Bahrain prepare for Ramadan,&rdquoStars and Stripes, June 26, 2014.
[30] Todd Starnes, "Bible controversy hits Air Force base," Fox News, March 15, 2014.
[32] Todd Starnes, "Air Force removes Nativity scene," Fox News, December 9, 2013.
[34] Todd Starnes, "Catholic priests in military face arrest for celebrating Mass," Fox News, October 5, 2013; The Brody File, "Priest: Obama Admin. Denied Mass to Catholics," CBN News, October 8, 2013.
[35] Stephen Losey, "Academy makes 'God' optional in cadets' oath," Air Force Times, October 25, 2013.
[39] Melanie Korb, "Air Force Invites Drag Queens to Perform on 'Diversity Day'," Charisma News, August 19, 2013.
[41] Todd Starnes, "Chaplain Ordered to Remove Religious Essay From Military Website," FoxNews Radio, July 24, 2013.
[42] Hellen Cook, "Pentagon Censors Christian Art," Christian News Wire, January 21, 2010.
[43] Todd Starnes, "Obama 'Strongly Objects' to Religious Liberty Amendment," Townhall, June 12, 2013.
[44] Todd Starnes, "Air Force Removes Video that Mentions God," Fox News Radio. June 7, 2013.
[45] Todd Starnes, "Army Punishes Soldier who Served Chick-fil-A," Fox News Radio, June 5, 2013.
[48] Todd Starnes, "Air Force Officer Told to Remove Bible from Desk," Townhall.com, May 3, 2013.
[49] Jack Minor, "Military Warned 'evangelicals' No. 1 Threat," WND, April 5, 2013.
[50] Todd Starnes, "Army Removes Bible Reference from Scopes," Fox News Radio, April 22, 2013.
[51] "Chaplain endorsers ask Air Force for equal time," Alliance Defending Freedom, April 30, 2013.
[52] Todd Starnes, "Pentagon: Religious Proselytizing is Not Permitted," Fox News Radio, April 30, 2013.
[56] Markeshia Ricks, "Bible checklist for Air Force lodges going away," Air Force Times, April 16, 2012.
[57] Ken Blackwell, "Gen. Boykin Blocked At West Point," cnsnews.com, February 1, 2012.
[59] Todd Starnes, "Army Silences Catholic Chaplains," Fox News Radio, February 6, 2012.
[60] "Air Force Academy Backs Away from Christmas Charity," Fox News Radio, November 4, 2011.
[61] Todd Starnes, "Obama Administration Opposes FDR Prayer at WWII Memorial," Fox News, November 4, 2011.
[62] Jenny Dean, "Air Force Academy adapts to pagans, druids, witches and Wiccans," Los Angeles Times, November 26, 2011.
[63] "Maintaining Government Neutrality Regarding Religion," Department of the Air Force, September 1, 2011.
[64] "Wounded, Ill, and Injured Partners in Care Guidelines," Department of the Navy (accessed on February 29, 2012).
[67] Todd Spangler, "U.S. firm to remove Bible references from gun sights," USA Today, January 21, 2010.
[69] Steven Ertelt, "President Obama's Budget Eliminates Abstinence Education Programs," Life News, March 5, 2014; Jennifer Liberto, "Sex abstinence program among Obama's targeted cuts," CNN Money, March 5, 2014.
[71] "The Story of the Creation of the Nation's First Hospital," University of Pennsylvania Health System (accessed August 14, 2013).
[72] Wendy Wright," USAID Rep Shuts Down Workshop on Abortion Complications," Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute, August 9, 2013.
[75] Ken Blackwell, "Guest Opinion: Take a Risk for Peace. Move our Embassy to Jerusalem!," Catholic Online, June 5, 2013.
[77] Jerry Markon, "Health, abortion issues split Obama administration and Catholic groups," Washington Post, October 31, 2011.
[78] Luis Martinez, "Will Same Sex Marriages Pose a Dilemma for Military Chaplains?," ABC News, October 12, 2011.
[79] Elisabeth Bumiller, "Obama Ends 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy," New York Times, July 22, 2011; George Washington, The Writings of George Washington, John C. Fitzpatrick, editor (Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1934), Vol. XI, pp. 83-84, from General Orders at Valley Forge on March 14, 1778.
[80] Steven Ertelt, "Obama Admin Ignores Planned Parenthood Sex Trafficking Videos," LifeNews, March 2, 2011.
[81] Brian Montopoli, "Obama administration will no longer defend DOMA," CBSNews, February 23, 2011.
[82] Steven Ertelt, "President Barack Obama's Pro-Abortion Record: A Pro-Life Compilation," LifeNews, February 11, 2012.
[88] Steven Ertelt, "Obama Budget Funds Sex Ed Over Abstinence on 16-1 Margin," LifeNews, February 14, 2011.
[93] Jeff Mason and Deborah Charles, "Obama lifts restrictions on abortion funding," Reuters, January 23, 2009.
[94] "Obama pick: Taxpayers must fund abortions," World Net Daily, January 27, 2009.
[96] Masoud Popalzai and Nick Paton Walsh, " Obama apologizes to Afghanistan for Quran burning," CNN, February 23, 2012.
[99] Chuck Norris, " President Obama: Muslim Missionary? (Part 2)," Townhall.com, August 24, 2010; Chuck Norris, "President Obama: Muslim Missionary?," Townhall.com, August 17, 2010.
[100] Barack Obama, "Remarks by the President at Iftar Dinner," The White House, August 13, 2010; "Obama Comes Out in Favor of Allowing Mosque Near Ground Zero," Fox News, August 13, 2010; Pamela Geller, "Islamic Supremacism Trumps Christianity at Ground Zero," American Thinker, July 21, 2011.
[103] Barack Obama, " Remarks by the President at Iftar Dinner," The White House, September 1, 2009; Kristi Keck, " Obama tones down National Day of Prayer observance," CNN, May 6, 2009; Dan Gilgoff, " The White House on National Day of Prayer: A Proclamation, but No Formal Ceremony," U.S. News, May 1, 2009.
[104] "WH Fails to Release Easter Proclamation," Fox Nation, April 25, 2011; "President Obama ignores most holy Christian holiday; AFA calls act intentional," American Family Association (accessed on February 29, 2012).


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Disclaimer

Disclaimer:
Some material presented will contain links, quotes, ideologies, etc., the contents of which should be understood to first, in their whole, reflect the views or opinions of their editors, and second, are used in my personal research as "fair use" sources only, and not espousement one way or the other. Researching for 'truth' leads one all over the place...a piece here, a piece there. As a researcher, I hunt, gather and disassemble resources, trying to put all the pieces into a coherent and logical whole. I encourage you to do the same. And please remember, these pages are only my effort to collect all the pieces I can find and see if they properly fit into the 'reality aggregate'.

Personal Position

Personal Position:
I've come to realize that 'truth' boils down to what we 'believe' the facts we've gathered point to. We only 'know' what we've 'experienced' firsthand. Everything else - what we read, what we watch, what we hear - is what someone else's gathered facts point to and 'they' 'believe' is 'truth', so that 'truth' seems to change in direct proportion to newly gathered facts divided by applied plausibility. Though I believe there is 'truth', until someone representing the celestial realm visibly appears and presents the heavenly records of Facts And Lies In The Order They Happened, I can't know for sure exactly what "the whole truth' on any given subject is, and what applies to me applies to everyone. Until then I'll continue to ask, "what does The Urantia Book say on the subject?"
~Gail Bird Allen

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