The Deception of “Religious Tolerance”
1/15/06
Mark Lawson speaks to
Hollywood movie star John Travolta, a high profile member of the Church of
Scientology, about his beliefs and his faith.
ML: A question we always ask is do you believe in God? Is
that an appropriate question to a Scientologist?
JT: Sure. Let’s put it this way, I think the whole idea of Scientology
is to think for yourself. And that’s really what Mr. Hubbard wanted. It’s not
for you to think necessarily like anyone else but what you think is right for
you, what you think is appropriate for you. If you ask me personally, I think
yes there’s God. But each day through a lot of the studying that I do, I think
I get to understand, possibly, what God is about but I don’t think I fully get
the picture yet.
ML: Do you pray?
JT: Yes, I have prayed, it’s not a very regular habit, but if I’m
concentrating on something I really want to go well. I probably do my own
version of it, it is not anything to do with Scientology, it’s something I like
and enjoy, maybe it’s a carry over from Catholicism.
ML: Who or what would you be praying to?
JT: To the yet not fully understood God concept.
ML: I’ve read in terms of Scientology accounts of healing experiences
that you have been involved in, is that right?
JT: There are several "Assists", that is the
name of the program, and these are different depending on what is wrong with
the person, they just help the person heal quicker. By getting in communication
with their body, I do use them because I can and I know how they work and I
know that they do work. To date I have never failed helping a person feel
better at least.
ML: You healed a British rock star?
JT: Yes, Sting, that was in Canada and he was under the weather he had a
sore throat and flu symptoms or something. I think I did two or three different
types of "Assists" and he felt better.
ML: What does Scientology say about what happens after
death?
JT: I think that the body ends and you as a spirit go on. It’s up to you
what you are going to do.
ML: Is that reincarnation?
JT: It could be if that is what you chose to do. You want to get back
into another body or if you just want to hang out, whatever you feel like.
ML: Do you believe in reincarnation?
JT: Yes, I do, absolutely, I don’t even believe I just know that it’s
the truth.
ML: Do you think you have lived before. And do you have any sense of
what those lives were?
JT: No, and I wouldn’t tell you. No, it think that is so personal. I
also think you have to be so careful when you talk about concepts like this,
it’s not real for everyone.
A term that you will be
hearing more and more is “Religious Tolerance.”
It sounds good. Sounds very compassionate. Yet it is the driving force behind the
bigotry and intolerance towards Christianity!
2 Cor. 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen,
masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as
servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
1 Thess. 5:1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to
write to you, 2for you know very
well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction
will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will
not escape.
The world's idea of
"Peace and Safety" is a social system that totally rejects Jesus
Christ.
1 Jo. 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the
spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone
out into the world. 2This is how
you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus
Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that
does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of
the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the
world.
I want to read to you the
stand that promoters of “Religious Tolerance” take. But before I read this, understand that two of the most powerful
groups of influence in this country are also the biggest promoters of
“Religious Tolerance”--the liberal media and Hollywood.
“If a person considers their
religion's ethic of reciprocity to be of paramount importance, then they will
want others to enjoy freedom of religion, speech, assembly, and other basic
freedoms. They will give the highest priority to fundamental human rights, as
listed in the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other
documents. They will be religiously tolerant, even of those who believe
differently.
But many religious leaders
promote hatred and restrictions of fundamental human rights, targeting the
followers of other religions, sexual minorities, women, etc. The Bible itself
contains many passages promoting intolerance. If people give greater importance
to these teachings than to the ethic of reciprocity, the result is religious intolerance.
We see the results throughout the world, including intolerance:
Ÿ
Within a religion: In
Northern Ireland, Roman Catholics and Protestants have assassinated thousands
of followers of each other's faith groups.
Ÿ
By Christians: In
Bosnia, Serbian Orthodox Christians committed genocide against Muslims.
Ÿ
By Muslims: In East
Timor Muslims committed crimes against humanity.
In North America, religious
intolerance still exists, but it tends to take a non-lethal form:
Statements by Rep. Bob Barr and
George Bush that Wiccans should not enjoy the same religious rights as others
on army bases.
Ÿ
Wicca: religious
practice involving nature-worship and witchcraft
Religiously based campaigns
mounted by religious groups to limit or reduce the rights of gays and lesbians.
Religious tolerance can only
be enhanced when religions, governments, schools, agencies etc. emphasize
ethics of reciprocity and fundamental human rights to a much greater degree
than has been done in the past. Hopefully, individual members will be motivated
to detect intolerance and discrimination within their own faith groups and
either work for improvement, or leave.
This is the influence that
has swayed some Christian denominations into this type of thinking.
In 1997, the Disciples of
Christ urged the enactment of "legislation on local, state and national
levels which will end the denial of civil rights and the violation of civil
liberties for reasons of sexual orientation."
The resolution specifically
recognized that "the church, among other elements of society, has
contributed to the persecution and suffering of homosexuals, and it is its
responsibility in this regard which provides one reason for seeking a more
enlightened understanding."
“Gay, Lesbian & Affirming
Disciples", (GLAD) is a support group for gay and lesbian members and
their supporters within the denomination. Their goal is "full dignity
and integrity of gay, lesbian, bisexual and affirming people within the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)."
Other denominations, either
at the national or local level, are considering ordination of -- or have
decided to ordain -- openly homosexual clergy. That is the case with the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, the African Methodist Episcopal Church,
the Presbyterian Church USA, the American Baptist Church, and the United Church
of Christ.
Advocates of “Religious
Tolerance” further say........
Racism has become socially
unacceptable in many circles. So as sexism. It appears to be just a matter of
time before homophobia will be seen as a form of hatred that is as evil as
racism and sexism. But religious intolerance, appears to be well entrenched. It
will not be dissipating in the near future.
Rather than condemn opposing
beliefs, some advocate tolerance toward them.
Instead of fighting abortion,
some suggest tolerance towards pro-choice advocates.
Instead of resisting
physician assisted suicide, some recommend allowing others to make up their own
mind.”
George A. Boyd a very strong
advocate of religious tolerance writes....
“Imagine for one moment that
the Spirit of the Lord is walking in the cool of the morning. Suddenly,
He/She/It spies a glistening human soul. He/She/It patiently pads over to it
and flips it over. "A cross!" God exclaims, "Better keep this
one!"
Then, from another part of
the garden, an arc of rainbow light catches the Creator's eye. Beneath a
dew-laden cabbage leaf, another human soul is hiding. Again the Creator walks
over to gently inspect this new soul. Flipping it over, He/She/It finds the
Hindu AUM symbol. "Bah! No good...wrong kind!" God thunders. Taking
the little soul in an extended thumb and forefinger, a flick of the Divine
wrist sends the little soul into a compost heap at the edge of Eden's garden.
In our irreverent anthropomorphic
fantasy, we have looked through the lens of a parable that typifies the
worldview of many of our Christian evangelists. It seems to matter to humans
what spiritual club they belong to—we are quick to inspect the bright blue
underbelly of other souls to make sure their conception of theology, correct
belief and morality fit our own.”
Mat. 7:13 “Enter
through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road
that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is
the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Jo. 14:6 Jesus answered, “I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me.
Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them:
“Rulers and elders of the people! 9If
we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple
and are asked how he was healed, 10then
know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this
man stands before you healed. 11He
is
“‘the stone
you builders rejected,
which has become the
capstone.’
12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no
other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
When our son Matt and his
wife were home for Christmas, he told me that I would not believe the amount of
churches in the Washington D.C. area that water down the gospel.
1 Jo. 2:18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard
that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.
1 Jo. 2:22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the
Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. 23No
one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the
Father also.
Don Feder is a former Boston
Herald writer who is now a political/communications consultant.
DON FEDER
Why Hollywood hates
Christianity
May 28, 2004
· The Last Temptation of
Christ (1988) – wherein Jesus is given a fantasy sex life.
· Priest (1994) – a good,
homosexual priest battles "repression" in his Church and heterosexual
incest.
· Dogma (1999) – another
reputed comedy, wherein an abortion clinic worker (the perfect heroine, from
Hollywood’s perspective) and the great-grand-niece of Jesus (?) saves the world
from destruction by fallen angels trying to enter a church to reenter Heaven.
Don’t ask. When it comes to an opportunity to bash Christians, no plot is too
ridiculous.
· The Magdalene Sisters
(2003) – set in a convent school run by nuns who could pass as
concentration-camp guards.
· The Order (2003) – teen
heartthrob Heath Ledger battles yet another secret order within the Roman
Catholic Church bent on no-good.
· Stigmata (1999) – the
entire Roman Catholic Church is shown to be hiding the "real" Gospel,
and a priest tries to murder its last true disciple.
· The Saint (1997) –
frequently, anti-Christian characterizations bear little or no relation to a
movie’s plot. They are gratuitous, but damaging nonetheless. This movie opens
in a Far Eastern orphanage run by a brutal priest who beats and starves the
children and is responsible for the death of one of his charges.
The above only skims the surface
of Hollywood’s anti-Christian crusade. As they do in so many areas, movies
shape popular attitudes and perceptions here as well.
Here’s a short list of
religious groups it wouldn’t dream of baiting: Unitarians, Presbyterians,
members of any liberal, Protestant denomination, Cafeteria Catholics, Reform
Jews, Buddhists, Wiccans and Moslems.
Why are traditional
Catholics, evangelicals and – to a lesser extent – Orthodox Jews, considered
fair game?
Because the Hollywood Left
(in other words, 98 percent of the self-styled artistic community) views them
as the enemy.
Hollywood hates authentic
Christians, because Christianity is diametrically opposed to its worldview – a
dogma reflected in the very deep thoughts of Michael Moore, Tim Robbins and Barbara
Streisand. It's based on the following tenets:
1) Sexual Liberation – the
glorification of pre-marital sex (including adolescent experimentation),
adultery, homosexuality, abortion and the sexualization of children. This may
be contrasted with the Judeo-Christian ethic of sexual
restraint/responsibility, and the sanctification of sex within marriage
(raising the carnal to a spiritual plane).
2) A Live-for-the-Moment
Ethos – the here-and-now is all there is, or as the beer commercial used to put
it, "You only go around once; so grab all the gusto you can." This is
opposed to the Christian emphasis on life eternal. Christians and religious
Jews live not for the moment but for eternity. Hollywood’s seize-the-moment
ethic must ultimately lead to a total rejection of the Ten Commandments and all
biblical morality.
3) The Cult of Self – or to
put it in the lingo of pop psychology: "self-actualization," really
self-gratification. From this perspective, putting anything ahead of your own
happiness is dumb, if not psychotic. Christianity and Judaism both teach that
your life isn’t your own. It belongs to the One who gave you life.
4) Gender Sameness – the
bizarre and amply refuted doctrine that men and women are psychologically identical,
that gender roles are socially imposed, instead of reality-based. This dogma
lies at the heart of liberalism’s push to radically remake the family. The
worse invective the Left can hurl at the family (from its perspective) is
"patriarchal" and "male-dominated."
5) Militant Secularism – the
belief that religious expression should be confined to a white clapboard
building, and that traditional faith should play no role in shaping our laws
and institutions. Thus, someone who speaks of rights being "endowed by
their Creator" (like the Founding Fathers) or saying that America is a
nation "under God" (like Abraham Lincoln) becomes an enemy of
democracy.
What really enrages the
Hollywood Left is the realization that, more than any other group in our society,
evangelical Christians – who now constitute the nation's largest identifiable
voting bloc – stand in the way of its political agenda: abortion on demand, a
contraceptive culture, erotic indoctrination masquerading as sex education,
universal day care (the literal Nanny State), the complete public blessing of
gay marriage and hate-crimes legislation that criminalizes religious speech. By
attacking Christians, Hollywood is advancing its agenda.
Over the past 40 years,
Hollywood has been primarily responsible for the rapid degeneration of our
culture. Modern cinema is filled with violence, sadism, sex at its most
animalistic, crudeness, nihilism and despair. If Hollywood wants to treat
Christianity as the antithesis of all it holds dear, Christians should feel
complimented.
The two most powerful molders
of opinion in the nation, the media and Hollywood, are at the head of the line
in the war on Christianity, frequently ridiculing and disparaging Christians in
ways they would never dream of employing against any other group of Americans.
The media, portrays
Christians as unreasonable and violent, charging them with violent acts against
abortionists, abortion clinics or homosexuals while at the same time both
Hollywood and the media downplay injustices and violent acts committed against
Christians.
A favorite media tactic is
the use of the term "religious right" to describe Christian
conservatives, implying such believers are, "intolerant, backwoods
fanatics, and yet never labeling religious liberals such as Jesse Jackson, as
the ‘religious left’ or other leftists as the ‘anti-religious left."
Here are other examples of
this tactic.....
# Bryant Gumbel in a June,
2000 CBS "Early Show" interviewing Robert Knight of the Family
Research Council appearing to defend the Boy Scouts refusal to allow
homosexuals to be Scout leaders, thinking the mike was off, muttered that
Knight was "a f***ing idiot."
# CNN founder Ted Turner
asked employees who had ashes on their foreheads on Ash Wednesday if they were
"a bunch of Jesus freaks?"
# In his book
"Bias" Bernard Goldberg reported that CBS producer Roxanne Russell
called Christian activist and then-presidential candidate Gary Bauer "the
little nut from the Christian group."
# Christians have been called
"the American Taliban, with one reporter for a Florida newspaper, Bob
Norman referring to "evangelical loonies," and "way-out-there
Christian whacks." In the St. Petersburg Times columnist Robyn E. Blummer
wrote that the "religious right" is trying in "Taliban-like ways
to inject religion into public schools and the operations of government."
One of the more outrageous
examples of anti-Christian ranting was exhibited on the liberal taxpayer funded
National Public Radio (NPR). On January 22, 2002, NPR reporter David Kestenbaum
"seemed to imply," that the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC), a
pro-family ministry was involved in the terrorist anthrax attacks on the
nation’s capital.
One of the more current cases
of extreme media bias has been the handling of the controversy surrounding Mel
Gibson’s film, The Passion" which tells the story of Jesus Christ’s final
12 hours.
Although the film is solid
based on the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – Gospels that have
been accepted as the true narrative of Christ’s passion and death from the very
beginnings of Christianity – Gibson was attacked for promoting anti-Semitism.
What do we need to do?
We need to listen, we need to
pay attention.
1 Chr. 12:32 “......men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what
Israel should do....”
Don’t try to be a “closet
Christian.”
Speak up!
Pr. 31:8 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for
themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up
and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
We need to speak, call,
write....
The example of “Hope
Clinic.” We need to do what we can.
Pr. 24:11 Rescue
those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not
he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay each person according to what he has
done?