Freedom From Religion Foundation lawsuit against Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch dismissed

An update from a previous This Week’s Top Scrooge reported in June of last year is good news for a successful youth program that includes foster care.

This from the WashingtonPost.com:

BISMARCK, N.D. — A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by atheists and agnostics that challenged the state’s sending of children and money to the church-affiliated Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch.

U.S. District Judge Dan Hovland did not address the plaintiffs’ contention that public money is used to indoctrinate children with religion and the state agencies’ referrals to the ranch are unconstitutional.

Instead, the judge said the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation and five North Dakota taxpayers who are members of the group have no right to sue.

“The payment of taxes is generally not enough to establish standing to challenge an action by the state or county government,” the judge said in his ruling Wednesday.

And more floundering from the lost:

Dan Barker, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, said the group was considering its options, including appealing or suing on behalf of some children at the Boys and Girls Ranch. It has facilities in Bismarck, Fargo and Minot.

“The government should not be sentencing juveniles to a religious treatment program, and taxpayers should not be footing the bill to indoctrinate children or punish children who object to such indoctrination,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, another foundation co-president.

Hooray for the good guys!

The Boys and Girls Ranch, which is affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said it receives state funds but that its spiritual component is funded entirely with private money.

When will this church and state separation paranoia end? It’s freedom of religion, not freedom from religion!

DIGG story!

Many of us are just waking up to the fact that recovery is an essential part of life for everyone. However, what exactly does “life recovery” mean?

I asked myself a few of those kinds of questions before cracking open the Life Recovery Bible. What I found was astounding.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out my other site, one focused on devotions and inspirtational messages, please do so. Alexander is a mix of the writings of famous Christian authors and not-so-famous.

Read more about ‘Hurting Lives Restored’ in Alexander

Who knew my eating of a chocolate bar would lead to some important information about health?

While looking for alternatives to my chocolate bar, which by the way contained 110 fat calories, I ran across the following tips on boosting your afternoon energy. Find the 9 things you can do to prevent you from having a tired afternoon!

Go to TheBigRuski Goes Healthy now!

The Voice of the Martyrs is rallying for prayer for China, and rightly so. With less than three weeks to go before the start of the Beijing Olympic Games, Christians are still reportedly being persecuted by the Chinese government, which claims to uphold international religious freedom standards.

OneNewsNow.com is reporting that in late June, police arrested three members of a house church in the Gansu Province. The following day, two more house church members were arrested at the same site. And communist authorities say those arrested are suspected of taking part in cult activities and undermining public security.

The report continues:

Daniel Burton, with China Aid Association, disagrees with the Chinese officials and says the arrests are part of an ongoing crackdown on unregistered house churches leading up to the Olympics. “They are banning and cracking down heavily on certain members of house churches, trying to get them out of the way, or eradicate them, as their official statement said,” details Burton. “So we are seeing increased persecution as the Olympics draw near.”

But Burton says that while persecution has increased leading up to the Olympics, the international media will not focus on the human rights abuses as they converge to cover the Olympics. “The Communist Party’s rhetoric all along has been that they are opening religious freedom and human rights violations were being decreased,” he continues. “That’s what they’re saying to the West and the rest of the world, while those on the inside know that persecution is actually on the increase and uprise,” Burton reports.

This from the Christian Post:

The Olympic host detained for a second time a Christian bookstore owner on charges of “illegal printing of religious material,” China Aid Association recently learned.

Shi Weihan, who legally runs a religious bookstore in Beijing, sold only materials permissible by the government in his bookstore. But he also printed Bibles and Christian literature without authorization for distribution to local house churches.

In China, the government monitors the printing of religious literature, including the Bible. The government also overseas religious worship and allows people of faith to hold gatherings only in state-sanctioned religious facilities.

Protestant Christians are only allowed to worship in registered churches under the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, although millions of Christians attend unregistered house churches at the risk of being arrested.

Shi was first arrested with his wife in November 2007. His wife was soon released, but he remained in custody.

After massive media pressure, Beijing authorities released Shi on grounds of “insufficient evidence.” However, he was re-arrested on March 19 and has been held since without family and lawyer visitation rights, according to his wife, Zhang Jing. Zhang also said she has not received any update on her husband’s health condition, and said she is “very concerned” because he has diabetes, according to CAA.

In addition to his isolation, Shi’s June 19 court hearing on possible charges never took place, according to sources of the persecution watchdog agency Compass Direct.

June 19 marked the end of Shi’s three months of detention without charges. The Public Security Bureau is not legally allowed to detain Chinese citizens for more than two months without formal charges under Chinese law.

Other details of the Chinese government’s crackdown on unregistered Christians, including a campaign to eradicate house churches ahead of the Olympics, are detailed in a report by Christian Solidarity Worldwide and China Aid Association that was released last month. FULL STORY

The Voice of the Martyrs is offering a free Olympic prayer band. To get yours and to spread the word about prayer for China, go to the group’s Persecution Blog.

_______________

Note: This post is also listed as part of Bloggers Unite at BlogCatalog

DIGG story!

My health blog, TheBigRuski Goes Healthy, has achieved early popularity. Just thought you might want to check out my latest post, If I Listen Close.

Learning that good health is about a total body, mind, and spiritual approach is important. Nothing should be left out. Like me, you may find it clear that emotions are a big aspect of how well we do at the dinner table. There is help. (Read More)

They say pain is the touchstone to spiritual growth. I can vouch for that! It’s been a tough week. Yet, I’ve reached out more to the One who can make me whole…and for that I am grateful.

Money…no money. Health…no health. These are important aspects of our lives that can not be ignored. However, there is One who can make all the difference!

You can see my full post at Alexander. The devotion is taken from Billy Graham’s Hope for Each Day.

_______________

Us humans are always looking for ways to exalt ourselves - especially men. For some, climbing a mountain, swimming across a channel, or running a marathon provides a good enough dosage of self esteem building.

However, for others, somewhat sane exercises in getting the juices flowing aren’t enough…they need to get into the insane. Enter the running of the bulls in Pamplona. Animals versus humans…I just don’t get it.

The ‘Los San Fermines’ festival just reminds me that a lot of people crave the extreme. Just a quick peek at YouTube will make you realize that us humans are pretty stupid…I mean setting ourselves on fire, getting run over by cars, beating each other up to bloody messes….Wow! What good fun!

As for me, I’ll try to increase my half-hour neighborhood walks to 45 minutes this week…thank you very much!

_______________

Thrill seekers are chased by Conde de La Corte ranch fighting bulls during the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain. The ‘Los San Fermines’ festival, held since 1591, attracts tens of thousands of foreign visitors each year for nine days of revelry (testosterone overload), morning bull-runs and afternoon bullfights. (photos AP)

DIGG story!

He can turn our life around, bringing hope and health where once despair and pain had reigned. - Life Recovery Bible

The freedom we are offered in America is a blessing. However, where does my greatest freedom come from? I posted the answer in my Alexander blog. Hope you have a chance to stop by!

Read more in Alexander

If you ever had a question about how big a part faith in a Divine Power had in our country’s heritage, simply go to the Presidential Prayer Team website. You’ll find a section called “Our Nation’s Godly Heritage.”

There is no doubt in my mind about this country’s Godly heritage, but I am blown away every time I read from this section on the site. These Founding Fathers (and politicians) didn’t mince words or fool around when it came to bowing down to something more powerful than themselves.

Praise the Lord for the freedoms we enjoy!

Happy 4th of July!

This from Presidential Prayer Team :

Benjamin Franklin and “Providence”
Benjamin Franklin loomed as large as any of the key leaders of the movement toward independence. Though many consider Franklin to have been a man of questionable faith in God, he spoke frequently of his belief that God Himself was directing the parties who led the Revolution. In fact, said Franklin, it was God who orchestrated the whole history-making event!

Using the colonial term for the hand of God, “Providence,” Franklin here testifies to his belief that God’s hand was ever active in the birth of our nation:
“The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”

Below are two more quotes from Franklin that express his understanding of God:

“My dear friend, do not imagine that I am vain enough to ascribe our success [Revolution] to any superiority…If it had not been for the justice of our cause, and the consequent interposition of Providence, in which we had faith, we must have been ruined. If I had ever before been an atheist, I should now have been convinced of the being and government of a Deity!”
—In a letter to William Strahan, August 19, 1784

“I must own I have so much faith in the general government of the world by Providence that I can hardly conceive a transaction of such momentous importance to the welfare of millions now existing, and to exist in the posterity of a great nation, should be suffered to pass without being in some degree influenced, guided, and governed by that omnipotent, omnipresent, and beneficent Ruler.”
—On the impact of Independence on generations of Americans during the Constitutional Convention

DIGG story!

If just three churches in every city in America were doing what we are doing, you would be able to walk (safely) in any city. - Pastor Granderson Wright, Youth Action for Christ

Blockbusters Ministry shares Christian message in front of Long Beach liquor store. (Photo: Youth Action for Christ)

By ALEXANDER
Special to the Christian Examiner

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Hungry from fasting, dressed in business suits, and ready to hear from their ministry’s founder, a small roomfull of men wait for their marching orders on a recent Friday night.

As members of the Blockbusters ministry, they start the evening at the Youth Action for Christ office with prayer, Bible study, and a stirring message from Pastor Granderson Wright. Their mission for more than 25 years has been the same one—to reach gang members and anyone else they come across later in the evening on the streets of Long Beach.

Their message is salvation through Jesus Christ.

“The Bible teaches us that we are to be soldiers,” Wright, also known as the Street Preacher, said. “We teach a soldier mentality. We are dealing with some of the most notorious gangs.”

Wright, who has been preaching in the neighborhoods and cities of Los Angeles County for more than 27 years, believes that more churches should encourage their members to “go out into the streets” to show Christ’s love and extinguish gang violence.

“You can’t win a war with the soldiers inside the barracks. Somebody has got to go out on the battlefield,” he said. “If just three churches in every city in America were doing what we are doing, you would be able to walk (safely) in any city.”

Before piling into the ministry’s vans, Wright said he wants to make sure everyone is prepared to go to Long Beach’s “hot spots,” places where there have been reports of gang activity.

“We pray. We stir up the Spirit. It’s like stirring up a pack of horses. We don’t fear anything but God,” he said.

The Blockbusters conclude their half-hour meeting before hitting the streets by singing a Gospel song with the lyrics: Every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess Jesus Christ is Lord.

Wright rides in the lead van, or Angel, as the group likes to call their blue and white vans equipped with loudspeakers. On this evening, he broadcasts his message to people on sidewalks on only a few occasions. He is careful not to be a nuisance, but determined to announce Scripture to the people of the streets.

“We go here because we love them, not because we fear them,” he said. “We try to be wise and discreet.”

Wright’s story of how he founded the street-witnessing ministry is documented in his book, “Beneath the Earth—Beyond the Stars.”

“His road has not been easy,” as the book’s introduction states, and engaging with gangs on the streets has not always been easy, either.

From quiet to frantic
Sometimes a hot spot becomes eerily quiet as the vans drive through the area. There are no gang members to be found and, Wright said, it’s as if the devil has warned them.

There are other times when the Blockbusters have come in between rival gangs at critical moments. A few years ago, the group was tipped off about a possible confrontation. They went to the location and hid their vans. As a gang wearing raincoats and armed with guns came near, the Blockbusters jumped out of their vans and stood their ground, Wright said.

“As they approached and walked directly at us, from about 50 feet, they were ready to pull the trigger, but they turned and ran away,” he said. “There was no reason for them to run. We believe strongly that God intervened,” he said.

No one from the ministry group has ever been hurt. However, on one occasion, Wright said a man pointed a gun at him from close range. Wright said he “called out in the name of Jesus” and the man dropped the gun.

Several years ago an area of Long Beach—Summit Street near Santa Fe Avenue—was notorious for gang activity. It was an area, Wright said, that even police officers feared.

Feeling safer
As a result of the Blockbusters intervention, the street pastor said residents in the area no longer felt threatened to venture outside. Some local police officers have also developed a relationship with ministry members after they said they have witnessed a dramatic change in the neighborhood.

“They recognized that we have a power they don’t have,” Wright said. “They saw that we were making their jobs easy.”

On this night, since the suspected hot spot was quiet, the group decides to park the vans at a liquor store and pass out Christian tracts. With big smiles on their faces the men talk to a few store customers, engage in long discussions with a couple of willing men, and end up praying with more than a few.

Carroll Wassom, 70, has been with Youth Action for Christ and the Blockbusters for more than 20 years. He said he feels led to go on the streets.

“It’s a requirement for Christ that we go out on the streets,” Wassom said. “If you want a relationship with God, the first thing you got to do is do what He wants you to do.”

It doesn’t matter to Wassom whether the person he is witnessing to is a gang member or not.

“It depends on how much that person needs Christ,” he said. “The whole emphasis is on saving souls.

“Everybody needs Christ. Nobody is exempt. It doesn’t matter what gender they are or nationality. You can do anything you want when you are alive, but you better be in Christ when you die.”

Information about Youth Action for Christ and Blockbusters can be found at youthactionforchrist.com or by calling (310) 638-3230.

Note: Originally published in the Christian Examiner.