Proselytizing Forbidden! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Who is really behind it Faith-based Initiative? NOTE: Prohibition of proselytizing has come up before from Pope John Paul II. He was losing too many catholic members to the new charismatic movement and raised the issue that proselytizing should be prohibited. Well here we go. It is coming into the church with a juicy carrot attached to it through the back door. What is absolutely amazing is how the political and religious agenda are intertwined. Interfaith is going to be the only solution to overcome "leveling the playing field" so all can participate and harmonize the world into a peaceful existence. You will see in the following paragraphs how Jesus Christ is still under attack.
C-SPAN March 2, 2001 - Budget Committee with Alan Greenspan: The big worry is "We don't know what to do with all the money that is coming in!" Several stretches of Greenspan's answers were blocked out.
Relative to the FAITH-BASED initiative, President Bush on February 27, 2001 stated that $14 billion dollars of OUR (the people's) money will come into Charitable Funds by allowing people to deduct their contributions whether they submit a short or long Income Tax Return. So far there has not been any funding allotted for the new Department of Faith-Based Programs. $700 million will be set aside into the Federal Compassion Fund. The new director John DiIulio, is a Baptist preacher in the body of a Catholic. He said that he did not receive any kind of funding to budget.
During his first press conference, President Bush was literally attacked by the Sr. White House Correspondent and Press Secretary, Helen Thomas of Hearst Newspapers, National Press. She asked the President why he is implementing faith-based funding when history has proven ideology like that caused bloodshed. The President's reply was there is no reason why the government can't assist organizations who want to help alleviate social problems.
The Mayor of Philadelphia, a democrat has faith-based compassion in action according to the President. Here are some interesting facts that relate to this initiative: Fast Track has received a new name: "Trade Promotion Authority." American people's collective debt amounts to $500 billion. The average American has a little over $1,000 savings.
Tampa Tribune - February 25, 2001 - "Headline" Governor leads privatization push. Corporate trainer and author Stephen Covey (who wrote "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." (Check the link and find that he is of a Mormon mind set) urges his audience to "empower" employees to "value the potential within them.. in order to produce more for less. "If there is a constant principle giving direction to state government today, it's true north is the merger of government and business.. Motivational business seminars like the one Bush gave ... had little influence on Concerned state employees who listened to this speaker during a meeting on the privatization of government and will eliminate 4,226 permanent positions from the state payroll next year.
The Performance Based Budget Job Eliminator Tampa Tribune - March 2, 2001 - A few days later: ".. Jeb Bush told them his aim is to create "increased productivity" while operating more efficiently" within a "performance-based budget.".. He forgot to mention his goal of eliminating more than 4,226 state positions this year.
Religious Plurality Didn't Seem to Be the Issue Tampa Tribune (AP) February 27, 2001 - Vatican criticizes Jesuit book.. his book on religious pluralism contained "notable ambiguities" that could lead a reader to "erroneous or harmful positions." The statement Monday by the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith followed a nearly two-year investigation of the book by the Rev. Jacques Dupuis, a 77-year-old Belgian professor at the Gregorian University in Rome... calling it watered-down to avoid offending non-Catholics.
The author agreed to include "intended to safeguard the doctrine of the Catholic faith from errors, ambiguities or harmful interpretations," in future editions of the book. Jesuits issued a statement praising Dupuis' efforts in a "fundamental area for the future of inter-religious dialogue" and said they hoped he would continue his "pioneer research." The book is about exploring common theological ground among religions. The Vatican statement did not cite specific examples of what in the book it found objectionable.
In choosing close to or 40 additional cardinals, it was written that Latin America will play in a greater role in the future.
Which Church is Going to be Partnering with Government? [ NOTE: The book "Who Will Rule the New World Order? Prince Charles - The Sustainable Prince" by Joan Veon addresses this merger of government and business which she has researched for quite some time. In her conclusion she writes: "Because of who he is, doors automatically open and people flock to him. His tentacles are very long, reaching into every area of life, business, and government. He transcends politics, national borders, and religion. He is very powerful by way of position, lineage, inheritance, importance, and influence.
He is out to remake society and mold it into his image, which is based on Gaia and corporate global governance through public-private partnerships. This will change life for every person on earth as we will becomes slaves to the new twenty-first century feudal landlords - those with the power and money. Sustainable development demands that every crust of bread eaten be measured against what a person produces in order to protect resources for future generations... It is spiritual warfare at its finest. The person the mainstream media would have us believe who Charles is - is not the real Charles. The real Charles has a global agenda of his own.
NOTE: Wouldn't you know it, we were staying in Motel 6 over-night during the holidays while reading the book. Joan had mentioned that Prince Charles had aligned himself with the hotel businesses for a beginning. Motel 6 had a flyer on the bed by ACCOR's [click to see their world-wide program] Corporate Office Recycling Program REMINDING PEOPLE TO BE EASY ON WATER, LAUNDRY PRODUCTS, LESS ENERGY BULBS, REDUCE CONSUMPTION OF POWER, RESPECTING THE EARTH'S RESOURCES WITH MOTEL 6. AVOID CHEMICAL USE. WE'LL CHANGE SHEETS EVERY OTHER DAY, PLEASE HANG TOWELS YOU RE-USE.
Does this ring a bell with California? Did the news media dig deep enough with their reports? Washington is keeping us busy with the soaps and spin. In the meantime they are changing our whole existence without our input.
Prince Charles Calls For Acceptance of Other Faiths - Who Advertised This? The Global Catholic Network
LONDON, Feb. 8, 01 (CWNews.com) - The Prince of Wales has called for more tolerance and understanding of faiths other than Christianity. Speaking to a Muslim gathering today, Prince Charles said cultural diversity was crucial to unity in Britain.
He said, "What I always try to say is about the importance of our different faith communities in this country. I think we are enormously fortunate to have such a rich and diverse mix. I feel we have a great deal of unity through that diversity."
The Prince, who by law must accept the tenets of Anglican Christianity when he becomes king, had earlier listened to a reading from the Qu'ran. [ http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=12063 ]
The Church had a Secret Desire to Leave the U.S. Tampa Tribune - March 2, 2001 - When Gerald Payne met with his Greater Ministries elders in March 1998, he told them the United Nations approved his plan to create a new sovereign nation in the Bahamas. And he acknowledged the presence of "those [among the elders] who have been caught up in scams." A videotape of this meeting was played in court Thursday as a defense exhibit in Payne's federal conspiracy, money laundering and fraud trial. Payne ran Greater Ministries International, a Tampa church that offered what it called a money-doubling financial program. Four other leaders are on trial. They call it a Ponzi scheme.
A Taste of Government Welfare C_SPAN - The Ford School of Public Policy designed and implemented Welfare Reform. Intent is leaving welfare for work. Welfare to Work Reform - 37 states implement the plan in one form or another. Families are placed Time Limits are 60 months during which time they have to get their act together and work with partial help. There are "Full Family Sanctions" no benefits - there are work requirements if they want benefits. Their clock is ticking during this time. Many do not understand what their requirements are. If they don't comply they lose their benefits. At least half a million have been discarded because of government sanctions. Iraq is not the only country who has to bear up to sanctions. They are families that have major struggles. People who couldn't find jobs were sanctioned off welfare. [Speakers were from: Mathematica Policy, Research Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation].
Archbishop Charles Chaput from Denver, Knights of Columbus and Sisters of Life praised the President for the Faith-based Initiative. They were represented at this Welfare to Work Conference.
They talked about a new plan of creating a partnership between job providers (corporations) and government. The government plans to subsidize employees who get low wages to get employers to hire them for low wages. Employers will be taking advantage of that by hiring nothing but low wage earners because it will mean that the employee stays put in their jobs and it will cost the employers less. Our tax money will pay the difference. Obviously this will cost good wage earners jobs and drive them into poverty as well. In this approaching poverty for Americans we have subsidized housing.
We just experienced and jolt in that area. We live in suburbs of Tampa, Florida in a new government development. We were not informed when we purchased our house that this project will always be under the jurisdiction of governmental control which requires strict enforcement of regulations. We pay $700 more real estate tax to have that privilege. The builder built the streets and handed them over to the county free and we pay the government bond that was issued to cover the cost. The project is occupied by middle to high income people, a nice neighborhood.
There was 15 acres set aside for a little commercial shopping area. They secretly changed the zoning and were about to allow a government subsidized contractor to build a government subsidized low-income 208 unit apartment complex right by the entrance of this area. Hundreds of people stormed the county court house where all the decisions are made and complained. The homeowners hired a lawyer to represent them.
There were three projects that were dealing with the same problem in this vicinity. The county was to contribute $750,000 each to the projects, as well as funding from the federal government. It was a sad situation. The commissioners just kept saying, we have to do what the feds mandate. One project lost their battle, one is pending and the other one is still on hold. The owner of the property and the contractor are trying the governor now to get their way. It will have major effects on property values and quality of life. There are thousands of acres of vacant land they could use but the contractors want to capitalize on the beautification that the homeowners pay for, for their projects. I
C-SPAN March 5, 2001- Rep. Michael Capuano (D), addressing a conference about banking and investments stated that public housing got the ax. The $700 million budget was deleted out of President Bush's budget.
The Ford Foundation is Planning to Put Greater Emphasis on 2 Parent Families The three principles for keeping people out of poverty according to their model are: 1) staying married 2) work 3) high school graduate. They claim that prevents poverty. Part of this position is cutting off benefits to unwed parents. Once they are married they will receive housing benefits
If All Else Fails, Who Is Left to Carry the Ball: the Church When people write about workshops like Alpha, Momentus and others they say that the training is about people becoming "community minded." They are basically getting people ready for the New World Order which will engage every individual to become a "responsible to the community" citizen. That truly reminds me of the word "commune ism." Thinking back to Mormon ism, which is much like this new world order. Members are expected to accept the notion that the people's property belongs to the church in theory. The members enjoy each other's homes, food, goods, etc.. When they go through the temple they dedicate their assets, their talents, and their time to the church. Looking at what is coming, aren't we going to be in a similar situation.
John DiLulio, the new director of the faith-based office in the White House, used a former policeman who had mortgaged his home to start an after school program for kids as an example of what is expected from the congregation of a church. It includes assets, time and talents for free. The Mormon church is valued at the Stock Exchange at $30 billion due to the hard working membership within the church and some very smart people.
The dictionary defines "commune ism" in theory as elimination of private property, a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed, a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls a stateless society, a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably.
The slogan today is "lets get an even the playing field."
The Faith-Based Initiative is the next level to pick up the slack of Welfare to Work Reform. Government is dismantling and corporations, non-profits and businesses are taking the load on their purse. The reason they call it faith-based is to remind us that we are mandated to take care of our neighbors.
C-SPAN presented a forum by the PEW Charitable Trust - PEW Foundation on Religion and Public Life [http://www.pewforum.org ] - about the new Federal Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiative which is going to be responsible for Federal Funding of Faith-Based Initiatives. President Bush issued TWO EXECUTIVE ORDERS. The first EO establishes this new office and the second deals with task forces within five federal agencies responsible for funding specific public services, Departments of Agriculture, Health, Housing, Employment and Education.
John DiIulio, a Baptist preacher in the body of a Catholic, new director of the new office was introduced. "Let me explain what we are trying to do at the new White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives.. " He described a pilot program of a school in W.D.C. which is an example of what they expect to happen. The school is run by a former police officer who developed the "Officer Friendly" program, after he left the police department, he mortgaged his home and borrowed to open a "safe haven" for kids. Now it is called the Fishing School an after school program for kids where more learning is going on. "That is the kind of community serving ministry we are talking about. This is not about religion..."
"Three things we are trying to do. First we are trying to increase charitable giving not only dollars but also charitable giving of volunteer hours and time. To compensate individuals the President hopes to change the IRS to allow tax deductions for giving on short forms as well as long forms. [Remember that you only receive a small percentage, in other words, the tax rate, back in form of refunds. They also want people to give to charities from their IRA's without any penalty and stimulate more corporate giving. "That is the fiscal side," John Said.
Americorp to Re-engineer and Re-tool Faith-Based Organizations "Americorp is going to be linked to Faith-Based community groups. They are to re-engineer and re-tool faith-based organizations to become more effective. There are tremendous examples of Americorp involvements in Community-based organizations. There is a real opportunity to take that volunteer base into the community-based activity.
Second: Removing the barriers, ending discrimination and create a level playing field so all non-profits can compete for the funding. "Charitable Choice", a new law, was initiated in 1996 by the Clinton Administration that religious organizations are to be able to compete for assistance by the government. John DiIulio read all the various laws regarding discrimination against religions, homosexuals, aids, race, age and so on and said that they will not be changed.
Third: finding models for effective public private partnerships for effective cooperation. Working across denominational and racial lines, the usual urban and suburban divide.. quality best practices after school literacy programs and mentors for children who have parents in jail within walking distance of his or her public school.
Gale Norton, the New Interior Secretary Had Some Interesting Statistics January 19, 2001 C-SPAN Gal addressed public private partnerships to further public goals and benefit important resources used. Gale Norton was in charge of the environmental issues in Colorado. She said they had 90,000 volunteers in Colorado working in the environment.
She also admitted that the federal government has photo radar cameras in the parks to take pictures of people's license plates.
Compassion Fund is Really a Matching Fund The funding set aside is a "Compassion Fund" which is really a matching fund. Step up and do things that have provable, ..government performance results, said Dilulio.
Each of the five major domestic cabinet agencies in the White House will have a faith-based affiliated task force to co-ordinate efforts by doing performance audits of various non-governmental providers. Focus is to lift up children, youth and families in need... by harnessing the constructive force of religious and civic organizations. John stated there should be debates about this and that we ought to sue each other, we ought to sue each other, we ought sue each other till we drop. [He probably wasn't just kidding because the lawyers contributed a whole lot to presidential election and expect a return]. "But when the suing is over we find some common ground to find our missions we have to bend a little. While the debate goes on 2,3,5, 7 years, we still have kids without mentors, we have a problem," stated John DiIulio
"Charitable Choice" Can Land a Christian in Jail The new Law. Charitable Choice (1996) changed the law about discrimination. It contains very specific language that religious discrimination is okay. Enforcing racial discrimination laws of the Title 7 Civil Rights Act, is impossible. Proselytizing is against the law for religious organizations who accept federal funding. This brings up the issue of tax write-offs. Are they going to attach that issue to donations for tax write-offs? Will they require that people only declare those donations to those who qualify as federally funded "non proselytizing organizations." Senator Ashcroft (R) crafted the "Charitable Choice Law" with a tougher mandate which was changed by an amendment. He wanted people to have to join a church before they could get federally church funded services. That is the reason the discrimination law was changed. The amendment didn't go far enough apparently.
Our donation dollars will be partnering with government separately from the church where it is intended to go in the first place and provide the secular sector with social services across the board with the ingredient that proselytizing can land one in jail. John DiIulio did not deny that that was a possibility. A Jewish representative said that this would create tremendous tension within the religious sector as to whether to adhere to their faith or the government dollars. Intrusion into one's religion is illegal.
What truly interesting is today's article in the Tampa Tribune (March 5, 2001) U.S.-funded relief workers pray with victims. Gualdalupe, El Salvador: Evangelicals teach the Gospel, along with helping to build 2000 homes for homeless quake victims. Samaritan's Purse, headed by president Rev. Franklin Graham, Dr. Billy Graham's son, was one of the first to be investigated and exposed in violating the federal mandate, not to promote religion at he public's expense. Paul Chiles, the country's director in a mostly Catholic country, said "we distribute to the people in need. At the same time, we bring the message of the Gospel."
The new Catholic director John DiLulio emphasized that performance is their only bottom line. They are not concerned with mandates from the Bible. Comments as to who and how it is determined where service leaves off and proselytizing begins. DiLulio stated that 200 congregations, churches, synagogues, mosques had to fill out a census and they turned up with 215 services to the secular community which did not make faith a condition in receiving the service.
Jim Wallis of Call to Renewal said that church / state public private cooperation is a new partnership that has already been going on for years. [Many Catholics well as other denominations, schools, charities, hospitals, Salvation Army and the Red Cross have had assistance from tax dollars]
Jim Wallis is worried this initiative might be leading to the private sector replacing government services altogether. We become the clean up group for bad social policy. We can't provide health care, housing, etc.. Prophetic Integrity [speaking of the Gospel] could well be compromised.
Pentecostal, black, Rev. Eugene Rivers stated that blacks are willing to put in 90 hours. a week with no health plan for Jesus without proper funding. The bottom line on who gets funding, should be who is doing the work. "They should not be discriminated against because they follow Jesus. "At Harvard University the fact that they are motivated by following Jesus was a strike against getting this funding," said Rev. Rivers.
Pat Robertson Says The Plan "Could be a Real Pandora's Box."
It's hard for us to believe that Pat Robertson is using this opportunity to whitewash himself from this administration. His organization sent out 90 million voters guides to make sure people would go and vote "Republican." It is confusing to say the least.
Tampa Tribune: March 3, 2001 - Faith-based supporters wary! ".. The Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board said that while "optimistic," it had urged to proceed with caution.," explaining, "There can be a tendency over time for the government to attempt to control that which it subsidizes."
A spokesman for Focus on the Family, the multimedia industry led by James C. Dobson, said it was still studying the initiative. And only half the leaders of the National Association of Evangelicals said in a survey last year that they were in favor of government financing for religious charities. The board is to vote on a resolution of support next week.
[Here comes the lie] "The president has said he will not require charities to suppress their religious doctrines in order to receive government financing."
The 700 Club last week, calling it "appalling" that the initiative could result in government contracts for social service programs run by non-Western religions and newer religious movements like the Church of Scientology and the Unification Church... What seems to be such a great initiative can rise up to bite the organizations as well as the federal government." The 700 Club already benefits from the public sector especially businesses to the tune of $151 million dollars in 1999 and held $299,300 million in assets. His International Relief & Development "Operation Blessing" organization had a surplus of $94,000 that could not find a home in 1998. Do they really need more money?
Tampa Tribune continues: "About 300 leaders with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs interrogated John DiIulio Jr., who heads the new White House office, at a meeting.. Lutheran Services, Catholic Charities, Wiccans and pagans have complained in a letter to the president. Bush defended his initiative in a news conference on February 22, saying, "I believe that so long as there's a secular alternative available, we ought to allow individuals who we're helping to be able to choose a program that may be run by a faith-based program... In a survey they found that 28% of politically conservative congregations were willing to apply for government financing for charity work, compared to 51% of politically moderate or liberal congregations. The younger generation is far more receptive.
The separation of wheat and weeds is about to begin. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." "Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn (the Rapture)." (Matthew 13:30)
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