Just the facts.

A Surprising Percentage of Americans Are Totally Fine With Planned Parenthood Selling Aborted Babies’ Body Parts

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Townhall reports:

When the first video surfaced of a top Planned Parenthood doctor casually discussing the sale of aborted babies’ body parts went viral, many pro-life advocates hoped the shocking admission would be enough to finally turn the tides against—at the very least—taxpayer funding of the abortion giant.

Despite the firestorm of criticism directed against Planned Parenthood in the wake of the video, not to mention investigations launched—the organization’s president never came close to issuing a sincere apology. Instead, all Cecile Richards really regretted is the “tone” of the worker’s comments.

How can Planned Parenthood get away with it? According to a new Rasmussen survey, there are more Americans that approve of the disturbing practice—and the people behind it—than many would probably like to think.

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Next target in same-sex marriage battle: Christian schools’ tax exempt status

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ChristianExaminer reports:

Christian schools and other non-profit religious organizations opposed to same-sex marriage are in danger of losing their tax-exempt status if Congress fails to act and stop the IRS, according to a coalition of 15 state attorneys general who say the Obama administration’s top lawyer conceded the point during Supreme Court oral arguments this year.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, led the coalition in writing a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R.-Ky.) and Speaker of the House John Boehner (R.-Ohio), saying religious freedom is at stake.

“As the chief legal officers of our States, were are concerned that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may deny tax-exempt status to religious organizations following the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Obergefell v. Hodges,” the coalition wrote.

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“I Want a Lamborghini”: Second Expose’ Released After Planned Parenthood Denies Selling Baby Organs

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According to Christian News Network:

Days after the president of Planned Parenthood released a video statement denying that the organization makes any profit from selling the organs of aborted babies, a second undercover video has been released showing another top director joking that she would like enough to buy a Lamborghini.

“I want to be really clear: The allegation that Planned Parenthood profits in any way from tissue donation is not true,” Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards claimed in a video on Thursday, emphasizing the word “any.”

But on Tuesday, The Center for Medical Progress released a second undercover video, this time with abortionist Mary Gatter, the president of Planned Parenthood’s Medical Directors Council. The Center for Medical Progress again posed as a fetal tissue procurement company, and asked Gatter what kind of compensation she would expect for intact organs.

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South African Student Leader Under Investigation for Facebook Comment Opposing ‘Gay Marriage’

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Christian News Network reports:

A college student in South Africa has been removed as acting president of her student council after she posted a comment on her personal Facebook page expressing disapproval over the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on “gay marriage.”

Zizipho Pae, who had been serving as acting president of the University of Cape Town’s Student Representative Council (SRC) while elected President Ramabina Mahapa was on leave, is now under investigation over her comment on her Facebook page.

“We are institutionalizing and normalizing sin! Sin. May God have mercy on us,” she wrote earlier this month.

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Heroine Epidemic

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has come out with a shocking report. Heroine use is epidemic in the U.S. According to the CDC’s website:

Most demographic groups are increasingly using heroin and other drugs. During the past decade, heroin use has increased across the United States among men and women, most age groups, and all income levels, with some of the greatest increases occurring in demographic groups that have had historically lower rates of heroin use, according to a new Vital Signs report.

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SHOCK POLL: 51% OF U.S. MUSLIMS WANT SHARIA; 25% OKAY WITH VIOLENCE AGAINST AMERICANS

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According to Breitbart:

The Center for Security Policy released a poll Tuesday that should give all Americans pause. The results show that a startling number of American Muslims, our fellow citizens, agree that violence is a legitimate response to those who insult Islam. A full majority of 51% “agreed that “Muslims in America should have the choice of being governed according to shariah.”

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AP Poll: Sharp Divisions After Court Backs Gay Marriage

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According to Associated Press:

The Supreme Court’s ruling last month legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide has left Americans sharply divided, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll that suggests support for gay unions may be down slightly from earlier this year.

The poll also found a near-even split over whether local officials with religious objections should be required to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, with 47 percent saying that should be the case and 49 percent say they should be exempt.

Overall, if there’s a conflict, a majority of those questioned think religious liberties should win out over gay rights, according to the poll. While 39 percent said it’s more important for the government to protect gay rights, 56 percent said protection of religious liberties should take precedence.

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Religious leaders join in call for investigation into “murderous” Planned Parenthood

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ChristianExaminer reports:

Several religious leaders have responded to the revelation of a video showing a high-ranking administrator with Planned Parenthood discussing the exchange of body parts from aborted fetuses for money.

In the video, which was made public by the Center for Medical Progress July 14, Deborah Nucatola, a doctor and senior director of Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s Medical Services Department, is recorded describing how the organization has been compensated for providing intact organs and body parts for research.

“We’ve been very good at getting heart, lung, liver, because we know that, so I’m not gonna to crush that part; I’m basically gonna crush below, I’m gonna crush above, and I’m gonna see if I can get it all intact,” Nucatola says in the secretly recorded conversation.

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Outlets Apologize After Publishing False Claim About Reason Christian Bakers Were Ordered to Pay Lesbians

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According to Christian News Network:

Media outlets that asserted that the owners of a Christian bakery in Oregon were not ordered to pay damages for refusing to bake a cake for a lesbian’s same-sex ceremony, but were rather punished for “publishing” the women’s addresses, are retracting their claims and apologizing for disseminating inaccurate information.

Raw Story published an article last week entitled “Oregon Bakers Weren’t Fined Over Cake, They Were Punished for Sharing Lesbian Couple’s Home Address.” It noted that it obtained the information from a column called “Love, Joy, Feminism” posted on Patheos, which likewise asserted that the damages the bakers were ordered to pay were reflective of the address incident.

However, while the order issued by Brad Avakian of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries briefly mentions the instance, he specifically refused to grant the women’s request for additional damages over their claim that exposure in the media and on social media caused them emotional distress.

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Boy Scout Committee Unanimously Approves Proposal to Lift Ban on Openly Homosexual Leaders

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According to Christian News Network:

An executive committee of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has unanimously voted to lift a long-standing ban on openly homosexual troop leaders.

“As a result of the rapid changes in society and increasing legal challenges at the federal, state, and local levels, on Friday, July 10, the Boy Scouts of America Executive Committee adopted a resolution amending the adult leadership standards policy,” the BSA said in a statement on Monday.

“This change allows Scouting’s members and parents to select local units, chartered to organizations with similar beliefs, that best meet the needs of their families,” it outlined. “This change would also respect the right of religious chartered organizations to continue to choose adult leaders whose beliefs are consistent with their own.”

The 17-member vote moves the matter on to the 80-member National Executive Board for a vote on July 27th.

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Prosecutors File Additional Child Sex Abuse Allegations Against HRC’s Homosexual Co-Founder

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Christian News Network reports:

Criminal prosecutors in Oregon filed additional child sex abuse allegations against the co-founder of the prominent homosexual activist group Human Rights Campaign (HRC) as they seek to build their case for an upcoming trial scheduled for next month.

As previously reported, Terrance Bean, 66, of the Human Rights Campaign was taken into custody at his home last November by the Portland, Oregon Police Bureau Sex Crimes Unit following an indictment by a Lane County Grand Jury. He was booked at the Multnomah County Jail and released after posting 10 percent of his $50,000 bail.

Bean was charged with two counts of third-degree sodomy, a felony, and one count of third-degree sex abuse, a misdemeanor. The charges stem from an ongoing investigation that involves an alleged sexual encounter with a 15-year-old boy, who now has allegedly signed an affidavit stating that he does not want Bean to be prosecuted.

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Dems declare war on words “husband,” “wife”

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The Washington Examiner reports:

More than two dozen Democrats have proposed legislation that would eliminate the words “husband” and “wife” from federal law.

Those “gendered terms” would be replaced by “gender-neutral” words like “spouse” or “married couple,” according to the bill from Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif.

“The Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act recognizes that the words in our laws have meaning and can continue to reflect prejudice and discrimination even when rendered null by our highest courts,” Capps said. “Our values as a country are reflected in our laws. I authored this bill because it is imperative that our federal code reflect the equality of all marriages.”

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Not over? Alabama Supreme Court should reject marriage decision, legal group says

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According to ChristianExaminer:

A prominent legal organization has filed a 36-page brief urging the Alabama Supreme Court to reject the U.S. Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision, saying the ruling was an “assault” on the rule of law and natural law and that it defied the very words in the Declaration of Independence.

Further, the new brief says, there is major precedent in the nation’s history for a state court to ignore a U.S. Supreme Court decision when it is “unlawful.”

The brief was filed by Liberty Counsel, which is headed by an attorney – Mat Staver – who has argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

“There is existing precedent for a state’s highest court to reject an unlawful mandate from the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel.

“The hope of our Constitutional Republic rests upon state officials and American citizens who will refuse to allow five, black-robed judges to rob us of our free, representative form of government. A judicial opinion without constitutional basis is not law and should not be followed by any state or citizen.”

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Baylor University Drops Ban on Homosexual Acts

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Christian Headlines reports that so-called Christian university, Baylor, bows to political correctness:

Baylor University, the world’s largest Baptist college, has lifted its ban on “homosexual acts” in the school’s sexual conduct policy.

“These changes were made because we didn’t believe the language reflected Baylor’s caring community,” spokeswoman Lori Fogleman said in an email to the Houston Chronicle.

Students, alumni and others had appealed for years to the private Texas-based university to drop the ban on gay sex, according to the Houston Chron.

Under the new policy, which was approved by Baylor’s board in May, the university will be guided by “the biblical understanding that human sexuality is a gift from God.” Sex “is to be expressed in the context of marital fidelity.”

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YouTube Reinstates Ray Comfort’s “Audacity” Trailer

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Christian Headlines reports:

When the trailer for “Audacity,” Ray Comfort’s new movie on homosexuality, was removed from YouTube over the weekend, he suspected foul play.

“The trailer had been removed ‘as a violation of YouTube’s policy against spam, scams, and commercially deceptive content,'” said Comfort. “But since we found nothing in it that fit that description, we naturally concluded that YouTube didn’t like the content and yanked it.”

In attempting to get the trailer back online, however, Comfort did receive an explanation.

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Group Launches National Effort to Abolish Religious Freedom Laws Protecting People of Faith

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Christian News Network reports:

A prominent church-state separation group led by an ordained United Church of Christ minister has launched a national effort to fight religious freedom laws that seek to provide conscience protections for people of faith.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) announced its “Protect Thy Neighbor” campaign on Tuesday to combat religious liberty for those who desire to opt-out from scenarios that would require them to facilitate abortion or same-sex “marriage.”

“[We have] unveiled an aggressive, multi-pronged initiative to fight the growing idea that ‘religious freedom’ gives people a right to thwart marriage equality for LGBT Americans, deny women access to reproductive care and use taxpayer dollars to discriminate,” it wrote in a press release.

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Artist Don Francisco berates Christians for believing the Bible is true

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Berean Research reports:

How does one believe in the Gospel without believing that Scripture is 100 percent truth? That it is our sufficient authority, and God’s own inerrant, infallible, breathed-out Word? How do you easily convince thousands of fans that those Christians who believe such things are somehow idol worshipers? Talk about a heart-breaker. An extremely influential Christian celebrity has not only departed from Christian doctrine, he is arrogantly throwing other Christians under the bus for believing (gasp) that the Bible is true.

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YouTube Removes “Audacity” Trailer

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Christian Headlines reports:

The trailer for “Audacity,” a film addressing homosexuality by Evangelist Ray Comfort, has been removed from YouTube. The Blaze reports that the video site removed the trailer after it had been viewed 130,000 times.

In place of the trailer, a message appears on YouTube that reads, “This video has been removed as a violation of YouTube’s policy against spam, scams, and commercially deceptive content.”

Comfort, who is famous for sharing scripture with strangers on the street, believes that the trailer was taken down because it suggests that no one is born a homosexual.

He said, “The foundation for the gay argument is that homosexuals (like people of color) are born that way, and like someone’s race, should never be discriminated against. The trailer shows a number of people changing their minds about homosexuals being born that way because I asked them two simple questions. It’s pretty unnerving for the ‘I can’t help being gay argument,’ and so they decided to censor us. Or to put it another way, they discriminated against us because of our religion.”

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Homosexual Advocate Wants Christian Chaplains Who Oppose Homosexuality Ousted from Military

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According to Christian News Network:

A homosexual advocate who works as an activist to fight against Christianity in the military is calling for Christian chaplains who oppose homosexuality to get out of the Armed Forces following last month’s Supreme Court ruling surrounding same-sex “marriage.”

Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) posted an op-ed on the Daily Kos website following the high court ruling, entitled “MRFF Demands Ouster of All Homophobic Military Chaplains.” Weinstein noted that the crux of this organization is “fighting the scourge of fundamentalist Christian extremism” and spoke about this goal in light of the Supreme Court decision.

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Entire Staff of Tennessee County Clerk’s Office Resigns Over Supreme Court ‘Gay Marriage’ Ruling

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Christian News Network reports:

The entire staff of a county clerk’s office in Tennessee has resigned following the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling declaring that all 50 states must legalize same-sex “marriage.”

Three women who work at the Decatur County office announced their resignations this past week, which will be effective July 14. Clerk Gwen Pope, and employees Sharon Bell and Mickey Butler all have decided to leave their jobs because of their Christian convictions.

“It’s kind of sort of like you don’t want to draw attention to yourself for any reason,” Pope told local television station WBIR, stating that she never sought press over the matter. “That’s not why we’re doing this. Not doing it in any way to draw attention to us. It’s for the glory of God. He’s going to get all the glory.”

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Baylor drops reference to “homosexual acts” in sexual conduct policy

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According to WacoTrib:

Baylor University has dropped language in its sexual conduct policy specifically outlawing sexual relationships between same-sex partners, though the university does not appear to be endorsing gay and lesbian couples or sex outside of marriage.

The university’s sexual misconduct policy previously listed “homosexual acts” among the sexually related conduct that could prompt disciplinary action, along with adultery, fornication, incest, sexual abuse, harassment and assault.

But that clause is dropped under a new sexual conduct policy approved by Baylor’s Board of Regents at its last meeting. The policy now no longer outlines specific actions that would be considered violations.

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Ignatian Spirituality Conference: Jesuits call for the contemplative silence

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This piece is over at at My Word Like Fire. According to Father General Adolfo Nicolás, SJ, “We need the ability to become ourselves silence, emptiness, an open space that the Word of God can fill, and the Spirit of God can set on fire for the good of others and of the Church.”

John Lanagan has provided a video of the interview. View article →

Read CRN’s research paper on Contemplative Prayer

Christian Bakers Who Declined to Make Cake for ‘Gay Wedding’ Ordered to Pay $135,000 to Lesbians

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According to Christian News Network:

The owners of a Christian bakery in Oregon have officially been ordered to pay $135,000 in damages to two lesbians who claimed that they suffered emotionally after they were told that the bakery could not make a cake for their ceremony because of their convictions not to participate in others’ sins.

As previously reported, Aaron and Melissa Klein operate Sweet Cakes by Melissa in Gresham, which is now operated from the couple’s home after the Kleins’ shut their doors due to harassment. In January 2013, Aaron was approached by a mother and her daughter as the two were interested in a cake for the daughter’s upcoming wedding—to her lesbian partner.

“My first question was what’s the wedding date,” Klein told television station KTW in Portland. “My next question was [the] bride and groom’s name. … The girl giggled a little bit and said, ‘It’s two brides.’”

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