Easter Statement from the American Family Association

 

Dear Arthur, Several years ago, I heard a very popular Christian speaker talk to a large audience for an hour. He said nothing heretical. He said nothing controversial. He just focused on the “unconditional” love of God. Again, nothing wrong with what he did say, but it is what he did not say that bothered me. He said nothing about repentance of sin. There is a reason Jesus said what he said in the above bible verse. And there is a reason John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the world with the exact same proclamation in Matthew 3:2: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” There is a popular trend going on in the American Christian church. The trend is to talk of the love of God without talking about the justice of God. But if you read the Bible, it is clear, there exists both the grace of God and the wrath of God, and Jesus Christ spoke of both. Many Christians around the world have been celebrating Holy Week this week culminating today with Easter Sunday or what some churches call Resurrection Sunday. It is to commemorate the victory of Jesus over Satan, sin, death and hell. This is good news! And “good news” is the meaning of the word “gospel.” It is true that God’s love for mankind is “unconditional.” However, in order for man to be in right relationship with God, man must conform his life to match with God’s requirement of man. And God does not force this decision on man. God draws a person to himself, but it is the free will of the individual to decide if he or she will obey God’s requirements for a right relationship or not. Jesus called this experience being “born again.” In other words, a person (every human) must understand that he or she has violated God’s laws and is forever separated from God spiritually unless he or she repents of their sin and trust in the shed blood of Jesus on the cross for forgiveness of that sin in order to be counted among those who have been redeemed. Redeemed from the consequences of unrepentant sin which is death and hell. What I am writing here in not popular in modern day America and where we want to live our own life without interference from God. It’s our natural tendency to live for ourselves instead of obey the commands of God. That is the eternal struggle between flesh and the spirit. In order to prove our love for Christ, he says we must deny ourselves, pick up our cross daily, and follow him. Our “cross” is a challenge to wake up daily and try our best to live like Jesus. The way we learn to live like Jesus is to study the Bible, take time to pray and fellowship with other believers (followers) which we call “church.” God knows we will fail at this precisely because we are human. Sometimes we are tempted by sin and we give in to it. But the Bible also says that if we are willing to confess our sins to God, He is willing to forgive us. That also is great news! No one is compelled to believe this. You may read this and call it foolishness. That is your right. But if that is your view, I at least encourage you to read one book in the Bible, the gospel of John, and consider the claims of the Bible and Christ before you dismiss Christianity. To my fellow Christians, I say, “He is Risen!” Tim Wildmon, President American Family Association

Remember, Oh Remember: 9-11, Twenty Years Later

"Remember O Remember"

I spent last week like many of you watching and hearing stories about what happened 20 years ago on 9/11.

I’d like to share two things I saw and pose a question about it?

The first thing that made an impression on me was a street interview asking college-aged young people what they knew about 9/11. I was shocked and saddened to see how little they seemed to know, but even worse how little they seemed to care. It was not something they experienced first-hand so it joined the ranks of those things labeled as “history” which so often seem far-removed in importance in the minds and lives of young people. I understand that if I was just stopped on the street for an interview I may not come across as very articulate or knowledgeable either, so I need to give them some slack for that, but I was disappointed in their detached demeanor and apparent lack of interest on the subject.

Now contrast this to a piece I saw covering the bravery and heroism in the lives of the 13 young servicemen and women who lost their lives in the blast in Afghanistan. These young people were about the same age as the students interviewed. These were stories of self-sacrifice and courage of young people who were in the middle of doing their duty and thinking of others up until their last moments on earth. What made them care that much? What made them believe in something worth fighting for and giving their lives for? What made the difference in these two groups of young people?

For months now I have been posting about education and how important are the messages we communicate to the impressionable and precious young minds that are placed in our care. Why is it so important for them to not only remember something they may not have been alive for like 9/11, but to also learn to feel the significance of these events as well? One of the reasons is because if we fail to teach the next generation these things then not only will the memory of what happened be lost, but all the lessons we learned from that event will also be gone forever.

David and I visited New York City not too long after the towers were hit. I remember the cab driver telling us that there was a sense of love and unity throughout the city that he had never experienced before. There was a humility and kindness that brought everyone together.

I heard an interview by a person last week describing the brave first responders helping to carry people out of the burning building say, “Believe me those people being carried out wouldn’t’ have given a fig what pronouns that person who was carrying them out used or what political party they belonged to.” That statement really hit me.

There are so many things causing division between us right now. I pray it won’t take a tragedy to get us in touch with the things that really matter to all of us – the things that unite us rather than divide us. I also saw interviews of some people who decided to go into search and rescue and law enforcement after they witnessed the bravery of so many in their willingness to run into the burning building when everyone else was running out.

I want my grandchildren to glimpse some of that unity we felt after 9/11. I want them to know that not only are there people so full of hate they will give their lives to hurt others, but there are also people who are so full of love that they will give their lives to save others. I want their education to inform them of those things that bind us all together rather than trying to split us apart.

This kind of education cannot occur if we choose to keep them focused on victimization and division. That is why I have written so consistently and passionately against the ideologies I see being pushed in our schools that seek to separate us and instill in our children the lens of fear and division rather than unity and love.

Since 9/11 there have been factions pushing the message sown in the Sixties that American is evil and that America deserved to be attacked. Are we a perfect nation? Of course not. But if our young people are not given a glimpse of all the good and wonderful things that inform who we are and are striving to be then they will not see anything in it worth holding onto or preserving. They need to study and learn about the Constitution and how inspired of a document it truly is.

In that street interview several students said that they didn’t think it was a good idea to spread the idea of American exceptionalism. They said it isn’t good for us to think we are better than other nations. I don’t know about you, but I never thought that was the definition of American exceptionalism. Our young people need to know the reason that America is exceptional is because it is founded on exceptional principles inspired by God and predicated on righteous ideals dedicated to liberty and justice for all. These are principles that can be shared no matter what faith we believe in or not. If our young people don’t understand or remember this, then they will not think America is worth defending and what will happen then?

One of the powerful messages of the Book of Mormon is the admonition to remember. We learn so vividly in its pages what happens when we forget our reliance and dependence on God. The pride cycle is one of the great warnings of this sacred text. It is repeated over and over in so much of this record that we cannot escape that its message is for us. When the people were successful, they became prideful and forgot God. This pride led to them to being attacked by their enemies. With the attacks they became fearful and humbled and looked once again to God for their strength and thus they prospered again. After they prospered, they became prideful again and forgot God and the cycle continued. Here’s a poem I came across that relates to this cycle as well.

Hard times create strong men

Strong men create good times

Good times create weak men

Weak men create hard times.

I would just add that “strong men and women” are strong because they know their strength comes from God.

  Alexis de Toquerville is credited with saying that “America is great because she is good and if she ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”

We are not perfect, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep trying to be good. And by good I don’t think it means that we all have to believe in the same things nor in the same way. The founding fathers certainly understood that.  

I think that’s something worth remembering.

I was about to send this when I saw an article in the Wall Street Journal this morning by Peggy Noonan who also reflects on what she has seen happen in the past 20 years since that fateful day. Here is an excerpt from her observations on what has changed. 

“...We cannot help compare the America now with that of 20 years ago, and we see a deterioration. We feel disturbance at this because we don’t know if we can get our way back.The losing of the thread feels bigger than ideology, bigger certainly than par­ties. It feels like some more fundamental confusion, an inability to play the role of who we are, and to be comfortable in who we are.

The country we are experiencing now is one of people in different groups ganging up on each other. We all see this. It’s all division, driven by identity politics, race, gender, class. Twenty years ago we were grateful for cops, now we denigrate them and they leave and we argue about why they left. A rising generation of voters who were children when 9/11 happened and who became conscious of history during the 2008 economic crisis see (and have been well taught!) the imperfections, mistakes and sins of their own country but have no human memory of the abuses of other systems, of how damaging deep social­ism, and communism, have been. The passion of their emerging beliefs will en­gender opposing passions. They already are.

Just about every large business in America is now run by its human resources department because everyone appears to be harassing and assaulting each other or accusing each other. Is this the sign of a healthy country?

Following the trauma and drama of 9/11 we started discovering in some new way our nation’s meaning—what it was in history, meant in history, meant to us. We talked about it. We saw: The first thing the firemen did after the towers fell was put up the flag.

Twenty years in our history is treated as all sin, sin, sin. We’re like mad monks flagellating ourselves. We are going through a non­stop condemnation of our past and our people and their limits and ignorance. It isn’t healthy. Reflection and honest questioning are, but not this. And so much of it comes from our most successful and secure, our elites and establishments. Regular people look and think, “But if our professors and media leaders and tech CEOs hate us, who is going to help us think our way out of this mess?” And they know someone has to, because they know in a way elites can never understand, because they have grown so used to security, that no nation can proceed in the world safely and fruitfully when at bottom it hates itself.

Watching the ceremonies last weekend it was understandable if you thought: We started out rediscovering our love and wound up obsessed with our sins. We started out together and wound up more divided than ever, driven apart by op­portunists who set us at each other’s throats.”

My hope is that we can remember and teach our young people the best in who we are and who we want to be.

Love and Blessings,

Bianca

And may we continue to remember those who are still trapped in Afghanistan.

Righteousness: A Gift, Not a Work (So Stop Telling Me It's "His Way of Doing Things"!)

 This is one of the most frustrating stumbling blocks that I am hearing in the churches today.

They keep talking about righteousness as if it means "God's Way of Doing Things."

That is patently untrue. I am so tried of hearing that. I am so tired of people not paying attention to what God's Word says.

Consider this passage:

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee." (Isaiah 54:14)

Could it not be any clearer? Righteousness is something that we are established in. It is not something that we do, but rather somenthing that is done to us.

Let's go back to the Father of Faith, our beloved Abraham:

"And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." (Genesis 15:6)

What more do modern-day preachers need? How more clearly can God make it?

Going back to Isaiah 54, we find this verse:

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54:17)

Our righteousness comes from Him! We do not create it, we do not manufacture it.

And why stop there?

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" (1 Corinthians 1:30)

Christ IS our righteousness. What else do you need to understand that righteousness is not "His way of doing things"?

How about this?!

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

That's all you need to know. 

When Jesus said to the Israelites of His day during His earthly ministry "See ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness," He was talking about the perfect standing before God, in which we are no longer condemned for our sins, but justified from all things (Acts 13:38)

Consider this passage, too:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

It's a gift! IT'S A GIFT! How much more plainly can Paul make it?!

I am done. I will not settle for any pastor or preacher who continues to push this canard that righteousness is something that we do. No! It is something that Jesus has done, that He has bestowed as a gift to all who will receive it, who will receive Him!

The New Covenant: Not Contigent on Me

  I have written about this subject so many times. My mind is resting like never before.

There is new meaning to this verse for me:

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." (Isaiah 26:3)

Yesterday, after 6pm, I pretty much decided to rest for the rest of the evening. I decided that I wanted to catch up on rest. If I am tired, there is no need to fight against it. Just rest. That's OK. No condemnation.

I was resting and receiving greater and greater revelation about the New Covenant.

Here's the text of it in Hebrews 8:

"10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

"11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

"12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8:10-12)

What enforces the New Covenant is not something that we do, but something that He has done:

"I will be merciful (literally, propitious, provide a payment) for their unrighteousness, and I will forget their sins and iniquities." 

Every bad thing that we have done, wilfully or otherwise, God will not hold against us. He will not bear a grudge against us. He will not use against us. Our sins and inquities are gone forever. That is all sin. If anyone has a problem with that revelation, consider that when Jesus died for all our sins, all our sins were temporally in the future! All means all! Amen!

There is nothing in the New Covenant which dictates that we must do something to make it happen besides believe it.

None of these conditions are contained in the New Covenant:

1. As long as you keep your thoughts clean and pure.

2. As long as you keep your mind fixed on Jesus in some way, form, or fashion.

3. If you go to church every Sunday

4. If you confess your sins once a week to the local priest.

5. As long as you do not have lustful thoughts or feelings.

For the longest time, I bought into this horrendous, painful set of distractions, that I had to think, feel, imagine certain ways to ensure that God would be with me. A sense of doubt, panic, and fear would ensue every time my mind would waver or I would get distracted by angry, bitter, or lustful thoughts or feelings.

For years, I have been listening to Pastor Joseph Prince, and I have been learning more and more about the wonderful New Covenant which the Lord Jesus has cut for us.

Yet, it really is true: it takes a great deal of time for all of us to understand how fully forgiven we are. It was so difficult for me to rest in the truth that Jesus is taking care of me every step of the way, every step in the day.

So much has been changing in my life over the last year. Yes, there was the COVID-19 pandemic, and yes, there were ridiculous, brutish lockdowns which hurt businesses of all sorts across the country. Many lives were shaken to the core, and families which had coexisted peacefully had to learn to get along with each other more deeply, more intimately, for better or for worse.

I say without any evasion or suppression that my life went very well throughout the year 2020. No matter how bad things were turning out in the world, my life was getting better. Much better.

The New Covenant, in which God is very much a God to me, and I am one of His children, has played out more than ever. For all that hurts, pains, and setbacks which I have faced, life is good!

Even if I am tired, God is still a God to me. His grace, His power in my life is not contingent on what I do, or how I feel. It's all about Him!

Everything that Pastor Prince has been preaching, now all makes sense to me.

When I think about my struggles with sexual temptations, I see at its core, my deepest fears, and the most profound source of condemnation, was that those perverse sentiments were cutting me off from my loving Father, and that they were frustrating God's grace in my life.

The bondage, the pain, the deception is so strong. Today, thank you Jesus, I understand fully that all of that is lies. ALL OF IT!

For the longest time, I would get worried upset, frightened, tense if what I was thinking was wrong, bad, negative, etc. Now I understand that the New Covenant, the grace and peace which God promises to me, is not dependent, not contigent on how I feel, what I think, or even what I do.

The Problem Is Not the Left: It's the Lack of Righteousness -- BY FAITH!

 Dennis Prager loves to say "The Left ruins everything it touches."

I disagree.

The Left can touch anything it wants. People can choose to "touch back", to push back, to fight back.

And right now, we have seen too many people not do that.

Why? Cowardice, lack of boldness. Remember what Edmund Burke said:

And yet, telling people that they are cowardly does not help people. Shaming people does not get them to break free of the bondage of fear. What does?

God's perfect love:

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)

This perfect loves gives a perfected standing of righteousness in Christ Jesus!

"Herein is our love made perfect [lit. love perfected among us], that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)

What do we believe about Jesus? That He is our RIGHTEOUSNESS:

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" (1 Corinthians 1:30)

and

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

This righteousness makes us BOLD:

"The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." (Proverbs 28:1)

and

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee." (Isaiah 54:14)

Righteousness is not something that we do, but something that is done to us! Righteousness frees us fro oppression and fear, because we know that God is with us!

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54:17)

When you know that no weapon that people use against you will be successful, then you know that you can speak out, step up, speak up, and not fear what man may do to you (Hebrews 13:6)

That's the boldness that is needed, and it comes when we receive--and keep receiving--the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17)

And that is "the faith" that Paul writes about to the Corinthians:

"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong." (1 Corinthians 16:13)

We need to get back to the Gospel:

"38Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13:38-39)

BAM!

When the revelation of righteousness by faith is restored in the Body of Christ, then the boldness to stand up to evil will be restored fully in the land. The Left is not the problem. The problem is the lack of righteousnesss, particularly the revelation of righteousness by faith in Christ!

YES!

Pro-Family People: It's Time for Boldness

 Dear Pro-Family People:

"The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." (Proverbs 28:1)

I had said "There is so much cowardice."

But what is the solution? What is the antidote?

RIGHTEOUSNESS!

How do people get bold? They need to receive -- and KEEP RECEIVING--God's gift of righteousness:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

That word receive" is continuous and ongoing in the original Greek.

Christians need to understand that we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21)

All of you need to really warm heart and mind with this fantastic Gospel reality:

"38Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13:38-39)

Because of what Christ Jesus did at the Cross, you can rest assured by believing on Him that you will never be punished for your sins. Ever. All sins have been put away, paid for FOREVER (Isaiah 54:9; 1 John 2:1-2).

This is the very message which churches should be sharing around the world. The churches are in retreat because they do not TREAT themselves to the gift of righteousness.

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression (This word in the Original Hebrew speaks of POLITICAL Tyranny); for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

...

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54:14,17)

Corrupt Judge Lets Off Black Lives Matter Bigot, Instead Persecuted Victim (But Righteousness Prevails)

May 15, 2019, I was assaulted by a Black Lives Matter militant: Evan "Gay Fake Priest" Bunch.

He ran up on me and struck the smartphone out of my hands, damaging the phone, and then shouting, "If you do that again, I will kick your ass."

Three misdemeanors: assault, vandalism, and making a violent threat.

Unlike most people, I did not accept this abuse lying down. A friend of mine, Jesse Suave, was recording the whole incident. I wanted to make sure that I took every precaution about this matter. I wanted to make sure that there was nothing that I had done which would put me in the wrong. Did I provoke a fight? Did I accost or assault anyone?

I could see in the video that I had not harmed anyone. I went to the police station to file a police report. That evening, the police could not assist me because the Torrance City Council chambers was under lockdown, and the city had to call on other local police departments to assist. The Black Lives Matter bigots had done considerable damager with their rampant upheaval in the city council chambers.

The next day, I provided all the evidence to go after the Gay Fake Priest. The Torrance Police Department worked very quickly on the case, and the speed of their efforts was remarkable according to some of the people working in the department.

According to one of the commissioners, the Torrance Police Department arrested Evan Bunch at a protest in Gardena a few weeks later. That was excellent! 

I guess he had to post bail, and he was forced to go to court a number of times. I believe that there were four pretrial hirings, and each time, I was instructed to be prepared to go to court to testify.

Finally, The second week of November 2019, the trial was set in Inglewood Court House, with Judge Vincent Okamoto presiding. This judge has a singular distinction as the most decorated Japanese-American US Military veteran from the Vietnam War. He would go out of his way to showcase his medals, his degrees of bravery, and there are a number of videos about him on YouTube.

The first day of trial, in which the two sides had to select the jury, the judge asked at the outset: "Is there some way that the two parties can resolve this, because we have thirty-nine people who are waiting outside who are giving up their time for this trial."

I was really surprised to hear this. I mean, I have served on juries before, and it is a sacrifice, but that is nothing compared to the sacrifice that men and women such as himself had offered by fighting for this country. Why would any judge want to pressure me to end the case so quickly?

From there, I should have realized that this judge was not interested in trying the case at all. I had no idea what to think of him. Was he a Democrat? A Republican? Was he interested in tipping his hand to let Black Lives Matter get away with harassing law-abiding citizens? I couldn't read the judge at that time.

When I left the courtroom so that the voir dire could take place, the prosecutor asked the judge if he wanted me to stay. He said, "Oh yes, I want him to stay for the whole thing," with a slight, creepy yet frustrated smile.

Just to inform everyone, earlier in the whole case, the defendant had offered an insult of a consequence: he would pay for the damage done to my smartphone, and he would get a dismissal. That is not justice. This perverted, abusive BLM bigot wanted to intimidate me, and he needed some deterence. He had engaged in similar disruptions and abusive behavior before. He was even found guilty for disrupting an event in Los Angeles a four years prior. He basically got a slap on the wrist that one time.

That was not right. That was not fair. 

The Torrance city attorney assigned to the case informed me that this was an airtight case. The best that the public defender was going to do, I reasoned on my own, was to try to play the race card. She was hoping to make me look bad, to make me unpleasant or unsympathetic before the jury, so that they would nullify the law and let the BLM creepy get away with the crime.

The first day of testimony, I was called to the stand. The prosecutor asked me basic questions, including the fact that she asked me to identify the phone that had been damaged, to identity the man in court who had assaulted me. I pointed to the Fake Priest. This time around, he was nice and quiet, not acting up. He was dressed up with a university logo on his jacket, all to give the false impression that he was an upstanding fellow--which he is not. At one point during my testimony, I brought out my smartphone, the one that the Fake Priest had damaged, to show the evidence of the phone had been repaired. Judge Okamoto then said to me, "Go ahead and put the phone away," which I did.

The round of questions from the public defender was pretty much as expected. She knew that she could not get her client off based on the facts. From the video that Jesse had recorded earlier last year, the Fake Priest clearly attacked me on camera. In no wise was on attacking anyone. In fact, he lied flat out when he claimed that I was harassing one of the ladies outside of Torrance City Hall on May 14, 2019, which was clearly not the case since I was walking away from her, and I did not even touch her.

She asked me the following questions, and there were the answers that I gave:

"You call him a fake priest. Did you know that he graduated from Vanderbilt University?"

"No, I did not."

I then added that I called him a fake priest because he did not act like a priest. The public defender foolishly asked: "Why do you say that? How should a priest behave?"

I then launched into a repeated litany of all the things that he done at the city council meeting, and what he had done to me: "A priest does not curse and swear at people. A priest does not threaten others, get in their faces, intimidate others. A priest does not damage other people's property and make violent threats against them."

She was caught way off guard that time. She just stood there and looked at me for about ten seconds, trying to catch her breath, I suppose. She really walked into a trap with that question.

At one point, she tried to bring in my political views, so she asked a snide question: "Do you oppose immigration?" as though I am hostile to people from other countries. I knew what she was trying to do, and I was ready to speak the truth without wavering.

"No"

"You oppose illegal immigration?" she asked a second time, as though she thought she had caught me in some strange fashion.

"Yes."

Apparently, she was hoping to rile up the jury to be unhappy with me. After all, the trial was taking place in very liberal, very Democratic Inglewood, CA, and this public defender was looking for every angle possible to get some kind of nullification for her client.

At another point, she asked, "Do you write blogs?" I told her that I do.

She then asked me about a blog with the title that read "BLDM". I knew what she was talking about. It was the post that I had written exposing the Black Lives Matter bigots as a bunch of frauds who do not care about black lives at all. I told her BLDM stood for "Black Lives Don't Matter".

She thought she had me. "Oh, this will prove that he is racist!" she was probably thinking to herself.

In the next question, I made the point loudly and clearly to the court that I called their group "Black Lives Don't Matter" because their actions, their words show that they do not care about black lives. I then shared with the court that on the night when the Fake Priest assaulted me, I was wearing a shirt of a black life, DeAndre Mitchell, who was killed in a building fire trying to save four other lives. I then added that the Fake Priest called DeAndre Mitchell "white supremacy."

That cleared up that attempted fraud pushed by the terrible public defender. 

From what I could tell after the first day of testimony, it was pretty clear that this Gay Fake Priest was not going to get away with anything, provided that the jury was honest and integrated enough to look past the racism and the politicking from the public defender.

Then came the next day in court.

I was told to wait in the lobby outside of the courtroom, while the prosecutor and the public defender went into the courtroom first and spoke to the judge. Then I was called into the courtroom, and I took the stand. Out of nowhere, the judge asked me:

"Yesterday, was your phone on in the courtroom? Yes or no?"

I was surprised, shocked. I did not understand what was going on. He pressed me a second time:

"Was your phone on? Yes or no?!"

I told him that I had not turned it completely off, but I had turned off the ringer, and I did not take photos or record video with the phone. That is the state law.

The judge did not care.

"I have two signs on the front door of this courtroom, which indicate that everyone has to turn their phone off."

That sign appears in many courtrooms, and I have always understood that that means that the ringer has to be turned off. It is not the statute per California law that a person's smartphone must be turned off completely.

"I would not to see my photo captured by the witness' phone and shared with the public while I am in presiding in court. I know that the prosecution is going to protest my decision, but I must do this ..."

And then, in a complete corruption of justice, a very unjust act, Judge Vincent "O-Corrupto" Okamoto looked at the Fake Priest and declared:

"Cased dismissed!"

He then looked me, and said: "I want you here with your lawyer for a contempt of court hearing. You can face up to five days in jail and pay a $1000 fine!"

I could not believe this was happening. I was the victim of a crime, and this corrupt judge was turning the tables to make me the criminal and let off the Black Lives Matter bigot. This is justice in Los Angeles County?

"Bailiff, take away the witness' smartphone. You can get your phone back at the end of the day.  Now, leave my courtroom!"

At that point, I noticed that there was a number of sheriff's deputies in the courtroom. What was this? Some kind of show of force to intimidate me, as well?

I left the courtroom without saying a word, but I was clearly distraught afterwards. I could not believe this was happening! This is ridiculous! Where's the justice here?

A friend of mine showed up about fifteen minutes later. He had wanted to see the court hearing and be there to support me. I told him everything that happened, how the case was just dismissed on a pretext, and how I was being held in contempt of court. 

Judge Vincent Okamoto, Who Corrupted Justice

He was shocked and outraged. Sadly, I would later learn from him that this kind of incompetence, corruption, and dysfunction is all too common in LA County courts. Judges look for all kinds of excuses to dismiss cases, for example. There really isn't justice in Los Angeles County for many victims. I was saddened to hear about a similar ordeal he had gone through, dealing with repeat burglars who had been doing all kinds of damage in his neighborhood in South Torrance. The case fell apart in court when it was revealed that two of the investigators working on the case had tried to plant evidence! Oh brother, what a shame.

Anyway, there I was in Inglewood Court House, and boy did I start praying. "How could this happen, Lord? I am a victim of a crime, and now the criminal justice system is protecting the criminal and victimizing me."

It was really shocking. But I started to pray in the Spirit a great deal at that point, and I knew that all was going to work out. The sheriff's deputy gave me back my phone earlier than he was supposed to. Most bailiffs, I imagine, see the kind of crappy, corrupt injustice that judges engage in, and they try to mitigate the effects as much as possible.

David Llewellyn (left) and me

Within an hour, I told my boss Brian Camenker what happened to me. He suggested that I reach out to David Llewellyn, a free speech attorney and appellete lawyer who has been a big supporter of MassResistance. He had also assisted me privately while I was facing the legal challenges in Downey Court House. He stepped in right away when I emailed him what happened. He asked me for names, course case docket numbers, and was able to get on the phone and start making calls right away.

This guy was great! And criminal law was not even in his main field of expertise!

He told me that he would prepare all the legal briefs. All I had to do was show up and just sit there. He would do all the talking. Did I mention that he was taking care of me pro bono? An appellate attorney can charge between $10,000 to $17,500. His cost was much higher, since he dealt with federal issues: $25,000.

But he was representing me for free! Thank you, Jesus! 

I may have been wronged in this matter, but I had to trust that "All things work together for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

I showed up to the "contempt" hearing on December 2nd, 2019. My attorney showed up to the courtroom before I did. I was so impressed with how prompt he was. He had provided a great legal brief, in which he explicitly outlined that the judge had NO RIGHT to hold me in contempt for not turning my smartphone off.

Surprise surprise, that day Judge O-Corrupto did not even show up! It's almost as though he knew that he had no case, and he had no right to do what he had done to me. If anyone wants to see how dsyfunctional the court system has become in Los Angeles County, they should have been there in Inglewood. No one took the bench to look over any of the hearings, cases, or motions. One judge finally did enter the coutroom at about 10:30am (Two hours after everyone is ordered to appear). It was unpreceedented, because the judge actually walked through the front door of the courtroom to the bench. I have never seen that happen. That's how haphazard and dysfunctionally everything was that day. Never had I expected to see a judge not show up to his own courtroom, for starters.

And now this?

That judge explained to my lawyer and to me that since it was a contempt hearing, he could not adjudicate it. It had to be taken care of by Vincent O-Corrupto himself. Therefore, the hearing was continued to January 13. 2020.

So be it.

Another month went by. It was a trying time for me internally. I was trying to understand why so much injustice had been happening to me. First, I was hung from a tree (figuratively) just for sitting in a city council meeting in Huntington Park, CA. And now, when I was clearly a victim, I was being victimized again!

My good friend Keith Hardine and I talked a great deal about this. It was really tough for my flesh, for my senses. I admit now looking back  on the whole ordeal one year later. I had to learn that walking by faith is exactly that: we have to look at the truth and goodness of God and His Word, not out trying times, or the persecuting circumstances.

Come January 13, 2020, I showed up at the Inglewood Court House, and I was ready for just about anything. Of course, in the back of my mind, I realized that even if the court wanted to impose the entire penalty on me, there was no way that I was going to go to jail. There is no room for the inmates who have been sentenced for more serious issues, to begin with. People are being let out early from the LA County jails on a regular basis, and from what I understand, there are fewer and fewer resources for the sheriff's department to begin with. You can't staff a jail without sheriff's deputies! I heard another elected officials, in Orange County, share with me that his wife is a judge. Every day in court, she has to remain fully aware that there are not enough beds in those county jails. She simply cannot remand into custody anyone who comes into court with a violation, or who gets sentenced for a small-time wrongdoing. It's an absolute mess in jails all over California!

There apparently was a file for me in regards to the contempt hearing. However, there was nothing in it!

My attorney prepared another incredible legal brief, this time seeking a motion to dismiss. "The judge has to file a minute order relating to the contempt charge. He did not do that on the day he ordered you to come back to court on December 2, last year. The law states that he has 50 days to follow through on a contempt charge." January 13, 2020 was Day 54! Deadline had passed.

Of course, judges have become so lawless in so many places, that they do whatever they want, and even ignore the law sometimes. My attorney told me that we had to rested and ready for just about anything. Once again, the corrupt, bereft of dignity judge Vincent O-Corrupto did not show up. I kind of figured that that was going to happen. Shame on him. He didn't have the courage to look me in the eye for putting me in contempt while allowing an abject criminal get away with his wrongdoing.

The court clerk was very helpful with my attorney that morning, too. She even made sure that my case would be heard first, since this whole business was much ado about nothing, anyway. When the judge came out of his chamber (another pro tem, since cowardly O-Corrupto refused to show up), he had nothing but good news: "Couselor, I have read over your motion, and I agree completely. Case dismissed!"

Amen!

Final Reflection, and Righteousness Prevails

The first verse that I need to share as I wrap up and comment on this whole ordeal:

1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." (Romans 5:1-5)

For a long time, whether I believed it or not, whether I was aware of it or not, I often judged that God loved me or cared for me based on what I was feeling, what I was thinking, or what I was going through. I dod not have the right respect towards Him, in that He was always on the job caring for me, loving for me, looking out for me, regardless of the events and circumstances around me.

For so many years, I had been taught that we must never judge our standing by our performance or our circumstances. Yes, we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21), but when it came to resting in this promise in the face of such unprecedented persecution, I was not living up to the mark. I was still judging my standing by my circumstances.

That has been changing more and more over the past year, I am glad to share. Today, I have never had a more real and relevant revelation of Jesus Christ and His love for me. I know that He is for me, and even when actions, circumstances, and people are against me. it does not matter:

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

Because of the hardships, and the calm endurance that followed, God started developing some real character in me. I stopped going so much with my thoughts and feelings. I started realizing that I did not have to work so hard on the inside to know that God is working both on the inside and the outside on my behalf. Amen!

And there's more.

My attorney, David Llewellyn, told me plainly after the dismissal: "Judge Okamoto had no right, no authority to dismiss the case. He should have held a contempt hearing for you after the trial was over. I am going to file a complaint with the California Commission on Judicial Performance."

BAM!

I did not expect much to happen, though, but at least someone was advocating for me, and for what is right. The judicial commission did receive the complaint, and informed my attorney that they were looking over the complaint. I had help off writing this report because my attorney wanted the judicial commission to issue an impartial ruling without any news of the corrupt judge's behavior getting out to the greater public.

Judge O-Corrupto Dies

Sometimes, justice comes in different ways. I was hoping to see some kind of sanction on the corrupt judge who had allowed the Black Lives Matter bigot get away with assaulting me. From the outset, it sure seemed that he was more interested in letting that hateful activist get away with his crimes.

But then I heard the news ... Vincent Okamoto passed away.

This may sound cruel, but judges who corrupt justice pay a price, and he deserved to die. He violated the laws of nature and nature's God. He corrupted justice. He let bad men get away with their bad deeds, when government is supposed to serve as a terror to evil works and reward good. He persecuted an innocent man, a victim, and wanted to make him a criminal:

"He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD." (Proverbs 17:15)

It may seem particularly cruel to slam a veteran, as well, but you know what? Being a veteran is not a get-out-of-jail free card. He had no right to corrupt justice the way that the did. Shame on Vincent Okamoto.

And now he's dead, so that he will not corrupt justice ever again. There is a price to pay when people dishonor me:

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54:17)

Since then, I have learned and have seen God restore to me so much more that I have lost. The hateful Black Lives Matter bigots have not gotten anything that they wanted from the City of Torrance. Bad people are getting held accountable for their bad deeds. Righteousness is prevailing, and I continue to reign in His life, regardless of what bad men on this earth try to do to me.

The Answer to "They Will Say Mean Things About Me": Righteousness

I get that people are afraid of being put to shame. I understand that people do not want other people maligning them on social media or saying bad things about them so that they lose their jobs.

I get all that.

However, at some point we need to start trusting the grace of God, and we need to start taking God at His promises rather than running away from the premises of the truth.

Consider this glorious promise which God gives to His righteous saints:

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54:17)

The question I have to pose to many people in the Body of Christ, and activists around the country, around the world: Do you believe this promise? Do you believe that the LORD will ensure that every evil word people raise against you will fall flat, will come to nothing? Do you believe that you will stand firm while the hateful whiles of the Enemy and his minions fall to nothing?

Sadly, I have encountered so many activists who remain quite scared of being maligned, of people saying meaning things about them om social media or in private places. It's really quite a shame.

Then again, it's not good enough for me to shame people for ... being ashamed and fearing the reproach of men. What is needed is more of the ministry of righteousness!

"9For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth." (2 Corinthians 3:9-10)

When we are established in righteousness, God's righteousness, the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17), the new and glorious identity of righteousness in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). we reign in life and we overcome the wiles, hatred, and abject reproach of evil men. This is the way to overcome, this is the way to live life, and this is the way to fight back against evil in all sorts of places.

Consider the victorious disregard of the Apostles when they were first arrested for preaching the Good News:

"And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." (Acts 5:41)

They actually celebrated that they could suffer for the name of Jesus!

Paul adds in his Second Letter to the Corinthians:

"Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

The Body of Christ, men and women of faith need a growing revelation of God's love, grace, and protection in their lives. To receive this, they need to understand their perfect standing of righteousness in Christ before God the Father. When we know that we have the favor of our Heavenly Father, then we stop carring whether people will say mean things about us.

Why the Cowardice? No Revelation of Divine Righteousness

 In a previous post, I asked a profound, uncomfortable question:

"Why the cowardice?"

People are afraid to speak out about issues that they are concerned about. They are afraid of being labeled racist, even though government policies, from the schools to the city councils, are doing untold damage to others.

Tucker Carlson urged his viewers to stand up to the left-wing mob which is bullying everyone into silence. Yet, there are so few people, it seems, who are willing to speak up. This is especially troubling, as we see this cowardice prevalent among our elected leaders.

Our elected officials should be demonstrating some sort of courage in the face of the outrage, protest, cancel culture. And yet, all too many of them are simply cutting and running from challenges.

What's going on? Why the cowardice?

Well, what does God's Word have to say? Where do we get boldness? How do we get bold, strong, courageous?

"The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." (Proverbs 28:1)

What makes people bold? Righteousness!

Yet righteousness is talked about so little in our ... churches! It's a subject which is constantly missing.

Righteousness means that we are declared right, and the righteousness that we need comes from God!

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54:17)

We need God's righteousness, not our own. 

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6)

Wow! Our righteousnesses, not just one act but many acts, are dirty, smelly, awful. They actually creat a bigger mess. The more that we try to make ourselves righteous, in good standing before God, the more unrighteous we reveal ourselves to be!

Consider this passage, in which Paul laments the state of his Jewish brethren who do not believe on Jesus (yet), but I submit to you that there are many people in the Body of Christ who are still trying to maintain their righteousness, and through their own efforts:

"3For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." (Romans 10:3-4)

We need to submit to the righteousness of God. We need to be knowledgeable, not ignorant of His righteousness.

If we study God's Word, and we believe in Jesus, we discover that indeed we are not just righteous before God, but ...

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

WOW!

In fact, this righteousness is something that Jesus gives us, and that we receive--and keep receiving!

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

The Young's Literal Translation brings our opportunity:

"[F]or if by the offence of the one the death did reign through the one, much more those, who the abundance of the grace and of the free gift of the righteousness are receiving [emphasis mine], in life shall reign through the one -- Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17, Youngs)

People in the United States, and particularly the churches, do not have courage in the face of the cultural malaise and tyrannical onslaughts on our streets because they do not have the revelation of God's rightoeusness.

This makes sense, considering this passage, too:

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10)

What takes away our fear? We know that the LORD is holding us up with his right hand, and with HIS righteousness!

With the revelation of His righteousness, we have these promises:

"14In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee." (Isaiah 54:14)

1. You will be established, unmoved, unshakable.

2. You will be far from oppression (political tyranny)

3. You will not fear.

4. Terror, menace will be far from you.

These are great promises which kick in once we recognize and receive the full revelation of our righteousness in Christ.

And there's more:

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54:17)

5. Every weapon formed against you will fail.

6. You will condemn every person, every tongue that speaks out against you.

7. You receive an inheritance from the LORD.

It is a real shame that the twin gifts of grace and righteousness are not abundantly preached in Ameica's churches today. There is hardly any preaching about Christ Jesus Himself!

This is why cowardice has become all too commonplace in our times.

We need to get back to the Gospel, the rich fulness of the Good News as revealed to Paul, who shared in Pisidian Antioch:

"38Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13:38-39)

Through Jesus we receive the forgiveness of sins--of all our sins past, present, and future--arnd we are justified from all things, and this justification is imparted to us apart from the law of Moses, the Ten Commandments.

It's no longer about our keeping the rules. It is all about the Ruler keeping us!

When we preach and promote the righteousess of God in Christ, the cowardice of mankind in this world, in our countries, will fall away.

Even A Globalist Elite Gets It: Singapore is Right to Keep 377a

Michael Petraeus, aka Critical Spectator, is a Polish expat who lives in Singapore.

He loves the country. He loves the balance of rule of law and liberty which enables everyone in the country to have ample enough space for themselves, but the liberty is curtailed in such a fashion that the rights of others are not trampled.

Moreover, the press for communitarian standards is prevalent in Singapore, as well. The Red Dot nestled at the very botton of the Malaysian peninsula doesn't promote individual liberty as the final goal of government. Free speech is strictly limited. Individuals can face fines and even jail time for writing incendiary comments about religion or race. Groups must seek permits to display points of view in public. Rallies can only take place in Hong Lim Park. No parades are permitted in the city state.

Recently, they passed a "Fake News" law which cracks down on news which the government deems to be false or misleading. Anyone from a much freer free speech culture (the United States) would blanch at such restrictions.

The penalties for drug use and drug dealing are quite high, as well. Individuals can be arrested or sorely fined for littering. One American commented that Singapore's political and legal culture is quite "paternalistic."

At any rate, the city state prizes community harmony, not just individual liberty, and endeavors to strike a balance which considers the well-being of the whole. There is plenty of good and bad which people can comment on regarding this legal culture.

At any rate, Petraeus has an elitist and a globalist streak, of course.

He thinks that Singapore should import more foreign workers to take local jobs. This policy pushes aside the natural born or naturalized citizens of the country. This is fundamentally unfair, and it undermines the civic order of a country. Why bring in foreigners to do the jobs which the locals can do themselves? A country is more than an economy.

He also believes that the United States' high violence/homicide rate is a direct result of the Second Amendment, aka the right to keep and bear arms. This elitist dismissal of a fundamental human right is quite troubling. Sure, in Singapore he feels safe and sound walking the streets at night because of the harsh laws which rightfully punish potential assailants and criminals. However, the Second Amendment was never enacted to protect Americans' desire to hunt or to protect their homes from burglars. The fundamental reason for the Second Amendment was to arm and equip the citizenry against the government should it grow expansive and then tyrannical. This calculation was essential to the passage of the United States Constitution since the American colonists had to take on and ultimately took down the greatest Empire in the World at the Time, the British Empire, and they were keen at the outset on taking away the colonists' firearms.

Singapore's origins are quite different. They were expelled from the Malaysian confederation. The United States was forged out of Thirteen Colonies which expected to be treated with the same dignity and accorded the same rights as other Englishmen throughout the British Empire--and the British Government refused to accommodate that basic expectation.

Furthermore, the gross gun violence which has become all too prevalent in the United States is not because of the large number of firearms. The breakdown in rule of law in liberal enclaves, coupled with the unfounded gun control policies which disarm law-abiding citizens while doing nothing to stop violent criminals and street gangs, have contributed to the disturbing rise of gun violence in my country. If one were to remove the gun deaths which take place in top ten largest urban areas in the country, one would find that the rates of gun violence are considerably lower than in other countries.

Perhaps even lower than in Singapore?

At any rate, I wanted to establish at the outset that Mr. Critical Spectator has a globalist and an elitist veneer about his writings and view of the world. In addition, Petraeus tends to side with the Singapore government as much as possible, and denounce citizen uprisings at the outset. His critique of the Hong Kong protests make sense from the perspective of "What is the End Game?" However, the desire for any people, for any region of the world to be free of Communist tyranny, those sentiments are commendable, not deplorable.

So, with all of this outlined about Mr. Petraeus' view of politics and governance, it was quite surprising and even refreshing to find that he agrees with the Singapore Government's decision to maintain Section 377a, the statute in Singapore's legal code which criminalizes homosexual acts between men.

He begins his comments on this very contentious matter as follows:

This may be my most controversial article yet (at least to some) – but precisely because it may be considered controversial is why I believe it is important to publish it. So, let’s begin with a both baffling and bold statement:

 LGBT supporters and their opponents are both right.

Impossible? Well, let me explain.

Well, actually no. The LGBT supporters are clearly wrong. They are wrong because the whole ideology is based on three fundamental lies:

1. People are born gay.

2. People cannot change their sexual orientation

3. There is nothing fundamentally wrong or discredited about homosexual conduct vs. heterosexual conduct.

Still, let's give Michael cretid for poiinting out that opponents of LGBT rights are correct.

He continues:

Little over 100 years ago, in 1915, Albert Einstein published his general theory of relativity, explaining gravity and, consequently, the behavior of large objects. About a decade later Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg gave the world their interpretation of quantum mechanics, which serves to describe the physical behavior of subatomic particles.

Unfortunately, while both are immensely valuable they lack a common link – in other words, what works for large objects doesn’t seem to work at a single subatomic particle level – and vice versa.

This paradox keeps springing to mind whenever I’m observing disputes that extend from the interests of an individual to the interests of the society – clashing with them violently – with people on both sides of the front exchanging arguments, completely missing the simple fact that they are speaking from entirely different perspectives.

And, interestingly, it may mean that much like the physical theories, they are both correct, while being in conflict with each other.

One such war is being fought over LGBT rights.

At one time, physics was considered natural law, in the same way that political scientists study ethics and moral law. The two subjects actually shared similar fields of inquiry in many universities until Immanuel Kant disrupted the comity of these subjects with his very bold assertion that "Things in themselves are unknowable" since man's perspectives so heavily immerse themselves into every aspect of man's interactions with the world.

But I digress.

What broader argument does Petraeus bring out from the conflict of two physical sphers in relation to two moral and culture spheres?

The differences in opinion boil down to a clash of an individualist against a communitarian view. The former – arguably more visible these days – suggests that individual freedom is of paramount importance and that people should have the liberty to do what they want even if it meets disapproval of the majority. Communitarianism preaches superiority of the common interest over individual rights.

This discussion does deserve more attention. Often, advocates of limited government and democratic values will say: "People should be able to do whatever they want, as long as they don't harm anybody." The framework which makes such a government possible, however, must abide by a number of cultural norms. Furthemore, a government which exists to ensure the protection of rights must ensure that those rights are not transgressed, whether in the short term or the long term. Regarding freedom of speech, for example, people cannot falsely shout "Fire" in a crowded theater, which would lead to stampedes, harm, and even death. Defamation carries long-standing consequences against those harms by deliberate falsehoods spoken or published, and those harms undermine the rights of those victims.

Rights cannot exist unless they are accorded to everyone, and rights must be recognized as innate and essential to each person.

Both of these views – much like the physical theories – can coexist but will clash if they stray outside of the area they make sense in. On an individual level there is nothing wrong with anybody choosing to live with and loving any other person regardless of their gender (and as long as the relationship is consensual). There is really no reason to deny two consenting adults the ability to live (and sleep) with each other.

Yes, and no. 

In a superficial sense, yes there is no direct harm which follows when two men insist on abusing their bodies and call it "sex." Then again, the decline in human capital, the health care costs, and the general moral decline which follows when such acts are permitted do cost all of us. The consequences which ensuse from a culture that permits such behaviors does harm all of us.

However, while that works for individuals it does not necessarily work for the society at large.

The value of a relationship to an individual is defined by the person’s subjective interests and feelings. The value of relationships to the society is defined by their functional roles.

Since gay marriage does not serve a reproductive purpose it is therefore not equal to a heterosexual relationship (for the society), even though on an individual level they are both the same – i.e. are expressions of mutual love between two people.

These are worthy points to consider. Homosexual conduct serves no purpose for the community as a whole, and in fact undermines the community considerably. Individual rights cannot lead to societal wrongs.

 Conversely, forcing the communitarian expectation of a heterosexual relationship on a homosexual person is pointless for the society and harmful for the individual. It is therefore preferable that individuals retain their liberty in choosing whom to spend their lives with.

Here, I disagree with Petraeus. There is no such thing as a "homosexual person," for in reality, no one is born gay. There is no gay gene, and there is no innate characteristic which causes a person to be attracted to the same sex at a young age. These unnatural affections are a result of abuse, neglect, trauma.

Some people may argue that homosexual couples can have children via surrogacy or adoption but that’s just trying to find a detour to reach a predetermined ideological goal, while ignoring broader implications, consequences of which we don’t know yet – and this uncertainty warrants prudent behavior.

Yes, indeed. The rearing of children is NOT a private matter, but has considerable public implications.

 Asia doesn’t have a habit of taking all Western ideas wholesale, evaluating each of them for its usefulness instead or observing how they play out elsewhere before making a decision.

The first issue is the true long term impact on the children – and not only by the parents but also the society, as social stigma can impede good upbringing, even if both parents are perfect in their roles. Prevailing social norms have to be accounted for when enacting laws that address issues of a small minority. And while there is little scientific evidence of directly adverse effects, the samples used in research supporting same-sex parenting are neither randomized nor big enough – and possibly impacted by ideological bias.

Petraeus is wrong again. There is a substantial body of research which confirms that children do indeed need a mother and a father.

Secondly, setting any legal precedents in one case often acts as a gateway for promotion of other ideological goals, which are even more questionable. One of them visible in the West today is an attempt at normalization of transsexualism and the queer theory, supporting the idea of gender fluidity.

The decriminalization of sodomy is the first step to a much more sinister political agenda. Dr. Thio Li-An warned her colleagues about this in 2007.

This has severely adverse effects in both formal and informal ways, with courts ruling that children as young as 3 or 4 years old can undergo gender transitioning, with parents finding it fashionable to have or raise a transgender child – including celebrities like Charlize Theron, who is transitioning her 7 year old son into a daughter. Or with informal initiatives which grow in popularity, like the “Drag Queen Story Hour“, featuring men dressed up as women reading stories to children in schools and libraries around America and in a few cities abroad already as well.

Here’s the summary from their website:

“Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH) is just what it sounds like—drag queens reading stories to children in libraries, schools, and bookstores. DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models. In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish, where dress up is real.”

MassResistance has been sounding the alarm on this perversion agenda for many years, and in the last three years we took every effort to stop these perverse programs. We have had a growing measure of success, to be sure!

 In other words, we’re no longer talking about what two people do in their bedroom but what millions of children are being taught in schools at an especially important and fragile time in their approaching adolescence.

DUH! Sexual conduct never stays in the bedroom. It has consequences far outside of the privacy of two people.

I don’t think it falls under “love is love” slogans. Especially as at least two of the men have turned out to be past sex-offenders. This is tantamount to a bait and switch scheme, and certainly does not inspire trust about the entire community – nor about the consequences of supporting LGBTQ causes only to be duped into letting both terrible people and terrible ideas dictate the new standards.

MassResistance exposed those sex offenders in Houston, Texas.

Is this the promised progress? Color me skeptical.

I’ve often praised Singapore for its common sense and today is no different – even though it may sound counter-intuitive in this case. Section 377A, which (technically) criminalizes sexual relations between men is a remnant of colonial legislation, most of which was repealed in 2007. It is not applied in practice and the government has long declared it would not be enforced.

 On the face of it, it would appear it is common sense to just get rid of it. But sometimes the most reasonable thing is to defend the status quo.

First of all, Section 377A serves as a political tool, appealing to largely conservative sentiments of the Singaporean society. Secondly – and crucially – it focuses attention of the pro-LGBT activists, who cannot progress beyond this obstacle with any other ideas.

And at all costs we must ensure that their ideas never progress. Perhaps 377a should be enforced.

As long as it exists, all protests will be revolving around its repeal. If it falls, one day, then it is safe to assume that Pink Dot will not dissolve – much like it never happened with activism in the West – but, instead, is going to turn to promoting other ideas, opening Pandora’s box for the government.

Yes, indeed.

 Singaporean authorities face an unenviable task of balancing the interests of the country (both its society and well-being of its citizens, as well as its global brand as a modern, supremely developed city-state) with the need to retain support from individuals across various age groups and beliefs.

At the same time the dead law exposes hypocrisy of the advocates of its repeal, proving that the government’s reluctance to remove it is not unfounded.

Very good point! The LGBT activists prove that their agenda is not about "Love is Love," but rather about furthering their hegemony and ultimately their supremacy.

Activists don’t care about the real conditions in which gay couples live in Singapore today – free from any persecution and arguably being the safest and most prosperous in the entire region.

 These facts are irrelevant because political and ideological agendas are too valuable, leveraging this meaningless section as a symbol to rally support behind.

Ultimately, the whole 377A drama has little to do with love or ending discrimination – even if many people who join in may idealistically believe it does. It’s about exerting ideological influence on the country and political one on the government that leads it. But the authorities cannot yield, in no small part because the pressure on them would only intensify to give protesters even more later.

BINGO!

There’s always some cause in bad need of support, after all.

As a result, the best thing to do is not to enforce the law and yet leave it there to prevent more ambitious pursuits of even more dubious aims. All of that while waiting to see where these ideas lead in the Western countries, respecting the will of the majority while leaving the door open for a safe and comfortable life to the minorities.

And that’s easily the most balanced, considerate and tolerant approach you’ll witness anywhere in the world.

The United States needs Section 377a!