This Week in the News

Push for Third Temple Intensifies… While Deniers are Without a Clue

Express published on March 4, 2019 the following headline:

“Jerusalem third temple ‘fulfils Biblical prophecy’ of the end times.”

The article went on to state:

“Talk of a third temple being built emerged this week in response to a letter penned by the powerful Jewish assembly of rabbis known as the Sanhedrin. Jerusalem is heading into a mayoral election next week and the Sanhedrin urged both running candidates, Ofer Berkovich and Moshe Lion, to rebuild the temple.

“The first two Holy Temples of Jerusalem were constructed on the city’s Temple Mount centuries ago but were razed to the ground by the Babylonians and the Romans respectively. The Holy Temple plays a crucial role in Jewish tradition and is a central player in prophecies and tales concerning the apocalypse.”

There are still those who deny the biblical fact that a third temple must exist prior to Christ’s return. One proof text can be found in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 which proclaims that just prior to Christ’s return, the false prophet (sometimes erroneously referred to as the Antichrist) will sit in the Temple of God, claiming to be God. Here is an example of a writer trying to “explain” this passage without admitting that this is talking about the Third Temple:

“… the ‘man of sin’ (also known as the King of the North in Daniel 11 and ‘the Beast’ in Revelation 13) may be sitting in some type of formerly Christian occupied building for some short while during the Great Tribulation.” The writer then goes on to state that that building might be one which had been used by his organization prior to their flight to the place of safety.

Apart from the fact that the man of sin is not the beast, but the false prophet, this whole “explanation” is unbelievably ludicrous. But those who deny or are unable to understand biblical revelation are doomed to present astonishing man-made nonsense.

Netanyahu Without a Majority

The Algemeiner wrote on March 2:

“A new poll taken after Israel’s attorney general announced that he will indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges shows that Netanyahu would not be able to form a right-wing government if elections were held today, and that 68 percent of the Israeli public wants him to resign now or after he is formally indicted.

“The announcement of intent to indict… charged Netanyahu with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in corruption cases dealing with gifts from supporters and alleged media collusion to give the prime minister favorable coverage in return for political and regulatory favors. Netanyahu responded to the announcement with a combative speech in which he declared the investigation a left-wing witch hunt intended to aid the election of his primary rivals…

“Those surveyed were also asked whether they believe Netanyahu’s claim that the attorney general made his decision due to pressure from the left and the media — 59 percent said the attorney general acted from professional considerations, while 42 percent agreed with Netanyahu. Elections will be held on April 9.”

Middle East Peace Process Without Success

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 4:

“The US is closing its consulate in Jerusalem, with a Palestinian affairs unit in the embassy to take its place… Diplomatic work will now be handled by a Palestinian affairs unit that is under the command of the US Embassy to Israel.

“The move has raised fears among Palestinians that US President Donald Trump’s administration is downgrading the handling of their diplomatic concerns and that Washington is no longer working for a two-state solution. When plans for the merger were announced by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last fall, Palestinian official Saeb Erekat called the decision ‘the final nail in the coffin’ for the US role in a Middle East peace process. The merger also means that diplomatic channels with Gaza and the West Bank will now be handled by US Ambassador David Freedman—who has long supported the controversial West Bank settler movement and has been an outspoken critic of Palestinian leaders.

“Trump sparked global outrage over his December 2017 decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the US Embassy there from Tel Aviv. Jerusalem is the home to numerous sites that are holy to Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Palestinians want to establish an independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital.”

The American-initiated peace process is dead… in fact, it was never alive.

Israel Without Arab Friends

The Jordan Times wrote on March 4:

“Participants at the 29th conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (APU) on Monday called for supporting Palestinians through stopping all forms of normalisation with the Israeli occupation as stipulated in relevant Arab summits’ resolutions. The final statement of the conference, which concluded in Amman on Monday, praised the Kingdom’s Hashemite Custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites, and His Majesty King Abdullah’s efforts in supporting the Jerusalemites’ resilience, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The statement also commended King Abdullah’s quick steps and response in stopping recurrent Israeli attacks in Jerusalem, the most recent of which was the reopening of the Bab Al Rahma (Gate of Mercy) for prayers.

“Meanwhile, the Amman Declaration, issued at the conclusion of the conference, warned against the threats of the Israeli colonisation expansion on the expense of the Palestinian national soil, and rejected all attempts to impose the policy as a fait accompli, which requires more unified Arab stances to counter Israeli attempts to confiscate more Palestinian rights. The declaration added that Jordan will continue to be at the forefront of any effort to support the central cause of Arab and Islamic nations, which is the Palestinian one, and that the Kingdom will not stop exerting any effort that can serve Palestinian interests until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty over its national soil, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

A united Europe under German leadership will collaborate with Arab nations against Israel.

European Jews Without True Friends

Politico wrote on March 4:

Anti-Semitism is back in Europe… This particularly European pathology never truly went away, of course, but it had been confined, after the Holocaust, to the far-right fringes of society. Now the numbers of high-profile incidents and violent attacks are multiplying. Not only is this disease back; it is being weaponized by nationalist governments and parties on both sides of the political spectrum

“The collapse of Europe’s center-right, center-left political consensus plays an important role. As the center has dissolved, the fringes have expanded. The rise of extremist parties has acted like a green light for the Continent’s anti-Semitism… The danger goes beyond the physical. Issues that, on the face, have nothing to do with Jews — the migration crisis or a protest movement sparked by fuel prices — suddenly became all about them. Centuries-old stereotypes have reappeared: the conniving Jewish financier, the all-powerful Jewish conspirator accused of buying political influence or acting as a ‘globalist,’ pulling the levers of power in pursuit of enrichment. The common theme: Jew are ‘others’ who do not belong in European society

In the West, the danger comes from left-wing opposition and from the street. In the U.K., anti-Semitism is tearing apart the opposition Labour Party… Muslim critics of the Jewish state are also often guilty of extending their criticism to all Jews…

“In the former Communist bloc… [r]ight-wing nationalist politicians propagate anti-Semitism themselves. Many of the region’s governments — led by Hungary — have rehabilitated their wartime criminals and minimized their country’s guilt in the destruction of their Jewish communities.

Adding fuel to the fire is Israel. Instead of criticizing Europe’s revisionists, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cozies up to them, justifying his outreach to leaders in Poland and Hungary as a way to counterbalance the European Union’s more Palestinian-friendly Western states…

The United States, too, is standing on the wrong side of this ideological battleground. Like the Israeli prime minister, President Trump favors Holocaust-revisionist leaders in the East over longtime democratic allies in the West. At home, he traffics in anti-Semitic stereotypes…”

JTA wrote on March 4:

“Participants in a street celebration in the Belgian city of Aalst paraded giant puppets of Orthodox Jews and a rat atop money bags…

“The group Vismooil’n created the two puppets as their 2019 theme for the Aalst carnival, the local edition of celebrations that take place throughout parts of Europe and Latin America annually in anticipation of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter… They titled the work ‘Shabbat Year.’… One of the puppets is grinning while smoking a cigar and extending a hand, presumably to collect money. That puppet has a white rat on his right shoulder. Both puppets are standing on gold coins and have money bags at their feet. In the background is a round window reminiscent of the architecture of many European synagogues and a small box resembling a mezuzah on its right-hand side…

“In 2013, a different group designed for the Aalst carnival a float resembling a Nazi railway wagon used to transport Jews to death camps. The people who designed the float, known as the FTP Group, marched near the float dressed as Nazi SS officers and… Orthodox Jews. A poster on the wagon showed Flemish Belgian politicians dressed as Nazis and holding canisters labeled as containing Zyklon B, the poison used by the Nazis to exterminate Jews in gas chambers in the Holocaust.”

Something like this is shocking indeed. Carnival organizers had prior knowledge of the float, reviewed and approved it. They subsequently “apologized” for the float after workers had spent hours creating it. But the “mayor of the Belgian city… defended the display, telling the local media that ‘In Aalst it should be allowed,’” according to JTA, dated March 5.

Aish.com added on March 5:

“The Belgian city of Aalst is only a short drive from the gleaming modern towers that house the European Union in central Brussels. But on Sunday, the picturesque town seemed to belong to a previous era, as a grotesque anti-Semitic parade float promenaded through the center of town, looking like something out of the Middle Ages or Nazi times… Anti-Jewish feeling is rising across Europe and beyond. Britain, the United States and Canada have all seen record levels of anti-Jewish attacks in recent years…

“The outrageous float in Aalst isn’t a wakeup call; it’s more like an alarm we’re hearing after hitting the snooze button a hundred times. In too many quarters, it’s become acceptable to make fun of Jews or to express blatant anti-Semitism…”

CNN wrote on March 5:

“…the ‘De Dokwerker’ statue… stands as a permanent reminder of the day Amsterdam came together on February 25, 1941 to protest against the anti-Semitic laws imposed on its Jewish citizens by the Germans. By the end of World War II, about 75% of the Dutch Jewish community had been wiped out.

“At a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise in Europe, the vandalizing of the… statue last week caused headlines both inside and outside the country… the nature of the vandalism, the green and yellow paint on the statue, and the painting of green swastikas on the street, suggested a blurring of the lines between anti-Semitism, and hatred of the city’s football club, Ajax. Throughout the Netherlands, and much of Europe, Ajax is known as a ‘Jewish club.’ The vandalism… shone a light on the complicated and often uneasy relationship between Ajax, the Jewish community and the anti-Semitism that it often attracts…”

Anti-Semitism is not confined to Europe.

Fox News reported on March 7:

“After several days of infighting and a near-rebellion by rank-and-file Democrats, as well as a major last-minute revision, the House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan resolution that only indirectly condemned Minnesota [Muslim] Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s repeated ‘anti-Semitic’ and ‘pernicious’ comments– without mentioning her by name…

“The final draft of the resolution was expanded Thursday afternoon to condemn virtually all forms of bigotry, including white supremacy, in what Republicans characterized as a cynical ploy to distract from Omar’s remarks

“‘Today’s resolution vote was a sham put forward by Democrats to avoid condemning one of their own and denouncing vile anti-Semitism,’ [House Republican Conference Chair Liz] Cheney said in a statement…”

Brexit Without a Deal

Axios wrote on March 3:

“Welcome to March! The United Kingdom is due to leave the EU this month. And yet if anything, there’s less clarity than ever about whether and when the U.K. might actually leave, and under what terms it might do so.

“The state of play: British politics is more fractured than ever: 11 MPs have left the Tories and Labour to form The Independent Group, which is not so much a party as a cry for sanity. The opposition Labour party now wants a referendum, perhaps, and the governing Conservative party now is OK with a short delay, perhaps, but neither option seems to command a majority in Parliament.”

The Sun wrote on March 3:

“DOWNING STREET was accused of ‘surrendering to Europe’ after a fresh delay to an announcement on No Deal tariffs. Sources claimed the long-awaited details of proposed import duties for foreign goods had been postponed AGAIN – and would not now come this week…

“The plans could even be delayed until after the PM’s crunch Commons showdown on her Brexit deal – which is likely to come on March 12.”

These attempts to delay the inevitable Brexit will only be “successful” for so long.

Breitbart added on February 4:

“Attorney-General Geoffrey Cox has reportedly abandoned efforts to win serious concessions from the European Union on the unpopular ‘Soft Brexit’ deal negotiated by Prime Minister Theresa May. The charismatic Brexiteer was sent to Brussels to try and win concessions on the controversial ‘backstop’…

“Parliamentarians were concerned that the backstop — which would see the EU effectively annex the British province of Northern Ireland for customs and regulatory purposes while mainland Great Britain would be incorporated into an EU-controlled ‘singles customs territory’ — is not time-limited, and the British government would not be allowed to leave it without the EU’s permission.

“Cox had been seeking a so-called ‘break clause’ which would allow the United Kingdom to walk away from the backstop on its own initiative, or at least a legally-binding agreement that it could not persist indefinitely, but has been stonewalled by the EU’s negotiating team and is instead seeking changes to the ‘arbitration mechanism’ deployed should one side express a desire to end the arrangements. The EU is said to be refusing to countenance Cox’s suggestion that backstop arbitration should be overseen by an ‘independent’ body outside the jurisdiction of its own Court of Justice, however, making it difficult to see how any tweaks to the mechanism currently laid out could be anything but cosmetic.”

The EUObserver wrote on March 6:

“EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and his UK counterpart, Stephen Barclay, met in Brussels for a four-hour long dinner on Tuesday together with British attorney general Geoffery Cox. They made no comment afterward in an unusual step, with fewer than 30 days left to a potential no-deal Brexit. An EU official told the Reuters news agency the talks did not go well.”

The Local wrote on March 6:

“All British nationals living in Germany will need to apply for a residence permit from their local Foreigners Authority (Ausländerbehörde), according to new advice from the UK government. And they have to apply for a permit whether the UK leaves the EU with or without a deal

“As Germany is a federal country, there are different ways that British people can apply for a permit. In Berlin a registration process has been underway since January where people can voluntarily register… In Bonn and Düsseldorf, Brits can apply through an online registration process. Some states have issued letters asking residents to book an appointment with the immigration office, while others are asking British people to fill in a form online… the latest figures for 2018 show there are 117,225 British people [living] in Germany… Berlin is host to the largest British community in Germany…”

EU Without Turkey

Reuters wrote on March 6:

Turkey cannot become a member of the European Union, said Manfred Weber, the European Peoples Party’s (EPP) lead candidate for the upcoming European elections, adding that he would end accession talks if he becomes European Commission president…

“… ‘if I become Commission president, then I will instruct the offices in Brussels to end the talks with Turkey on accession to the European Union,’ [Weber] said to rapturous applause [by German conservatives in Bavaria]…

“In October, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would consider putting Turkey’s long-stalled bid to join the EU to a referendum, signaling exasperation with a process he says has been waylaid by prejudice against Muslims.”

Turkey Without Freedom of Expression

Deutsche Welle reported on March 6:

“The German government criticized Turkey on Wednesday after the Turkish interior minister threatened to arrest ‘terrorists’ and ‘traitors’ from Germany arriving at Turkish airports… Germany has one of the largest Kurdish diasporas in the world and supporters of the PKK regularly hold rallies in support of Kurdish causes. However, Turkey considers a number of organizations that are legal in Germany as terrorist organizations, including the Gulen movement Ankara blames for orchestrating a failed 2016 coup attempt.

“Over the past several years, ties between Berlin and Ankara have been strained over the arrest of dual nationals, including journalists and human rights activists. Many have been detained on trumped-up terrorism propaganda charges

“[Foreign Office spokesperson Maria] Adebahr warned Germans to look at the foreign office’s travel warnings and safety information, which clearly ‘point to the risk of arrest,’ especially when there exists any connection ‘to terrorist organizations under Turkish interpretations. Statements that are covered in Germany by freedom of expression can lead to prosecution in Turkey,’  Adebahr warned.

“After Russians, Germans were the second largest tourist group visiting Turkey in 2018.”

USA and EU Without True Partnership

Deutsche Welle reported on March 4:

“The US has put an end to its dispute with the EU over diplomatic protocol…

“The US ambassador to the European Union [Gordon Sondland] said that the US Department of State ‘will again recognize the European Union’s representation in Washington as equivalent to that of a bilateral mission… The EU is a uniquely important organization, and one of America’s most valuable partners in ensuring global security and prosperity,’ Sondland said…

“Despite the soothing in terms of protocol, there remain issues for the EU and US to resolve. EU trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom is in Washington this week to meet her counterpart Robert Lighthizer for talks on car tariffs. She said ‘there is full support’ from EU member states to respond if the Trump administration imposes tariffs on cars and car parts…”

Trump’s Emergency Declaration Without Majority Support

npr wrote on March 3:

“Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky says he’ll vote in favor of a resolution to terminate President Trump’s national emergency declaration with regards to the U.S.-Mexico border. Paul’s support… could force the president to issue his first veto. Paul’s announcement, coming from an-otherwise close ally of the president, lays bare the discomfort many Republicans have had with the emergency declaration…

“On Tuesday, the Democratic-controlled House voted 245-182 to approve the resolution. Only 13 Republicans joined Democrats to end Trump’s emergency declaration. The Senateis expect[ed] to vote later this month on the House resolution. Paul joins three Senate Republicans… who have already said they will vote with Democrats in opposition to the president’s actions. With Republicans holding just 53 Senate seats, those defections mean the resolution will likely pass…

“‘I can’t vote to give the president the power to spend money that hasn’t been appropriated by Congress,’ Paul said. ‘We may want more money for border security, but Congress didn’t authorize it. If we take away those checks and balances, it’s a dangerous thing.’

“Trump made the declaration in February to free up billions of dollars in funding for border wall construction, after Congress allocated just a fraction of what he had asked for. Other [Republican] Senators have expressed reservations about the national emergency declaration but haven’t said how they’ll vote… More Republicans may be willing to come out against the emergency declaration now that the balance of votes has already tipped against the president. ‘I support what the president wants to do on border security, but not the way he has been advised to do it,’ [Lamar] Alexander [R-Tenn.] said in a statement last week. ‘There has never been an instance where a president has asked for funding, Congress refused it, and the president then used the National Emergencies Act to justify spending the money anyway.’

“… Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell… told reporters on Tuesday that he expects the Senate will vote before March 18.”

However, if the Senate votes against the emergency declaration and President Trump vetoes the decisions of the House and the Senate, it is not expected that there will be enough votes to override the veto. In addition, note the following article.

The Washington Times wrote on March 5:

Illegal immigration continues to break records on the southwestern border… The number of families snared trying to sneak into the U.S. soared by 50 percent in one month alone, setting an all-time record with more than 36,000 family members apprehended, Homeland Security officials announced Tuesday. The government has also encountered some 70 groups of at least 100 migrants during the first five months of the fiscal year, shattering records and placing new challenges on Border Patrol agents. The mini-caravans are being funneled to some of the remotest parts of the border, where there is little in the way of medical help and it takes hours to process and transport the groups. That takes agents off the line, and drug smugglers use the distraction to send across their shipments, top border officials said…

“Overall, Border Patrol agents nabbed 66,450 illegal immigrants last month, marking the worst February since 2008. [This is an 80 percent increase over the same time last year]. Of those, 6,825 were unaccompanied alien children — juveniles who arrived at the border without any parent. Another 36,174 were family members — a majority of the total and a record-shattering number… All told, nearly 160,000 unaccompanied alien children and family members have been encountered at the border over the past five months. That is far more than the 120,000 encountered in 2014, when President Obama first called it a crisis

“Fifty-five migrants a day are being sent to clinics or hospitals for care, and the Border Patrol says it’s on track for 31,000 total this year… Agents have to accompany each of those migrants, taking them away from enforcement duties…”

Fox News added on March 6:

“Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen issued a dire assessment Wednesday of the migration crisis on the southern border, telling a House committee that illegal immigration is ‘spiraling out of control’ and predicting that crisis will ‘get even worse’ in the coming months… she said Customs and Border Protection is on track to apprehend almost 1 million illegal immigrants at the border this year…”

Russia Without Freedom of Expression

The Guardian wrote on March 6:

“Russia’s parliament has approved a controversial law that allows courts to jail people for online ‘disrespect’ of government or state officials, including the president, Vladimir Putin.The law, which critics say is reminiscent of Soviet-era legislation used to target political dissidents, stipulates fines of up to 100,000 roubles (£1,155) for ‘indecent’ online posts that demonstrate a ‘blatant disrespect for society, the country, Russia’s official state symbols, the constitution, or the authorities’. Repeat offenders can be hit with fines of up to twice this sum, or 15 days behind bars.

“Alexander Verkhovsky, the head of the Moscow-based Sova Centre, which monitors abuse of anti-extremism legislation, said people could face prosecution for online… jokes about parliament. Others expressed concern that the law was so vaguely worded that almost any online criticism of the authorities, including satirical memes, could be construed as ‘disrespect’… Putin is expected to sign the law into force in the coming weeks.

“Parliament also approved separate legislation… that will give the authorities powers to block webpages that publish ‘disrespectful’ material or ‘fake news’…”

School Teaching Homosexuality and Gender Equality Without Students

Daily Mail wrote on March 3:

“An estimated 600 Muslim children have been withdrawn from a school in protest against lessons about homosexuality and gender equality… The children involved in the mass exodus represent about 80 per cent of the school’s entire enrolment… the pupils were pulled out of the classroom, because the school was ‘undermining parental rights and aggressively promoting homosexuality’… One father at the school, whose six-year-old daughter attends the school, said his wife wanted to leave the country rather than let her daughter attend the lessons…

“Some of the parents said Islam did not accept homosexuality, while others said they were not against it, but accused the teacher [who is gay] of promoting ‘personal beliefs’… [He] is in a civil partnership [and he] is currently shortlisted for a ‘world’s best teacher’ award. He resigned from a previous teaching post at another school after a row with Christian parents over lessons challenging homophobia…”

Words fail…

Germans Without Humor

AFP and the Local wrote on March 4:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s anointed successor, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, faced harsh criticism Monday over a carnival joke that ridiculed intersex people…. Attempting to poke fun at politically progressive Berlin, she said newly introduced toilets for intersex people were ‘for those men who don’t know whether to pee standing up or sitting down’. The comment was greeted with jeers, fanfare and booming laughter in the Lake Constance town of Stockach in southern Germany, but fewer people were laughing when it was shared on the website queer.de and Twitter.

“Another one of those days that make you cringe… is it really that difficult to make a humorous speech without flat jokes beating up on minorities?’ commented lawmaker Jens Brandenburg of the FDP party… The Social Democrats’ general secretary Lars Klingbeil charged that the comment showed ‘an absolute lack of respect’ for intersex people…

“The newspaper Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger in Cologne… slammed AKK’s joke as ‘low-brow’, ‘sordid’, ‘populist’ and tapping into society’s ‘culture wars’.

“AKK, a devout Catholic who has spoken out against same-sex marriage, was named ‘Miss Homophobia 2018’ in an online poll conducted by gay and lesbian rights group Enough is Enough.”

The Guardian added on March 4:

“Asked on Monday about the chancellor’s reaction to the comments [by AKK], Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, pointed out that the government had recently strengthened the rights of intersex people by allowing the inclusion of a third gender, ‘diverse’, on birth registers… Alexander Vogt, the chair of the CDU’s gay and lesbian association, told the broadcaster SWR: ‘Of course we are owed an apology…’ Lars Klingbeil, the general secretary of the Social Democrats, a junior coalition partner in Merkel’s government, said: ‘Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer shows what kind of arch-conservative views once again prevail in the [Christian Democratic] Union. Such comments – even during carnival – are utterly disrespectful.’ Sven Lehmann, a Green politician, tweeted: ‘After a period of modernisation through Angela Merkel, I am sorry to see that the leader of CDU … cannot do without cheap gags at the cost of minorities in our society’…

“Kramp-Karrenbauer recently reiterated her belief that the concept of marriage should be tied to the ability to conceive a child, and she refused to modify a 2015 statement in which she linked same-sex marriages to incest and polygamy… The CDU agriculture minister, Julia Klöckner, tweeted in defence of her party leader: ‘We make jokes about men, we make jokes about women. Those who don’t make jokes about the third gender just because it’s the third gender discriminate against it.’”

Most readers of the conservative mass tabloid Bild Online liked the joke. When it comes to “culture war,” it is the homosexual community who starts and engages in that war. And there is nothing “progressive” about it. Let us be clear: practicing homosexuals are living in a state of sin. The same goes for “intersex people” who don’t like the gender with which they are born and who want to change it to the opposite sex. What may the consequences be? A classic example is a young school boy claiming to be a girl so he can be in the girls’ locker rooms, toilets and showers. For more information, please read our free booklet, “God’s Teaching on Sexual Relationships.”

Judges, Gender Clinicians and Pro-Trans Therapists Without Any Sense

Life Site News wrote on March 1:

“A British Columbia judge ruled a father can’t stop doctors giving his troubled 14-year-old daughter testosterone shots against his wishes… [The judge] ruled [that the teen] ‘be referred to as male and identified by his chosen name in all legal proceedings, be allowed to change his legal name without the need for consent from his parents, is “exclusively entitled” to consent to medical treatment for his gender dysphoria,’ the National Post reported.

“Moreover, ‘Any attempt to persuade A.B. to abandon treatment or references to [the teen] as a girl or using female pronouns “shall be considered to be family violence” under the Family Law Act,’ ruled the B.C. judge.”

A totally senseless judgment. Now read the next article.

The Christian Post wrote on March 4:

“Parents… who do not agree with or support their children’s belief that they are the opposite sex risk legal repercussions, including being reported to Child Protective Services

“The notion that children are at greater risk or will take their own lives if they’re not allowed to alter their bodies to become their ‘authentic’ selves is the most common manipulation technique employed by gender clinicians and pro-trans therapists. They do this, therapists and doctors who oppose transgender ideology say, to put confused children and teens on the pathway to transition and undergo permanent surgical procedures.

“Transgenderism has become so deeply entrenched within certain respected professions that much of the general public now believes that socially and medically transitioning children into these identities is not only completely safe but necessary…

“In February 2018 [a judge in Ohio] ruled that a 17-year-old should be removed from the custody of her parents due to their objections to the controversial hormone treatments for trans-identifying teens…

“Parents… regard what is going on… as a serious medical scandal, especially given that so many doctors are afraid to speak up against medicalizing and performing surgeries on youth based on a scientifically unproven identity and feelings… In addition to the lack of oversight, proponents of gender-transitioning youth as essential health care, have framed those who oppose them as rank bigots

“Unless people can somehow see through the fog that radical activists have overhauled the professional guidelines and engineered a takeover of the medical field and its public relations apparatus, the general public and parents in doctors’ offices will believe in what the expert associations stipulate with great confidence…

“In December, a … report unpacked the risks and harms of Lupron, a hormone blocker used to treat prostate cancer patients and sex offenders, which is now being given to youth with gender dysphoria…

“Dr. Michelle Cretella is the president of the American College of Pediatricians and is an outspoken critic of transgender medicalization. She has frequently called it institutionalized child abuse. The Southern Poverty Law Center… has labeled the ACP a ‘hate group.’…”

It is those who advocate and support such unconscionable practices for confused children and teens who could be classified as belonging to a hate group… as they are opposing and thereby hating God’s LAW and His Word.

Churches Without Many Parishioners

The Associated Press wrote on March 2:

“[This] has been a wrenching season for three of America’s largest religious denominations, as sex-abuse scandals and a schism over LGBT inclusion fuel anguish and anger within the Roman Catholic, Southern Baptist and United Methodist churches. There’s rising concern that the crises will boost the ranks of young people disillusioned by organized religion

“For the U.S. Catholic church, the clergy sex-abuse scandal that has unfolded over two decades expanded dramatically in recent months. Many dioceses have become targets of investigations…

“The Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest Protestant denomination, confronted its own sex-abuse crisis three weeks ago in the form of an investigation by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. The newspapers reported that hundreds of Southern Baptist clergy and staff had been accused of sexual misconduct over the past 20 years, including dozens who returned to church duties, while leaving more than 700 victims with little in the way of justice or apologies…

“The United Methodist Church, the largest mainline Protestant denomination, ended a pivotal conference Tuesday in a seemingly irreconcilable split over same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBT clergy. About 53 percent of the delegates voted to maintain bans on those practices and strengthen enforcement, dismaying centrists and liberals who favored LGBT inclusion and now are faced with the choice of leaving the UMC or considering acts of defiance from within… Adam Hamilton, whose Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, is the nation’s largest UMC congregation, said the outcome would push youthful pastors and other young adults away. ‘Three out of four of millennials who live in the U.S.support same-sex marriage and do not want to be a part of a church that makes their friends feel like second-class Christians,’ he told the conference.”

These churches and their members do not belong to God’s true Church and the Body of Christ anyway.

A World Without True Knowledge of the Devil

Breitbart wrote on March 4:

“Pope Francis told a group of young people Sunday that the devil is not a fairy tale but truly exists, and that he is their ‘biggest enemy.’ In a meeting with children and young people… the pope said that the devil is ‘the ruler of the pagan spirit’ and ‘the lord of evil,’ while urging them to resist his wiles through prayer and recourse to Jesus… ‘[The devil] is the one who tries to make us slip up in life. He is the one who puts bad desires and bad thoughts in our hearts and leads us to do bad things, many bad things in life, ending with war.’…

“‘The devil is a liar,’ Francis said… ‘You have to tell the devil, “Go away, liar!”’ he told them… ‘When the attack comes, go to Jesus, who never told a lie,’ he said… Francis also told the children that the devil promises happiness, yet never delivers…”

Most do not believe in the devil… at least not in the devil as described in the Bible. But to clarify, a person not being ordained to the ministry of God, should never speak directly to the devil or his demons. Rather, when he or she senses a satanic or demonic attack, he or she should pray to God the Father, asking Him, in the name of Jesus Christ, to rebuke the devil and free him or her from satanic and demonic influence.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

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