A friend sent this to me and it speaks volumes on the Founder of freedom, liberty and choice. You see, some time ago, our Creator gave us choice knowing that we would sometimes make poor choices--and sometimes even evil choices for which His son would one day be crucified. Since the Pledge of Allegiance and The Lord's Prayer are not allowed in most public schools anymore because the word "God" is mentioned.... A kid in Arizona wrote the attached NEW School prayer: | ||
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New Pledge of Allegiance Now I sit me down in school Where praying is against the rule For this great nation under God Finds mention of Him very odd. If Scripture now the class recites, It violates the Bill of Rights. And anytime my head I bow Becomes a Federal matter now. Our hair can be purple, orange or green, That's no offense; it's a f reedom scene. The law is specific, the law is precise. Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice. For praying in a public hall Might offend someone with no faith at all. In silence alone we must meditate, God's name is prohibited by the state. We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks, And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks. They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible. To quote the Good Book makes me liable. We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen, And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King. It's "inappropriate" to teach right from wrong, We're taught that such "judgments" do not belong. We can get our condoms and birth controls, Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles. But the Ten Commandments are not allowed, No word of God must reach this crowd. It's scary here I must confess, When chaos reigns the school's a mess. So, Lord, this silent plea I make: Should I be shot; My soul please take! Amen If you aren't ashamed to do this, please pass this on. Jesus said, "If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you before my Father." | ||
| For the record, the friend who sent this to me was my mother, and her mother was a schoolteacher who did, indeed, begin the day with scripture readings at a little school in Pennsylvania. As I write the HTML code for a webpage on the internet, sunshine is streaming through the window next to me and I can see what a lovely day it is. I'm reminded of the reasons that I was taught to pray and I am not ashamed cuz my mama raised me right! ;-) | ||
Christianity plays an important role in the fight against antitobacco. Other religious practices and beliefs are also affronted by antismoker laws and sentiments. However, this page highlights the attack on Christianity.
Some people have already given their impression of the conflict between antismoking and Christian teachings, such as Lynda Farley's About Smoking for Christians and People of Faith, What the Bible Says and Smoking Aloud. (Smokingaloud is full of Christian references most directly stated in the comments section; see the fourth comment down.)
A leading, litigious antismoking group, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), invokes Christianity in this pledge to the Ten Commandments. (For a real scare, click on the note from the author.)
Smoking Bishops (The Times, 7 November 2001) by Giles Coren. Quote:
"It is odd that a servant of God is a slave to nicotine," says a spokesman for Action on Smoking and Health. "He should set an example of to other Catholics by giving up next No Smoking Day."You'll notice the spokesman didn't use the more familiar phrase, "give it up for Lent." Moreover, in a sane and civilized world, referring to a servant of God as a "slave to nicotine" is both ridiculous and offensive.
Churches incensed by 'stop smoking' signs (The Telegraph, 15/05/2007) by Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent. In another accountant of the story, Vicar blesses smoke ban sign in protest (This is Local London, Saturday, 14th July, 2007), the vicar blesses the No Smoking sign with smoking incense! The observation has been made that church officials seem more worried about the appearance of their property than about how their fellow men are treating each other as a result of antismoking hysteria.
The Christian Pipe Smokers is a sociable community that is probably the antithesis of a political/litigious organization. (See their Community entries for an idea of who they are.) Interestingly, I do not believe that the churchwardens pipe has its origin in churches. Although I don't smoke a pipe, there is always something pleasing and almost dreamy about walking into a pipe shop. Most people in pipe shope are helpful and firendly, and you can usually find high quality tobacco products of various types. In fact, Mike LaDue at Jon's Pipe Shop was the first to show me how to "roll your own." Aaaah. the smell of real tobacco!
| Old Paddy's going to confession one day and it occurs to him to ask the parish priest about something that's been bothering his conscience a bit, "Father, is it OK for me to smoke my pipe while I'm praying?"
The priest clears his throat from behind the screen and says, "Now my son, you know that while you pray you should be concentrating on the Lord. Put your tobacco out of your mind and simply pray." Well, Paddy goes along with this for a while, but he's not very happy. He's a very prayerful Irishman, but also one who dearly loves his pipe. One day the Bishop visits town and Paddy thinks he'll try the question again but put it a bit differently, "Your Eminence, is it OK for me to pray even if I'm smoking my pipe?" The Bishop smiles and says, "Now Paddy, you can pray ANY time you feel like it!" So Paddy now prays while smoking his pipe and just avoids the parish priest if he's smoking his pipe while he's praying.... |
| For more smiles, see the *ahem* Religion Correspondent for the Funnies File! |
Non-smoker jailed for attacking deaf smoker (Mar 19 2008) Quote:
A NON-smoker was jailed for two years yesterday for attacking a “deaf and mute” man who refused to stub out a cigarette.Four hours of torture (Broomsgrove Advertiser, Monday 18th December 2006). Note that the instigator, Haley Kirby (18), was told to blame secondhand smoke as the reason for the torture--she is using antismoking as her defence! Quote:Robert Russo, 35, asked Glyn Robbins to stop smoking while they were waiting at a bus stop. But he didn’t realise Mr Robbins, 56, couldn’t hear him, and thought he was being rude.
Cardiff Crown Court heard Russo then punched him in the face and kneed him as he fell to the floor. CCTV footage was played to the court showing Russo kick Mr Robbins as he lay on the floor. A witness called police and Russo was arrested.
Russo, of Snowden Road, Ely, Cardiff, admitted wounding with intent and unlawful wounding.
He told police, “I told him to stop smoking and I thought he was going to have a go at me so I hit him.”
Mr Robbins was left bleeding from the nose and ear after the attack at Cardiff Central bus station.
For more on the story, including a graphic picture of the results of the torture to the victim's face, see Four teenagers jailed for torture : Four teenagers who burned, beat and abused a girl with learning difficulties have been jailed.A 17-year-old student was burned with a home-made flame thrower during a horrifying four-hour torture ordeal, a court heard.
Aerosol cans of air freshener and furniture polish were squirted at Katy James and the jets set alight with a naked flame. She was attacked by a gang of teenagers at the flat they shared in Burcot Lane, Bromsgrove, after her smoking was blamed for Hayley Kirby's miscarriage.
Her hair was set alight and she had to beat out the flames with her bare hands. Perfume was sprayed onto her stomach and also set on fire.
She was battered with a chair until its leg broke, punched, kicked and forced to drink a cocktail of coca-cola, cigarette ends and urine while her tormentors laughed, Worcester Crown Court was told.
Miss James, a vulnerable girl with learning problems, was lured home on March 23 where she was attacked by Kirby, her boyfriend Robert Hart, Wynette Darkes and her boyfriend James Smale. Kirby claimed that on that day she was told by a hospital that smoke in her body' had caused her to lose the child, said Nicolas Cartwright, prosecuting.
...Judge Alistair McCreath said it was "unspeakable and wicked behaviour".
The violence was begun by Kirby who slapped Miss James, called her a whore and branded her a murderer.
...Miss James, who was on a life skills course at North East Worcestershire college in Redditch, had a soiled nappy pushed in her face.
Cigarettes were also stubbed out on her body and she was forced to eat chilli peppers and chilli powder - and drink her own vomit.
She was photographed on a mobile phone, had a knife held at her throat- and was even urinated on.
...They tried to clean her up and concocted a story that they found her being attacked by a youth in a churchyard. Her boyfriend, shocked by what he found when he returned from a factory shift, called the police.
Her injuries included a broken nose, perforated eardrum, a six-inch burn on her stomach and other burns on her ears, face and private parts.
| WARNING: The following news is very unpleasant. However, the message is important. My apologies if anyone is offended by the inclusion of this information on the Christian page. |
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Speaking of pipes, the Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club of Boston gave their readers a news item, "The busybodies are at it again," by John Stossel (November 30, 2005--archived by the Smokers' Club.) Quoting the Stossel article: I once interviewed the mayor of the tiny community of Friendship Heights, Md. He got his town to pass the most stringent anti-smoking law in America. It banned cigarette smoke outdoors.Another article from Stossel appeared in TownHall. Busybody politicians, get off our backs (Wednesday, September 6, 2006): The mayor of the tiny community of Friendship Heights, Md., said he had to protect his citizens from cigarette smoke. So several years ago, he got his town to pass the most stringent anti-smoking law in America. It banned cigarette smoke not just in restaurants, bars, and offices, but outdoors, too.The case received some recognition in the early part of this century. Judge gives mayor 3 years' probation (The Washington Post, May 12, 2001): Friendship Heights Mayor Alfred Muller yesterday admitted to failing his loved ones and community, then a judge sentenced him to three years' probation for fondling a boy in a bathroom at the Washington National Cathedral.Micheal J. McFadden comments on this disgraceful (to say the least) event in his book, Dissecting antismokers' Brains (p. 137-138). The obvious truth is that the mayor of Friendly Heights, MD, exemplified pedophile behavior in advocating legal measures to isolate young people in out-of-the-way hangout locales, which is exactly what his outdoor smoking ban did. The ban on public smoking drives young people (and others) to smoke in less public (i.e. isolated and/or unsupervised) areas. Smoking bans are good news for pedophiles. Yet, Action on Smoking and Health put a very different spin on the Friendly Heights, MD, outdoor smoking ban as reported in the Washington Post's "Outdoor Smoking Restraints Repealed" by Jo Becker (03/14/01), "The village of Friendship Heights has repealed a smoking ban considered the toughest in the nation, concluding that continuing the legal fight to enforce the ban after two adverse court decisions could harm the national movement to take the war on smoking outdoors....Friendship Heights Mayor Alfred Muller said the village decided not to appeal the ruling because he and others did not want the case to set a bad precedent that would prevent true municipalities from following the village's lead." |
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Orlando Sentinel, September 21, 2002 |
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NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A 13-year-old New Smyrna Beach boy was beaten to death Friday by a 15-year-old boy who thought the victim had given cigarettes to the older boy's little brother, authorities said. After an argument that left Shane Michael Farrell, 13, on the ground, the victim begged the 15-year-old boy to stop kicking him, according to one of several boys who said they witnessed the attack near the intersection of Julia and Faulkner streets. "Please don't; no, no," Shane pleaded as the older boy repeatedly kicked him, according to the father of a witness. Gene Correia said his son, Gene Correia Jr., who was with Shane when the attack happened, told investigators the older boy had been looking for Shane for four days. |
| WebMistress: Florida law allows stand-alone bars and outdoor dining areas to be smoking or nonsmoking, as per the owner's wishes. This compromise smoking ban is often viewed as a good alternative to the more draconian bans. Alas, this should serve as a warning. The laws do not prohibit discrimination, rely on false science for legislation by government and encourage very dangerous antismoking attitudes. |
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WebMistress: Many people have given their opinions on this topic. However, I plan to take a somewhat different approach than most. Unfortunately, this is a large project and will take some time. I ask for your patience until the project is completed.