Actress Loves Church for ‘Their Focus on Having Personal Relationship With Jesus’

vanessa-hudgens“High School Musical” star Vanessa Hudgens recently shared that she loves attending Australian Megachurch Hillsong because it strongly encourages congregants to have their “own personal relationship with Jesus.”

Although she was raised a Catholic and adhered to atheism for many years, the 26 year old actress recently embraced Christianity, in part due to the influence of her boyfriend, 23 year old Austin Butler, who also attends Hillsong.

“It feels like Arcade Fire – it’s epic like that,” Hudgens told the Times regarding the church’s award-winning worship band Hillsong United. “They really focus on you having your own personal relationship with Jesus, which is wonderful.”

Hillsong Church was founded in 1983 by Pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston and is known for its relaxed, modern atmosphere and extensive mission program. Hillsong’s website states that it is “a Church about a God, who is all about people,” and their “singular, all-consuming passion is to build God’s Church and Kingdom.”

Over 100,000 worshipers attend Hillsong’s services held every weekend at its twelve campuses throughout the country, including New York and Los Angeles. In Australia, the megachurch has six campuses and twice as many extension services. (Read more from “Actress Loves Church for ‘Their Focus on Having Personal Relationship With Jesus'” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Gay Group Demands Christian Churches Be SHUT DOWN for Opposing Same-Sex Marriage

freedomIt has begun. LGBT “activists” have gone full fascist since the passage of Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).

Now — right before the holiest days in the Christian calendar — one gay group is attacking Churches who dare to believe that homosexuality is wrong.

The largest gay group in one Western state is demanding that Churches who follow the Bible be shut down by the government.

[Listen to Dr. Ryan Anderson of the Heritage Foundation discuss the left’s assault on religious freedom in America]

Jeran Artery, the chairman of Wyoming Equality posted that stunning statement to his Facebook page. When Christians reacted with outrage, the cowardly Artery deleted it. No apology, just hoping it would go down the memory hole. No such luck . . .

This should come as no surprise, as it reflects the vile militancy the LGBT movement is known for. Just as they unleashed threats of violence and arson against a tiny pizzeria in Indiana when they dared to express a very mild opinion against gay marriage, so they want to punish Christians who dare to preach, well, Christianity. (Read more from “Gay Group Demands Christian Churches Be SHUT DOWN for Opposing Same-Sex Marriage” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Germanwings Passenger Recorded Horrific Video of Last Moments Inside Doomed Plane [+video]

Germanwings-crash-271159In the clip found among the wreckage of the jet people can reportedly be heard crying “oh my God” and a large metallic banging noise happens three times.

The latter supports the theory that the captain, who had been locked out of the cockpit, tried to break down the door to stop co-pilot Andreas Lubitz.

Prosecutors investigating the crash which left 150 people dead said Lubitz, who had been suffering from depression, had “deliberately” destroyed the plane.

The video of the last few seconds inside the Germanwings plane was found on a mobile phone sim card among the debris from last Tuesday’s crash in the French Alps.

The clip was recorded from the back of the Airbus A320 and was obtained tonight by French magazine Paris Match and German newspaper Bild. (Read more from “Germanwings Passenger Recorded Horrific Video of Last Moments Inside Doomed Plane [+video]” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

U.S. Muslim Population to Triple by 2050 and Here’s What it Means for America

American flagLast month, CR published a series of articles spotlighting the surge in Muslim immigration to America and noted that, if a stronger vetting process is not instated for immigrants from countries with a large concentrations of fundamentalist Muslims, America could easily head down the dangerous path to balkanization that is now plaguing parts of Europe.

As Europe is unfortunately finding out, there is nothing tolerant and pluralistic about admitting radical Muslims who are driven by a hatred of people outside of their religion. In some countries, like France, Jews are now being forced to flee.

Today, Pew published their biannual projection on world population of major religions, and their findings only reinforce the concerns about letting in more radical Muslims. Europe will continue to grow its Muslim population, primarily due to fertility rates, according to the Pew projections. By 2050, 10% of all of Europe’s population will be Muslim, with countries like Sweden and England expected to have an even larger share of Muslims.

In the U.S., the Muslim population is expected to triple by 2050 – from 2.77 million to 8.1 million. It is expected to double in just 15 years.

By 2040, there will be more Muslims in the U.S. than Jews. As Pew notes, this is partially due to fertility rates but is primarily based on projections of massive Muslim immigration, which as noted before, is already hovering around 100,000 per year.

One might be asking, what is the problem with this? What are the long-term implications of these numbers?

To quote the words of Hirsi Ali, a moderate Muslim reformer who emigrated here from Somalia, from a riveting op-ed she wrote at Time Magazine on this topic:

As an immigrant of Somali origin, I have no objection to other people coming to America to seek a better life for themselves and their families. My concern is with the attitudes many of these new Muslim Americans will bring with them – and with our capacity for changing those attitudes. Approximately two fifths of Muslim immigrants between now and 2030 will be from just three countries: Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Iraq. Another Pew study – of opinion in the Muslim world – shows just how many people in these countries hold views that most Americans would regard as extreme. Three quarters of Pakistanis and more than two fifths of Bangladeshis and Iraqis think that those, like me, who leave Islam should suffer the death penalty. More than 80 percent of Pakistanis and two thirds of Bangladeshis and Iraqis regard sharia law as the revealed word of God. Only tiny fractions would be comfortable if their daughters married Christians. Only a minority regards honor killings of women as never justified. A quarter of Bangladeshis and one in eight Pakistanis think that suicide bombings in defense of Islam are often or sometimes justified. People with views such as these pose a threat to us all, not because those who hold them will all turn to terrorism. Most will not. But such attitudes imply a readiness to turn a blind eye to the use of violence and intimidation tactics against, say, apostates and dissidents – and a clear aversion to the hard-won achievements of Western feminists and campaigners for minority rights.

Ali hones in on an inconvenient truth, but one for which she can speak with authority.

It’s true that few Muslims, even from the most volatile nations, are actual terrorist operatives. However, as we’ve seen from Europe, when there is a large immigration of people who don’t adhere to the same value sets as their new country, like tolerance and democracy, the risk is run of undermining culture and creating reverse assimilation. That culture of Sharia law, which by the way, is hostile to women and gays, can help cultivate a counter-culture that fosters support for Jihad.

Ali drives this point home:

According to a detailed survey of Muslim Americans, about 8% of those surveyed said that suicide bombing and other violence is often or sometimes justified to defend Islam from its enemies. Indeed, more than a fifth of Muslim Americans say there is a great deal or a fair amount of support for extremism in the Muslim American community. About 20% say that Muslim Americans want to remain “distinct from the larger American society.” Indeed, half say they think of themselves first as a Muslim, second as American, despite the fact that 81% of those polled were U.S. citizens.

This Pew survey and the Hirsi Ali column are very salient in light of the domestic imbroglio America is engaged in with regard to religious liberty and the aggressive coercion tactics of the radical sexual identity movement. The sexual identity movement is engaging in Religophobia against religious Christians and Jews who don’t heed that movement’s demand to have their personal decisions supported by others with their private property or involuntary servitude. What does the sexual identity movement plan to do when the Muslim population of this country triples, and with it the inevitable rise of true intolerance? Whereas religious Jews and Christians are tolerant and know how to disagree agreeably and intelligently, many of these newly arrived Muslim immigrants will not operate with as much tolerance.

Ironically, the biggest threat to the broader homosexual agenda is the growth of adherence to Sharia law, yet some of the same leftists who are attacking religious groups have promoted the very policies that have created a surge in immigration from countries that don’t share the modern Judea-Christian virtue of tolerance. They tolerate the intolerant and are intolerant to those who are tolerant.

Then again, self-immolation is always a characteristic of those who are driven by hate and intolerance. (See, “U.S. Muslim Population to Triple by 2050 and Here’s What it Means for America” originally posted HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

The Fake News Story That Forced an Indiana Pizzeria to Shut down and Its Christian Owners into Hiding

PizaaA small-town Indiana pizzeria owned by a Christian family has closed its doors after being terrorized by pro-homosexual bullies opposed to the family’s religious values.

Memories Pizza in Walkerton has received death and firebombing threats and had its website hacked, according to LegalInsurrection.com.

The attacks came after ABC-57 out of South Bend aired a piece March 31 highlighting the pizzeria owners’ support for Indiana’s hot-button Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The station claimed Memories Pizza, owned by Kevin O’Connor, was the “first business to publicly deny same-sex service.”

The owners specifically stated that anyone was welcome in the restaurant, but the story was set off by the fact that they said they would not cater a homosexual “wedding” because it would conflict with their Christian beliefs.

“I do not think [the bill’s] targeting gays. I don’t think it’s discrimination,” O’Connor’s daughter Crystal told ABC-57. “It’s supposed to help people that have a religious belief.” (Read more from “The Fake News Story That Forced an Indiana Pizzeria to Shut down and Its Christian Owners into Hiding” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Iran Accuses U.S. of Lying About New Nuke Agreement

Switzerland Iran Nuclear TalksJust hours after the announcement of what the United States characterized as a historic agreement with Iran over its nuclear program, the country’s leading negotiator lashed out at the Obama administration for lying about the details of a tentative framework.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused the Obama administration of misleading the American people and Congress in a fact sheet it released following the culmination of negotiations with the Islamic Republic.

Zarif bragged in an earlier press conference with reporters that the United States had tentatively agreed to let it continue the enrichment of uranium, the key component in a nuclear bomb, as well as key nuclear research.

Zarif additionally said Iran would have all nuclear-related sanctions lifted once a final deal is signed and that the country would not be forced to shut down any of its currently operating nuclear installations.

Following a subsequent press conference by Secretary of State John Kerry—and release of a administration fact sheet on Iranian concessions—Zarif lashed out on Twitter over what he dubbed lies. (Read more from “Iran Accuses U.S. of Lying About New Nuke Agreement” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Huge Surge of ‘Unscreened’ Muslims Flooding U.S.

Photo Credit: WND

Photo Credit: WND

Muslim immigration from dangerous nations is dramatically higher in recent years, and government assurances that immigrants are being properly screened is “a farce,” according to accomplished author and columnist Paul Sperry.

“It’s a huge surge under Obama. In the last three years, he’s averaged 100,000 new immigrants from Muslim nations a year. That is very alarming. It’s more than we’re importing both from Central America and Mexico combined. This is a big shift in immigration flows,” said Sperry, who is the author of “Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated Washington” and co-author of “Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That’s Conspiring to Islamize America.”

“It’s really insane what we’re doing. No one’s really talking about it, but this mass immigration from Muslim countries poses a serious national security threat,” said Sperry, who is also a Hoover Institution media fellow and former Washington bureau chief of WND. Sperry frequently writes for the New York Post and Investor’s Business Daily.

The stated reason for the influx in recent years is the rise in refugees from war-torn nations like Syria and Iraq. The number of people accepted from Syria in particular baffles Sperry, who said there is a long standing policy of keeping Syrians at bay.

“Syria has always been on our terrorist list,” he said. “We have had very strict restrictions on Syrian immigration. Since Syria’s become a failed state, Obama’s increased the number of refugees. By the time he leaves office, we will be importing over 10,000 Syrians into this country. This is a concern because Iraq and Syria are now controlled by the Islamic State.” (Read more from “Huge Surge of ‘Unscreened’ Muslims Flooding U.S.” HERE)

Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Indiana Protects Religious Liberty, Then Throws it All Away

Photo Credit: Daily Signal

Photo Credit: Daily Signal

[Editor’s note: For an update on this story, please view the Heritage Foundation’s Dr. Ryan Anderson’s interview below. Dr. Anderson maintains that yesterday’s amendment to Indiana’s new Religious Liberty law guts the intent of the law, making gay rights superior to religious rights]

In a victory for religious freedom, earlier today Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind., signed into law the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This is good policy that protects the fundamental freedom of Indiana citizens from unnecessary and unreasonable government coercion.

The Indiana law is based on the 1993 federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act—a law that has served the American people well for more than 20 years. Passed with 97 votes in the Senate and by unanimous voice vote in the House, the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act was signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton. This federal law prohibits substantial government burdens on religious exercise unless the government can show a compelling interest in burdening religious liberty and does so through the least restrictive means.

[Listen to Dr. Ryan Anderson of the Heritage Foundation discuss the left’s assault on religious freedom in America]

These protections for religious freedom, like the one passed in Indiana, provide a commonsense way to balance the fundamental right to religious liberty with compelling government interests. The federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act protects against federal government violations of religious liberty, and state Religious Freedom Restoration Acts protect against state violations.

By passing its Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Indiana joins the 19 other states that have implemented such laws. Eleven additional states have religious liberty protections that state courts have interpreted to provide a similar level of protection. These commonsense laws place the onus on the government to justify its actions in burdening the free exercise of religion . . .

The Indiana law, like all state Religious Freedom Restoration Acts, prevents government discrimination against religious free exercise. Religious Freedom Restoration Acts simply provide a way to balance religious liberty with compelling government interests. (Read more from “Indiana Protects Religious Liberty, Here’s Why That’s Good Policy” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Obama: Tentative Iran Nuclear Deal ‘Best Option’ For Israel

President Obama Makes Statement On Nuclear Talks With IranPresident Barack Obama says that every path Iran had to develop a nuclear weapon will be cut off after a tentative nuclear deal was reached.

On Thursday, the United States, Iran and five other world powers announced an understanding outlining limits on Iran’s nuclear program so it cannot lead to atomic weapons, directing negotiators toward achieving a comprehensive agreement within three months.

“It is a good deal — a deal that meets our core objectives. This framework would cut off every pathway that Iran could take to develop a nuclear weapon,” Obama told reporters. “Iran will face strict limitations on its program and Iran has also agreed to the most robust and intrusive inspections and transparency regime ever negotiated for any nuclear program in history. So this deal is not based on trust, it’s based on unprecedented verification.”

Obama stated that the deal is not based on trust, but on unprecedented verification.

“If Iran cheats, the world will know it. If we see something suspicious, we will inspect it.” Obama said, adding that “Iran will face more inspections than any other country in the world.” (Read more from “Obama: Tentative Iran Nuclear Deal ‘Best Option’ For Israel” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Meet Flakka, the Dangerous New Drug Sweeping Florida

Photo Credit: Time

Photo Credit: Time

Its effects can be as potent as crystal meth, bath salts or cocaine. It causes people to act erratically, uncontrollably and dangerously. It’s called flakka, and it’s the new designer drug hitting the streets of Florida.

In recent weeks in Florida, this new drug has led to a man trying to break down the door to a police station, a man impaling himself while trying to scale a fence, and an armed and naked man shouting about hallucinations from a rooftop, CBS reports.

The health effects of taking flakka, which can be injected, snorted, smoked or swallowed, can be dire.

“We’re starting to see a rash of cases of a syndrome referred to as excited delirium,” Jim Hall, an epidemiologist at the Center for Applied Research on Substance Use and Health Disparities at Nova Southeastern University, told CBS. “This is where the body goes into hyperthermia, generally a temperature of 105 degrees. The individual becomes psychotic, they often rip off their clothes and run out into the street violently and have an adrenaline-like strength and police are called and it takes four or five officers to restrain them. Then once they are restrained, if they don’t receive immediate medical attention they can die.” (Read more from “Meet Flakka, the Dangerous New Drug Sweeping Florida” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.