‘Total and Complete Victory’: Governor Withdraws Worship Restrictions

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The governor of Illinois has withdrawn restrictions on religious services amid the coronavirus pandemic following lawsuits from the Thomas More Society.

The nonprofit law firm hailed Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Thursday announcement as a victory after the governor said he would remove mandates on Illinois churches requiring no more than 10 or more people to be present at services. . .

“This guidance does not obligate or encourage places of worship to resume in-person activity,” health officials said, according to NBC Chicago. “Indeed, it is strongly recommended that places of worship continue to facilitate remote services, particularly for those who are vulnerable to COVID-19 including older adults and those with co-morbidities.”

“This is a total and complete victory for people of faith,” said Thomas More Society Vice President and Senior Counsel Peter Breen in a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation. . .

“Illinois’ governor and his administration abused the COVID-19 pandemic to stomp on the religious liberty of the people of Illinois. By issuing guidelines only and not the previously announced mandatory restrictions, he has handed a complete victory to the churches in Illinois,” Breen said.

(Read more from “‘Total and Complete Victory’: Governor Withdraws Worship Restrictions” HERE)

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One in Three Americans Now Show Signs of Clinical Anxiety or Depression

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. . .According to a Washington Post analysis of new data from the U.S. Census Bureau out last week, 34 out of 100 Americans reported symptoms of anxiety, depression, or both in the most alarming numbers to date on the status of the nation’s psyche amid the pandemic over the novel Wuhan coronavirus. Twenty were recorded to show symptoms of each, 10 exhibited signs of anxiety alone, and 4 possessed symptoms of just depression.

When asked screening questions on respondents’ mental health, 24 percent of Americans demonstrated clinically significant symptoms of major depression and 30 percent revealed signs of generalized anxiety.

These new findings, the Post reported, show a dramatic shift in the nation’s psychic well-being from pre-pandemic times with the percentage of those suffering from spiritual distress having doubled from the census survey in 2014.

While the novel coronavirus continues its inevitable spread, prolonged state and local lockdowns have exacerbated an existing crisis already chipping away at the nation’s fragile state of mind. (Read more from “One in Three Americans Now Show Signs of Clinical Anxiety or Depression” HERE)

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The Army Must Protect Chaplains Fighting Through the Coronavirus

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No one has been immune to the coronavirus’s effects, including our military. But as I learned in the Marine Corps, threats to freedom never take a day off. Our service members must remain at their posts, even as COVID-19 ravages the nation.

During such times of uncertainty and anxiety, faith serves as an invaluable ally. Whether in combat against flesh and blood or against an “invisible enemy” such as this virus, faith has always been a major force multiplier for our military. That is why it is particularly egregious to see those who defend us and our freedom needlessly being deprived of the very freedom they defend: religious freedom.

In an immediate response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Department of Defense installation chapels were ordered closed. Many service members, veterans, and their dependents were left without a place to worship. Because the role of the military chaplain is to carry out the constitutional mandate to provide for service members’ free exercise of religion, many chaplains sought creative and alternative means of providing for the spiritual needs of the communities they serve. While some chaplains livestreamed their messages via the internet, others used social media — and often with very positive responses. Such efforts to “bring God to the soldier” should be commended and encouraged.

Sadly, one organization saw the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to advance its agenda of an unconstitutional religious cleansing of the military.

The Orwellian-monikered Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which once demanded 400 trials by courts-martial for service members who dared to exercise their First Amendment rights, recently embarked on a campaign of assaults against religious freedom within the military. (Read more from “The Army Must Protect Chaplains Fighting Through the Coronavirus” HERE)

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DISGUSTING: Comprehensive Sex Ed Proponents Admit Teaching Children Sexual ‘Pleasure’ Is a Primary Goal

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May is being touted as #SexEdForAll month on social media platforms, and a look at many posts using the hashtag shows teaching children about sexual “pleasure” is now included in the language of “medically accurate” sex ed.

Cathy Ruse, senior fellow and director of human dignity at Family Research Council, wrote, “The ‘facts of life’ have not changed, but ‘inclusivity’ and ‘sex positivity’ and other popular buzz-word concepts have changed sex education.”

Ruse is the author of a new brochure titled, “Sex Education in Public Schools: Sexualization of Children and LGBT Indoctrination.”

She observed that while many studies have demonstrated comprehensive sex education “fails to achieve its stated goals and results in increased student sexual activity, school systems are devoting up to 70 hours of classroom time per child to sex education,” with many of those hours now spent on “the concept of ‘sexual rights’ and radical sexual ideology for youth.”

(Read more from “DISGUSTING: Comprehensive Sex Ed Proponents Admit Teaching Children Sexual ‘Pleasure’ Is a Primary Goal” HERE)

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Democratic Congressional Candidate: ‘I Was Drugged and Raped,’ Heard in Ad (VIDEO)

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. . .“It was 2004,” says Claire Russo, 40, a former combat veteran running for Congress in Virginia. “I was attending the Marine Corps Ball when I was drugged and raped by a superior.”

Ms. Russo, a Democrat, spent the next few years trying to get her day in court, she says. After the Marine Corps decided not to charge her superior and denied her request to transfer to another base, she took her case to the San Diego district attorney’s office. Her attacker pleaded guilty to sodomy before his civilian trial began and was sentenced to three years in prison. After serving about half of his jail time, he received an honorable discharge from the Marines, according to reports.

Now, Ms. Russo is placing her assault and the battle that followed at the center of her campaign to be the Democratic candidate in a southern Virginia congressional race. Her television ad is the first to feature a candidate’s personal recollection of rape, according to political strategists and organizations that track political ads. Set to air on broadcast and cable networks starting this week, the spot is expected to make up a major portion of her advertising, according to her campaign. (Read more from “Democratic Congressional Candidate: ‘I Was Drugged and Raped,’ Heard in Ad” HERE)

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Shameful: On Eve of Memorial Day, NYT Accuses U.S. Military of Celebrating ‘White Supremacy’

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Memorial Day often marks the beginning of summer in earnest. Americans go outside, enjoy a barbecue, watch football, and take some time to remember the brave men and women who lost their lives to protect and serve the United States of America. The coronavirus may dampen some of these celebrations, but it should not impact America’s tribute to the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. Yet the editors at The New York Times thought Memorial Day weekend a great time to post a screed asking the question, “Why Does the U.S. Military Celebrate White Supremacy?”

Sure, the editorial posted on Saturday, not Monday. But it still came out during the weekend Americans associate with the holiday dedicated to commemorating the deaths of those who gave their last measure of devotion to this country. On that weekend, the Times accused the military — as a whole — of “celebrating white supremacy” because … military bases are named after Confederate generals.

Yes, that’s the entirety of the “evidence” that the military supposedly celebrates “white supremacy.”

The Times accused the U.S. military of celebrating racism because ten of America’s eight hundred military bases are named after Confederates — and the editors of America’s newspaper of record chose Memorial Day weekend to run this editorial. (Read more from “Shameful: On Eve of Memorial Day, NYT Accuses U.S. Military of Celebrating ‘White Supremacy'” HERE)

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‘A Year’s Worth of Suicide Attempts in the Last Four Weeks’: Doctor Calls for End to Lockdown; Fauci Warns Overextending Coronavirus Lockdowns Could Cause ‘Irreparable Damage’

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By National Review. The doctor in charge of a Bay Area, Calif. trauma center said the state should end its lockdown orders after an “unprecedented” spike in suicide attempts amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’ve never seen numbers like this, in such a short period of time,” Dr. Mike deBoisblanc, head of trauma at John Muir Medical Center, told local station ABC7. “I mean, we’ve seen a year’s worth of suicide attempts in the last four weeks.” He added that he thinks “it’s time” to end the state shutdown.

“I think, originally, this was put in place to flatten the curve and to make sure hospitals have the resources to take care of COVID patients,” he explained. “We have the current resources to do that and our other community health is suffering.” (Read more from “‘A Year’s Worth of Suicide Attempts in the Last Four Weeks’: Doctor Calls for End to Lockdown” HERE)

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Fauci Warns Overextending Coronavirus Lockdowns Could Cause ‘Irreparable Damage’

By New York Post. Fauci believes many parts of the country are ready for “cautious” and “prudent” reopenings, though he warned that guidelines for social distancing and mask-wearing must still be adhered to, he said during an appearance on CNBC Friday.

“We can’t stay locked down for such a considerable period of time that you might do irreparable damage and have unintended consequences, including consequences for health,” he said.

The National Institutes for Health official has taken heat from Republican lawmakers for appearing to lobby against President Trump’s calls for reopening.

Fauci on Friday said that although state lockdowns are effective as long as cases are surging, the country has hit a point where some regions could begin reopening.

“We are enthusiastic about reopening and I think we can do it in a pace that would be reasonable and would get us back as a society from a morale standpoint as well as the economy,” he said. (Read more from “Fauci Warns Overextending Coronavirus Lockdowns Could Cause ‘Irreparable Damage’” HERE)

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WATCH: White House Press Secretary Gets Emotional While Discussing Ravi Zacharias’ Influence on Her Faith

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White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany recently got emotional while discussing the passing of renowned Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias, who died Tuesday morning from a rare form of cancer.

During an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, McEnany explained how Zacharias’ lifetime of reasoned defense of Christianity helped equip her during her time at Oxford University, an institution prevalent with distinguished atheist scholars.

“It’s a huge loss. You know, my dad said to me that Billy Graham was the great evangelist, and I think Ravi Zacharias is the great apologist,” McEnany said as tears welled up in her eyes.

“To have someone from an academic place, as an apologist could equip you with those arguments where you didn’t have to check your brain at the door when you became a Christian where there is the intellectual foundation for everything we believe,” McEnany explained. “There’s prophecy. There’s the human cell. There’s the amazing creation of the human body and all of its complexity and the planet, the universe.”

(Read more from “WATCH: White House Press Secretary Gets Emotional While Discussing Ravi Zacharias’ Influence on Her Faith” HERE)

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After Refusing to Close Down During Lockdown, Church Burned to the Ground

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. . .A church in North Mississippi was destroyed after an explosion caught the building on fire.

What was left of the First Pentecostal Church was still smoldering five hours after the fire started.

Investigators said they picked up multiple spray paint cans that may have been used for graffiti and that there was a large explosion near the back of the building that blew out the front. . .

The church recently filed a federal lawsuit against Holly Springs after the city cited Waldrop for violating the stay at home order by having services in the church instead of a drive-up service on a stormy Easter Sunday.

The church claimed the restriction violates its First Amendment rights. (Read more from “After Refusing to Close Down During Lockdown, Church Burned to the Ground” HERE)

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DOJ Sends Warning to California Governor: Stop Discriminating Against Churches

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In a letter Tuesday, the head of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division warned California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom that his plan to reopen the state discriminates against churches.

The Justice Department argued that the governor’s current four-part plan to reopen places an “unfair burden” on religious institutions by delaying in-person gatherings until the third phase, which is after schools, restaurants, businesses, and shopping centers are permitted to reopen in the second phase.

This constitutes “unequal treatment of faith communities,” the letter, sent by Assistant Attorney General Eric S. Dreiband, along with four other U.S. attorneys in California, suggested. . .

According to the Associated Press, the letter does not threaten immediate legal action but rather serves as a warning to the state that legal action could follow should the state not make any changes. . .

The letter refers to a statement issued by Attorney General William P. Barr in April that warned state and local authorities to be careful not to violate the constitutional rights of Americans while enforcing emergency social distancing measures. The letter made specific reference to Americans’ right to worship. (Read more from “DOJ Sends Warning to California Governor: Stop Discriminating Against Churches” HERE)

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