Mega-Pastor: Ten Commandments No Longer Applicable

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A mega-pastor of one of the largest “evangelical” churches in the U.S. is attacking the Old Testament again, this time insisting Jesus rendered the Ten Commandments null and void, issuing one new law “as a replacement for everything.”

Andy Stanley, pastor of the 34,000-member North Point Community Church in suburban Atlanta, who famously advised his flock to “unhitch” from the Old Testament in a sermon last spring, has now penned an article promoting his new book saying laws such as “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” and “Thou shalt not kill” are no longer relevant to Christians living in the New Covenant era.

“You’ve heard the story before: A group of Christians puts up a monument of the Ten Commandments in a public space or on government property,” begins Stanley in his article titled, “Why do Christians want to post the Ten Commandments and not the Sermon on the Mount?” “Someone says it violates the separation of church and state. The Christians say taking it down would violate their freedom of speech. There’s some back and forth in court and both sides say some not-so-great things about the other. Rinse and repeat. But how many times have you seen Christians trying to post the text of the sermon on the mount in a public place? Or the all-encompassing commandment Jesus gave us? ‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another — John 13:34 The one commandment! Doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it? But if we’re going to create a monument to stand as a testament to our faith, shouldn’t it at least be a monument of something that actually applies to us?”

Stanley goes on to write that the Ten Commandments are from the Old Covenant, which he says “played a significant role in God’s creation of the nation of Israel. It gave them moral guidelines and helped separate this new nation from their neighbors. This was part of the formal agreement (or covenant) God created with his people, but Jesus’ death and resurrection signaled the end of that covenant and all the rules and regulations associated with it. Jesus didn’t issue his new command as an additional commandment to the existing list of commands. He didn’t say, ‘Here’s the 614th law.’ Jesus issued his new commandment as a replacement for everything in the existing list. Including the big ten. Just as his new covenant replaced the old covenant, Jesus’ new commandment replaced all the old commandments.”

The implications of that unequivocal statement have been staggering to other Christians who point out how the words of Jesus and the apostles seem to contradict them flatly and reject such a conclusion. (Read more from “Mega-Pastor: Ten Commandments No Longer Applicable” HERE)

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Bill Cosby Time Behind Bars Dramatically Cut After Deal Made

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By The Daily Caller. Bill Cosby will face a maximum of 10 years behind bars after prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to combine the counts against him into one after he was found guilty of sexual assault in April.

The 81-year-old disgraced actor appeared Monday in a Pennsylvania court room for his sentencing where he was facing a maximum of 30 years behind bars after a jury decided he was guilty on three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his home in Philadelphia in 2004, according to CNN.

“This is about a person who put himself in a situation of being a mentor, but we know he had other intentions just from the beginning,” District Attorney Kevin Steele explained during the hearing. “We know that from the statements he made.”

“What he saw in Andrea the first time he laid eyes on her. What his plan was,” he added. “To get to the point they were going to get to. And that didn’t involve consent.”

But Cosby’s defense lawyer Joseph P. Green argued that the actor was “not dangerous.” (Read more from “Bill Cosby Time Behind Bars Dramatically Cut After Deal Made” HERE)

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Bill Cosby Sentencing: Psychologist Says Threat to Women Remains

By The New York Times. In the first of two days of hearings to determine Bill Cosby’s sentence for sexual assault, a psychologist for a state panel testified that Mr. Cosby deserved to be categorized as a “sexually violent predator” because he had a personality disorder that pushed him to have sex with nonconsenting partners.

The finding by the psychologist for Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offenders Assessment Board can be a factor in sentencing and in the conditions imposed on a person found to be a predator, both in prison and afterward. But the final decision rests with Judge Steven T. O’Neill who is presiding over the hearing that could end Tuesday with one of the world’s best-known entertainers entering a prison cell.

Mr. Cosby’s lawyer, Joseph P. Green, had argued that Mr. Cosby’s age, 81, and legal blindness meant he was no risk, especially since there have been no new allegations of sexual abuse leveled against him since 2004. (Read more from “Bill Cosby Sentencing: Psychologist Says Threat to Women Remains” HERE)

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Woman Who Sheltered Hurricane Florence Animals Is Arrested

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A North Carolina woman was arrested Friday after 27 dogs and cats she took in during Hurricane Florence were confiscated from her shelter, investigators revealed.

Tammie Hedges, founder of Crazy’s Claws N Paws animal rescue, has been charged with practicing veterinary medicine without a license. She’s also charged with soliciting a donation of tramadol, a prescription painkiller sometimes used for dogs and cats. . .

In a statement, Wayne County officials said animal control officers had “serious concern regarding the practice of veterinary medicine without a license and the presence of controlled substances.”

Supporters are rushing to her defense. An online fundraising page has collected more than $11,000 for her legal defense as of Sunday night. (Read more from “Woman Who Sheltered Hurricane Florence Animals Is Charged With Practicing Veterinary Medicine Without License” HERE)

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Senator Took Money From Democrat Who Admitted to Hitting Wife

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Hawaii senator Mazie Hirono (D.) has stepped into the spotlight this week following sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, blaming “men in this country” for perpetuating sexual assault and telling them all to “just shut up.”

Hirono’s Democratic colleague in the Senate, Tom Carper (Del.), who has admitted to punching his wife hard enough to give her a black eye, appears to be getting a pass from Hirono, who, even since his admission was revealed last January, has taken campaign money from him.

Neither Hirono nor any of her Democratic colleagues have commented on the record since the Free Beacon uncovered a 1998 interview, in which Carper said, “Did I slap my wife 20 years ago? Yes.” . . .

Hirono’s campaign took $1,000 from Carper’s First State PAC in June of this year, according to Federal Election Commission records. . .

Also taking money from Carper since his admission was revealed last December: Democratic senators Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), John Tester (Mont.), Bob Casey (Pa.), Bill Nelson (Fla.), and Joe Manchin (W.V.). (Read more from “Senator Took Money From Democrat Who Admitted to Hitting Wife” HERE)

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Ben and Jerry Targets Seven Congressional Districts With a Spoonful of Sugar

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Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the founders of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, launched a new campaign aimed at flipping seven Congressional districts across the country. The effort, known as “Ben and Jerry (the people, not the corporation) Take Back Congress, Flavor by Flavor,” is a contest the two launched on MoveOn.org.

“We’re teaming up with MoveOn to help 7 of the best progressive candidates running for Congress. We need a Democratic majority to check President Trump’s unrestrained power,” the contest on MoveOn.org said. “And we also need to send progressive champions to Congress who will fix our health care system with Medicare for All, protect clean air and water, and get big money out of politics.”

Average Americans have the opportunity to create seven flavors and names that “capture the essence of what each candidate stands for.”

The duo plans to make a limited, homemade batch of the winning flavors and raffle off the pints to supporters, similar to what they did for Bernie Sanders during the 2016 election, POLITICO reported.

The seven chosen candidates include:
• Jess King who’s challenging Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-11)
• Ammar Campa-Najjar, who’s challenging Rep. Duncan Hunter (CA-50)
• Lauren Underwood, who’s challenging Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL-14)
• Aftab Pureval, who’s challenging Rep. Steve Chabot (OH-01)
• J.D. Scholten, who’s challenging Rep. Steve King in (IA-04)
• James Thompson, who’s challenging Rep. Ron Estes (KS-04)
• Stephany Rose Spaulding, who’s challenging Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO-05)

(Read more from “Ben and Jerry Targets Seven Congressional Districts With a Spoonful of Sugar” HERE)

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Here’s How Much Miami’s New Restroom for the Homeless Cost – Complete With Needle Exchange

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By The Blaze. Homeless advocates are praising Miami for the installation of the first public restroom in the downtown area – complete with a needle exchange. . .

The $300,000 project was spearheaded by the Downtown Development Authority, a “semi-autonomous tax-funded agency.” . . .

The restroom will be open 12 hours a day, and will have attendants during those hours hired from a Miami homeless shelter.

The city is gearing up to end an agreement to protect the homeless from law enforcement, and the bathroom is one way to manage the homeless population as they pursue the new policy.

The agreement came as a result from a lawsuit by the ACLU that accused police of acting unconstitutionally when arresting homeless people for “life-sustaining” activities like urinating in public or sleeping on a sidewalk. (Read more from “Here’s How Much Miami’s New Restroom for the Homeless Cost – Complete With Needle Exchange” HERE)

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Seattle Homeless-Services Providers See Mixed Results, Some to Face Penalties

By The Seattle Times. eattle homeless-service providers are helping more homeless people off the streets this year than last, but 35 percent fell short of new performance targets in their contracts, according to data released on Friday.

City officials said Friday that Seattle would impose financial penalties for missing contracted goals intended to boost the number of people who found “permanent exits” from homelessness, ending months of speculation among service providers, some of which have previously asked city officials to reconsider how performance figures are calculated. . .

Earlier this year, the city announced $34 million in new contract awards, marking the first time homeless-services contracts were competitively rebid in a decade. In another important development, the city tied pay to performance and set an ambitious goal to double the number of people who would be moved out of homelessness and into permanent housing. All told, Seattle has planned to spend more than $86 million on more than a dozen departments to address the homelessness crisis this year. (Read more from “Seattle Homeless-Services Providers See Mixed Results, Some to Face Penalties” HERE)

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White Male Dem Calls on House Females to Protest ‘White Men Senators’

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Rep. John Garamendi, a California Democrat with white skin, went on a curious rant against his congressional white male colleagues, calling out the senators in charge of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination proceedings as — what, racism against Christine Blasey Ford? Misogyny? . . .

“Women for decades have faced this situation,” Garamendi said, Breitbart reported. “They have always when they come forward with an accusation of assault or rape. They become the victim in the hearing. And we have to put a stop to that. Women across this nation should be outraged at what these white men senators are doing to this woman. This woman needs a fair hearing, as every woman does who brings forth a charge such as professor Ford is bringing forth.”

Joy Behar, co-host of “The View,” made a similar charge against the senators on the Judiciary Committee, calling them out for being “white men, old by the way,” protecting a man, Kavanaugh, who’s “probably guilty,” she said.

But Garamendi is a white guy — taking political potshots at his fellow white guys. Odd argument to make, it would seem. Moreover, he’s calling on his female House mates — ostensibly, the white ones, too — to mount a sort of rebellion against these white senators. (So perhaps it is misogyny, not racism, that he’s alerting to here?) . . .

His words: “I would expect to see the women representatives in the House of Representatives rise up in anger and disgust at what the Senate Republican men are doing. Ramming through this hearing without an adequate opportunity for professor Ford to gather together the witnesses that she may need, that the public needs, that the Senate needs, and the investigation that can be done by the FBI. I would expect the female members of the House … joined in by members such as myself to march over to the Senate and to protest loudly and clearly on behalf not only of professor Ford, but on behalf of the women of America.” (Read more from “White Male Dem Calls on House Females to Protest ‘White Men Senators'” HERE)

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March for Our Lives Co-Founder Quits, Has Regrets About Things He Said

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March For Our Lives co-founder Cameron Kasky told Fox News radio on Wednesday that he has left the organization that he helped create and that he has regrets about some of the things that he has said since he entered the public spotlight.

Kasky told Fox News Radio’s Guy Benson and Marie Harf: “I’m very regretful of a lot of the mistakes that I’ve made along the way.”

“One of the things I never really did was watch myself,” Kasky said. “If I was on a screen I kind of tried to run away from it. I’m not entirely sure why. But, looking back on that it’s like you said, you touched off on this very well in the intro, I’m not going to kick myself for it because I’m 17. Despite the fact that I thought I did at the time, I don’t know everything.” . . .

Kasky said he would redo the conversation that he had with Rubio and that he has plans to meet with him next month where he’ll bring up how he spoke to him during the town hall event.

“This summer when March For Our Lives went on the summer tour that we embarked on, I met that person in Texas who’s got that semi-automatic weapon because that’s how they like to protect their family,” Kasky continued. “I met the 50-some-odd-percent of woman who are pro-life, even though I thought it was preposterous that a woman could be pro-life and not pro-choice at the time. I learned that a lot of our issues politically come from a lack of understanding of other perspectives and also the fact that so often young conservatives and young liberals will go into debate, like I said earlier, trying to beat the other one as opposed to come to an agreement.” (Read more from “March for Our Lives Co-Founder Quits, Has Regrets About Things He Said” HERE)

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Sesame Street Creators Answer Question About Bert and Ernie Being Gay. The Left Isn’t Happy

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A decades-old controversy received additional fuel this week when a former “Sesame Street” writer confirmed he felt Bert and Ernie represented a same-sex couple on the children’s puppet show when he wrote them.

After Mark Saltzman’s remarks were published by Queerty, the show’s production company issued a statement once again asserting that the show’s puppet characters “do not have a sexual orientation” and were intended to represent a platonic relationship.

“As we have always said, Bert and Ernie are best friends,” Sesame Workshop wrote. “They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves.”

Frank Oz, an early collaborator on the show and a creator of Bert and Ernie, also weighed in to deny the puppets were meant to be gay.

“It seems Mr. Mark Saltzman was asked if Bert & Ernie are gay,” he tweeted. “It’s fine that he feels they are. They’re not, of course. But why that question? Does it really matter? Why the need to define people as only gay? There’s much more to a human being than just straightness or gayness.”

The comment earned widespread criticism among those who felt an identifiable same-sex couple on the show would be an important step toward inclusion.

Oz responded directly to many of those critics, offering his defense of maintaining the friendship Bert and Ernie were originally created to reflect.

As of Tuesday evening, the tweet containing Sesame Workshop’s original statement had been replaced by an update.

“Sesame Street has always stood for inclusion and acceptance,” the company wrote. “It’s a place where people of all cultures and backgrounds are welcome. Bert and Ernie were created to be best friends, and to teach young children that people can get along with those who are very different from themselves.”

That statement earned some praise from those who felt the original statement was insufficiently inclusive.

Oz has continued to tweet on the topic, offering some additional context and revealing that he has learned some important lessons after hearing from those offended by his tone.

“Although it doesn’t matter to me if someone is gay or viewed as gay, I learned it does matter to a great many people who feel they are not represented enough,” Oz wrote. “The Tweet discussion was worth it for me to just learn that.” (For more from the author of “Sesame Street Creators Answer Question About Bert and Ernie Being Gay. The Left Isn’t Happy” please click HERE)

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Mom Shares Post About Near-Abduction Involving Son. After Tearful Interviews, She’s Arrested.

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By The Blaze. Police arrested a Louisville, Kentucky, mother after she wrote a harrowing Facebook post about a near-abduction in a Walmart parking lot involving her son. After she gave tearful interviews to the media, police revealed that the woman faked the entire story — and only found out after they’d reviewed surveillance footage. . .

In her post, [Emily] Lyons said that she was loading groceries into her car in the retailer’s parking lot when a woman approached her to tell her how cute her 10-month-old son Jaxson was.

Lyons said that in that moment, a man came up and attempted to steal her son from the grocery cart, and was only unsuccessful because her child’s thighs were chubby, and the man had trouble extricating the child from the cart. . .

The department reviewed surveillance footage of Lyons’ experience in the parking lot, and determined that no one — male or female — had tried to take Lyons’ son that day or any other day.

According to WAVE-TV, Lyons has an October court date in connection with the incident. The station also reported that Lyons “agreed that the incident did not occur,” according to her citation, and faces a charge of filing a false police report. Lyons may also face a mental health evaluation in connection with the false report. (Read more from “Mom Shares Post About Near-Abduction Involving Son. After Tearful Interviews, She’s Arrested.” HERE)

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Police: Woman Files False Abduction Report

By WHAS 11.

(This video originally appeared HERE)

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