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Sour Note: God Ditched from Swiss National Anthem

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Photo Credit: WNDThe Swiss government is holding a competition where artists are being asked to rewrite the nation’s national anthem because it references God too much, and officials want that played down.

According to a report Thursday from the Christian Institute, the Swiss Psalm, as the anthem is known now, will be rewritten and the winning composer will get a prize of about $10,000.

Lukas Niederberger, who is running the competition for the government, told the BBC, “The real problem is above all the text.”

In English, the words include, “When the morning skies grow red, and over us their radiance shed, Thou, O Lord, appeareth in their light. When the alps glow bright with splendor, pray to God, to Him surrender for you feel and understand that He dwelleth in this land.”

Another verse includes, “When to Heaven we are departing joy and bliss Thou’lt be imparting for we feel and understand that Thou dwellest in this land.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Media Going Wild Over New Revisionist History of Christ Written by Muslim (+video)

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The media is in love with Reza Aslan’s new book Zealot, which claims to provide a ‘historical’ look at the life of Jesus. NPR called it ‘Christ in context,’ while the Seattle Times wrote, ‘Zealot looks at the age Jesus lived in to expand what’s known about this historic figure.’

Over the last week or so, the book shot from obscurity to number one on the Amazon bestseller list. It is always curious when the media decides to trumpet a book based on Jesus, and the situation becomes even more suspect when you begin to uncover who Aslan really is.

“The name of the book is Zealot. The guy who has written it – in no way controversial. There’s no controversy attached to this at all in the mainstream media, which is strange,” Glenn said on radio this morning.

Aslan is Muslim, and while that has little to no impact on his ability to write a book about Jesus, the media and Aslan have sought to minimize that fact…

“Zealot is the latest in the progressive attempt to rewrite history,” Glenn said. “The amazing thing is, it’s working. It’s working… It’s not that he’s a Muslim. It’s the fact he’s a liar and a progressive.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Poll: Majority Of Americans Believe God Played Role In Human Evolution

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Photo Credit: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesA new poll finds that a majority of Americans believe that God played a part in the evolution of humans.

A YouGov survey shows that 62 percent of Americans believe God helped create humans. Thirty-seven percent of those believe God created human beings in their present form within the last 10,000 years while 25 percent believe human beings evolved from lesser life forms over millions of years but God guided the process. Only 21 percent believe that God did not play a part in human evolution.

Seventeen percent of those polled were not sure if God played a part in the existence of humans.

Read more from this story HERE.

Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Praying for Spiritual Revival In America

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Photo Credit: CBNBy David Brody. It was a sight to behold inside a conference ballroom at the downtown Marriott hotel in Des Moines, Iowa, as hundreds of Iowa pastors called out to God and prayed over two U.S. senators, both of whom seem interested in running for president of the United States.

Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Rand Paul came to Iowa Friday to speak at this Pastors and Pews event, organized by influential evangelical political operative David Lane. The Brody File got an up close look and access to the private event. We will be posting compelling video early next week. For now, we are releasing a few pictures from the event.

Ted Cruz, who received a warm greeting, spoke for about 30 minutes and then took questions from the audience. He outlined how he championed religious freedom cases ranging from the Ten Commandments to the Mojave Cross case. He touched on how to go about eliminating Obamacare; he called for abolishing the IRS (which received a standing ovation), and on the issue of marriage he said, “There’s no issue where we need to be more on our knees…we are facing an assault on marriage.”

On spiritual matters, he told the pastors that, “We are in a battle to turn this country around.” Later, in a one-on-one sit-down interview with The Brody File, he said this country is badly in need of spiritual revival (More on those comments coming Monday). He charged the pastors to step up and speak boldly about the issues facing our country today. He compared all of them to Esther, saying the biblical woman was put in a position of leadership, “for such a time as this.” Read more from this story HERE.

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Sen. Cruz and Paul Urge Conservative Christians to Get Involved

By Greg Richter. Two Republican senators who are widely considered to be viable contenders for a 2016 presidential run, were in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday urging conservative Christians to get involved politically.

Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., spoke to a group of at least 400 evangelical pastors and their wives at the Iowa Renewal Project, with Cruz telling them “to hold party leaders accountable,” The Washington Post reports.

“Jesus reminds us what our goal should be when he proclaims: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God,'” Paul said. “This does not mean we never go to war. But it means we should do so reluctantly, and seek an end expeditiously.” Read more from this story HERE.

Sam Adams Beer Commercial Deletes God From Declaration of Independence

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Photo Credit: ep_jhuIn Samuel Adams’ July 4 commercial, a bartender asks, “Why name a beer after Samuel Adams?”

He adds, “Because Samuel Adams signed the Declaration of Independence. He believed there was a better way to live.”

Then the man recites the Declaration of Independence – but he omits “endowed by their Creator” from the segment.

“All men are created equal,” he states. “They are endowed with certain unalienable rights: Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

He finishes the beer spot with, “Smooth, flavorful. We bow to no kings. Samuel Adams Boston Lager, declare your independence.”

Read more from this story HERE.

DOJ Defunds Youth Programs that Reference God

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

A Louisiana lawman is livid over the federal government’s decision to cut off funds for two programs to help troubled young people, all, he says, because he refused to sign a pledge to bar prayer or any mention of God at their meetings.

Julian Whittington, the sheriff of Bossier Parish, La., told Fox News the Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights defunded $30,000 for their Young Marines chapter as well as a youth diversion program. Federal officials objected to a voluntary student-led prayer in the department’s youth diversion program and an oath recited by the Young Marines that mentions God, according to Whittington, who blasted what he considers the government’s “aggression and infringement of our religious freedoms.”

“We were informed that these are unacceptable, inherently religious activities and the Department of Justice would not be able to fund the programs if it continued,” Whittington told Fox News. “They wanted a letter from me stating that I would no longer have voluntary prayer and I would also have to remove ‘God’ from the Young Marine’s oath.”

The DOJ and the Office of Civil Rights are aware of the controversy but did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Fox News obtained an email written by an attorney for the DOJ’s Office of Civil Rights raised questions about references to God and church along with the phrase “love of God.” The attorney also raised questions about one of the five elements of the Young Marines Creed – “Keep myself clean in mind by attending the church of my faith.”

Read more from this story HERE.

School Apologizes for Threatening Constitution-Citing Valedictorian’s Naval Academy Appointment

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Photo Credit: Mr. T in DC

Photo Credit: Mr. T in DC

A Texas school district has apologized to a high school valedictorian whose appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy was threatened after he delivered a speech that referenced God and the U.S. Constitution — in defiance of district policies.

Remington Reimer, a senior at Joshua High School, made national headlines on June 6 when officials cut off his microphone in mid-speech after he strayed from pre-approved remarks and began talking about his relationship with Jesus Christ…

The following day the principal, Mick Cochran, met with Reimer’s father and …”threatened to send a letter to the United States Naval Academy advising them that Remington has poor character or words to that effect,” Sasser told Fox News. “The principal said he wanted to try to ruin him for what he did – for talking about the Constitution and his faith.”

Fran Merek, the superintendent of the Joshua Independent School District, issued a carefully worded statement apologizing for the incident.

“On behalf of the school district, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Mr. Todd Reimer and Remington Reimer for any interpretation of a threat by Mr. Cochran in expressing his displeasure at a meeting on Friday morning between Mr. Todd Reimer and Mr. Cochran following Remington Reimer’s valedictory address,” Marek wrote in a statement. “The District has never intended to nor will take punitive action against Remington Reimer for deviating from the prior-reviewed speech. The District endorses Remington Reimer’s appointment to the Naval Academy and wishes him success for all future endeavors in his naval career. District officials will ensure that district policy is followed at future graduation ceremonies.”

Read more from this story HERE.

‘Cheers’ Star: We Didn’t Need Surveillance When We Were Kids – ‘We Had God’ (+video)

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Actor John Ratzenberger said Friday that when he was a child, there was no need for surveillance, “because we knew God was watching us.”

“When we were kids, we didn’t need security cameras on the telephone poles to watch us, because we knew God was watching us. We don’t need cameras. We had God,” Ratzenberger, who played Cliff Clavin on “Cheers,” said at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference in Washington, D.C.

Ratzenberger also voiced the character Hamm the Piggy Bank on “Toy Story” as well as other supporting roles in Pixar films.

[Editor’s note: our apologies, but the embedded viewer in this article is not compatible with all browsers]

Read more from this story HERE.

Here’s Actor John Ratzenberger’s introduction of Allen West last week:

Author Stephen King: I Believe in God

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Photo Credit: NPR

NPR recently interviewed worldwide best-selling author Stephen King. During the course of the interview, he was ask about his belief in God. Here’s what the horror novelist said:

“I choose to believe it. … I mean, there’s no downside to that. If you say, ‘Well, OK, I don’t believe in God. There’s no evidence of God,’ then you’re missing the stars in the sky and you’re missing the sunrises and sunsets and you’re missing the fact that bees pollinate all these crops and keep us alive and the way that everything seems to work together. Everything is sort of built in a way that to me suggests intelligent design. But, at the same time, there’s a lot of things in life where you say to yourself, ‘Well, if this is God’s plan, it’s very peculiar,’ and you have to wonder about that guy’s personality — the big guy’s personality. And the thing is — I may have told you last time that I believe in God — what I’m saying now is I choose to believe in God, but I have serious doubts and I refuse to be pinned down to something that I said 10 or 12 years ago. I’m totally inconsistent.”

Mr. King also commented on the type of church service that he’s attracted to:

what I want is down in the ‘amen’ corner, Jesus jumping. I want that big choir with the people swaying from side to side, ‘Ooooh, God,’ and I want the electric guitar. Then I want the preacher where the guy’s going to walk back and forth and not just stand like a stick behind the pulpit. He’s going to, you know, shake his fist a little bit in the air and then he’s going to smile and throw his hands up and say, ‘God’s good! God’s great! Can you give me hallelujah?’ I just adore that. And it’s really only about two steps from the carny pitchman, because I like that, too.”

Read more from this interview HERE.

Atheist Group Threatens School Over “In God We Trust Play” but Texas Students Perform Anyway (+video)

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Photo Credit: YouTube

Cacey Butler, of Lindale, came to the Lindale Performing Arts Center to watch his fifth-grade son play George Washington and sing in the Lindale Intermediate School production of “In God We Trust” for the second time in a week on Wednesday night.

The district caught the attention of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which sent a letter to school officials listing multiple places in the play’s script where speaking parts had students declaring God and Jesus as being Saviors and faith as a foundation of the United States of America.

The district responded by allowing the children to perform a modified version of the play, but local church groups and community members rallied behind the production to have it play in its entirety Wednesday night.

The First Baptist Church of Lindale rented the Lindale performing Arts Center on the high school campus so the show could go on.

“He said I’ll have this back to you in two hours ready to go,” Cox said. “I got it back in 45 minutes and attached to it, just like our Lord says for us, it said, ‘paid in full.’”

Read more from this story HERE.