Wednesday, August 22, 2007

CONSTITUTION FOR THE FEDERATION OF EARTH

The Constitution for the Federation of Earth

The Earth Constitution was created through the efforts of many world citizens and international lawyers over the period of 33 years from 1958 to 1991. Under the leadership of the World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA), during the first ten years three Preparatory Congresses were organized and the call for a constitutional convention was circulated worldwide. It was also sent to all the national governments and UN Ambassadors. The culmination of this process was the first World Constitutional Convention in 1968 at Interlaken, Switzerland and Wolfach, Germany that attracted 200 delegates from twenty-seven countries worldwide.

Work on drafting a viable world constitution commenced as a combined effort of many world citizens from around the planet. Work proceeded through a second session of the World Constituent Assembly at Innsbruck, Austria in 1977. At this second session, the initial draft of the Constitution for the Federation of Earth was debated paragraph by paragraph and the final result personally signed by many world citizens present at that important historical event.

The Constitution was then sent to all members of the UN General Assembly and to all national governments. It was again distributed worldwide for debate and possible revisions prior to the third session of the Assembly held at Colombo, Sri Lanka in January, 1979. In Colombo, a declaration was also made regarding the rights of the peoples of Earth to create a constitution and obtain ratification. Article Seventeen of the Constitution specifies the criteria for ratification by the people and nations of Earth and legitimates the rights of the people of Earth to ratify and live under this Constitution.

Under the authority of Article Nineteen of the Constitution, world citizens who had personally ratified the Constitution began holding Provisional World Parliaments to elaborate the framework of law that will be necessary to organize human affairs on the planet. To date, we have held seven Provisional World Parliaments and have elaborated the beginnings of quality world law. This body of legislation is preserved, translated, and studied by the Institute On World Problems.

This Constitution has been translated into twenty-two languages and is being promoted world-wide by the World Constitution and Parliament Association, and the Institute On World Problems. (It has also been claimed that over 2200 Non-governmental organizations worldwide are in support of the Earth Constitution, but the WCPA has not been able to verify this claim.) The Earth Constitution provides for a federation of nations and peoples, creating democratic participation for every citizen of Earth within a tricameral World Parliament.

The World Parliament and all the agencies of world government have the explicit mandate and duty to work for the welfare of the entire planet, of every living person, and of future generations. Under the Earth Constitution, not only are all nations required to demilitarize and eliminate all weapons of war, but the World Government itself is non-military. The Constitution prohibits the World Government from possession or development of any weapons of war or any military organization.

The formal name of our Association is the "World Constitution and Parliament Association." When world government under the Earth Constitution is activated, the WCPA will have had a long history of effective operation and we expect it will readily assimilate into the world federal government.

For further information on the Earth Federation, go to http://www.worldproblems.net/ , http://www.worldparliamentgov.net/ , http://www.cdwg.org/ or http://www.wcpagren.com/.

(Please note that the World Constitution and Parliament Association cannot be held responsible for some out-of-date information that may be on these websites, such as officers, contact information and incomplete or unamended versions of world legislation.)

Constitution pour la Fédération de la Terre (ed. 1991 )Constitución para la Federación de la Tierra (ed.1991)

(Dustuur Federaleeat Al-Laredd)

Konstitucio Tera (1979 ed.)

Earth Constitution Signature

Source: http://www.wcpa.biz/english/constitution/about_earth_constitution.htm

TOWARDS A COMMON DATE OF EASTER

Towards a Common Date of Easter


I. The Issues

Background to this consultation

1. In the 20th century the churches have rediscovered a deep concern for Christian unity. They have expressed this in their efforts to find common ground on theological issues that have long divided them. They have learned to give common witness in a variety of ways. But despite this progress towards visible unity, many challenges remain. One very sensitive issue, with enormous pastoral consequences for all the Christian faithful, has taken on growing urgency: the need to find a common date for the celebration of Easter, the Holy Pascha, the feast of Christ's resurrection. By celebrating this feast of feasts on different days, the churches give a divided witness to this fundamental aspect of the apostolic faith, compromising their credibility and effectiveness in bringing the Gospel to the world. This is a matter of concern for all Christians. Indeed, in some parts of the world such as the Middle East, where several separated Christian communities constitute a minority in the larger society, this has become an urgent issue. While there has been some discussion of this question, it still has not been given the serious attention that it deserves.

2. While the question of a common date for Easter/Pascha has been addressed at different times since the earliest Christian centuries, a renewed discussion of this issue has arisen in the present century in the churches of both East and West. It also has emerged in significant ways in the secular world. The question was put to the wider Christian world in a 1920 encyclical of the ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople and addressed in a 1923 Pan-Orthodox congress, whose decision to revise their calendar unfortunately led to several schisms within the Orthodox churches. Around the same time, discussion was beginning in secular circles especially in Western Europe concerning the possibility of establishing a fixed day for Easter, such as the Sunday following the second Saturday in April, so as to facilitate commercial planning and public activities. In addition, proposals for introducing a new fixed calendar were being advanced, for similar utilitarian reasons. After World War II the context for discussion of such issues changed in several ways. International secular initiatives received little support. The churches were especially opposed to any calendar reform which would break the cycle of the seven-day week. On the other hand, many churches continued to express interest in the idea of a common day, whether movable or fixed, for the celebration of Easter/Pascha. The Orthodox returned to the paschal question from 1961 onwards, in the context of preparations for the Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church; the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council (1963) gave renewed impetus in the Roman Catholic Church to discussion of this issue; and since 1965 the World Council of Churches has taken up the subject on a number of occasions.

3. In recent years, concrete steps have been taken in the Middle East, where Christians of so many traditions live closely together in a largely non-Christian society. The Middle East Council of Churches has been particularly active in encouraging and facilitating the celebration of Easter/Pascha on a common day. Two recent WCC consultations have taken up this concern. A consultation on "Christian Spirituality for Our Times" (Iasi, Romania, May 1994) proposed that "a new initiative be taken towards the common celebration of Easter." Even more striking are the conclusions reached by a consultation "Towards Koinonia in Worship" (Ditchingham, England, August 1994):

Besides the work already done on baptism, eucharist and ministry, the churches need to address the renewal of preaching, the recovery of the meaning of Sunday and the search for a common celebration of Pascha as ecumenical theological concerns. This last is especially urgent, since an agreement on a common date for Easter - even an interim agreement - awaits further ecumenical developments. Such an agreement, which cannot depend on the idea of a "fixed date of Easter", should respect the deepest meaning of the Christian Pascha, and the feelings of Christians throughout the world. We welcome all initiatives which offer the hope of progress in this important area." (T.F. Best/D. Heller, eds., So We Believe, So We Pray: Towards Koinonia in Worship, Faith and Order Paper No. 171, WCC Publications, Geneva 1995, pp. 9-10.)

In view of the concerns expressed at these consultations, the Executive Committee of the WCC, meeting in Bucharest, September 1994, recommended that Unit I, "especially the Ecclesial Unity/Faith and Order stream and the Worship and Spirituality stream, give renewed attention to the subject of the common celebration of Easter, keeping in mind that in the year 2001, the dates of Easter according to both Eastern and Western calendars coincide."

4. The present consultation, meeting in Aleppo, Syria, March 5-10, 1997, comes in response to this request. Sponsored jointly by Unit I of the WCC and by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), it brings together representatives of a number of communions which participate in the annual meeting of the Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions, representatives of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, representatives of the MECC, and invited experts and staff. Together participants in the consultation enjoyed the hospitality of the Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo and experienced first-hand the commitment to unity of the Chritsian communities of this city. At a meeting with members of these communities, they listened to a call for removal of the painful sign of separation which differing dates for Easter/Pascha constitute. In an atmosphere of prayer and common study, participants considered the problem of a common day for the celebration of Easter/Pascha from various perspectives - theological, historical, liturgical, catechetical and pastoral. The consultation offers to all the churches the following observatuins and recommendations.

Christ's resurrection, basis of our common faith

5. The apostolic faith of the Church is based on the reality of the resurrection of Christ. As St. Paul says: "Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the death, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith is in vain." (1 Cor. 15:12-14) Viewed as the ultimate victory over the powers of sin and death, the resurrection of the Lord is not only an historical event but also the sign of God's power over all the forces which can keep us from his love and goodness. It is a victory not only for Christ himself but also for all those united with him (1 Pet. 1:3f). It is a victory which marks the beginning of a new era (Jn 20:17). The resurrection is the ultimate expression of the Father's gift of reconciliation and unity in Christ through the Spirit. It is a sign of the unity and reconciliation which God wills for the entire creation.

6. As the apostles began their missionary activity, the resurrection was at the heart of their preaching (1 Cor. 15: 1-17, Acts 2:22-36, 1 Pet 1:3), and as the evangelists began to record aspects of the Lord's teachings and ministry, the resurrection comes as the culminating event in their gospels. In every aspect of her life, the early Church was first and foremost the community of the resurrection. Thus the early Church's life of worship focused on God's reconciling love as manifested in the saving passover of Christ's death and resurrection. The first day of the week became the preeminent day of the Christian assembly because it was the day on which the Lord rose from the dead (Jn 20:1, Acts 20:7). At the same time, this came to be known as the "eighth day," a day of new creation and ultimate fulfillment. Each year too, Christians both remembered and experienced the continuing power of Christ's passion and resurrection in a single but multifaceted celebration. This celebration also became the occasion for baptism, in which Christians shared in Christ's passage from death to life, dying to sin and rising to new life in him. Therefore the behavior of Christians was rooted in their relationship with the risen Lord and reflected the new reality inaugurated by him (Col. 3:1-11).

Historical background to the present differences

7. The New Testament indicates that Christ's death and resurrection were historically associated with the Jewish passover, but the precise details of this association are not clear. According to the synoptic gospels, Jesus' last supper was a passover meal, which would place his death on the day after passover, while according to John his death occurred on the day itself, indeed at the very hour, when the paschal lambs were sacrificed. By the end of the 2nd century some churches celebrated Easter/Pascha on the day of the Jewish passover, regardless of the day of the week, while others celebrated it on the following Sunday. By the 4th century, the former practice had been abandoned practically universally, but differences still remained in the calculation of the date of Easter/Pascha. The ecumenical council held at Nicea in 325 AD determined that Easter/Pascha should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first vernal full moon. Originally passover was celebrated on the first full moon after the March equinox, but in the 3rd century the day of the feast came to be calculated by some Jewish communities without reference to the equinox, thus causing passover to be celebrated twice in some solar years. Nicea tried to avoid this by linking the principles for the dating of Easter/Pascha to the norms for the calculation of passover during Jesus' lifetime.

8. While certain differences in the mechanics of determining the date of Easter/Pascha remained even after Nicea, which occasionally resulted in local differences, by the 6th century the mode of calculation based on the studies of Alexandrian astronomers and scholars had gained universal acceptance. By the 16th century, however, the discrepancy between this mode of calculation and the observed astronomical data was becoming evident. This led to the calendar change introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Since that time, western Christians have come to calculate the date of Easter on the basis of this newer Gregorian calendar, while the eastern churches generally have continued to follow the older Julian calendar. While calendrical changes in some of the Orthodox churches in 1923 affected fixed-date feasts, the calculation of the Easter date remained linked to the Julian Calendar. Our present differences in calculation of the date of Easter thus may be ascribed to differences in the calendars and lunar tables employed rather than to differences in fundamental theological outlook.

9. In its study of the mechanics of the paschal calculation, the consultation took note of the fact that both the current eastern (Julian) and the current western (Gregorian) calculations diverge in certain respects from the astronomical data as determined by precise scientific calculation. As is well known, the Julian calendar at present diverges from the astronomical by thirteen days; the Gregorian at present does not diverge significantly, though it will in the distant future. Less well known is the fact that both Julian and Gregorian calculations rely upon conventional tables for determining the lunar cycle. For both modes of calculation, these tables at times give results that diverge from the astronomical data.

The continuing relevance of the Council of Nicea

10. In the course of their deliberations, the participants in the consultation came to a deeper appreciation of the continuing relevance of the Council of Nicea for the present discussion. The decisions of this council, rooted as they are in scripture and tradition, came to be regarded as normative for the whole Church.

(a) Despite differences in the method of calculation, the principles of calculation in the churches of both East and West are based on the norms set forth at Nicea. This fact is of great significance. In the present divided situation, any decision by one church or group of churches to move away from these norms would only increase the difficulty of resolving outstanding differences.

(b) The Council of Nicea's decisions are expressive of the desire for unity. The council's aim was to establish principles, based upon the scriptural data concerning the association of the passion and resurrection of Christ with the passover, which would encourage a single annual observance of Easter/Pascha by all the churches. By fostering unity in this way, the council also demonstrated its concern for the mission of the church in the world. The council was aware that disunity in such a central matter was a cause of scandal.

(c) The Nicene norms affirm the intimate connection between the biblical passover (cf. especially Exod. 12:18, Lev. 23:5, Num. 28:16, Deut. 16:1-2) and the Christian celebration of "Christ our paschal lamb" (1 Cor. 5:7). While the council rejected the principle of dependence on contemporary Jewish reckoning, it did so on the grounds that this had changed and become inaccurate, not because it regarded this connection as unimportant.

(d) In the course of their discussions the consultation also gained a deeper appreciation for the wealth of symbolism which the Nicene norms permit. In the worship of many of the churches, especially in the biblical readings and hymnography of the paschal season, Christians are reminded not only of the important link between the passover and the Christian Easter/Pascha but also of other aspects of salvation history. For example, they are reminded that in Christ's resurrection all creation is renewed. Some early Christian sources thus linked the Genesis account of the seven days of creation with the week of Christ's passion, death and resurrection.

(e) The Council of Nicea also has an enduring lesson for Christians today in its willingness make use of contemporary science in calculating the date of Easter. While the council sought to advance the concrete unity of the churches, it did not itself undertake a detailed regulation of the Easter calculation. Instead it expected the churches to employ the most exact science of the day for calculating the necessary astronomical data (the March equinox and the full moon).

II. Two recommendations


First recommendation

11. In the estimation of this consultation, the most likely way to succeed in achieving a common date for Easter in our own day would be

(a) to maintain the Nicene norms (that Easter should fall on the Sunday following the first vernal full moon), and

(b) to calculate the astronomical data (the vernal equinox and the full moon) by the most accurate possible scientific means,

(c) using as the basis for reckoning the meridian of Jerusalem, the place of Christ's death and resurrection.

12. This recommendation is made for the following reasons.

In regard to point a:
(i) The Church needs to be reminded of its origins, including the close link between the biblical passover and the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ - a link that reflects the total flow of salvation history. In the estimation of this consultation, a fixed date would obscure and weaken this link by eliminating any reference to the biblical norms for the calculation of the passover.

(ii) Easter/Pascha has a cosmic dimension. Through Christ's resurrection, the sun, the moon, and all the elements are restored to their primordial capacity for declaring God's glory (Ps. 19:1-2, 148:3). Easter/Pascha reveals the close link between creation and redemption, as inseparable aspects of God's revelation. The Nicene principles for calculating the date of Easter/Pascha, based as they are on the cycles of sun and moon, reflect this cosmic dimension much more fully than a fixed-date system.

(iii) In addition to underscoring many important symbolic aspects of the feast, a movable date for the observance of Easter/Pascha also indicates in palpable fashion the dramatic way in which the resurrection breaks into the comfortable routines of this world. While such a date may in some respects be less convenient than a fixed Sunday, it does call attention to a significant theological point which otherwise might be overlooked.

(iv) An earlier WCC consultation on the date of Easter/Pascha (Chambésy, 1970) observed, "In any case the churches should arrive at a solution for reasons based entirely on the religious meaning of the feast and for the purpose of Christian unity rather than for the purpose of satisfying inherently secular interests." The present consultation wholly concurs with this sentiment.

(v) This recommendation maintains what, for most churches, is an important aspect of tradition. Adoption of a fixed Sunday approach would raise difficulties for many churches and, if introduced unilaterally by one church or group of churches, might well result in not two but three different dates for Easter/Pascha in a given year.

In regard to point b:
In recommending calculation of the astronomical data by the most accurate possible scientific means (as distinct, for example, from reliance on conventional cyclical tables or personal observation), the consultation believes that it is being completely faithful to the spirit of the Council of Nicea itself, which also was willing to make use of the best available scientific knowledge. We are fortunate that experts in astronomy have already provided these necessary calculations; they are conveniently presented in Synodica V (Chambésy - Genève, Les Editions du Centre Orthodoxe, 1981) 133 - 149.

In regard to point c:
Astronomical observations, of course, depend upon the position on earth which is taken as the point of reference. This consultation believes that it is appropriate to employ the meridian of Jerusalem, the site of Christ's passion and resurrection, as this necessary point of reference for the calculation of the March equinox and the subsequent full moon.

13. The recommendation just stated will have some different implications for the churches of East and West as they seek a renewed faithfulness to Nicea. Both will face the need for education of their faithful. For eastern churches, changes in the actual dating of Easter/Pascha will be more perceptible than for the western churches. Given the contexts in which these churches live, this will require both patience and tact. For western churches, on the other hand, the challenge may lie in communicating deeper aspects of the Nicene principles for the calculation of Easter/Pascha, such as those sketched above, and in acquainting their faithful with the concerns and insights of the eastern churches.

14. The consultation is well aware of the particular circumstances of many eastern churches. In some countries in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, where the Christian churches have lived with the challenge of other religions or materialistic ideologies, loyalty to the "old calendar" has been a symbol of the churches' desire to maintain their integrity and their freedom from the hostile forces of this world. Clearly in such situations implementation of any change in the calculation of Easter/Pascha will have to proceed carefully and with great pastoral sensitivity.

15. To aid the churches in their discussion of the above recommendation, the consultation appends to this report a table of Easter/Pascha dates from 2001 through 2025, based on the astronomical specifications already indicated. For convenience of reference, the table also indicates the dates of Easter/Pascha according to the current Gregorian and Julian reckonings, the astronomically determined date of the first vernal full moon, i.e., the first full moon following the March equinox (cf. Exod. 12:18, Lev. 23:5, Num. 28:16, Deut. 16:1-2), and the date of passover according to current Jewish reckoning.

Second recommendation

16. This consultation also recommends that the churches now undertake a period of study and reflection towards the goal of establishing as soon as possible a common date for Easter/Pascha along the lines set forth above. In the year 2001 the paschal calculations now in use by our churches will coincide. Together, Christians will begin a new century, a new millennium, with new opportunities to witness to the resurrection of Christ and to proclaim their joy in his victory over sin, suffering and death. The unity that will be reflected as Christians celebrate Easter/Past on the same date will be for many a sign of hope and of witness to the world. This celebration of Easter/Pascha on the same date should not be the exception but the rule.

17. The way is now open for the churches to consider again their current practice for determining the date of Easter/Pascha. As a first step, in the interval between 1997 and 2001, this consultation encourages the churches to take up consideration of the recommendations here proposed, and, if they find them acceptable in principle, to explore ways of implementing them according to their own procedures, in light of their own opportunities, and within their own contexts. This consultation suggests that during these years the churches consult with each other on the ways in which a common date for Easter/Pascha can be implemented. In this interval also, the present consultation encourages continuation of existing local and regional initiatives, as interim measures, for observance of a common Easter/Pascha.

18. As a second step, the consultation suggests that the year 2001 would also provide a good opportunity for the churches to review reactions and to assess progress made towards agreement on this matter. It recommends, therefore, that the World Council of Churches, in cooperation with its ecumenical partners and other Christian groups, organize then a consultation in which this assessment could be reported and implementation co uld be discussed.

19. It is the sincere hope of the participants in this consultation that the churches will give an early and prayerful consideration to the recommendations made in this report, as a step towards preparing for a united witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Participants


Participants:

Dr Bert Beach, U.S.A.
(for the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists)

Metropolitan Damaskinos (Papandreou), Switzerland
(for the Ecumenical Patriarchate)

Canon John Halliburton, United Kingdom
(for the Anglican Communion)

Rev. Fayiz Y. Henain, Syria
(for the Evangelical Churches in the Middle East)

Fr. Datev Mikaelian, Syria
(for the Armenian Orthodox Church)

Archbishop Boutros Marayati, Syria (Armenian Catholic Church)
(for the Middle East Council of Churches)

Ven. Dr. Koenraad Ouwens, Netherlands
(for the Old-Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht)

Msgr. John Radano, Vatican City
(for the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity)

Mr. Alexander Sologoub, Syria
(for the Patriarchate of Moscow)

Archbishop Dr. Gunnar Weman, Sweden
(for the Lutheran World Federation)

Metropolitan Elias Yusef, Syria
(for the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch)

Hosts:

Metropolitan Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim
(Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch)

Mr Razek Syriani
(Syrian Orthodox Church / MECC)

Consultants:

Prof. John H. Erickson, U.S.A.
(Orthodox Church in America)

Rev. Dr. Ronald Kydd, Canada
(Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada)

WCC Staff:

Fr. Dr. Thomas FitzGerald
(Ecumenical Patriarchate)

Rev. Dr. Dagmar Heller
(Evangelical Church of Germany, United)

Table for finding Easter/Pascha dates


Year Easter/Pascha by astronomical reckoning Easter/Pascha by current Gregorian reckoning Easter/Pascha by current Julian reckoning Vernal full moon by astronomical reckoningPassover by current Jewish reckoning
2001 15 April15 April15 April 8 April 8 April
2002 31 March31 March5 May28 March28 March
2003 20 April20 April27 April16 April17 April
2004 11 April11 April11 April5 April6 April
2005 27 March27 March1 May25 March24 April
2006 16 April16 April23 April13 April13 April
2007 8 April8 April8 April2 April3 April
2008 23 March23 March27 April21 March20 April
2009 12 April12 April19 April9 April9 April
2010 4 April4 April4 April30 March30 March
2011 24 April24 April24 April18 April19 April
2012 8 April8 April15 April6 April7 April
2013 31 March31 March5 May27 March26 March
2014 20 April20 April20 April15 April15 April
2015 5 April5 April12 April4 April4 April
2016 27 March27 March1 May23 March23 April
2017 16 April16 April16 April11 April11 April
2018 1 April1 April8 April31 March31 March
2019 24 March21 April28 April21 March20 April
2020 12 April12 April19 April8 April9 April
2021 4 April4 April2 May28 March28 March
2022 17 April17 April24 April16 April16 April
2023 9 April9 April16 April6 April6 April
2024 31 March31 March5 May25 March23 April
2025 20 April20 April20 May13 April13 April

Source: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/wcc-commissions/faith-and-order-commission/i-unity-the-church-and-its-mission/towards-a-common-date-for-easter/towards-a-common-date-for-easter.html

P.S. BOLDS AND HIGHLIGHTS USED FOR EMPHASIS. Blogmaster.

WCC: FUNCTIONS AND BRIEF HISTORY


The Basis of the World Council of Churches, with which member churches express agreement, describes it as a 'fellowship of churches which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the Scriptures, and therefore seek to fulfill together their common calling to the glory of the one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.'

Constitutionally, the 'primary purpose' of the World Council of Churches 'is to call one another to visible unity in one faith and in one eucharistic fellowship'.

The constitution also says the churches through the Council will

  • promote the prayerful search for forgiveness and reconciliation in a spirit of mutual accountability
  • facilitate common witness in their work for mission and evangelism
  • express their commitment to Christian service and responsibility by serving human need, breaking down barriers between people, promoting one human family in justice and peace, and upholding the integrity of creation
  • assist each other in their relationships to and with people of other faith communities
  • foster renewal and growth in unity, worship, mission and service.

Located in over 100 countries, WCC member churches [now 342] come from nearly every Christian tradition. The WCC collaborates with national and regional Christian councils, international organizations of Christian World Communions (e.g., Lutheran, Reformed, Methodist) and many specialized international ecumenical bodies. Through its Commission of the Churches on International Affairs it is accredited as a nongovernmental organization with the United Nations.

Among traditions outside WCC membership are Roman Catholicism, Seventh-day Adventism and the Salvation Army. They belong, however, to some national and/or regional Christian councils. The Salvation Army has fraternal relations as a world confessional body. WCC and Vatican staff cooperate in various ways, a WCC-Roman Catholic Joint Working Group meets yearly and the Vatican names some members to the WCC Faith and Order Commission.

About 200 people work at the WCC headquarters in Geneva. WCC programme work is divided into a General Secretariat and four 'clusters': Communication; Finance, Service and Administration; Issues and Themes (Faith and Order, Mission and Evangelism, Justice, Peace and Creation, Education and Ecumenical Formation); Relations (Ecumenical Relations, Regional Relations and Ecumenical Sharing, Interreligious Relations and Dialogue, International Relations). A 100,000-volume library is located at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva; and an Ecumenical Institute is located in Bossey, near Geneva.

Since its first assembly in Amsterdam in 1948, WCC assemblies - the Council's chief legislative body –have met in Evanston (near Chicago, 1954), New Delhi (1961), Uppsala (1968), Nairobi (1975), Vancouver (1983), Canberra (1991) and Harare (1998).

The Harare assembly elected eight WCC presidents: Dr Agnes Abuom (Anglican, Kenya); Rev. Kathryn Bannister (Methodist, USA); Bishop Jabez Bryce (Anglican, Tonga); His Eminence Metropolitan Chrysostomos (Eastern Orthodox, Turkey); His Holiness Ignatius Zakka Iwas (Oriental Orthodox, Syria); Mr Moon Kyu Kang (Presbyterian, Korea); Bishop Federico Pagura (Methodist, Argentina); Bishop Eberhardt Renz (Lutheran, Germany).

They are part of the 158-member WCC Central Committee, which meets every 12 to 18 months. Its officers are the moderator (His Holiness Aram I, Oriental Orthodox, Lebanon), two vice moderators [Ms Justice Sophia Adinyira (Anglican, Ghana); Dr Marion Best (United Church of Canada)] and the general secretary, who also heads the WCC staff. The officers and other Central Committee members make up the 25-member WCC Executive Committee, which meets twice a year. The present general secretary is Konrad Raiser (Evangelical Church in Germany).

February 2001

Source: http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/press_corner/history-e.html

P.S. BOLDS AND HIGHLIGHTS ADDED FOR EMPHASIS. Blogmaster

ADVENTISTS OBSERVE WCC ASSEMBLY

World Church: Adventists Observe World Council of Churches Assembly

07.03.06


Keeping an eye on ecumenical developments as well as using an opportunity to build bridges of understanding, representatives of the Seventh-day Adventist world church were observers at the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Porto Alegre, Brazil from Feb. 14 to 23. Drs. John Graz, Eugene Hsu and Bill Knott attended as Adventist observers.

"It was very important for us to be there," said Graz, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the world church. "It was unique in being able to meet all Christians together, in spite of all their big differences, observe current developments, as well as learn about the agenda of ecumenism." (...)



'CODE OF CONDUCT' ON RELIGIOUS CONVERSION

15.08.07 11:27

Christian code of conduct on religious conversion wins broader backing

Some of the participants at the Toulouse consultation (from left to right): Bishop Geevarghese Mor Coorilos (Orthodox, India), Rev. Dr Thomas Schirrmacher (Evangelical, Germany), Rev. Dr Hermen Shastri (Protestant, Malaysia), Rev. Dr Tony Richie (Pentecostal, USA), Mgr. Augustine Shao (Roman Catholic, Zanzibar), Mgr. Robert Le Gall (Roman Catholic, France). © Juan Michel / WCC
High-resolution version

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is ready to join the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Vatican in supporting a code of conduct to guide activities seeking converts to Christianity.

The WEA general secretary Rev. Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe “gave his full approval” to the organization's involvement in the process so far sponsored by the WCC and the Vatican, said Rev. Dr Thomas Schirrmacher, head of the organization’s International Institute for Religious Freedom. The WEA is an association of organizations and churches with a membership of some 420 million Christians worldwide.

Schirrmacher was one of the speakers at an 8-12 August consultation held in Toulouse, France, where some 30 Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostal and Evangelical theologians and church leaders from Europe, Asia, Africa and the United States, gathered to outline the content of the code of conduct, which is expected to be finalized by 2010.

In opening the consultation, the archbishop of Toulouse Mgr. Robert Le Gall, a Benedictine monk experienced in interreligious dialogue, said he envisioned the code of conduct as a tool to ensure the “mutual respect of those who are engaged in a religion” while at the same time preserving the “right to spread and explain one’s faith”.

For Rev. Dr Tony Richie from the Church of God, a Pentecostal US-based denomination, the code of conduct is not about “whether” Christians evangelize, but “how” they do it. He advocated a “dialogical evangelism,” ecumenically oriented and marked by an ethical approach.

The general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia and co-moderator of the WCC's Faith and Order commission, Rev. Dr Hermen Shastri, proposed that the fundamental ethos of the code of conduct be an attitude of respect for the right of the faithful of any religion to their beliefs. “Religious preachers need to be told that no religion has a monopoly on the truth, that there are many ways to find salvation.”

According to WEA executive council member John Langlois, the code of conduct should express “repentance for past wrongdoings so as to make clear that the superiority mentality in regard to other religions has been overcome.”

Taking shape

Among the issues identified by the participants as elements upon which the code of conduct should be based are: common understandings of conversion, witness, mission and evangelism, and concern for human dignity; a distinction between aggressive proselytizing and evangelism; the balance between the mandate to evangelize and the right to choose one’s religion.

“Although these are very preliminary findings, the fact that representatives from all these walks of Christian life have been able to meet and discuss such a complex issue, starting to build a consensus, is in itself a success,” said Rev. Dr Hans Ucko, WCC's programme executive for interreligious dialogue and cooperation.

The complexity of the issue was highlighted at the consultation by contributions reflecting very diverse experiences in different contexts: from living as a Christian minority in India, to preaching the gospel to Turks in Austria, to having to turn down people asking for baptism in Zanzibar; from being a Lutheran missionary to Muslim Nigeria, to being an Anglican priest in a British city where Hindus have bought and worship in a former Christian church, or to being a US Pentecostal struggling with the fact that Pentecostals “are indeed ecumenical but just don’t know it.”

The code of conduct should on the one hand establish what all the partners agree needs to be banned when it comes to Christian mission, a daunting task given the many different contexts involved. On the other hand, it should hopefully provide guidelines as to how to deal with complicated issues, like interreligious marriages.

Its promoters expect the code of conduct to fulfil several goals: be an advocacy tool in discussions with governments considering anti-conversion laws, to help to advance the cause of religious freedom, address other religions’ concerns about Christian proselytism and inspire them to consider their own codes of conduct, and also help to ease intra-Christian tensions.

None of the partners involved intend - nor have the means - to impose the code of conduct on their constituencies, but they all trust that it will be able to “impact hearts and minds” and allow for “moral and peer pressure.”

The next step in this study project jointly undertaken by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the WCC's programme on inter-religious dialogue will be a meeting in 2008 in which the code of conduct will be drafted, building upon the findings of the Toulouse consultation. Launched in May 2006 in Lariano/Velletri, near Rome, the project bears the name: "An interreligious reflection on conversion: From controversy to a shared code of conduct".

Free high-resolution version of the above photo

Additional information on the study process, including the report of the first meeting (only in English), is available at:

English - Français - Deutsch - Español

More information on WCC and Interreligious Dialogue:

English - Français - Deutsch - Español

Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue:

English - Français - Deutsch - Español

Listen to an interview with WCC's Rev. Dr Hans Ucko on the website of National Public Radio

Source: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/all-news-english/display-single-english-news/article/1637/christian-code-of-conduct.html

SO MUCH IN COMMON

So Much in Common

-a publication of "Documents of interest in the conversations between the World Council of Churches and the Seventh-day Adventist Church," co-authored by Dr. B. B. Beach and Dr Lukas Vischer of the Faith and Order Secretariat of the WCC. The Adventist Laymen's Foundation has exclusive rights to its publication and distribution.

Source: http://ourworld.cs.com/aawwn2/index.htm

THE THREE AMIGOS FAIL TO IMPRESS



EDITORIAL
TheStar.com - comment - Three Amigos fail to impress
Three Amigos fail to impress
Aug 22, 2007 04:30 AM

They were all smiles yesterday as the Montebello Summit broke up. They agreed to draw a protocol to deal with emergencies, such as terror attacks or pandemics that threaten to close down borders, promised to crack down on unsafe consumer goods, including toys, and vowed to seek practical solutions to environmental challenges.

Six years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, having the leaders of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico get together regularly to discuss continental issues under the Security and Prosperity Partnership banner is not a bad thing. A retreat into isolation by the U.S. would serve no one's interests.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in particular, was able to bask for a moment yesterday as U.S. President George Bush paid gracious tribute to Canada for having "performed brilliantly" in Afghanistan, helping, he said, to strengthen democracy and suppress terror.

But beyond that cosmetic moment, Harper made scant headway with Bush advancing Canada's agenda. On issues that matter to Canadians, the Three Amigos summit with Mexican President Felipe Calderón failed to deliver. It didn't even come close.

Bush took note of Harper's claim to the Northwest Passage through the Arctic as a Canadian waterway, but pointedly offered no support. The U.S. continues to regard it as an international strait.

And on a slew of Canada/U.S. irritants that directly arise from 9/11, there was no measurable progress. No serious moves to ease the cross-border tie-ups that have damaged the Canadian and American economies to the tune of $14 billion since 9/11. No relief from Washington's vexing demand for passports. And little meeting of the minds on terror watch lists: While Canada and the U.S. claim to co-operate, the U.S. won't delist Maher Arar, who has been cleared as a suspect.

Apparently Harper did not even bother to ask Bush to release Omar Khadr, a Canadian who has been in U.S. custody since 2002 as a presumed terrorist, and who faces a military trial at Guantanamo Bay that would not stand the sniff test in any normal court of law.

The one message Bush seems to have taken to heart was Harper's warning that Ottawa may pull Canadian troops from combat in Afghanistan when their mission in Kandahar ends in February 2009. But Bush did not have to travel to Montebello to know that.

Bush, Harper and Calderón did feel the heat from protesters who objected, rightly, that business leaders were invited to Montebello to press behind closed doors for more continental integration.

But rather than open up the process, the leaders belittled their critics as alarmists. Harper looked especially bad when he facetiously asked: "Is the sovereignty of Canada going to fall apart if we standardize the jelly bean?" That is not the issue. The issue is secrecy. Even the Canadian American Business Council in Washington has criticized the "lack of transparency" in the summit process and has argued for wider input. Harper's attitude will just fuel public cynicism and suspicion.

In the end, Montebello was a summer photo op for three weak leaders, clouded by a hurricane. It left so much undone.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/248546

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

VANISHING THE RIGHT TO TRAVEL

The vanishing right to travel
By Ezekiel Jones
Online Journal Guest Writer

Aug 20, 2007, 01:23


The freedom to travel has joined habeas corpus and freedom from unwarranted searches on America's endangered rights list. Over the last 10 years, a combination of federal legislation, court decisions and new federal regulations have greatly reduced the rights of U.S. citizens to travel internationally and domestically.

As old as the Magna Carta

The right to go where one wishes is among the most fundamental and ancient of freedoms in the Anglo-Saxon legal tradition. Article 42 of the Magna Carta provided:

"It shall be lawful to any person, for the future, to go out of our kingdom, and to return, safely and securely, by land or by water, saving his allegiance to us, unless it be in time of war, for some short space, for the common good of the kingdom: excepting prisoners and outlaws, according to the laws of the land, and of the people of the nation at war against us, and Merchants who shall be treated as it is said above."

Despite its long tradition, the right to travel has been under attack at other times in American history. During the Red-baiting '50s, Congress enacted a law requiring that American citizens possess passports in order to leave or enter the country and delegated the authority to the secretary of state to determine the criteria for issuing passports. Shortly thereafter, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles denied a passport to Rockwell Kent on grounds that he was a Communist. Kent challenged the refusal in court, and the case eventually reached the U. S. Supreme Court. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion for the majority that ordered the State Department to issue the passport:

"The right to travel is a part of the 'liberty' of which the citizen cannot be deprived without due process of law under the Fifth Amendment. So much is conceded by the Solicitor General. In Anglo-Saxon law that right was emerging at least as early as the Magna Carta. Three Human Rights in the Constitution of 1787 shows how deeply engrained in our history this freedom of movement is. Freedom of movement across frontiers in either direction, and inside frontiers as well, was a part of our heritage. Travel abroad, like travel within the country, may be necessary for a livelihood. It may be as close to the heart of the individual as the choice of what he eats, or wears, or reads. Freedom of movement is basic in our scheme of values. 'Our nation,' wrote Chafee, 'has thrived on the principle that, outside areas of plainly harmful conduct, every American is left to shape his own life as he thinks best, do what he pleases, go where he pleases.' (citations omitted)

Whatever happened to love it or leave it?

Unfortunately, William O. Douglas is no longer on the Supreme Court.

American jurisprudence has always recognized two, somewhat distinguishable, aspects of the right to travel. The Kent case dealt with a citizen's freedom to leave the U. S. and return. Since 9/11, that right has been severely restricted. Prior to January 1, 2007, the U.S. had reciprocal agreements with Mexico, Canada and several Caribbean nations that allowed U.S. citizens to come and go from these countries with nothing more than a picture ID, like a driver's license, or a birth certificate, citizenship papers or a permanent residency card.

This year, however, Homeland Security issued new regulations requiring Americans to show a passport in order to return by air from these countries. The result was a huge rush for passport applications that swamped the State Department and forced many to cancel their vacations when their new passports did not arrive in the usual six weeks' processing time.

Next year, these requirements will apply to all travel outside the United States, whether by plane, boat or land.

A right has become a privilege

The U. S. government has also breached the ancient Magna Carta principal that all citizens are free to travel abroad unless they have been convicted of a crime. Under "welfare reform" passed by the Republican Congress and signed by Bill Clinton (newspeak name--Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act), the State Department's Passport Denial Program began to refuse passports to American citizens based upon a report that they owed back child support.

Have the federal courts shown up again to slap down the State Department and protect the right to travel? Hardly. Eudene Eunique, a non-custodial parent who had been denied a passport because she allegedly owed $20,000 in back child support, challenged the law and the case reached the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The three-judge panel ruled in favor of the State Department. Writing for the majority in the 2-1 decision, Judge Fernandez distinguished the Kent case by claiming that Eunique might be violating federal law if she left the U.S. to evade child support payments. There was no allegation that her purpose was to effect such an evasion nor any hearing on the issue of her motivation. Suffice it to say that the court's ruling, Justice Douglas' opinion in Kent were shown scant respect.

Dissenting Judge Kleinfeld was frank about it: "In this case, unlike those in which the Supreme Court has upheld restrictions on travel, the government has not offered a foreign policy or national security justification for the restriction, the government has not narrowly tailored the restriction to its purpose, and the apparent purpose of the restriction is to penalize past misconduct rather than to restrict travel as such. Thus the travel ban in this case is unconstitutional under controlling Supreme Court precedent. That Court can revise its approach if it so decides, but we can't."

The initial trigger was set at $5,000, but it was recently reduced to $2,500, and the State Department recently issued a press release bragging about how much cash they had collected from passport applicants.

While it may be hard to feel much sympathy for deadbeat parents, the Magna Carta principle that citizens have the right to travel internationally unless they stand accused or convicted of a crime has been abrogated. What's next? Passport refusals on the grounds that one's student loan payments are delinquent? Denials of passports because of mortgage defaults? It's a bit ironic that a nation which historically has been a refuge for the destitute seeking a new start could become one big debtors' prison with the combination of provisions like the Passport Denial Program, oppressive bankruptcy laws and a failing economy.

See the USA in your Toyota (as long as you carry your passport)

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is unhappy. It seems there are several states that are resisting the federal effort to make them upgrade their state-issued drivers' licenses to meet the standards for a new national personal ID card.

His response? Issue threats that residents of those states that don't go along with the national ID will be required to show U.S. passports to enter federal buildings, national parks and monuments, even board an airplane for a domestic flight.

"This is not a mandate. A state doesn't have to do this," he said. "But we've been very clear and the law is very clear, if the state doesn't have at the end of the day, the end of the deadline, Real ID compliant licenses, then that state cannot expect that those licenses will be accepted for federal purposes."

The systematic destruction of a precious right

Middle-aged Americans remember how our leaders, parents and teachers distinguished our country from the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies by pointing to the pictures and films of desperate East Germans and Hungarians who were forced to risk their lives just to move to a new country. In those days, there were people like William O. Douglas who had both the inclination and the power to defend Americans' right to travel, but today, with so many fundamental liberties under assault at once, the more subtle attack on freedom of movement has received little attention. It would be tragic if some Americans finally come to the conclusion there is no option but to leave their repressive homeland only to find that they have already lost the right to do so without risking a dangerous, illegal run across a border.

Ezekiel maintains a website with American expats living in Croatia, Belize, Portugal and Uruguay with information about emigrating from the U. S. Go to sheltersfromthestorm.org.

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Source: http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_2321.shtml

CAPITAL ONE TO CUT 1,900 JOBS

CAPITAL ONE TO SHUT UNIT, CUT 1,900 JOBS

August 21, 2007

Capital One Financial Corp. said Monday it will cut 1,900 jobs and shutter its wholesale mortgage banking business, a move that comes as lenders continue to struggle in the nation's housing and mortgage markets.
Capital One said it will shut down GreenPoint Mortgage and eliminate most of the jobs by the end of year. The McLean, Va.-based company will close 31 GreenPoint locations in 19 states and "cease residential mortgage origination" effective immediately but said it will honor commitments to customers with locked rates who have loans already in the pipeline.

Full Story

Source: http://www.gcnlive.com/newsstory1.html

10 AMAZING FACTS OF MORMONISM

Top 10 Amazing Facts of Mormonism

Jill Martin Rische

March 1, 2007

http://www.waltermartin.com

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On Sunday, February 25, 2007, Meet the Press had an interesting roundtable discussion on Mormonism that reflected the abundance of their journalistic ignorance. What I found particularly amusing (choosing humor in lieu of intense frustration) was their patronizing comment that Christians know very little about Mormonism. They proceeded to cite a recent poll that showed 45% of Evangelicals view Mormonism negatively (although the source of the poll was fuzzy). This seemed a bit illogical, since Christians must know something for the negative percentage to be so high. No mention was made of the unique Mormon beliefs that might cause millions of rational souls to view them with a healthy dose of skepticism.

After pondering the wisdom of the media elite (or lack thereof), I decided to research a short list of Mormon facts to help guide them through the dense jungle of Mormon Doctrine:

Top 10 Amazing Facts of Mormonism

1. Mormons can become gods and goddesses.

2. Goddesses will spend eternity in full submission to their god-husband.

3. Mormon women will give birth “forever and ever” to spirit-babies.

4. Mormon men can have multiple wives in heaven—eternal polygamy.

5. Heavenly Father is an exalted man who lives with his goddess wife, Heavenly Mother, on a planet near the great star Kolob.

6. American Indians are descendants of the wicked Lamanites, who were Israelites that God cursed with dark skin.

7. God the Father had sex with Mary to conceive Jesus, who is the half brother of Lucifer.

8. All Christian churches are an abomination.

9. Mormons need 4 secret handshakes to get into the Celestial heaven.

10. Joseph Smith revealed that the actual Garden of Eden is in Jackson County, Missouri.

And so you see, 45% of Christians know what thousands of the media elite do not: Mormonism is not Christian.


Notes and references:

[1] Journal of Discourses 1:50-51; J of D 8:115; Doctrine and Covenants Section 132:20

[2] Doctrine and Covenants 84:33-9; Goddesses are always subject to a god. Women are denied the Priesthood (meaning they are denied authority—not the same as Catholic priesthood). “In the LDS universe, theologically described as the real eternal universe, each man who achieves the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom is worth many times more than each woman, even the women who qualify at that highest Celestial level, because each man who achieves Godhood-level may have numerous God-wives, but each God-wife may have only one husband. This can only mean that each "heavenly father" is worth many times more than each "heavenly mother." And, even if the ratio were strictly one to one, the male God, not the female God, holds the priesthood authority and is the only one of the God parents to whom his earth-mortality children are allowed to pray. So Mormon women can never, NEVER achieve equality with men, no matter how outstanding or righteous the women are. That's just the way it's set up." MORMON WOMEN, PROZAC® and THERAPY By Kent Ponder, Ph.D. e-mail address: kponder@swcp.com, http://home.teleport.com/~packham/prozac.htm

[3] LDS Apostle Orson Pratt wrote, “Each father and mother will be in the condition to multiply forever and ever” (The Seer, 37).

[4] Doctrine and Covenants 132; Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 11:269; Men can still be sealed for eternity (not time) to women other than their wives; “The practice of polygamy has been discontinued, but the doctrine of polygamy has never been revoked. D&C 132 is still part of the LDS canon. And some current church practices are still based on polygamous principles.” See pro-Mormon site http://mormonopenforum.blogsome.com/2005/08/02/eternal-polygamy/ (accessed February 25, 2007).

[5] Pearl of Great Price, Abraham 3:2-4, 9; J of D, 26:214.

[6] Book of Mormon: Alma 3:6-19; 3 Nephi 2:14-15; Enos 1:20; J of D, 7: 290-291.

[7] Journal of Discourses 8: 116; J of D 8: 211; J of D 8: 115; Mormon Doctrine p.546-547.

[8] Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith—History 1:19. Smith claimed God sent him to “restore” true Christianity.

[9] Celestial Kingdom is the highest of 3 levels in the Mormon heaven (need handshakes to get past the angel guarding the veil); See ex-Mormon site http://www.mormoncurtain.com/topic_templeceremonies.html#pub_1816881347 (accessed February 25, 2007); David John Buerger, The Mysteries of Godliness: A History of Mormon Temple Worship, http://lds-mormon.com/buerger.shtml (accessed February 25, 2007).

[10] Doctrine and Covenants 116; Journal of Discourses, 10:235; Smith named the Spring Hill, Daviess County, Missouri area Adam-Ondi-Ahman.



Jill Martin Rische received her Bachelor’s Degree in Old Testament Literature with an emphasis on the Hebrew language from Oral Roberts University. She is currently completing her Master’s degree in Humanities/History at California State University.

Jill is Dr. Walter Martin’s eldest daughter and the author of two books:

1. The inspirational book, Through the Windows of Heaven, 100 Powerful Stories and Teachings from Walter Martin, the Original Bible Answer Man (Broadman & Holman, 1999).

2. Jack Star and the Secret Door (Kingdom, 2003) a youth fantasy adventure in the tradition of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Kevin Rische and Jill Martin Rische are the Managing Editors on the 2003 edition of The Kingdom of the Cults (Bethany House) working with Dr. Ravi Zacharias as the General Editor. The Risches are also the founders of Walter Martin Ministries and the producers of the nationwide radio program Essential Christianity, featuring Dr. Walter Martin as "The Original Bible Answer Man".

http://www.waltermartin.com/blog.html



Comments:

From Dennis: As a lifelong Latter-day Saint (mormon), I must object to the article you carry on your website, "Top 10 Amazing Facts of Mormonism." It contains outright lies and half-truths taken out of context. I will not enter into a debate about it, because that only invites the spirit of contention. I invite you to do your own research, and to get your information from the source. We are Christians in the truest sense of the word. I invite you to research the Church's website for investigators, http://www.mormon.org/welcome/0,6929,403-1,00.html, and for members, http://lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg. Once you've had a chance to do so, I would like to know what you think.

Answered by Jill Martin Rische, author of "Top 10 Amazing Facts of Mormonism:"

Dear Dennis, Thank you for writing. If you believe these facts of Mormonism are false, please prove it using Mormon Scripture and sources. Eternity is at stake: yours or mine.

1. Jill's article is correct. My husband and I are former Mormons. When we were young, we both served a mission for the LDS church, and after that served in various leadership positions in the Mormon Church. I was a full time translator and interpreter for the LDS church for over 14 years. We are now devout Christians with a ministry to Mormons. The Mormon Church is a counterfeit Christian cult. Mormonism gains 200-300 thousand converts from Christianity annually, because many Christians do not know the Bible well enough to detect false doctrines. Our website: www.hismin.com Respectfully, Rauni Higley

2. I also was a Mormon. I took this challenge. I prayed and asked God to give the wisdom (and a burning in my heart) and reveal to me whether or not I was just a rebellious young person and Mormonism was the truth. At first, there was nothing. I felt like God hadn’t heard me. Bishops told me I was lacking faith or trying to do algebra before I really knew math. I continued to pray...and God brought me to the throne of Grace. As a Mormon I WAS NOT a Christian. Jesus was a nice story, I was taught about as a child. A nice guy, that did all that stuff...but I was NEVER taught he was my SAVIOR and ALL I need for eternal life. Not works or temple recommends. So I ask you to take the same challenge and ask God to reveal to you HIS truth and also ask for understanding of John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life and Galatians 1:8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. Praying for you.

I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that your eyes will be opened.

Source: http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/walter-martin/mormonism.htm

ELVIRA ARELLANO DEPORTED

Illegal Immigrant Advocate for Families Is Deported
Published: August 21, 2007

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 — The federal authorities said Monday that the deporting of a Mexican woman who had sought refuge in churches while being an advocate for illegal immigrant families had not signaled a crackdown on religious groups that provide aid to illegal immigrants.

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Reed Saxon/Associated Press

Elvira Arellano, an illegal immigrant, and her son, Saul, at Our Lady Queen of Angels church in Los Angeles last Saturday.

The woman, Elvira Arellano, 32, had defied a federal deportation order by spending much of the past year in a Chicago church seeking to raise awareness of how deportations can separate families. Ms. Arellano left the church over the weekend to visit churches around the country, joined by her 8-year-old son, Saul, who was born in the United States.

On Sunday, after she spoke at Our Lady Queen of Angels, a Roman Catholic church in downtown Los Angeles, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stopped her car a few blocks away and arrested her.

Jim Hayes, the immigration agency’s Los Angeles field office director, said Ms. Arellano’s arrest was not a “message to the sanctuary movement as much as it is a message to criminal illegal aliens who are fugitives, that we are going to continue to target them.”

Mr. Hayes said Ms. Arellano had been deported once before, after entering the country illegally in 1997. She re-entered and was convicted in 2002 of a felony, using a false Social Security card, which she used to acquire a job cleaning airplanes at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.

“We will find them, and we will deport them,” Mr. Hayes said of criminal illegal immigrants.

Ms. Arellano’s supporters said she had grown frustrated that the immigration debate had receded from the forefront of public attention in recent weeks.

“I think she took a risk in the name of a mission, and I think she is accomplishing that mission,” said the Rev. Alexia Salvatierra, a leader in the New Sanctuary Movement, a coalition of groups arranging church accommodations for illegal immigrants nationwide, eight of whom have made their presence publicly known.

“Immigration rights activists are going to be unified and galvanized by this,” Ms. Salvatierra said. “There is a Rosa Parks quality to this.”

People opposed to illegal immigration held little sympathy for Ms. Arellano. Representative Brian P. Bilbray, Republican of California, said the immigration authorities had done the right thing.

“I don’t think because she comes here and has a child that she somehow deserves to be treated any different from anybody else who broke the law,” Mr. Bilbray said.

A federal judge ordered Mr. Arellano deported last August and, instead of surrendering to immigration agents, she sought safe harbor at Adalberto United Methodist Church in Chicago, where she denounced immigration raids that separate families with both citizens and illegal immigrants as members.

Mr. Hayes of the immigration agency said that her fugitive status and felony conviction, not her public advocacy, had made her a high priority though he took note of it and said that it had only made her easier to find than other illegal immigrants with criminal records.

“This country’s immigration system, as generous as it is, should not be exploited by those who disagree with it,” Mr. Hayes said at a news conference here. “I.C.E. has a sworn duty to ensure that our nation’s immigration laws are applied fairly and without regard for a person’s ability to generate public support.”

He declined to say why Ms. Arellano was not arrested sooner at the church in Chicago, though immigration agents generally do not make arrests on religious property. The agency, Mr. Hayes said, makes arrests at a time that will “minimize the danger to the public, the danger to our officers and the people that are targeted, and we found that opportunity yesterday.”

After her arrest on Sunday, Ms. Arellano said goodbye to her son and placed him in the care of leaders of the Chicago church, who were traveling with her.

Ms. Arellano was escorted to a border crossing in San Diego and then walked into Tijuana, Mexico, late Sunday. She was reported to be staying with friends there.

On Monday, her son was taken to Tijuana to visit her while supporters planned their next move, which they said would include seeking a Congressional bill authorizing her return.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/21/us/21immigrant.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

WHAT WAS ALL THE SECRECY ABOUT?