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Bible Publishers Sued for Anti-Gay References


Thursday, July 10, 2008 10:51 AM

By: Rick Pedraza 		Article Font Size  

 

A Michigan man is seeking $70 million from two Christian publishers for emotional distress and mental instability he received during the past 20 years from versions of the Bible that refer to homosexuality as a sin.

 

Bradley LaShawn Fowler, a gay man, claims his constitutional rights were infringed upon by Zondervan Publishing Co. and Thomas Nelson Publishing, both of which, he claims, deliberately caused homosexuals to suffer by misinterpretation of the Bible.

Fowler, 39, is seeking $60 million from Zondervan and another $10 million from Thomas Nelson.

According to a USA Today report, Fowler’s two separate suits against the publishers claim the intent of the Bible revisions that refer to homosexuals as sinners reflect an individual opinion or a group's conclusion.

Fowler says the deliberate changes made to first Corinthians, chapter six, verse nine caused him "or anyone who is a homosexual to endure verbal abuse, discrimination, episodes of hate, and physical violence ... including murder."

Fowler, who is representing himself in both lawsuits, claims the publishers are misinterpreting the Bible by specifically using the word homosexuals, which made him an outcast from his family and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of demoralization, chaos and bewilderment.

“These are opinions based on the publishers and they are being embedded in the religious structure as a way of life," he tells a local NBC TV station affiliate in Grand Rapids.

Fowler admits that every Bible printed is a translation that can be interpreted in many ways, but he says specifically using the word “homosexual” is not a translation but a change.

Fowler says Zondervan Bibles published in the ‘80s used the word homosexuals among a list of those who are “wicked' or unrighteous and won't inherit the kingdom of heaven.”

Zondervan, for its part, issued a statement to the Grand Rapids press stating it does not translate the Bible or own the copyright for any of the translations it publishes

“We rely on the scholarly judgment of the highly respected and credible translation committees behind each translation and never alter the text of the translations we are licensed to publish,” the statement reads.

“We only publish credible translations produced by credible Biblical scholars.”

U.S. District Judge Julian Abele Cook Jr., who will hear Fowler’s case against Thomas Nelson, says the court “has some very genuine concerns about the nature and efficacy of [Fowler’s] claims."

 

 

 

© 2008 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Amish

They are best known for their 19th century way of life that was portrayed in the 1985 Harrison Ford film Witness, in which violent crime clashed with their peaceful existence.

Their old-fashioned traditions are not what is now called a 'lifestyle choice'. Amish believe that their religious faith and the way they live are inseparable and interdependent.

The Amish originated in Europe after splitting from Mennonite Swiss Brethren in 1692 over the treatment of members who had been found guilty of breaches of doctrine.

The first Amish arrived in Pennsylvania in the 1730s to escape persecution in Europe.

Basic features of Amish life

Amish believe that the community is at the heart of their life and faith, and that the way to salvation is to live as a loving community apart from the world. Individualism is avoided.

Self-help

Members of the community help each other, and the whole community will work together to help a member in trouble. They do not accept state benefits or use insurance, but rely on community support instead.

Separate

The Amish believe that it's essential to keep themselves separate from the 'world', so they live in their own small communities and differ from other Americans in their dress, language, work, travel and education.

Not exclusive

The Amish are not exclusive, and have many contacts with outsiders, who they call 'English'.

Simplicity and humility

The Amish stress simplicity and humility. They avoid anything associated with self exaltation, pride of position or enjoyment of power.

Harmony with nature

Amish believe that God is pleased when people work in harmony with nature, the soil, the weather, and care for animals and plants. Amish always live in rural communitie

Technology

Some modern 'conveniences', such as cars, electricity and telephones are avoided. They only avoid technology where it might damage the community, not because they are Luddites or think technology is inherently evil.

Non-confrontation

Amish are pacifists and conscientious objectors. They avoid all violence - including angry words or going to law.

Discipline

The Amish community governs itself strictly. Baptized members are morally committed to church rules. Erring members may be shunned until there is repentance, forgiveness and restoration to full fellowship.

Language

Amish use three languages, a German dialect called Pennsylvania Dutch at home, High German for worship and English with outsiders.

Family

Amish only marry other Amish and don't divorce. They have large families averaging 7-8 children.

Education

Amish children are educated in their own schools. Schooling stops at 14 after which they learn practical skills on the job.

Holy days

Amish celebrate the same holy days as other Christians.

Growing up

After 16 Amish children can experience life outside the community for a few years to decide whether they wish to become full baptized members of the community (90% decide to do so).

Partially based on The Amish In Northern Indiana, by Samuel L. Yoder

Quote

My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.
Albert Einstein (1879.

cost of falling behind


 

Missed mortgage payments rise


31st May 2008, 7:00 WST

 

 

The number of WA households falling behind in mortgage repayments has soared, increasing the risk of a rash of home repossessions as owners fail to keep pace with interest rate rises.

Despite wage growth that has outstripped other States, WA recorded the biggest jump in missed mortgage payments in the country in the six months to March, a new report by global credit rating agency Fitch Ratings has revealed.

While WA home owners have traditionally been the most dedicated in Australia in terms of maintaining their mortgages — and this continues to be the case — the increase in people who have missed at least one payment is a worrying indication that hundreds of families may be on the verge of losing their homes.

While the Fitch report does not provide a breakdown of the number of households affected, the agency has used an index based on the dollar value of outstanding loans to find postcodes with the biggest arrears rates.

In WA, the worst postcode was 6057, which encompasses High Wycombe and Maida Vale. Other suburbs with poor rates included Marangaroo, Alexander Heights and Koondoola in the north, Armadale, Brookdale and Forrestdale in the east and Parmelia, Orelia, Kwinana, Bertram, Casuarina and Secret Harbour in the south.

While the overall rate for WA was relatively low at 1.42 per cent at the end of March, this was up from 0.97 per cent in six months.

Arrears rates in some of the worst indebted suburbs were almost three times WA’s average.

The rise is in line with a countrywide trend, with the national delinquency rate increasing to 1.88 per cent from 1.56 per cent.

WA Consumer Credit Legal Service director Sue Mahalingham said some owners may not recoup the purchase price of their home if they sold now.

“Two years ago, we didn’t have many people coming to us who were having difficulty paying the mortgage because they had the easy way out of putting the house on the market and pretty much selling it straight away,” she said.

“(But now) the number of days it takes to sell a house has gone up significantly and so has the foreclosure rate.”

DAWN GIBSON

Mothers Day

The History and Meaning of Mother's Day: How the Hallmark Holiday Got Its Start

The second Sunday in May brings a day for which fathers and children everywhere scramble to prepare every year. Breakfast in bed, flowers, handmade cards, and presents usually signify Mother's Day. This honoring of Mom and her hard work usually brings a smile to her face. Being able to celebrate motherhood and thanking Moms for all they do has become a national holiday.

Other cultures have had holidays celebrating motherhood since ancient times. The ancient Greeks and Romans had their own celebrations to honor the mothers of their gods. In the 1600s, Mothering Sunday was the fourth Sunday of Lent when parishioners returned to their mother church to worship. Later it became a day when servants were sent from their duties to spend the day with their mothers and families. It is generally celebrated today as Britain's version of America's Mother's Day.

Mother's Day in the United States was first conceived around 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts. Following her experiences in the Civil War, Julia Ward Howe attempted to publish a push for peace at international peace conferences. In 1872 she began promoting her new idea for a Day of Peace for Mothers. She issued her "Mother's Day Proclamation" in an attempt to gather women together for the cause. In 1873, eighteen cities in America participated in this Day of Peace. It was most often a group of women whose families were affected by the Civil War that gathered to discuss the preference for peace. This continued annually for several years, but people eventually lost interest and the idea died down. Howe never gave up her push for disarmament and pacifism.

Anzac Day

What is ANZAC Day?

ANZAC Day – 25 April – is probably Australia's most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they soon took in that name endures to this day.

Why is this day special to Australians?

When war broke out in 1914 Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only 14 years. The new national government was eager to establish its reputation among the nations of the world. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula to open the way to the Black Sea for the allied navies. The plan was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany. They landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.

Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives of capturing Constantinople and knocking Turkey out of the war, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as the "ANZAC legend" became an important part of the national identity of both nations. This shaped the ways they viewed both their past and future.

Early commemorations

The date, 25 April, was officially named ANZAC Day in 1916 and was marked by a wide variety of ceremonies and services in Australia, a march through London, and a sports day in the Australian camp in Egypt. In London over 2,000 Australian and New Zealand troops marched through the streets. A London newspaper headline dubbed them "The knights of Gallipoli". Marches were held all over Australia in 1916. Wounded soldiers from Gallipoli attended the Sydney march in convoys of cars, attended by nurses. For the remaining years of the war, ANZAC Day was used as an occasion for patriotic rallies and recruiting campaigns, and parades of serving members of the AIF were held in most cities.

During the 1920s ANZAC Day became established as a national day of commemoration for the 60,000 Australians who died during the war. The first year in which all states observed some form of public holiday together on ANZAC Day was 1927. By the mid-1930s all the rituals we today associate with the day – dawn vigils, marches, memorial services, reunions, two-up games – were firmly established as part of ANZAC Day culture.

With the coming of the Second World War, ANZAC Day was used to also commemorate the lives of Australians lost in that war. In subsequent years the meaning of the day has been further broadened to include Australians killed in all the military operations in which Australia has been involved.

ANZAC Day was first commemorated at the Memorial in 1942 but, due to government orders preventing large public gatherings in case of Japanese air attack, it was a small affair and was neither a march nor a memorial service. ANZAC Day has been annually commemorated at the Memorial ever since.

What does it mean today?

Australians recognise 25 April as an occasion of national commemoration. Commemorative services are held at dawn – the time of the original landing – across the nation. Later in the day, ex-servicemen and women meet and join in marches through the major cities and many smaller centres. Commemorative ceremonies are held at war memorials around the country. It is a day when Australians reflect on the many different meanings of war.

Dawn Service

The Dawn Service observed on ANZAC Day has its origins in an operational routine which is still observed by the Australian Army today. During battle, the half-light of dawn was one of the most favoured times for an attack. Soldiers in defensive positions were, therefore, woken up in the dark, before dawn, so by the time first light crept across the battlefield they were awake, alert, and manning their weapons. This was, and still is, known as "stand-to". It was also repeated at sunset.

After the First World War, returned soldiers sought the comradeship they felt in those quiet, peaceful moments before dawn. With symbolic links to the dawn landing at Gallipoli, a dawn stand-to or ceremony became a common form of ANZAC Day remembrance during the 1920s; the first official dawn service was held at the Sydney Cenotaph in 1927. Dawn services were originally very simple and followed the operational ritual. In many cases they were restricted to veterans only and the daytime ceremony was for families and other well-wishers. Before dawn the gathered veterans would be ordered to "stand to" and two minutes' silence would follow. At the end of this time a lone bugler would play the Last Post and then concluded the service with Reveille. In more recent times the families and young people have been encouraged to take part in dawn services, and services in Australian capital cities have seen some of the largest turnouts ever. Reflecting this change, the ceremonies have become more elaborate, incorporating hymns, readings, pipers, and rifle volleys. Others, though, have retained the simple format of the dawn stand-to, familiar to so many soldiers.

The ANZAC Day ceremony

Each year the commemorations follow a pattern that is familiar to each generation of Australians. A typical ANZAC Day service contains the following features: introduction, hymn, prayer, an address, laying of wreaths, recitation, Last Post, a period of silence, Rouse or Reveille, and the national anthem. At the Memorial, families often place red poppies beside the names of relatives on the Memorial's Roll of Honour after events such as the ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day services.

Desperate housing

 

 

SBS news show Insight had a informative discussion in regards to how the Boom of WA has how the affordability of entering into a home for the first time and the rental market has now become a cost that is beyond many families.

Affordability in Sydney’s west shown from a 3 year study from Australian Housing Urban Research Institute gives figures of about 840,000-850,000 households are in stress and over 200,000 are low income and renters .

Within Perth the work may be there however, many have borrowed 95% of the cost to buy a property and most of that property has been on the outskirts of Perth were you need to travel 45min to the city. With interest rates the cost of fuel and food ( again another topic from Insight ) its not a shock for myself to see For Sale signs everywhere as owners see the market slowing at a rapid rate.

For those who could buy closer to the city, its more stable and growth is still moving however not at the cost at speed of recent times

Now for rental family’s and myself as a single man another problem has formed. Last week I counted 27 couples that I was in compertsion with for a 3 bedroom unit. I was the 12th person to fill out the appaction form and I was there dead on time. It seemed everyone was trying to sell themself to the owner of that property in Innaloo( we know the joke) that was advertised for $310 but every-one was informed that this was only for 3 weeks. Then the cost goes to $347 per week. It was very dis-hearting I must say, and for a young family who is on a unskilled wedge, that’s around 60% of there income.

So what’s the ansewer in this new housing demand and has the great Australian dream of owning your own home now just a dream ? I must also say that I felt heavy hearted to those single parents trying to give there children the best they can afford.

If you have any comments please use yahoo mail and forward comments to ………….

Jason Hill... Be The Mircle

 

 

Sorry for the lack of updates in the last few months. Since Jan of 2008 I have started writing a paper book novel that is of experiences of people and events within my life.

Miracles happenen in my many forms. There are many Self-help books and feel good stories novels available at good book stores how-ever.

This goes well beyond those ilitations and is more of a diary off events that have happen on a day to day time line that I would like  to be shared in order to incorage and inspire your life as much as it has my-own

Simply the Now lifestyle and demands off 2008 are now greater than any other time of human history . Not only is our time and availability stretched, but the the time we invest ino marriage and family now create a new form of lifestyle that we only are more concise of as we try to do the best we can in this continues " wanting more" generation that have raised some very real and alarming changes.

So My Book Be The Miicale, will be use both infamous and Known names and illations of , life’s such as . Mother Tresira/ Walt Disney/ Nelson Mandela and others.

It was Elbert Einstein who said " There are only two ways to Live your Life

One is Though nothing is a Miracle

The second is as everything is miracle

I only hope you will not read my book lightly. But look beyond this generation, to grow the next.

 

Quotations

  1. Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premies..Samuel Butler 1680
  2. Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and Astonish the rest....Mark Twain 1910
  3. People only see what they are prepared to see....Ralph Emerson
  4. Its never to late too be what you might have seen...George Eliot
  5. The man who never makes a mistake always takes orders from one who does.
  6. Do just once what others say you ant do,  and you will never pay attention to their Imitations again..James R Cook
  7. It is better to deserve honors and not have them, than to have them and not deservr them...Mark Twain  1910
  8. Deal with the faults of others as gently as with your own...Chinese proverb
  9. A classic is a book which people praise and dont read..Mark Twain  1910

Blame Who

Another 60 minutes interview on Sunday the 10th June 07 with the heading    " IN GODS NAME" having some good questions inregars to people who use the" God " word for there own Engender.  

  The desire and comperhesion of God and the belife of heaven is often merlipalted to create a colt or orgazasion that distroys and often crushes the love and gace that is what Jesues Christ is about. The ferminula measion of Grace and Love as well as most belifes having a mesion of a 10% tithing is used.

Many of us see TV interviews of reglesous organasions ..Scientology  or others its way out organasion called Rael that again was a tv interviw. (A belife of alain collining).   Of cource is the more locical "fell-good" reglosus organasions.

 Then a story thats oppistet comes along though tragitiy. Its the story of the  Amish .In October 2006 when 5 children were murderd.

  Rember that?

That was more of a statment than any other interviw or cridical anagely  of a Belife in God. One of  forgiveness and a invertasion to the  murders of  the funeral  of the children.

 Not a media stunt but something I belive would have been asked without media exposia

 As for us the obverver  who watched that week of media events.... I think It was  very powerfull.

 

It  changed some peoples mind-sets and asked the question in all of us. Weather we have had that amount of grace and forgiveness had that been our child.?