Wednesday, March 30, 2016

• Proposed S.C. refugee registry draws criticism

  by Tom Strode, posted Wednesday, March 30, 2016 (8 years ago)

  "Whatever one thinks about refugee policy, this bill is a step backward on religious freedom."

  -- Russell Moore

  WASHINGTON (BP) -- Evangelical advocates for religious liberty and refugee resettlement are dismayed by proposed legislation in South Carolina that could penalize churches that aid exiles from other countries.

  The South Carolina Senate passed legislation March 23 to require a sponsoring organization to register a refugee with the state's Department of Social Services within 30 days after he or she enters the state. In addition, the sponsor would be "strictly liable" in civil court if the refugee commits an act of terrorism or another violent crime. Read More

• Religious liberty focus of new study

  by Bob Smietana, posted Wednesday, March 30, 2016 (8 years ago)

  

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- A growing number of Americans believe religious liberty is on the decline and that the nation's Christians face growing intolerance, according to a survey by LifeWay Research.

  Those surveyed also noted American Christians complain too much.

  Those are among the findings of a new study of views about religious liberty from LifeWay Research. Researchers surveyed 1,000 Americans in September 2013 and September 2015 and then compared the results. Read More

• N.C. bathroom restrictions challenged by activists

  by David Roach, posted Wednesday, March 30, 2016 (8 years ago)

  

  Photo from North Carolina General Assembly website

  CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) -- Despite a federal court challenge, social conservatives in North Carolina are defending a state law upholding religious liberty and requiring individuals in state government buildings to use restrooms based on the gender indicated on their birth certificates. Read More

• PARENTING: Gender confusion & child abuse

  by Keith Collier/Southern Baptist TEXAN, posted Wednesday, March 30, 2016 (8 years ago)

  

  Image: iStock

  GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP) -- Which of the following options would you define as "child abuse"?

  A) a parent encourages a child to pursue desires that will cause irreparable physical, psychological and emotional damage.

  B) a parent protects the child from these desires, despite the child's insistence on what's best. Read More

• My parents didn't let me choose my gender

  by Maggie Sandusky, posted Wednesday, March 30, 2016 (8 years ago)

  

  Photo submitted

  FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- There is a growing trend today that we see repeated in news headlines: Parents choosing to raise their child genderless or as the opposite gender due to the child's preference. Simply put, if a little girl says she wishes she were a boy or a little boy prefers to play with dolls, the parents seek to grant their wish.

  If I had been raised in a different time, by different parents, I fear I could have been one of them. Read More

• FIRST-PERSON: Transgender plea or demand?

  by Bob Stith, posted Wednesday, March 30, 2016 (8 years ago)

  Bob Stith, founder of Family and Gender Issues Ministries, questions transgender rights advocates and the media when it comes to protecting children from psychological harm of gender-confused individuals using the restrooms of the opposite sex. Read More