My Open Break-Up Letter to Target

Dear Target,

In case you haven’t noticed, I have not stopped by for one of our formerly frequent and regular shopping dates in quite a while now. Since I want to be responsible and mature, I want to let you know why. Believe me, it’s not me; it’s ALL YOU!

Your two-timing dalliances with radical left-wing causes have revealed the real you. It is painfully obvious that you want to flirt with the popular, cause celeb, agenda du jour crowd rather than simply, faithfully commit to a steady relationship of selling merchandise that many people want.

First, there was the ad featuring gay dads and the same-sex wedding registry, when you cozied up to a mere 3.8% of the U.S. population. Suddenly and inexplicably the other 96.2% of us who (used to) frequent your stores for simple shopping needs were branded as “haters”?

Then, there was the whole phasing out of “gender-based signage” thing. Somehow, far beyond reason and common sense, we are supposed to ignore the objective, biological reality that the whole human race is nicely and evenly comprised of both males and females? While blue for boys and pink for girls may certainly be an arbitrary social construct, and a recent one at that, boys and girls of all ages do generally have different interests, tastes, and even needs regarding clothing, linens, and hygiene products. And they want to find those products with ease and efficiency. Does that natural diversity suddenly mean nothing to you?

The final nail in the coffin of our former relationship came when you decided to woo the very tiny “transgender” population. (Is it a whopping 0.3% of the population, or a mere 0.03%?). You actually said, “[W]e welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity. ...Everyone deserves to feel like they belong.”

If “everyone deserves to feel like they belong,” what about the innocent, unsuspecting grandmothers, mothers, wives, single ladies, teen juniors, and little girls who will now be easy prey for sexual predators merely posing as “transgenders”? Your indiscretion now exposes them to harm and tells them that their own privacy needs no longer “belong.”

So, madam Target, you and I must part ways. I can easily find the toiletries, greeting cards, and other merchandise I want at more faithful places, such as CVS, Walgreens and Walmart, not to mention locally-owned businesses. I have urged and will continue to urge people I know—especially the women in my life—to take their shopping elsewhere, where they can truly “belong” and be safe.

Yes, I have signed the pledge to boycott you for your most recent dalliance with the “party crowd,” and I will keep urging others to do the same. I wonder, is your flirtation with only 1 out of 2,400 people in the U.S. actually worth the loss of millions of shoppers and billions of dollars?

Formerly yours and good riddance!

Brit Hume: In Defense of Life

On January 22, 2014, Brit Hume, political analyst at Fox News, had some pointed and poignant things to say in defense of life. And he did it on the 41st anniversary of the despicable, evil Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion--the killing of innocent, unborn babies--in the U.S.

Some are calling Hume's commentary a "rant." Seriously? Let's call it what it truly is: an honest, incisive, and welcome defense of life.

Here's what Brit Hume said:

LCMS Pres. Speaks Again on HHS Mandate

Just a couple of weeks ago, we posted LCMS President Matthew Harrison's first letter about the ungodly HHS mandate coercing religious institutions to provide abortion-causing drugs against the tenets of their faith.

Now President Harrison has issued a second letter, responding to the so-called "accommodation" from our over-reaching federal government. Thank you once again, Pres. Harrison, for a bold confession of faith in the face of injustice and a strong example of standing on the Word of God as we bear witness to Christ Jesus, the Giver of life!

While I appreciate and certainly agree with the Scripture passage quoted at the end of the letter, Mark 12:17--along with its parallel verses and Romans 13--may I also suggest another verse to go hand in hand? It was indeed cited in the first letter, but let's not be afraid to use it every time we must speak out against such government abuses of conscience by abusing its power. Let's keep the "Render to Caesar" verse close, but let's keep Acts 5:29 even closer: "We must obey God rather than men."

Here is President Harrison's second excellent letter:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In response to President Obama’s announcement Friday concerning an “accommodation” to a previous mandate that health plans must cover all forms of birth control (even those that can kill the unborn), The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) remains deeply concerned. We strongly object to the use of drugs and procedures that are used to take the lives of unborn children, who are persons in the sight of God from the time of conception. Drugs such as “Plan B” and “Ella,” which are still included in the mandate, can work post-conception to cause the death of the developing child, so don’t be fooled by statements to the contrary.

We see President Obama’s action Friday as significant, in that it appears to have been prompted by the many voices united in concern over an infringement of our religious liberties. But the “accommodation” did not expand the exemption for religious employers, nor did it restrict the mandate in any way. It simply described a temporary enforcement delay and a possible future change—a change that, unfortunately, would not adequately protect religious freedom or unborn lives.

We remain opposed to this mandate because it runs counter to the biblical truth of the sanctity of human life. We are committed to working to ensure that we remain free to practice the teachings of our faith, that our religious rights are not violated, and that our rights of conscience are retained. Freedom of religion extends beyond the practice of our faith in houses of worship. We must be free to put our faith into action in the public square, and, in response to Christ’s call, demonstrate His mercy through our love and compassion for all people according to the clear mandate of Holy Scripture.

The government has overstepped its bounds. This controversy is not merely about “birth control” and the Catholic Church’s views about it. It’s about mandating that we provide medications which kill life in the womb. And moreover, and perhaps even more ominous, it is about an overzealous government forcing coercive provisions that violate the consciences and rights of its citizens. We can no longer expect a favored position for Christianity in this country. But we can, as citizens of this great nation, fight for constitutional sanity against secularizing forces. As we have vividly experienced in discriminatory state legislation with respect to homosexual adoption, we, and our institutions (and those of other religious citizens of good will), are being robbed of the right to the free exercise of religion absent government intrusion or threat. The next assault will come upon church-related retirement facilities. How much longer will it be legal in this country to believe and act according to the dictates of biblical and creedal Christianity?

Jesus bids us, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's” (Mark 12:17). We will pray for and support our government where we can, but our consciences and lives belong to God.

In His peace,

Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison
President
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

LCMS Statement on Ungodly HHS Mandate

Thank you, President Harrison, for this excellent statement on the recent ungodly mandate from the U.S. government that requires health plans offered by religious employers to cover controversial contraceptives--against their consciences and tenets of religious belief! I couldn't agree more with your statement: "Increasingly we are suffering overzealous government intrusions into what is the realm of traditional and biblical Christian conscience."


Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are deeply distressed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recent decision to require nearly all private health plans, including those offered by religious employers, to cover contraceptives. This will include controversial birth-control products such as “Ella” and the “morning after” pill, even though the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that such drugs can cause the death of a baby developing in the womb. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) objects to the use of drugs and procedures that are used to take the lives of unborn children, who are persons in the sight of God from the time of conception, and we are opposed to the HHS’ decision mandating the coverage of such contraceptives.

This HHS action relates to a provision in the “health care reform” legislation (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) signed into law in 2010. The church’s benefits partner, Concordia Plan Services, which provides health care coverage to nearly 48,000 people, has been actively monitoring this legislation and, as a result, Concordia Health Plan (CHP)—the LCMS church workers’ health plan—has been maintained as a “grandfathered” plan. As such, employers and workers participating in CHP would not be subjected to the mandate. However, many religious organizations do not have grandfathered plans and cannot avail themselves of the extremely narrow religious-employer exemption, which only is applicable to religious employers that primarily serve and employ members of that faith.

For centuries, Lutherans have joyfully delivered Christ’s mercy to others and embraced His call to care for the needy within our communities and around the world. In a nation that has allowed more than 54 million legal abortions since 1973, we must consider the marginalization of unborn babies and object to this mandate.

In addition, I encourage the members of the LCMS to join with me in supporting efforts to preserve our essential right to exercise our religious beliefs. This action by HHS will have the effect of forcing many religious organizations to choose between following the letter of the law and operating within the framework of their religious tenets. We add our voice to the long list of those championing for the continued ability to act according to the dictates of their faith, and provide compassionate care and clear Christian witness to society’s most vulnerable, without being discriminated against by government.

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, a church body of sinners redeemed by the blood of Jesus, has affected the lives of millions of people with care, aid, housing, health care, spiritual care and much more. We have been a force for good in this nation, promoting education (the nation’s largest Protestant school system), marriage and giving people the tools and assistance to be good citizens. We live and breathe Romans 13:3–7. The governing authorities are “God’s servant for good.” We pray constantly for our President and those in authority. We have sent our sons and daughters to fight for this country. We have provided military chaplains, elected officials, officers, including some who have held the highest military offices and other appointed positions in this country. Our people have and are serving as congressmen and women and senators.

Increasingly we are suffering overzealous government intrusions into what is the realm of traditional and biblical Christian conscience. We believe this is a violation of our First Amendment rights. We will stand, to the best of our ability, with all religious and other concerned citizens, against this erosion of our civil liberty. Come what may, we shall do everything we can, by God’s grace, to “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

In His peace,

Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison 
President
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Just in case...

...you're still not sure that our nation is lunging toward Socialism (i.e. Marxism, Communism, etc.), and intentionally so, listen to them in their own words:



HT: glennbeck.com

CO2 is NOT a Pollutant

Here's a follow up on a previous post on the truth about greenhouse gases. If, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, then I wonder what this video is worth? Perhaps seeing is worth believing.

Check out "Seeing is Believing":



HT: TrevorLoudon.com

"The Truth About Greenhouse Gases"

Here's a great article in First Things by William Happer, the Cyrus Fogg Brackett Professor of Physics at Princeton University: "The Truth About Greenhouse Gases."

Is carbon dioxide (CO2) really a "pollutant," as the U.S. Government has declared via its far left-leaning EPA? If so, then we'd better reconsider the whole matter of us human beings performing that little act of breathing. As Happer states, "Carbon is the stuff of life. Our bodies are made of carbon. A normal human exhales around 1 kg of CO2 (the simplest chemically stable molecule of carbon in the earth's atmosphere) per day." The rest of the article is quite enlightening.

Not only that, but green plants actually thrive on CO2. We may just want to increase our "carbon footprint"!

Oh, and by the way, this whole CO2 as "pollutant" thing reminds me of another one-liner that some might use to scare an unsuspecting public: Did you know that 100% of the people who consume "dihydrogen monoxide" eventually die after consuming it? Check it out here and here.

A Must View!

Especially if you text while driving, or - I'll be bold and add it - if you like to chat on your phone while driving. This 11 minute documentary is a good, sobering wake up call!



Thank you, AT&T for making this available!