Uncategorized – Page 10 – The Faithful Watchman

Christianity makes a comeback

Churches are filling up, Bible sales are booming, and prayer is drifting back into daily life. Even Joe Rogan, a barometer of pop-culture skepticism, has hosted believers and Christian apologists.

In the realm of sports, this shift is even more pronounced. UFC fighters and NFL stars openly declare their faith.

Then there’s Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla.

The Undertaker got baptized. Olympians defied the rule against “religious demonstrations” and openly praised Jesus for their victories. Given the excesses of the opening ceremony, this defiance was warranted.

Federal Court Rules ‘Parental Rights Are Not Unlimited,’ Schools Can Hide Children’s Gender Transitions

The U.S. appellate court system has largely avoided debating the contentious issue of parental rights as it relates to children’s gender transition efforts in schools — until now.

In a unanimous decision published late last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First District issued a ruling in Foote v. Ludlow School Committee, a case centered on a Massachusetts middle school facilitating a student’s social gender transition while keeping the transition a secret from the student’s parents. Addressing the merits, the court dismissed the case, writing that “parental rights are not unlimited. Parents may not invoke the Due Process Clause to create a preferred educational experience for their child in public school.”

AI-powered church service in Germany draws a large crowd

On Friday, over 300 people attended an experimental ChatGPT-powered church service at St. Paul’s church in the Bavarian town of Fürth, Germany, reports the Associated Press. The 40-minute sermon included text generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot and delivered by avatars on a television screen above the altar.

The chatbot, initially personified as a bearded man with a fixed expression and monotone voice, addressed the audience by proclaiming, “Dear friends, it is an honor for me to stand here and preach to you as the first artificial intelligence at this year’s convention of Protestants in Germany.”

Federal judge temporarily blocks Louisiana law requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms

A Louisiana law requiring schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge, who ruled it coercive and unconstitutional. The law, set to take effect January 1, was challenged by nine families, who argue it violates the First Amendment by endorsing religion in public schools.

The state’s Attorney General, Liz Murrill, vowed to appeal the decision, defending the law as recognizing the Ten Commandments’ historical significance in U.S. law. The law mandates 11-by-14-inch posters of the commandments with a contextual statement in schools receiving state funds, including colleges and universities. Schools may accept donations for the displays but are not required to purchase them.

‘Civil War Is Now Official’ – Syria Erupts Into Worst Bloodshed Since Assad’s Fall

Any lingering delusions that Syria could emerge from its Western-imposed, regime-change victimhood and enter an era of peace and stability were obliterated on Thursday, as 48 people were killed in battles between supporters of the deposed Bashar al Assad government and the country’s new radical Islamist regime. As all-out civil war looms, increasingly disturbing sectarian violence has an important minority sect asking for Russian intervention to safeguard their lives.

Pastor Claims Calling Jesus ‘The Savior’ Is A ‘Stumbling Block’ To Church Attendance

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Without due vigilance to obey the command to rightly handle God’s truth, it’s easy to allow our own thinking, our emotions, or the ethos of our cultural moment to shape our interpretation of Scripture. That’s one reason why my father always taught me to start with God’s Word—when we read, study, and apply God’s Word to our lives and recognize that it is our authority, it will keep us from error.

Appeals court ruling denies parents’ rights to be informed by school about 11-year-old child’s gender change

Parental rights were dealt a blow in a ruling from an appeals court that said schools didn’t have to notify parents when their 11-year-old child said the child was changing gender.

The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a previous ruling from 2022 by U.S. District Judge Mark G. Mastroianni and dismissed the appeal filed by parents of a student at Ludlow Public Schools in Massachusetts.

Abortion by Mail: Horror Stories Emerge of ‘Abortions for Children… Without Parental Consent’

Abortion pills are being sent through the mail these days to bypass state restrictions, and it’s reshaping the landscape of the abortion battle.

In Louisiana, a New York doctor faces indictment for allegedly prescribing abortion-inducing drugs to a pregnant teenager’s mother. Authorities have charged Dr. Margaret Carpenter and her New York-based company with felony criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs. The teenager’s mother is also facing charges.

‘Vance Was Right’ — Praying At Home Could Be a Crime ‘Depending on Who Passes Window’, Says Scottish MP

The author of Scotland’s draconian protest restrictions around abortion clinics has admitted that people who live within the anti-free speech zone could be committing an offence if they pray in their own homes “depending on who passes by the window”.

British legacy media and establishment politicians were quick to accuse U.S. Vice President JD Vance of spreading “misinformation” after he asserted at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month that people could be arrested for praying in their homes if they live within the 200-metre (656ft) protest prohibition zones surrounding abortion clinics in Scotland.

Iran Racing toward Nuclear Weapons: UN Report

The Islamic Republic of Iran has been racing to enrich uranium to a level just below weapons-grade, according to a confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a U.N. agency tasked with monitoring the nation’s stockpiles, which was obtained by The Wall Street Journal. After the report’s release, Iranian forces went on high alert in expectation of Israeli airstrikes.