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By jeff, June 1, 2010 8:26 pm

Wonderful little article over at PyroManiacs.

Really… you should be reading this everyday, and if you’re not… start now.

To my wholly subjective impression, this seems to be one of three main kinds of “deconversion stories.” Most of these stories are patent fakes, told by someone who clearly had about as much Christian involvement as I have in the government of China. (To wit, I can spell “China.” See? C-h-i-n-a.)

Another tries a more rational approach, claiming Science or contradictions or the like.

A third comes from the other direction, telling sad stories that amount to “not feeling it” anymore for one reason or another.

All of the stories have in common that the God of Christianity let the speaker/writer down. And that was that.

Candidly, as I mentioned, I often simply do not believe the speaker or writer. A great many of these stories range from paint-thin rationalizations unable to withstand 23 consecutive seconds of rational analysis, to cut-and-paste alibis. They’re concocted or borrowed simply to cover up an overruling love for a particular sin or sin-pattern. And that’s just about as deep as it goes.

Observation: the speaker/writer would invariably deny that analysis, insisting on the nobler-seeming, more solid-seeming cover story. But if there’s really no God, why bother with a cover? Just get on with it, no explanation necessary. Especially if you really are no more than matter-in-motion in an amoral, careening, meaningless universe. But I digress.Finish Reading.

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By jeff, May 8, 2010 8:06 am

Article | First Things.

I think I am very close to concluding that this whole “New Atheism” movement is only a passing fad—not the cultural watershed its purveyors imagine it to be, but simply one of those occasional and inexplicable marketing vogues that inevitably go the way of pet rocks, disco, prime-time soaps, and The Bridges of Madison County. This is not because I necessarily think the current “marketplace of ideas” particularly good at sorting out wise arguments from foolish. But the latest trend in à la mode godlessness, it seems to me, has by now proved itself to be so intellectually and morally trivial that it has to be classified as just a form of light entertainment, and popular culture always tires of its diversions sooner or later and moves on to other, equally ephemeral toys.

Take, for instance, the recently published 50 Voices of Disbelief: Why We Are Atheists. Simple probability, surely, would seem to dictate that a collection of essays by fifty fairly intelligent and zealous atheists would contain at least one logically compelling, deeply informed, morally profound, or conceptually arresting argument for not believing in God. Certainly that was my hope in picking it up. Instead, I came away from the whole drab assemblage of preachments and preenings feeling rather as if I had just left a large banquet at which I had been made to dine entirely on crushed ice and water vapor.

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By jeff, April 16, 2010 10:01 pm

It’s official. Heard a heart beat and got his/her first picture… and only one, so to all those people who were wishing twins on us… better luck next time!

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By jeff, April 7, 2010 6:39 pm

Yesterday morning, on April 6, 2010, ChinaAid President Bob Fu spoke with Gao Zhisheng over the phone. This was the first direct contact Bob has had with Gao Zhisheng since he last spoke with him by phone last January, as Bob was rescuing Gao’s wife and children in Thailand. The conversation brought hope and light for the two men, after more than 400 days of uncertainty and doubt.

Gao told Bob he had spoken with his daughter Gege in New York earlier this morning. “She told me she felt like God was silent, that He had not heard her prayers,” Gao shared openly, deeply pained by his daughter’s anguish over their prolonged separation. He expressed concern for his family’s safety and well-being, and his desire to be reunited with his family.

Gao thanked Bob Fu personally for ChinaAid’s role in pressing the FreeGao campaign internationally on his behalf for so long, and for aiding his family in their escape from China.

He informed Bob that he had just returned to his Beijing apartment from his guarded location in Shanxi. Abandoned for more than a year, Gao was saddened by the thick layer of dust covering the apartment and the emptiness of the rooms.

Using the words of Psalm 23, Pastor Bob Fu prayed for Gao Zhisheng and his family, reminding him of God’s faithfulness and love.

Gao further reported he had just recovered from a racking cough for more than a month, but was not able to give any further details about his physical condition. According to Pastor Fu, Gao was deeply concerned about the condition of his family in New York, but has remained strong in his faith.

“Gao Zhisheng and his family have suffered deeply from the long separation,” said Pastor Fu. “Despite the persecution, he continues to trust the Lord.”

Pastor Fu was moved by Gao’s need to be with his family. “By allowing us to speak with Gao Zhisheng, the Chinese government has shown they have been forced to respond to the international outrage and pressure on Gao Zhisheng’s behalf.

“Yet, Gao is still not able to speak or move freely. According to international norms and Chinese law, he has the right to travel overseas to reunite with his family and to be free, if he is not found in violation of laws during his probation.”

“We must call on the Chinese government to release Gao Zhisheng and permit him to reunite with his family in the United States. It is his legal and basic human right to be united with his loved ones.”

Thanks to the 134,446 people who signed the petition, the 13,663 people who sent letters to their local representatives, the 2,767 people who contacted U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and the hundreds of thousands around the world who donated their financial support, prayers, and advocacy efforts to Free Gao Zhisheng for the past 400 days – the first phase of the Free Gao campaign is a success!

However, Gao Zhisheng is still not free. His treatment and condition for the past year remains a mystery.

ChinaAid will continue to campaign for Gao Zhisheng’s freedom until he is able to reunite with his family. In the coming weeks, we will be revising the FreeGao.com website, and exploring new avenues of advocacy on Gao’s behalf.

Thank you for your continued support! Watch for upcoming details on how to continue to help Free Gao Zhisheng.

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By jeff, March 30, 2010 7:27 pm

SHANXI — On Sunday, March 28, 2010, missing human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng spoke to his wife and children for the first time in over a year – confirming he is still alive! False rumors of his death, torture, and escape from the custody of the Chinese Government have shrouded Gao’s absence with mystery for over a year. Gao’s brief phone conversations with western media mark the first official contact the public has had with him since his abduction by police on February 4, 2009.

Yesterday, Gao informed reporters that he had been released from detention six months ago, and had taken up residence at Wutai Shan mountain, a Buddhist landmark in northern Shanxi province. He refused to give details on his condition or whereabouts, saying he could not legally give interviews.

Close friend and fellow human rights lawyer Li Heping confirmed he had also spoken with Gao on Sunday. Gao told him he had “friends around him” – indicating he was being held under close surveillance by Chinese authorities.

Gao’s wife Geng He and their children were overwhelmed with emotion as they spoke with Gao on Sunday morning. The children could not stop crying. In a statement released on Monday morning, Geng He appealed to the Chinese government to allow Gao Zhisheng to join the family in New York. Gao’s family has suffered greatly in his absence. Geng He’s parents have been severely harassed in recent months, for which Gao feels guilty.

He told the Associated Press, “I just want to be in peace and quiet for a while and be reunited with my family. Most people belong with family. I have not been with mine for a long time. This is a mistake and I want to correct this mistake.”

While on his campaign in Europe to promote awareness of Gao’s cause, ChinaAid President Bob Fu attributed the breakthrough to increased international pressure. “Thanks to the more than 124,000 supporters in over 180 countries around the world who have signed the petition to Free Gao, the Chinese Government has been forced to respond and to allow Gao Zhisheng to reconnect with his loved ones.”

ChinaAid thanks you for your continued support and urges you to continue to take action. From Argentina to Zimbabwe, you, the international community have answered the call. And this is just the beginning.

Gao is not free yet. His movements are still being watched and monitored. He is not free to speak publicly or without surveillance. We must continue to press the Chinese government to free Gao Zhisheng, to uncensor his movements, and to allow him to reunite with his family.

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By jeff, March 20, 2010 9:31 am

Buy it here

Hey kids! I’m still alive, just been a little busy lately.

Finished this book last night and would highly recommend it to everybody. If someone was to take all of the “advice” in these books and implement them as a government… you would get America 2010.

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By jeff, February 17, 2010 8:10 pm

Part 1

Part 2

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By jeff, February 2, 2010 9:16 pm

On the one-year anniversary of Gao Zhisheng’s disappearance, ChinaAid is humbly asking for your help to expand our efforts in raising awareness on Gao’s behalf. Please read the complete message below.

On February 4, 2009, Gao Zhisheng was abducted from his home and disappeared into the black hole of the Chinese detention system. After one year, Gao is still missing – his condition and whereabouts are still unknown.

Rumors of Gao’s death have viciously circulated since December, 2009, inflicting pain and despair on his family, and weakening the resolve of many human rights organizations. Some believe that the Chinese government will never yield, and that human rights for the Chinese will remain an elusive myth.

Yet the Chinese government’s silence cracked ever so slightly on January 21, 2010. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu publicly acknowledged Gao’s case to the media for the first time in over a year in a news conference: “The relevant judicial authorities have decided this case, and we should say this person, according to Chinese law, is where he should be.”

ChinaAid believes that based on the minister’s comments and other inside reports, Gao Zhisheng is still alive, but suffering incredible torture. We will not give up on Gao until he is guaranteed his basic human rights with dignity before the law.

There is hope! And now it’s time to bring up the intensity to a new level.

24-Hour Free Gao Ad Campaign

On February 4, 2010, the anniversary of Gao Zhisheng’s disappearance, ChinaAid will be launching a one-day, 24-hour targeted issue-based advertising campaign to spread the news about Gao. The ads will feature a basic message, and urge people to learn more about Gao Zhisheng’s case. See banner ads live on-line, Thursday, February 4, 2010, hosted on www.DrudgeReport.com

The chosen site boasts traffic of up to 25 million page views per day, with over 2 million unique site visitors – promising a high number of concerned citizens learning about Gao Zhisheng for the first time. We hope to effectively generate new interest and add more pressure to the Chinese government to respond.

The sample below illustrates the primary design for the 24-hour campaign. These banner ads will be animated, linking to a webpage sharing Gao’s story, and directing the viewer to www.FreeGao.com, to Sign the Petition, and to Contact their U.S. Representative or the Office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

We humbly ask you to consider being a part of this next push on behalf of Gao Zhisheng, to get his story out and urge the international community to step forward to raise the alarm.

Please consider donating to specially offset the cost of this ad campaign, as we step up the campaign to the next level on the Anniversary of Gao Zhisheng’s disappearance. Every small effort helps.

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By jeff, January 26, 2010 7:29 pm

U.S. passes 50 million abortion mark

At some point during the past two years the United States experienced its 50 millionth legal abortion, the overwhelming majority of which were conducted for reasons of convenience.

The tragic statistic — which spans the 37 years since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973 — is based on data compiled by the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute and tallied by the National Right to Life Committee. Guttmacher’s data is respected by both sides of the issue and comes directly from abortion clinics.

The mark of 50 million was passed in 2008 and likely approached or reached 52 million in 2009, although data is not yet available for that year. The 50 million figure actually is an estimate based on Guttmacher data from 2005 — the last year of data — when 1.2 million abortions were performed. The abortion rate ranged between 1.2 and 1.3 million from 2000 to 2005. If the same number of abortions performed in 2005 were performed in each succeeding year, then the number stood at 52 million at the end of last year.

To put the total in perspective, the combined number of military deaths in all of America’s wars –- from the Revolutionary War to the second Iraq war –- is 1.2 million.

“We’ve been brutalized, desensitized and paganized by an ever-rising flood of the unborns’ blood as our nation continues to abort roughly one out of every four babies conceived,” Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said.

“I can still remember the Bible lesson I heard as a youngster in Sunday School about how the people of God turned their back on the One True God and went down into the Valley of Hinnom [2 Chronicles 28] to offer up in pagan sacrifice their little children to the pagan god Molech. I could never have imagined then that I would live to see the day that America would offer up its unborn children as pagan sacrifices because they were viewed as too expensive, too embarrassing, too ill or too inconvenient.”
Read the rest here.