Showing posts with label congressional prayer caucus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label congressional prayer caucus. Show all posts

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Report From Washington - May 5, 2012



In this issue, a special report: William J. Murray reports this week from New York City. This update centers on National Day of Prayer activities on Capitol Hill and Murray's appearance on the Mike Huckabee TV Show
 

National Day of Prayer Special Report 
On the National Day of Prayer my morning began with a prayer group on the Supreme Court Plaza. Our group actually had permission to pray, as long as our group did not constitute a "demonstration." The line between the two is very ill defined. I was joined by several activists on Capitol Hill including Peggy Nienaber of Faith and Action as well as Rev. Patrick Mahoney. After praying for the nation we had the opportunity to have breakfast at the Supreme Court cafeteria where we joined together in saying grace before eating.

The National Day of Prayer was changed to the first Thursday in May during President Ronald Reagan's last year in office in 1988. The original law, signed by President Harry Truman, did not specify a date which caused some confusion over several decades.

This past Thursday thousands of public prayer meetings were held across the nation including one here on Capitol Hill. The national meeting was held in the Caucus Room of the Cannon House Office Building just a block from the Capitol Building itself. For the sixth year in a row the host for the National Day of Prayer in the Capitol complex was Congressman Robert Aderholt of Alabama. In my capacity as chairman of Government Is Not God -PAC, I endorsed and helped to elect Robert Aderholt to Congress back in 1996. He has been working to further family values since his election.

Also present during the three hours of prayer in the Caucus Room were Congressman Randy Forbes of Virginia and his wife, Shirley. Congressman Forbes, also elected with the help of Government Is Not God - PAC back in 2001, founded the Congressional Prayer Caucus which has 105 members. Each week upon their return to the Hill the members of the Prayer Caucus meet in Room 219 in the Capitol Building itself to pray. A national movement in State houses for prayer caucuses has begun following Congressman Forbes' example.

At this year's prayer meeting Congressman Forbes shared miraculous events which occurred in his life as a result of prayer, including the survival of his first child despite doctors telling him that he and his wife needed to say their goodbyes to their newborn son.

The overall chairman of the National Day of Prayer event in Washington each year is Shirley Dobson, the wife of Dr. James Dobson. The military and every branch of government was represented -- except for the Administration -- as President Obama did not send a representative. One of the highlights of the day was the Azula Pacific University all men's choir which sang several traditional hymns a cappella.

After the National Day of Prayer meeting which lasted from 9:00 AM to noon, I attended a special lunch with Congressman Louie Gohmert of Texas for the International Israel Allies Caucus. Congressman Gohmert spoke of his most recent trip to Israel and his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. (Note: It was Congressman Gohmert who initiated the recommendation that led to Speaker Boehner inviting Prime Minister Netanyahu to speak to a joint session of Congress in 2010.) The congressman spoke of the continued need for prayer, but also reminded us that while Israel is mentioned as being part of End Time prophecy, the United States is not. He said nations that do not stand with Israel should not expect their God to protect them.

At 2:00 PM on the National Day of Prayer I made my way to a meeting at the Capitol Visitors' Center (CVC) which sits below the actual Capitol Building grounds. While most people believe this is merely a tourist entrance since the shooting at Tom Delay's office some years ago, it is actually an official business entrance as well. Also unknown to tourists is the fact that the CVC has both House and Senate meeting rooms that can be reserved only by Members of Congress for their use or the use of their constituents for special events. Full catering service is available.

Congressman Todd Akin of Missouri had arranged a conference room to be used by several groups led by Rev. Rick Scarborough of Texas for "40 Days to Save America." This is a prayer and fasting campaign to begin on September 28th and run through Election Day, November 6th. The object is to pray and fast for America to turn back to a godly path and to elect godly leaders.


THE MIKE HUCKABEE SHOW 

I was scheduled to appear the Fox News Channel's Mike Huckabee Show this weekend, however, while on the train to New York I received a call that I had been "bumped" for a breaking news segment on pro-life Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng who was forced out of the U.S. Embassy by Secretary of State Clinton when she arrived in China to promote the sale of more U.S. Debt. (Without Chinese loans the United States would be forced to disband the entire military.) Because I was in transit to New York the decision was made to tape my segment which centers on my book, My Life Without God, and show it at a later date. The taping will still be done in front of a live audience, and I will post the date of the actual show on the book's Facebook page as soon as it is known. You can help get the word out about the book my giving the page a "like."

My previous radio interview with Mike Huckabee is still online. Listen to it here. Please consider buying a copy of the book for your local library or a Christian school.



MORE FROM THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM COALITION


Constitution of Sharia Conference CONSTITUTION OR SHARIA CONFERENCE DVD - This is the complete set of DVD's from the November 11, 2011 Constitution or Sharia conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The Constitution or Sharia: Preserving Freedom Conference, was the first true national conference on Sharia and the Islamization of America sponsored by major freedom oriented organizations! It was not just another educational conference. How do deal with and stop implementation of Sharia law in the United states was outlined by speakers and in panels. Order today
NEW APRIL CHAIRMAN'S REPORT -
Now available, the April 19th edition of William J. Murray's Chairman's' Report. IN THE ISSUE:The many attacks on religious freedom by the Obama Administration in the United States, and the Obama Administration's efforts to establish Islamist regimes in the Middle East. Why the Obama Administration will not declare the Boko Haram a terror group.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SHARIA LAW - One of the best locations on the Internet to learn about Islamic Sharia law and its effect on the West is www.shariafreeusa.org FACEBOOK FAN? Sharia Free USA now has a Facebook page with more than 1,500 followers. Join with us at Facebook today!



BOOKS BY WILLIAM J. MURRAY 
Now available at our online store. Books by William J. Murray
 
 

Monday, October 26, 2009

October 23, 2009 - Washington, DC

The "Chavez gene" in Obama / White House censorship of Fox News backfires / Thought crimes passes both House and Senate ... Obama to host big gay event for signing / Senator wants no illegals counted in census / The Prayer Caucus / Liberals review a conservative book that has not even been released / How the left loves to censor / Gays want names of marriage supporters in order to attack them / An "Honor Hit and Run" in Arizona / More on Iraqi Christian refugees
Make your Sunday school aware of issues they don't read about in local newspapers. Print out this update and distribute it to your class. Please consider forwarding this update to them and recommend that they subscribe.


THE PRESIDENCY



THE CHAVEZ IN OBAMA - Venezuela had a free press until just a few years ago. At first Hugo Chavez, the far left Fidel Castro-loving president of Venezuela, criticized the media that opposed him. Then his supporters arranged advertising boycotts. Then the news studios were invaded by Chavez sympathizers. Then Chavez shut down radio stations that "lied" about him. Then entire TV and radio stations had their broadcast licenses revoked. MEANWHILE: In the USA President Obama and other White House officials have been critical of Fox News and have refused to appear on any Fox News programs. Leftist supporters of Obama have called for advertising boycotts against Fox News programs such as the Glenn Beck Show. It follows a pattern, a pattern of the left which always moves to censor what it does not want the public to hear. Read more For more censorship by the left see Culture and Religion section below  
FOX CENSORSHIP BACKFIRES - I really wish I could have seen the expression on Barack Obama's face when he got the news that the liberal media would not go along with his censorship attempt against Fox News. On Thursday "pay czar" Kenneth Feinberg was made available for interviews to the White House media pool (except for Fox News). Stunned by the blatant attempt at media manipulation, the Washington bureau chiefs of the five TV networks decided that no one would participate in the Feinberg interview unless Fox News was also allowed to participate. The Obama Administration was forced to relent and include Fox News. Read more
MAKE COMMENTS - You can make comments on this and other articles in these updates at www.MurrayOnTheHill.com


THE CONGRESS



THOUGHT CRIMES PASSES HOUSE - A total of 131 Republicans voted against the Department of Defense Authorization bill because of the far left social agenda legislation in this bill, including "hate crimes" legislation. Democrats will now use the vote to claim Republicans voted against "funding the troops." We need to stand by the brave men and women who held onto their convictions and voted against a radical social agenda even though they placed themselves at political risk. Click here to view the full list of House Members who voted against the so called "hate Crimes" legislation in the DOD authorization. (HR-2647) GOP names in italics. Some Democrats voted against HR-2647 because they hate the military, not because they object to the "hate crimes" legislation. Congressman Forbes (R-VA) comments.  
THOUGHT CRIMES PASSES SENATE - Senate Democrats followed radical House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in adding "Thought Crimes" legislation to the must-pass military spending bill. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said, "The inclusion of the controversial language of the hate crimes legislation, which is unrelated to our national defense, is deeply troubling." And Senator Jim DeMint, (R-SC) said the bill would "serve as a warning to people not to speak out too loudly about their religious views." If signed into law by Obama it will be tested by thousands of religious leaders in the United States who will preach a message that homosexuality is immoral. Let's see how many of us Obama can jail!
SENATOR SAYS NO TO COUNTING ILLEGALS - Do you want your state to lose congressmen to southern California because several million illegals live there? Senator Vitter (R-LA) has presented an amendment to a spending bill for the Census that would allow only those legally in the country to be counted. Without his Amendment, his state and several others will lose congressmen to areas with large illegal populations that don't even have the legal right to vote. Read more. WHAT CAN'T BE STOPPED: Many pro-illegal groups want the census to DOUBLE the count of Hispanics so those who "hide" will be counted. What if every legal citizen in the USA added just one non-existant" person to their census form? Would that make up for all the illegals being counted? Just a thought.
THE PRAYER CAUCUS -Congressman Randy Forbes and the Prayer Caucus consistently fight for the religious heritage of our nation. The group, led by Forbes, successfully had "One Nation Under God" placed in the new Congressional Visitor Center and has filed briefs in the Supreme Court to defend religious sites in the nation. Lean more about the Prayer Caucus.


CULTURE AND RELIGION



LIBERALS GIVE BAD REVIEWS OF BOOK BEFORE IT'S RELEASED - Check out "The Right Hook: From the Ring to the Culture War" by my friend Matt Barber at Amazon.com and you will see all sorts of negative reviews written by left-wingers. Only one problem: the conservative pro-family book has not been released yet, and those writing these reviews could not possibly have read it! Many of the attacks on the book are actually personal attacks on Barber, which figures, because liberals are incapable of debating ideas and concepts. Read more  
THE LEFT LOVES TO CENSOR - I have reported on conservative Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders and his film Fitna, which reveals the dark side of Islamic violence. He was refused entry into Great Britain because of the "hate" he exhibited by quoting verses from the Koran. (He won that case and entered the UK last month.) Liberals who support radical Islam showed up at Temple University this week to shout down and boo him. His greatest sin, as seen by liberals, was saying that "our Western culture is far better than the Islamic culture and we should defend it." Often liberals will show up at campus events for the sole purpose of censoring conservative speakers, many times with violence. Read more See related story about BBC
GAYS WANT NAMES AND ADDRESSES IN ORDER TO ATTACK PEOPLE - Homosexuals have demanded the names and addresses of those who are supporting traditional marriage in the state of Washington. They want the names to launch personal attacks and start boycotts of businesses as they did in California. This week the Supreme Court in an 8-1 vote, issued an order preventing the release of the names and personal information of over 138,000 signers of a pro-marriage referendum petition. The order will prevent homosexual hate groups from posting the information online and calling for violent acts against the signers. Read more
OCTOBER 8, 2009 CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - The all new October 8, 2009 Chairman's Report is now available to read in PDF format. This issue contains more information about our work on Capitol Hill with the 111th Congress, and also about our work on international issues. Help your Sunday School class understand these issues better. Print out and distribute the Chairman's Report to your class or fellowship this Sunday! Click here to review.


VISIT OUR GREAT INTERNET STORE



PLEASE VISIT OUR STORE - We have a great Internet store with thousands of books, CD's, DVD's, and even Christian jewelry ... OK ... We are not as cheap as Amazon, but we don't sell porn and Satanic cult materials either. Please check out or store!

INTERNATIONAL



NOT IRAQI ENOUGH? - Not wanting to admit that Iraqi Christians were persecuted, the Bush Administration gave immigration status to ten times as many Iraqi Muslims as Christians. While Christians lived in fear and poverty in Iraq, Jordan and Syria, Muslim Iraqis were given an entrance to America. THE RESULT: A Muslim Iraqi father ran down his daughter in Arizona because of her "Western values." The media in Arizona refused to refer to Islam and instead said the act was because she wasn't acting "Iraqi" enough. Hmmm. Christian Iraqis moving to the USA don't seem to have problems like this. When will the government recognize what has happened and help those who need help -- the Iraqi Christians? See story  
IRAQI CHRISTIAN REFUGEES - The persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ who fled Iraq has gotten worse since our troops left the cities. Rather than Christians returning to Iraq, more are making their way to Jordan and Syria. Our ministry is barred from operating in Syria, but our feeding and medical program continues in Jordan. A third shipment of medical supplies has been delivered, and last week we funded our feeding program in Amman for another three months. Your help is still needed.
SPECIAL IRAQI UPDATE - Our ministry partner from Jordan will be in Washington, DC in November, and arrangements have been made to visit several congressional offices. We will also prepare a large shipment of medical supplies to be sent back to the clinic we support in Jordan, enough to last through November and December. Please help financially with these projects.


CHRISTIAN INTERNET SUPER STORE



GIFTS FROM A CHRISTIAN STORE How about birthday or anniversary gifts with a Christian theme? Our Internet Christian Super Store has tens of thousands of books, CD's DVD's, jewelry, food and more. AND ... Our store does not sell the atheist and satanist books that you will find on Amazon.com. When you buy from our store, you help our work. Please take a look at our store today at www.rfcstore.com

Contributions to the work of the Religious Freedom Coalition can be made at www.rfcnet.org.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Affirming America's Religious Heritage

Congressman J. Randy Forbes (R-VA), Congressman Mike McIntyre D-NC), Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-AL), along with Members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus and faith leaders will hold a bi-partisan press conference affirming America’s religious heritage and announcing the introduction of America’s Spiritual Heritage Resolution (formerly H.Res.888 in the 110th Congress).

America’s religious heritage has been a heightened point of debate and discussion over the past several weeks. Recently, President Barack Obama claimed while in Turkey that “we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation, or a Jewish nation...,” Newsweek stated that this is “The End of Christian America,” and a PEW study reported that the percentage of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith has doubled in recent years. Members of Congress, along with leaders of faith organizations, will join together in discussing these claims and affirming America’s rich religious heritage.

WHO:

Rep. J. Randy Forbes (VA-04), Prayer Caucus Co-Chairman

Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Prayer Caucus Co-Chairman

Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04), National Day of Prayer Sponsor

Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-04)

Rep. John Kline (MN-02)

Rep. Walter Jones (NC-03)

Rep. Trent Franks (AZ-02)

Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01)

Rep. Mike Pence (IN-06)

Rep. Michael Turner (OH-03)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (MN-06)

Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02)

Dr. James Dobson, Focus on the Family

Ms. Shirley Dobson, Focus on the Family

Gary Bauer, American Values

Maureen Wiebe, American Association of Christian Schools

Wendy Wright, Concerned Women for America

Bill Murray, Religious Freedom Coalition

WHAT:

A press conference where Members of Congress, along with prominent faith leaders, affirm America’s rich religious history and announce the introduction of America’s Spiritual Heritage Resolution (formerly H.Res.888 in the 110th Congress).

WHEN:

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Immediately following the National Day of Prayer Service, approximately 12:15 p.m.

WHERE:

Cannon House Office Building

Cannon Terrace


For more information on the Congressional Prayer Caucus, visit http://www.house.gov/forbes/prayercaucus.htm.