Be a Light Unto the World
Commentary by Mr. Dana Johnson

Why I display the Christian fish symbol on my website and offer this page of commentary:  It is my solid belief and faith that all things are to be used for the glory of God and for the proclaiming of God's promise of our salvation through His Holy Son Jesus Christ.  I offer this web page in the hope that it will inspire you, renew your faith, and enlighten you to God's purpose for your life.  Find valuable resource links at the bottom of this page.

Fairness Doctrine Isn't Fair
Posted Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

When television broadcasting was in its formative years, there were few choices for news and commentary, and many news reports were deemed biased and not balanced.  So the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" was instigated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make sure audiences received fair and balanced reporting about all sides of an issue.  As a result, many broadcasters eventually decided that, instead of expressing a certain viewpoint, they didn't express any at all for fear of being fined or shut down by the FCC for not reporting an opposing viewpoint.  It ultimately muffled free speech not only in the press, but in all other opinion forums.

Since its repeal, we have seen the advent of many other outlets for many people's different opinions to be heard:  cable news, internet special interest groups, talk radio, weblogs (blogs), and many others.

Now there is a new drive by Congress to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.  What purpose would it serve this time?  ...Especially since many independent opinion sources as those listed above are now available?  It would stifle free speech by imposing a fine on anyone who expresses an opinion based on their conscience, their beliefs, their values or their faith, whether it's about abortion, same-sex marriage, hate crimes legislation, freedom of religion, right to bear arms, or other matters of social importance.

Why has it been again brought to the forefront?  One reason:  To put a muzzle on conservative radio and television commentators as Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Riley, Shawn Hannity, Neil Cavuto, and others.  But wait, there's more.  It would also silence the Godly Christian values expressed by such television and radio pastors as John Hagee, Jack and Rexella Van Impe, Adrian Rogers,
D. James Kennedy and others who speak out against a number of anti-Christian issues.

Who wants the Fairness Doctrine reinstated?  Left-wing liberal special interest groups who don't want anyone speaking against their particular agenda.  Ultimately, though, this would muzzle them too, since it would apply to their opinions as well as those who oppose them.

The Fairness Doctrine is an outdated concept and an unfair concept.  Write or call your legislative representative and urge him or her to vote against this discriminating legislature that would ultimately render the first amendment null and void.

A Few Questions About "Hate Crimes" Legislation
Posted Sunday, March 29, 2009

1.  What is a "hate crime"?  Wikipedia defines it this way: "Hate crimes (also known as bias-motivated crimes) occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, or political affiliation."  According to this definition, the elderly are a social group, Christians are a certain social group, children are a certain social group, in essence, everyone is in a certain social group.  So what's the big deal?

2.  What is "hate crimes" legislation?  It is designed to protect, not all, but just one "certain social group".  At least in the United States, all citizens are guaranteed equal justice under the law, meaning that "justice is blind."  If hate crimes legislation is passed, justice would no longer be blind or equal.  It would favor those who are defined by this certain social group.

3.  What is the real purpose of "hate crimes" legislation?  For supporters of this legislation, the goal is to apply more severe punishment to crimes committed against this "certain social group" than against anyone else.  This is not equal justice.  This is prejudicial treatment.  It means that if, for instance, a 7-year-old girl is raped and murdered, or an 80-year-old woman is mugged at an ATM, such crimes would be considered less serious than an assault against an individual who fits within this "certain social group," whether in actions or just words or even thoughts.

4.  How does "equal justice under the law," as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, apply to hate crimes?  By definition, hate crimes legislation would protect everyone equally, since everyone is in a certain social group, whether by age, gender, religious affiliation, or anything else.  So why is hate crimes legislation even an issue?

5.  Who is really protected by "hate crimes" legislation?  This "certain social group" and their activist organizations seek to promote their lifestyle and denigrate and criminalize anyone who argues against it and them.  It is their goal to enact laws through congress that discourage dissent against their "certain social group."  The result is to protect no other "certain social group" than their own, essentially demonstrating their own prejudicial hatred against anyone who disagrees with them, and threatening freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and freedom of thought.

Update - November 11th, 2009 - Did you know that President Obama just signed a defense bill with a "hate crime" rider attached which goes into effect on Monday, November 16th, 2009?  This rider now makes it a hate crime for me to merely post the above questions!  Justice is no longer blind.  She is peeking from beneath her blindfold to see who this person is before passing judgment.  America is in trouble, and it is just a matter of time before all people of conscience will be squelched in their freedom of expression because someone in that "certain social group" will find their opinions, attitudes and ethics offensive. ...Perhaps sometime next Monday...

The First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution
Posted Sunday, July 23, 2006

I'm so sick and tired of celebrities and the media telling people about this so-called separation of church and state.  If you actually read and analyze the First Amendment, you will see that it guarantees only that the government must not interfere with the free practice of religion.  It says nothing about preventing religion from influencing government.  In fact, its authors intended and implied the prudent and wise application of biblical principles in all facets of government.  Read the First Amendment, and see for yourself:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...

Where does the First Amendment, or any other part of the Constitution for that matter, make any mention of keeping religion out of government?  Nowhere!  It only guarantees that government is prohibited from interfering with the free exercise of religion.

For more information, visit www.wallbuilders.com. 

The Difference Between Obscenity and Blasphemy
Posted Sunday, March 26, 2006 (Updated July 23, 2006)

I was in Best Buy a few weeks ago looking for advice on the meaning of "brief language" on a DVD of the movie "The Fantastic Four." So, I asked a couple of employees if they'd seen the movie. They both said yes, so I asked them if it contained any blasphemy. They didn't even know what blasphemy was. One of them decided that blasphemy must be like what Dave Chappelle says, while obscenity was like what George Carlin says (or the other way around). I had to explain that it wasn't quite that simple. Obscenity, I explained, includes such words as the F word, the S word, etc., while blasphemy is expressing the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ or God in any way other than a reverent, respectful manner. It is important to note that the bible says nothing about vulgar or obscene language violating God's commandments, while it specifically states that blasphemy does. The Third of God's Ten Commandments tells us that we are not to take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

As it turns out, neither clerk at Best Buy could recall any blasphemous language. With that information, I purchased the DVD only to find that there IS one instance of blasphemy where Ben exclaims "Give me the g - - d - - - mirror!" It is truly sad that neither clerk even remembered that line.

So goes the state of the world. You can express the name of Jesus Christ and God in vain and people say nothing, but when you mention those same names in reverence, you are told you are not allowed to say that - - not in the workplace, not in school and not in public. How twisted our understanding of freedom has become when we have freedom to openly curse, but not the freedom to openly pray.

As it turns out, most movies these days contain multiple instances of blasphemy. I counted three G.D.s within the first fifteen minutes of "Men In Black," several G.D.s and J.C.s in "The Matrix" movies, and two G.D.s in "A.I: Artificial Intelligence," just to mention a few. These movies, and others containing such abominable language, are watched by millions of children and teenagers. Is this the norm we want to establish in our society? It appears to be the norm Hollywood wants us to have.

Remember "Network," the movie about Howard Beale, the TV news anchor turned modern-day prophet of the airwaves?  It serves as an excellent commentary of the function of television as a replacement for real life rather than an enhancement of it. Unfortunately, in addition to the liberal use of profanity, there are 30 ...count 'em, 30... incidents of blasphemy!  Along with the adulterous affair depicted by the main character, it's no wonder the movie receives an "R" rating.  (Yes, I had to watch the whole movie to count those incidents of blasphemy.)

It also saddens me when I re-watch those classic Star Trek movies on DVD and realize that they also contain blasphemy, particularly in the character of Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.  Why don't I recall such language when I first watched them?  It is because I was conditioned to accept it as a normal part of daily conversation.  It shouldn't be as it violates the Third Commandment which states "Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain."

It has been said that Hollywood is the cleanest neighborhood in America because it dumps all its garbage into our living rooms.

Jesus said "Go and sin no more." That implies a change in your life, a turning away from the sinful ways of your past. He died on the cross in our place, a sinless man taking on our sins, the Infallible One dying for our faults and failings, a man of virtue taking on our vices as his own. So now we use his name as a casual curse word but feel uncomfortable talking about him otherwise. It's time to turn that around. That's why I am sending this letter to you, in hopes that you will consider what you are saying, and the Law you are violating, before using the name of the Lord your God and the name of Jesus Christ as an obscenity.

As for asking you to believe in Jesus Christ as your savior, it is the most difficult thing anyone can do, especially if you understand the underlying principles of this ultimate surrender. It means that you have made a commitment to cease being a child of this self-serving world and begin life anew as a child of God. To be born again in the Spirit means to replace hatred, sorrow, anger, impatience, cruelty (to yourself and others), doubt, harshness and impulse with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

First, what love is not:
Love is not a feeling. Feelings are based on emotions, sentimentality and infatuation.
Love is not an urge. Urges are associated with lust, physical attraction and sexual desire.

The ultimate act of love is to be willing to give your life to save someone else's. Are you brave enough to truly love someone?  Jesus so loved us that he willingly suffered and died for our sins, our transgressions, our faults and our failings. Are you willing to return that kind of love?  Are you willing to put your life in His hands?  Are you willing to echo the kind of love Jesus has for us all?

In Today's "Civilized" World, We Don't Need God Anymore, Do We?

Liberals argue that God must change his ways to suit our "modern" society, and that the Bible is outdated. Atheists and humanists claim we don't even need God. Why? If God's laws have been valid since the beginning of time, why would they not be valid today? Why would anyone think that today's society, with its crime, suffering, perversion, violence, disease, starvation and war, is any better than 1000, 5000, or 10,000 years ago? In order to kill someone back then, one had not much more than a pointy stick, a big club, a rock, or their bare hands. Today's murderers have used the most devastating weapons imaginable, capable of destroying a staggering number of lives in the wink of an eye. Is that what humanists, liberals and atheists think is evidence of a more civilized society? How can they be so blind to the obvious?

The basic tenets of the U. S. Constitution and the laws that govern our society are based on the Ten Commandments and God's Laws given to us in the Holy Bible. The removal of the display of such laws from our public places removes the foundation for a civilized and ethical society. Why else could there be a rash of shootings in schools in recent years? It is because the teaching of the sanctity of life endowed by our Creator has been banned from our schools and from our social conscience.

Murderers, and those considering or committing suicide, do so because they believe that life is meaningless and worthless, with no value whatsoever. They are absolutely dead wrong! God places a high value on each and every one of us. We are endowed, by design, with God's plan for each of our lives once we let go of our selfish whims and stop driving ourselves to destruction through addiction, lust, greed, anger, fear and pride.

We need God in our lives now more than ever! Our decisions must be based on wisdom, conscience, and compassion, not desire. Only through Godly acts of kindness and charity, generosity and concern for others will we raise the world out of chaos and destruction and back to the paradise it was meant to be, and only through the sacrifice given freely on our behalf by God's own son Jesus Christ can we find eternal salvation from this path of destruction and misery, hatred and self-loathing.

What About Separation of Church and State?

Did you know that praying in public schools is not a violation of the US constitution but is a freedom guaranteed by it?  Did you also know that public display of the Ten Commandments, any Christian imagery, or any religious symbolism, even in a government building, is also granted and protected by the US Constitution?  Did you know that for the first 150 years of the United States of America, the Holy Bible was the primary text used in the classroom?

The first amendment states that Congress shall pass no law establishing a religion, nor shall it prohibit the free expression of any religion!  Here is the actual text from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:  Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...

Those who argue separation of church and state should be advised...  There is no mention of separation of church and state anywhere in the U.S. Constitution, only the guarantee that the government cannot establish a national church, nor can it dictate which church you attend.  (It was assumed that you would attend church.)  The phrase regarding "separation of church and state" has been taken, out of context, from a speech given by Thomas Jefferson some 200 years ago to a church congregation in Massachusetts who was concerned about potential government interference with their church.  He reassured them that the "wall of separation between church and state" protects them from government interference.

But isn't America a secular nation according to the U S Constitution?

Secularists, Anti-Christians and others bent on perpetrating such lies continue to attack the spirit of our forefathers by claiming that their intent was to create a secular nation that guarantees freedom from religion rather than of it.  Their original intent was to guarantee that you may attend the church of your choice.  From its historical beginnings in 1607 to the signing of the Constitution, America was founded on the precept that this great nation will benefit greatly from the blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what denomination you choose.

On May 13th, 1607, the Christian Puritans, seeking relief from the religious persecution inflicted upon them in Europe, landed on what is now Virginia Beach to establish the colony of Jamestown, the first English-speaking colony to be established on the North American continent.  Within hours of landing, the new arrivals hauled ashore a 7-foot cross, planted it in the sand, kneeled before it and prayed, proclaiming this land for and in the name of Jesus Christ.

In 1620, Christian pilgrims seeking religious freedom sail from England in the Mayflower land at Plymouth Rock in what would later become Massachusetts.

Each early settlement established their own official declaration document - The Mayflower Compact is the best known, but their are several others - declaring that their respective colonies be governed according to the Godly statutes and standards presented in the Bible.

President George Washington, on September 17th, 1796, wrote that "it is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."

While such terms as "Christian nation" and "Jesus Christ" don't exist in the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence, such terms as "endowed by our Creator" and similar references to God are included.  Why?  Because even these God-fearing Christians intended freedom of religious expression for all faiths, whether Christian, Jewish, Moslem or otherwise.  Freedom to worship as one's conscience dictates, not as Congress mandates, was and is the intent of our nation's laws.  Does that give a non-religious person the right to freedom from exposure to others' religious expression?  No, since that would infringe on the rights of those wishing to express their faith.

Whether it has been enacted into law, or remains an unspoken moral standard, most of our accepted societal behavior has been based on the teachings of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, which is in turn based on the values taught in the Torah, the Jewish Holy Book.

It has only been in the latter half of the 20th Century that our American societal ethics and moral values have been eroded by the human potential movement, started by Communism and accelerated by the influence of a growing number of non-Judeo-Christian immigrants to our country who bring secularism and anti-Christian, anti-Jewish and anti-American attitudes. They've looked at the worst of religion and used those examples in an attempt to minimize or eliminate all Christianity, ignoring the best of what Christianity offers.

God Forbid that our great nation becomes a nation run by radical progressives seeking to outlaw the free exercise of our faith.  It has already happened in Canada and Europe.  Preachers are now being fined and arrested for reading passages from the Bible deemed as "hate rhetoric," essentially banning their rights to free speech in order to "protect the feelings" of those who deem such speech objectionable.  It is a sad day when we are forced to shut our mouths for fear of offending someone!

Imagine if that was the case some 230 years ago:  Oh dear, we wouldn't want to offend England by protesting their taxation without representation.  How about 150 years ago:  We wouldn't want to offend those plantation owners by criticizing them for using slave labor to run their plantations.  And 60 years ago: Oh dear, we don't want to offend the Nazis by calling them genocidal maniacs!

Fact is that free speech will offend some people.  That's the nature of a free society.  Without such freedom, we would live in a country ruled by a tyrannical minority.

The Flesh, The Soul and The Spirit

What does it mean when preachers talk about the Flesh, the Soul and the Spirit?  Pastor John Hagee spells it out more succinctly than anyone I've ever heard try to explain it in his sermon series entitled "Resurrection of Conscience":

As Pastor Hagee so clearly demonstrates, it is easy to hear God speak to you when you drop all the distractions.  Sensations such as guilt, depression, anger and frustration are strong indicators that you are going against your own conscience and ignoring the Godly voice within you.  For more information, visit Pastor Hagee's website at www.jhm.org/.

Why Jesus Christ is important in your life

"God sent his only begotten into the world not to condemn it, but to save it." (John 3:17)  Whatever you might think about Jesus of Nazareth, he lived his entire life in spiritual union with his almighty Father in Heaven.  His whole life was dedicated to proving God's saving grace to those with the faith to believe.  Jesus willingly paid the ultimate price for our salvation by his death on the cross at Calvary, the final blood sacrifice to seal mankind's salvation forever.  His return from the grave in the flesh for at least forty days is well documented by the most skeptical eyewitnesses of the time, including "Doubting Thomas" who was so skeptical that he had to stick his fingers in Jesus' wounds to know that it was him.  Jesus did what no other has ever done before or since.  He has given hope in a hopeless world, strength where weakness prevailed, and life everlasting where only death and despair existed.  He is the way, the truth, and the life, the only path to our Heavenly Father, and our only rescue from the eternal fires of damnation for our trespasses and our failings in this life.  Even the most desperately lost can be saved.  All it takes is the simple acceptance of God's everlasting truth and life through Jesus Christ.

Prayer of Salvation (The Sinner's Prayer)

To begin your life anew and be born again, simply pray aloud and from the heart this Prayer of Salvation:

Dear Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner.  I need You as my Lord and Savior.  Come into my heart.  Fill me with the Holy Spirit.  Cleanse my heart with Your precious blood.  I renounce my sinful past.  Change me into the new creation you want me to be.  I hereby declare, from this day forward, that I am a child of God, that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, and that I am born again.  Amen.

RESOURCES

If you have prayed the Prayer of Salvation, or if you have any other prayer request, call The 700 Club Prayer Counseling Center toll-free at 800-759-0700 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.

To make a connection to Jesus Christ in your life and to help restore the blessings of God to the United States of America, visit www.cbn.com, the website of the Christian Broadcasting Network.

A charitable outreach of CBN and the 700 Club is Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation (OBI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, humanitarian organization that provides short-term medical, hunger and disaster relief and development assistance to people in need in the United States and around the world.  When disaster strikes, Operation Blessing is there.  The relief organization has been first on the ground after Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in South Asia

Since 1988, the American Center for Law and Justice (ALCJ) has been working with legislators in defense of the constitution to help restore the Christian values that made the United States of America one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Trinity Broadcasting Network, founded in 1973 through the faithful efforts of Paul and Jan Crouch, is now spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to the four corners of the Earth, reaching every nation, touching lives around the world.

The guiding mission of the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ is to inform, equip, motivate, and support Christians; enabling them to defend and implement the Biblical principles on which our country was founded.

The Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, established by Dr. D. James Kennedy, is an outreach of Coral Ridge Ministries, providing non-partisan, non-denominational information, training, and support to all those interested in positively affecting the culture and renewing the vision of our Founding Fathers, as expressed in America's founding documents. The Center for Reclaiming America for Christ is a national grassroots organization with participants in all 50 states.