Shocking Decision in the Romeike Case! The Family Will Stay in America!
Posted on March 5, 2014 in Home School by Nathan Cherry
What a difference 24 hours can make. The chances of the Romeike family being allowed to stay in America in order to home school their children, instead of being deported back to Germany where they would face fines, persecution, and the loss of their kids, was very slim.
The most devastating blow came when the Supreme Court denied their petition to hear the case. With all legal roads exhausted it seemed inevitable that this beautiful family seeking asylum in America in order to educate their children in accordance with their religious convictions would be sent home to Germany.
The most recent news from the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) however is astonishing! Michael Farris revealed that a shocking phone call from the Department of Homeland Security brought the news that the Romeike’s have been granted “indefinite deferred status.” That means they can legally stay in the United States as long as they want!
The case has taken many roads since it began in 2008 when the Romeike’s moved to Tennessee in order to pursue religious freedom in home schooling their children. They were then granted asylum in 2010 after which the Obama administration appealed that decision. From there the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals agreed that the Romeike’s did not deserve asylum and ordered the family deported. That is a critical fact because it reveals the true beliefs of the Obama administration regarding home schooling. Attorney General Eric Holder argued that home schooling was not a fundamental right and certainly did not fall within the parameters of religious freedom. This caused alarm among home school and religious freedom advocates across the nation. Continue reading…
31 States Have Religious Freedom Protections. Is West Virginia One of Them?
Posted on March 4, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
In light of the debacle that took place in Arizona last week, the question has been asked whether or not states already have religious freedom protections. The answer? Yes! At least 31 states have religious freedom protections that were either enacted by legislation or by state court decisions. The map below shows the breakdown of which states have what kind of protections.
Unfortunately, West Virginia has no such protections. I am currently unclear on what protections, if any, West Virginia has in place. According to this map our state doesn’t have any protections other than what is provided in the Constitution of the United States. It’s alarming to me how behind West Virginia is on critical issues like abortion limits, abortion funding, marriage protection laws, religious freedom laws, and more. It’s as if our state has been in the hands of liberal leadership for the past century. Oh wait…
A recent article said of these state laws:
“These state RFRAs were enacted in response to Supreme Court decisions that had nothing to do with gay rights or same-sex marriage. And the state court decisions interpreting their state constitutions arose in all sorts of contexts, mostly far removed from gay rights or same-sex marriage. There were cases about Amish buggies, hunting moose for native Alaskan funeral rituals, an attempt to take a church building by eminent domain, landmark laws that prohibited churches from modifying their buildings – all sorts of diverse conflicts between religious practice and pervasive regulation.”
I’m thankful that most states have extra laws protecting the rights of people to freely exercise their faith. Perhaps one day soon West Virginia will catch up.
Church Sign: Church is Cancelled Due to Lack of Interest
Posted on March 4, 2014 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Imagine driving up to your church next Sunday morning only to see this written on the church sign: “Church is cancelled due to lack of interest.” You’d probably call the pastor immediately and demand an answer. What does he mean “lack of interest,” you are in church nearly every week.
There’s an old saying in churches that “20% of the people do 80% of the work.” I’ve heard it all my life and, worse yet, watched churches slowly die as a result of its truth. The same people volunteer to teach classes, stuff bulletins, make meals for new moms, visit shut-ins, serve the community, and do it with a tired smile on their face while many others sit back and “do church.”
There’s another saying I have heard most of my life but seems to be getting more prevalent in churches (not to mention society in general). It goes something like this, “We are looking for some really great programs for our kids.”
This line has been used to describe the reason people decide to attend a church, and the reason they decide to leave a church. But there are several problems with this statement that reveal hidden dangers for families if they allow it to become their main criteria for selecting a church. Continue reading…
Why Yes, Del. Palumbo, West Virginia IS in the Minority
Posted on March 3, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act that passed the West Virginia house by an overwhelming margin last week is coming before the Senate this week. The senate is expected to modify the bill.
Ron Stollings (D-Bone) said he expects the committee to modify the “draconian” punishment of one to five years in jail and up to $5,000 in fines for anyone performing a late-term abortion after 20 weeks. Umm…how is that draconian? Is Mr. Stollings suggesting that the life of an unborn child is not worthy of jail time or fines? Murder charges tend to carry steep penalties so I am unclear as to why this is an issue.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Corey Palumbo (D-Kanawha) was surprised to learn that West Virginia is one of only 9 states that has no time restrictions on abortion. Well, Mr. Palumbo, that is a fairly well-known act that someone in public office should probably know.
What this shows me is that our lawmakers are woefully out of touch with reality in regards to the issue of abortion. To think that one to five years in prison and a measly $5,000 fine for killing an unborn child is somehow “draconian” is absurd. Furthermore, without punishments that are steep enough to deter the crimes the criminals have no reason to fear the law or even keep it. For one of our elected officials to now know just how out of touch West Virginia is withe rest of the country in having no time limit on abortion is shameful.
Hopefully these lawmakers will help West Virginia catch up in defending the unborn with proper laws, appropriate penalties, and shared information.
As Marriage Domino’s Fall – West Virginia is Teetering
Posted on March 3, 2014 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
Image credit: Springer Creative
The marriage dominoes are still falling across the country as states see voter-approved marriage protection amendments struck down by activist judges, or undefended by attorneys general taking the law into their own hands.
First we heard about the attorney general in Pennsylvania that simply could not bring herself to defend her state’s marriage amendment. Even though she swore to uphold the law of her state, she refused. Next came newly elected Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring who very quickly after taking office said he would not defend the voter-approved marriage protection amendment in his state. I can’t help but wonder what other laws these attorneys general will decide to ignore.
Then we watched as a federal judge struck down the marriage protection amendment in Oklahoma. Soon after a federal judge in Utah did the same thing. Then Kentucky saw a judge strike down part of their marriage protection amendment, no doubt paving the way for the entire amendment to be discarded.
This pattern of ignoring the law and ruling (by federal judges) or refusing to defend state laws (by attorneys general) should be deeply troubling for anyone that believes in the Constitution. If such a pattern continues it is conceivable that our country will descend into a state of tyranny as those with the power increasingly rule without consent from the people. Our Founder’s sought to protect against this very thing and yet, as we are seeing, this form of government is upon us. Continue reading…
Beautifully Graphic Photo Shows the Humanity of the Unborn
Posted on March 2, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
The following photo is baby Noah. He died due to spontaneous miscarriage at just 12 weeks and 5 days old. What makes that so horrible is that Noah is at the age when most unborn children are aborted.
Planned Parenthood and abortion advocates tell us that unborn children are blobs of tissue, not really living, and not human. But I ask you to take a look at the photo below and tell me if any of those statements seems remotely true or even logical. The fact is, an unborn child at 12 weeks is every bit as human as a 12 year old; and deserves to be fully protected from the horrors of abortion.
An article at LifeNews.com shares details that scientifically show how an unborn child is indeed human: Continue reading…
Daily Roundup: Texas Marriage Amendment Struck Down by Federal Judge
Posted on March 1, 2014 in Marriage, Public Policy by Nathan Cherry
In yet another shocking display of judicial activism, a judge has ignored 76 percent of the state’s voters and struck down a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Following a disturbing trend of judicial and attorney general decisions the federal judge, Orlando Garcia said the voter approved law has no standing in the lone-star state.
This trend of lawless behavior is not surprising when you have a president that does the same thing. Once President Obama decided he would not defend the laws of the United States and instructed his Department of Defense to ignore national law, it was only a matter of time before others did the same thing. Now, as a result of his reckless example we have attorney’s general taking the law into their own hands and making decisions outside their legal purview. As well we have judges ignoring the will of the people and striking laws that they don’t like, much like the Obama administration has done.
America truly is in a state of alarm as lawlessness and immorality are running rampant in an attempt to overwhelm the nation. If good people continue to ignore what is happening we can reasonably expect to lose many of our cherished freedoms in the coming years. Consider this your daily roundup of articles on the situation in Texas: Continue reading…
Tell Gov. Tomblin to Sign the Pain Capable unborn Child Protection Act
Posted on March 1, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
West Virginia has a chance to make state history as well as send a strong, clear message to Democrats in Washington. The question is whether or not we will claim victory and make that statement, or sink into the abyss that is status-quo for Democratic led politics.
Let’s be clear on the facts first.
West Virginia currently has no laws restricting abortion. Not one. A woman can have an abortion in West Virginia up to the moment of birth for any reason and no one will ask a single question. West Virginia is just one of nine states that have no laws protecting unborn life. What makes this so ironic is that most of our elected lawmakers claim to be pro-life.
Take Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Unger. Sen. Unger is a religious man that claims to have a very strong pro-life position. And yet, as I’ve already written about, rather than doing something about the many abortions taking place daily down the street from the capitol building, he focused on other things.
And Del. Corey Palumbo was recently surprised to learn that West Virginia is just one of nine states that have no abortion restrictions in place. As an elected lawmaker I would think Mr. Palumbo and his colleagues would be well-aware of the lack of oversight or regulations on the abortion industry in the state.
All that aside, West Virginia is now poised to become one of a growing number of states to enact a 20 week abortion ban, and the first to do so from a democratically controlled state. Those two facts are enormous as national Democrats become increasingly supportive of abortion on demand. Here in West Virginia it is well established that a majority of our citizens are strong pro-life supporters and would very much support a 20 week abortion ban. Continue reading…
AG Holder: State Ag’s Can Ignore Marriage Laws
Posted on February 28, 2014 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
In what I can only describe as both typical of the Obama Administration and egregious, Attorney General Eric Holder has said that it would be acceptable for state attorney’s general to ignore state laws regarding marriage. A recent article reports:
“Attorney General Eric Holder has given the nod to his state counterparts that they do not have to defend laws they consider discriminatory — effectively giving the green light for states to stop defending bans on gay marriage. Speaking to the National Association of Attorneys General, Holder said that any decision not to defend individual laws must be ‘exceedingly rare’ and reserved for ‘exceptional circumstances.’ He indicated that legal challenges to gay marriage bans would qualify as such a circumstance.”
Typical of the Obama Administration, if you don’t like a law, just stop defending or enforcing it. Never mind that it was enacted by the people of the state, or supported by those people, just stop defending it. Make the law up as you go and do what you want regardless of the state or federal Constitution.
The encouragement for AG’s to dereliction of duty by Holder is egregious. Would AG Holder encourage every person to decide which laws we will and will not live by? What if an AG decided to ignore 2nd amendment protection laws? Would that be acceptable for AG Holder? His words and “advice” are repugnant and offensive to everything that America stands for. It’s no wonder even his own party is calling for his resignation.
War on Women? What About the War on Masculinity?
Posted on February 28, 2014 in Family by Nathan Cherry
I confess I’m fascinated by studying the difference in genders. My wife will attest to the fact that I don’t understand women and do indeed find them strange creatures from another planet. But I am curiously drawn to studying the differences between men and women.
Culturally speaking it’s almost taboo to even suggest there is a difference between men and women. The feminist movement and political correctness have all but erased gender lines. Rather than celebrating the God-given differences we have been gifted with, society seems more interested in androgyny as a happy middle between the sexes.
Sorry, I reject that notion.
I love John Wayne, shooting guns, eating various kinds of meat, and doing “macho” things that are at times slightly dangerous; like jumping off the roof of my house to avoid using the rickety step ladder. Yes, Tim the Tool Man Taylor is awesome. Additionally, I chew my nails and would never consider getting a manicure, think anything resembling a purse is for women, am suspicious of any guy that doesn’t like at least one sport, and believe there should be a distinct difference between women and men.
Right away I know some will write me off as chauvinistic, sexist, paternalistic, or some other culturally adapted phrase that signifies disdain for clearly drawn gender lines. And if I mention that my beliefs come from my religious convictions that the Bible presents men and women as separate, yet equal genders to be celebrated; I’m confident some will stop reading. Continue reading…