ADF: Wisconsin student wins settlement in “JOHN 3:16” drawing case

 

Wisconsin student wins settlement in “JOHN 3:16” drawing case

Freedom of religious expression no longer banned under school grading policy

ADF files motion to halt policy in “JOHN 3:16” drawing case

MADISON, Wis. — A settlement reached between Alliance Defense Fund attorneys and the Tomah Area School District means the district will respect students’ constitutional right to religious expression in their artwork.
“Christian students shouldn’t be penalized for expressing their beliefs, so we’re pleased that this settlement will make sure that no longer happens,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman.  “It was clearly unconstitutional for the school to enforce a policy in such a way as to bar religious expression by a Christian student while allowing other types of religious expression by other students.  No school policy can require a student to surrender his First Amendment rights.”
On March 28, ADF attorneys filed a federal lawsuit after a teacher told a student at Tomah High School to either remove or cover up a Scripture reference depicted in a piece of artwork, citing a grading policy that banned depictions of “blood, violence, sexual connotations, [or] religious beliefs.”  Students who portrayed demon-like creatures in their art, however, were not censored.
On April 15, ADF attorneys filed a motion for preliminary injunction against the district (www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4475).  The school district then decided to pursue settlement of the case.
Under the terms of the settlement, Tomah Area School District officials have removed the ban on religious expression in class assignments.  The student’s artwork, which initially received a “zero,” has now been graded.  Additionally, Tomah High School has removed from school records any and all references to the disciplinary actions taken against the student.
A copy of the stipulated dismissal filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin in A.P. v. Tomah Area School District is available at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/APSettlement.pdf.
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith.  Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.

ADF: Wisconsin student wins settlement in “JOHN 3:16” drawing case - Alliance Defense Fund - Defending Our First Liberty

An Overview of the Book of Jasher

 

There are also many contradictions to the Bible in the book of Jasher. Here are just a few…

Jasher 13:5 says that Abram went to the land of Canaan at the age of 50 then back to Haran and back to Canaan at age 75, Genesis 12:4 states that Abram was 75 when he departed Haran.

Jasher 18:9 states that one of the angels tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son, but Gen. 17:16 says that God told Abraham.

Jasher 22:44-45 says the Lord got the idea of presenting Isaac as an offering from Isaac’s boast to Ishmael. We know, of course, that God is sovereign and as it says in Gen. 22:1-2 & 12 that the Lord was testing Abraham.

Genesis 28:5 states that Isaac sent Jacob to Padan-aram unto Laban but Jasher 29:11 says that he fled to the house of Eber and hid there for 14 years.

Jasher 47:9 says Isaac dies, according to the chronology of Jasher, Joseph was in Egypt but in Gen. 35:29 Isaac died before Joseph had his dreams.

Simeon could not be bound in Jasher 51:37 but in Genesis. 42:24 Simeon is bound before their eyes.

• More Contradictions

Jasher 51:26-32 -- The brothers tell Joseph (whom they don’t recognize) that they are looking for their brother (him). Genesis 42:6-14.

Jahser 78:12-13 -- Pharaoh proclaims no more straw but same amount of bricks (before Moses goes to Pharaoh.) Exodus 5:1,7-8 says it happened after Moses confronts Pharaoh.

Jasher 80:1 "and at the end of two years the Lord sent Moses to Pharaoh" while Exodus 7:14-15 says, "The Lord said unto Moses get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning.

Jasher 80:2-51 lists these Plagues;

1. Waters into blood (v. 3) / Exodus 7:20

2. Frogs (v. 6) / Exodus 8:6

3. Lice (v. 10) / Exodus 8:17

4. The Lord sent all kinds of beasts into Egypt and destroyed all Egypt ( v.13) / Not in Exodus

5. Fiery serpents, scorpions, mice, weazles, toads (v. 14) / Not in Exodus

6. Flies, hornets, fleas, bugs, gnats (v. 15) / Exodus 8:24

7. All reptiles and winged animals came and grieved the Egyptians (v.16) / Not in Exodus

8. God ordered the Sulanuth from the sea, she had long arms, 10 cubits in length and she went upon the roofs and uncovered the raftering and flooring and stretched forth her arm and removed locks and bolts and opened the houses of Egypt. (v. 19-21) / Not in Exodus

9. Pestilence (v.24) / Exodus 9:3

10. Burning inflammation (v. 27) / Not in Exodus

11. Boils (v. 28) / Exodus 9:10

12. Hail and fire (v. 30-31) / Exodus 9:23

13. Locusts (v. 33) / Exodus 10:13

14. Darkness (v.36) / Exodus 10:22

15. First born killed (v. 43) / Exodus 12:29

• Wholly Unbiblical Portions of Jasher

There are also many areas that are completely unbiblical.

In Jasher 42:30-41, Rachel talks to Joseph from the grave. This is of course necromancy and is an abomination unto the Lord (Deuteronomy 18:11-12).

According to 53:18-22 Benjamin used a "map (or chart) of stars" to find Joseph. Deuteronomy 18:10 forbids this. It is an abomination to be "an observer of times" (astrologer).

Judah threatens Joseph 54:1-68 with annulations but Genesis 44:14-34 is a plea for Benjamin’s release.

Chapter 71 of Jasher states that Moses was 18 years old when he left Egypt. (Could this be Rabbinical tradition?) He didn’t go to Midian but to Cush and becomes king (72:34-36) and is king over Cush for forty years (73:2), then he goes to Midian where Reuel puts him in prison for 10 years because Reuel thinks Moses is wanted by the Cushites. In the book of Acts (7:23-30) Stephen, inspired by the Holy Spirit, stated the Moses was in Egypt for 40 Years before going to Midian for another 40 years.

Jasher 81:3-4 claims that the Israelites sojourned in Egypt for 210 years whereas the Scripture says in Exodus 12:40-41 it was 430 years.

Jasher 81:40-41says that all but Pharaoh perished in the Red Sea. Pharaoh thanks the Lord and the Lord sends an angel who casts him upon the land of Ninevah where Pharaoh reigned for a long time. Scripture (Exodus 14:23 & 28) states that all perished.

Jasher 32:1-40 -- Esau comes to harm Jacob but angels of the Lord scare Esau, v.55 Esau fears Jacob. Genesis 33:3 Jacob bows seven times to Esau.

Jasher 43:35 -- Isaac went from Hebron to comfort Jacob, his son, because Joseph is dead (sold). Gen. 35:27-29 Isaac died before Joseph even dreamed his dreams.

Jasher 81:38 -- "And the Waters of the sea were divided into twelve parts…." Exodus 14:22 "And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left."

• From The Author’s Imagination?

There are the areas that seem to come from the imagination of the writer, such as Jasher 7:24-30; This passage says the skins that God made for Adam and his wife went to Enoch after their death, then to Methuselah, then to Noah, then Ham stole them and gave them to Cush. They were then passed to Nimrod who became strong when he put on the "magic" garments. Jasher 27:1-11 says that Esau kills Nimrod and takes Adams skins.

Jasher 36:30-35 -- 120 terrible animals from the wilderness came to the asses of Anan. Their shape was from the middle downward of the children of man, and from their middle upward some the likeness of bears, some keephas with tails behind them from between their shoulders reaching down to earth.

Jasher 61:15 -- Zepho kills beast, half man and half animal, "from the middle upward it resembled a man, and from the middle downward it resembled an animal."

Jasher 67:8-52 -- Balaam, Job, and Reuel in Egypt at the same time. Reuel takes Joseph’s stick and returns to Midian.

Jasher 70:1-33 -- At age 3 Moses puts Pharaoh's crown on his head.

Jasher 73 -- King Moses of Cush raises storks to devour serpents that guard city.

Jasher 77:26-51-- Moses beholds the sapphire stick (67:41) in the garden of Reuel with the name of Lord God on stick. (Adam took stick from Eden then it came to Noah, then to Shem, then to Abraham to Isaac, Jacob took it then in Egypt and he gave it to Joseph. After Joseph died Reuel took it and planted it.)

It is obvious that "The Book Of Jasher" is certainly not inspired by the Lord. I heartily disagree with the those in the introduction of the volume that claim "they find nothing in Jasher that contradicts the Bible. Therefore, I can only conclude that while Jasher is an interesting book to read, the reader must be very discerning as to the truth of all or any of the writings in Jasher.

An Overview of the Book of Jasher

Examining Doctrines Forums > Bible Canon

 

The Book of Jasher contradicts the Bible in many places, examples follow:
Jasher 13:5 says that Abram went to the land of Canaan at the age of 50 then back to Haran and back to Canaan at age 75, Genesis 12:4 states that Abram was 75 when he departed Haran.
Jasher 18:9 states that one of the angels tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son, but Gen. 17:16 says that God told Abraham.
Jasher 22:44-45 says the Lord got the idea of presenting Isaac as an offering from Isaac’s boast to Ishmael. We know, of course, that God is sovereign and as it says in Gen. 22:1-2 & 12 that the Lord was testing Abraham.
Genesis 28:5 states that Isaac sent Jacob to Padan-aram unto Laban but Jasher 29:11 says that he fled to the house of Eber and hid there for 14 years.
Jasher 47:9 says Isaac dies, according to the chronology of Jasher, Joseph was in Egypt but in Gen. 35:29 Isaac died before Joseph had his dreams.
Simeon could not be bound in Jasher 51:37 but in Genesis. 42:24 Simeon is bound before their eyes.
There are also many areas that are completely unbiblical.
In Jasher 42:30-41, Rachel talks to Joseph from the grave. This is of course necromancy and is an abomination unto the Lord (Deuteronomy 18:11-12).
According to 53:18-22 Benjamin used a "map (or chart) of stars" to find Joseph. Deuteronomy 18:10 forbids this. It is an abomination to be "an observer of times" (astrologer).
Judah threatens Joseph 54:1-68 with annulations but Genesis 44:14-34 is a plea for Benjamin’s release.
Chapter 71 of Jasher states that Moses was 18 years old when he left Egypt. (Could this be Rabbinical tradition?) He didn’t go to Midian but to Cush and becomes king (72:34-36) and is king over Cush for forty years (73:2), then he goes to Midian where Reuel puts him in prison for 10 years because Reuel thinks Moses is wanted by the Cushites. In the book of Acts (7:23-30) Stephen, inspired by the Holy Spirit, stated the Moses was in Egypt for 40 Years before going to Midian for another 40 years.
Jasher 81:3-4 claims that the Israelites sojourned in Egypt for 210 years whereas the Scripture says in Exodus 12:40-41 it was 430 years.
Jasher 81:40-41says that all but Pharaoh perished in the Red Sea. Pharaoh thanks the Lord and the Lord sends an angel who casts him upon the land of Ninevah where Pharaoh reigned for a long time. Scripture (Exodus 14:23 & 28) states that all perished.
Jasher 32:1-40 -- Esau comes to harm Jacob but angels of the Lord scare Esau, v.55 Esau fears Jacob. Genesis 33:3 Jacob bows seven times to Esau.
Jasher 43:35 -- Isaac went from Hebron to comfort Jacob, his son, because Joseph is dead (sold). Gen. 35:27-29 Isaac died before Joseph even dreamed his dreams.
Jasher 81:38 -- "And the Waters of the sea were divided into twelve parts…." Exodus 14:22 "And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left."

Examining Doctrines Forums > Bible Canon

Israel's Gift to the World

  Israel's Gift to the World

By Alan M. Dershowitz
New York Post | 5/5/2008

As Israel celebrates its 60th birthday, the world should recognize the enormous gifts the Jewish state has given the world. Israel has exported more lifesaving medical technology to the far-flung corners of the earth than any nation of comparable size. It has done more to protect the environment, to promote literature, music, the arts and sciences, to spread agricultural advances and to fight terrorism within the rule of law.

Israel has created a legal system that is the envy of the world, with a Supreme Court that is open to all with few, if any, restrictions on its jurisdiction. As America's most liberal Supreme Court Justice William Brennan observed when he visited Israel in 1988:

"It may well be Israel, not the United States, that provides the best hope for building a jurisprudence that can protect civil liberties against the demands of national security. For it is Israel that has been facing real and serious threats to its security for the last 40 years and seems destined to continue facing such threats in the foreseeable future. The struggle to establish civil liberties against the backdrop of these security threats, while difficult, promises to build bulwarks of liberty that can endure the fears and frenzy of sudden danger - bulwarks to help guarantee that a nation fighting for its survival does not sacrifice those national values that make the fight worthwhile."

Yet despite these disproportionate contributions to the world, Israel has proportionally more enemies than any nation on earth. Moreover, the intensity of the enmity directed against the Mideast's only democracy is unexplainable on any rational basis.

It is remarkable indeed that a democratic nation born in response to a decision of the United Nations should still not be accepted by so many nations, groups and individuals. No other United Nations member is threatened with physical annihilation by other member states so openly and without rebuke from the general assembly or security counsel.
No other nation has been subjected to so many threats of boycott, divestiture, and delegitimation than the Jewish state. No other nation with such high standards of morality has ever been regarded as so immoral by so many members of the media, academia, and the intellectual elite.

Israel's enemies have learned how to take advantage of its high standards of morality. They understand what Golda Meir meant when she said to the terrorists: "We can perhaps forgive you for killing our children but we cannot forgive you for making us kill your children." Islamic extremist leaders who preach the culture of death are indeed trying to make you kill their children, because they know that every time you accidentally do, they win as big a victory as when they deliberately kill one of your children. That is why they fire their rockets from densely-populated areas knowing that you have no choice but to try to destroy their launching pads and knowing that in the process you may kill some innocent people. It is a win-win situation for them and a lose-lose situation for you.

I agree with the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin when he said that Israel should try to make peace as if there were no terrorism and fight terrorism as if there were no peace process. No nation can be expected to endure repeated and systematic attacks against its civilian population, even when those attacks come from civilian areas. No nation can make peace with terrorists who seek not compromise, but total defeat of their enemy.

Israel's continuing efforts to fight terrorists within the rule of law and within the reasonable constraints of human rights and civil liberties may be among Israel's most enduring contributions to the civilized world. Israel's fight is our fight. Israel's struggles are our struggles. Israel's victory over terrorism will be our victory - a victory that will benefit the entire world.

So let the entire free world join Israel in its celebration of sixty years of nationhood, since no nation in the world has contributed more per capita to the general welfare of the people of this planet than Israel.

Happy Birthday to Israel - may she go from strength to strength and from success to success, and may she finally experience the kind of peace and legitimacy she has sought since her creation on the ashes of the Holocaust 60 years ago.

Article

Court rules in favor of T-shirt

 

Court rules in favor of T-shirt

Jeff Johnson - OneNewsNow - 5/5/2008 6:00:00 AM

A federal appeals court is upholding a student's right to wear a T-shirt that promotes a Christian viewpoint on the issue of homosexuality.

One day after the pro-homosexual "Day of Silence" in 2007, administrators at Neuqua Valley, Illinois, High School ordered senior Heidi Zamecnik to cover the message "Be Happy, Not Gay" on her T-shirt -- although students had been allowed to wear T-shirts with messages celebrating homosexuality the previous day.
But Attorney Nate Kellum with the Alliance Defense Fund says Heidi and another plaintiff, Alex Nuxoll, are pleased with the decision from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to allow such shirts. "He's able to use the T-shirt stating, 'Be Happy, Not Gay,' as a way of communicating his firm Christian belief that homosexual behavior does not lead to happiness," says Kellum.
Kellum notes public school officials have to understand that if they allow some students to publicly express their viewpoint on an issue, they must allow other students to voice differing opinions on the same topic.

Court rules in favor of T-shirt (OneNewsNow.com)