It is always a bit jarring when you see pictures of friends you know from various social networking sites being arrested and rounded up into police vans. But that indeed has been happening this weekend in Washington D.C. A group of brave and committed pro-life believers have been arrested and are willing to be arrested again for staging a peaceful prayer vigil outside of the White House.
Imagine that – kneeling and praying outside of America’s symbol of freedom and democracy, and being treated like common criminals. Yet that is where we have gotten to in much of the West. While real criminals are getting away with murder – literally – peaceful protestors who are concerned about the unborn are treated like thugs.
Various reports of this have been coming out – not in the lamestream media of course, but in the alternative media. Several lengthy reports of all this are now available, and pics and videos are also at hand. As I said, some of these people are my friends – at least social media friends.
It is with sadness and pride that I see their brave, smiling faces as they are led away into paddy wagons, hauled off to the police station. They are brave troopers who deserve our prayers and support. I had in fact written not long ago that things would come to this stage: being arrested for standing up for religious freedom and the rights of the unborn.
In that article I quoted Martin Luther King, Jr.: “An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.”
https://billmuehlenberg.com/2009/05/06/abortion-and-civil-disobedience/
These protestors of course stand in the same honourable tradition as King and the civil rights marchers. Here is how one news report covers the situation in Washington: “Dozens of people have already been arrested over the weekend for kneeling and praying in front of the White House. ActsFive29, a group of like-minded, pro-life defenders launched the D.C. prayer rally knowing their members could indeed be arrested, but asserting it’s worth it, because, ‘The future of religious freedom in America is at risk.’
“The group claims Acts 5:29 – ‘But Peter and the Apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men”’ – as their basis for protesting the Obama administration’s Health and Human Services mandate requiring employer-provided health insurance cover birth control measures. ‘Obamacare will force institutions, churches and individuals to purchase abortion-inducing drugs and pay for sterilization and abortion in direct opposition to their beliefs, conscience and historic teachings of the Church,’ says the group. ‘With the recent Supreme Court ruling affirming Obamacare, the future of religious freedom in America is at risk and in grave danger of being entirely wiped out.’
“On Saturday afternoon, 22 members of the group knelt on the sidewalk in prayer and were arrested by Capitol Police, with the prayer rally (and possible arrests) planned to continue through Oct. 2. The group says that the only basis for their arrest is that the sidewalk in front of the White House is a ‘restricted zone’ for free speech.
“Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life told WND, ‘We have stood up for life and religious freedom in hundreds of cities. Today we do so at the president’s house. I am delighted to be here.’ The group says that the president is ‘dictating to Christians how they should live their faith’ and that they are taking a stand, while risking arrest for doing so.
“Bryan Kemper, director of youth outreach at Priests for Life, told WND that he was arrested on Saturday afternoon for kneeling on the sidewalk near the White House while holding a sign that said, ‘Stand Up for Religious Freedom.’ ‘I am here today as a father of seven children who is willing to lose my freedom to protect my children’s future freedom,’ he told WND. ‘I was arrested yesterday when I knelt and prayed holding a sign for religious freedom, and I will kneel and pray again today, risking arrest again’.”
The story of one brave gal, Brandi Swindell, National Director of Generation Life, is also worth sharing. She said, “Three of us chose to attend church at St. John’s this morning, and at the last minute found out that Kathleen Sebelius, the architect of the HHS Mandate was holding an adult forum between services.”
As the write-up states, “Swindell told WND that she got the secretary’s attention, and in front of a packed auditorium asked her, ‘Why are you forcing the American people to pay for abortion-inducing drugs that harm women? It’s a severe violation of religious freedom.’ The secretary ignored the question and left the stage.” (You can see a video of that in the first link below.)
“Swindell told WND that just four years ago she was arrested and deported from communist China for standing up for religious freedom there. ‘I stood in Tiananmen Square holding a banner that said, ‘Jesus Christ is King’ and was arrested,’ Swindell said. ‘I never imagined that just four years later I’d be standing in front of the White House risking the very same thing.’ She told WND that she intended to hold the same banner declaring ‘Jesus Christ is King’ in front of the White House Sunday afternoon, and fully expected to be arrested for it.”
Another account of the arrests begins this way: “On September 29th, my dear brother Pastor Wiley Drake and about 20 other believers were arrested. Not for molesting children or stealing money from their Church. Not for drunk driving or drug abuse as most ministers are known for. No, my fellow laborer was arrested for praying in front of the White House. Maybe he would not have been arrested if he had not showered for months, occupied a tent for a few weeks and vandalized certain buildings? Just do not pray in front of that White House.
“As they were getting hauled off Brother Drake said: ‘We are being arrested for religious freedom at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.’ Another pastor with him said, ‘Christians must now stand up for God and country like our Founding Fathers. Will you cry out to God for Christian liberty? Will you speak up for God?’
“‘In God We Trust’ is the USA’s national motto but not in Washington DC. The first act of Congress is for George Washington, John Adams, John Jay and our Founding Fathers to pray in Jesus’ name and read the Holy Bible. The next President who wins will place his hand on a KJV Bible and say; ‘So help me God.’ But do not dare pray in public and not in front of Obama’s house. Now if he was a Muslim and it was time to lay the magic carpet down and face Mecca, that would not be a problem, but a prayer to God in the name of Jesus. No can do.”
Things are clearly hotting up in the battle for life and religious freedom. Both are under direct threat from the most godless, anti-Christian, and anti-life President ever. Well done to these brave troopers who are willing to risk everything to stand up for what is right. May they be joined by many more, and if need be, may our jails be filled to overflowing with such committed Christians.
http://www.wnd.com/2012/09/d-c-police-stop-prayers-outside-white-house/
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