Quote# 134306

i dont believe the elephant has ever been on the endangered list in real,true life.guess the antis believe if you tell a lie long enough and loud enough every body will believe it.

jimP, Africa Hunting.com 2 Comments [11/20/2017 3:46:01 AM]
Fundie Index: 6

Quote# 134302

We don’t owe the Arabs and Africans anything. They have destroyed their continent through corruption, shenanigans, uninhibited multiplication and tribal and religious wars and are now taking away what we have built with diligence.

Thomas Rauscher, Twitter 5 Comments [11/20/2017 3:44:37 AM]
Fundie Index: 4
Submitted By: hydrolythe

Quote# 134380

Sermon 15: Mormonism Debunked
By Bro. Steven R.
Rev. Grimes is on vacation, so I will be preaching on Mormonism Debunked. Bro. James will preach next week.
Let's start with this: Mormonism is a ripoff of Islam. Both involve a false prophet who claims that Christianity is corrupt, and needs to be replaced with a different religion. Muhammad and Joseph Smith, the prophets who founded Islam and Mormonism, respectively, are wicked sinners who are burning in Hell for leading Christians astray! Matthew 7:15 says "15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."
Mormonism is wicked polytheistic apostasy! They believe in a fake God called "Heavenly Father," a false Jesus, and a false Holy Ghost who are three separate gods who have their own planets! They believe that God created us humans as "spirit babies" with another false god called "Heavenly Mother," and SEX IS OF THE DEVIL AND GOD WOULD NEVER DO IT!!!!!!!! Jesus also NEVER HAD SEX AND WAS BORN OF A VIRGIN, NOT OF TWO FALSE GODS HAVING SEX LIKE GREEK MYTHOLOGIES SAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
What is all of this nonsense?! Coffee is not sinful, you cannot baptize the dead, baptism is not required for salvation, and eight years old is too young to be baptized! The baptism is even wrong! They baptize in the name of three false gods instead of the Holy Trinity! Universalists would claim it is the same thing, but universalists also worship Wicca, Harry Potter, witchcraft, Dungeons and Dragons, or whatever other rituals they do instead of worshiping Almighty God who is is the only one who should ever be worshiped! Exodus 20:3-5 says "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me"
Isaiah 45:5 is enough to refute the cult of Mormonism: "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me." So, Americans may worship entertainers who corrupt the youth with sensual garbage such as tempting men with skimpy dresses, but Mormons listen to a crazy treasonous polygamist crackpot who had a third grade education who claimed to translate some brass plates written in a nonexistent language about some nonexistent prophets like the one called Moron, as well as plenty of factual errors such as the claim that Native Americans came from the Tribes of Israel! THE BOOK OF MORMON IS A SHAM, AND JOSEPH SMITH HAD TO REWRITE BIBLE VERSES TO TRY TO RECONCILE THE TWO! HE IS BURNING IN HELL ALONG WITH MORMONS WHO DO NOT REPENT! THROW AWAY YOUR FALSE MADE UP SUPERSTITIONS BOOK, AND PICK UP THE UNVARNISHED TRUTH IN THE REAL WORD, THE HOLY BIBLE! JESUS CHRIST CAN SAVE YOU! THE FAKE MORMON VERSION DOES NOT EXIST AND IS NOT HAVING SPIRIT SEX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steven R., New Testament Baptist Church 16 Comments [11/20/2017 1:38:29 AM]
Fundie Index: 6

Quote# 134379

A South Carolina preacher is continuing to support Republican senate nominee Roy Moore in Alabama, an apparent reversal of his previously claimed focus on wanting to protect children from sexual predators.

Pastor Franklin Raddish of the Capitol Hill Independent Baptist Ministries has dismissed recent allegations of powerful men as attacks that are part of a so-called “war on men,” AL.com reports.

“More women are sexual predators than men,” Rev. Raddish claimed.

“Women are chasing young boys up and down the road, but we don’t hear about that because it’s not PC,” Rev. Raddish alleged.

In 2004, Rev. Raddish organized a protest at the Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton Tennessee in 2004, using the site of the Scopes Monkey Trial to highlight his opposition to pedophilia to rationalize his anti-LGBT bigotry.

“These people aren’t the good neighbor next door, they’re out to target young children. They must recruit their heritage,” Rev. Raddish charged. “As many of them will die from AIDS, the only way they can keep their numbers is to recruit. Pedophiles and men dressing like ladies, their objective is recruitment of children.”

“The pedophiles will be here tomorrow. The men who dress like women will be here,” Rev. Raddish worried. “The world wants to educate our children to be tolerant of homosexuals. The homosexuals can’t grow in number unless they recruit. How do they recruit? They sodomize. That’s the only way.”

Multiple women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct from Moore that targeted high school girls when he was a 30-year-old assistant district attorney. Moore has denied the allegations.

Pastor Frank Raddish, Raw Story 9 Comments [11/20/2017 1:37:34 AM]
Fundie Index: 2
Submitted By: Zinnia

Quote# 134378

(commenting on story "US general says nuclear launch order can be refused")

(Fox News story cut and pasted, original is here: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/11/18/us-general-says-nuclear-launch-order-can-be-refused.html)


Lady Checkmate:
I question his ability to fulfill the requirements of his position. Perhaps the potus should consider immediately removing him from his position.

JohnGaltDurham:
No this is a basic tenant of military training. A soldier has an obligation to stand down from any illegal order. Such as, launch a nuke at Los Angeles, or shoot a political adversary for no other reason. This is very important and something that should be taken very seriously.
For example by military code of conduct the pilots that flew plane loads of cash to Iran should have refused to do so. It was an illegal action on several.different levels, and it would not surprise me if some pilots did refuse or took a lot of convincing as to why it was not illegal.

Lady Checkmate:
No, that's not what we're discussing and you don't tell me how to comment.
I stand by my comment. That troll is letting the world know he will challenge Trump just for the heck of it and because it may curry favor with the alt-left. The last thing we need is a rogue, treasonous donkey holding the switch and refusing to flip the switch because he wants to show other trolls that he can pull rank against Trump (especially when American lives are at risk). And for the record you lost me after your first sentence, so the rest wasn't read ;)

Lady Checkmate, Disqus - News Network 18 Comments [11/20/2017 1:35:25 AM]
Fundie Index: 4
Submitted By: Jocasta

Quote# 134376

Damn. That's true. Then it's no wonder so many gay lesbian men and women support removing the "T" from the LGBT movement, since transgenderism isn't a sexuality.

And GLAAD could certainly threaten to sue any publication for reporting using accurate male and female pronouns for male and female people, respectively, but I think the first amendment pretty much protects the press's right to do that, whether GLAAD agrees with the content of an article or not. If they did sue, though, it would only continue to draw the public's attention toward the abusive behavior of TRA's. I don't think GLAAD would want that.

So GLAAD and "Trans Rights Activists" would be in the same boat: either object to the correct use of pronouns and attract the public's attention to TRA's abusive behavior, or keep quiet and let journalists provide fact-based, responsible journalism. The press has the upper hand in this one, really.

Omzig Online, Feminist Current 2 Comments [11/20/2017 1:34:45 AM]
Fundie Index: 2
Submitted By: Katie

Quote# 134364



Unknown, Twitter 19 Comments [11/19/2017 8:34:15 AM]
Fundie Index: 8

Quote# 134363

I do NOT hate anyone here at Jesus-is-Savior.com; on the contrary, I LOVE people very much. The whole purpose of my ministry is to HELP people. There is a war on for our minds and souls. I do not discriminate in any way. I simply present the truth, particularly the truth of God's Word, and expose those who seek to distort, confuse, and corrupt the truth. The Devil is a beautiful liar. The best way to expose the darkness is to shine the light. John 8:45, “And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” —Jesus Christ

Galatians 4:16, “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” —The Apostle Paul I do NOT intend to be unkind to anyone. I simply speak the truth. My website preaches to me as much as anyone else. I do NOT hate anybody. What I DO hate is evil and damnable heresies that ruin people’s lives and lead them into Hell. "The fear of the LORD is to HATE evil..." —Proverb 8:13

I do NOT hate the sinner, no not one. As Christians we like people for their good qualities, but we are supposed to love them despite their faults. No one is perfect. In fact, Jesus only died for “the ungodly.” Romans 5:6... “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” —Romans 5:6

There is no sinner that God doesn't love. Only a hypocritical, self-righteous person would claim that God doesn't love the worst sinner. Christ died for the UNGODLY, which is what you and I are. There is hope for anyone who acknowledges their guilt of sin and looks to Jesus Christ for forgiveness. It's not what you're doing that gets you to Heaven, it's where you're looking. Look to Jesus!

No one hates sin any more than God, yet He sent His only begotten Son in the flesh to die for men's sins... "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." —Romans 5:8

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, HATRED, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” —Galatians 5:19-21

“Hatred” of people is a work of the flesh, it is sin. Hatred is normal for the unsaved or “carnal man” who is living in sin, but the Bible teaches that hatred of people is not acceptable with God. God wants believers to be “spiritually minded.” God's love is an unconditional love, which is not dependent upon how people live or treat us. Few people understand the love of God, that sent Jesus to die for the sins of a rotten world that deserves nothing better than eternal punishment in Hell. If God didn't unconditionally love sinners, including the unsaved, then all humanity would immediately plunge into the depths of Hell. The Bible teaches that humanity is prone to DISOBEDIENCE and WRATH...

“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the CHILDREN OF WRATH, even as others.” —Ephesians 2:2,3

God describes humanity as the “children of disobedience” and the “children of wrath.” Human nature is prone to disobey God. History evidences that mankind is destined to war and destruction. There is so much hatred in the world today. It's a dog-eat-dog world. We see much hatred in the manure-spreading newsmedia. We see much hatred in today's youth, who despise Christianity and have been taught to feel sympathy for godless homosexuals and abortionists. Very few people these days genuinely love the God of the Bible. "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned EVERY ONE to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." —Isaiah 53:6

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are NOT supposed to hate anyone. The Bible commands us to hate sin and evil, but never the people. This is not to say that we ought to sinfully compromise and yoke together with heathens, it just means that we are no better than anyone else and we'd all immediately plunge into Hell if it weren't for God's grace. As mentioned already, this is NOT a hate sight. It is actually a “Love Site.” My love for the Lord prompts me to contend for the faith and exercise my God-given religious freedom. Our rights do not come from the Bill of Rights or the U.S. Constitution, they come from God Almighty. The Constitution only outlines our rights. We are born with certain inalienable rights. One of these rights is the freedom of speech. Evil men may take that right away from us, but God certainly doesn't. We have a right to speak out against the evil and corruption hurting our community.

As a matter of fact, God commands us to refute evil. Ephesians 5:11, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." I mean no harm to anyone, nor do I seek to offend. The truth may hurt, but it needs to be spoken. The truth makes some people mad. The truth offends most people. Is it any wonder why God calls us “the children of disobedience?”

John 8:40, “But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth…” —Jesus Christ

Hopefully you will find this ministry a blessing and a benefit (as so many have). If you are offended, please know that it was not my intention. It is the truth that offends people, not me. I am not trying to upset anyone, though the truth often upsets people. I am just a voice. I am only expressing my heart-felt Christian beliefs. It is my hope that you will “have mercy on me” as you browse over my website, i.e., my ministry. Surely with all of the truths on a website this large, something will rub you the wrong way. I respect your right to disagree. It's ok to agree to disagree. I do not mean to offend anyone; however, I make no apologies for speaking the truth.

I do NOT enjoy upsetting people. There's hardly a day that passes when I'm not surprised by something new I've learned. My website is the accumulation of 7-years of things I have learned, and I've just scratched the surface. You needn't believe anything I say; but rather, verify the facts for yourself. I avoid topics such as UFO's that cannot be verified. There's a lot of deliberate misinformation on the internet, intended to discredit legitimate websites that promote the truth. I want to deal in FACTS, which cannot be explained away.

I praise God for the Constitutional right to express my opinion. This is every American's right. My purpose is NOT to attack people, God forbid. I am simply trying to expose false teachings and false religions, that send men and women to Hellfire by the tens-of-thousands every day. When you love someone, you tell them the truth, even if it makes you unpopular. I recently went to the grocery store. I had a nice conversation with a young man and a young woman who worked for the store. The young man helped to unload my groceries and place them onto the checkout counter. I thanked him. The young woman was working the register. He rolled the cart to the end of the counter and left a case of root beer in the cart. I mentioned the case of root beer to the cashier, but she didn't charge me for it. I knew they were trying to be friendly and I knew they were trying to give me a free case of root beer, but I couldn't allow them to do it.

I again asked her if she had charged me for the case of root beer and then she apologized for missing it. She couldn't look me in the eye when she handed me my credit card back. They had tried to steal from the store to be nice to me. I wanted to make friends with them and didn't like refusing their token of kindness, but it was wrong, it wasn't their food to give away. Although I felt bad, and they felt bad, I did the right thing. I spoke the truth. I would rather have no friends than have thieves as friends. I am not perfect, but I have enough things to answer to God for without adding more to it. At some point in life, we need to get serious about serving God. If we love God, then we'll make an effort to do right.

2nd Thessalonians 2:10, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” The Bible teaches in 2nd Thessalonians 2:10 that many people will be deceived in the Last Days by the Antichrist because they received not the love of the truth. The truth is important. The Word of God is truth (John 17:17).

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” —Ephesians 4:26

May I say, it’s ok to be angry. Jesus became angry when the priests had turned God's house into a den of thieves. However, notice the next part of the verse we just read... “and sin not.” Jesus became angry, but he didn't sin. Jesus never sinned (2nd Corinthians 5:21). As an example: I hate abortion! I think abortion is cold-blooded murder. Less than .01% of total abortions are caused by incidents of rape and incest. Yet, these extremes are often used to justify all abortions. Ninety-nine percent of all abortions are simply the evil deeds of irresponsible people. HOWEVER, I don't hate anyone involved with abortion, not one bit. I love them because God has commanded us to love all people. Don’t you think that if God wanted to put an end to this mess, He could? Of course God could! And He will friend, in His own time.

Psalm 47:8, "God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness."

I can't say much about blocking abortion clinics, because I would jump right in front of the door if it were my child about to be murdered. The Bible commands me to love my neighbor as myself (Leviticus 19:18). If that were me about to be aborted, I would want someone to save my life! Americans have hit a new moral low, now murdering their own babies? It is wickedness. Abortionists have the same sick philosophy as Adolf Hitler, i.e., that certain classes of people have a right to life, and others don't. Abortionists don't believe that the unborn fetus has a right to life. They effectively believe that the living are superior to the fetus in the womb. A society that will murder it's unborn is capable of any evil imaginable. Any evil imaginable!

The Scriptures teach, “Be ye angry, and sin not.” There is a fine line between faith and foolishness. We should be angered about abortion, day and night. However, we must be careful to channel that anger through constructive channels which will prevent further abortions, not put us in prison. The best way to fight abortion is by word-of-mouth and public education. We can all SPEAK OUT against abortion in an appropriate manner as civilized people. And we must speak out..."Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?" —Psalm 94:16

Anti-abortion signs are working great nationwide. Thousands of babies have been spared the tortuous death of abortion. God bless the efforts of the folks at Repent America and Operation Rescue. We can do many good things to fight the New World Order, feminism, abortion, homosexuality, etc cetera; but we must not become hateful of the sinner. The best way to stop abortion is to hold up the graphic posters of aborted pieces of children for expectant mothers to view, and to educate them about available Christian adoption services. The wicked politicians and judges in America, who have permitted the murder of tens-of-millions of babies, will give account to God, just as wicked King Herod had to give account for murdering thousands of children in an attempt to kill Jesus. Most of all, the American public is to blame, for tolerating such wickedness and remaining silent concerning evil.

Admittedly, there are many religious “nuts” in the world. As true believers, the Bible should create in us a “sound mind” (which is spoken of in the book of Second Timothy)…“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a SOUND MIND.” —2nd Timothy 1:7

"Sound" meaning "clear in thought." We are to be level-headed while the world is going insane. The world has become a large insane asylum. If crazy people want to murder their children, we must NOT join the craziness. No "sound" individual would take the life of their own child. I have only used the issue of abortion as an example of how believers are supposed to behave themselves. We are to HATE sin; but not the sinner. Unfortunately, it's getting to the place where Christians won't even be able to speak out anymore against sin if the heathen get their way. We are living in a rotten society. I foresee the day when churches will lose their tax-exemption for speaking out against homosexuality, and be prosecuted for not hiring them. The Bible says the day is coming when the wicked will kill believers, thinking they are doing God a favor...

"They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service."
—John 16:2

We read that evil men and seducers will become worse and worse..."But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit." —Jude 1:17-19

"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." —2nd Timothy 2:13

God’s people are to be peace-loving people…“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” —Romans 12:18

God’s people are to be peaceful people…“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” —Hebrews 12:14

Dr. John R. Rice wrote a book entitled, “I Am A Fundamentalist!” In that book, there is a chapter called, “I Am a Fundamentalist, Not a Nut.” There’s plenty of nuts in the world; God’s children should NOT be in that group. Hating evil is a Biblical command (Psalm 97:10). Taking a stand against evildoers is Biblical (Psalm 94:16). I speak the truth in love as Ephesians 4:15 tells us to. Teaching the inspired Word of God is certainly not hatred. Abortion is murder and someone needs to speak out on behalf of those human beings in the womb. Genuine love speaks the truth.

So friend... having said all the above, I want to say once more... This is NOT a hate site, it is a LOVE site. May God bless you friend and always remember, GOD LOVES PEOPLE!!!

David J. Stewart, Jesus-Is-Savior 16 Comments [11/19/2017 8:31:04 AM]
Fundie Index: 5
Submitted By: Katie

Quote# 134354

Confronting a Sexual Rite of Passage in Malawi

The world has many coming-of-age traditions: sweet sixteens, bar mitzvahs, quinceañeras. But in one African country, 'initiation' is endangering the health of girls and boys.


 Grace Mwase, 14, may look like a child, but her community sees her as an adult because of a sexual initiation she attended at age 10. (Beenish Ahmed)

CHIRADZULU, Malawi — A slight frame gives her the appearance of a child, but the hardened look Grace Mwase wears makes her seem older than her 14 years. In many villages across Malawi, a largely agrarian sliver of a country in southern Africa, custom dictates that both boys and girls as young as eight attend a rite of passage known as “initiation,” after which they are no longer seen as children. The practice is most entrenched in the country's south, where Mwase's Golden Village is located.

Mwase was just 10 when she was led, along with about a dozen other girls, to remote huts outside her village during winter vacation from school in August. The girls were accompanied by older women from their village in Chiradzulu district, near the border with Mozambique. The women, known asanamkungwi, or “key leaders,” told them that when they returned to their villages they should cook and clean—and have sex. According to Mwase, most of the two weeks she spent at the initiation camp were dedicated to learning how to engage in sexual acts. She had been excited for this time with friends away from home, but that feeling quickly gave way to dread as she learned the true purpose of initiation.

“They taught us only how you can handle a man,” she says, looking down at her hands. “So you should be dancing for the man. The man should be on top of you and you should be dancing for him, making him happy.”

The anamkungwi told the girls to lie on top of one another and get a feel for the various positions described to them. They then encouraged the girls to “practice” what they had learned. In fact, girls in Malawi are often told that if they don’t have sex upon concluding initiation, their skin will become dry and brittle. This will mark them for life, and they will be ostracized if they don't complete the custom as their mothers and grandmothers did before them. These guardians often force their daughters to go through with the ritual for fear of breaking with tradition.

“There’s nothing like adolescence. You are either a child or an adult.”

Initiation is a centuries-old practice in the region, according to Harriet Chanza of the World Health Organization. In many agrarian communities, she notes, “There’s nothing like adolescence. You are either a child or an adult.” Initiation is meant to establish the gender norms that boys and girls are expected to follow as men and women. The emphasis on having sex may also have a darker purpose in a country where nearly three-fourths of the population lives below the poverty line. Chanza, who is based in Malawi, says that some parents may actually want their daughters to get pregnant at a young age. A girl is often married soon after she is found to be pregnant, deferring the cost of caring for her and her baby from her parents to her husband.

Mwase was told, "'You are a woman enough'" by an anamkungwi in her village, and informed, "'If you come out [of the initiation camp], you should sleep with a man to cleanse you of your childhood thing.'" Worse, Mwase says though a translator, "They said you should do your sexual cleansing but not use a condom. You should do it plain."

Mwase sits in an uneven plastic lawn chair in an empty hall used for community gatherings as she recounts her experiences. She had walked to our meeting point in Chiradzulu district from her village to speak with foreign journalists, and agreed to discuss a topic that few women are willing to broach because we didn’t share ties to her community or culture. “You’re like a visitor so you don’t know anything,” she says. Conversing with us, in other words, isn't as difficult as telling women in her village how she feels about a custom they might support.

Her small, sharp eyes aglow in the dimly lit room, a grain mill whirring in the background, Mwase says the anamkungwi who oversaw her initiation told her to find an older man to have sex with after she left the camp. In defiance of tradition, however, Mwase refused to do so, fearing the costs to her health from unprotected sex. Like many first-born daughters in Malawi, Mwase was raised by her grandmother. She says her grandmother, who had sent her to the camp, didn't force her to have sex—likely because Mwase never told her about her decision not to do so. If her grandmother had learned the truth, she might have paid a man to take Mwase’s virginity. In some villages, young men hired for this task are called “hyenas,” and they occasionally have sex with many girls in a single village who have gone through initiation together.

Thera Rasing, an anthropologist who has studied girls’ initiations in Zambia,writes that the secrecy surrounding these rituals increased during the colonial era and has remained in place to keep missionaries and churches from “trying to control and christianize these rites.” Still, as abominable as such customs might seem, Rasing adds that initiations are associated with honor for many women: “A woman’s capacity to elicit change, to be powerful and empowered arises from her relative success in being a proper woman. Through this she acquires the respect of her spouse and of the neighbourhood as a moral community. This is what a girl learns during her initiation into womanhood, and that she is told during her wedding ceremony.”

Despite the social role of initiations, there are numerous public health concerns surrounding the custom in Malawi. Young girls largely unaware of the risks are being told to have unprotected sex in a country where a tenth of the population is HIV-positive. (While this figure is on par with other countries in the region, it is far higher than rates elsewhere in the world; 70 percent of AIDS-related deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa.) And teenage pregnancies also abound in Malawi, where one in four teen girls under 18 is a mother (in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, more than 50 percent of births take place during adolescence). The young age at which girls become pregnant complicates their deliveries and puts them at greater risk for losing their babies, losing their lives, or developing an obstetric fistula—a condition where a rupture in the birth canal leaves women suffering from incontinence and ostracized from their communities.

Girls are taught a dance known as chisamba “as a way of preparing them for their role of satisfying their husbands in bed.”

Female genital mutilation, which often entails the complete or partial removal of the clitoris, is not common in Malawi, though it can take place during similar rites of passage in other parts of Africa. But initiation can leave lasting trauma even without physical injury. The Malawi Human Rights Commission, a government agency, has reported that initiations impinge on girls’ rights to education, health, liberty, and dignity. The Commission further elaborates on some of these rituals, stating that girls are taught a dance known as chisamba“as a way of preparing them for their role of satisfying their husbands in bed,” and that they are made to perform this dance at the end of their initiation “bare-breasted in a very explicit manner as they are being presented to the whole community.” The study also notes, however, that initiation rites vary widely, and that in some communities girls attending initiation are advised not to have premarital sex.

For boys in Malawi, and in several other African countries, initiation sometimes involves circumcision. According to the Malawi Human Rights Commission, Malawian boys live in camps on the outskirts of villages and are occasionally forced to consume foods prepared with urine and “medicine” made with their severed foreskins. The report notes, “Once the boys undergo circumcision they are considered mature and are actually advised to have sexual intercourse with any girl as soon as they go back home.”

Initiations for boys can easily go awry, since the circumcisions are often performed by people without medical training wielding ritual knifes. Last year in South Africa, an estimated 60 young men died after their initiation ceremonies as a result of botched circumcisions and dehydration due to “survival tests.” Local government officials were hesitant to intervene because of “cultural sensitivities.”

“The difficulty with culture is you deal with the [village] chief and he says, ‘I have changed. I have put [in] bylaws [to prohibit initiations]. [Then] you come [back] and [initiations] are quietly being done,” says Jean Mwandira, a specialist in reproductive and adolescent health with the United Nations Population Fund in Malawi.

We speak over dinner beside the glittering but parasite-ridden Lake Malawi. Here in southern Malawi, where initiations are most widespread, girls are often married off as soon as they reach puberty and literacy rates are among the lowest in the country. In the district of Mangochi, which borders the lake,48 percent of teenagers have begun bearing children—the highest incidence in Malawi. Mwandira says it is hard to persuade local leaders here and elsewhere in the country to stop a custom that has such a long history, especially since annual initiations for boys and girls have become a kind of industry.

"Those people who perform such tasks are paid, either in cash or kind, so it's difficult for the whole thing to die [out]," she explains. Even "the chief gets something for allowing that initiation ceremony to take place."

In the face of public scrutiny, those who have a vested interest in keeping the custom alive try to do so covertly. Initiation camps are held outside villages in temporary shelters built just for this purpose and then burnt to the ground once children are sent home, Mwandira says. Adults who aren’t involved in managing the camps are not permitted near them. What’s more, the girls who take part in initiations are loath to talk about them.

I spent a day in Mangochi, asking every young woman I could whether she had been initiated. Each time I got a shy smile and swift ‘no’ in response. This despite what Mwandira told me: “It’s not possible to live in Mangochi and not be initiated.”

In Chiradzulu, a few hours south by car, Grace Mwase was the rare exception willing to speak about her experiences with initiation. When I asked if she wanted her testimony about this deeply private matter to be kept anonymous, she said, “No, use my name.” Her lack of shame may well stem from her involvement in the Girls Empowerment Network, a locally run coalition of young women.

The group is led by a woman named Joyce Mkandawire. She says that when she first arrived in Chiradzulu, where Mwase lives, she was struck by the lack of freedom afforded to girls. “A girl leaves a school [because she is] pregnant, nobody cared. A girl gets married today, nobody cared,” she recalls. Mkandawire is now advocating for new bylaws in local villages to bar teenage girls from getting married. She has also reached out to local headmasters, who notify her when a girl has dropped out of school so that she and the Girls Empowerment Network can try to convince her to return—and to focus on education rather than marriage.

Joyce Mkandawire poses with young mothers from the Girls Empowerment Network. (Beenish Ahmed)

In speaking out about these issues, Mkandawire has inspired girls like Mwase to do the same. About her work as a leader in the Network, she says, “I am there just to help the community and to encourage myself. If there is anything [wrong], I go to the elders and speak to them.” Mwase also goes to the initiation camps outside her village every year to speak to the girls there. “I go to tell them after your initiation, if you go out, don’t do the sexual cleansing thing because it’s bad for us,” she explains.

And she’s pleased with the progress she’s made so far. “If I go talk to them, they listen to me,” Mwase says, breaking into a smile.



The citizens of Malawi, The Atlantic 21 Comments [11/19/2017 1:51:17 AM]
Fundie Index: 8

Quote# 134353

In my Nighttime Visions God commanded that I reveal the identity of the gold digging secretarial pool Tramp who is persecuting truck stop Pizza Mogul Herman Cain.

God did not tell me exactly who is the little vixen, but He did indicate that I would know when I saw her.

So I asked the intergoogle searcher perhaps the most obvious question, “Which Sultry red haired vamp is responsible for attempting to destroy truck stop Pizza Mogul Herman Cain by extracting his completely normal buck negro urgings?”

God has personally given me many, many, many challenges and Difficult Problems to solve.

As you can see from this SHOCKING Video, this was not one of them

Dominionists for Tancredo, Dominionists for Tancredo 8 Comments [11/19/2017 1:51:08 AM]
Fundie Index: 4
Submitted By: DiarrheaMan

Quote# 134349

Well, you didn’t read that headline, although Wu (D-Ore) has indeed resigned after some sort of interaction with the 18-year old [i.e. legal] daughter of a donor. And he is indeed an immigrant, born in Taiwan in 1955 and coming to the U.S. with his parents in 1961. (Click here for Michelle Malkin’s view; here for Wu’s appearance in a John Derbyshire–Norm Matloff colloquy).

But, as of 5 pm ET, searching Google News on “David Wu“ produced about 3,580 results; “David Wu immigrant“ a mere 348. Searching Bing News (do you use Bing?) produced 5,170 results on “David Wu“; just 21 on “David Wu immigrant“.

This is a crude measure (the google Wu-immigrant search in particular seems choked with junk). But, nevertheless, it is evidence of the Main Stream Media’s priorities. There are circumstances in which Wu’s immigrant status must be whooped up, And there are others in which it must go down the memory hole.

Indeed, poor Wu tried, vainly, to push the immigrant button in his resignation statement (resulting in most of the hits on “immigrant”): “Rare is the nation in which an immigrant child can become a national political figure.”

(Bunk, of course. It’s common throughout the immigration-impacted First World: Canada—needless to say!—has even had a Haitian immigrant Governor-General, who was also a dual citizen of France [!!] and linked to Quebec separatism [!!!]).

Sexual harrassment, like mass murder, is not a job that Americans won’t do. I don’t really know what the significance of Wu’s immigrant status is. I do know, however, that it is being suppressed for a reason.

For the record, although Wu is regularly described as a “moderate Democrat”, NumbersUSA ranks his Career Record on immigration patriotism as an “F”.

Peter Brimelow, VDARE 4 Comments [11/19/2017 1:41:36 AM]
Fundie Index: 3

Quote# 134348

Question: "Was Yahweh originally a Edomite or Canaanite god?"

Answer: The idea that Yahweh started out as an Edomite, Midianite, or Canaanite deity is a modern myth promoted by secular scholars. The starting point for these theorists is an anti-scholarly bias against the possibility that God is who the Bible says He is, namely, the one-and-only Creator, Author of life, Judge, and Savior of the world (Genesis 1:1; 18:25;Acts 3:15; John 3:16). Rather than acknowledge that God made man in God’s image (Genesis 1:26–27), they assume that man made God in man’s image. And when you begin with a premise that is an error, you’re guaranteed an invalid conclusion.

The false theory that Yahweh, the God of the Bible, was created out of the chief god of Edom with influence from Midian relies on the following points:

• During the Exodus out of Egypt, Israel had to pass by the nations of Edom and Midian on their way to the Promised Land (Canaan). During their forty years in the wilderness, as they fashioned a new religion, Israel was supposedly influenced by Edom’s and Midian’s religious beliefs.

• The Midianites—descendants of Midian, a son of Abraham (Genesis 25:1)—had a priest named Reuel (Exodus 2:18) or Jethro (Exodus 3:1 and later). Moses, the author of the first five books of the Bible, marriedJethro’s daughter. Moses then presumably brought much of his father-in-law’s theology into his own new religion and our Scripture, including Jethro’s god(s).

• God’s name in Scripture is transliterated from the Hebrew as YHWH, probably meaning “I Am” (Exodus 3:13–14). There is an obscure reference in a 13th-century BC Egyptian document to a region in Edom associated with JWH, possibly indicating that JWH was a national god of Edom. Of course, the spelling JWH is similar to YHWH.

• Edom, populated by descendants of Esau (Abraham’s grandson and Israel’s/Jacob’s brother), worshiped a local god named Qos; certain Bible verses show that Israel’s God acted locally and in some of the same places as Qos; therefore, the Hebrew concept of God may be based on Edom’s Qos. Some Bible verses referring to areas within Edom include the following:

Deuteronomy 33:2 – “The LORD [Yahweh] came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran.”

Judges 5:4–5 – “When you, Lord, went out from Seir, / when you marched from the land of Edom, / the earth shook, the heavens poured, / the clouds poured down water. / The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, / before the Lord, the God of Israel.”

Habakkuk 3:3a – “God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran.”

This last error—that Yahweh is linked to the god of Edom because of His localized actions—is especially inexcusable for any serious scholar. Verses throughout the Bible speak of God’s appearing and acting in many specific locations. There is no logically sound reason for concluding that Moses and all the Bible writers after him were confused about whether God was some petty, magical deity haunting the neighborhood or the Being greater than the universe He created. In fact, the remainder of Habakkuk 3:3 lays the question to rest: “His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth.” This is not a description of a local god. See alsoDeuteronomy 10:14; 2 Chronicles 2:6; Psalm 19:1–4; and Hebrews 1:10–12.

So, the whole theory that Yahweh was borrowed from local mythologies in Edom and Midian rests on 1) Israel’s route through the desert, 2) Moses’ choice of a wife, 3) a similarly spelled word, and 4) mentions of Edom in the Bible. It’s not much to go on, but it’s all the theorists have. When you reject the truth of God’s revealing Himself in Scripture, you’re left to grasp at straws.

Sadly, the confusion about Yahweh’s being an Edomite or Midianite god is common among modern scholars. They “discover” tiny clues from which they fabricate entire myths—all of which just happen to “disprove” the Bible. They even claim to know more about ancient cultures and beliefs than the very people who lived at that time, spoke that language, read those Scriptures, and worshiped that God. The Bible refers to such scholars as “claiming to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22).

Fortunately, there is plenty of excellent scholarship, both Christian and secular, to refute the notion that Yahweh was an outgrowth of various pagan gods. There is much study being done that continues to astound the world by proving again and again the Bible’s amazing historic, geographic, scientific, and spiritual accuracy. Of all the thousands of holy books in the world, only the Bible has survived every attempt to destroy or discredit it, coming through each attack with even more confirmation that it is the error-free, inspiredWord of God (Psalm 119:89).



Got Questions, Got Questions 12 Comments [11/19/2017 1:41:16 AM]
Fundie Index: 2
Submitted By: FSM

Quote# 134347

Knowing the righteousness of Christ, I can't fathom how He could heal someone's servant so he could continue to have sex with him, a kind of sex which is clearly condemned by Paul in the book of Romans. This would be like the devil having "mercy" on one of the apostles instead of persecuting them everywhere they went. When the devil begins to have mercy on any Christian, then I'll believe that Jesus would do the same for one of the devil's followers to continue to do what is so vile in His eyes that He cannot gaze upon it with pleasure. And let us recall what Jesus said to the man who lay next to the pool of Bethesda for 38 years in some sort of paralytic condition. After Jesus healed him, He said to him, "go and sin no more lest a worse thing come upon you." Also, to the woman caught in the very act of adultery, Jesus said, "neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." I'm sure their lives were quite different after their supernatural encounters with Jesus. But Jesus made it clear that He did not condone their sin by healing them or forgiving them. To try to make the case that Jesus condones any sexual sin, whether fornication, adultery, incest, rape, homosexuality, or even lustful thoughts is to blaspheme His holy name/character. It is to pervert His image to that of "fallen" man.

Anonymous, The Biblical World 4 Comments [11/19/2017 1:40:50 AM]
Fundie Index: 2
Submitted By: DiarrheaMan

Quote# 134339

(=Two comments on the same thread by the same guy regarding an Ex-Flat-Earther coming out against the movement=)

Comment One: Just by accepting the Earth as a "globe" and by loving it most people are worshipping baal! There are so many inconsistencies within pseudo science. Neil Tyson says the Earth is shaped like an oblong pear but the several "photos" from NASA show a perfectly globular spheroid shaped earth. So which is it NASA? Then there are other mistakes NASA has made and you can see this for yourself by comparing different pics of the globe from different years. In all pictures the overall shape of the Earth is the same size yet the continents in view are larger and smaller from one pic to the next. Also, NASA says you can plainly see the curvature of earth at a specified height and when amateur photos are taken from balloons thousands of feet above this height with a camera that doesn't use a fisheye lens you can clearly see a flat horizon. The Pythagorean Theorem proves that Earth is either thousands times bigger than what NASA states or its flat. Laser tests also prove this and there is no religious dogma about any of that. There is no such thing as "gravity", it's never been proven to exist. No study has ever shown there to be a "gravity particle". Density and buoyancy explain away what you think gravity is. No need for your magical "gravity". Besides the idea of gravity was only invented to explain away all of heliocentrism. I'm not "emotional" about any of this mind you. It is just fact, nothing more, nothing less.

Comment two: Just another shill. However instead of using ad hominem attacks he's using a different tactic to try and discredit the Earth being flat and stationary. He's technical jargon that most do not understand to try and deceive people into believing the earth isn't flat and stationary. He's talking about how lights and lasers supposedly bend but refuses to bring up the things I stated in my previous comment, which blows the globe model out of the water. It's already been debunked. We do not live on a globe.

Brent Anderson, Facebook 22 Comments [11/18/2017 1:07:14 PM]
Fundie Index: 6

Quote# 134338

Love and fidelity have nothing to do with homosexuals.

Btw, if reading stuff you don't agree with upsets you, I suggest you stick with blogs you agree with. No need to stress yourself by finding out that people don't all see the world exactly as you do. When you troll a Christian blog, you just might run a Christian or two.

Vince, Christian News Network 12 Comments [11/18/2017 1:07:10 PM]
Fundie Index: 5

Quote# 134331

Given that the grandfather was an Irish Catholic, he certainly had no loyalty to the UK, and his ilk was often wont to abandon their families to the British Welfate State, for which they left the 26 counties to begin with, albeit usually '''after WWII''', not during.

216.194.4.216, Wikipedia 6 Comments [11/18/2017 3:26:00 AM]
Fundie Index: 4
Submitted By: Katie

Quote# 134328

(Video is from EmmanuelTV, a Deliverance Ministry in Nigeria)

You inist that demonic psosession is fake, yet this man bit off the head of a chicken. Tell me RIGHT NOW how any sane person would do this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF-vKrYyqOY

timestamp 14:16

Unsigned, RationalWiki 17 Comments [11/18/2017 3:25:27 AM]
Fundie Index: 5

Quote# 134324

A Canadian transgender job fair organised by a former Kenyan refugee has been criticised for inviting military recruiters.

Biko Beauttah said she asked the army to the event to honour her grandfather, who was a Kenyan major general.

But other transgender-rights activists say having the military there is an "affront" to their community.

Despite the criticism, Ms Beauttah said the fair will go ahead in Toronto on Trans Remembrance Day on Monday.

Ms Beauttah moved to Canada in 2006 from Kenya, where she said transgender people face discrimination and violence.

She said she spent her first three days in Canada in immigration detention, followed by six months in a refugee shelter.

But finding work in Canada has proved difficult because of transphobia, she says.

Currently, she is an activist and board member at Pride Toronto.

"I decided to throw myself a job fair and my community will benefit well," she told the BBC.

"All you need is an idea and you can literally change the world."

The fair will feature 15 employers, including bookstore chain Indigo and Toronto-Dominion Bank.

The Canadian Armed Forces is sending two personnel to find possible transgender recruits.

The presence of the military has irked some members of the transgender community.

Transroots Toronto, a group for transgender people of colour, says the job fair is a "racist act".

"Given the ongoing history of military and police violence against trans people, and of police indifference to anti-trans violence generally, having military or police present at an event specifically for TPOC (Trans People of Color) is an inherently violent act," Transroots Toronto wrote on Facebook.

The group also criticised Ms Beauttah for hosting the event on Trans Remembrance Day, which it said was a "day of mourning".

It is organising a protest outside the job fair.

But Ms Beauttah remains undeterred.

"All those systemic things they complain about, they affect me too," she said.

Toronto is no stranger to debates over police and military involvement at LGBT events.

Earlier this year, Pride Toronto voted in favour of banning uniformed police officers from the annual parade after Black Lives Matter activists said the police presence made LGBT people of colour feel unsafe.

Transroots Toronto, Pride Toronto, BBC News 21 Comments [11/17/2017 10:38:10 PM]
Fundie Index: 7

Quote# 134323

Females have been getting pregnant and have been giving birth at 12 for thousands of years, and most of the time they survived and didn't have complications. Also just because a females body is not fully developed, doesn't mean that she isn't ready to get pregnant.

John M, YouTube  18 Comments [11/17/2017 10:37:58 PM]
Fundie Index: 8
Submitted By: FSM

Quote# 134322

And even in some societies today, such as the primitive tribal societies, all the females in those societies start getting pregnant as soon as they start puberty. So when they are 10 11 or 12 they start getting pregnant and when they are 10 11 12 or 13 they become mothers. Most of them survive and most of them don't have any complications. Also even females that have fully developed bodies can experience complications in pregnancy and can die in pregnancy or can die giving birth. There are always dangers and risks with every pregnancy, regardless of how old the female is and regardless if the female is fully developed or not fully developed.

John M, YouTube  7 Comments [11/17/2017 10:37:16 PM]
Fundie Index: 6
Submitted By: FSM

Quote# 134320

Lady Checkmate's headling: "Persecution: Why is Air Force punishing colonel over his religious views on marriage?"

(Cut-and-pasted Fox News story follows, link here: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/11/16/senators-why-is-air-force-punishing-colonel-over-his-religious-views-on-marriage.html)



They hate us, literally, but accuse us of hating them...oh, the projection is crystal clear:




Lady Checkmate, Disqus - News Network 21 Comments [11/17/2017 10:36:59 PM]
Fundie Index: 12
Submitted By: Jocasta

Quote# 134314

Having Moore on the ballot is not enough.

Before these false accusations started, there was no question that Moore was going to win the seat.

If he loses then Allred and her kind win. It would be a huge blow to #MAGA. It is just that simple.

sipow, Free Republic 25 Comments [11/17/2017 4:09:38 PM]
Fundie Index: 8
Submitted By: Katie

Quote# 134313

Actually, we do. I have studied Walter’s position on this topic and I know that he is not in favor of anyone going through transition. Quite the opposite, in fact.

He means that we need better information about the topic of regret. In fact he wants more discussion than that. We need to blow up the myth that “transition” is possible. As long as the “trans” lobby is allowed to control discussion, they will continue to spread lies and recruit new mentally ill victims.

There is no such thing as sex change.

mom of young patriots, Free Republic 9 Comments [11/17/2017 4:09:24 PM]
Fundie Index: 5
Submitted By: Katie

Quote# 134303

Adolf Hitler actually created the first anti-animal cruelty laws in history, was a vegetarian, and had plans to close all slaughterhouses in Germany through legislation he created. The holocaust lie was created and is perpetuated by the very same animal abusers he was peacefully exiling from his country before they declared war on him. The amount of propaganda and disinformation that has been spread about "gas chambers" and "mass graves" etc. is all dispelled in my documentary "Adolf Hitler vs. The Jew World Order," if it hasn't been censored in your country (it is now banned in 30 countries). You can also learn the truth by watching "The Greatest Story Never Told." Thanks to everyone who takes the time to look into this most important subject. Peace?

Eric Dubay, Youtube 16 Comments [11/17/2017 11:24:18 AM]
Fundie Index: 17
Submitted By: hydrolythe

Quote# 134298

Citizen:
.....you clowns don't make it very easy to like you. Some still want to re-litigate the US Civil War. Get a life that matters!

Lady Checkmate:
It's the alt-left that wants to re-litigate civil rights. They want to cover life style choices and are requesting that civil rights be eliminated if they're choices aren't covered. So, it seems your offense is misdirected...it's the alt-left attacking us marginalized minorities.
*My life matters to God :)

Citizen:
.....how about you be you and let them be them? We'll just keep it simple.

Lady Checkmate:
Who asked "them" not to be "them"? I haven't put demands on anyone regarding their life style choices.
My point was, you accused the wrong people of wanting to re-litigate civil rights (and actually some of them may want to as well), but those making that specific demand are those wanting to be covered by the right as well-as mentioned in the comment above. Please think on that sir and let me know how it feels to be manipulated and have our ancestor's experiences pimped and manipulated by very selfish people pushing a very specific agenda that also targets, harasses and persecutes Christians. Not cool, right.

Citizen:
.....lol, do they want my guns ???

Lady Checkmate:
Last I heard, the alt-left wants to take everyone's guns...brush up on whose for the second amendment...we conservatives support gun ownership. The folks you're defending want to take your guns sir, not us. Again, you chose the wrong team...they want to take everything they can from us, including our rights, js.

Citizen:
.....and you're talking about the current administration, RIGHT ???

Lady Checkmate:
Citizen, I don't know if I should pity you or block you. It's sad.
One more time (respectfully):

1. Trump is for the second amendment. The alt-left is NOT.
2. Trump is for freedom of speech. The alt-left is NOT.
3. Trump is for putting Americans first. The alt-left is NOT.
4. Trump is for religious rights.The alt-left is NOT.
5. Trump is for returning jobs to the American people, i.e., lowering the unemployment rate. The alt-left is NOT.

If you can't follow that, I wish you well Citizen, but I think you're doing that on purpose...I won't respond to nor release further trolling and pretending that you don't understand straight forward comments.

Good luck with that btw.

Lady Checkmate, Disqus - News Network 13 Comments [11/17/2017 8:01:12 AM]
Fundie Index: 9
Submitted By: Jocasta