mainefamilypolicycouncil.com

Twelve Signs of Impending Social Collapse

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:01:28 PST

While Democrats and Republicans wrangle endlessly over how to fix a broken economy, other signs of impending social collapse are going unheeded. The twelve warning signs listed below are compiled from ancient historians who recorded how a society gradually slides into hopeless corruption, revolution, or civil war.

These twelve warning signs reveal those areas of society which require the immediate attention of government. Endless palavers about the economy are at best a misdirected effort, and at worst, a deliberate attempt to distract the American people with a pointless charade.

Avatar's Dangerous Message

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:29:26 PST

During the time of year when much of the world celebrated the birth of Christ, millions of moviegoers worldwide flocked to see the movie "Avatar." The name "Avatar" itself means the advent of a deity. But the deity revealed to the world over Christmas was not Christ, and the message was far from Christian.

Many conservatives complain that the movie is a left-wing lesson in radical environmentalism. The Vatican has objected that the movie encourages nature worship. Evangelicals are worried that the movie indoctrinates youth into neo-paganism. The average moviegoer, without a political or religious ax to grind, is left vaguely dissatisfied, without being able to say exactly why the movie is disappointing.

Is Bangor on the Critical List?

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:12:42 PST

Like many other towns in Maine, Bangor has a road which leads past pristine historic buildings, past centuries of forgotten memories, out to the modern, gaudily-painted chain stores on the edge of town, buildings with no higher meaning or purpose than an appeal to self-indulgence and consumerism. Such roads are like clear streams with which each passing mile grow dark with pollution. With churches on every hill and rows of historic houses, Bangor seems all the more tragically stricken.

We Are Not Free

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:18:59 PST

In today's troubled times, many people see the answer to America's problems in greater economic freedom and more personal liberty. But America has always been the freest nation that ever existed, and the results are far from satisfactory.

The following thought-provoking article entitled "We are Not Free" was published in The Record in 1908, and examines the concept of freedom from a Christian perspective. The author raises a very controversial, but instructive question - is America really free?

THE INCARNATION

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

John 1:1-14

A father put his four-year-old son to bed. Having finished prayers, stories, and all the little bedtime things, he kissed his son and turned the light off. His son started sobbing, "Don’t leave me. I’m scared and don’t want to stay here alone." The father tried to encourage the little boy by reminding him of God’s presence and reminding him that they had had devotions. The little boy said, "I want somebody with skin on." This is the great message of the Incarnation! Jesus came in flesh!

Come Home, Maine

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:10:00 PST

The world tempts the traveler with many strange and wonderful sights, the white temples of Shangrila, which seem to float in the clouds, the houses of Timbuktu, like a tangled maze of children's blocks, the monumental city of the Pharaohs, stretching out across the ancient sands. Each may lay claim to being a land of mystery.

But as Christmas approaches, a young person returning to Maine can see the most mysterious sight the world has to offer, a pine forest beneath a wintry night sky and the Northern Lights. As the miles recede behind him, a gently-waving curtain of multicolored lights casts its light over snowy fields, as each tree points up and outward like an arrow to the starry path beyond the sky.

Ban this Video Game

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:40:42 PST

Christmas marks the birth of Our Savior, the Prince of Peace, and it is heartening to know that non-believers, and even those of other faiths, think of Christmas as a time of peace. It is doubly unfortunate that at this time of year, one of the best-selling products is a video game which calls on young people to participate vicariously in the destruction of their fellow man.

Festivals of Light Reveal an Infinite Void

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:23:25 PST

One after the other, the colorful figures are loaded onto the back of the truck. First the lamb, legs folded gently under, is placed aboard, and then come the shepherd and the reverent wise men from afar, and then the dutiful father dressed in the clothes of a humble workman. Last of all, the gentle and adoring young mother is tucked away, there in a corner with her joyful infant resting on a bed of straw.

Another Nativity scene has been removed from public life. As the worker slides the door shut, the figures are shrouded in deep darkness; and he ponders for a while if he has removed something more than a simple holiday decoration.

Pretty Poison

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:57:38 PST

The berry of the bittersweet is a soft shade of yellow, turning orange then red in autumn. The climbing nightshade is more colorful, with green berries which turn a deep amethyst in late summer, then bright red as the winter months come on. Both these plants are poisonous.

With its dark green leaves and fiery-red berries, few trees are as lovely as the holly. Yet the berry of the holly is poison to man, as is the mistletoe berry and the Jerusalem cherry. All these colorful green things brighten homes at the time of the birth of Our Savior.

The Smear Campaign Against Maine

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:37:36 PST

After the repeal of same sex marriage, public attention was diverted from the debate over "gay rights" to several blunders made by the same sex marriage movement. These blunders ranged from a heavy-handed threat against voters by Jesse Connolly, leader of the No on 1 campaign, to a march down Congress Street by same sex marriage supporters who made the night air ring with obscenities. Their latest blunder may prove to be the worst of all, when Governor Baldacci receives an award in Boston for his service to the cause of homosexual marriage.

Righteousness Prevails

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:53:43 PST

Mike Heath, the former director of the Christian Civic League of Maine, posted the following comments on a recent blog. The comments are so pertinent and hard-hitting, we thought we would publish them here.

There's lots of disappointed people today. Not just in Maine, but all across America. Maine was supposed to become the first state to endorse homosexual marriage on a statewide ballot. It didn't happen, thank God.

The Coming Defeat of Gay Marriage

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:46:46 PST

Many years of effort have been expended in the battle to save marriage and the family. Our opponents wisely chose to pursue their goal of gay marriage in piecemeal fashion. After decades of pursuing more modest goals, they decided in the final hour to reveal the Holy Grail of their movement, gay marriage.

Today, the outcome of the vote on homosexual marriage is in doubt. It is natural that some on our side are discouraged and worried about the future. The other side does possess astonishing advantages. The gay marriage movement is highly-organized and uses the newest methods of technology. They are well-funded and have outspent the pro-marriage side more than two to one. Moreover, on Election Day they will send more people to the polls.

A Reply to Janet Mills

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:51:49 PST

With only a short time remaining before the crucial vote on homosexual marriage, it seems that everyone in the liberal establishment is eager to have his or her say on the issue. Recently the Attorney General, Janet Mills, claimed there is no relationship between the existing law and what is taught in the public schools. Many in the pro-family movement were stunned by her remarks, since the Office of the Maine Attorney General already promotes the homosexual agenda in the public schools through its so-called "Civil Rights Teams." The following opinion piece is a reply to Attorney General Janet Mills, which ran as a column in the Brunswick Times Record.

The Right Prescription for Maine

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:40:19 PST

A recent column by Dr. Eric Steele in the Bangor Daily News provoked a heated response from some readers. Dr. Steele made the unfounded claim that the Gospel is often used as a cloak for "racism and sexism." The RECORD responded with the following column, which discusses the central question in the debate over same sex marriage.

To someone in pain, no sight is as welcome as that of a physician. We all have waited for the doctor, a bit cold, fretting perhaps about what the next few moments will bring. But the very sight of a doctor brings relief. Our hearts beat easier, the pain in our side is eased, our fever is lessened. The profession of physician is indeed a sacred profession, since doctors banish our pain, heal our illnesses, and save us from death.

Fight the Good Fight!

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:00:00 PST

It is a well-known fact that Satan will do everything in his power to tear down the walls of spiritual protection around those who are unaware of his devices. All serious parents are concerned about what the future holds for their children. We must stand up and fight!

Will California Decide Maine's Same Sex Marriage Law?

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:55:20 PST

Both sides of the debate over same sex marriage are eager to claim that their side is a grassroots effort. Hence television ads are carefully crafted to have an authentic Maine feel, with crusty old codgers, a lighthouse or two, and yes! a pine-covered island.

A Source of True Joy

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:58:34 PST

The philosopher Seneca was highly esteemed by early Christians for his valuable wisdom on the conduct of life. Here, Seneca gives his thoughts on the need to examine our own conduct before judging others.

Grassroots Curriculum Changes Came from Out-of-State

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:44:42 PST

During the debate on proposed changes to the Westbrook sex education curriculum, an opinion piece was published in the Portland Press Herald which revealed that the push for the radical changes in the curriculum came from out-of-state, although the school board claimed the changes were the result of a community, grassroots effort. The column is particularly relevant in view of the proposal by the SAD 60 school board to offer contraceptives, including the morning after pill, "Plan B," to students at Noble High.

The Wisdom of Teddy Roosevelt

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:56:01 PST

America has been blessed with many wise leaders. The wisest of these leaders was Teddy Roosevelt, a man blessed with a great store of practical wisdom. His many quotations are a treasure trove of practical advice for the conduct of everyday life. The RECORD offers a few of his most valuable quotations here.

Is Homosexual Marriage our Final Crisis?

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:10:00 PST

America is powerful, and our age is made bright and shining by an endless procession of things of little importance, consumer goods, vain and effervescent entertainment, the pursuit of money and pleasure; and underlying the dizzying blur of our daily lives is the deep vulnerability that comes from a lack of moral clarity.