By Stefano Gennarini, J.D.
(GENEVA – C-FAM) Likely the Russians are furious. Last year the Russian government initiated a process at the Human Rights Council in Geneva that was supposed to lead to a resolution touting traditional values. They rediscovered what they likely already knew, that such debates at the UN are fraught with danger, particularly for those who want to support traditional values. The constellation of forces hostile to traditional values is large and aggressive.
The Russians had hoped their resolution could find a positive link between traditional values and human rights generally. A drafting committee offered a preliminary study last February that was acceptable to pro-family delegates. But opposition quickly formed. Homosexual groups were particularly vocal in opposing the draft report. Opponents charged that the draft failed to address what they consider to be a conflict between traditional values and human rights.
The preliminary study emphasized universal traditional values shared by all people, in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It highlighted the connections between traditional values and human rights, maintaining that the normative force of human rights has its roots in the moral force of traditional values. It contained explicit references to the right to life, the role of the family in society, as well as major religions.
But the United States and some European countries objected that the rights of women and homosexual and transgender persons are frequently undermined by traditional values and religion, and that something should be said in the study about the conflict. The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) joined the criticisms.
Following this objection, the Chinese expert on the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council (HRC), Chung Chinsung, re-wrote the study, omitting positive references to the right to life, the family, and religion. The new draft study was discussed last week in Geneva, and countries, experts, and NGOs that had complained were overall satisfied with the changes.
The new draft drops the universalistic approach. In fact, the new draft does not even recognize the existence of universal traditional values, dismissing the quest for universality as a red herring. Instead, it points out that multiple traditional values exist, and they are constantly evolving. Some are consonant with human rights. But others are not.
This new approach puts human rights squarely above and against traditional values. In the draft study, the Advisory Committee declares which traditional values are in conflict with human rights, and which ones are not.
The new draft makes the case that traditional values undermine the rights of women and minorities. It finds that certain traditions and religions spread “stereotypes about femininity, sexual orientation and the role and status of women in society.” It also lists some “best practices” to show how, in some circumstances, traditional values can reinforce human rights. None of these examples are from western countries. In fact, the new draft finds that “traditional and cultural values in Western countries propagate harmful practices, such as domestic violence.”
The new study was scheduled to appear during the September session of the HRC. But it clearly requires some further polishing, and the Committee has asked the HRC for more time.
“Gay parades banned in Moscow for 100 years” 17 August 2012
Moscow’s top court has upheld a ban on gay pride marches in the Russian capital for the next 100 years.
Earlier Russia’s best-known gay rights campaigner, Nikolay Alexeyev, had gone to court hoping to overturn the city council’s ban on gay parades.
He had asked for the right to stage such parades for the next 100 years.
He also opposes St Petersburg’s ban on spreading “homosexual propaganda”. The European Court of Human Rights has told Russia to pay him damages.
On Friday he said he would go back to the European Court in Strasbourg to push for a recognition that Moscow’s ban on gay pride marches – past, present and future – was unjust.
The Moscow city government argues that the gay parade would risk causing public disorder and that most Muscovites do not support such an event.
In September, the Council of Europe – the main human rights watchdog in Europe – will examine Russia’s response to a previous European Court ruling on the gay rights issue, Russian media report.
In October 2010 the court said Russia had discriminated against Mr Alexeyev on grounds of sexual orientation. It had considered Moscow’s ban on gay parades covering the period 2006-2008.
This article written by Stefano Gennarini, who is Director of the Center for Legal Studies at the Catholic Family and Human Right Institute (C-FAM), first appeared in FridayFax, an internet report published weekly by C-FAM. C-FAM is a New York and Washington DC-based research institute (http://www.c-fam.org).
War On Christianity
by Dallas Henry
Matt. 24:9 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.”
Day after day, night after night, the news media question, denounce, or just plain ignore the good news. They want higher taxes to fund massive new federal spending for more liberal experiments. They want America – and the world – to see our military as corrupt and barbaric – and failing. And they’ll denounce anyone or anything that stands in the way of that message.
Brent Bozell (founder and president of the Media Research Center,) surveyed 18,000 nightly news shows broadcast by ABC, CBS, NBC, the Cable News Networks and the Public Broadcasting Service, and found only 212 stories that focused on religion. That amounts to 1 percent of coverage although 52 percent of Americans say they attend church and more than 90 percent say that they pray regularly.
The ACLU fights for the free speech and expression “rights” of Pornographers, Witches, Abortionists, Homosexuals, Convicted Criminals, Child Molesters, Occultists, Communists, Lesbians, Nazis, Illegal Aliens, Aids Patients, and Satanists. They have resolutely attempted to deny those same privileges to Christians.
The ACLU has sought to halt the singing of Christmas carols like “Silent Night” and “Away in a Manger” in public facilities; deny the tax-exempt status of all churches – yet maintaining it for themselves as well as for various occult groups; disallow prayer – not just in the public school classrooms, but in locker rooms, sports arenas, graduation exercises, and legislative assemblies; terminate all military and prison chaplains; deny Christian school children access to publicly funded services; eliminate nativity scenes, crosses, and other Christian symbols from public property; repeal all blue law statutes; prohibit voluntary Bible reading in public schools – even during free time or after classes; remove the words “In God We Trust” from our currency; deny accreditation to science departments at Bible-believing Christian Universities; prevent the posting of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and government property; terminate all voucher programs and tuition tax credits; prohibit census questions about religious affiliation; and purge the words “Under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance.
WorldNetDaily reported that a Christian employee of Hewlet Packard was fired for posting Bible verses condemning homosexual behavior on his desk in response to posters displayed during a company campaign to promote a diverse work force.
CNN founder Ted Turner asked employees who had ashes on their foreheads on Ash Wednesday if they were “a bunch of Jesus freaks?”
A teacher confiscated book covers that contained the Ten Commandments and threw them in the trash saying the Commandments were “hate speech” that might offend other students.
Samuel B. Kent of the Southern District of Texas decreed that any student uttering the word “Jesus” would be arrested and tossed in jail for six months.
Well known, Alabama judge, Roy Moore was roundly denounced by the big media for erecting and refusing to remove Ten Commandments stone tablets from his courthouse. The media hated him so much, that they bashed him out of office.
There were two mayors, one in San Francisco and one in New Paltz, New York. The media described the San Francisco mayor has young, handsome and Catholic. Everything they wrote about him was in the positive. It was the same with the mayor of New Paltz, New York. Both mayors were breaking state law by performing same-sex marriages.
Christians are often subjected to scorn and ridicule and denied their religious freedoms. They are often are called “Bible-thumping idiots.”
In Dec 2002 – MSNBC talk-show host Phil Donahue asked Dr. Jerry Falwell: “Do You Have to Be a Christian to Get into Heaven?” Dr. Falwell quoted John 14:6. Many in the audience applauded the Rev. Falwell’s statement. Donahue expressed disdain for their reaction. They were characterized as bigoted, ignorant, hateful and unenlightened.
Ever heard of Rosie O’Donnel & Elizabeth Hasselbeck? Rosie’s statement 9/12/06 “radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America.” One British writer saw them as overbearing lesbians and fundamentalist left-wing bubbleheads furiously howling at each other.
68% of Americans say the media have damaged moral values in America, according to a report released by the Culture and Media Institute.
1 Cor. 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” Continue reading →
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