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Be Alert! - April 8, 2007
Greetings in Christ Jesus,
1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
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1) Human rights for apes?
Romans 1:22-25
Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Growing movement wants to grant 'personhood'
WORLDNETDAILY - March 31, 2007 An international movement is growing to grant human rights and "personhood" to apes.
In Austria, judges must decide whether a British woman should become legal guardian of a chimpanzee, and in Spain, members of parliament are being urged to grant apes the right to life, freedom and protection from torture, reports BBC News magazine.
Ian Redmond of the U.N.'s Great Apes Survival http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp? http://www.unep.org/grasp/ Project contends apes are special because they are so closely related to humans – chimpanzees and bonobos, for example, differ by only 1 percent of DNA. - - -
Members of Parliament in Spain are being asked to support legislation endorsed by the international organization Great Ape Project, which advocates a United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Great Apes that would confer basic legal rights on great apes. The law would be based on the assertion apes deserve a right to life, freedom and protection from torture.
But Steve Jones, professor of genetics at University of London, maintains human rights cannot be imposed on animals.
"Where do you stop? It seems to be that being human is unique and nothing to do with biology," he said. "Say that apes share 98 percent of human DNA and therefore should have 98 percent of human rights. Well mice share 90 percent of human DNA. Should they get 90 percent of human rights? And plants have more DNA than humans."
Jones argues that bestowing rights based on criteria invented by one group is itself a breach of human rights, similar to what the Nazis did in the Holocaust.
"Rights and responsibilities go together and I've yet to see a chimp imprisoned for stealing a banana because they don't have a moral sense of what's right and wrong," he said. "To give them rights is to give them something without asking for anything in return."
See Full Report Posted at the Be Alert! Blog
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2) Muslim appointed to UK cathedral
A Horde of Judgment
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
1 John 2:22
Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.
Matthew 24:15
"Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),...
EKKLESIA - By staff writers - March 29, 2007
A Muslim woman is to join the staff of a major cathedral, in an appointment believed to be the first of its kind.
Anjum Anwar, currently Education Officer of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, will work with Canon Chris Chivers, showing how dialogue between faiths, cultures and communities across Lancashire, and beyond, can be developed in practice.
Ms Anwar, who has been honoured for community service in Lancashire, has been appointed to a post at Blackburn Cathedral as its Dialogue Development Officer.
Her post will be funded by the North West Development Agency (NWDA) for an initial two years.
She was awarded the MBE in 2005 for her services to the community in Lancashire.
The appointment was today (Thursday) commended by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s national adviser on inter-faith relations, Canon Guy Wilkinson. “By this appointment, Blackburn Cathedral, supported by the NWDA, is demonstrating what it is to be present at the heart of the community, and to engage in positive and constructive ways,” he said. “I am very glad to commend this initiative warmly.”
Anjum Anwar said: “It’s very brave for the Cathedral to take this unique step, and I am very honoured by it. It’s a success story for the Cathedral and for the Lancashire Council of Mosques. It shows that working together has real benefits for both communities, and for wider communities as well.”
The Dean of Blackburn, the Very Rev Christopher Armstrong said: “Anjum Anwar and Chris Chivers have worked hard over the past two years to make the Cathedral a place humming with dialogue.
“They have enabled all sorts of people, of all faiths and none, to have difficult conversations that needed to happen. The two of them have a regional, national and indeed international profile, through their dialogues, broadcasting and writing. - - -
Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Councillor Kate Hollern, said: “This work to increase dialogue between faiths, cultures and communities is excellent and complements the 100 Voices community debates that have given local people the opportunity to discuss their concerns and give their views about cohesion in an open, honest and constructive way.”
“We found that local people from different communities have the shared values of wanting to promote strong families and good, safe, clean neighbourhoods.”
See Full Report Posted at the Be Alert! Blog
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3) Old Church Becomes Mosque in Uneasy Britain
NEW YORK TIMES - By Jane Perlez - April 2, 2007
CLITHEROE, England — On a chilly night this winter, this pristine town in some of Britain’s most untouched countryside voted to allow a former Christian church to become a mosque.
The narrow vote by the municipal authorities marked the end of a bitter struggle by the tiny Muslim population to establish a place of worship, one that will put a mosque in an imposing stone Methodist church that had been used as a factory since its congregation dwindled away 40 years ago.
The battle underscored Britain’s unease with its Muslim minority, and particularly the infiltration of terrorist cells among the faithful, whose devotion has challenged an increasingly secular Britain’s sense of itself.
Britain may continue to regard itself as a Christian nation. But practicing Muslims are likely to outnumber church-attending Christians in several decades, according to a recent survey by Christian Research, a group that specializes in documenting the status of Christianity in Britain.
More conspicuous than ever in both the halls of power and in working-class neighborhoods, Britain’s 1.6 million Muslims, about 2.7 percent of the population, are at once alienated and increasingly assertive. - - - -
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4) Dobson: I didn't disparage Fred Thompson's faith
Quoted: 'I don't think he's a Christian; at least that's my impression'
How Dobson can still believe the GOP is the party for true Christians is beyond me. Niether are the Democrats. The majority of all of them are liars in office for their own gain. Dobson is growing more deceived by the second.
BE/\LERT!
Titus 1:16
They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.
WORLDNETDAILY - March 31, 2007
Focus on the Family founder James Dobson claims U.S. News and World Report mischaracterized remarks reported by the magazine as disparaging of Sen. Fred Thompson and the potential presidential candidate's Christian faith.
The online story appeared this week with the title "Dobson Offers Insight on 2008 Republican Hopefuls: Focus on the Family Founder Snubs Thompson, Praises Gingrich."
Reporter Dan Gilgoff wrote Dobson "appeared to throw cold water on a possible presidential bid by former Sen. Fred Thompson while praising former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is also weighing a presidential run, in a phone interview Tuesday."
Gilgoff quoted Dobson saying of Thompson, "Everyone knows he's conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for, [but] I don't think he's a Christian; at least that's my impression."
In the U.S. News story, Dobson added, according to Gilgoff, that such an impression would make it difficult for Thompson to connect with the Republican Party's conservative Christian base and win the GOP nomination.
In a statement issued today, Focus on the Family said Dobson did not mean to disparage Thompson.
"His words weren't intended to represent either an endorsement of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich or a disparagement of former Sen. Fred Thompson," the statement said.
"Dr. Dobson appreciates Sen. Thompson's solid, pro- family voting record and his position that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided."
Dobson, according to Focus on the Family, was "attempting to highlight that to the best of his knowledge, Sen. Thompson hadn't clearly communicated his religious faith, and many evangelical Christians might find this a barrier to supporting him." - - - -
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7) Jewish Worship Leader Craig Taubman Brings Mega-Church Style Prayer Experiences To Atlanta In Bid To Invigorate Synagogue Life
Synagogue 3000’s Atlanta Initiative presents composer/recording artist Taubman and local clergy leading services in aim to pack the pews March 23rd and 24th 2007
Isaiah 30:1-3
"Woe to the rebellious children," declares the LORD, "Who execute a plan, but not Mine, and make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, in order to add sin to sin; who proceed down to Egypt without consulting Me, to take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! "Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.
Deuteronomy 22:9-11
"You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, or all the produce of the seed which you have sown and the increase of the vineyard will become defiled. "You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. "You shall not wear a material mixed of wool and linen together.
Revelation 17:5
and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
RELIGION NEWS SERVICE - March 20, 2007
ATLANTA – Craig Taubman, the worship leader who created the “Friday Night Live” Shabbat service, comes to Atlanta this weekend for a series of “seeker” services aimed at the two thirds of Atlanta’s Jewish citizens who don’t belong to a synagogue, as well as existing members of congregations. The three Shabbat services are part of “The Atlanta Initiative,” a project of Synagogue 3000 (S3K), an institute dedicated to revitalizing synagogue life. “Craig’s approach to worship is inclusive and participatory,” says S3K President and co-founder Ron Wolfson, “--- and that’s the exact feeling people want to get from their spiritual community.”
“The goal is to create an experience that leaves people wanting more,” according to Taubman, who helps congregations around the country to create services that use upbeat contemporary music to engage spiritual seekers. Similar approaches have become standard fare at many mega-churches and, in fact, Taubman has even helped lead services in places like Saddleback Church in Southern California, the mega-church founded by “The Purpose-driven Life” author Rick Warren. “Pastor Rick Warren is a genius at creating worship experiences that speak to believers and seekers alike,” says Taubman. “S3K hopes to create that same kind of welcoming atmosphere in synagogues.”
Synagogue 3000’s Atlanta Initiative is a project to increase synagogue membership and create a renaissance in Jewish spiritual communities in Atlanta which includes a series of workshops for congregational leaders, the Taubman Shabbat services and “Hallelu Atlanta,” a concert celebrating synagogue life on November 4, 2007.
Synagogue 3000 (S3K) (http://www.syna gogue3000.org) empowers congregations to create sacred communities that are compelling moral and spiritual centers of Jewish life. The S3K Atlanta Initiative is a project launched in November of 2006 to help increase synagogue membership and create a renaissance in Jewish spiritual communities in Atlanta, Georgia.
Craig n’ Co. (http://www.craignco.co m) is Craig Taubman’s production company. Craig is a celebrated composer and singer- songwriter whose dynamic music and moving performance style have been an inspiration to the Jewish community for over 22 years in addition to his successful career in television and film composing.
Emphasis Added
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8) Aids Victims Risk Lives
Thousands of Aids and HIV patients are risking their lives by refusing medication in favour of holy water, Sky News can reveal. The controversial treatment is offered by a church in Ethiopia which claims to have cured hundreds of believers. Sky News correspondent Ian Woods reports on the practice doctors in the country say is extremely dangerous:
SKY NEWS - Reported by Ian Woods - April 3, 2007
"It was a scene which reminded me of the holocaust.
Naked men, women and children, some of them in chains to prevent them escaping, cower in front of the men in charge in a dimly-lit room in the church of St Mary on Mount Entoto.
These people fear death, but they believe that coming here will prolong their lives. It is more likely to have the opposite effect.
The church is 10,000ft above sea level, where the air is thin. Climbing this peak takes your breath away, and so does the view over the sprawling city of Addis Adaba below.
As we approached the church, we were told both boots and socks had to be removed. This is regarded as sacred ground, and everyone must go barefoot.
The church itself is more than 100 years old, a simple building painted in bright colours. It sits above a mountain stream, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church believes the stream is holy water with the power to cure HIV/Aids.
Every day, thousands of people with the virus come here to be "baptised", though the act is performed without ceremony and in a way which seems brutal to outsiders.
Plastic jerry cans are filled with water from a pool, and passed along a human chain to priests dressed like deep sea fishermen. The bright yellow waterproofs protect them from the drenching they administer to their congregation.
They hurl the water over the mass of people kneeling in front of them who shriek and scream, either through devotion or the simple shock of the cold water hitting their naked flesh.
Some cried out for the demons to leave their body, while priests hit them with wooden crosses. Many of them clutched their babies while the water was is shaken from the plastic containers. It is an extraordinary sight.
Men and women are separated by a flimsy barrier. The men must be completely naked while the women are allowed to wear panties. They run from the room with their arms across their breasts trying to maintain their modesty.
Afterwards they get dressed and move into another room for two hours of prayers, sermons, ritual and testimonies from those who claim that the holy water has cured them. Some people have been coming here for years in search of a miracle.
Gete Taddese is 27, and has been attending the church since 2004. She has already lost her two year old child to HIV.
Gete knows she still has the virus, but prefers to come here rather than a clinic.
The church claims that more than a thousand people have been cured in the past two years. And yet the head priest Father Geberemedhen admitted to me that only the newly diagnosed are likely to be helped.
"People who come here just after they discover they are HIV positive, before their bodies are damaged, are easier to cure."
Whether or not such devotion has any positive effect, it is likely to cost some people their lives. "We don't allow patients to take medication if they want to receive holy water", he told me. That means they must stop taking the antiretrovirals which prevent the disease taking hold, and prolong the life of those who carry the HIV virus.
At Addis Adaba's leading hospital, Dr Amone Wodoson understands why Orthodox Christians may seek help from their church, but is angry at the suggestion that they must choose between religion and science.
"This is something deep rooted in our culture, but patients should not discontinue medication while receiving holy water. There is no adverse interaction between the two. It's absolutely wrong. It's really devastating. If a patient discontinues his medication abruptly the disease will progress faster and the patient will die sooner."
Senior church figures tried to deny that patients were told to stop taking drugs. Kessis Kefyalew Merahi is a scholarly figure, who says that both medicine and faith have a role to play in treating AIDS. He insists that the holy water is a proven cure.
"Some of the patients are okay. They still have the sign of the virus, but the virus has no power on their body and blood because it is controlled by the grace of Our Lady."
But ancient superstition is woven into the teachings of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
There is a long list of rules on who is allowed access to St Mary's Church. Among those banned -- women with wigs because "demons possess such women". Women who are menstruating are also forbidden, along with anyone who has had sex recently. Anyone owning up to such behaviour must wait on a nearby hillside, where priests will come to them and douse them with water.
Here too we found men chained together. Some are forced to submit to the ritual by their friends or relatives. But the vast majority attend willingly. The desperate and the devout, risking their lives in the hope of a miracle.
See Video Report Here
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9) French Nun Says Church to Rule on Cure by John Paul II
NEW YORK TIMES - By Elaine Sciolino - March 30, 2007
PARIS, March 30 — If the story Sister Marie Simon- Pierre told Friday is true, then Pope John Paul II exercised miraculous powers from beyond the grave. A proven physical miracle is an important qualification on the road to sainthood.
Smiling and strong-voiced, the 46-year-old nun stepped out of her quiet life of prayer and good works and stood in front of a wall of cameras to proclaim that the pope cured her of Parkinson’s disease two months after his death in 2005.
“I have been cured,” she told journalists gathered for a news conference in Aix-en-Provence. “My healing was the work of God through the intercession of Pope John Paul II.”
But she refused to call her recovery a “miracle,” saying such a designation is the responsibility of the Vatican. - - -
The pope has already been put on a fast track to sainthood. Only 26 days after the pope’s death, Pope Benedict XVI, his successor, waived the five-year waiting period to begin the process of beatification, the first step toward sainthood.
But John Paul needs one verifiable miracle to be beatified, which means that one has reached heaven and can be referred to as “blessed.” Sister Marie Simon-Pierre’s case has been chosen as the first potential miracle.
A second miracle is generally required for canonization as a saint. Miracles can be waived for those who die as “Christian martyrs.” - - - -
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10) Dog yoga: With help from their pets, humans do the downward dog
ASSOCIATED PRESS - April 3, 2007
BELLEVUE, Wash. -- By the end of their doggie yoga class, most of the wandering and sniffing participants are passed out on their mats, in a position their instructor calls the "upward facing belly pose." - - -
Brenda Bryan, who teaches human yoga as well as the new class for both dogs and humans at the Humane Society, says the dogs react to the gentle energy in the room. "As we get into it, the dogs all kind of calm down," said Bryan, who developed the poses for the class by working with her own two dogs -- Gus, a mixed breed, and Honey, a Shar Pei-Boxer mix -- and talking to instructors in other cities like New York, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh where yoga for dogs and their owners is starting to catch on.
The question she and the Humane Society get the most from prospective human students is how do the people and dogs interact?
In Bryan's class, the humans do traditional yoga poses -- yes, including "downward facing dog" -- while staying in contact physically with their pets.
Part of the class includes gentle stretching and dog massage, another specialty of Bryan's, but most of the time the humans gently use the dogs like yoga props.
In downward facing dog, for example, the humans rest their heads on their companions, who are relaxing -- napping? -- on the mat.
The yoga poses are modified both for the humans of different sizes and abilities and for the dogs. During class, Bryan reminds the people not to push their canine partners to perform.
"Don't be too ambitious," she said. "Honor where your dog is and remember that dogs respond to our energy."
The class was designed to offer a new way for humans to spend time with their pets. "This is 80 percent fun," said Eve Holt, director of community relations for the Seattle Humane Society.
Bryan calls it "partner yoga," because the class encourages both the human and the dog to increase their awareness of each other. - - - -
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11) UN Human Rights Council Adopts Resolution on Combating Defamation of Religions
Matthew 10:16-22
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. "But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. "But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. "For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. "You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.
OFFICE OF UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS > HR Council Media - March 30, 2007
The Human Rights Council this morning adopted seven resolutions and two decisions - - -
In a resolution on combating defamation of religions, the Council urged States to take resolute action to prohibit the dissemination of racist and xenophobic ideas and material aimed at any religion or its followers that constituted incitement to racial and religious hatred, hostility or violence, and also urged States to provide adequate protection against acts of hatred, discrimination, intimidation and coercion resulting from defamation of religions.
In a resolution on elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief, the Council decided to continue substantive consideration of this matter at its sixth session; and requested the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief to report on this issue to the Human Rights Council at its sixth session. - - -
Action on Resolution on Combating Defamation of Religions
In a resolution (A/HRC/4/L.12) on Combating defamation of religions , adopted by a vote of 24 in favour, 14 against, and nine abstentions, as orally amended, the Council expresses deep concern at attempts to identify Islam with terrorism, violence and human rights violations; notes with deep concern the intensification of the campaign of defamation of religions, and the ethnic and religious profiling of Muslim minorities, in the aftermath of the tragic events of 11 September 2001; urges States to take resolute action to prohibit the dissemination including through political institutions and organizations of racist and xenophobic ideas and material aimed at any religion or its followers that constitute incitement to racial and religious hatred, hostility or violence; also urges States to provide adequate protection against acts of hatred, discrimination, intimidation and coercion resulting from defamation of religions, to take all possible measures to promote tolerance and respect for all religions and their value systems and to complement legal systems with intellectual and moral strategies to combat religious hatred and intolerance; further urges all States to ensure that all public officials, including members of law enforcement bodies, the military, civil servants and educators, in the course of their official duties, respect different religions and beliefs and do not discriminate against persons on the grounds of their religion or belief, and that any necessary and appropriate education or training is provided; invites the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance to regularly report on all manifestations of defamation of religions and in particular on the serious implications of Islamophobia on the enjoyment of all rights; and requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to report to the Human Rights Council on the implementation of this resolution at its sixth session.
The result of the vote was as follows:
In favour (24): Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Gabon, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Philippines, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Tunisia.
Against (14): Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Switzerland, Ukraine and United Kingdom.
Abstentions (9): Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Nigeria, Peru, Uruguay and Zambia. - - -
Action on Resolution on Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief
In a resolution (A/HRC/4/L.13) on Elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief , adopted without a vote, as orally amended, the Council decides to continue substantive consideration of this matter at its sixth session; and requests the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief to report on this issue to the Human Rights Council at its sixth session. - - - -
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12) Hostage drill at NJ school features mock 'Christian terrorists'
The head of a national, Texas-based pro-family group says a recent hostage drill at a New Jersey high school, which portrayed conservative Christians as terrorists, is reflective of a dangerous philosophy that has become prevalent in many parts of America, where it is having negative effects on education.
ONE NEWS NOW - By Jim Brown - April 2, 2007
A local paper reports that a drill at Burlington Township High School in New Jersey involved police portraying mock gunmen, described as "members of a right-wing fundamentalist group called the 'New Crusaders' who don't believe in the separation of church and state." The fake gunmen were said to have been "seeking justice because the daughter of one [member] had been expelled for praying before class."
Historian and constitutional expert David Barton is president of WallBuilders, a national pro-family organization that distributes historical, legal, and statistical information and helps citizens become active in their local schools and communities. He says the stereotyping used in the high school's drill is an accurate indicator of what is being taught in public schools in the Northeast region of the country.
"It's been interesting to see the indoctrination that goes on," Barton notes, "where we've had in the same region, even federal courts up in that same area, say it's okay to start teaching second graders about homosexuality and homosexual 'marriage.'"
Also, the author and historian observes, the common thinking prevalent in this region is "that, by the way, we do not have to notify parents that we're going to indoctrinate kids because this is such an important societal value that all citizens need it." But in fact, he asserts, such liberal indoctrination of students in religious and moral areas of thought has been shown to lead to some undesirable outcomes.
"There is now a study that has been done by the University of Connecticut that shows that kids who have gone through that type of education actually know less academically than when they enter [school], and they're calling that phenomenon 'negative learning,'" Barton points out. "So that kind of indoctrination or philosophy is having an adverse effect academically," he says. - - - -
See Full Report Posted on the Be Alert! Blog
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