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Helena Library Conclusion

On October 21 we attended the Lewis and Clark Library board meeting to witness the decision of the board on The Joy of Gay Sex. To no one’s surprise, the board unanimously approved the review committee’s and director’s decision to retain this vile book in the library’s active collection.

The rationale given for this decision was that the book met all the guidelines of the selection policy. My reply was that if the guidelines allow for putting such materials on the bookshelf, then they need to be changed or scrapped altogether.

How fitting a conclusion to this matter, when I initially protested this book because it openly flouted the Laws of God. Now the library board justifies its initial decision to buy the book by appealing to a corrupt law of their own making. This is an excellent illustration of the endemic evil that covers this land. Men have framed laws and conventions to nullify God’s Laws.

And one thing is certain: When the laws of men contravene the Laws of God, trouble ensues. The results that surround us today amply speak for themselves. The recent tragedies befalling the United States and other Western nations are also part of the picture and are just the beginning of woes. But how blinded people are to the reaping of evil for which they have diligently sown! That is part of the curse of choosing evil rather than doing right.

Click HERE to read how this matter began and what ensued.

- Paul Cohen (10/23/08)

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The Lord Jesus Christ – Our Party and Our Cause

If Catholics stand against abortion, I am “Catholic.”

If SDAs keep the Sabbath, I am “SDA.”

If Mormons teach that sons of God will grow up to be as God, I am “Mormon.”

If Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t celebrate Christmas, I am a “Jehovah’s Witness.”

If Muslims stand against the falsehood in nominal Christendom, I am “Muslim.”

If Muslims stand against homosexuality, I am “Muslim.”

If Muslims stand for murder, we are “anti-Muslims”; if they stand for death to Israel and America, we are “anti-Muslims.”

If America stands for death to Muslims, we are “anti-American,” but if Americans must fight and kill to stop murder and Islam, we are “pro-American.”

If homosexuals condemn hypocrisy, we stand in agreement with them.

If feminists stand against spousal brutality, we are “feminists.”

If Christians support abortion, we are “anti-Christian.”

If angels stand for antiBiblicalism, we are against them.

If Jews or Israel stand for wrong, we are “antiSemite” or “anti-Israel.”

If the world and the UN stand against Israel, we are against the world and the UN.

If Canada stands against Israel, I am “not Canadian.”

If America stands against the Law of God, I am “not American.”

If America is corrupt and has no blessing coming but the opposite, I stand with Dr. Wright, Barack Obama’s mentor, and declare, “God damn America” - he is right.

If the Canadian Parliament frames laws against the Bible and the Supreme Court of Canada enforces them, I am automatically a criminal. If Canada stands for religious freedom for any and all, regardless of the nature of that religion, we are against religious freedom.

If Billy Graham says America must repent of its sins - that’s why 9/11 happened -we support Billy Graham. But if he points to others as guilty, and ignores America’s guilt, we are against Mr. Graham.

By God’s grace and only by His grace, we stand with right and truth wherever it may be found and condemn all wrong and error – untruth. If some wish to box or slot us, they will be forced to do so based only on right and wrong.

We are not anti-gay, anti-Islam, anti-Mormon, anti-Catholic, anti-Protestant, or anti-anything or anybody but anti-wrong; we are not pro-life or pro-democracy but pro-right.

Because Islam, Mormonism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and other movements of men coming in the Name of God teach directly against the Word of God, we are against them, even as is our Head, Who said to them in the days of His flesh:

“Why do you, yourselves, go against the Word of God on account of the teaching which has been handed down to you?...you have made the word of God without effect because of your teaching” (Matthew 15:3-6 BBE).

We are pro-Jesus Christ, Who is Right Incarnate, and His Law, Which is Right, and we are anti-wrong from all quarters, no matter who commits it. It has nothing to do with any agenda, but everything to do with representing the Lord Jesus Christ as He is and as He wills. By His grace, we are completely His partisan supporters.

Partisan - “Devoted to a cause or party.” He and His saints are our Party and our Cause. He is the First Cause (Exposing Evolutionists).

Read For Whom Do We Vote? and the rest of the “Voting Trilogy.”

- Victor Hafichuk (10/19/08)

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The Joy of Gay Sex?

One day this past February, as Paul perused the "New" bookshelf at the Lewis & Clark Public Library in Helena, Montana, he saw The Joy of Gay Sex. Appalled by such a lie, he viewed a few of the pages and found it was worse than he imagined. That led to a formal request to remove the book from the library and a debate over, "Does such a book belong in the public library?"

Paul's Letter to the Editor in the Independent Record and the Queen City News tells more about how this process began.

The director of the library, Judy Hart, agreed to hear comments on this book from Paul Cohen and other community members at the board meeting on August 25th, 2008. Here is our Handout of Points Paul took to the meeting.

After the meeting, I wrote a summary of the points covered by all speakers. Here is that Summary with Paul's Notes and Answers interspersed throughout the commentary.

Tonight, September 16th, 2008, a second public hearing was held at the Large Meeting Room at the library. There were eighteen speakers for keeping the book, and ten against (two of those asking for it to be put in an adult section).

Here is a Summary of the Public Hearing with Paul's Commentary.

Comments can be submitted in writing to the library board through October 3rd. One page of written comment is allowed.

We have had further debate on this matter. Here you can read various Letters to the Editor of the Helena Independent Record with all comments, with some correspondence as well:

Objects to 'Joy of Gay Sex' (Paul Cohen - 8/17/08)

Double Standard? (Will MacBride - 8/24/08)

Remove the Book (Mark Colton - 8/25/08)

Book Doesn't Belong in Library (Sierra Chambers - 9/18/08)

Libraries Are No Place for Censorship (IR Staff - 9/18/08)

Don't Print Derogatory 'Opinions' (Robert Bayuk - 9/21/08)

     Our Correspondence with Robert Bayuk

Libraries Aren't for Agendas (Lisa Marshall - 9/21/08)

We have had more correspondence with Robert Bayuk. And we also have a few more postings in the IR article - Libraries Are No Place for Censorship.

9-26-08 Addition: Paul and Victor had correspondence with one of the authors of The Joy of Gay Sex, Felice Picano. You can read this correspondence HERE.

Click HERE to read the conclusion to this matter.

- Sara Schmidt (9/16-26/08)

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Enjoy the Adversity

Enjoy adversity? Whoever heard of such a thing? What am I, a masochist? While being troubled about some matters that were not going as I would like them to go, I mentioned it to Lois. As always, the answer was, “Give thanks.” I said, “Yes.” I headed to the lawn to do some work and gave thanks, but then I received something more. Not only was it needful and fitting that I should give thanks for this, as with everything, I should enjoy what is happening.

People owe me money, I was willing to lend it to them because they were in need, and now I don’t even hear from them. One is even greatly offended at me, though and because I was warning and instructing him for good, and I am to enjoy this?

In these kinds of adverse circumstances, I begin to look at myself and ask, “Where did I go wrong? What did I do wrong? Where have I disobeyed? Why didn’t I see those ominous signs of potential trouble? Was it greed or what?” But the Lord made known to me that He has done His chastening with me. I am now ruling with Him, on His throne. There need be no more correction; I am corrected. So these adversities that are now happening are for another reason. I am not the issue; I need only to sit back and enjoy what the Lord is doing with and in these matters. I am to enjoy my adversities, yet not the adversities themselves so much as watching the Lord working them for good, watching Him do what needs to be done in perfection.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 MKJV).

The enemy will resist and seek to destroy me or mine, but he cannot touch me at the throne of God, where God has now seated me with Him. Neither must I do battle with those who seek my hurt. God will take care of it all, as promised:

“The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right side, until I make Your enemies into a footstool for You.’ The LORD will let Your power reach out from Zion, and You will rule over Your enemies. Your glorious power will be seen on the day You begin to rule. You will wear the sacred robes and shine like the morning sun in all of Your strength” (Psalms 110:1-3 CEV).

Yes, the passage refers to the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is also a promise for every believer who comes to rest and victory in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has obtained that victory for His entire Body. Each member must enter into that place of rest, of victory, of overcoming, and enjoy the adversities.

Surely, Abraham, Elijah, Moses, along with all the saints, apostles, and prophets are watching developments on earth. To us it looks messy and foreboding. Consider the insane hatred the Arabs and Muslims have for Israel, Jews, and Christians, for instance, not to mention so many other evils occurring and threatening. But I know that those in Heaven who have gained the victory are watching God at work and thoroughly enjoying it, knowing He has the victory and that it will all end well.

Enjoy the adversities? When we come to that place of victory within, we will be able to do as did Paul and Silas. With torn flesh and backs bleeding, they sang praises to God in the middle of the night while chained in prison cells, though they were blameless of any wrongdoing and unjustly punished. They had the victory within. They were not only giving thanks; they were enjoying the adversity. They were confident of God and His work. And God saved the jailer and his household (Acts 16).

We can have the finest of health, family, friends, home, car, weather, foods, art - all possessions and abilities to excel above everyone else in this world, yet if we do not have the capacity to enjoy, we cannot enjoy any of these things. Place a great piece of art in front of a dog and he is as inclined to lift his leg on it as to look at it. So it is with man. Without the internal victory in Christ, we cannot enjoy the best; we have no ability to do so. On the other hand, we can be beaten and chained in a dungeon on false charges, and enjoy God and His doing because we have the capacity within to do so. What we have externally is not what counts. We see the truth of this everywhere all the time.

Why is this? It is because our whole existence here on earth is not for the things of this world, but for that which comes after. It is for God Himself.

So now I enjoy the view from the throne above and watch God work, resting in Him, knowing that all will be well, just as He has promised.

- Victor Hafichuk (9/3/08)