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Sheriff refuses to remove Bible verse from office: ‘We need more Jesus’

A North Carolina sheriff who’s garnered national attention for refusing to remove a Bible verse from a wall at his office cited a need for “more Jesus” as the reason for his decision not to comply with the demands of a leading atheist legal organization to take it down.
Jody Greene, the sheriff of Columbus County, North Carolina, addressed the Madison, Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation’s concerns about the Bible verse Philippians 4:13 being displayed on a wall at the Sheriff’s Office in a Facebook post last week.
The Facebook post came two weeks after FFRF Staff Attorney Christopher Line sent a letter to Greene asking him to remove the “exclusionary” and “unconstitutional religious display,” which proclaims, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
Greene pushed back on the claim that the display constituted a “government sponsorship of religious messages.”
The sheriff added: “The Bible verse was placed on the wall after I took office. It was paid for with private funds, not with county funding. The verse is one of my favorite Bible verses, and it seemed fitting for all the adversity I have had to endure.”
After describing the scripture as being “very motivational to me and my staff,” Greene contended that there was a political motive behind the sudden outcry over its presence at the sheriff’s office: “I have taken many pictures with that Bible verse in the backdrop with not a single issue, but now that we are going into an election year, it is an issue. How absurd!”
“This is a political ploy. Some want a person that they can control. Companies spend thousands of dollars on motivational classes, to come up with motivational slogans. My motivation comes from the greatest motivational speaker of all time, Jesus Christ,” he added.
Greene lamented that “drugs and violence are killing our youth” before concluding that “We need more Jesus and less politics.” He also expressed gratitude for “all the phone calls and messages of support” for the Bible verse.
“I am not scared of much, but I am afraid of burning in Hell,” he said. The post included an image from FFRF announcing an “Unabashed Atheist/Nonbeliever of the week” featuring a headshot of the “unabashed freethinker” in a “silhouette of the devil and flames.” Greene pointed to the image as a warning of “where our society is headed,” as well as an example of the need to “stand up.” He further declared that “I will not waiver on my stance and Christian beliefs.”
FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor elaborated on the organization’s concerns in a statement. “The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office must serve all citizens equally, whether Christian or non-Christian,” she asserted. “A blatantly Christian message in a law enforcement division sends a message of exclusion.”
In his Dec. 6 letter to Greene, Line noted that FFRF first became aware of the display as the result of a complaint from a “concerned Columbus County resident.” He asked the sheriff’s office to “respond in writing detailing the actions the Sheriff’s Office has taken” to rectify the concerns of the complainant.
Line listed several U.S. Supreme Court cases that found the “First Amendment mandates government neutrality between religion and religion, and between religion and nonreligion.” He also argued that “The Establishment Clause, at the very least, prohibits government from appearing to take a position on questions of religious belief” in an effort to back up his claim that the Bible verse display is unconstitutional.
Line indicated that the presence of Philippians 4:13 on a wall at the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office was not the only example of the government agency making an “unconstitutional endorsement of Christianity.” The FFRF attorney began the letter by noting that “we are still awaiting a response to our January 26, 2021 letter regarding the Sheriff’s Office regularly promoting Christianity on its official Facebook page.”
On Christmas Day 2020, the sheriff’s office posted a Christmas message on its Facebook account that said, “Merry Christmas to all and Happy Birthday to our lord and savior. To all that are working today, we thank you and hope you all have a very merry Christmas. #InGodWeTrust.”
The sheriff’s office posted a similar message on its Facebook page this year.
In his response to FFRF, Greene detailed how Christianity plays a role in the day-to-day operations of the sheriff’s office as well as in his own life: “Before we execute a search warrant, or any service that puts our people in immediate harm’s way, we ALWAYS go to the Lord with a group prayer. ALWAYS! I was raised in the church. I have been in law enforcement for over thirty years. My training taught me to value God, family, and my country.”
North Carolina resident Franklin Graham, the CEO of Samaritan’s Purse and the son of legendary televangelist Billy Graham, encouraged his followers to “pray for Sheriff Greene and his staff” in a Facebook post on Monday. “I’m thankful this Sheriff knows where the true solution to life’s challenges and problems comes from, and he is standing his ground,” Graham wrote.
Sources:Christian Post
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യു.കെയിൽ പിആർ മാനദണ്ഡങ്ങൾ കർശനമാക്കുന്നു; ഏറ്റവും കൂടുതൽ ബാധിക്കുക ഇന്ത്യക്കാരെ

സ്ഥിര താമസക്കാരായി കുടിയേറ്റക്കാരെ ആവശ്യമില്ലെന്ന് സൂചിപ്പിച്ച് യുകെ. സ്ഥിര താമസത്തിനായി അപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നവരുടെ കാത്തിരിപ്പ് സമയം 5 വർഷത്തിൽ നിന്ന് 10 വർഷമായി ഇരട്ടിയാക്കുന്നത് ഉൾപ്പെടെയുള്ള കർശനമായ പുതിയ നയ നടപടികൾ ബ്രിട്ടീഷ് പ്രധാനമന്ത്രി കെയർ സ്റ്റാർമർ തിങ്കളാഴ്ച പുറത്തിറക്കി. ഇപ്പോൾ, 10 വർഷമായി യുകെയിൽ താമസിക്കുന്നവർക്ക് മാത്രമേ സ്ഥിര താമസത്തിനായി അപേക്ഷിക്കാൻ കഴിയൂ. എല്ലാ വർഷവും യുകെയിൽ എത്തുന്ന ഏറ്റവും വലിയ പ്രൊഫഷണലുകളുടെയും വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളുടെയും കൂട്ടമായ ഇന്ത്യൻ പൗരന്മാരിൽ ഈ നീക്കം കാര്യമായ സ്വാധീനം ചെലുത്തുമെന്ന് പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുന്നു .
ഓഫീസ് ഫോർ നാഷണൽ സ്റ്റാറ്റിസ്റ്റിക്സിന്റെ കണക്കനുസരിച്ച്, 2023-ൽ യുകെയിലേക്കുള്ള ഏറ്റവും വലിയ കുടിയേറ്റക്കാരായിരുന്നു ഇന്ത്യക്കാർ, ഏകദേശം 250,000 പേർ പ്രധാനമായും ജോലിക്കും വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ അവസരങ്ങൾക്കുമായി എത്തി.
ബിബിസിയുടെ റിപ്പോർട്ട് പ്രകാരം, കുടിയേറ്റക്കാർ അനിശ്ചിതമായി യുകെയിൽ താമസിക്കാനുള്ള അവകാശത്തിനോ സാങ്കേതികമായി ഇൻഡെഫിനിറ്റ് ലീവ് ടു റിമെയിൻ (ILR) എന്നറിയപ്പെടുന്നതിനോ അപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നതിന് മുമ്പ് 10 വർഷം യുകെയിൽ താമസിക്കേണ്ടിവരും.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com
Migrants in the UK may soon face longer waiting periods before they can apply for permanent residency, as the Labour government plans to tighten regulations for foreign workers in Britain. If the rule extending the waiting period does come into force, Indians are likely to be hit as a large number of professionals and students from India reach the UK every year.
In 2023, Indians made up the largest group of immigrants to the UK, with around 250,000 arriving primarily for work and education, according to the Office for National Statistics. This was despite a 10% overall decline in net annual immigration to the UK.
The British government is planning to extend the waiting period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) to as long as 10 years from the current 5 years for some migrants.
Bloomberg cited a person familiar with the matter as the source of the information, adding that the change would be included in a package of reforms soon to be published by the UK Home Office.
The ILR is a form of permanent residency. Holding ILR status in Britain means a person can stay in the country without any time limit.
It provides access to public services and freedom to work or study, mirroring many rights of British citizens. This status often serves as a precursor to applying for British citizenship. This is in a way similar to the American Green Card.
Around 85% of the people who migrated to the UK were from outside the European Union.
HOW POLITICS IN UK CHANGED WITH STANCE ON IMMIGRATION
The UK’s political landscape has been shaken by the growing popularity of Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist Reform UK party. In recent local elections, Reform UK dealt significant blows to both the ruling Labour Party and the Conservative opposition in England.
Taking a tougher stance on immigration has become a priority for UK PM Keir Starmer as he tries to respond to the electoral threat.
In November last year, Keir Starmer stated that he wanted to see immigration “come down significantly”, criticising the previous Conservative government for having “failed” on the issue.
His remarks came after the UK recorded net migration of a record 906,000 people in the 12 months to June 2023, followed by 728,000 in the year to June 2024.
Some academics have argued that making it harder to achieve settlement rights would leave more people in insecure immigration status, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation without necessarily bringing down the net migration figures.
A Home Office spokesperson declined to comment on proposed changes to the conditions for indefinite leave to remain but said the forthcoming immigration White Paper would “set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system”,reported.
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us news
‘God Still Heals’: Mike Signorelli on Fighting the Demonic, Seeing Miracles — and More

A New York City pastor is on a mission to help people see that “God still heals.”
Mike Signorelli of V1 Church in New York City joined Billy Hallowell to explain how facets of the secular medical community are now “open to the spiritual realm.”
While some doctors and hospitals are looking for help in the wrong places, he said there is an opportunity for Christians to step into the fold and divert attention toward biblical truth.
“What we have to do is believe that God is going to do what only He can do and let me awaken people to the reality that He still heals,” Signorelli said.
In his own ministry, the popular preacher said he has to remind himself to “pray for even incurable things,” as he puts full trust in the Lord. He said he’s seen and experienced incredible miracles as a result of this trust. Signorelli even shared the example of a woman who was healed of Multiple sclerosis (MS).
“I received an email with all of these PDF attachments of a medical diagnosis of MS, and then as I begin to read the documents,” he said, noting he had prayed for the woman. “It was multiple confirmations that all the lesions were gone. It was completely undetectable and they cleared her and even said, ‘You’re done with medication and any medical intervention.’”
Signorelli continued, “And I wept knowing my own unbelief in that moment.”
These are the very issues CBN tackles in our new documentary “Investigating the Supernatural: Miracles,” as we travel the nation diving into claims of miraculous healing.
“Your film is so important,” Signorelli said of the project. “And I hope many people listening watch it right now because it’s like, listen, I don’t want to serve a God that never heals. … But we also don’t want to distract people from the fact that salvation is the greatest healing and we’re all going to die of something. So it’s like living in that both and is healthy doctrine, healthy theology.”
Signorelli is also on a mission to launch a new effort to inspire faith — the Mission 11:59.
Sources:faithwire
us news
Australian Defence Force releases new Bible edition for soldiers

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has released a new edition of the New International Version (NIV) Bible, two decades after the previous edition was released in 2005.
The launch ceremony took place on March 13 at Russell Offices, the ADF’s administrative headquarters in Canberra, according to an ADF press release. Tina King of Bible Society Australia presented the new Bible to Maj. Gen. Sue Graham, who represented the chief of the Defence Force at the event.
“We acknowledge in the Defence Force how we are continually supported by the public, and the sacrifice from Bible Society volunteers brought forward today is another embodiment of that,” Graham said. “It’s particularly important to have a Bible that is available and relevant to all our soldiers, sailors and aviators.”
The new edition includes content tailored specifically to ADF personnel, such as contextually relevant prayers for those serving in the Navy, Army and Air Force.
“This is not a book for a bookshelf, it is a book to be near. We hope it will be dog-eared, underlined, searched and cherished,” said King.
Bible Society Australia also hosted a historical display at the event, showcasing military Bibles dating back to the Boer War. Among them was a Bible that saved the life of LCpl. Phillip Davies during World War I. Davies was digging for telephone cables at Messines Ridge, near Ypres in Belgium, when two bomb shells exploded nearby. Shrapnel struck his arms and legs, killing one colleague and injuring two others.
The location is known to have seen fierce fighting between British and German soldiers vying to control the ridge, considered important at the time for military advancement as it allowed a strategic viewpoint over the Ypres Salient.
The next morning, Davies discovered a piece of shrapnel stuck in the back cover of his Soldier’s Bible, which he had kept in his breast pocket. The shrapnel had been stopped just inches from his heart. The Bible was one of a million donated at the time by Bible Society Australia.
Director General Chaplaincy—Army, Principal Chaplain Kerry Larwill, spoke at the ceremony, noting the continued relevance of spiritual resources in military life.
“About 44 percent of Australians identified as Christian, and more are interested in spirituality of different varieties,” Larwill said. “For people who serve in Defence, which we know has demands on individuals and their families, it’s a source of light and hope to those who derive their meaning from a Christian perspective or value its wisdom.”
Representatives from the Military Christian Fellowship of Australia (MCF-A) and other chaplaincy networks, such as the Forum of Christian Military Ministries, also attended the launch. The new Bible includes a foreword written by former MCF-A patron and former Gov.-Gen. of Australia, General (retired) David Hurley.
Sources:Christianpost
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