The governor of West Virginia has signed a law to protect religious freedom across his state.

On Thursday, Republican Gov. Jim Justice signed the Equal Protection for Religion Act, a piece of legislation aimed to prevent the government from “more restrictively” limiting individuals engaging in religious practices than “comparable conduct.”

The law will “amend the Code of West Virginia” by “forbidding excessive government limitations on exercise of religion; forbidding government from treating religious conduct more restrictively than any conduct of reasonably comparable risk; [and] forbidding government from treating religious conduct more restrictively than comparable conduct because of alleged economic need or benefit.”

“No state action may substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion unless applying the burden to that person’s exercise of religion in a particular situation is essential to further a compelling governmental interest’ and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest,” the law states.

Governmental entities in West Virginia are also prohibited from “treat[ing] religious conduct more restrictively than comparable risk” and doing so “because of alleged economic need or benefit.”

Citizens whose religious freedom is violated are permitted the opportunity to “assert such violation or impending violation, including against the state or its political subdivisions, as a claim or as a defense in any judicial or administrative proceeding.” Taking legal action against the government includes the condition that requested “relief is limited to injunctive or declaratory relief and reimbursement of costs and reasonable attorney fees”.

Additionally, the legislation states that “nothing in this article may be construed to create a cause of action by an employee against a nongovernmental employer,” “constitute a defense to any claim based upon a refusal to provide emergency medical services,” and “protect actions or decisions to end the life of any human being, born or unborn, including, but limited to, any claim or defense.”

The new law will go into effect on May 29, 2023.

Meanwhile, the United States federal government remains under fire for the targeting of pro-lifers and Catholics in violation of federal laws protecting both freedom of speech and religion. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has faced consistent backlash since its heavily armed raid of Catholic, pro-life author and father of seven, Mark Houck, who was charged with violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE Act). Although Houck was acquitted of all charges in January, his case sparked outrage of unfair treatment from the government.

In the aftermath of the leaked Supreme Court opinion regarding the Dobbs case, violence and threats against faith-based crisis pregnancy centers skyrocketed. Data from after the historic overturning of Roe v. Wade found that pro-life groups experienced 22 times more violence than pro-abortion groups. Even FBI director Christopher Wray admitted that nearly 70% of abortion related violence since June 24 was targeted against religious and pro-life organizations.
Sources:BREAKING CHRISTIAN NEWS

http://theendtimeradio.com

A gang of armed young men who allegedly entered the All Creation Northview Holiness Family Church in Ferguson, Missouri, to commit a robbery, had their plans thwarted when the pastor and his congregation showered them with prayer.

Marquaello Futrell, the church’s pastor, who worked as a police officer for 10 years, told KSDK that the miraculous Holy Spirit arrest of the gunmen happened during the morning service on Sunday, which was broadcast on Facebook Live.

Futrell told KSDK that the ordeal began after a man who entered the church carrying two bags, began questioning the church’s children services director.

“I immediately just had the hairs on the back of my neck I’m like, ‘OK, something’s about to happen,'” he said.

Shortly after that, the four young men wearing masks entered the church.

“Me being a former police officer, I immediately noticed their waistbands, I’m like, ‘There’s something there,'” he said.

Another member of the church would later see a member of the group drop a gun. Futrell said instead of scaring his congregation, he went on with his service as planned and alerted the police. He also directed church staff to move the children to safety and ensure that the faces of the men were recorded for evidence.

He then continued to worship and pray with his congregation until about the 54-minute point in the recording when he approached the group of young men sitting at the back of the church.

“What’s your name. In the purple, tell me your name,” Futrell began.

He then questioned the other men about their names and their reason for attending church that day.

“Who sent y’all here?” he asked. “Y’all just saw the church and decide to come? Talk to me.”

The pastor then encouraged his congregation to praise God for them attending the church, declaring: “I said, praise God that God sent them in here. That what the devil meant for evil, you messing with a Marquaello Antonio Futrell.”

He also made it clear he was aware they had initially come to the church with ill intent, but God was changing the “plot of the enemy.”

“Don’t you play with me. I still got a cop anointing and I still know what’s going on and I still know what’s about to happen. God’s about to change the plot of the enemy. Lift your voices and shout unto God for what he’s about to do,” he said.

He then asked the young men if he could pray for them and they agreed. The entire church quickly focused their attention on the men and prayed for them for several minutes.

When the prayer was over, Futrell made the men aware that they had entered a holy place.

“See that wasn’t so bad brothers. Thank y’all for letting us pray for you. And we’re thankful that for whatever reason, the Lord let y’all come here. That when you walked on the ground, you walked on Holy Ghost turf,” he said. “You stepped foot on All Creation parking lot. You encountered the move of the Holy Ghost and I just believe that you all will never be the same again.”

The Ferguson Police Department would later confirm that the four men left the church in a Black Dodge charger with tinted windows that day and they are still being investigated.

While All Creation Northview Holiness Family Church did not immediately respond to calls from The Christian Post on Wednesday, Pastor Futrell praised God for intervening in the moment during the service.

“I just heard the Lord say, this is what happens when you illegally trespass,” he said. “That when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard. The flood will never be greater than the standard.”
Sources:Christian Post

http://theendtimeradio.com

“The Chosen” series has impacted the lives of millions worldwide, but those viewers are not the only ones being ministered to. Actors Jordan Walker Ross and Giavani Cairo say the show has also impacted them personally.

The series, which focuses on the lives of those who closely followed Jesus Christ, is on the verge of its Season 3 premiere in theaters on Nov. 18. It has been streamed over 400 million times worldwide, not counting DVD views. Among those that it is reaching are the actors in front of the camera.

The disciple Little James, played by actor Jordan Walker Ross, is portrayed in the series as a disabled follower who has yet to receive his healing. Ross has a real-life battle with cerebral palsy and scoliosis, which has led to a noticeable limp. His disability made it difficult to book work as an actor until this role came along.

“With me, I always felt, and I do still feel like, one of my biggest purposes is acting. I was given this passion for it, and I feel like a gift for it. But I also felt like I was given a curse in my disability, and I didn’t think that my curse will ever allow me to reach my full potential as an actor,” Ross testified.

“But ‘The Chosen’ showed me that I can, and it changed so much in my life, both in my career but also internally. It helped me to stop viewing my limp and my disability as a weakness or as a flaw and to see it as something that can set me apart and something I can use to inspire others. And it’s been life-changing in so many ways, but that’s probably the biggest way for me.”

Ross said his character is asked to go out and heal people, which is a struggle for him when he hasn’t been healed.

“That’s another thing that he has to kind of wrestle with. There’s a lot of conflicting feelings, I feel like, for all of us,” Ross said of the third season.

Cairo, who plays the disciple Thaddeus, agrees with Ross that” ‘The Chosen’ has made me want to be a better person.”

“We talk about it all the time, the family that we’ve gained. But it’s a whole other experience to see how many people have been touched across the world. We get messages every day from people around the world saying, ‘You saved my life’ or ‘You’ve inspired me to increase my faith and go deeper’ or ‘You managed to help me bond this new relationship with my family,'” he said.

“As artists, I think we aspire to be something way bigger than ourselves, and you don’t always get that opportunity, though,” Cairo continued. “And with this, it’s like people are like, ‘You’re giving us a gift.’ We’re getting the gift right back from these people.”

Ross said what makes “The Chosen” different than other popular shows is that it addresses viewers’ faith, “the thing they live their life by.”

“So its a much deeper meaning and connection for the fans of ‘The Chosen’ than a lot of other shows and movies,” he said. “When we get to interact with fans, it’s like a spiritual experience for a lot of people. … I’m so honored to be a part of that.”

Cairo recalled the filming of a scene depicting the Sermon on the Mount in Season 2 with 2,000 people enduring cold weather in Texas. In Season 3, he said the series will depict the Feeding of the 5,000.

“Throughout the week, there were 12,000 people from 50 states and 30 countries in “the blazing heat,” he said. “So it’s humbling to see how many people this has affected. They are as much a part of it as we are. … They are spreading love in the world at a time that we really need it.”

In another interview with CP, Actress Elizabeth Tabish, who plays Mary Magdalene in the multi-season series, said though she was once a skeptic, the show has opened her up to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

She said the series’ impact on her life has been “life-changing.”

“It made me revisit the Gospels, and after playing out these stories … these stories of healing and Jesus’ messages of love and these parables that are embedded with so much truth and love and really esoteric meanings, it’s intense stuff and really beautiful, she said.

The first two episodes of “The Chosen” Season 3 will be in theaters on Nov. 18. Seasons 1 and 2 can be viewed now on The Chosen App.
Sources:Christian Post http://theendtimeradio.com