Bishop stabbed by Islamic terrorist speaks out against Australia's global censorship demands

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Australian officials appear desperate to hide video evidence of a recent manifestation of anti-Christian hatred. Whereas Facebook was more than willing to aid in Australia's global censorship initiative, Elon Musk's X has indicated it will not comply.

This resistance has enraged Australian officials, prompting legal action and one senator to even declare that Musk should be imprisoned.

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, the survivor of the Islamic terror attack, cut through all the noise Wednesday, noting that he is not "opposed to the videos remaining on social media" and that freedom of speech is a "God-given right."

Background

A 16-year-old Islamic terrorist savagely stabbed Bishop Emmanuel during his April 15 evening sermon at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Sydney. The attack at the Assyrian Orthodox church would likely have been fatal were it not for the bravery of the priest and parishioners who rushed to the defense of their bloodied leader, subdued the barbarian, and ultimately restored order to the sanctuary.

The attacker, who allegedly targeted the bishop over a perceived slight to Muhammad, apparently belongs to a network of radicals. The Associated Press reported that seven teens were arrested in Sydney Wednesday in connection to the terror attack. Two teens, one age 16 and the other 17, were charged with conspiring to engage in a terrorist act. Another was charged with carrying a knife in public.

The attack at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church was captured on film, providing the world with a stark reminder of a number of apparently inconvenient truths, not least that Christians remain a prime target for hatred, brutality, and repression, even in the welcoming Anglosphere.

Below is the video the Australia government wants us not to be able to view and is trying to censor globally. \n\nThis is the moment when a Jihadi is stabbing a Christian Bishop in Australia. \n\nYou know what to do. Share it as much as possible.\n\n\ud83d\udd0a
— (@)

Censors piggyback on anti-Christian violence

Blaze News previously reported that in the aftermath of the attack, the Australian government worked feverishly to suppress the video online.

X's Global Government Affairs team revealed Friday that the "Australian eSafety Commissioner ordered X to remove certain posts in Australia that publicly commented on the recent attack against a Christian Bishop" even though they had not violated the platform's content rules.

The commissioner is Julie Inman-Grant, an American leftist who previously worked as a government relations professional at Microsoft and Twitter. Despite an early flirtation with the CIA, she claims she never pursued a career with the agency.

Inman-Grant, who now also serves on the World Economic Forum's Global Coalition for Digital Safety and collaborates with the Biden White House's Gender Policy Council, has worked ardently in recent years to censor various other posts online that, while lawful, are offensive to progressive sensibilities.

For instance, she had Australian mother and breastfeeding advocate Jasmine Sussex censored for daring to suggest that men cannot breastfeed. Inman-Grant demanded earlier this year that a Canadian be censored over his criticism of a United Nations-affiliated transvestite. She also demanded that the feminist publication Reduxx take down an article detailing how a transvestite injured female players in a women's soccer game.

True to form, Inman-Grant — deemed the "Australian censorship commisar" by Musk — indicated she would exercise her powers under the Online Safety Act "to formally compel" X to remove the video of the bishop's stabbing.

X initially complied, geo-blocking the video in Australia pending a legal challenge. However, it was then threatened with a daily fine of roughly $500,000 if it didn't also "globally withhold these posts."

The Global Government Affairs team responded, "While X respects the right of a country to enforce its laws within its jurisdiction, the eSafety Commissioner does not have the authority to dictate what content X's users can see globally. ... Global takedown orders go against the very principles of a free and open internet and threaten free speech everywhere."

An Australian judge ruled Monday that X must block the video across the globe. On Wednesday, the judge exended this order, banning X from showing the video until May 10. Musk has said X will not delete the videos for users based in other countries.

Musk, whose app became the most downloaded news app in Australia earlier this week, posed the question Monday, "Our concern is that if ANY country is allowed to censor content for ALL countries, which is what the Australian 'eSafety Commissar' is demanding, then what is to stop any country from controlling the entire Internet?"

Outrage, uncensored

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters, "By and large, people responded appropriately to the calls by the eSafety Commissioner. X chose not to. They stand, I think — I find it extraordinary that X chose not to comply and trying to argue their case."

The prime minister has suggested that the video evidence of the attack amounts to "misinformation," as do memes of his head photoshopped onto images of other people's bodies.

New South Wales Police Force Commissioner Karen Webb similarly condemned the supposed "misinformation," stating, "I think leading a social media platform should bring with it big social, corporate responsibility."

"I think to have images like that online, they need to be removed immediately and not left up there," added Webb.

Australian Senator Jackie Lambie said, "I think [Elon Musk] a social media nob with no social conscience, he has absolutely no social conscience — someone like that should be in jail and the key be thrown away."

BREAKING\ud83d\udea8\n\nAustralian Senator, Jackie Lambie has called for Elon Musk to be JAILED for not complying to censorship requests from the Australian government\u2026 @elonmusk \n\nFREE SPEECH IS UNDER ATTACK
— (@)

Musk responded, calling Lambie "an enemy of the people of Australia."

Tanya Plibersek, Australia's environment minister, called Musk an "egotistical billionaire," stating that "it's more important for him to have his way than to respect the victims of the crimes that are being shown on social media and to protect our Australian community from the harmful impact of showing this terrible stuff on social media."

The victim central to the controversy kicked out the legs from under Plibersek's argument, indicating he doesn't mind the video being online.

'God-given right'

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel cut through the noise Wednesday, expressing concern in an audio statement that bad actors were using his stabbing "to serve their own political interest to control free speech."

"I do acknowledge the Australian government's desire to have the videos removed because of their graphic nature," said the bishop. "However, noting our God-given right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion, I'm not opposed to the videos remaining on social media."

"I would be of great concern if people use the attack on me to serve their own political interests to control free speech," continued Bishop Emmanuel. "The moment we oppress this very freedom of speech and religion, we are losing the very human identity and dignity as well."

"I do not wish for what has happened to me to be ... a threat to the very human freedom and freedom of religion," added Emmanuel.

Extra to making clear the censorship regime is not acting in his name and expressing forgiveness for his attacker, he stressed his patriotism, noting, "I'm a proud Aussie."

In light of the country's celebration of Anzac Day, he thanked those Aussies who had fought to protect freedom of speech and religion.

Sydney church stabbing: Multiple people injured during service | 7 News Australiayoutu.be

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Christian charged with 'hate crime' for sharing Bible passage is headed to Finnish Supreme Court for final showdown

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The Finnish state spent years trying to punish a Christian parliamentarian for publicly expressing her biblically informed views on marriage and sexuality. Dr. Päivi Räsänen stood firm, fought back, and won.

Despite three judges admitting that the hate crime charges leveled against her were baseless and an appeals court later concurring, the state prosecutor appealed the latest unanimous acquittal, desperate to make an example out of the high-profile dissenter.

Räsänen is now headed for a showdown before the Nordic nation's supreme court — to find out whether inconvenient scriptural passages and Christian belief are still legal in Finland.

Bible on trial

Dr. Päivi Räsänen is a devout Christian, a medical doctor, a grandmother, and a Finnish parliamentarian. She previously served as the country's minister of the interior.

Throughout her career, Räsänen has been open and unapologetic about her orthodox religious views concerning life and morality, especially with regards to marriage, sex, and abortion. Her outlook and intellectual consistency have made her a popular target for leftists in and outside the government.

On June 17, 2019, Räsänen drew the ire of LGBT activists by posting a photo of Romans 1:24-27 online in reference to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland's official participation in the Helsinki Pride event.

The offending passage the parliamentarian shared from the New Testament states in English, "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet."

The parliamentarian accompanied the photo with the following note, "How does the doctrine of the church, #raamattu agree with the fact that shame and sin are raised as a matter of pride?"

— (@)

Police subsequently launched an investigation into the Christian lawmaker.

Räsänen was charged under a section of the Finnish criminal code titled "war crimes and crimes against humanity" and slapped with three counts of incitement against a minority group, reported Yle.

"I do not consider myself guilty of threatening, slandering or insulting any group of people. These are all based on the Bible's teachings on marriage and sexuality," she said shortly after being indicted.

Extra to charging Räsänen for quoting Scripture online and elsewhere expressing traditional views, prosecutors charged the parliamentarian along with Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission over a 2004 pamphlet they collaborated on entitled, "Male and Female He Created Them."

In March 2022, three judges in the District Court of Helsinki reportedly ruled that all of the charges against Räsänen were baseless, noting the "speeches were partly offensive, but not hate speech."

State prosecutor Anu Mantila clearly had failed to win over the court with the argument that the parliamentarian is permitted to "believe in her mind whatever about the Bible, but it is illegal to express it outwardly."

The state appealed the decision, this time landing Räsänen in the Helsinki Court of Appeal in August 2023.

The heresiarch of Helsinki

This time around, Mantila argued, "You can cite the Bible, but it is Räsänen's interpretation and opinion about the Bible verses that are criminal," reported the Christian advocacy group ADF International, which aided in the parliamentarian's legal defense.

Mantila also asked Räsänen multiple times during her cross-examination whether she would now be willing to update or alter her comments about marriage and sexuality, particularly those in her 2004 church pamphlet.

ADF International executive director Paul Coleman noted, "At the heart of the prosecutor's examination of Räsänen was this: would she recant her beliefs? The answer was no — she would not deny the teachings of her faith. The cross-examination bore all the resemblance of a 'heresy' trial of the middle ages; it was implied that Räsänen had 'blasphemed' against the dominant orthodoxies of the day."

The appellate court ruled unanimously in November to uphold the district court's unanimous acquittal, finding that it had "no reason, on the basis of the evidence received at the main hearing, to assess the case in any respect differently from the District Court. There is therefore no reason to alter the final result of the District Court's judgment."

The appellate court ordered the prosecution to cover the legal costs incurred by Räsänen and Pohjola. The court gave the prosecution until January 2024 to exhaust the last of its options — an appeal to the Finnish Supreme Court.

The final showdown

The Finnish Supreme Court granted the state prosecutor permission Friday to appeal the unanimous judgment of the Helsinki Court of Appeal, meaning Räsänen will now stand trial a third time.

AFD International indicated the state prosecutor only appealed the lesser courts' decisions on two of the previous three charges, namely those regarding the scriptural tweet and the pro-marriage 2004 pamphlet. Bishop Juhana Pohjola will similarly be standing trial for publishing the pamphlet.

Räsänen said in a statement that she has a "peaceful mind" and is "ready to continue to defend free speech and freedom of religion before the Supreme Court, and if need be, also before the European Court of Human Rights."

"In my case the investigation has lasted almost five years, has involved untrue accusations, several long police interrogations totaling more than 13 hours, preparations for court hearings, the District Court hearing, and a hearing in the Court of Appeal," said the Christian parliamentarian. "This was not just about my opinions, but about everyone's freedom of expression. I hope that with the ruling of the Supreme Court, others would not have to undergo the same ordeal. I have considered it a privilege and an honor to defend freedom of expression, which is a fundamental right in a democratic state."

The prosecution wants to hammer the defendants with massive fines and order the censorship of the bishop's publications.

Coleman, who recently took part in the National Conservatism conference, which socialist Belgian officials tried to forcefully shut down, said, "The state's insistence on continuing this prosecution after almost five long years, despite such clear and unanimous rulings from the lower courts is alarming. The process is the punishment in such instances, resulting in a chill on free speech for all citizens observing."

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Life-size Stations of the Cross to be built right outside Disney World in Orlando 'to convert and inspire Christianity'

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Orlando's increasingly woke Walt Disney World features various monuments depicting fictional characters thought up by men. Outside the walls of the corporate imaginarium, an artist is set to erect monuments depicting the historical figure whom billions of Christians understand not only thought up men, but saved them from sin and death.

Catholic artist Timothy P. Schmalz has labored for years on a series of life-sized bronze sculptures of the Stations of the Cross — fourteen representations of Christ's journey from his condemnation to his death and burial.

Schmalz, who previously created sculptures for St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto, and for the Catholic University of America, recently told the Catholic News Agency that the stations, some 30 feet wide and others as high as 14 feet, will be installed later this year. He has, after all, completed his creative clay sculpting for the project, meaning they need only to be cast in bronze at a specialized foundry to be ready for installation.

The stations will be planted in the Gospel Gardens at the 2000-seat Basilica of Our Lady, Queen of the Universe, which was granted minor basilica status in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI.

The Diocese of Orlando originally broke ground on the current location with the intention of serving the multitudes of Catholics who would venture to Disney World in Lake Buena Vista.

"I hope to rival Universal Studios, Walt Disney, and every other feature in Orlando by creating what has never been done before, and that is one of the biggest, most complex Stations of the Cross," Schmalz said of the endeavor in 2022.

"It's right in the center of a place that desperately needs a spiritual Catholic oasis," he told the CNA, stressing the importance of "bringing the Gospels [to] where the people are."

Schmalz hopes the works will serve as "tools to convert and inspire Christianity." The nearby theme park may serve as a force multiplier granted that nearly 60 million people flock to it every year.

The ornate and massive installations, each of which weighs thousands of pounds, are replete with biblical references, not just to Christ's passion but to his teachings as well.

"Some of Christ's parables are embedded in the sculptures. In the foreground of each station is the principal scene, but in the background are the teachings of Jesus as well as symbols," said Schmalz. "It is an unusual version of the stations in the sense that it is filled with the New Testament. For instance, station 13 has more than 100 saints. It is unlike any other sculpture I have ever created."

According to Schmalz's artist statement, he is "devoted to creating artwork that glorifies Christ. The reason for this devotion, apart from my Christian beliefs, is that an artist needs an epic subject to create epic art."

"When visiting the great Cathedrals and museums of Europe, one is given many messages of the Christian faith through the great works of art. However, one message these great masterpieces convey to us in modern times is that the church was all important and glorious ... once, approximately five hundred years ago," wrote Schmalz. "Unfortunately, these create the impression that the themes represented are antiquated and should be viewed in a museum."

Schmalz is of the view that the production and proud installation of massive Christian artwork today would buck this notion and visually insist upon the understanding that the "church is all important and glorious ... today!"

"Unless you do something spectacular, it's going to be invisible," the sculptor told the CNA. "That's how we are today. We have a society today where the Catholic Church is competing with mainstream culture. We have to be tough and strong. Even though we are dealing with the Gospels, with eternal truths, the execution often falls short."

Schmalz's sentiment is shared by other Christian artists.

Blaze News spoke in November to the Norwegian team at Bible X, the game developer behind the Christian video game Gate Zero. Game designer Arve Solli stressed that quality often appears to be a secondary priority — if a priority at all — among faith-based developers because many "take it for granted that Christian people ... want to use it or see it because it's Christian."

"We want to create something great because we believe it's the greatest message ever told," said Solli. "So we should put everything we can into doing that. An undeniably great video game, not like 'How little effort can we put into this? People will play it anyway.' ... We tried to think of it the opposite way."

Schmalz, the official sculptor for the coming National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, has similarly gone to great lengths to create religious art "more intense than what is seen on film; so intense, that if you are not Catholic, you would want to become Catholic. You would want to learn more."

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Poll finds a shocking number of Catholics believe abortion should be legalized — and the trend is only getting worse

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A surprising number of Catholics in the United States believe abortion should be legal.

The Catholic Church's teaching on the issue of abortion is clear. The catechism of the Catholic Church states:

Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.

Participation in abortion, then, is a grave offense in the Catholic Church worthy of excommunication.

But according to data collected by the Pew Research Center, the majority of Catholics in the U.S. — 61% — believe that abortion should be legal, a figure that mirrors all U.S. adults.

Of that high percentage, more than one-fifth (22%) believe that abortion should be legal in all cases, while 39% said that abortion should be legal in most cases. Just 38% of Catholics believe abortion should be illegal, including 11% who think it should be legal in all cases.

Interestingly, there is a correlation between abortion views and Catholics who attend mass regularly.

Pew Research found that Catholics who attended mass on a weekly basis were much less likely to support abortion: only 34%. Catholics who attend mass on a monthly basis or never, on the other hand, were much more likely to support abortion: 68%.

The data, then, is clear: There is a connection between congruence with Christian ethics and regular participation in the faith community.

Meanwhile, the new data represents a significant shift in Catholic views in just a handful of years.

In 2018, Pew Research found that only 48% of Catholics believed that abortion should be legal. It's not immediately clear what is driving the dramatic shift toward abortion acceptance, except for the overturning of Roe v. Wade and greater cultural acceptance of abortion.

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Honoring a 'man of great faith': Gary Sinise opens up about power of prayer while grappling with heartbreaking loss of son



Actor Gary Sinise shared the pain of watching his son bravely battle cancer but also emphasized how the power of prayer and deep faith rendered hope and support during the heartbreaking tribulations that took the life of a "man of great faith."

In August 2018, McCanna Anthony "Mac" Sinise was diagnosed with chordoma — a very rare, slow-growing cancer that forms in the spine or base of the skull. Mac underwent surgery to remove the first tumor in September 2018. Sadly, the cancer returned by May 2019.

Sinise recently told Christian Broadcasting Network, "It had come back, and it was starting to spread throughout his body. He was back in the hospital again, and he started chemo and radiation at that point, but there is no cure for this particular cancer. There’s no reliable drug that has been used to fight it that has been effective."

Sinise characterized the clash with cancer as "very disabling and crippling." He noted that the tumors were "growing very fast," which is uncharacteristic for chordoma.

Mac endured several unforgiving treatments, debilitating medications, excruciating surgeries, and extended hospital visits.

Making matters even worse, Gary's wife, Moira, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in the summer of 2018. She too was undergoing surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation. After several months of treatment, Moira's cancer went into remission.

Mac was not as fortunate — the cancer was spreading throughout his body.

By November 2018, Mac had gone through his third spinal surgery to remove the tumors. At that point, Mac was so disabled by the cancer that he could no longer come into the office where he worked as an assistant manager at the Gary Sinise Foundation. The cancer eventually forced him to resign from his position in his father's charity.

Sinise confessed, "Have there been times where I just kind of fell down on the stairs and kind of let the emotion out … because, at times, I didn’t know what else to do? I was trying to do everything I could to find solutions for Mac and his cancer."

During his grueling fight against cancer, Mac "loved his Catholic faith" and embraced his religion to give him strength.

Sinise told CBN, "It was just inspiring to see how it helped sustain him through this cancer battle."

To help him through his courageous journey, Mac also drew solace from the power of prayer, wrote journals, and revisited his passion for creating music.

Mac had been a drummer since the age of nine and would even be a substitute drummer in Sinise's Lt. Dan Band — a musical group that catered to wounded veterans at military hospitals across the country.

However, the cancer robbed Mac's ability to play the drums and piano since the cancer had mostly paralyzed him from the neck down.

Sinise recalled, "Early 2023, he said to me, 'Dad, you know, there’s some music that I never finished in college, and I think I’d like to try to finish it.' And he hadn’t been thinking about music much at all, really, but early 2023, he starts talking about that."

From his hospital bed, Mac finished a song that he had started in his college days.

Mac was a graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music. He reconnected with Oliver Schnee – an old friend from college and a composer. Schnee orchestrated and produced Mac's piece of music titled "Arctic Circles."

On July 17, 2023, the "Arctic Circles" song was recorded at the prominent Sunset Sound recording studio in Los Angeles, California.

Sinise recalled, "I was just a sobbing mess when I went to the recording studio with him because he hadn’t played any of it for me at all. I had never heard it when he wrote it in college."

The proud father added, "I was so unprepared for what I was going to hear. It was all a surprise, and it was all a beautiful, beautiful moment to hear."

Mac Sinise - Arctic Circles www.youtube.com

Moira encouraged Mac to satisfy his musical thirst by playing the harmonica, which he taught himself to play.

Mac recorded two more music sessions in Tennessee with his original pieces, where he played harmonica with members of the Lt. Dan Band, including his father on the bass.

The musical troupe performed a cover of the old American folk song "Red River Valley," which his mother used to sing to him and his sisters when they were small children.

The sessions were recorded at the renowned Blackbird Studios in Nashville, where songs have been recorded by music stars such as Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, and Tim McGraw.

Mac celebrated his 33rd birthday by recording songs with a full orchestra at the studio and featured a special appearance by accomplished singer Harry Connick Jr.

Mac Sinise - A Surprise Visit From Harry Connick, Jr. At The Studio www.youtube.com

The "Forrest Gump" star revealed that Mac had "fulfilled his dream" by recording his original music.

"He accomplished what he was looking to do, and he was happy at the end of his life — and that’s comforting for our family for sure," Sinise said.

Despite all of the struggles and overwhelming tribulations, Mac turned to music and faith to help him persevere.

"I know his faith played a strong part in helping to sustain him through this battle," Sinise explained. "And I was there with him every step of the way in these hospital stays and with [him] those final days before he died and saw him struggling. But I knew that he was fulfilled with what he’d accomplished at the end."

Sinise described his brave son as "a man of great faith — great, great faith."

However, Mac was fighting an extremely difficult uphill battle. The young man embraced his faith and turned to consistently reading a St. Augustine prayer book – where he underlined text and wrote his thoughts pertaining to his fight for his life.

"That was his special prayer book that he left his mother," Sinise stated. "He wrote in it, 'At my passing, give to mom,' and a lot of things [are] underlined in there."

Sinise admitted the crushing pain of watching the life escape from his son.

"In all my 69 years … sorrowful moments or painful moments along the way, I’ve never experienced a sorrow and a pain like this," Sinise lamented. "He was beginning to let go. The fight was going out of him."

McCanna Anthony "Mac" Sinise passed away at 3:25 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2024, at the young age of 33 following a lengthy and tragic cancer battle.

Sinise was serenaded with an outpouring of heartfelt condolences over his son's tragic passing.

Mac left loved ones a portal into his soul that documented his most trying times.

"I’ve discovered a lot of stuff on his iPhone and iPad that he wrote, even things that he recorded, you know, selfies of him talking to the camera about what he was thinking and what he was feeling," Sinise revealed. "And, so I knew he was preparing himself as much as possible, and my job was just to keep trying to find drugs, keep trying to fight, and I never wanted to give up, even in the hospital in those final days."

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Masters champion boldly uses victory to point to his Christian faith: 'My victory was secure on the cross'

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Scottie Scheffler is now a two-time Masters champion.

After his resounding four-stroke victory on Sunday, the 27-year-old golfer — who also happens to be the No. 1-ranked player in the world — used his moment in the spotlight to highlight the victory secured to him through his faith in Jesus Christ.

"I was sitting around with my buddies this morning, I was a bit overwhelmed, I told them, 'I wish I didn't want to win as badly as I did or as badly as I do. I think it would make the mornings easier,'" Scheffler told reporters.

"And my buddies told me this morning, my victory was secure on the cross," he continued. "And that's a pretty special feeling to know that I'm secure for forever, and it doesn't matter if I win this tournament or lose this tournament. My identity is secure for forever."

— (@)

Scheffler went on to explain that he believes "today's plans were already laid out many years ago, and I could do nothing to mess up those plans."

"I have been given a gift of this talent, and I use it for God's glory. That's pretty much it," he added.

And despite being the world's top golfer for more than two consecutive years, Scheffler described his golf career as "endlessly not satisfying" because, in the end, it's not as important as his family, friends, and faith.

"All I can think about right now is getting home. I'm not thinking about the tournament. I'm not thinking about the green jacket," he said, referring to his wife, who is about to deliver their first child.

"At the end of the day, I think that's what the human heart does. You always want more, and I think you have to fight those things and focus on what's good," he explained. "Because, like I said, winning this golf tournament does not change my identity. My identity is secure, and I cannot emphasize that enough."

Scheffler is a clearly a devoted Christian. He speaks about his faith on the biggest platforms in professional golf.

And his faith is probably the reason why he is dominating professional golf right now, as CBS News observed:

The freedom Scheffler's faith provides — allowing him to be secure in himself knowing all that's required is doing the best he can any given week — is a trait professional golfers strive to achieve through myriad psychological tricks, coaches and techniques.

That this belief system is built into the best player on the planet is an extraordinary benefit. In fact, it's among the reasons why he's the best player on the planet.

"I'm a faithful guy. I believe in a Creator. I believe in Jesus. Ultimately, I think that's what defines me the most," Scheffler said last week before the Masters.

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Why Are Women Naturally Drawn To Toxic Leftist Beliefs?

Was it my personality and disposition that inclined me to fall prey to cult-like thinking, or did leftist values alter my fundamental beliefs?
'I wouldn't be here without Jesus': Baltimore Orioles rookie explains on-field ritual after MLB debut

'I wouldn't be here without Jesus': Baltimore Orioles rookie explains on-field ritual after MLB debut

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Second-generation Major League Baseball player Jackson Holliday explained his faith and his on-field tradition that fans noticed during his debut.

Holliday is the son of World Series winner Matt Holliday, who retired just six years prior to his son's first game with the Baltimore Orioles.

At the beginning of the game, reporters noticed that the 20-year-old made a possible marking behind second base where he was playing. Holliday explained it was part of his usual routine to showcase his faith.

"In the bottom of the first, right before the inning started, you went kind of behind second base and touched the dirt. Did you draw something in the dirt, is that kind of a tradition for you?" a reporter asked him after the game.

"Yeah, it's kind of a routine to draw a cross," Holliday replied. "I wouldn't be here without Jesus, honestly. His love that he's had on me and blessed me with the ability to play baseball, and to be here today, I probably wouldn't be anywhere without him," the rookie explained.

"Just kind of a routine that I have before every inning or at the beginning of the game on defense, or before every at bat. Just giving thanks to the Lord," he added.

Jackson has consistently referenced his faith throughout his path to the MLB. In a 2022 interview with His Huddle, Jackson credited his parents with introducing him to religion, which helped him build a foundation as a person.

"Faith has always been important to me," he told the outlet before the MLB draft. "I’m so grateful to be raised in a Christian home and have such great examples around me of how to be a follower of Christ."

"Faith plays a major role in baseball and my life. I want to honor the Lord in everything that I do, and I try to represent that on the field, through my actions and how I carry myself on and off the field," he added.

After his big league debut, Holliday was asked about the feeling of being part of another generation of baseball players.

"After watching your dad for so many years in big league ballparks, what did it mean to you to just have him in the seats watching you play your first big league game?" a journalist asked.

"It's really cool to be able to look over there and have him and my brother and my grandpa sitting down the line. It was really cool to be able to see them, and it's quite an experience."

Holliday is on an entry-level contract with the Baltimore Orioles worth $740,000. According to Spotrac, he received a signing bonus from the organization in 2020 of $8,190,000.

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'I believe in Jesus': The No. 1 golf player says his golf achievements don't define him — then he points to the one who does

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Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1-ranked golf player in the world, a position he has held for more than two years. But that's not what defines him.

Ahead of this year's Masters Tournament, the 27-year-old athlete said his faith in Jesus Christ — not his golf talent or athletic achievements — is what most defines him as a person.

"I'm a faithful guy. I believe in a Creator. I believe in Jesus. Ultimately, I think that's what defines me the most," Scheffler said on Tuesday during a press conference.

"I feel like I've been given a platform to compete and show my talent. It's not anything that I did," he continued. "I think I sat up here a couple years ago doing the interview after the 2022 Masters, and it's like, 'Yeah, I was underprepared for what was about to happen. I didn't know what was going to happen.' I was very anxious that morning. I didn't know what to expect, and it's hard to describe the feeling.

"But I think that's what defines me the most is my faith," Scheffler reaffirmed. "I believe in one Creator, that I've been called to come out here, do my best, compete, and glorify God, and that's pretty much it."

— (@)

In fact, Scheffler told reporters that he hopes golf doesn't define him "too much" because the sport is "selfish."

"I'm hoping it doesn't define me too much because — I feel like I say it a bunch — golf's something that I do," he said. "It's a tremendously huge part of my life. But it doesn't define me as a person. It's just something that I do."

Scheffler's Christian faith is a major part of his golf career.

After winning the Masters two years ago, Scheffler said his career is about glorifying God — not himself.

"The reason why I play golf is I'm trying to glorify God and all that he's done in my life," Scheffler said.

Famously, Scheffler attends Bible study with his caddie Ted Scott, whom Scheffler hired because of his Christian faith.

"He called me up and said, 'I really want to work with a Christian.' That’s how I try to live my life," Scott revealed in 2022.

As of Friday morning, Scheffler is tied for second place at the Masters, just one stroke behind leader Bryson DeChambeau.

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Agnostic writer makes surprising conclusion about church attendance, religious life — and it's refreshingly honest

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Writer Derek Thompson is a self-identified agnostic. But his most recent article in the Atlantic lays bare the problems associated with the de-churching of America.

The latest research from the Public Religion Research Institute found that more than one-quarter of Americans now identify as "religiously unaffiliated." In fact, "unaffiliated" is the only "religious" group seeing growth in the U.S., according to the PRRI. Even worse: Tens of millions of Americans have stopped attending church over the past quarter-century.

With this data in hand, Thompson sought to answer not why this phenomenon is occurring, but what its cost is.

The benefits of religion

Organized religion, Thompson observed, provides people with infrastructure that is critical to cultivating meaning and a flourishing life.

He wrote:

Relationship with organized religion provided many things at once: not only a connection to the divine, but also a historical narrative of identity, a set of rituals to organize the week and year, and a community of families. PRRI found that the most important feature of religion for the dwindling number of Americans who still attend services a few times a year included “experiencing religion in a community” and “instilling values in their children.”

Digital life

The de-churching phenomenon has coincided with the "historically unprecedented decline in face-to-face socializing," Thompson observed, and the rise of technology.

This presents a unique problem.

Not only are Americans socializing less with less community, but they have embraced "a new relationship with a technology that, in many ways, is the diabolical opposite of a religious ritual: the smartphone," according to Thompson.

The smartphone has thus created a "digital life," Thompson explained, which is by its nature "disembodied, asynchronous, shallow, and solitary." On the other hand, religious life — its community, rituals, and value systems — is inherently "embodied, synchronous, deep, and collective."

Religious life, then, "works a bit like a retaining wall to hold back the destabilizing pressure of American hyper-individualism, which threatens to swell and spill over in its absence," Thompson wrote.

In his conclusion, Thompson doesn't say it outright. But if you read between the lines, it's clear that Thompson understands religious life to be a net positive for our society and believes that America has not counted the cost of de-churching.

"I wonder if, in forgoing organized religion, an isolated country has discarded an old and proven source of ritual at a time when we most need it," he wrote. "It took decades for Americans to lose religion. It might take decades to understand the entirety of what we lost."

Thompson's article is a great reminder of unintended consequences. And it's especially refreshing, perhaps even vindicating, in a culture that is increasingly hostile to people of faith.

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