Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Obama and Abortion

After over 30 years of legalized abortion in America, it has not become safe or rare – two of the hopes held out by its proponents. Indeed, in the generation since Roe vs. Wade abortion increasingly is viewed as just another form of birth control. Truly the most dangerous place in America is in the womb. And the church knows it.

“The church must speak out with a stronger and unified voice on this horror. Let’s put aside differences and come together to help formation of consciences that will see abortion for what it is; killing of the unborn….the weakest and least among us. Truly then abortion is a curse on our land, and as believers we need to stand as adamant against abortion as the abolitionist stood against slavery. It should be more than a political subject or a coffee time discussion. We need to be more active in our antagonism of this murdering of the unborn.” (Jim B. Hawthorn)

This is a moment we may look back on for the rest of our lives, a moment to make a difference in our nation's direction.

May God give us the strength and courage to do so.

Rob Prater

Obama and Live Birth Abortion

There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him...........hands that shed innocent blood, (Proverbs 6:16, 17b)

There are many reasons I am voting for the John McCain even though he is far, far from the perfect candiate. But if there were no other reasons than this, I would still be voting for him.

May God have mercy on us as a people.

Robert Prater

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

An unGodly Definition of Marriage

Next to the presidential election, California Proposition 8 is the most important vote in America.

It will determine the definition of marriage for the largest state in America, and it will determine whether judges or society will decide on social-moral issues.

Christians, beware! These activists are not simply wanting to be left alone to do as they wish. They are seeking legal acknowledgment of their lifestyle that will in time lead to governmental repression of our faith. Our society is becoming ever more antagonistic to God and His people.

And this battle will soon be taking front and center in the public schools. What is called "sex education," whether for kindergartners or older children, is not education about biology but indoctrination in values that go against the traditional values that children learn in their families and in their communities.

Obviously, the earlier this indoctrination begins, the better its chances of overriding traditional values.

Now, those who are supporting a "No" vote on proposition 8 counter by assuring us that this is not the intention at all behind the legalizing of same-sex marriage in California. Somebody from the "No on 8" campaign should have told that to eighteen first graders who attended the wedding of their lesbian school teacher just recently. The story below tells the story.
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First Graders Taken To San Francisco City Hall For Gay Wedding

SAN FRANCISCO, October 11, 2008 - In the same week that the No on 8 campaign launched an ad that labeled as "lies" claims that same-sex marriage would be taught in schools to young children, a first grade class took a school-sponsored trip to a gay wedding. Eighteen first graders traveled to San Francisco City Hall Friday for the wedding of their teacher and her lesbian partner, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The school sponsored the trip for the students, ages 5and 6, taking them away from their studies for the same-sex wedding. According to the Yes on 8 campaign, the public school field trip demonstrates that the California Supreme Court's decision to legal same-sex marriage has real consequences.

"Taking children out of school for a same-sex wedding is not customary education. This is promoting same-sex marriage and indoctrinating young kids," said Yes on 8--ProtectMarriage.com Campaign Co-Manager Frank Schubert. "I doubt the school has ever taken kids on a field trip to a traditional wedding," Schubert said.
When asked by the Yes on 8 campaign, The San Francisco Chronicle reporter said she did not know if the school had ever sponsored a field trip for students to a traditional wedding. Telling the Chronicle that the field trip was "a teachable moment," the school's principal believes it is perfectly appropriate for first graders to attend a same-sex wedding. Officials in other school districts disagree.

"Prop. 8 protects our children from being taught in public schools that 'same-sex marriage' is the same as traditional marriage," said Santa Ana Unified School District board member Rosemarie "Rosie" Avila. "We should not accept a court decision that results in public schools teaching our kids that gay marriage is okay. That is an issue for parents to discuss with their children according to their own values and beliefs. It shouldn't be forced on us against our will," Avila added.

The lesbian teacher's wedding was officiated by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Newsom is featured in a Yes on 8 television ad, released last week, in which he arrogantly declares of same-sex marriage: "The door's wide open now. It's gonna happen, whether you like it or not."
The Yes on 8 campaign's ads explain that if the voters do not overturn the California Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling, teachers will be required to teach young children that there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage.

"It's totally unreasonable that a first grade field trip would be to a same-sex wedding," said Chip White, Press Secretary for Yes on 8. "This is overt indoctrination of children who are too young to understand it."

The field trip underscores the Yes on 8 campaign's message that unless Prop. 8 passes, children will be taught about same-sex marriage in public schools. "Not only can it happen, it has already happened," White said.
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English statesman, Edmond Burke never spoke truer words when he said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,who put darkness for light and light for darkness,who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20)

May God help us hold to His righteousness,
Robert Prater

Yes on Proposition 8 ad

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Happy Birthday Blog!


It was one year ago today that I posted my first blog, October 25, 2007, and thus Preacher Prater was born. Over the past year there have been over 3300 hits in our first year and I look forward to many more. Now as I look back on one full year of blogging one thing comes to my mind, "I can't believe I've stuck with this thing for a whole year."

As I spent some time this week looking back over a year's worth of posts, I had mixed emotions. Some posts I read I thought, "Wow, that was harsh. Did I really say that?" and others I thought, "What was I thinking when I wrote that?" All in all, I've loved sharing my thoughts. My goal when I started this blog was to post my thoughts about God, Christ, the church and the Christian life. I have changed some over the course of the year and have just simply posted funny items, news stories, various fun pictures, sporting events news, videos, and political and social commentary.

At the bottom of my blog there is an item called a site meter that tells me of all the people who visit everyday. Some from all over the world. I think that is so cool. While some choose to leave comments, many still don't - and that's okay. But if I had one "blog birthday wish" today it would be for all those who stop by to leave me a comment telling me who you are and where you're from. If you're uncomfortable leaving a name, you can just leave me your initials. I'd love to know where you are from.

I don't know how long I'll keep on blogging, but I have to admit that the first year has been a lot of fun. My prayer is that this blog has been as much of a blessing in your life as it has been mine. Thanks for being my friend. :)

How can you help celebrate my blog’s first birthday?
Submit a Bible question or something you’d like for me to blog about.
Read some of my archived posts.
Email one of my posts to a friend
Tell some of your friends about this blog site.
Provide a link to my blog on your website or MySpace or Facebook site.
Leave a comment on this post.
Pray and ask God to help us reach more people with the message of the Holy Scriptures.

God bless you all
Robert

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Thursday, October 9, 2008

The Real Obama by Thomas Sowell - October 6, 2008

Critics of Senator Barrack Obama make a strategic mistake when they talk about his "past associations." That just gives his many defenders in the media an opportunity to counter-attack against "guilt by association."

We all have associations, whether at the office, in our neighborhood or in various recreational activities. Most of us neither know nor care what our associates believe or say about politics.

Associations are very different from alliances. Allies are not just people who happen to be where you are or who happen to be doing the same things you do. You choose allies deliberately for a reason. The kind of allies you choose says something about you.

Jeremiah Wright, Father Michael Pfleger, William Ayers and Antoin Rezko are not just people who happened to be at the same place at the same time as Barack Obama. They are people with whom he chose to ally himself for years, and with some of whom some serious money changed hands.

Some gave political support, and some gave financial support, to Obama's election campaigns, and Obama in turn contributed either his own money or the taxpayers' money to some of them. That is a familiar political alliance-- but an alliance is not just an "association" from being at the same place at the same time.

Obama could have allied himself with all sorts of other people. But, time and again, he allied himself with people who openly expressed their hatred of America. No amount of flags on his campaign platforms this election year can change that.

Unfortunately, all that most people know about Barack Obama is his own rhetoric and that of his critics. Moreover, some of his more irresponsible critics have made wild accusations-- that he is not an American citizen or that he is a Muslim, for example.
All that such false charges do is discredit Obama's critics in general. Fortunately, there is a documented, factual account of what Barack Obama has actually been doing over the years, as distinguished from what he has been saying during this election campaign, in a new best-selling book.

That book is titled "The Case Against Barack Obama" by David Freddoso. He starts off in the introduction by repudiating those critics of Obama who "have been content merely to slander him-- to claim falsely that he refuses to salute the U.S. flag or was sworn into office on a Koran, or that he was born in a foreign country."

This is a serious book with 35 pages of documentation in the back to support the things said in the main text. In other words, if you don't believe what the author says, he lets you know where you can go check it out.
Barack Obama's being the first serious black candidate for President of the United States is what most people consider remarkable but how he got there is at least equally surprising.

The story of Obama's political career is not a pretty story. He won his first political victory by being the only candidate on the ballot-- after hiring someone skilled at disqualifying the signers of opposing candidates' petitions, on whatever technicality he could come up with.

Despite his words today about "change" and "cleaning up the mess in Washington," Obama was not on the side of reformers who were trying to change the status quo of corrupt, machine politics in Chicago and clean up the mess there. Obama came out in favor of the Daley machine and against reform candidates.

Senator Obama is running on an image that is directly the opposite of what he has been doing for two decades. His escapes from his past have been as remarkable as the great escapes of Houdini.

Why much of the public and the media have been so mesmerized by the words and the image of Obama, and so little interested in learning about the factual reality, was perhaps best explained by an official of the Democratic Party: "People don't come to Obama for what he's done, they come because of what they hope he can be."

David Freddoso's book should be read by those people who want to know what the facts are. But neither this book nor anything else is likely to change the minds of Obama's true believers, who have made up their minds and don't want to be confused by the facts.
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I couldn’t agree more!
Sadly, I’m afraid this many of those who are enchanted by Obama’s soaring rhetoric are unlikely to check out the facts. But nothing is a more real or more important issue than whether what a candidate says is the direct opposite of what he has actually been doing for years.

The old phrase, "a man of high ideals but no principles," is one that applies all too painfully to Obama today. His words expressing lofty ideals may appeal to the gullible, but his long history of having no principles makes him a danger of the first magnitude in the White House.

Sadly, I’m just afraid that McCain won’t be able to overcome the collapse of Wall Street. To put the crisis in perspective, Americans have lost a combined 1 trillion dollars in net worth in just the last four weeks alone. McCain's road was difficult to begin with: the President of his party has had record-low approval ratings for two years and the number of Americans who say the country is heading in the wrong direction is as one writer described, “stratospheric.” I fear the race is all over.

I still have a small glimmer of hope in the moral “silent majority” and yes my prayer to God is that this man, Obama is defeated. But I fear the worse.
I play to write more in the coming weeks about what I fear will happen in this nation if Obama is indeed elected.

Sincerely,
Robert

Monday, October 6, 2008

When Pumpkins Drink!



















"Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise." (Proverbs 20:1)

Happy (early) Halloween!!

Robert