Skating To Worship Music

Now, Religion in the News, a report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media.This week’s item is from, traditionalvalues.org, June 21, 2006, with a headline:New York investigates skating rink for playing Christian music.The following are excerpts:The Traditional Values Coalition ask New York Governor George Pataki to rein in a state agency which is threatening legal action against an Accord, New York skating rink because it plays Christian music during a Christian music skate party.The New York division of human rights threatened Lynn and Terry Bernardo, owners of the Skate Time 209 rink in Accord, with an investigation because the rink plays Christian music during certain hours.The agency also threatened to charge a local newspaper which advertised the event for aiding and abetting unlawful discrimination.This is crazy, said TVC chairman Reverend Louis P. Sheldon, these people are exercising basis constitutional rights on private property to the exclusion of no one, and the state government is treating them like dangerous criminals.Aiding and abetting, it is the responsibility of every citizen to aid and abet the free exercise of religion, free speech, the right to assemble, and private property rights.New Yorkers have never been intimidated by international thugs and terrorists and they should not tolerate this bureaucratic attempt to violate their most basic civil rights.I have asked Governor Pataki to take authority over this illegal attempt to manipulate the law to accomplish a violation of basic civil rights.

Tom:

Dave, what is it?There are some people, are they just so anti-Christian, are they just so officious in their jobs, their legal beagle stuff?Why would they go after something like this?Is there a hatred of Christianity that we miss, what do you think?

Dave:

Well, there is definitely a hatred of Christianity.In John 15, Jesus said, I’ve chosen you out of this world, because you are not of the is world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore, the world hated you.The servant isn’t greater than his lord.They hated me, they will hate you also.They crucified me, they will crucify you also.So, that’s one of the problems, Tom, that I guess we pointed out a few times with the seeker-friendly, or church growth, mega churches, and so forth.They are trying to make Christianity popular.They are trying to water it down, and present the gospel---

Tom:

They are not trying to do it, but that’s what they are doing.They say, No, no, no, we’re not compromising at all, but they do water it down, they do compromise, not matter how you cut it.

Dave:

They are trying to make it appealing to non-Christians, but for the gospel to appeal to an non-Christian, a non-Christian must be convicted of sin, of righteousness, of judgment to come.They must realize their need of Christ as a Savior.So, there is an animosity, and Christian hymns.Who knows what hymns may be playing?There could be some that bring conviction.

Tom:

Well, I think it’s more contemporary Christian music, I mean, it’s a roller skating rink, and so on like that.

Dave:

I don’t know.

Tom:

But the whole idea is, Let’s be tolerant, but let’s not be tolerate of these Christians and what they are doing because they will push it to being exclusive.

Dave:

Right.So Tom, when you consider that in California right now the school board has authorized---in fact, they’ve almost made it a mandate that for one week each year the students can dress like Muslims.They are going to study the Qur’an, study Islam, and so forth.When you consider that every airport has to have a Muslim place of prayer, that we are catering to the Muslims in every way, whether it’s on radio or TV or in public affairs, but Christianity?No, Christianity is out!We’ve got yoga in schools.The Congress just praised Yogi Badgin, what was it, a couple of years ago?They made a special proclamation for him.The Post Office has a special “IDE” stamp, a Muslim stamp commemorating a Muslim holiday.But Christianity?There is an animosity, there is not way to get around it.

Tom:

Dave, let’s just think about this for a second.I don’t know the harm in terms of terrorism particularly, that Baptists bring to the picture, or Methodists, or people like that.So, explain this to me, if you can.But we do know that, based on the writing of the Qur’an, you know, in Islam the Hadith, their traditional writings, that there’s something to be feared in all of this, based on their writings, not just this group or that group, but across the board within Islam.So, how is that?

Dave:

Tom, I guess we could go to a verse in John 8, I think it is Verse 44, 45, around there, where Jesus said, Because I tell you the truth, you believe me not.Jesus is saying, You will believe any lie, but there is one thing you will not believe, and that is the truth.How can we explain anti-Semitism, the hatred of Jewish people, the hatred of Israel?It’s a miracle that Israel even exists.The United Nations has been against them. There have been more than 60,000 individual votes cast against Israel in the UN.They have been condemned hundreds of times, the terrorists never once!The Muslims, the Arabs, for starting wars against Israel, never once!

Tom:

And it’s not as though it’s an intimidation factor, I mean, there is some of that out there.We’ve seen companies, organizations, even countries bow to that in order to appease these people, but generally, it’s not appeasement.

Dave:

You mean the intimidation on the part of the Arabs because they control the oil, we don’t want to offend them.But that doesn’t mean you have to condemn Israel when it shouldn’t be condemned.Christianity, you know, it’s against having a cross now in public.

Tom:

A manger scene.

Dave:

A manger scene, yeah.Tom, you cannot explain it in any other way except there is a being called Satan and he’s the enemy of God, he holds this world in his hands, and there is an animosity to true Christianity, and when you try to make Christianity acceptable to the world, you are going to change it, so it is no longer the truth.