United Nations' Threat: No More Parental Rights
By Chelsea Schilling of WorldNetDaily.com

    A United Nations human rights treaty that could prohibit children from being spanked or homeschooled, ban youngsters from facing the death penalty and forbid parents from deciding their families’ religion is on America’s doorstep, a legal expert warns.
    Dr. Michael Farris of Purcellville, VA., is president of ParentalRights.org, chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association and chancellor of Patrick Henry College. He told WorldNetDaily (WND) that under the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, or CRC, every decision a parent makes can be reviewed by the government to determine whether it is in the child’s best interest.
    “It’s definitely on our doorstep,” he said. “The left wants to make the Obama-Clinton era permanent. Treaties are a way to make it as permanent as stuff gets. It is very difficult to extract yourself from a treaty once you begin it. If they can put all of their left-wing socialist policies into treaty form, we’re stuck with it even if they lose the next election.”
    The 1990s-era document was ratified quickly by 193 nations worldwide, but not the United States or Somalia. In Somalia, there was then no recognized government to do the formal recognition, and in the United States there’s been opposition to its power. Countries that ratify the treaty are bound to it by international law.
    Although signed by Madeleine Albright, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., on February 16, 1995, the U.S. Senate never ratified the treaty, largely because of conservatives’ efforts to point out it would create a list of rights which primarily would be enforced against parents.
    The international treaty creates specific civil, economic, social, cultural and even economic rights for every child and states that “the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.” It is monitored by the CRC, which conceivably has enforcement powers.
    According to the Parental Rights website, the substance of the CRC dictates the following:
    * Parents would no longer be able to administer reasonable spankings to their children.
    *A murderer aged 17 years, 11 months and 29 days at the time of his crime could no longer be sentenced to life in prison.
    * Children would have the ability to choose their own religion while parents would only have the authority to give their children advice about religion.
    * The best interest of the child principle would give the government the ability to override every decision made by every parent if a government worker disagreed with the parent’s decision.

Go to Article

Jesus is Coming - Where Are Your Children
By David d'Escoto

    Make no mistake about it, believers, no matter what Christian denomination or non-denomination, whether you hold a pre-, post- or even amillennial position on end times, then you believe that Jesus Christ will someday physically return in power and glory to walk this Earth again. C. H. Spurgeon, the 19th century prince of preachers commenting on Acts 1, reminds us all of this truth: “This same Jesus will literally come again. ... Let us be doing what He was doing before He went away. ... If the Lord Jesus Christ were to come today I should like him to find me at my studying, praying or preaching. ... Would you meet your Lord in idleness? Do not think of it.”
    Honestly, I don’t think Christians give Christ’s return that much thought these days. The reality of Christ’s return, a day unknown to any of us here on Earth, is something that we have not gotten into our bloodstream quite yet. Since many live as though our King will never come back in our lifetime, it matters not what we do with our time, treasure, talents and children that He has given us.
    In the 16th century when the Protestant Church was explaining how we as followers of Christ should be living our daily lives, they used the phrase, coram Deo. Coined by Martin Luther, it literally means “before the face of God” and carries the idea of living our lives in the presence of God, under the authority of God and to the honor and glory of God.
    How about this for one heck of a coram Deo moment? Let’s say Jesus unexpectedly returns, perhaps next week sometime about mid-morning and stops by your place of work or your house. What would He find you doing? Sitting in front of the TV? I hope not. That is one of the biggest time wasters known to mankind today. The average American currently spends over 1,500 hours a year staring at the boob tube.
    Try to see in your mind’s eye the Lord of Heaven and Earth coming over to you and striking up a conversation like He did with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4). You’re speechless at first and filled with incredible emotions while you and Jesus talk, then the conversation turns to your children. “How are they doing? Where are they now?” Jesus asks. Your reply is, “Oh Lord, I dropped them off at the local public school for their education and training up.” The Lord responds with a gentle rebuke, “But I gave them to you to train up.” “Oh, yes, Lord, I know that, so that’s why I try to take them to Sunday school every week,” you reply. Jesus replies, “But I gave them to you to disciple.” What would the Christian parent’s reply be then? “I didn’t know”?
    Didn’t know? Is God’s Word vague on such an important topic as how to train up the next generation? Are not some of the following verses clear: Deuteronomy 6:1-9; 11:18-22; Proverbs 22:6 and Ephesians 6:4, to name a few?

Go to Article