The War on Christianity Comes from Within the Swedish Church

Church of Sweden unveils altarpiece of paradise featuring

gay couples and transgender serpent

“Paradise” by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin. Photo taken by author.

A church in Malmo has a new altarpiece meant to celebrate inclusivity by replacing Adam and Eve in paradise with gay couples in suggestive poses, while depicting the serpent tempting them as a transgender woman.

The controversial work of art is not new. Photographer and artist Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin painted it in 2012 and tried to donate it to the Skara Cathedral just before the church was preparing to conduct the first same-sex wedding in its 1,000-year history.

The openly lesbian artist, who has a history of blending religious imagery with pro-minority activism, said at the time that she wanted to test if the Church of Sweden was as gay-friendly as it claimed to be when it embraced same-sex marriage in 2009. The Skara Cathedral politely declined the gift, saying it was about political activism and not faith.

And what did they call same-sex marriages?

But over seven years have passed, and now Wallin has got her way, even if it isn’t in her home city. St. Paul’s Church in Malmo accepted the painting called “Paradise” as its new altarpiece and unveiled it on Sunday, the first day of Advent. Helena Myrstener, the pastor, said that “history was written” in the hanging of the “LGBT altarpiece” as she tweeted a photo of the painting.

Wallin’s reimagining of paradise was inspired by one of the works by Renaissance master Lucas Cranach the Elder. The artist/activist said she wanted to show that, since the beginning of time, the place for gay people was in paradise rather than hell. The modern interpretation interestingly seems more prudish in terms of nudity than the 16th century originals as both “lesbian Eves” have their breasts covered by leaves rather than concealing only their genitals, as is traditional.

But it’s probably not because the artist has problems with nudity. After all, her most famous photo exhibition – the 2012 Bible-inspired “Ecce Homo” – featured an image portraying the baptism of Jesus with the model standing for Christ having his penis fully exposed.

The Church of Sweden, the state Church of the Scandinavian country until 2000 and still by far its largest denomination, prides itself on embracing a laundry list of woke agendas. Despite this, Swedes have been leaving the Church in record numbers lately, according to surveys.

Judging by some comments on social media, the new altarpiece won’t help much with stopping the exodus. “The politization has gone too far,” one member commented on the news as she announced leaving the Church. Another one said that while there were plenty of enlightened priests in the Church of Sweden, radicals from a “PC-pack” have turned it into their own arena.

Sweden may be the only country in the world more absurdly PCMad than Canada. The stupidity of this painting and others by this anti-Christian woman is almost beyond belief. If Adam and Eve were gay, that would have been the end of the human race right there. 

The blasphemy of paintings like this reveal a complete disbelief in God or the Bible. For to read the Bible and to know God on any level, is to know that He is holy and that we will all stand before Him in judgment one day. And although He is loving and merciful, I suspect there will be little mercy for the likes of Wallin and Myrstener.

HRW Urges Brunei to Repeal Sharia Law

The Wonderful World of Islam

By Darryl Coote

Human Rights Watch is urging Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei to not only repeal his country's newly enacted Sharia law penal code but to ratify international human rights accords it has already signed. Photo by Drew Angerer/UPI/Drew Angerer | License Photo

(UPI) -- An international human rights organization called on the sultan of Brunei to repeal his country's newly enacted Sharia penal code as it violates a range of internationally recognized human rights.

Enacted April 3, the Syariah Penal Code imposes death by stoning for extramarital and anal sex, limb amputation for theft and 40 whip lashes for lesbian sex, among other restrictions critics say target women and sexual and gender minorities.

"The provisions contained in the penal code pave the way for multiple violations of human rights, including the right to life, freedom from torture and other ill-treatment, freedom of expression, privacy and religion," four directors of Human Rights Watch said in a letter dated Wednesday to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who is also the prime minister of Brunei.

A detailed report of the new penal code attached to the letter states that the code violates Brunei's obligations to international human rights conventions the country has signed, including the Convention on Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women as well as others it has signed but not yet ratified.

Again I mention that Islam tends toward radicalism and Sharia. This is another example.

"As a member state of the United Nations, Brunei has pledged to respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, whose provisions are considered reflective of customary international law," the report said.

Human Rights Watch Deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson said the new penal code is a "multifaceted assault on fundamental human rights."

"The sultan holds absolute power in Brunei, so responsibility for this abhorrent penal code falls squarely on his shoulders," Robertson said in a statement. "Brunei's repeated commitments to respect human rights amount to little so long as the Syariah Penal Code is in force."

The rollout of the new penal code was met with opposition from both celebrities, such as actor George Clooney and comedian Ellen DeGeneres who encouraged boycotts of Brunei-linked hotel brands, and countries such as the United States, Britain, France and Germany who protested the country's use of Sharia law.

Sharia law is full of Allah's mercy and blessings

In response, the sultan on May 5 said there are many "misperceptions" about the code that may cause "apprehension." He said despite the implementation of the penal code, Brunei will continue to uphold its de facto moratorium on the death penalty.

"There should not be any concern on the Sharia law as it is full of Allah's mercy and blessings," he said.

Islam must have a radically different interpretation of the meaning of 'mercy' and 'blessings'! 

However, Human Rights Watch rejected this explanation Wednesday, stating the moratorium "is subject to political whim and could be lifted at any time, while leaving in place dozens of other rights-offending provisions." The death penalty is also only one of many issues with the penal code, the directors said in their letter.

Human Rights Watch then urged the sultan to immediately repeal the penal code, ensure the new one is aligned with international human rights law and ratify conventions and treaties Brunei has previously signed.

"The sultan should revoke this law and fulfil his promise to respect human rights," Robertson said.

Daughter of Lesbians - The Kids are Not Alright!

CBN News
The Supreme Court is considering cases that could determine if same-sex marriage becomes the law of the land.

One key part of the debate centers on whether sanctioning gay marriage is fair to the children who would then be raised by same-sex couples.

While gay activists argue same-sex couples have the right to marry and be parents, six children who were raised by same-sex parents have filed briefs stating their opposition to redefining marriage.

Heather Barwick and Katy Faust filed a "friend of the court" brief saying they were harmed because they were not raised by a father and a mother. 

"While we love and cherish our mothers, we feel it's imperative that we bring to the court's attention the impact that redefining marriage will have on children like us," they wrote.

"We oppose gay marriage on the grounds that it violates children's rights and cannot provide children with the most foundational building blocks for child development - a mother and father living with and loving them," they stated.

CBN News recently spoke with another adult daughter of a same-sex couple. Brandi Walton wrote about her experience in TheFederalist.com in an article called, "The Kids Are Not Alright: A Lesbian's Daughter Speaks Out."

The Kids Are Not Alright: A Lesbian’s Daughter Speaks Out

Some children of gay parents, just like some gay people, do not support gay parenting or gay marriage. Male and female biology each provide something every child needs—together.

Brandi Walton

By Brandi Walton

Dear LGBT Community,

I am not your daughter. I never carried a flag in one of your gay pride parades. I have never written a letter on your behalf to a congressman or anyone else, and I have never felt the need to make people accept the fact I am the daughter of a lesbian. Perhaps it’s because she never felt the need to force people to accept her for being one.

No, I would never align myself to a community as intolerant and self-absorbed as the LGBT community, a community that demands tolerance with fervor and passion, yet does not give it in return, even to its own members at times. In fact, this community attacks anyone who does not agree with them, no matter how lovingly any difference of opinion is expressed.

I myself am a product of the Lesbian Revolution of the 1980s. My mother always knew she liked girls, but tried hard to be a good, straight, southern Baptist girl. When I was a year old, she left my dad for another man, whom we lived with until I was somewhere around four years old. After the divorce, she told my father to leave, which he did, and in his own words, “I did because I knew I couldn’t fight the entire family to see you.” I cannot remember the man she left him for very well, but I can remember being happy living with him. It did not last, however, and when she left him, she left him for a woman.

Silencing People about Homosexuality Won’t Change What Kids Can See
I knew from a young age that living with two women was not natural. I could especially see it in the homes of my friends who had a mom and a dad. I spent as much time with those friends as I possibly could. I yearned for the affection that my friends received from their dads. I wanted to know what it was like to be held and cherished by a man, what it was like to live with one from day to day.

I yearned for the affection that my friends received from their dads
As far as I was concerned, I already had one mother; I did not need another. My dream was that my mother would decide she wanted to be with men again, but obviously that dream did not come true. My grandfathers and uncles did the best they could when it came to spending time with me and doing all the daddy-daughter stuff, but it was not the same as having a full-time father, and I knew it. It always felt secondhand.

Growing up without the presence of a man in my home damaged me personally. All I wanted from the time I was a little girl was a normal family. When I graduated high school, my thoughts were not entirely where they needed to be. While my friends were excited about college, a piece of me was missing, and I knew I would never feel whole until I found it.

Men Need Women Need Men
I had a desire unlike any other to create my own family and have stability, and this led to two extremely unhealthy relationships. Luckily, I found my way out of both, but after being hurt and used so badly, I decided happiness just was not meant for me. Shortly afterwards, I met my husband, and everything clicked. For the first time, I felt alive and complete. Having children and seeing a man parent a child for the first time was beautiful and awe-inspiring. It only reinforced my belief that a child needs a mother and a father, and that same-sex parenting and single parenting are far inferior to heterosexual parenting when done correctly.

As an adult, I have tried to talk to my mom about how difficult my life was, but she simply cannot relate because she was raised by a mom and a dad.

Knowing next to nothing about males is hardly all that was hard about being raised by two women. It probably comes as no surprise that growing up in Podunk, Oklahoma, was not a walk in the park. Unlike other kids who were apparently raised in gay utopias, I grew up very alone and isolated. I was an only child and there weren’t other kids around like me to talk with and relate to. No one I knew understood what I struggled with each day, and I had no option but to keep it all inside.

As an adult, I have tried to talk to my mom about how difficult my life was, but she simply cannot relate because she was raised by a mom and a dad. As a child, I would not have spoken out about the way I was being raised, either. I love my mom. She was the center of my universe and the thought of saying something to outsiders that would have hurt her devastated me. Writing this letter right this very moment is devastating me.

Gay People and Their Children Don’t All Think Alike
But I am doing it anyway. I am doing it because people need to know that it is not all roses. The effects of growing up the way I did still plays a part in my life today. I was beyond self-conscious as a child, and constantly worried about what others thought of me. I was always terrified of someone finding out my mom was a lesbian and then wanting nothing to do with me. For most of my life, the perceived opinions of others have dominated, and only recently have I been able to let that go.

The studies claiming we are just as well or better off than our peers raised by straight parents are hardly scientific in most cases, and do not represent us all.

That is only the tip of the iceberg. The studies claiming we are just as well or better off than our peers raised by straight parents are hardly scientific in most cases, and do not represent us all. People need to know that some children of gay parents do not agree with gay adoption and marriage, just like some gay people themselves don’t agree with it, either! But you will notice that fact is not making headlines.

The Huffington Post published two responses to Heather Barwick’s recent letter here at The Federalist, and both were written by people who were raised with members of the opposite sex in the home—a male raised by women, and a female who had brothers present. It makes total sense that their experiences were not like mine and Heather’s, since we were both raised by women.

And just because one product of artificial insemination does not feel she was robbed does not mean others don’t. I am aware there are kids out there who disagree with my point of view, just like there are gays out there who disagree with the LGBT community’s point of view. But to suggest this is not a reason to validate and listen to a handful of children raised by gays, and who are against it, is ridiculous. After all, it is but a handful of people demanding we redefine marriage and parenting, and we all see how well that’s going.

Not Yours,

Brandi Walton

Brandi Walton grew up in southern Oklahoma as the only child in a lesbian household. She has decided to come forward at this time to discuss the issues surrounding children of homosexuals in hopes of educating the general public. She is married and is the mother of four children.