They didn't see it coming or know how to stop it back then

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
October 18, 2024

"Perhaps Satan’s goal had been not to recruit witches but to trick the court into executing the innocent."

That was from The Bill Of Rights Institute, The Salem Witch Trials, Malcolm Gaskill, University of East Anglia. In 1692, the demon was very busy in Salem Village. People were suffering and wanted to blame someone. The influential people gave them witches, and hate gave them the targets.

Usually, I stay out of politics. These are not usual times. What is happening now is correlated with what happened in Massachusetts in 1692. I am surprised so few noticed it.

People have been conditioned to blame someone else for their problems. Too many are pointing fingers at what they consider easy targets. Fueling hatred against others with no power to cause or fix their misery deflects the absence of efforts on their part to solve problems. It happened in Salem because it was allowed to happen. Everyone going against the ridiculous claims made became another target, and they found themselves accused. It was a vicious circle designed to keep it going so that enemies were caught in the web of lies. It is happening again.

"Villagers were emboldened to voice their own suspicions of other witches, which led to more arrests. The accused were brought to the public meetinghouses and urged to confess so they could be brought back into the Christian fold. Most people gave credence to “spectral evidence”, evidence based on visions and dreams, in which the afflicted claimed they could see invisible spirits flying around the room and causing them pain. Even a four-year-old girl, the daughter of one of the accused, Sarah Good, was imprisoned for witchcraft. Before long, the witch hunt had spread to several neighboring communities."

None of it was real. None of the accusers experienced what they claimed. They did not have to prove a single word they said; all they had to do was claim they believed it happened.

Samuel Parris, a corrupt minister, fueled twisted religious beliefs. After children in his household made outrageous claims, they blamed witches, and the plot to use them began. Realizing they had the power to manipulate others, the seeds were sown in the minds of others, like the Putnam family.

"Thomas Putnam (Jr.) was from the third generation of Putnams in Salem Village. He was the eldest son of Thomas Putnam (Sr.), who himself was the eldest son of John Putnam, one of the founders of Salem Village who had arrived from England in the 1640s. The Putnams were a powerful and wealthy family, yet by the 1690s, Thomas Putnam was seeing his prospects diminish as property continued to be divided with each generation. He watched as neighbors like the Porters and the Nurses, who lived closer to Salem Town, became more prosperous. Thomas Putman had also aligned himself with the new village minister in 1689, Samuel Parris, a man who did not have everyone’s support. Disagreements about the minister’s wage, and firewood, and ownership of the parsonage caused ongoing division in the community."

None of those in charge had any power to change the harsh winter, grow crops that could not be grown, or eliminate illnesses. None of them had the power to stop the indigenous people from attacking towns and villages to take back their land. They used their power to deflect attention from them and place it where it didn't belong, on other citizens. After all, solving problems requires work and a lot of thought. Pointing fingers was easy and added to their power and wealth. They confiscated the property of those they charged with witchcraft and billed them for the time they spent in jail.

They ignored the 10 Commandments when they falsely made accusations against others and were willing to murder. They broke the rule of requiring evidence and then broke another rule of not torturing to achieve confessions and naming others.

Dozens suffered under inhumane conditions as they waited in jail for months without trials; many of the imprisoned were also tortured, and at least one died in jail before the hysteria abated in 1693.

So much of the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials comes down to the failure of the court and the laws during that time: Laws that made such things as visions, dreams, and even the testimony of spirits permissible evidence. And a court that accepted accusations so flimsy they would seem laughable today if they weren’t so horrifyingly unjust…(New England Law)

The more I see what is happening today, the more I think about what happened in 1692. People claim to be Christian, much like the Puritans did. With real evidence, some claim it's nothing more than a witch hunt, which requires no proof. They want to control what other people believe and how they worship. They want to control how other people live while proving they don't care about them. They only care about themselves and how they can use their power for their gain and not for the sake of the people they claim they want to serve.

The rights we have today to protect us from what the people of Salem Town and Village endured are still under the 1st Amendment because of what people got away with. Read the list of Amendments to see what other rights we have and discover how many of them apply to what happened in Salem.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The difference between us now and the residents of Massachusetts back then is that we see all the signs because of technology. They didn't see it coming or know how to stop it back then.

Kathie Costos

Author of The Scribe Of Salem, The Visionary Of Salem, and 13th Minister Of Salem.

Wouldn't it be wonderful

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
July 16, 2023

If you hear someone serving as an elected official or seeking a position and they do not give a speech like this, then consider what they are not saying before you give them the power to decide how you will have to live your own life.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in a country where people of faith were free to praise God out loud as they believe, as much as others are free to choose not to? Free to be able to choose the faith they want and be equally protected under the law because no one group has been given authority to enforce their own beliefs on anyone else?

To live in a country where everyone was able to decide to have a family and how to raise them, as much as others can decide when to have a family or even to not have one.

To live in a country where the law applied to all people living here without regard to power, wealth, or position. Where people are entrusted with fulfilling the laws and valuing the laws for everyone. Where we never had to be concerned with a return to the darkest times of persecution without evidence.

Where we are all free to read and write the books we want to and never have to accept the masquerade of books being promoted as factual, when in fact, they are fiction. Where history books were not banned simply because they made some people uncomfortable because of what others were allowed to do.

Where people were not judged by their physical appearance but by how they treated others.

Where freedom meant that all people are free to make their own choices while it may offend some because they claim to be opposed to their own religious beliefs. 

After all, when they claim to be people of faith, then they know that God granted all souls to be free to decide for themselves and make their own choices. The Founding Fathers understood this. The 1st Amendment proclaimed the premise that no one religion would be established as the law of this country. 

If they are trying to get your vote, consider what you will be rendering unto them before you give it to them. If they are not fighting for everyone to have the power of freedom, then they are only fighting for their power to rule over everyone!

Today is no cause to celebrate independence

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
July 4, 2023

No one should be forced to surrender what they believe simply because I believe they are wrong! That was the premise of this nation. So how have we arrived, yet again, in a time and place where so many decided their religious freedom is the only one that the rest of us must live by?
 

"But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god." Thomas Jefferson

That is what Thomas Jefferson thought about the freedom of religion. Most of what was behind the 1st Amendment against establishing religion had a history lesson behind it. What happened when one group of "believers" was able to use what they believed to control those that believed differently was uncontrollable, they wanted to prevent it from happening again. That history lesson came from the Salem Witch Trials.

By the time the people of Salem came to their senses and issued a decree for a day of atonement on January 14, 1697,  200 had been arrested, tortured, and had everything taken from them. 19 of the accused were hung and one was crushed to death. Some died in jail before their trial. Some were exonerated and some simply escaped.

None of the accusers had to suffer anything other than accountability to God and the wrath of their neighbors.

“But our rulers can have authority over such natural rights only as we have submitted to them. The rights of conscience we never submitted, we could not submit. We are answerable for them to our God. The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg. If it be said, his testimony in a court of justice cannot be relied on, reject it then, and be the stigma on him. Constraint may make him worse by making him a hypocrite, but it will never make him a truer man. It may fix him obstinately in his errors, but will not cure them. Reason and free enquiry are the only effectual agents against error.” ― Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia (GoodReads)

What your neighbor believes or does not believe is none of your business. That is what has made this country great. No one religious group was to have the power to rule over others ever again. 

In January 1693, the newly created Superior Court of Judicature began hearing the remaining witch trials. The judges could not accept spectral evidence and most of the remaining trials ended in acquittal. Phips pardoned the rest.

Enduring Lessons
In 1957, Massachusetts formally apologized for the events of 1692: “The General Court of Massachusetts declares its belief that such proceedings, even if lawful under the Province Charter and the law of Massachusetts as it then was, were and are shocking, and the result of a wave of popular hysterical fear of the Devil in the community…” The Massachusetts state legislature was still exonerating accused witches as recently as the early 2000s.

Today, the Salem Witch Trials continue to capture popular imagination. Less than 20 miles from Boston, Salem has turned its dark history into a thriving tourism industry, with witchcraft-themed shops, eateries, tours, and several museums.

The town commemorates the tragedy of that era with the Salem Witch Trial Memorial and has preserved many buildings and other historic sites associated with the trials, so future generations—and jurists—can learn how mass hysteria can lead to mass injustice. (New England Law)

What we are seeing today is people with the same attitude decided they should have the right to control everyone else because they claim to be "defending their rights" while at the same time, they seek to remove the rights of all others to enjoy the same freedom.

They seek to kill the religious freedom of all the people to believe as they see fit or choose to not believe at all. If we do nothing, we should never again celebrate July 4th with fireworks, parades, and festivities but should visit the graves of all those who paid the price for the freedoms we let die. Not just those that served in the military but those who died because they were persecuted because of what some believed. Civil rights leaders were murdered for standing up for freedom.

The freedom to choose if you worship and how you worship. 

The freedom to vote according to your choice instead of where you live because of some bizarre boundary line designed to control who you can vote for. 

The freedom to love, who you love and marry or don't marry. The right to live according to who you are inside instead of being judged as going against what "God created." It must have escaped their thoughts that God is spirit and not flesh and bones, meaning He created the souls and not bodies. It also must have escaped their thoughts that some people do not believe in God at all.

The freedom to choose to become parents and raise your children according to what you believe in. The freedom to choose to not become parents. The freedom to be able to get the reproductive healthcare that you need without having a politician decide if and when you get it because they don't want to protect your right to receive it.

The freedom to learn from history and not be controlled by those feeling uncomfortable with what actually happened. The freedom to read what books you want and the freedom to write what books you want, expressing your thoughts because you are free to do so.

The freedom to know you can go out in public, attend worship services, go shopping, see a movie or even drive your car without fear you are subjecting yourself to being shot. Freedom to send your children to school without fearing you may not see your child at the end of the day alive because someone was able to obtain a weapon designed to kill as many as possible as fast as possible.

When we allow one freedom to be taken from the majority by the minority, more will fall and we will fail to be the land of the free. 

 

Religious freedom payback thanks to SCOTUS?

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
June 30, 2023

After the ruling by the Supreme Court finding a web designer could not be forced to design a site that went against her religious beliefs, they proved that this case had nothing to do with the religious freedom of everyone but was limited to only those with the same beliefs they approve of.

The case was brought by a woman in Colorado. She was not hired to design a site for a gay couple. So what's the problem? She feared it could happen. OK, I guess but up until now, fear of something that may, or may not happen, doesn't seem to be grounds to end up in the Supreme Court.

What got me was this part.

Gorsuch said that a ruling against Smith would allow the government “to force all manner of artists, speechwriters, and others whose services involve speech to speak what they do not believe on pain of penalty.” For example, a gay website designer could be forced to design websites for an organization that advocates against same-sex marriage, he wrote. “Countless other creative professionals, too, could be forced to choose between remaining silent, producing speech that violates their beliefs, or speaking their minds and incurring sanctions for doing so.”

It seems to have escaped the "justices" that that was exactly what they have been preventing other people in this country from receiving the same protection because they did not choose what the majority wanted them to do. Not the majority of the people in this country but the majority of the 9 people that decide all the laws we all have to live by.

Want or need to end a pregnancy, then it should not be up to you to decide. It should be up to the state you live in to surrender your beliefs and choices to the whim of others when you should decide your own future for yourself.

Want your children to be raised according to what you believe is right for you? Nope sorry when they want prayers brought into schools no matter if you are raising your children to be "religious" or not.

Want them to be able to live their lives and make it home at the end of the day from school without being shot by someone they allowed to have an assault weapon? Out of luck there too since gun owners have more rights than your family.

Over and over again, we are reminded that this country is yet again returning to the times of religious persecution against anyone with beliefs those in power do not agree with. It is the Salem Witch Trails on steroids!

So will there be religious freedom payback removing all the restrictions from the rest of us and also living our own lives according to what we believe? Will we see equality the way the Founding Fathers envisioned following the witchcraft trials and gave us the right to make our own choices? I am no lawyer but it seems that good ones need to take cases to the Supreme Court based on the freedoms of all of us and not just the ones they agree with!

Kathie Costos author of The Scribe Of Salem, The Visionary Of Salem, and 13th Minister Of Salem

If you do not defend the freedom for all, then who will defend yours?

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
June 7, 2023

I try to stay out of politics as much as possible because, frankly, it is too divisive. Everyone thinks their opinion is the only right one. One of the biggest reasons why topics of religion and politics are banned from family get-togethers. Anyway, I was listening to Mike Pence make his speech about running for president again. It was when I woke up from a nap and thought I was still dreaming when he spoke about protecting religious freedom. I kept listening as the acid started to climb into my throat. He spoke about how parents' rights to decide what is right for their family. He spoke about protecting life. What he didn't speak about was how people like him have been trying to remove those rights from people that decided in ways he didn't like.

That's what's been happening for far too long and it is repulsive in this country established to protect the rights of all her people. Over and over again they claim their rights are being taken away from them, when in fact it is the other way around. They want the right to remove your freedoms, as well as mine. Remove books they don't like from the library and schools. Remove true history because they don't like what it is comprised of. Remove the rights of all people to live their lives as they see fit simply because they don't approve of how they choose to live them.

They claim the "Christian" moral high ground while other Christian denominations are sickened by what they demand as if no other group exists. How does this keep happening?

It happens because too many loud voices are heard while the rest of us, the majority of us, suffer in the shadows as if our cries are silenced. Does the media know we even exist? Where are the interviews with rational humans wanting to live our own lives? Where are they when we seek to protect the rights of all people, no matter if we like their choices or not, because we want our rights protected equally?

If you want to know what we're heading into if we don't speak up and stand up, look back to the Salem Witchcraft Trials and know that was exactly what happened. One group of religious zealots wanted to control everyone else. They gained so much power persecuting the people they didn't like, that it spiraled out of control. If you want to know how to stop them, then think of how those dark days ended. They ended when good people stood up and said they wouldn't tolerate it anymore.

If you were spiritual but not among the "proper" religious group, then you were a target. That would include people like me and probably you too.

What are you willing to tolerate? If you do not defend the freedom for all, then who will defend yours?

Here are some quotes from PBS

“Most Americans treat each other with kindness and respect – even when we disagree,” he will say. “It’s not too much to ask our leaders to do the same.”

That is what we're asking. Is it too much to ask that leaders do that with people they don't agree with? Respect for gay people is not part of it. Respect for the living when they are on the last of the to-do list. Respect for the born when children are massacred in school isn't on the list. The list of who is not among those they value is longer than the minuscule list of those they approve of. 

“After leading the most pro-life administration in American history, Donald Trump and others in this race are retreating from the cause of the unborn,” Pence will say. “The sanctity of life has been our party’s calling for half a century—long before Donald Trump was ever a part of it. Now he treats it as an inconvenience, even blaming election losses on overturning Roe v. Wade.”

Again, the living are not worthy of protection no matter what age because he also believes that social security and Medicare should be cut after we paid for it. 

Don't let a politician turn your faith into their business!

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
April 28, 2023

What you believe on a religious basis, is what you were free to choose. Would you want someone else passing laws based on what they believe if it went against your own?

Which church do you belong to among the Christian houses on this list? If you chose to be Catholic, which of the 24 different ones did you choose? If you chose to be Protestant, which one of these did you choose? If you chose to be Orthodox, which one did you become? Do you think that everyone else has chosen the wrong one because you are so sure your choice was the only right one? Would you want someone else to be able to take away what you chose was right for you? Then why would you, or anyone else be allowed to do it to others? Should you have the right to take away the choices of non-denominationalism? Should you have the right to force spiritual but not religious believers to pick something you find acceptable? What about the other faiths in the country, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and others among the people of this country? What about atheist people? Shouldn't they also have the same right to know they are protected as well as everyone else?

That is what people get wrong all the time. Sure, when a politician agrees with what you believe it can make you feel as if you won something. It also means someone else lost their ability to believe something else. You may not have noticed that your approval of this step gave politicians the authority to go against what you believe, because they believe otherwise. That's how all this works. If you call yourself pro-life, you may feel empowered to seek to control all other matters of faith, but the thought you should invalidate the free will choices of others has just invalidated your own. It puts you on the wrong side of the tomb and the womb, along with the Constitution.

Why? I was listening to a man this morning, claiming he was evangelical and pro-life. He also talked about Catholics. Nowhere in his words did he express the fact that everyone else in this country, and frankly, the entire world, are free to believe as they choose. It doesn't matter how their government operates or what laws they pass to control others. No one can ever take away what people believe. That is why matters of faith have always, and will always be used as a weapon to control the people.

If you live in America, your faith, no matter what it is, is protected under the law. At least it used to be. If you are Christian, then your choice of where to worship is supposed to be equally protected as all other houses of worship, including non-Christian ones. Trying to take control over them is claiming your faith is the only right one and everyone else must abide by what you believe.

I find many claims from other Christians appalling but I believe they have the right to believe what they want even though many of them think they have the right to take mine away from me. Scriptures in the New Testament support the God-given right to free will, just as the Old Testament does.

Decide if You Can Follow Me
25 Many people were traveling with Jesus. He said to them, 26 “If you come to me but will not leave your family, you cannot be my follower. You must love me more than your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters—even more than your own life! 27 Whoever will not carry the cross that is given to them when they follow me cannot be my follower.

Jesus reminded them they are free to make the choice to do or not do and what the outcome would be based on the choices they made of their own free will. Yet somehow we arrived yet again with a group of people trying to take away the free will choice of others, much like during the Salem Witchcraft Trials when faith was used to control others, seek revenge and intimidate others into conforming or find themselves accused of witchcraft facing torture, loss of all they had and death.

The 1st Amendment to the Constitution protects matters of faith/religion because of what happened in Salem. Why can't people see what is going on is putting them on the wrong side of what this country was built on? We are all free to make our own choices or none of us are.

If you claim to follow Jesus as a Christian, trying to force someone else, goes against what He taught as well as what He sacrificed His life for. It goes against God after He gave Adam and Eve the free will to listen to His warning or not in the Garden of Eden. It puts you on the wrong side of His Son's tomb.

If you call yourself pro-life because of your religious beliefs, you are on the wrong side of the womb as well. Scriptures tell us that God is God on the living and Jesus taught everyone claiming to follow Him how they should treat others living in the world. If you only care about the unborn, and what others do then, while you have the right to decide for your own house, you are trying to usurp the rights of others. Passing judgment on others grants the authority of others to pass judgment on you. Should you be forced to do what Jesus said and feed the poor, give them clothes, and housing, visit the prisoners, or do anything else He said you should do because you claim to value and follow Him? Or should it be left up to what you choose to do and can afford to do?

Your rights begin and end with what you choose for yourself and if you seek to control others, remove their right because you think your faith and what you believe is the only right way, you have opened the door for your own rights to be taken from you. Don't let a politician turn your faith into their business!

UPDATE:
It is stories like the following that should cause all of us to question these self-appointed-anointed demigods the idea they should control everyone else. To this "lawmaker" if you did not give birth to chichildren, you are not a mother!
Marjorie Taylor Greene faces criticism after saying a stepmother is 'not a mother' USA Today

Greene asked her during the hearing whether she is a mother, and Weingarten replied that she’s a “mother by marriage.”

The Georgia lawmaker called her “not a biological mother” and later told the union leader, “The problem is, people like you need to admit that you’re just a political activist, not a teacher, not a mother and not a medical doctor.”

And then there is this one.
A Montana lawmaker suggested she’d rather risk her child’s suicide than let her transition NBC News

State Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe said in a floor debate in March that her daughter "was suicidal for three years" and when asked if she'd do anything to save her, her answer was "no."

A recent comment by a Montana state lawmaker who sponsored legislation to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors has gone viral and drawn backlash online.

State Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, a Republican, suggested during a floor debate that she would rather risk her daughter dying by suicide than allow her to transition. Seekins-Crowe did not say that her daughter identified as transgender, but said she was “one of those parents who lived with a daughter who was suicidal for three years.”

She is in the same state where this is what lawmakers have focused on. Bills Dictating Religion, Prayer and Sex Ed in Schools Advance Ahead of Key Deadline

Salem Witch Trials, apparently, some people learned nothing from history!

Wounded Times

Kathie Costos

April 24, 2023

We may have thought the religious battle ended with the Salem Witch Trials but apparently, some people learned nothing from history!

Ex-Marine calls for action after GOP rep grills VA official on 'faith-based' PTSD partnerships

Van Orden said Campbell's response suggested the department is not actively working with "wildly successful" programs "because they are faith-based – which according to you guys are 'non-evidence-based'."

That is a bunch of bull! For 40 years I've seen it all and if you go to the National Center For PTSD, which, by the way, addresses PTSD for all Americans, you'll see clearly how they provide a Clergy Tool so that veterans can make their own choices as to their personal faith. The evidence is clear that when the mind-body and spiritual needs are addressed, based on their own beliefs, there is greater healing. To fund or push one faith-based group over another would go against the First Amendment.

The First Amendment

This is what people get wrong all the time. Everyone wants the ability to make their own choices and have their rights protected. The problem comes when some want their rights protected by removing the rights of others. The Founding Fathers understood human nature enough they saw a time coming when some people would want to control others using the government to do it. Considering that the Salem Witchcraft Trials were the basis for this Amendment, they wanted to make sure it never happened again.

The Salem Witch Trials

Many people in Puritanical Salem Massachusetts died because they were different, and the Puritans were afraid they could not control them easily.

Many people in Puritanical Salem did not conform to the societal beliefs and ended up losing their lives as a result. There were many rules and if citizens did not follow all of those rules, they were cast out. The religion of the Puritans was very strict and “the Puritan community rewarded conformity-you were expected to fit in and do what everybody else did” (Mills 15). The Puritans desire for conformity was so strong that they wanted to get rid of anyone that was different. The trials were an excuse for the people of Salem to expunge of all those people who were different. Witches were thought to be able to harm people and therefore were feared greatly. The Puritans feared the Devil and God equally and “they believed the Devil was real, and had the intent to influence and harm."

Today we see people just like the Puritans. They seek to control others and when they are met with people standing up for their own rights, they claim that their religious freedom is being taken away from them. WOW! This is why so many people have lost faith in the government's ability and willingness to stand up for all of our rights.

Their beliefs are their own and should remain that way but they cannot see that power ends with them so that everyone else retains the same right.

Spending all these years helping people on a spiritual basis, no matter what they personally believed, with mutual respect, worked wonders! They saw their own power to reach out to God or whatever Higher Power they believed in directly and to see whatever caused their PTSD was not sent by God as some sort of punishment. It got them to understand the difference between stupid things they heard, such as "God only give us what we can handle," meaning they were told God did it to them. It was more beneficial for them to hear, "God is there to get them through it," so they know they are not fighting the survivor battle alone. It was not up to me to try to convert them to accept what I believed but to empower them to decide on their own to explore faith through a spiritual lens.

Scriptures support this and are there to be found. If those seeking to control others spent more time reading them and less time trying to corrupt the God-given gift of free will, they would be filled instead of emptying their own souls. He did not seek to control anyone, so why is it they think they can? What we see today, just as in Salem, is not a matter of faith but a matter of control.

What makes all this worse is when reporters fail to understand this. No matter what the topic is on social issues, they lump Christians together. The fact is there are many Christian houses of worship with different viewpoints. There are many different faiths in this country and they are left out of the discussion. While the claim this is a Christian nation is a valid one, the truth is the majority do believe in Jesus but do not agree on everything. This is why there are "Estimations show there are more than 200 Christian denominations in the U.S. and a staggering 45,000 globally, according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity."

When most people hear something about Christianity being attacked, and God taken out of schools, they get upset no matter which denomination they belong to. Yet, when they think past the word and remember why they chose their affiliation, they acknowledge there are many different faiths in this country. When they hear a term such as "pro-life" used to defend the desire to control what others do in their own lives, they condemn them. Yet when they think past what their church deems right and wrong, acknowledging other religious groups do not hold the same view or need to be in control, they become repulsed enough to stand up for everyone needing to make the decision and condemn the attackers.

When we allow one group to take control over all others, we go against the God we claim to believe in and the foundation of the country we claim to love!

Congress needs to stop appeasing and start atonement

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 16, 2023

It started as a spiritual battle to give hope of healing to a man so he could pass it on to the world. That was what The Scribe Of Salem was all about. Each one of the people had their own struggles until someone came into their lives to help them heal spiritually. Each of them had given up on the hope they would find the answers in a church. The truth is, far too many churches in this country are far from what Christ preached. We may dismiss all this by saying "to each their own" referring to choices, but that created our blindness to what is going on in this country.

13th Minister Of Salem

By the 3rd book, 13th Minister Of Salem, they realize the battle is far from over. Too many have used faith as a political weapon to destroy those with different beliefs. None of this is new. It happened throughout history all over the world. It happened in this country when people hid behind the church to seek retribution and retaliate against anyone they hated. The Salem Witchcraft Trials were not because the leaders actually believed the accused were witches and wizards. They only used what they caused the people to believe was true. They made use of what was done in Scotland, England, and other countries, paying people to hunt down the accused, and torture them into confessions that were only said to end the torture while knowing it would also result in their deaths.

The Salem Witch Trials were a continuation of the abuse of faith. Men and women did horrible things to innocent people and blamed God for all the terrible things they did.

"As years passed, apologies were offered, and restitution was made to some of victims and their families. In 1697, the Massachusetts General Court ordered a day of fasting and prayer in atonement for errors made by the colony, including the witchcraft trials. On this day one judge, Samuel Sewall, and 12 jurors, came forward to apologize for their roles in the Salem witch trials. The other magistrates never admitted there had been a miscarriage of justice, going to their graves believing they did what was best for the colony." (Salem Witch Museum)

The question is, did they apologize because they saw themselves for what they became, or did they do it because they carried so much guilt that every calamity became viewed as God's judgment against them?

On the morning of December 25—no holiday for the Puritans—Sewall buried his little daughter Sarah. That afternoon he sat in the family tomb and contemplated the coffins of his mother, father, cousin, and six dead children. In these gloomy surroundings he must have meditated on the Bible verses his son had read the previous day, especially Matthew 12:7 (“And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless”), which “did awfully bring to mind the Salem Tragedie.” Over the next three weeks Sewall prayed fervently for help, and by the time of the appointed fast day, he knew what he had to do. (American Heritage)

Let the words "and  if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would have not condemned the gutless." (Matthew 12:7)

By most accounts, the trials played a major role in the 1st Amendment.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;"

We are all supposed to have our rights protected equally, no matter what faith we choose as well as the freedom to not participate in any form of religious affiliation. Some want to blame others for trying to take away their rights simply because they do not agree with them, while no one is trying to stop them from believing what they choose. The truth is, those screaming the loudest about are the ones trying to empower their faith to rule over everyone else. Not much different than what happened during the witch trials. Is it?

This is why no member of Congress, no court, and no law enforcement agency should assume the power to prevent citizens from making their own choices. There are plenty of choices for all of us. There are many different faiths, and even within Christianity for us to decide for ourselves. I choose the spiritual path and practice it daily and devotedly. I judge no one for what they believe because I can only judge what they do.

To me, it is less reprehensible for someone to be selfish, evil, power-hungry, and lie about it than it is for someone to claim to be a follower of Jesus while condemning others and spewing contempt for the Son of God they claim to follow and all He taught.

When we allow politicians to make laws because of what they claim they believe, we are no longer free to make our own choices. When we allow our rights to be eroded one by one, we are no longer the country we were meant to be.

The freedom to choose for ourselves what is right for our own families is being taken away from us. It is no longer our decision to raise our children with love and acceptance of their uniqueness. It is no longer acceptable for us, or anyone else, to value the souls of others above the bodies those souls live in. When I hear someone claim to be "pro-life" referring to the unborn, yet they support everything else that destroys the living, they become liars, proving they are pro-birth. Many different faiths in this country believe it is the living, those born with the soul from God within them, that should matter more. 

They condemn people for being "woke" when in fact they want to simply rectify the harm done to others because of the color of their skin. They condemn those who were born into a biological body that does not reflect who they are inside that body. It no longer matters to the "judges" if they are good, loving people treating others with respect and kindness, when they can turn around seeking the power to control them out of hatred.

Politicians use faith like a weapon and then when they cannot find support for their deeds among voters, they seek to remove the ability to vote against them.

Maybe it is time for Congress to have "a day of fasting and prayer in atonement for errors," made by Congress and all leaders in every state who have forgotten they are supposed to be representing all their citizens and not just the ones they seek to appease by abusing the power they were given. 

Alex Wagner, fascinating and infuriating

Alex Wagner is fascinating and infuriating because of her second show last night on MSNBC. I wanted to watch because she was covering what is happening in Florida with teachers being subjected to such extremes, that the shortage of teachers has caused the state to offer veterans positions, simply because they are veterans. (Needless to say, I am glad I moved out of Florida after 15 years there.) Her coverage of what teachers are going through with their training as the state is sinking to a whole new level of indoctrination of "Christian Nationalism" was fascinating.

It was the discussion that was carried out throughout the rest of the show that infuriated me.

She was interviewing Jelani Cobb, dean of the Columbia Journalism School. He is brilliant and Wagner is clearly intelligent. So how is it they missed the biggest point of all?

They missed the encapsulation of the many different Christian-based faiths into one use. Most of us are no longer wondering why Christianity itself has become an uncomfortable thing to belong to.

This is why the Constitution's 1st Amendment is something that needed to be first. It allows people of all faiths to choose on their own what they believe and to believe in nothing. It gives all people the right to speak freely so that no one can say only certain thoughts can be spoken. It gives the press the right to report. Other laws are in place to insure that the rights of others are not violated because of what some freedoms grant them to inflict damage onto others. You cannot slander anyone or you get sued.

All the other Christians out there trying to live as people of good deeds and trying to do the right thing have been slandered because of what the fringe Christian Nationalists try to do to everyone.

Is that really a problem, or just an abstract worry?
It is a serious problem. When nationalists go about constructing their nation, they have to define who is, and who is not, part of the nation. But there are always dissidents and minorities who do not or cannot conform to the nationalists’ preferred cultural template. In the absence of moral authority, nationalists can only establish themselves by force. Scholars are almost unanimous that nationalist governments tend to become authoritarian and oppressive in practice. For example, in past generations, to the extent that the United States had a quasi-established official religion of Protestantism, it did not respect true religious freedom. Worse, the United States and many individual states used Christianity as a prop to support slavery and segregation.

In other words, when you hear people saying the word Christian you may simply assume that you are included in the discussion of what nationalism is doing to the country.

If your faith is strong, you can stand up against this assault with confidence, defending that which you believe. If it is weak, then you may just go against the core of your soul and capitulate to their whims. If we do not defend all people of all faiths in this nation, then what are we willing to become?

Do you think that they will only go after non-Christians? They will not stop there. They will keep eroding all they can until they become the very thing the founding fathers reviled. They will be as the Pharisees were, hypocrites!

All of us of good faith, no matter what that faith is, need to stand up to them and make sure that reporters open their eyes to the fact that there are over 200 different Christian denominations in the US, but not all citizens are among them. The truth is, less than half the population attend religious service, no matter what group they feel connected to. Needless to say, there are also non-Christian-based faiths here are well. 

We may not agree on what we believe but I think we all agree that should be left entirely up to each one of us to decide on our own and not have it forced on us, especially with our tax dollars. That is what all these new laws and regulations are funded by. All of our tax dollars pay for these politicians to take away our rights to believe as we choose to.

I don't know about you, but too many members of my family served in the military defending the rights these elected people want to take away. I want my rights defended as much as I want my neighbor's rights defended and it is appalling so many of us are afraid to even speak out to defend others or even our own.

Start finding out what you are voting for when you decide who to vote for instead of what party they represent. I want to know if they represent the rights of all, or just for some. I want to know if they are true to what they claim, or simply claim it hoping no one notices they are liars. It is time for us to make the devil tremble in the details of the truth.

The truth is, God was pro-choice because He gave all of us free will to decide for ourselves!

Watch Alex Wagner Tonight Highlights: Aug. 17

What about our rights to believe what we choose to believe?

Kathie Costos
June 26, 2022

This was supposed to be a nation where everyone could hold their own religious beliefs and be equally protected under the law. So how is it that the beliefs of the minority of the country, became the law all of us are forced to live with? They use what they believe to remove the same right of others to decide for themselves what they believe!

What about our rights to believe what we choose to believe? The question "who gave them the right to take away our rights" was answered Friday, June 24, 2022.

Why on earth should any of us have to believe what the pro-birthers choose to believe? Why should we have to bow down to their opinion over anything?  Aren't these the same people who supported what Trump did to the country and his moral perversions? He lied about everything, yet they believed. He lied about losing the election, but they violated the Constitution laws about the transfer of power because they didn't like the outcome and refused to believe the majority of the country found Trump unworthy to lead this nation. Justice Thomas's wife had been active in attempting to overturn the election, and yet, he was allowed to participate in hearing the case for Congress to obtain evidence regarding those involved in the efforts to overturn a lawful election. We've seen the result of their "moral" opinions.

So how is it that the rest of the people in this country are supposed to yield our own beliefs, our own faith, our own choices to them? We aren't!

People are fighting back!

Florida's new abortion law violates religious freedom, a synagogue's lawsuit says

NPR AP

"As such, the act prohibits Jewish women from practicing their faith free of government intrusion and this violates their privacy rights and religious freedom," says the lawsuit, filed Friday in Leon County Circuit Court.

The lawsuit adds that people who "do not share the religious views reflected in the act will suffer" and that it "threatens the Jewish people by imposing the laws of other religions upon Jews."

‘It’s important to fight’: US cities erupt in protest as Roe v Wade falls

The claim that pregnancy is a gift from God does not hold up. 

If pregnancy is a gift from God, then why are there so many with birth defects instead of perfect bodies?

If pregnancy is a gift from God, then why do miscarriages happen? Is He taking the gift back?

If pregnancy is a gift from God, then why would God give a man a female child to rape and then cause her to become pregnant with his child and her sibling?

If pregnancy is a gift from God, then why would He use a rapist to deliver it by force on a woman? Would He deliver a gift using rape?

If pregnancy is a gift from God, then why would He give it to some evil person He knows will abuse that child, yet refuse to give the gift to a woman who will cherish that child? Do they think God doesn't know the hearts and minds of all of us?

It is not the human form that is the Gift from God but it is the soul that lives within all those born. What we believe is a personal issue between us and God. 

This used to be a nation where all of us had the right to be free to choose our own beliefs. Now we have judges on the Supreme Court because they lied to Congress. There should be laws against them. Oh, wait, there are! One more reason as to why removing Republicans from office is necessary for the defense of freedom for the rest of us! That is the only way our rights will be restored and impeachment of the liars can happen.

The loudest voices do not speak for the rest of us!

Kathie Costos
June 25, 2022

I woke up this morning in a country I no longer recognize. Every time I heard a pro-birth person say they "believe" life begins at conception, all I could think about was when others believed they were the only Godly people in Salem. Everyone else, not believing or acting like they decided they should, was subjected to accusations, imprisonment, trials, and often, death.

Today on PTSD Patrol I posted SCOTUS: Salem Witch Craft Trials 2.0 It was because the ruling from the Supreme Court eliminating the rights of females to decide what they choose is right for them, was so vital, that the right to choose was the first sentence of the 1st Amendment to the Consitution.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

In other words, even back then, people were supposed to have the freedom to make their own choices. While this was written, women had very little choice over much at all. SCOTUS ruled against the 1st Amendment by the ruling based on religious reasons and not medical ones. 

The pro-birth movement kept screaming that life began at conception but the Bible does not agree with that. There is a lot that some people believe, but that is their choice. The problem came when they wanted to enforce their rights while making everyone else surrender their own rights.

That is what happened during the Witch Craft Trials. Pilgrims came here for various reasons but one of them was religious freedom. They turned around in the next generation and used it against 200 people and putting 20 of them to death.

You can read more on the link to the post but it was because of this, that I wanted to make sure people knew, this was one of the reasons why I felt it was necessary to write The Lost Son Alive Again and Stranger Angels Among Us. I had to rewrite them because the loudest voices in this country are pushing people away from God.

Over 90% of the people I helped during the last 40 years, said they believed in God, and most believed in Jesus, but none of them attended church. I had to reassure them that Jesus didn't attend a church building either. As a matter of fact, He wasn't free to preach in a Temple either. He prayed and preached outside most of the time. Then I had to reassure them that they could reach God all on their own with a direct line of communication from their soul directly to the One that sent it into their body the second they were born.

Why was that important? Because spiritual healing is vital in healing what other humans do to us. It is vital when a health issue or natural disaster causes PTSD along with everything else. If they understand what PTSD is, then they will go for help. When they understand it, they go for mental health help and the healing begins. Add in spiritual help and there is greater healing.

The National Center for PTSD even approves it! Are you going to go if you think it is all about what the zealots, haters, and corrupters of Christianity have delivered? I wouldn't. The thing is, it doesn't matter what you believe spiritually because the power is in feeding your soul. 

If you believe in God as a Christian, then please understand that the people with the loudest voices do not speak for the rest of us! If you don't believe as a Christian, then please still seek spiritual healing from people of groups who believe as you do. PTSD isn't a Christian thing. It's a survivor thing! 

Matthew 5 Christians time to speak boldly

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
June 6, 2022

Are you a Matthew 5 kind of Christian? Those who believe they should treat others the way Jesus explained it in the Sermon On The Mount, need to start speaking out just as loudly as those who scream about condemning others, treating others horribly, and lying about how "Christian" they claim to be. To me, they are not just repulsive but make others think all Christians are like them'

 We live in some terrible times but instead of being the voice of what Jesus taught, we walk away, shaking our heads in disgust and then fear saying we are Christians because of them.

When 19 little children and two teachers were slaughtered at Robb Elementary School, right away politicians who professed the loudest about their so-called "Christian values" were defending gun rights instead of the rights of these children to go to school and for parents to be able to send them without fear they would be slaughtered by a weapon intended for war.

People like Sen. Ted Cruz actually said that it was more a mental health issue than a "gun" issue.

Cruz continued to say that targeting felons and fugitives and those with mental illness is a more effective strategy in preventing crime.
The rebuke was swift.

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) also had choice words for Cruz, tweeting at the Texas senator, “F— you @tedcruz you care about a fetus but will let our children get slaughtered. Just get your ass to Cancun. You are useless.”
Gallego was referencing when Cruz flew to Cancun, Mexico, while his home state of Texas experienced a severe power outage that left millions of Texans without heat or electricity in February 2021.

Firstly, we have the fact that Cruz admitted that people with mental illness can get their hands on these guns at will, but he doesn't have a problem with it. If he cared, then he would support background checks and limitations to access. The slaughterer managed to buy two AR15s on his eighteenth birthday, in the same state where he cannot buy a handgun until the age of twenty-one.

Cruz went to speak at the NRA convention along with others and blamed "evil" for what was done, yet again, avoiding the fact that evil people can obtain these killing machines as easily as everyone else. It is repulsive they do not have a problem with that at all. Ex-President Trump added this, "The existence of evil is one of the very best reasons to arm law-abiding citizens."

There were heavily armed men outside of the school when the children were being slaughtered, yet they insist that arming more people, including teachers will solve the problem.

They use the title of Christian while they do not prove they have any relationship with Jesus at all. These quasi-Christians have been allowed to corrupt people by using their fame to turn people away from Jesus as well as everything that is good. They say that evil is bad while committing evil acts, and we say nothing?

There is a group in the House holding hearings on the January 6th attack on the US Capitol searching for facts. The same people screaming about how their faith matters so much, have no problem with what was done in Trump's name and want to divert the conversation from seeking the truth into something politically motivated when their own actions trying to overturn the election were in fact politically motivated.

When does this end and when do we rise up to speak boldly against these people who apparently hate all we are supposed to love. Seeking to destroy all we are taught we should value, they claim their right to do it. When do we claim our right to defend the One We Follow? 

People like them add to the number of people with #PTSD by all they stand for, from gunshot victims, pandemic patients, and people being attacked for what they do in their own personal lives with the same free will choices we all have. We are only supposed to live our own lives and take care of others with kindness and love, as directed by Jesus. Top all that off within this country, everyone is free under the Constitution to worship as all of us see fit. 

So, when do we do it?

The freewill to decide for themselves

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 16, 2022 

"Ekklesia means ‘the called out ones’ and was about God’s people, not a building."

From Stranger Angels 2nd Edition coming soon.

That is from Stranger Angels. Don't believe it because you never heard it mentioned in church? It should have been because it came from the Book of Acts 7:48-50

48 “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:
49 “‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be?
50 Has not my hand made all these things?

Jesus gave many lessons about one faith. He preached outside and told everyone to pray to "Our Father" instead of telling them they must do it in a church. There weren't any churches back then. There were only temples. 

They did not have all these different denominations of followers of Christ. Aside from that fact, this nation has the rights of all people to decide for themselves what they believed, or did not believe. 

The founding fathers were brilliant because those were the same rights and freedoms God grated every human. The freewill to decide for themselves.

So how did we ever get to the point where a religious point of view has been granted so much power over the rest of the people in this country? That is what the abortion debate is all about and is not what all Christians think. The Presbyterians came out and defend the rights of people to choose for themselves.

PARO welcomes those who support the full range of reproductive options that ensure that every child is loved and wanted. The network is committed to ensuring that the policy of the PC(USA) is articulated, understood, and preserved for future generations.

They are not alone defending choice. Presbyterians also support gay rights, but leave it up to congregations to choose to allow it or not. Choice within the same group is a marvelous thing to do. Imagine that! There are many divisions among Christians, and as it should be, however, anyone demanding a right be removed by anyone, or group, is wrong. That is why there are so many different beliefs in Christianity. Now set that aside and realize where you live. You live in a nation built upon freedom of religion. It is so important it is in the 1st Amendment to the Constitution.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The right of all people to decide what they believe and how they will live their own lives is up to them. For the Supreme Court to dare demand everyone else obey a "moral" decision is anti-American and anti-God considering He gave us all the right to decide for ourselves.

Our moral values are often offended by those who scream the loudest because we have to defend ourselves against how they portray themselves on religious grounds. They give the false impression that they speak for all Christians.

It has gotten so bad, that my last three books had to be rewritten because while a lot of people thought the story was really good, they did not like the Bible passages. I included them in on the first editions because people who do not attend church, are usually not aware of how much power and comfort is within the pages. I had to take them out and only left the reference to where the thoughts came from.

That's the thing that really gets me because not attending a "church" is actually supported in the Bible itself. 

This is from Stranger Angels, coming soon on Amazon.

Chris, Bill and David just heard Greet talk about how Paul had Stephen stoned to death. Chris had been accused many times of trying to take down churches. Greer, the daughter of a fabulous preacher, was not just one of Chris's best friends, she was one of his defenders.

They all noticed her face changed and her back stiffened up. David took her hand, “What just happened? What’s going on with you?”

“I just remembered what else Stephen said. God! I wish I remembered it when Chris was being accused of wanting to take down the church!”

“What else did he say?”

“He said that God doesn’t live in houses built by human hands. That He created everything.” She turned to Chris, “I’m sorry that I didn’t remember that. He was saying what others said before him and that God didn’t want building and when Jesus said that Peter was the rock He wasn’t talking a stone one but a living one. He told the people to pray to His Father directly. People use the word church without understanding what Jesus was actually talking about. Ekklesia means ‘the called out ones’ and was about God’s people, not a building. That is exactly what you’ve been saying.”

Chris covered his mouth while he started at Greer. David looked at him, “She’s right. I didn’t remember that either but somehow I knew you were on the right track with what you’ve been saying all along. I mean, if a fire burns down a church, people can still pray on their own. How many churches have had to close and ended up being sold, turned into a house, or office space because people stopped going to them? Safe bet people didn’t think that God died just because their church did. They are all just places and not some kind of super connector to God.”

Bill added, “Just like my Dad and Mandy. They prayed directly to God and didn’t need a church building to do it for them.”

“You’re all right.” He turned to Greer, “That really helped and in a way, I’m glad you didn’t remember it before because that would have reenforced the things I’ve been accused of doing. Now that I know that, I’ll know what to say the next time.”

How could anyone expect someone to seek spiritual healing for PTSD or any other illness, if all they hear are voices condemning them? How can anyone learn how much they are loved by God if they never hear how He created their souls and their bodies are just a vehicle for their souls? Or that they are free to decide for themselves what they do and do not believe?

It is time for the voices of Christians to defend their faith against those who seek to silence them. We should all be tired of them deciding they have the right to decide for everyone else.

VA announces proposed rule regarding equal treatment of faith-based organizations in VA

VA announces proposed rule regarding equal treatment of faith-based organizations in VA-supported social service programs

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposed a rule, Jan. 16, that would implement President Trump’s, May 3, 2018, Executive Order (EO) establishing a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative, to remove regulatory barriers allowing religious and non-religious organizations equal treatment in VA-supported social service programs.

The proposed rule ensures VA-supported social service programs are implemented in a manner consistent with the Constitution and other applicable federal law.

Under current regulations governing these programs, religious providers of social services — but not other providers of social services — must make referrals under certain circumstances and must post notices regarding this referral procedure. VA’s proposed rule would eliminate religious providers from this requirement.

The current hinderances were not required by any applicable law, and because they were imposed only on religious social service providers, they are in tension with recent Supreme Court precedent regarding nondiscrimination against religious organizations. The proposed rule will foreclose other unequal treatment of religious organizations by ensuring they are not required to provide assurances or notices that are not required of secular organizations.

By compelling religious organizations, but not secular organizations, to post special notices and make referrals, the alternative-provider requirements unequally placed impediments on religious organizations and cast unwarranted suspicion on them

Additionally, the proposed rule will clarify that religious organizations may apply for awards on the same basis as any other organization and that when VA selects award recipients, VA will not discriminate based on an organization’s religious character. The proposed rule further clarifies that religious organizations participating in VA-supported social service programs retain their independence from the government and may continue to carry out their missions consistent with religious freedom protections in federal law, under the First Amendment.

The proposed rule incorporates the Attorney General’s 2017 Memorandum for All Executive Departments and Agencies, Federal Law Protections for Religious Liberty. That memorandum was issued pursuant to President Trump’s, May 4, 2017, Executive Order Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty, which guides all federal administrative agencies and executive departments in complying with federal law.

“Protecting religious liberty is a key part of ensuring Veterans, families and potential partners — no matter their religious beliefs — feel welcome to work with and seek services from VA,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “These important changes will help us accomplish these important goals.”

*******

Well "alrighty then" but when you read the Executive Order on the Establishment of a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative mentioned in the first part of this, you will be scratching your head too. Apparently, all these things were already done under "executive orders" from previous Presidents.

Sec. 2. Amendments to Executive Orders.
(a) Executive Order 13198 of January 29, 2001 (Agency Responsibilities With Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives)
Executive Order 13279 of December 12, 2002 (Equal Protection of the Laws for Faith-Based and Community Organizations), as amended by Executive Order 13559 of November 17, 2010 (Fundamental Principles and Policymaking Criteria for Partnerships with Faith-Based and Other Neighborhood Organizations)
Executive Order 13280 of December 12, 2002 (Responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture and the Agency for International Development With Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives)
Executive Order 13342 of June 1, 2004 (Responsibilities of the Departments of Commerce and Veterans Affairs and the Small Business Administration with Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives)
Executive Order 13397 of March 7, 2006 (Responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security With Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives), are hereby amended by:

(i) substituting “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative” for “White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives” each time it appears in those orders;

(ii) substituting “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative” for “White House OFBCI” each time it appears in those orders;

(iii) substituting “Centers for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives” for “Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives” each time it appears in those orders; and

(iv) substituting “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative” for “Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships” each time it appears in those orders.

(b) Executive Order 13279, as amended, is further amended by striking section 2(h) and redesignating sections 2(i) and 2(j) as sections 2(h) and 2(i), respectively.

The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices. It guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. It also guarantees the right of citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government.

Not sure why it took over a year to do this...or why it is a press release, at least the POW MIA Tables can keep Bibles on them!

Other veterans rights being taken away at VA over POW MIA table?

Air Force veteran wants to force his rights by taking away from others?

What part of the Constitution keeps getting missed by those who want to force everyone else to comply with protecting their "free expression" of lack of faith?

Last I heard, Congress did not make a law establishing a religion. 

Vietnam veterans however, did in fact establish the POW MIA table and the ceremony. They established honoring those who served, risked their lives and did not make it back home to enjoy the freedom they sacrifices their lives to provide to others. 

Yes, the same folks who are so terrified they are not being represented for their non-beliefs, they want to make sure that no one else has the right to express their own beliefs...as protected by the whole part of this...

The Bill of Rights – Full Text

Amendment IThe Bill of Rights – Full Text Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The missing man table consists of the following elements:

• A small table set for one, symbolising the isolation of the absent service member. The table is usually set close to, or within sight of, the entrance to the dining room. For large events, the missing man table may be set for six places representing each of the five armed services (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard), with the sixth symbolising the civilians who died during armed conflict.^[8] The table is round to represent the everlasting concern the survivors have for the missing.^[9]
• One or more head covers may be placed upon the table represent the armed service of the missing persons.^[10]
• A white tablecloth to symbolise the pure intentions of the service members who responded to the country's call to arms.^[11]
• A single rose in the vase symbolising the blood that service members have shed in sacrifice to ensure the freedom of the United States of America. This rose also represents the family and friends who keep the faith while awaiting the return of the missing service members.^[12]
• The red ribbon represents a love of country that inspired the service members to serve the country.^[13]
• A slice of lemon on the bread plate that represents the bitter fate of the missing.^[14]
• Salt sprinkled on the bread plate that symbolises the tears shed by waiting families.^[14]
• An inverted glass to represent fact that the missing and fallen cannot partake.^[12]
• A Bible represents the spiritual strength and faith to sustain the lost. This may be omitted in official displays.^[15].
• A lit candle symbolises a light of hope that lives in hearts to illuminate the missing's way home.
• An empty chair to represent the absence of the missing and fallen^[16]

But even they left it out here.

Manchester VA Medical Center, veterans battle over Bible display

New Hampshire Union Leader
By MICHAEL COUSINEAU
May 7, 2019

MANCHESTER -- A Bible once owned by a prisoner of war -- and on display at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center -- has launched a battle over religious freedom.

An Air Force veteran filed a lawsuit Tuesday looking to remove the Bible displayed on a POW/MIA table.

This Bible on the POW/MIA table at the Manchester VA Medical Center has sparked a controversy. DAVID LANE/UNION LEADER

“We would all be outraged if the MVAMC only provided care to Christians, or denied care to non-believers, or those who worship their God in other ways,” attorney Lawrence Vogelman wrote in the seven-page lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Concord.

“The placement of a Christian Bible on this sacred table is just as objectionable,” he said.

Curt Cashour, press secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs, called the lawsuit “nothing more than an attempt to force VA into censoring a show of respect for America’s POW/MIA community.

“Make no mistake: VA will not be bullied on this issue,” he said in a statement.

Cashour also apologized to veterans for the VA temporarily removing the Bible a few months back.
read more here