Written by David E. Smith
Illinois Family Action is excited to announce the best voting resource for the Illinois General Election – the IFA Voter Guide – now updated and available for your review! Just log on at ILVoterGuide.com to get started.
This free online voter guide is an evaluation of candidates and includes a detailed summary of important information that will help inform you on where the candidates stand on important issues like religious liberty, natural marriage, and the sanctity of life.
We researched candidates based on a number of criterion and then rated them on a seven point scale from Very Liberal to Very Conservative. The IFA Voter Guide also provides critical background information such as endorsements, donations to and from the candidate(s), candidate statements on the issues, and information from other sources.… Continue Reading
Written by John Biver
Conservatives continue to produce so much information — too bad it doesn’t reach enough people. Here is the content from just ONE email newsletter from the Galen Institute:
IRS to Target Citizens Who Aren’t Buying Obamacare Insurance
Grace-Marie Turner
Forbes, September 21, 2016
As many as 20 million Americans soon will be getting a letter from the Internal Revenue Service “suggesting” they sign up for Obamacare insurance. Getting a letter from the IRS can be a threatening and nerve-racking experience; it seldom is seen as a suggestion and more of a threat. But at President Obama’s direction, the IRS is “reaching out” to people who paid the tax penalty for not buying mandatory health insurance or who claimed an exemption in hopes of “attracting” more people to sign up for Obamacare insurance.
…
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Written by Tiffany Bates & Elizabeth Slattery
When Americans cast their ballots for the next president this November, they will not only select the next commander in chief and primary enforcer of the law, they will help select a new Supreme Court justice and countless other lower court judges.
Selecting judges is not an ancillary responsibility — it is a central and critical duty, with long-lasting effects. Indeed, half of the current Supreme Court justices were appointed more than 20 years ago. The next president’s choices will have a big impact on the judiciary. He or she will nominate at least one (but possibly several) Supreme Court justice and roughly one-third of federal district court and appeals court judges.
The judiciary is often an overlooked third branch of government. Yet the judges who populate its ranks wield tremendous power to decide cases that affect the daily lives of millions of Americans.… Continue Reading
The November 8th General Election is just around the corner! Prior to going to the polls, make sure that you know where your candidates stand on life, natural marriage (one man/one woman), and religious freedom. Please take a moment to check out IFA’s online voter guide at: ILVoterGuide.com
As in every election cycle, we have the blessing of being part of something that’s extraordinary, which most of the world can only dream of doing. We get to participate in self-government by casting our vote for local, state and federal officials. While some people claim that this is a wonderful privilege, we submit to you that it is much more than a privilege. It’s an phenomenal responsibility and it’s a stewardship issue.
Illinois Family Action’s board members Dr. Barbara Bellar, Richard Hartian, Pastor John Kirkwood, Jan Klaas, Pastor Calvin Lindstrom, Pastor James Pittman, and Executive Director of IFA and IFA-pac David E.… Continue Reading
Written by John Biver
President Ronald Reagan called voting a “the most sacred right of free men and women.” Sacred or not, less-than-sacred stuff often happens on Election Day, preventing even those with the best of intentions to leave their ballot uncast. Work or family matters get in the way, the long lines at the polling place common in a presidential election year serve as a big deterrent, and yes — sometimes people just plain forget to vote.
Here’s the good news — Election Day issues can be avoided by voting early – or by mail.
Early Voting
To vote early, merely find the designated early voting location managed by your local election authority. In Illinois, each of the 102 counties and these 10 cities have their own election authority: Aurora, Bloomington, Chicago, Danville, East St.… Continue Reading
Written by Peter LaBarbera
Former Speaker of the U.S. House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) is scheduled to speak at the annual fundraising dinner for the Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) this Wednesday, September 28. LCR has a long history of promoting homosexualism in the GOP and opposing most of the pro-family planks on “gay” issues that Gingrich supports.
LCR supports homosexual “marriage” and strongly opposes a federal constitutional amendment preserving marriage as between a man and a woman. On July 12, just after the GOP Platform Committee passed a conservative, pro-family platform, LCR president Gregory Angelo sent out a press release/money pitch blasting the Committee:
“There’s no way to sugar-coat this: I’m mad as hell — and I know you are, too.
“Moments ago, the Republican Party passed the most anti-LGBT Platform in the Party’s 162-year history.
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Written by Robert Knight
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld Ohio’s election reform law, but liberal courts have struck down voter photo ID laws in other states such as North Carolina and North Dakota and watered-down photo ID laws in Texas and Wisconsin.
Federal judges also have vacated statutes in Alabama, Georgia and Kansas that permitted states to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. The media and prominent Democrats cannot hide their delight.
Given the amount of misinformation, particularly the outrageous allegation that all election integrity safeguards are evidence of racism, I’ve assembled a handy guide.
Mandatory Voter Registration – Progressives want to sign up everyone automatically without affirming citizenship or an opt-out. What they call “automatic voter registration” is really “mandatory voter registration.” Here’s why it’s a bad idea:
— Not everyone wants to be registered to vote.… Continue Reading
Written by Justin McCarthy
As partisan-fueled court battles over state voting laws are poised to shape the political landscape in 2016 and beyond, new Gallup research shows four in five Americans support both early voting and voter ID laws. A smaller majority of 63% support automatic voter registration.
These data come from an Aug. 15-16 Gallup poll.
While providing early voting opportunities and requiring voters to show photo identification at polling stations are popular among a majority of Americans, both are contentiously debated by party leaders and are being contested in state courts. Most recently, a federal judge in Ohio ruled against limiting early voting, saying the move would discriminate against black voters. There are electorally strategic reasons as to why each major political party has a stake in the two contested policies.… Continue Reading
Dear Pro-Family Friends,
Early voting has been proven to win elections for conservative candidates over the last few election cycles. While many folks have good intentions to vote on election day, for a variety of reasons they never make it. That is why Illinois Family Action is currently engaged in a get-out-the-vote (GOTV) effort in your area — you may have received a phone call from us about it — or you may still. We need your help to make it a success — especially because of the importance of the down-ballot candidates.
Some pro-family voters might think that because Illinois is not a battleground state in the presidential contest that it doesn’t matter whether they vote or not. That is not true! Many elections for the General Assembly are close races.… Continue Reading
Written by John Biver
Here are just a few of the many resources (articles and videos) available on the topic of church activities deemed “political,” as well as on the Johnson amendment. So few people know this due to the conservative failure in the information war.
Regardless of the Johnson amendment, however, two notes…
First, note this quote from Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel has observed:
Pastors can preach on biblical, moral and social issues, such as natural marriage and abortion, can urge the congregation to register and vote, can overview the positions of the candidates, and may personally endorse candidates. Churches may distribute nonpartisan voter guides, register voters, provide transportation to the polls, hold candidate forums, and introduce visiting candidates.
Second, note Deacon Keith Fournier’s comment in this first link regarding “get-out-the-vote drives:”
Repeal the Johnson Amendment That Muzzles Pastors — By Deacon Keith Fournier
The Johnson amendment makes exceptions for “certain voter education activities (including presenting public forums and publishing voter education guides) conducted in a non-partisan manner … voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives,” provided they do not favor or oppose some candidate or group of candidates.… Continue Reading
Tags: Alliance Defending Freedom, Deacon Keith Fournier, Liberty Counsel, Matt Barber, Matthew Cochran, Michelle Terry, Napp Nazworth, Samuel Rodriguez
Illinois Politics, Religious Liberty | David E. Smith | 
September 20, 2016 7:00 AM | 
Comments Off on Yes, Churches Can Engage in the Political Struggle to Protect Religious Liberty and Defend Judeo-Christian Morality
