Welcome back to
the Liberty Insider.
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Before the break
with guest Melissa Reid
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she was hitting a high
point and I cut her short
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because I want to
hear more about it.
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The NARLA summit
not too many months ago
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I was there. Right.
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You let out and it
went wonderfully I thought.
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Tell us something about it.
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It was an
incredible experience again
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a lot of times when
we're putting together programs
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we don't realize how much
we actually will be blessed.
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But it was fantastic.
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We had Dr. Joseph Kidder
come from Andrews University
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and handle the
spiritual emphasis
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for our Friday
evening and Sabbath,
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worships messages.
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Tell me something about him.
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Well, he was born and raised
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and became a Christian in Iraq.
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Quite a story tell,
yeah. Incredible story,
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quite a story.
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I believe he is been here
3ABN and told us story as well.
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I know we made it available
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on a You tube
website which is NARLA video.
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Just an incredible
story really started
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that some one out right.
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Again we are not just
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a political
advocacy organization
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or one issue
advocacy organization.
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We are ministry as I
mentioned at the beginning
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and so I always feel
like it's so important
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to emphasize the
reasons that are--
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you know religious
freedom is so dear to us.
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It's because our religion,
our faith is so dear to us.
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So anyway I appreciate it.
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So his story underscored
that it's not a theory
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it affects the
lives of people in a pulp.
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Oh boy, they are very safety.
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Absolutely.
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And have a-- and yet I'm sure,
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I didn't hear his at least
I don't remember his story.
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Yes.
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But you know in parts of
the world like, like Iraq
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and Egypt now and Syria
a person that's a Christian
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really runs a risks just about
speaking out on their faith.
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Oh, yes he is-- And
yet how do you know.
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You can't be an
invisible Christian.
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He is an
individual too that you see
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even if he doesn't say a word
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you see Christ
radiating from him.
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Do you know what I
mean, it's very incredible,
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it's very interesting,
he is very inspiring.
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But yes his own
family rejected him,
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they beat him
because of his faith.
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You know it coincided
with him taking national exams
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for school and there, you know,
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was lots of family pressure.
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And he stood,
stood strong for Christ.
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You know, he was convicted.
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He had the Holy Spirit,
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and now he is professor
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in theology at
Andrews University.
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Yeah, there was also
a lot of young people
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at the NARLA over there.
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Exactly, so we put
together this program.
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It's a three day program
Friday, Saturday, Sunday,
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I'm sorry and then Monday.
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And we partnered
with a Pacific Union
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Religious Liberty Department
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and they have a program
this was their second year
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to partner with us its
called Freedom Class Room.
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And it's group of
high school individuals
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who come to the
Washington DC area
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and I think they
spent a week or ten days
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just becoming familiar with
religious liberty heroes his--
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Yeah, they want to give
them grounding in the history
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and the philosophy
and even some experience
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in contacting administrators--
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Yes, and so-- Or legislators.
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So we-- our two
groups came together
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on a couple of the days
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particularly on
Monday lobbying day.
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And that was a real
opportunity for again
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for church
members for our advocates,
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our NARLA members to
actually advocate on behalf of
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those who are
not able to advocate.
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Usually you don't
have to voice anywhere.
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And what I mean by
that is we are a group
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went and lobbied for particular
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for the passage
of a particular bill
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which would create a
position a special envoy
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for religious
freedom specifically.
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Which is since happened.
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Specifically we are,
you are spoiling the ending.
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Sorry.
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Which is but it was
dealing specifically
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with the Middle
East and central Asia.
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Well, our viewers
know if they you know
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in watching the news that
the Middle East and central Asia
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is a terrible place
for Christians right now
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for believers right now.
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Yes it was, we intend to
have whole program on that.
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And so we felt like
it was really a bill
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that we get behind in
an advocate behalf of.
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So we went and made
appointments with you know
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the representatives from
representing those individuals
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that you know they had come
in to participate in this summit
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with their offices,
with their staff members
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and share with them you know
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our desire for
this bill to be passed
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and had some
really good contacts.
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Some-- and again had
this young people involved.
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This time it was a lot
of high school seniors.
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They were thrilled
they don't want to go
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beyond the
schedules appointments.
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They wanted to just cold
call offices and say now,
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you know we want to
just drop of this material.
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You could see them be
very excited about it.
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And then for us as you
mentioned it was thrilling just
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a few weeks ago we were
able to report back to them
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that this bill
had in fact passed,
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the house version of the bill.
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And so it's you know
they were able to see
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their hard work and
their passion pay off.
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So it's just a real, a
real great opportunity.
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Again for individuals
who might be interested in
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attending this sort of events
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it's an annual event
we do it in the summer
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typically around June--
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It will be on
your, on the website.
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On the website.
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Yes, religiousliberty.info
again is the website.
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It's also libertymagazine.org
and we get that.
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Absolutely libertymagazine.org
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is also just real integral
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to our religious
liberty ministry.
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This is the one to pump now.
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But you reminded me
that I don't mention
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libertymagzine.org
enough on this program.
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So, yeah, so any way it's
been an exciting year for NARLA.
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We're thrilled you
know with certainly
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those who have not
been a part of the ministry.
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Yeah, we certainly encourage
them to become involved
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to become advocates
in their own community.
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You know, we will send out
more posts on out Face book page
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and on our website and
also we send out email alerts.
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It's another reason
to go to the websites.
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You can sign up for
email alerts on our websites.
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So if there is ever
a piece of legislation
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or may be a particular case
that you have not heard about
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that we want to be able to
tell you but share with you.
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It's a way that's
coming directly to your home,
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to your email accounts.
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So I would encourage
individuals to do that as well.
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Yeah and I've never
really said this before
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but I think NARLA has
the ability to get involved
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with many different initiatives.
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Where Liberty as
far as the magazine goes
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I'm more and more convinced that
it leads to sort of cherry pick
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even the issues
beyond that to dealing things
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in a strategic over
all educational way.
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Because you know one
magazine what can you do?
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We can fill it up with lots
of little interesting stories
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but, wouldn't explain to people.
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But yet an
organization can afford to it,
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it should get
involved with everything.
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Yes.
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In fact when you
talk about an organization
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when you talk
about a social situation
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it's the very little things
that quickly percolate up into
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what seems like major stuff
but you can't deal with that
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so easily at that level.
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But a lot of people that are
watching the little litmus tests
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if you like that little science
can make a real difference.
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Just they like if you
can't get more or more these
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young activists going
and visiting legislatures.
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They will get
this subliminal message
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young people in this
country are interested in this.
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I better pay attention.
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Right, right.
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And I was actually speaking
with a individual Dennis Seaton
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who handles the advocacy
work for the Pacific Union.
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Out of Sacramento.
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Out of Sacramento
and he said he always has
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gets his foot in
the door a lot faster--
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Right, with
young people of course.
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Yes, young people involved.
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So but what I was gonna say
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you and I are both involved
in this religious liberty
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roundtable in Washington, DC.
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It's an
opportunity for us to work with
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religious freedom advocates
from other faith groups.
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We have six Jewish
organizations Baptists.
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You name it they are
represented in this round table.
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It's really incredible to
look in the conference room
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and see these individuals
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and their faiths
represented there.
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But NARLA
provides an opportunity
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or this roundtable provides
an opportunity for NARLA
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to be able to sign
on to particular letters
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like if we are sending it to.
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If there something
going on we have all seen that
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the situation of Christians
been persecuted in Nigeria.
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And we were able to
sign on is an organization
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to a letter to the
Secretary of State.
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I think it was Kerry,
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it might have been
Clinton at that time.
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But I think-- I
believe we was Kerry and say
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you know we demand for it
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you know for the
for our state department
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become involved
our government to,
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in a care again
about this people
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who don't have any
count-- who don't have any voice
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to be able to
speak after them selves.
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So again NARLA is the
able to speak for individuals
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who don't have that
opportunity for themselves.
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Yeah, something I
have never heard said but
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it's my more
than understanding--
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I have a great
burden this should be so.
00:09:03.50\00:09:05.57
Again Liberty magazine
is dealing with big issues.
00:09:05.60\00:09:09.65
And should exemplify
an Adventist view point
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but it's dealing
with a wide front
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to be acceptable
rather religious groups.
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I do think NARLA has
more of an obligation
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to husbands
Seventh-day Adventist members
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towards advancing
our particular view point
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our particular
sensibilities if you like.
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Right.
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It's not
exclusive about this but
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it should be extra inclusive
of an Adventist sensibility.
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I agree with you
completely on that
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and its
interesting because NARLA
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never although would say
is a separate organization
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from the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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And we have made a legal.
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Legally. Yeah, we
separated it there.
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We never advocate,
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we never take a
position contrary to the church.
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And we only take
positions on issues
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that the Seventh-day Adventist
Church is taken position
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a position on have a position--
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That's good.
00:10:02.80\00:10:03.83
And I feel like that's important
for us for our integrity
00:10:03.86\00:10:08.04
and for the integrity
of our individual members
00:10:08.07\00:10:10.49
to for it to be
consistent in that way.
00:10:10.52\00:10:15.23
Writing to
Seventh-day Adventist,
00:10:18.19\00:10:20.87
pioneer Adventist
visionary Ellen White
00:10:20.90\00:10:23.79
once made a
comment that our youth
00:10:23.82\00:10:26.99
an army youth rightly trained
can make a huge difference.
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When I think about NARLA
00:10:32.28\00:10:33.81
the North American
Religious Liberty Association
00:10:33.84\00:10:36.14
I'm convinced that
that's were its future lies.
00:10:36.17\00:10:38.94
We need young people trained
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and sensitive to
religious liberty concerns
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and going out into the community
dealing with public officials
00:10:45.01\00:10:48.51
and making a difference.
00:10:48.54\00:10:50.22
This is possible
and it can happen.
00:10:50.25\00:10:53.17
I know so far
NARLA has fulfilled
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an incredible promise that
was lightened for so many years.
00:10:55.96\00:10:59.43
And I have to give full
credit to Adrian Westney,
00:10:59.46\00:11:02.99
a religious liberty
leader for many years
00:11:03.02\00:11:05.85
who in his last
years even after he retired
00:11:05.88\00:11:09.15
every time he got
together with his fellow
00:11:09.18\00:11:11.14
religious liberty leaders
would say "What about NARLA?
00:11:11.17\00:11:13.64
What about NARLA?
00:11:13.67\00:11:14.82
Can we start it up?"
00:11:14.85\00:11:16.41
And today NARLA
is alive and well.
00:11:16.44\00:11:18.86
NARLA has plans,
NARLA has activities,
00:11:18.89\00:11:21.90
NARLA has young people.
00:11:21.93\00:11:23.70
And most importantly when I
look at the worlds situation
00:11:23.73\00:11:26.80
look at the
United States situation
00:11:26.83\00:11:28.97
NARLA is facing a
world of great possibilities.
00:11:29.00\00:11:33.36
It's not just a time of crisis,
00:11:33.39\00:11:35.46
it is a time of opportunity
00:11:35.49\00:11:37.90
and I believe NARLA is situated
to take advantage of that.
00:11:37.93\00:11:42.73
For Liberty Insider
this is Lincoln Steed.
00:11:42.76\00:11:45.88