UPDATE:: US Supreme Court dismisses appeal of Christian imprisoned for helping child flee lesbian ‘mother’
The Supreme Court of the United States has refused to hear an appeal of a conviction of Christian businessmen Philip Zodhiates, who is currently serving a sentence in a federal prison for helping a Christian woman and her child escape court-enforced visits with an unrelated lesbian “mother” imposed on the child by a Vermont court.
The Court dismissed the appeal filed by Zodhiates’ private attorney, as well as three “friend of the court” (amicus curiae) briefs filed in support of Zodhiates appeal by several organizations and coalitions of groups concerned about the implications of the case for the rights of natural parents, as well as the dangers implied for constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure by government authorities.
UPDATE:: Religious Right Activists Are Working ‘Behind The Scenes’ To Get The White House To Protect Ex-Gay Kidnapper Lisa MillerKenneth Miller, a Mennonite pastor who helped a woman and her daughter flee the country in 2009 to avoid court-ordered visitations with the girl's lesbian "mother," has ended his appeal against a 27-month federal prison sentence and will be required to begin his term on March 1.
Linda Wall, who is an anti-LGBTQ activist and was a close friend of Lisa Miller, appeared on the “Focal Point” radio program yesterday to discuss the Miller saga with Bryan Fischer, who has been a vocal supporter of Miller’s decision to kidnap her daughter and flee the country from the very start. Wall attempted to paint the prosecution of Zodhiates as an example of anti-Christian bias, insisting that Zodhiates had done nothing wrong and was simply giving Miller and her daughter a ride to the airport so that they could go and serve the Lord.
“He simply gave a ride to them from Lynchburg, Virginia, to Buffalo, New York,” Wall insisted. “When these people were doing their Christian duty and [living] their Christian life, there was nothing wrong with Lisa leaving the country. Nothing had transpired in a court. She had a legal passport, her daughter had a passport, they simply decided, ‘We’re going to go serve the Lord.’ And these people were simply helping her go fulfill the call on her life to bring her daughter up in the ways of the Lord.”
Wall’s claim is ludicrous, of course, as Miller had been ordered to hand over custody of her daughter on January 1, 2010 but that never happened because she had already fled the country, with the help of Zodhiates and others, rather than comply.
Lisa Miller and her daughter Isabella are believed to have flown from Canada to Nicaragua in late 2009 after Kenneth Miller drove them to the Canadian border. Kenneth Miller was convicted of "aiding an international kidnapping" in 2012 but was allowed to remain free while he appealed the sentence.
"God allows hardships and trials to make us into the image of His Son. THAT'S GOOD. So if this time in prison makes this poor sinner a little more like Jesus, it will be good and I will be happy," wrote Kenneth Miller in response to his impending imprisonment.
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The Mennonite community in Nicaragua, which is believed to have received Lisa and Isabella when they initially arrived in the country in 2009, has shown similar courage. After months of harassment by Nicaraguan police, the Mennonite Brotherhood of Nicaragua issued a statement in 2012 clarifying that "[w]e have chosen to obey God. We are willing to give up our rights, go to jail, or even die, for the cause of helping anyone become free from a sinful life and helping that person to live in obedience to God's Word."
Three others, including Lisa Miller herself, conservative businessmen Philip Zodhiates, and Mennonite pastor Timothy "Timo" Miller, have also been indicted for their role in the "kidnapping." According to the Associated Press, Zodhiates is scheduled to begin trial in September in Buffalo, New York.
Mennonite pastor who helped child flee lesbian ‘mother’ to go to prison | News | LifeSite
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