The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/united-kingdom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Kingdom</a> has taken action to stop a Scottish measure from being implemented that would determine how people officially alter their designated gender in Scotland.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/uk-govt-veto-scotlands-gender-recognition-law-96456818" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Monday that the U.K. government was going to prohibit the passage of the Scottish legislation.
In an oral <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/statement-gender-recognition-reform-scotland-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> to parliament published Tuesday, Jack pointed out that the bill would create a new way for someone to apply for “legal gender recognition in Scotland.” It would lower the minimum age a person can apply to get a Gender Recognition Certificate and take away the necessity to get diagnosed medically, as well as the proof that the person has lived “for two years in their acquired gender.”
Jack said he was creating an order “under section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 preventing the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill from proceeding to Royal Assent.&#8221;
He said the government “believes however that transgender people deserve our respect, our support and our understanding,” but his choice to make the order “is centred [sic] on the legislation’s consequences for the operation of reserved matters, including equality legislation across Scotland, England and Wales.”
When putting forward the new potential guidelines, the Scottish government <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/16/europe/scottish-gender-law-uk-constitution-intl-gbr/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;We think that trans people should not have to go through a process that can be demeaning, intrusive, distressing and stressful in order to be legally recognized in their lived gender.&#8221;
Jack said that the bill would “have a serious adverse impact, among other things, on the operation of the Equality Act 2010.” The negative aspects, he said, involve how single-sex clubs, schools, and groups work, as well as safeguards like equal pay.
He also said that the government has the same concerns as many other people and organizations over the possible effect of the legislation on women and girls.
Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/16/rishi-sunak-blocks-scotlands-gender-recognition-legislation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> there were “no grounds” for the U.K. government to not allow it to go through, making the argument that it didn’t impact the Equality Act.
Sturgeon <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64264063" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the BBC that Jack was carrying out a “profound mistake” and claimed that he is starting a &#8220;direct attack on the institution of the Scottish Parliament.” Sturgeon noted that this would &#8220;inevitably end up in court&#8221; and that the government of Scotland would &#8220;vigorously defend this legislation.”
&#8220;In doing so we will be vigorously defending something else, and that is the institution of the Scottish Parliament and the ability of MSPs, democratically elected, to legislate in areas of our competence,” Sturgeon said. “In short, we&#8217;ll be defending Scottish democracy.”
The U.K. government has <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64264063" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not</a> taken this step ever before since the Scottish Parliament started in 1999.

Transgender Flag hold in the sky

U.K. Government Blocks New Scottish Transgender Legislation

Scotland

Social Issues

Transgender

U.K.

World

<a href="http://www.dailywire.com/topic/queen-elizabeth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Queen Elizabeth II</a> passed away at 3:10 p.m. on September 8, 2022 — and according to reports, &#8220;old age&#8221; was listed as the official cause of death.
The National Records of Scotland released the Queen&#8217;s death certificate on Thursday, confirming that the 96-year-old monarch had died of &#8220;<a href="https://pagesix.com/2022/09/29/queen-elizabeth-iis-cause-of-death-revealed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">old age</a>&#8221; and that her daughter, Princess Anne, was named on the papers as the &#8220;informant&#8221; of her death.
The longest-reigning monarch in British history, <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/breaking-queen-elizabeth-ii-dead-at-96/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Queen Elizabeth II</a> had spent 70 years of her life on the throne. She passed away at her summer residence, Balmoral Castle, in Scotland just days after Her Majesty had greeted Great Britain&#8217;s new Prime Minister, <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/topic/liz-truss/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Liz Truss</a>.
The public word went out that she had been placed under strict medical supervision due to fears about her rapidly deteriorating health. Family members rushed to be by her side in her final moments. They publicly announced the news of her passing just three hours after she died.
&#8220;The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,&#8221; the palace announced in a tweet. &#8220;The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow. <a href="https://t.co/VfxpXro22W">pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W</a>
&mdash; The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1567928275913121792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world,&#8221; King Charles said in a statement, adding that his mother&#8217;s death was &#8220;a moment of the greatest sadness.&#8221;
The Queen&#8217;s partner of 73 years, Prince Philip, had passed away just over a year earlier in April of 2021. After the coffin <a href="https://pagesix.com/2022/09/10/queen-elizabeth-iis-funeral-details-date-location-and-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rested</a> in several high-profile locations throughout the United Kingdom — namely the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland and lying in-state at Westminster Hall in London — Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest in a prepared tomb beside her late husband at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. Thousands came from all over the world to pay their respects to the late monarch, some waiting in line for hours and hours for the privilege.
King Charles III has stepped into his new role in the days since, traveling around Great Britain and greeting his subjects as they join him in mourning the only monarch most of them have ever known.

Queen Elizabeth II Visits Berlin

Officials Reveal Queen Elizabeth II’s Cause Of Death

Officials Reveal Queen Elizabeth II's Cause Of Death

Great Britain

Liz Truss

Queen Elizabeth

While the death of <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/breaking-queen-elizabeth-ii-dead-at-96/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Queen Elizabeth II</a> on Thursday prompted many to respond with shock and sadness, British officials have long had <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/queen-elizabeth-death-plan-britain-operation-london-bridge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plans in place</a> detailing what was to be done when the inevitable came to pass — but a number of those plans changed when instead of London, the <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/the-queens-visits-to-america-and-with-u-s-presidents-in-photos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">queen</a> passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
Operation London Bridge was set to launch immediately upon the queen&#8217;s death, a date that would from that point on be referred to as &#8220;D-Day.&#8221; A call was to go out with a simple message announcing that London Bridge had fallen. The cabinet secretary would send out an email to government officials, a draft of which reads: &#8220;Dear colleagues, It is with sadness that I write to inform you of the death of Her Majesty The Queen.&#8221;
All officials were to refrain from speaking about the queen&#8217;s death until after the prime minister made an official statement.
The subsequent days between her passing and the funeral would be labeled D+1, D+2, and so on. Those days would be filled with a number of preplanned arrangements detailing when and where the legendary monarch was to lie in state and how long she would spend at each location before moving on to the next. Security and logistics plans had already been laid out.
And while most of the details outlined in Operation London Bridge will still be a part of the plan, several key details — and the plan&#8217;s codename — changed because Queen Elizabeth II passed away in Scotland.
Named for Scotland&#8217;s national animal, the adjusted plan is called <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/operation-unicorn-not-london-bridge-the-codename-for-queen-elizabeth-iis-death-in-scotland-3328664" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Operation Unicorn</a> — and it will primarily affect the path along which the queen&#8217;s casket will travel before reaching her final resting place.
On D+2, the second day following the queen&#8217;s death, Operation London Bridge called for her casket to return to Buckingham Palace — but the special provisions in Operation Unicorn dictate that her first stop will be at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Public well-wishers will be allowed to sign a book of condolences at the parliament of Holyrood.
In the days following, her casket will be transported to St. Giles&#8217; Cathedral on the Royal Mile, after which it will travel to Waverly Station. From there, her body will be transported via the Royal Train to London.

Queen summer residence at Balmoral 2018

‘Operation Unicorn’ Is Underway: Here’s What Changed When Queen Elizabeth Died In Scotland

‘Operation Unicorn': Here's What Changed When Queen Elizabeth Died In Scotland

London

Royal Family

A never-before-seen self-portrait of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/priceless-van-gogh-stolen-in-overnight-art-heist-targeting-museum-shuttered-by-coronavirus">Vincent Van Gogh</a> has been discovered behind another of the famous artist&#8217;s paintings, a Scottish museum announced.
The self-portrait of the tortured master <a href="https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/features/hidden-van-gogh-self-portrait-discovered">was found</a> on the back of his “Head of a Peasant Woman” when experts at the National Galleries of Scotland’s Edinburgh gallery took an x-ray of the canvas. The work had been hidden for over a century behind layers of glue and cardboard when it was framed.
“Moments like this are incredibly rare,&#8221; said Frances Fowle, a senior curator at the National Galleries of Scotland. “We have discovered an unknown work by Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most important and popular artists in the world.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_409527" style="width: 457px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409527" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-409527 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Screen-Shot-2022-07-15-at-12.41.01-PM-447x576.png" alt="A hidden masterpiece by Van Gogh has been discovered after more than a century" width="447" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/Screen-Shot-2022-07-15-at-12.41.01-PM-447x576.png 447w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/Screen-Shot-2022-07-15-at-12.41.01-PM-233x300.png 233w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/Screen-Shot-2022-07-15-at-12.41.01-PM.png 608w" sizes="(max-width: 447px) 100vw, 447px" />X-ray image of Vincent Van Gogh’s self-portrait. (GRAEME YULE/NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND)</div>
Van Gogh, who died penniless and famously lopped off his own ear during a fight with a friend, often painted on both sides of the canvas. The newly discovered self-portrait shows him bearded, wearing a loose neckerchief and sporting a wide-brimmed hat. Experts agreed there is no doubt it was a self-portrait, and likely from an early period of his career.
Van Gogh painted &#8220;The Head of a Peasant Woman&#8221; in 1885, three years before he sliced off his left ear.
Art experts are trying to figure out how to delicately remove the glue and cardboard without harming “Head of a Peasant Woman.”
<div id="attachment_409538" style="width: 462px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409538" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-409538 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Screen-Shot-2022-07-15-at-12.47.12-PM-452x576.png" alt="A museum in Scotland has discovered a never-seen self-portrait of master painter Vincent van Gogh" width="452" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/Screen-Shot-2022-07-15-at-12.47.12-PM-452x576.png 452w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/Screen-Shot-2022-07-15-at-12.47.12-PM-235x300.png 235w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/Screen-Shot-2022-07-15-at-12.47.12-PM.png 758w" sizes="(max-width: 452px) 100vw, 452px" />Vincent van Gogh: The Head of a Peasant Woman, 1885. ANTONIA REEVE/NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND</div>
&#8220;When we saw the x-ray for the first time of course we were hugely excited,&#8221; senior paintings conservator Lesley Stevenson said in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6KR2HTPIXI&amp;feature=emb_imp_woyt">a video</a> shared by National Galleries of Scotland. &#8220;Such a major discovery happens once, twice in a conservator&#8217;s lifetime&#8230; To have an image, as elusive as it presently is, is something very, very special.&#8221;
Visitors to an exhibit set for July 30-November 13 at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh will be able to view an X-ray image of the self-portrait through a lightbox.

The EY Exhibition: Van Gogh And Britain Opens At The Tate Britain

See It: How A Museum Discovered A Long-Hidden Van Gogh Self-Portrait

'Incredibly Rare': How A Museum Discovered A Long-Hidden Van Gogh Self-Portrait

Painting

If becoming an American citizen was a one-in, one-out proposition, I’d be vying for the spot that Mr. Billie Joe Armstrong plans to vacate. 
In a London stadium on Friday, June 24, the lead singer of popular punk rock band Green Day <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-renouncing-my-citizenship-punk-rocker-quits-america-over-scotus-abortion-ruling">revealed his intention</a> to renounce his U.S. citizenship after the Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe v. Wade. &#8220;F*** America,” he told the crowd. “There&#8217;s too much f***ing stupid in the world to go back to that miserable f***ing excuse for a country.” 
At a concert in Huddersfield the next day, he continued to insult his homeland, saying “f*** the Supreme Court of America” and calling the High Court justices “pricks.” Although it seems like a knee-jerk reaction, Armstrong’s contention with the American way of life has been brewing for decades. In contrast, over the last 20 years, I have discovered the reasons why I choose to be fully committed to America. Here’s why I want what Armstrong is so eager to give away.
I immigrated from Scotland to the United States with my family in 1990, a few months after Green Day released their first album. My Scottishness defined me during my first decade in America. I talked funny. I wasn’t used to the heat or the mosquitos. And although I made many friends in sunny South Texas, there were some who told me to go back where I came from. For four years, my mother and father worked tirelessly to secure our green cards. When we were finally granted permanent residency, it was a major family milestone. In 1995, as Green Day released their second major studio album, Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” transformed me into a full-fledged ambassador for Scotland. For three years, I hosted a weekly Scottish radio program with my father that aired on public radio in Texas and elsewhere. If you had asked me which country was the best country in the world, my answer would have been Scotland, hands down.
After moving to the Seattle area in 2001, my second decade in America saw me finish college, begin teaching, and start a family. I began to embrace American history and culture even as I continued to promote Scotland. Meanwhile, Green Day saw major success with 2004’s “American Idiot” and 2009’s “21st Century Breakdown.” While Armstrong rocked the mic and warned against “one nation controlled by the media,” I faced over a hundred middle schoolers who were present in my classes every day. I learned about as much from those young Americans as I taught them. The more I worked with the next generation, the more I understood the value of American freedom. In 2011, I started working for an <a href="http://www.discovery.org/">influential think tank</a> dedicated to a culture of purpose, creativity, and innovation. From a wide variety of thinkers and scholars, I learned what America’s founders took great pains to create in 1787 and why it was so different than anything else in the world. I learned about the inherent value in every human and that the government was established to protect our God-given rights. America was moving up on my list of great nations, but Scotland was still at the top.
Then came 2020. As the U.S. wrestled with the effects of a global pandemic, racial tensions peaked in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. Statues toppled, historical figures were canceled, America’s beginnings were reimagined, and freedom of speech came under full-frontal attack. That year, I was finally ready to admit that America was the best country in the world. When I saw the country so disparaged and mistreated I began to more fully appreciate what sets it apart and what makes it worth defending. Recently, I resolved to become a naturalized citizen of the United States, not just to honor the hard work of my parents, but to have a full voice and a precious vote too.
Armstrong is a fifth-generation American. His great-great-grandparents immigrated from Italy to Boston and later to Berkeley. In 2018, Armstrong traveled to the ancestral home of his Italian forebears and was given an honorary citizenship by the mayor of the town of Viggiano. He clearly values his family connection to Italy. So why is he so quick to publicly vilify the nation in which his descendants chose to settle? The nation that incubated his success as a musician? The nation that gives him the freedom to criticize and ridicule his country? A lack of gratitude is evident.
In reality, I don’t need to take Armstrong’s place as a citizen. There’s room in America for anyone who is willing to love this country and respect the values on which it was built. While Billie Joe may be busy decrying America this July 4th, I’ll be busy thanking God for the opportunity to build a life here. I have learned the value of America, and soon, I’ll be joining the ranks of American citizens who are fighting to protect it.
Andrew McDiarmid is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute. His writing has recently appeared in the New York Post, Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, The Daily Wire, The American Spectator, and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter at @AMcDiarmid and learn more about his work at <a href="http://www.andrewmcdiarmid.org">www.andrewmcdiarmid.org</a>. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

McDiarmid – I Will Take Billie Jo Daugherty’s citizenship (1)

This July 4th, I Will Gladly Take Billie Joe Armstrong’s American Citizenship

Immigration

Readers Pass

Rock and Roll

A 66-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/scotland">Scottish</a> man who has donated blood for years says he was turned away after refusing to answer if he was, or had recently been, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender">pregnant</a>.
Leslie Sinclair has donated over 125 pints of blood in the last half century, according to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10928505/Male-blood-donor-turned-away-clinic-refused-answer-pregnant.html">Daily Mail</a>. But when he most recently showed up to do his part to save lives, he says he was told to fill out a form asking if he was or had been pregnant anytime within the past six months.
“I indicated to the staff that I could not be in this position, but they told me that I must answer, otherwise I would not be able to donate blood,” Sinclair, of the central Scotland town of Stirling, told the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10928505/Male-blood-donor-turned-away-clinic-refused-answer-pregnant.html">Daily Mail</a>. “I told them that it was stupid and that if I had to leave I would not come back and that was it, I got on my bike and left.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Male blood donor who refused to say if he was pregnant turned away <a href="https://t.co/oQQtNrc6sW">https://t.co/oQQtNrc6sW</a> WTF is going on, am I living in the Fekking Twilight Zone!!🤔🤔🤔😡😡
— David John Eason (@D531320) <a href="https://twitter.com/D531320/status/1538154969198739456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
All potential donors are being asked the question in order to “promote inclusiveness” and because pregnancy &#8220;not always visually clear,” the Mail reported. The United Kingdom’s National Health Service is trying to encourage blood donation amid a shortage, and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service recently mounted a campaign to recruit 16,000 new donors.
Sinclair, who said he began donating blood when he was just 18, said he understands donors must provide information to ensure the blood supply is safe, but he said common sense should prevail on the pregnancy question.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe-today-two">CLICK HERE TO SEE THE DAILY WIRE&#8217;S BOMBSHELL DOCUMENTARY, &#8220;WHATIS A WOMAN?&#8221;</a>
“It makes no sense and makes me angry because there are vulnerable people who are waiting for blood, including children, and are in desperate need of help,” he said. “But they were denied my blood because of the obligation to answer a question that cannot be answered.
“They were denied my blood because of an obligation to answer a question that cannot be answered,” he said.
Under the new, radical gender ideology increasingly embraced by the Left, men can become pregnant. That’s because biological women may identify as men while still retaining their ability to reproduce. Apple, Google, and Microsoft have all demonstrated their belief that men can become pregnant by adapting versions of the “pregnant man emoji” that was approved last year by the Unicode Consortium as part of <a href="https://emojipedia.org/emoji-14.0/">Emoji 14.0</a>
In The Daily Wire’s new documentary, “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe-today-two">What Is A Woman?</a>” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-matt-walsh-breaks-down-how-leftist-gender-theory-infiltrated-america">Matt Walsh</a> explores the new ideology and finds that many on the Left believe doctors randomly assign genders at birth and that they have nothing to do with genitalia. Walsh recently told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-wish-we-could-say-we-invented-that-matt-walsh-confirms-over-the-top-interviews-with-leftist-gender-experts-were-very-real">Fox News’ Tucker Carlson</a> the new, radical gender theory is a pernicious force.
“There’s the absurdity on the surface and then underneath it, it’s really quite sinister,” Walsh said.
Marc Turner, director of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, praised Sinclair, but told the Daily Mail all donors have to answer the question because he believes women can change their gender yet still become pregnant.
“Whilst pregnancy is only a relevant question to those whose biological sex or sex assigned at birth is female, sex assigned at birth is not always visually clear to staff. Turner said. “As a public body, we are aware of changes in society in how such questions can be asked without discrimination and have a duty to promote inclusion – so all donors are now being asked the same questions.”

Pregnant man emoji

Man, 66, Says He Was Barred From Donating Blood After Refusing To Answer If He Was Pregnant

Matt Walsh

What Is A Woman

The Church of Scotland, the nation’s largest Protestant church and once a bastion of biblical orthodoxy, has voted to allow ministers to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies. The vote was not even close.
As <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-61547729">reported</a> by BBC News, 
<blockquote>“Members of the General Assembly in Edinburgh voted to change church law following years of campaigning.
“It means same-sex couples will be able to marry in church in services conducted by ministers.
“Ministers and deacons will be able to apply to become celebrants of same sex marriage, but they will not be forced to take part.
“The results of the vote were: 274 for and 136 against.”</blockquote>
What on earth has happened to this historic church, one that used to be deeply devoted to the authority of Scripture? How did it fall so far?
This is the church of <a href="https://www.learnreligions.com/biography-of-john-knox-4775110">John Knox</a> (1514-1572), the fiery Reformer who famously prayed, “Give me Scotland or I die,” bringing transformation to the church and the nation. Now it is sanctioning homosexual “marriages” within its church buildings, performed by its ordained ministers. How can this be?
This is the church whose <a href="https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/about-us/our-faith/statements-of-the-churchs-faith">website</a> still states, 
<blockquote>“Our standards of belief are to be found in the Old and New Testament and in the Church&#8217;s historic Westminster Confession of Faith.”</blockquote>
But where, pray tell, does the Bible support same-sex “marriage”? It does not.
Where does the Bible sanction any marriage union that does not consist of a man and a woman? It does not.
Where does the Bible even hint at the propriety of a same-sex romantic and sexual union? It does not. (Click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l_GY6mXgQg&amp;feature=emb_imp_woyt">here</a> for a 6-minute, animated primer on the subject of “Can You Be Gay and Christian?”)
As for the Westminster Confession of Faith (released in 1646), it no more countenanced two men or two women marrying than it countenanced a human being marrying a frog. (I’m not making a comparison between the two here; I’m simply expressing the mindset of the framers of the Confession. For a related discussion involving American Presbyterians—the Church of Scotland is also Presbyterian—click <a href="https://juicyecumenism.com/2013/04/06/presbyterians-homosexuality-and-book-of-confessions/">here</a>.)
As the Westminster text <a href="https://www.creeds.net/Westminster/c24.htm">states</a>, 
<blockquote>“I. Marriage is to be between one man and one woman: neither is it lawful for any man to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more than one husband at the same time.
“II. Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife; for the increase of mankind with a legitimate issue, and of the Church with an holy seed; and for preventing of uncleanness.”</blockquote>
Marriage and natural procreation went hand in hand, just as the union of a man and a woman went hand in hand.
So much for the Church of Scotland adhering to either the Bible or the Westminster Confession of Faith.
On what basis, then, did the church make its historic (and misguided) decision? According to the Covenant Fellowship Scotland, which the BBC describes as “a think tank of evangelicals within the Church of Scotland,” it came down to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-61547729">one reason</a> only: “Instead of following the clear and unambiguous teaching of God&#8217;s written word, the Bible, the Church of Scotland continues to follow popular opinion.”
And so, rather than the church being a witness to the world and calling the nation to turn back to God and His Word, the church has turned to the world, at the expense of biblical truth. It is the exact opposite of what Paul wrote to the Romans, when he urged them not to be conformed to the world but rather to be transformed by the Word (see Romans 12:1-2).
As these faithful ministers stated, 
<blockquote>“This decision contradicts everything the Bible has to say about the complementary nature of men and women, and of the character and purposes of marriage,” rightly branding the decision “unbiblical and sinful.”</blockquote>
And while expressing their deep pastoral concern “for those who wish to enter into same sex marriages,” they emphasized that “we must nevertheless point to the complete absence of any compelling or persuasive biblical evidence that might permit ministers and deacons of the Church of Scotland to officiate at same sex marriages.”
Precisely so.
In short, the Church of Scotland has said no to God, no to the Bible, no to its historic beliefs, and no to its foundational ethics, choosing instead to follow the spirit of the age. The leaders have even decided to <a href="https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/news-and-events/news/archive/news-archive-folder/2017/church-a-step-closer-to-conducting-same-sex-marriages">apologize</a> to the gay community for the “history of discrimination” it has faced over the centuries.
But for those who have been monitoring the Church of Scotland over the years, all this should occasion no surprise. For years now, observers have been <a href="https://theweeflea.com/2015/03/20/ten-reasons-why-the-church-of-scotland-is-in-decline/">pointing</a> to the church’s gradual discarding of biblical authority. This latest decision is just one more, inevitable step away from God and His Word.
After all, it was back in 2011 that The Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/23/church-of-scotland-gay-lesbian-ministers">reported</a> that, “Scotland’s largest protestant church has swept away centuries of tradition and voted to allow gay men and lesbians to become ministers, opening up the prospect of the church allowing civil partnerships for same-sex couples.”
When it comes to clergy performing same-sex weddings, the real question is: What took so long?
As for the “traditionalists” who remain within the church, fighting to preserve their heritage and minister to their flocks, they face a difficult decision. Some, no doubt, will want to stay with their ship, even if it sinks.
But if faithful ministers of the gospel within the Church of Scotland can learn anything from the painful <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/03/03/united-methodist-church-split-new-denomination/9368541002/">split</a> in the Methodist Church after years of wrestling with these very same issues, or the <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/episcopal-church-splits-over-gay-equality/">breakup</a> of the Episcopalian Church, again, over these very same issues, then it is this: You should issue one final warning, and then, en masse, depart from this apostatizing church and form your own fellowship.
It will save you years (if not decades) of strife and trouble and will bring blessing to those you lead. 

Dr. Michael Brown (<a href="http://www.askdrbrown.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.askdrbrown.org</a>) is the host of the nationally syndicated <a href="http://www.lineoffireradio.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Line of Fire</a> radio program. He holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has served as a professor at a number of seminaries and is the author of 40 books. Connect with him on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AskDrBrown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/DrMichaelLBrown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>, or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbINn3x-intLp88Zrf8acpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube</a>.

The Church of Scotland Has Voted to Approve Gay ‘Marriage’

General Assembly in Edinburgh Votes to Change Church Law Following Years of Campaigning

Church

Same-Sex Marriage

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Forget about real estate or tech stocks: The best investment is in Scotch.
A forgotten cask of The Macallan from 1988 just sold at auction for a record-breaking sum of nearly $1.3 million. The cask was initially purchased some 34 years ago by an absent-minded drinker who paid $6,275 for it, yet never turned up to collect it. The distiller sold it Sunday to an unidentified American buyer through the online auction site Whisky Hammer.
&#8220;When this cask was listed in our auction, we knew it had the potential to make history,&#8221; said Daniel Milne, Whisky Hammer&#8217;s founder. &#8220;To come across a cask of this age, quality and size is extraordinary in itself, enhanced by the fact the liquid was distilled at The Macallan which is reflected in the global attention the cask has attracted.&#8221;
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A forgotten cask of whisky sold at auction for C$1.48 million, distilled in 1988 at The Macallan distillery, one of Scotland&#39;s oldest distilleries. The 374-litre cask contains enough scotch to fill 534 bottles of Old Macallan Whisky, it sold to a private individual in the U.S. <a href="https://t.co/pkEwRO00yI">pic.twitter.com/pkEwRO00yI</a>
&mdash; Freddie Saxon (@WordsmithSaxon) <a href="https://twitter.com/WordsmithSaxon/status/1519658025518342151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The cask holds about 534 bottles&#8217; worth of whiskey, which works out to $2,426 apiece. That breaks the per-bottle record for a cask, topping a smaller Macallan barrel auctioned in 2021 for $572,000, according to <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/news/forgotten-macallan-whisky-cask-auction-record">Food &amp; Wine</a>.
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<div id="google_ads_iframe_3865/fw.mdp.com/ntv1_0__container__">Last October, a cask of Macallan 1991 sold at auction for $2.33 million, but the sale included a commissioned NFT from artist Trevor Jones.</div>
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Whisky Pour from a bottle into a cut glass tumbler

Cheers! Long-Forgotten Cask of Rare Scotch Sells For Mind-Boggling Sum

A Forgotten Cask Of The Macallan Scotch Sold At Auction For Record $1.3M

History

Whiskey

Scotland may posthumously pardon people executed as witches — 400 years after the fact.
The history of witch trials in Scotland was rooted in a power struggle between the Roman Catholic Church and the aristocracy, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/scotland-moves-to-pardon-thousands-executed-as-witches400-years-later-11641042001?mod=hp_lead_pos10">The Wall Street Journal</a>:
<blockquote>In all, until the Witchcraft Act was repealed in 1735, some 3,837 people were accused of the crime — the overwhelming majority of them women — with some two-thirds executed, more per head of population than anywhere else in Europe…
In some instances, people accused their neighbors of the crime to settle scores. Much of the Scottish aristocracy threw their weight behind the purges, hoping they would speed the decline of the Catholic Church and allow them to pick from its landholdings, say academics who studied the phenomenon.
Others, including King James, believed in witches and developed what they thought were scientific methods to detect them, such as pricking them with long needles to see how much they bled. If there wasn’t enough blood, it was held as a sure sign that the accused was a witch.</blockquote>
Some of the campaigners are invoking other blotches on Scottish history. Claire Mitchell — who launched a #MeToo-inspired podcast called “Witches of Scotland” — said that “It’s not dissimilar to how Scotland needs to face up to its role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.”
One may think that witchcraft has ended in the Western world. However, self-proclaimed witches in the United States repeatedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/real-witches-say-theyre-offended-president-trump-emily-zanotti">butted</a> heads with President Donald Trump during the Mueller investigation. <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/witches-to-trump-stop-calling-the-mueller-investigation-a-witch-hunt?ref=home">The Daily Beast</a> reported in 2018:
<blockquote>It may, on the surface, seem like a harmless way to trivialize special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. But to the actual community of witches, President Donald Trump’s constant invocation of a “witch hunt” is deeply problematic and, frankly, a bit hurtful. “Many are mad, and the rest are rolling their eyes,” said David Salisbury, a lead organizer at Washington-based witch community Firefly House.
Witches are not a constituency with which politicians normally concern themselves. And there’s little sense in the community that Trump actually cares about what they truly think. But for those who practice witchcraft, the president’s words bring up a painful period in history, when men and women were accused of being witches and murdered, both in the American colonies and in Europe.</blockquote>
Ironically, J.K. Rowling — the mastermind behind the Harry Potter series, which centers upon a school for young witches and wizards — has herself been the subject of multiple witch hunts. Readers of The Guardian are currently accusing the outlet of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/british-newspaper-cancels-person-of-the-year-poll-after-j-k-rowling-runs-away-with-top-spot">deactivating</a> an online poll that asked people to vote on “Person of the Year” after it became apparent that Rowling would win.
Rowling — who also happens to be Scottish — has been at the center of several cancel culture controversies for her rejection of transgender ideology. In December, she mocked Scotland’s law enforcement policy that allows accused rapists to self-identify as female: “War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman.”

Spooky Witch

Scotland May Pardon People Executed As Witches 400 Years Ago

“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has stirred controversy on the Left once again, after ridiculing the Scottish police force for allowing rape suspects to self-identify as female.
Rowling responded to an article from The Times of London on Sunday, titled, “‘Absurdity’ of police logging rapists as women.”
“War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman,” Rowling tweeted.
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War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman.<a href="https://t.co/SyxFnnboM1">https://t.co/SyxFnnboM1</a>
&mdash; J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) <a href="https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1470092815506063365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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“Police have been criticized for saying they will record rapes by offenders with male genitalia as being committed by a woman if the attacker ‘identifies as a female,’” reported <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/absurdity-police-logging-rapists-women-s6576v825">The Times</a>. “Police Scotland said that they would log rapes as being carried out by a woman if the accused person insists, even if they have not legally changed gender.”
This issue was originally reported by ​​<a href="https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/8140844/cops-record-rapes-if-male-identifies-as-woman/">The Scottish Sun</a>, who said that, “former Holyrood Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill” described the move as “absurd.”
“In correspondence seen by The Scottish Sun on Sunday, the ex-Nats minister asked the force how it would deal with recording sex assaults once new gender self-ID laws come in,” The Sun continued. “Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie set out a number of scenarios where a rapist could be recorded as a woman — including ‘where a person, born male but who identifies as a female and does not have a full gender recognition certificate and then commits rape.’”
MacAskill responded, “As a lawyer for 20 years and Justice Secretary for almost eight, I’ve seen some legal absurdities.”
“But this tops it all and is dangerous. It’s physically impossible and is about dogma overriding common sense,” MacAskill added.
“The sex/gender identification of individuals who come into contact with the police will be based on how they present or how they self-declare, which is consistent with the values of the organization,” Detective Superintendent Fil Capaldi said. “Police Scotland requires no evidence or certification as proof of biological sex or gender identity other than a person&#8217;s self-declaration, unless it is pertinent to any investigation with which they are linked.”
“The Gender Recognition Act will remove medical checks for those seeking a gender recognition certificate and shorten the time people have to live as their new gender before it is legally recognised,” explained <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10304299/Police-Scotland-slammed-identify-rapists-female.html">The Daily Mail</a>. “A power-sharing pact between the SNP and Scottish Greens commits them to bringing in the laws by mid-2022.”
Unsurprisingly, Rowling was immediately condemned by woke critics as “transphobic.” She is often labeled by critics as a TERF, or Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist.
As <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/12/13/j-k-rowling-slams-cops-for-letting-rape-suspects-id-as-women/">The New York Post</a> noted, “The 56-year-old author was first accused of transphobia last June, when she poked fun at an article titled: ‘Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate.’”
“People who menstruate,” Rowling mocked. “I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
However, Rowling was also cheered by several conservative commentators on Twitter.
“Your tweet is brave,” replied journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1470259496966672385">Andy Ngo</a>. “Thank you for calling out the insanity,” wrote <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLaurenChen/status/1470162811045257220">Lauren Chen</a>.

J.K. Rowling

‘The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is A Woman’: J.K. Rowling Slams Scotland Police For Move To Record Male Rapists As Women Based On Self-Identity

JK Rowling

Fully-vaccinated individuals from the United States and most of Europe will be able to enter Scotland and England without going through quarantine measures, officials announced Wednesday.
On <a href="https://twitter.com/grantshapps/status/1420374101097598979">Twitter</a>, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wrote, “We&#8217;re helping reunite people living in the US and European countries with their family and friends in the UK.”
“From 2nd August at 4am people from these countries will be able to come to the England from an amber country without having to quarantine if they&#8217;re fully vaxxed,” Shapps added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
We&#39;re helping reunite people living in the US and European countries with their family and friends in the UK 👪 
From 2nd August at 4am people from these countries will be able to come to the England from an amber country without having to quarantine if they&#39;re fully vaxxed 💉
&mdash; Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) <a href="https://twitter.com/grantshapps/status/1420374101097598979?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
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As The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/28/world/uk-travel-quarantine.html">reported</a>, “The government has been criticized for discriminating between travelers who were vaccinated in Britain and those who were inoculated elsewhere, without any medical justification. Vaccinated people arriving in England from most ‘amber list’ countries, those with moderately high transmission, have been required to self-isolate — unless they received their shots in Britain.”
Shapps added, on Twitter, that vaccinated travelers will still need to take a “pre-departure test before arrival and take a PCR test on day 2 of returning to the England.” He also stated that international cruises will be restarting and “flexible testing programs to help key workers and drive our economic recovery.”
The decision didn’t come without political pushback, however. “I am very concerned about the government’s announcement via the press this morning,” Labour Party deputy leader Angela Rayner <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-airlines-put-pressure-on-ministers-to-scrap-quarantine-for-fully-vaccinated-arrivals-from-eu-and-us-12365826">told Sky News</a>.
“We need to make sure that we have got a proper data-driven analysis and that we look at an international passport for vaccines. … We also know that people who have had the vaccine of course can still get the virus, so a testing regime is very important and crucial as well,” Rayner said, per <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/28/coronavirus-latest-updates/">The Washington Post</a>.
The move comes after the United States has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-to-continue-international-travel-restrictions">prolonged travel restrictions</a> and extended some land border closures.
As <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/564852-us-to-maintain-travel-restrictions-due-to-delta-variant?rl=1">reported</a> by The Hill, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday, “We will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point for a few reasons. The more transmissible Delta variant is spreading both here and around the world.”
“Driven by the Delta variant, cases are rising here at home, particularly among those who are unvaccinated, and appear likely to continue in the weeks ahead,” she said.
“The CDC just advised Americans against travel to the United Kingdom this past Monday given the surge in cases. They will evaluate and make recommendations based on health data,” Psaki added.
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-extends-land-border-closure-between-canada-and-mexico-as-canada-lifts-restrictions">reported</a>, last week, the United States announced that land border closures between the U.S. and Mexico and the U.S. and Canada will be extended, barring non-essential travel while officials continue to weigh options.
As reported by USA Today, “U.S. <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2021/07/20/lovers-lawmakers-biden-open-u-s-border-canada/8030225002/">borders with Mexico and Canada will remain closed</a> through Aug. 21, according to documents to be published in the Federal Register. The previous U.S. border restrictions were set to end Thursday.”
“Restrictions on entry into the U.S. by land and ferry travel are extended until 11:59 p.m. Aug. 21, according to the notices,” the outlet added.
Canada announced last week that it would be reopening its border for nonessential travel to fully-vaccinated Americans on August 9th, and “[o]ther foreign nationals will be permitted to enter beginning September 7,” as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/canada-announces-date-when-border-will-open-to-vaccinated-americans">reported</a> by The Daily Wire.

7FE46C81-63F2-4125-8EAB-0CA42A3DF50B_1_201_a

England, Scotland Ease Travel For Fully-Vaccinated Visitors From United States

COVID

COVID-19 Vaccine

England

The statue and grave of Adam Smith, the 18th-century philosopher often referred to as &#8220;the father of capitalism,&#8221; has been placed on a list of historical figures slated for possible removal in Smith&#8217;s native Scotland.
Smith&#8217;s final resting place was included in a recent Edinburgh city council dossier of places that exhibit “slavery and colonialism,” as reported by <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/adam-smith-grave-slavery-colonialism-edinburgh-b1813411.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Independent</a>. He was buried in the Canongate Kirkyard in July 1790.
Smith is primarily remembered for writing &#8220;The Theory of Moral Sentiments,&#8221; published in 1759, and &#8220;An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations,&#8221; published in 1776. The latter is considered his greatest work and also widely regarded to have laid the foundations of the free market.
The city council of Edinburgh, which is the capital of Scotland, recently reviewed the city&#8217;s alleged connections to slavery and colonialism. Smith was among the many major historical figures whose legacy is being reevaluated in the wake of the <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/black-lives-matter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Black Lives Matter riots</a> that swept parts of the Western world after George Floyd&#8217;s death last May. Thousands of supporters gathered at Holyrood Park in the city last year to protest the incident.
Smith was reportedly included in the list of potential offenders because he &#8220;argued that slavery was ubiquitous and inevitable but that it was not as profitable as free labour,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/06/adam-smiths-grave-listed-dossier-slavery-colonialism-sites/amp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Telegraph</a>, which further reported:
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<blockquote>Both Smith’s gravestone and his statue on the Royal Mile would now be considered by the council’s Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review Group, The Telegraph said.
Bute House, the official residence of first minister Nicola Sturgeon, and monuments dedicated to Queen Victoria, Admiral Lord Nelson and Scottish national poet Robert Burns are reportedly also included among the sites for review by the group.</blockquote>
Smith&#8217;s potential cancellation coincides with cities like Chicago considering the removal of statues such as one of former President Abraham Lincoln. As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cant-make-it-up-bill-hemmer-predicts-cancel-culture-coming-for-bible-characters-next" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>:
<blockquote>Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer warned the increasingly aggressive cancel culture that would go after figures such as former President Abraham Lincoln will soon aim its fire at characters in the Bible.
Hemmer <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/tv/fox-news-anchor-bill-hemmer-warns-cancel-culture-could-come-after-bible-characters-next/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">made his comments</a> Friday during a segment on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” about the new <a href="https://chicagomonuments.org/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chicago Monuments Project</a>, which will catalogue the city’s monuments and appoint an advisory committee “to determine which pieces warrant attention or action.”
Among the historical figures whose monument is being reviewed is Lincoln, whose tomb is in Springfield, Illinois.
[&#8230;]
Maintaining it was wrong for vandals to rip down and otherwise damage some of the city’s statues last summer, Shimkus said it was “equally troubling” that Chicago’s city government was entertaining the idea of removing even more to placate modern sensibilities. She quoted Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who said “memory and tradition are very, very important. It’s the vehicle of God’s revelation. To do anything to chip away at that tradition is perilous to the human project.”</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cant-make-it-up-bill-hemmer-predicts-cancel-culture-coming-for-bible-characters-next" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Can’t Make It Up’: Bill Hemmer Predicts Cancel Culture Coming For ‘Bible Characters’ Next</a>
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Adam Smith Monument, Gothic St Giles’ Cathedral at dusk, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Grave And Statue Of Economist Adam Smith Flagged For ‘Slavery And Colonialism’ In Scotland

Black Lives Matter

Capitalism

Economics

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